"No! It was only a dream... that's not supposed to be here!" Twilight screamed.

Her heart was in overdrive, her pupils were pinpricks and her legs were shaking so bad she could only stand.

"What's wrong!?" Spike asked. "It's just a book!"

"It is not just a book! That thing is filled with nightmares! Lies!" Twilight yelled. She changed into the pony Twilight, grabbed the book in her magic and eyed it with hellfire. "And I know exactly where it's going."

Outside the tree house.

"I hope she’s alright!" Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash was flying next to her, albeit slightly slower since her friend couldn't fly.

"Don't worry. She's probably having one of her nerd fits. Remember all the other times this has-"

They both stopped when the kitchen window was opened, a large book was thrown out and after it was a good distance in the air, a fire-ball flew out from the window and disintegrated it.

"Or maybe it's worse..." Rainbow said, watching the ash fall to the grown.

Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash burst in through the door. They looked around frantically before spotting Spike hiding behind the desk.

"Um, Spike...?" Rainbow Dash said walking up to him. "Is everything alright?"

"N-No... it's twilight. She's... well she's mad! Very, very scary mad." He said peeking out from his barricade. "I'll go see if I can calm her down."

He slowly made his way from the desk and slowly approached the kitchen door way. He peeked in and tentatively, walked in.

"Twilight... it’s alright." he said gong to the enraged unicorn. "You can drop the disguise; Rainbow Dash and Rarity are here."

Twilight had her back arched like a feral cat; the hair on her neck was standing up. Her horn was also slightly smoking at the tip along with the window frame. She shook her head before breathing in and exhaling.

"Twilight, is something wrong?" Rarity asked stepping in.

"Yes... somepony broke in last night." She shook her head as more angry thoughts entered.

"Oh dear! Did they take anything? Are you alright?"

"No! I'm not alright!" She yelled. "Sorry, it's just that they left this book..."

"The one you blew up over Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash asked walking in. "What was it anyway?"

"A book of lies. That's what it was." She said harshly.

"Wouldn't it also have been evidence to see who put it in here?" Spike said. "You could have traced a magic signal on it, if they used magic at all."

Twilight's mouth fell open, her left eye twitched, she sat on the floor, staring straight ahead.

"I just destroyed the one piece of evidence I had to find out who broke in..." She groaned. "I am such a screw up."

"It was a simple mistake, anypony could have made it." Rarity said. "Remember when you let Spike accidentally become Applejack's assistant?"

"This is different." She said standing. "Spike isn't a burglar, not any more atleast."

"Nearly destroy the town one time and it always gets brought up." Spike rolled his eyes. "I'll clean this up. Why don't you three go hang out or something. I don't really know what to do."

"That's a good idea Spike, but..." Twilight looked at herself. "What if I lose focus and lose my disguise?"

"Then say it was an... early Nightmare Night, costume spell." He said pulling out a wash cloth and bucket from underneath the counter.

"Way to go Spike!" Rainbow Dash grinned. "Look at our little dragon coming up with ideas. Only, there's one flaw."

"What would that be?" He asked filling the bucket up.

"Nightmare Night is six months away."

His mouth made an, 'O' shape, but otherwise he remained quiet.

"No, it could work. I could just say I need practice." Twilight said, turning back into a unicorn. "Lots of practice for an all-night illusion spell." She winked. "So, since I'm not sure about eating anything here, why don't we go out and get something?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Rainbow Dash said. "Why don't we go see Pinkie, she's bound to come to us to see what that explosion was about."

Twilight grabbed her purse, set it around her neck and was about to exit when she saw Pinkie sitting in the front lawn.

"Pinkie? What are you doing?" Twilight asked, walking up to the pink mare with her friends.

"I'm waiting for my confetti to come down." She said, looking directly up. "It went really high."

"You mean the confetti you used to blow a hole in my roof with?" Twilight said without the slightest hint of anger.

