Applejack stared down at her brother. Glaring at the sleeping behemoth.

She looked at her own reflection on the blade, smirking she lowered it to his face. Her smile grew wider as she brought her leg back.

Bic Mac shot up when his sister started hitting a bell over him. He looked around wildly before spotting his sister on the ground, a bell and butter knife by her side.

"Didn't granny ever tell ya it's not nice to wake a pony up like that?" Mac asked with a snort.

"She told me to wake ya up like this!" Applejack laughed. "But just think of this as payback for holdin' me."

"Ya were tryin' to tear ma'h marefriends head off." He said. "Ah think that would have hurt our relationship quite a bit."

"Well, if ya are so worried bout' her, go and check up on her. She got mugged yesterday and Spike broke his arm, actin' like some hero. Ah feel kinda' bad for the thief though... Spike managed to bite through his wing entirely." She shuddered noticeably. "He's gonna be one heck of a dragon when he grows up."

"Eeyup." Mac nodded climbing out of his bed.

He cracked his neck, took off his bandages, and threw his pillow on his sister before heading downstairs.

His mouth watered at the smell of fresh oatmeal. Quickly, he galloped the rest of the way down, hitting the floor with a slight tremor. He trotted into the dinning room and took his seat next to Applebloom.

"Mornin' granny, mornin' lil' sis." He greeted them both.

"Mornin' Mac!" Chirped the little filly brightly even though she had bags under her eyes. "Here, ya can take ma'h second helping, ah don't fell like seconds." She said sliding her brother a fresh bowl of oatmeal.

He patted her on the head before taking the spoon in his hoof. He scooped a little oatmeal out and put it to his mouth. He stopped and looked to the spoon to the bowl, he let his eyes rest on the bowl before dumping what little was on the spoon into the bowl.

He snuck a glance over at Granny Smith and saw her asleep, quietly snoring in her chair. His sister's weren't there to tease him, so, he lifted the bowl with a hoof and tilted his head back, letting the warm oats flow down into his stomach.

He nearly choked when a wooden spoon connected with his head. He lowered the bowl and looked around.

"AJ? You there?" He asked. "Bloom? Anypony?"

Not a conscious soul was about or could be heard, he shifted in his seat slightly before getting up and putting his bowl in the sink.

As he was leaving, he didn't notice the small smile on Granny Smith's face.

Front gate.

Big Macintosh looked back over at the farm house, he licked his lips. Nervously, he stepped off the property, for once in his life forgetting his work, but he smiled when he realized it was for Twilight.

Whispering Oak's Library.

Spike groaned, letting a few dry coughs out as he rolled over.

He shot up, with a yell he gently rubbed his arm. He looked down with blurry eyes and saw a patch of scales darker than the rest. Shaking his head he got up using his good arm for support.

As he was walking to the kitchen, he stopped and felt his breath catch in his throat.

"The stallion... Twilight!" He yelled making a sprint for the stairs. "Twilight! Please, be up there... Please." He said quietly as he stomped up the wooden stairs.

He slung the door open and wildly looked around. Rubbing a claw against his other one as it dangled uselessly, he gulped before stepping in.

"T-Twilight...?" He hissed. "Twilight, are you alright?"

A yawn made him jump, he looked forward with dread as the covers on her bed rose, the pillow on top acting like a head for whatever was under there.

It fell off and he screamed.

Twilight fell to the ground, clutching her ears, eyes and muzzle scrunched up in pain. Once his voice died down, he stopped and rushed to her side.

"Twilight! Twilight, say something! Anything!" He yelled shaking her shoulders.

"...When are you going to hit puberty?" She smiled at him. "I hope it's soon if you decided to wake me up like this everyday."

"You... That wasn't me." He said feeling his cheeks heat up. "It must have been Rarity. She probably found something crawling on her leg again."

"Right," she rolled her eyes. "Now, come on, we still have to go to the hospital to see about your broken arm."

"It's not broken, it might just be twisted." He muttered.

"Ok then, I'd guess you would mind picking up my mane brush then?" She asked. "If it's just sprained it shouldn't hurt that much anyway."

He looked over at her dresser and back to her, he sighed before climbing onto the bed and then onto her back.

"Fine, to the hospital." He grumbled.

"Good, but first just let me-"

The bedroom door was smashed open. Splinters flew everywhere as the one who caused it entered in a roll and daze.

Big Mac was getting up, brushing a few wood chips out of his coat he looked around defensively. He snorted before noticing the shocked Twilight in the bed, Spike behind her standing slack-jawed.

"B-Big Macintosh!" Twilight yelled out. "Why did you just break down my bedroom door?"

"Ah heard a mare scream." He said. "Ah thought ya were in trouble. Guess not..."

"No, of course not, that scream was Spike." She said to her assistants embarrassment.

