//------------------------------//
// In the night 
// Story: Changing perspective. 
// by Phoenix Kitten 
//------------------------------//

The clock downstairs struck midnight, chiming twelve times to let everypony in the house know the time. Or it would have had everypony not been asleep.

In the attic of the Apple family house, two guests lay on a bed of hay.

Spike the dragon was sound asleep, twitching occasionaly in his sleep.

Twilight Sparkle, however, was tossing and turning.

"We found her!"

"Someone get the queen!"

"We will have you back amongst us!"

Thousands of voices were were chittering away inside her head before they all stopped to perform the next line in unison.

"For the swarm!"

Twilight's eyes shot open as she sat up, her wings buzzing loudly.

"About time you woke up Twilight. It's 10 am." Spike said as he munched on a piece of toast from the doorway. "Hey. Are you okay?" he asked a he noted the changeling's shallow breathing and fearful look.

"No... I mean yes. Yes Spike, I'm fine." She lied.

"Are you sure? Your eyes are green."

"What?"

"Your eyes, they're glowing green."

Twilight rushed to the mirror that was hanging on the wall and looked into it. Sure enough her eyes were pulsing a bright green.

"Oh no. No no nonono! We have to go! Now!" She panicked.

"Whoa. Twilight! Calm down!" Spike half shouted. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure." Twilight said as she paced. "But I heard them last night."

"Them?"

"Them! The others. The swarm!"

"They found a way to contact you?"

"I'm not sure. Unless the blow to the head messed up the blocking spell I set in place."

Before Spike could respond there was a series of knocking sounds on the door to the attic. "Twilight. Sugahcube? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Applejack." Twilight lied. "I'll be right down."

"Okay sugahcube." Applejack's voice answered before the sounds of hoofsteps heading downstairs trailed off.

"Spike.We're leaving. Now." Twilight ordered.

"Should I go tell.."

"NO! I'll teleport us both out, then we're heading back to the library to get Owlowicious and Pee-wee. After that we're heading to Canterlot." Twilight plotted.

"You think the city guards are going to let you in?"

"They will. Princess Celestia updated the guards on my new appearance, so I'm to be let in as long as i'm not disguised as my old self."

"And if we get ambushed by the Changelings on the way to Canterlot?"

"We won't."

Spike looked skeptical. "How do you know that?"

Twilight smirked, showing off her fangs in the process. "Because you, Owlowicious and Pee-wee are going to take the balloon to Canterlot. I'll trot the path alone."

"What? Twilight no! You can't..." Before the young dragon could finish, a flash of purple flame erupted from around them and they vanished.

Outside the attic door, a charcoal black equine figure chuckled with Applejack's voice, an emerald green flame erupting from around it's body, fading away to reveal the farm pony underneath. "Ah love it when the prey is easy to fool."