"Oh... I haven't fixed that, have I?" Pinkie asked finally looking down. "Hang on, my neck has a cramp." She popped her neck to the side, making extremely loud pops that sounded like party poppers. "There we go! All better!" She said even though her head was hanging to the back.

"Me, rainbow Dash and Rarity were going to go and get something to eat over at Sugarcube Corner. Do you want to come?"

"I'm already there." She said.

"What? Your right here."

She blinked and the pink part mare was gone. She looked around confused before her friends came out.

"Twilight," Rarity said. "Is something wrong?"

"Just Pinkie being Pinkie." Twilight said. "Come on, she'll be waiting for us."

They started to trot. Twilight waving at the occasional passer-by. Once or twice, stopping to have a small chat.

"Mail! Mail for a miss Sparkle!" Ditzy called out.

She landed gracefully in front of Twilight and handed her a letter.

"For me? I just got here. But who am I to complain, I love... mail." She shook the thought of the tome out of her mind. "Thank's Ditzy."

"No problemo!" The mare replied before flying up.

Twilight looked at the letter. It was in a white envelope, a gold seal in the shape of a crescent moon.

"I can't tell if it's from Princess Celestia or Princess Luna..." She said. "I'd better not open this in public." She put it in her purse and looked around.

'Aloe and Lotus's spa, jiffies magic carpet emporium and next to that... Sugarcube Corner.'

She smiled as her friends went ahead.

"...It is so nice to see you! So, what do you have planned for the dear?" Rarity was saying.

"Can't say." Came a deep voice.

Twilight pushed the door open and ran muzzle to chest into Big Mac. He was carrying a small smoothie.

"Oh, uh, howdy Twilight." He said awkwardly, swishing his drink.

"Hello Macintosh, How have you been?" She asked politely.

"Shouldn’t ah be asking you that?" He said raising his eyebrows. "Ya woke bloom up from her nap and knocked Rainbow out'a ma'h thinkin' tree."

"You heard that?" Twilight asked, blushing profusely. "All the way from the farm?"

"Eeyup. We'll, Ah've got to get goin'. AJ doesn't like it when ah'm late. Could ya not tell her ah didn't get her a smoothie?"

"I suppose I can do that." Twilight winked.

"Much appreciated." He nodded before stepping back and letting her though. She stepped in and he walked out, drinking the smoothie quickly.

"Heya Twilight!" Pinkie said coming out from under a table, her mane having pieces of gum stuck to it.

"Pinkie? Why are you under the tables?" Twilight asked. "Your cleaning the gum off, aren't you?"

"Yep! Mr. and Mrs. Cake asked me to clean up. Your drink and food are over in the usual booth. I'll be there in a sec."

Twilight nodded as she saw her friend retreat back under the table. She went and sat at the booth. In front of the window, left of the counter.

"So," She said getting her friends attention. "Anything new happen while I was gone?" She took a sip from her smoothie.

"Yes actually." Rarity said. "I heard Fluttershy has found a certain somepony. And he likes her too."

"Rarity." Twilight said sternly. "Do you actually know if she likes him that way?"

"Hey, I just heard it. I don't know if it is true, but it is not my business to ask."

Rainbow did a small spit-take.

"Who are you?" She asked poking Rarity. "Our Rarity would bug her with small questions."

Rarity rolled her eyes and continued eating her salad. She choked and spit a piece out.

"Eww! What did I just bite.... into..." Whatever color was in her face and her friends, left.

"Hey!" Pinkie greeted. "Have any of you seen Gummy?" She looked at their friends faces. "Are you three ok?"

"Pinkie... what is that?" Rarity poked the small stub of green with a fork. "And why does it feel scaly?"

"Oh! That's where Gummy went!" Pinkie giggled. "He must have fallen in when I was cutting the lettuce."

Her friends suddenly moved and got out of the booth, said a quick 'goodbye' and left through the door briskly.

"I wonder what's wrong with them?" Pinkie said as Gummy landed atop her from the ceiling. "Rarities always ate alligator salad."

