Imago

      Twilight Sparkle was in the library with her Big Brother Best Friend Forever, having a great day. Spike and Rainbow were back, her brother and sister-in-law were in town, and the weather was great. She didn’t think anything could make the day bad, at all.

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      Imago was still trying to figure out a way to take Cadence without anyone seeing. His brothers had not shown up yet either. She probably wouldn’t be at the Boutique anymore, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. He walked to Sweet Apple Acres to see Applejack, since he hadn’t spent any time with her individually. On his way there, he was attacked by three young fillies. Imago immediately went into combat mode and waited for their next move. “Hi Spike!” The orange one with a purple mane greeted.

      “Hi.” He relaxed a bit and was slowly walking away from them, to the farm.

      “Spike, we need yer help.” The yellow one said in a thick southern accent.

      “Yeah, how about we just play hide and seek.” Imago suggested.

      “Can you get a cutie mark in hide and seek?” The orange pony asked the white one.

      “Scootaloo, that’s ridiculous. There is no cutie mark for hide and seek.” She replied.

      “You can’t know until you try!” He said, a few feet away now. They pondered the thought for a moment.

      “I guess you’re right. Spike’s it!” They all ran in different directions. That was easier than he thought it would be. He started walking again when he remembered Twilight’s buddy system rule. He’d get in trouble for not following it. Oh well, he thought. He just kept walking to Applejack’s. When he got there, she was out bucking trees.

      “Hey, Applejack!” She looked up.

      “Howdy, Spike. What brings you ‘round these parts?” Her accent was thicker than the small one’s.

      “I was just wondering if I could help with anything around the farm.”

      “Now that ya mention it, there’s a few hundred trees ah need to buck and ah learned mah lesson last time about help. Ah don’t know if yer strong enough, but you can try.”

      “I’ll try my best.”

      “Thank ya Spike.” Imago walked over to a tree and punched it. All of the apples fell off and it dented the tree. Applejack stood there, jaw dropped, staring at the tree he just punched. “Darn, Spike! When’d ya get so strong?”

      “I’ve been working out.” He said.

      “You must be workin’ out a ton.” She added skeptically.

      “Yup, I have.” She gave him a suspicious look. Imago would have to be more careful, now that everyone is on the lookout for changelings.

      “Okay then.”

      “Say, Applejack, what is the one thing in the world that you’d die for?”

      “That’s a mighty odd question Spike. Why’re ya askin’?”

      “Twilight started talking about some pretty deep stuff the other night and I got to thinking, what would I die for? So, this is kind of giving me an idea of what to die for.” It sounded ridiculous to him.

      “Well, I suppose ah’d haf’ta say Applebloom.” Score.

      “Thanks Applejack.”

      “No problem, sugar cube. About that help, though. You still up for it?” Imago nodded and got to work, for five hours. Imago was exhausted. “Thanks a ton, Spike.”

      “Your welcome. I have to go now, see you later.”

      “Bye, Spike.” Imago was getting tired of that name. He left Sweet Apple Acres and went to the Everfree to look for his brothers. He passed Twilight Sparkle and she asked to go to Zecora’s hut for something. He agreed, but had no idea what she meant. As soon as he was clear of Ponyville, he dropped his disguise. Imago kept walking until he heard one of them scream for help telepathically. He sprinted as fast as he could to find them, but when he turned a corner around a tree, he felt a splitting pain in the back of his head before he fell unconscious.

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      When he awoke, he was in a dark room, but he could see in the dark. There was a tray in front of him and he was strapped onto a table with metal. On his left and right were his siblings, in the same predicament as him. There was glass up to the right. A blinding light filled the room, waking his brothers. “Ah, you’re all awake. Good, we can begin.” A pony entered the room, but the light made it impossible to indentify it. The pony proceeded to walk closer, until it was visible. She was wearing a full suit of plastic and had a pink face with a poofy mane barely showing through her mask. It was Pinkie Pie. “You are all terrible beings that deserve terrible things.” All three changelings hissed, simultaneously. “That wasn’t very nice, you need to be taught a lesson.” She said in a mocking tone. Imago watched as she pulled a blade from her back pocket. She rolled in a cart with all kinds of nasty looking tools on it after that. “Now I’m going to make this simple, you tell me what the princess paid me to ask you and you can leave safely.” She turned around to pick up a sickle. “Or,” She turned back around, mane straight, sickle in hoof. “We can do this the fun way.” Imago saw the fear in his brothers’ eyes and frankly, he was terrified as well. “Who should we start with, hmm? No opinion?” None of them dared to make a move. “Right is always right, I suppose.” She walked to the oldest of the three. “Okay, we’re going to play a game! I ask a question, one of you vermin answer, and this one doesn’t get harmed. If not…” She said eyeing the blade. “You can figure out the rest.”

“My Queen!”

“Yes Imago, what is it?”

“A torturer for the princess has captured us! We need help!”

“WHAT?! THAT WRETCH! Has she harmed any of you yet?!”

“No, but she’s about to!”

“I’m coming there!”

“No my queen, don’t! You may be harmed too!” Chrysalis had stopped listening.

      “First question, where is the Hive?” No one said a word. “Yay! I like how you guys think!” She put the sickle through one of the holes in his hooves and twisted, breaking the exoskeleton and spewing green blood everywhere. The changeling screamed the most blood-curdling scream Imago had ever heard. “Second question,” she said approaching Imago, now with a meat hammer. “Where is your queen?” She asked, raising the hammer above her head.

      “Right behind you.” Queen Chrysalis answered for him. She hit Pinkie with the wrath of an angry changeling queen and she flew across the room, Chrysalis not far behind. Chrysalis unlocked Imago and his siblings, before she got on top of Pinkie Pie and beat the living crap out of her. She threw her through the glass in the corner when she was finished and on the other side was…