"It was Rarity!" He yelled. "C-Can we just go tot he hospital before I overheat?" He asked looking to the ground. "Or before you two get idea's, here, in Twilight's bedroom."

"Spike!" Twilight scolded, cheeks blushing furiously. "Enough of that!"

"Ah'm already on it." Big Mac snickered alongside Spike.

"I have half a nerve to hit you both!" She said. "But I did knock you unconscious and I got to see Spike scream like a mare. I think that's enough; now just let me brush my mane a bit and get my saddle bags."

"Hey, Twi, couldn't you just magic your look to normal?" Spike asked. "Wait... Who was that stallion you brought in here last night? I didn't see him this morning."

"What stallion?" Big Mac asked furrowing his brow.

"I don't know what your talking about." She said. "What stallion?"

"The one that knocked me out, and then went after you!" He yelled angrily.

"Spike," she said putting a hoof on his back. "You hit your head on the fall. I didn't meet any stallion yesterday, you can ask anypony. Even Pinkie would tell you, and she wasn't even there."

He looked at her and then at his arm, sighing he nodded. Climbing onto her back again, he leaned back on her fur.

"You know," he said. "The other townsfolk won't get used to you if you don't show off your new look."

"I...Well I... I'm just not comfortable at the moment." She said. "Come on, we need to go. There's no telling how badly damaged your arm is." In a few spurts of green flame, her mane was the normal flat and solid line cut.

"Come on, if we hurry there should be less ponies out. I don't feel like having to explain what that scream was." She said nuzzling him in the side.

"It probably woke everypony up." Big Mac said.

"You know," Spike growled. "I could flambe you both in a second, or even send half of you to Princess Celestia or even Luna."

"You wouldn't do that," Twilight said with a role of her eyes. "You love me to much. And you know how much I love Big Mac." She said casting him a wink. "And he knows it too."

As he gave a snicker, and Spike following it up with a gag, the trio quickly trotted down the stairs. Twilight stopping to see the large hoof-prints in the stairs; she shook her head as she stepped into the large impressions.

She quickly opened the door, looking out she saw a few resident's inspecting cracked or broken windows. As they all exited, Spike seemed to slink further into her magic made mane. She also felt him begin to heat up with each window they passed.

Within minutes of quick trotting, small conversation with other residents, a few quirky comments passed between each other, and a quick stop when Spike fell on his bad arm. They had arrived at the hospital grounds.

The building was still under repair, but it was being done quickly. Other than rubble and dust drafting down into the trimmed grass below, or the crash site where Rainbow Dash flew through the wall causing the problems and damages, it was still a respectable sight.

Quickly, they made their way to the doors and entered.

The white mare behind the counter looked up and gave a small smile, staring at Spike she quickly let out a gasp and called for a doctor. And, to the trio's confusion, and frustration, a veterinarian.

A doctor was quickly scanning his arm, nurses were wrapping gauze and attaching a splint to it. In moments, Spike was standing with a cast on his arm, and in his other claw was a sucker.

"Um... Thanks?" He said eating the sucker in a bite. "Doctor... What's your name?" He asked the doctor as he climbed onto Twilight's back.

"Amputation. Doctor Amputation." He said with a small smile before trotting away.

The trio stood in shock, quickly they left, not looking back Spike loosened his grip on Twilight.

"I don't think I trust that doctors diagnosis." Twilight said as they trotted briskly along the cobblestone path.

"Eeyup." Big Mac agreed. "Nother' reason why ah don't like hospitals. They give ya the wrong type of pony for the job."

"Remind me not to break any more bones, will you Twi?" Spike asked.

"I will. Ugh, this one hair keeps getting in my eye." She huffed. "Give me a second, I really have to concentrate on the small details."

Big Mac was about to look away, but he paused momentarily when he saw the flame, something he hadn't noticed before.

The flame, a mere flicker, but he saw it. It was green, not her lavender flame, but a lime-green.

'No...' He thought. 'Maybe she just changed the color... Or it's a late-effect.' He thought reassuringly.

"Well, that was quick." Twilight said snapping him out of his thoughts. "I didn't know the library was this close to the hospital."

He looked up at the tree/library/house and glancing back at her as she entered. He felt the hair on his neck stand on end, he shivered slightly, but out of a new found sense of nervousness.

He entered the library, he could hear Twilight in the kitchen. Spike was sitting at a chair by the dining table, lazily flipping through a Gem's Weekly magazine.

As she was making who knows what in the kitchen, he looked up to the ceiling when he heard a faint sound.

He ignored it and began to look around.

The books were in the proper places, the shelves were devoid of any dust, the quills and parchment were arranged neatly on the lobbies desk.

What caught his eye though, was small enough he almost missed it.

