Being outside of the City at night felt great. Being surrounded by darkness, trees, and clean crisp air, he sat by the fire sipping warm tea from a metal mug, watching fireflies dancing in a distance. Blackness of the night reduced his world to a small circle defined by warmth and light of a fire. Steady crackling put his mind at ease. First for the long long time the mind was calm. No racing thoughts, no anxiety, no urge to check devices. Just eternal calmness. An atmosphere felt eerie and magical at the same time, contrasting with ever glowing city lights and constant commotion.

Sleep didn’t come. Calmness slowly transformed into feeling of being watched. Two odd fireflies caught his attention. They didn't follow others, didn’t even dance. Just hovered there. And then they blinked. Out of sync.

In an instance they went close, turning into glowing bright lime eyes. One sharp blow knocked earth pony to the ground. Another blow followed, ensuring pony won't get up. Something towered over him. Someone.

— Food!- changeling hissed, pressing her prey into the ground, looking into Links eyes, horn blinking with a spell ready to go.

— Feed me!

Pony tried to draw the gaze, tried to resist. He can't. Sickly lime glow flooded the consciousness, pressing the thoughts to the side, dismantling fear, forcing his body to comply. He drifted away.

Link found himself lying on the floor. Light gray concrete, to be precise. The kind of concrete one can find in most data centers. Shiny, cheap, reliable. Someones boot pressed his head down. Five ponies stood around them wielding guns various caliber. He could hear, or rather feel dozens servers humming above, moving bits back and forth. And impatient steps closing in. No alarm sound, no gunfire, no guards screaming. They where allowed inside.

Steps ceased. The tall pegasus towered over him, grinning ear to ear. The Leader.

— Well would ya look who’s we’ve got here! Unlucky techie!- his cracked voice echoed, competing the hum.

He leaned forward, grabbing Links badge, ripped it off the uniform, leaving gaping hole on his chest.

These goons tried to break into this same data center couple of times by now, just to be fended by the guards, and retreat miserably. Today was different.

— Lost Link…- the pegasus proclaimed solemnly.- Well, Link, today you'd be definitely lost.

One gesture to his mates and blows followed. One deliberate blow at a time. From different sides. Link saw his blood smear the concrete. Heard own bones crack. Pain came and gone. Body didn’t have the capacity to process all of that. When goons tired playing, leader returned, still grinning.

— Wha’? Do ya still alive?- grin vanished in a moment,- Surprising resilience…- he grunted,- Die already!

He aimed his gun at Links head, point blank, and shoot.

For a brief moment changeling felt bullet ripping trough her own skull. An echo of memory, she picked up while feeding. Spell wavered, then broke completely, giving pony a chance. A sharp sting sent pain jolts through her shoulder, electric shock following suit.

— Get out… of my… head!

Messy but powerful kick sent changeling off the pony and to the ground. Another shock pinned her down, as she tried to get up.

Link reload spent taser cartridge, as he carefully approached the body.

— You good?

He touches the body with caution. Changeling chest rise and fall steadily under his touch. He felt a heartbeat.

— You good...- pony exhale relieved, dropping on his rump near by.

Only now Link noticed he was some distance away from the fire. Fire, that by now turned into embers. He pulled the radio out of a chest pocket. Dialed the frequency in.

— Base, wanderer six-one, com-in.

Radio crackled to life.

— What? Who are you?- he heard angry swearing( in response).- This is police freq…

Pony interrupted.

— Ten-thirty, possible thirty-one. Changeling, female, feral. Got her KO’d. Send help.

A silence lingered for a bit.

— Affirmative.- whoever answered him finally remembered, he was on the duty.- Your coords, sir?

Pony depressed the button on a radio, sending his current location encoded into harsh digital shriek. Hardware on other side should know his location by now.

Radio came to life again.

— Got ‘em. Stay put, sir, car’s on the way. Get away from the changeling as far as you can.

— She's not a threat now… Erm… Can I request an ambulance?

— Are you wounded, sir?

— She is…- exhaled an earth pony, tired.