Outside the corner.

"Eww!" Rarity said. "I almost ate gummy!"

"Pinkie didn't even care!" Rainbow Dash said. "Who knows how many other pets have been in the food?"

Rarity gulped and shook her head of any negative thoughts.

"Alright, I think it would be best if we leave. How does a nice stroll through the park sound?"

"No, I don't think I can do that." Twilight said. "I'm still nervous. How about we just go window shopping?"

"Coun't me out." Rainbow Dash said.

"Why don't we go see how Spike is doing? We can just go and have a relaxing read. I have this great book on dream catchers you'd like Rainbow." Twilight smiled.

"I don’t not sleep that much!" She protested.

"Mac told me I woke you all the way in the orchard." Twilight said.

"Alright... but do you have any sort of books on saddle Arabia? I was planning on going there for vacation."

"Oh, yes. The prince and princess gave our Princess some books and she let me copy a few of them. I heard the cities are beautiful at night."

"I just want to kick up some sand! Fly through the dunes and warm up on some clouds." She shrugged.

Twilight and Rarity rolled their eyes as they trotted back to the tree house/library/laboratory.

They once again trotted back and saw Spike tapping his claws together nervously. He looked at them and smiled slightly.

"Spike?" Twilight asked noticing his expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh... you could say that." He said going in. "You remember the... how you’re a changeling? And how there's another here in the hospital?"

"...Y-Yeah?" She gulped.

"I think you had better come see this." He said going into the lobby.

Her and her friends entered, shut the door and locked it. When they looked around, they only saw Spike looking quite nervous.

"Spike, you know how I feel about that!" Twilight stomped her hoof. "That wasn't funny!"

"L-Look up..." He whimpered.

"What?" She looked up and backed into a wall with her friends.

On top of the ceiling was the same changeling as before. It looked down at them in mild curiosity before gently gliding down. It took a few steps towards them before bowing.

"H-How... what!? Why aren't you in the hospital!?" Twilight said barely above a yell.

"Drone has come to serve new queen." It said. "Queen hurt, queen need-"

"Don't call me that!" Twilight yelled. "I'm not a queen! I'm just a mare!"

"Drone... knows." He sighed scraping a hoof across the floor. "Drone saw fire and came to protect."

"I think you already know I can handle myself." She said coldly. "Now, why are you here?"

"Drone sensed Qu-mare's fear and came here. Is mare not happy drone came to help?"

"No." She said. "Why would I want to see the thing that ruined my life? The thing that put that horrible book in here!?"

"Book?" He tilted his head in confusion. "Drone did not put a book here."

"Yes you did! I found it last night! And then it was in the mail this morning! You put it in here!"

"N-No! Drone swears on drone's life!" He said backing away. "Drone did not place any item anywhere!"

"Then who did?"

"Drone... does not know." He folded his ears back. "Who are they? Food?" He pointed at her friends.

"No! Those are my friends. And you will not touch them, understand?" She said gritting her teeth.

"Yes, of course. Friends of mare are to be respected. No harm to come unless ordered. Or provoked."

"So," She said. "Why did you come here again?"

"To protect. It is what I was raised for."

"Alright, but why are you not running away from me? Not running after what I did?"

"I deserved punishment for my actions..." He said, lowering his head. "And more. But you are new queen. Old queen treat drone and others unfairly. Makes us work until our hooves bled, our wings wilt or we go blind. P-please don't do that to drone. Please..."

"What? I think I've done enough damage. But," She narrowed her eyes, her voice taking a venomous tone. "Why did you turn me into a changeling?"

"Drone... had no choice." He said, a few tears brimming.

"No choice?" Rarity said, finally speaking up. "Of course you had a choice!"

"No!" He snapped, baring his fangs a few tears rolling down his shell. "Drone has no choice! None! Or else drone will pay..." He grimaced, recalling a nasty memory.

"We'll, we have time for answers." Twilight said pulling up a chair. "So start talking or start running."

He nodded and sighed.