"Drag marks..." He said to himself tracing them. "And they lead to the stairs. Wonder what she was draggin' that left marks?" He wondered aloud.

"What was dragging what to leave what?" Spike asked looking up from the emeralds section.

"Come over here." Big Mac said. "Did any of yall drag anything over here from upstairs?"

"Eh, no, not recently." He said. "Why? I don't see anything."

"Right, ah must be seein' things." He smiled to himself, chuckling deeply he turned and opened his eyes again.

He stopped and his chuckle died down to a forced breath.

There were daisies in the vase, sitting on the table.

'She's allergic to Daisies.' He thought with a rising suspicion. Another thud could be heard from upstairs, he looked up sharply before snorting.

"Big Mac, is something wrong?" Twilight asked pulling out a chair before taking a dainty nibble of a Daisie. "You seem upset."

"Eeyup. Ah just remembered ah forgot something upstairs, ah'll be back down in a sec." He said through a fake smile.

She nodded, but he didn't see it as he quickly trotted up the stairs.

Stepping over the splinters from earlier, he scanned the room for the source of the noise.

The bed was still unmade, that was wrong. The hole in the roof was still there, unblocked; she would have sealed it before she left.

"Hello?" He whispered. "Anypony here?"

Another thud, louder this time could be heard. He turned towards the closet and slowly approached it. As he got closer, the thudding got louder, but it was still slow,periodically forming.

He gulped, reaching out with a hoof he grasped the knob and slide the door to the side.

A changeling, tied and gagged was siting there. It closed it's eyes from the sudden light, but they adjusted and they fixed onto his own.

"Aren't ya the bug that kept botherin' Twilight?" He asked.

It gave a nod.

"Ah'm guessin she put you in here?"

It shook it's head no.

"Who did then?" He asked.

It tried to speak but it was muffled. Big Mac slid his jaw to the sides a bit, sighing her undid the gag and the changeling sucked in a breath of air before speaking.

"Mare has been ponynapped, Mare downstairs is an imposter." It said. "You must stop her, if Chrysalis succeeds, all will be lost."

"So, that Twilight downstairs isn't ma'h Twilight?" He asked.

"Yes, you must stop the one downstairs. I know it's another changeling, a poor one, it can barely keep it's disguise." It said in disgust.

Big Mac turned and began stomping down the stairs in a second.

The veins in his neck were raised, his ears were hot, his heart was racing, and he was gritting his teeth. When he reached the floor, Twilight and Spike looked at him in curiosity and slight fear.

Especially the fake Twilight as he fixed his crazed gaze on her.

He charged, and she could only close her eyes as she was thrown against a wall. Spike's jaw dropped in shock as Big Mac picked up Twilight and threw her against the entrance.

"Ah know what ya are." Big Mac hissed as the fake got up shakily. "And ah know your not Twilight."

"Very clever," she laughed. "The farmer figured it out. Now what?" She asked snootily. "Your going to try and beat me to see if I'd tell you where she is?"

"Ah was plannin' on just beatin' ya." He said before charging again.

The door exploded in a shower of splinters, Big Mac galloped through, the fake Twilight stuck painfully against his head. She slid off and rolled to the side in a quivering heap.

He stopped and quickly ran over to her as she got up. She was turning to look at him when he sent a fast uppercut into her jaw.

She went flying again, landing in a cart the shocked ponies behind quickly got out of the way as Big Mac trotted over the the wheezing unicorn.

"Now, where is she?" He asked.

"Go to Tartarus..." She laughed weakly.

He snorted before raising onto his back legs. her eyes widened in fear as he brought both fore-hooves down, smashing her through the cart. He sent another hit down, hearing a crack and a sharp cry from the imposter the flames finally enveloped her revealing the changeling underneath.

He picked it up and threw it against a wall, cracking the stone bricks he trotted over the the lightpost in front of it, leaning against it he watched as it opened it's eyes.

"Now, where is she?" He asked. "That is, if ya want to be knocked round' some more?"

"I'll never betray my queen!" It screeched.

He snorted once before wrapping both fore-legs around the metal post.

He puffed out his cheeks in determination, his muscles rippled and bulged out on his fore-legs as he pulled the lightpost up. It began to come up, he swung it to the side once before it finally came out of the ground.

"Ah hope," he said lifting the pole like a spear above himself. "That chitin is stronger than it looks, for your sake."

He threw it down, the changeling could only wince and grab the metal shaft as it pierced it's chest. It spit out blood, trying to curse or plead, Big Mac couldn't tell nor did he care as he listened to the gurgles.

Streams of green blood leaked out from around the fresh wounds, it tried it stop it but as more came out, it's movements became sloppy.

As it's legs stopped moving and the light in its eyes died down, he snorted and quickly trotted back into the library.

"Spike," he said. "We have a problem."

"I figured that much out when you speared a changeling!"