Running.

Morpheus wasn’t one to shy from battle, but now he knew he could only hide from the rage that was General Carbon.

As he turned the corner, he dived into a box of tomatoes. This was clearly a bad idea.

His face covered in the sticky, red liquid, Commander Morpheus watched the nebulous form of Carbon rush past him, disappearing in the next street.

“Whew,” Morpheus sighed, crawling out of the heap of rotten vegetables, “perhaps sanity has been thrown out the window in exchange for complete, utter lunacy. I mean, COME ON! Carbon is acting like a brat! And when I find him, I’ll kill him.”

But how was the new question on Morpheus’ mind. For indeed, while Carbon was a rank below him, Carbon was still physically superior to the Commander, even without his horn. So in other words…he was basically screwed in the hoof.

“Well…this sucks.” Morpheus contemplated as he sat down on an overturned carrot barrel. “I’m an idiot. I should never have challenged the Queen or made enemies with Carbon.”

In fact, there were a lot of things he suddenly regretted. Teasing Double and Mirror, being a rather rash fool with Double. Getting caught after the failed invasion, only to be undermined by a general of all things.

“Wait a second,” Morpheus said, a lightbulb suddenly appearing over his head, “Perhaps I still do have an edge over Carbon. In fact…I may even have a barrel or two.”

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As Transparence reached the crowd of changelings gathered around the Queen, she spotted a fairly familiar face among the crowd.

“Reflect!” she cried, running towards the fellow drone. As she pushed through the transfixed brothers and sisters, she suddenly realized that Reflect was sitting next to a…guard! After all that she and Carbon did to rescue him he still was willing to risk it? He was as insane as High-General Echo.

Moving to tackle, Reflect suddenly turned and motioned for Transparence to sit by him. Reluctantly, Transparence followed suit and sat next to the delusional general.

“Reflect,” she hissed, “why is there a pony next to you?”

Reflect merely gazed at her before whispering, “Let’s just say that’s another story entirely…”

Deciding to leave the drone to his own ramblings, she focused her eyes on the imposing Queen before her.

“My fellow subjects,” the Queen proclaimed, “I am here to tell you a very important…”

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Carbon had been searching furiously for the slippery changeling that was his commanding officer, but without any success. He had just about scanned an entire market before the rumble of a few barrels caught his attention. Swiveling his head in a matter of seconds, he came to snout-to-snout with Morpheus.

“You!” He screamed hysterically.

“Yes,” Morpheus replied coldly, “but you have to catch me first.”

And with that, the changeling darted off down the road, Carbon in full pursuit. Laughing manically, Carbon began to formulate different methods of torture he would impost once he got his slimy hooves on the treacherous waste of secreted resin. Perhaps a day in the chamber with Double would suffice. No, he would enable the use of droplets in the dark, a torture method not used since the Conflict of Forbidden Love some 200 years ago.

“Carbon!”

“What?” Carbon called out sarcastically.

“You should watch your step…”

“What are you mumbling about…”

Suddenly Carbon tipped over against a thin line of string, his face colliding into a puddle of mud. “Arrggghhhh.” The general screamed as he rose up on all fours, eyes blood-red with rage, unaware for the rumble behind him.

“When I find your sorry flank you’ll be praying I…”

Carbon’s ears stood rim-rod straight as his face slowly turned toward the thunderous roar…of barrels. There was no time to dodge as the wooden containers bombarded and trampled the changeling underhoof. Morpheus only had enough time to chuckle before he ran off once more, leaving an annoyed Carbon to fight his way through the avalanche of carrots and apples.

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“A time has come for me to explain to you all why we are the way we are…” Queen Chrysalis proclaimed.

At this point, Transparence leaned in, eager to hear the next words to come from her Queen’s mouth.

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The Matriarch was paralyzed as the horde closed in, eyes filled with malice and vengeance.

Today I die with my fellow species…forever at peace with myself.

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“ Thresh!” Forge squealed, “ I found her! Right here by the bushes.”

Thresh made haste for the market square when he spotted her, motionless by the side, knocked out by a changeling’s magic.

“I don’t understand…” he mumbled, “how could…”

“She’s just stunned Thresh,” Forge motioned with his hoof, “but…”

“But nothing,” Thresh said with a tone of finality. He had enough theatrics for one week. He had seen enough changelings get hurt to last a lifetime. He wasn’t going to put this changeling into any more harm then she already was. And to do that, he had to let her go.

“We need to leave Forge…”

“What?” Forge tilted his head in confusion.

Thresh hated these parts in the story, but alas he had to. “We need to leave, I can’t be here anymore. She’s been harmed and tampered enough with. She doesn’t need to have me hurt her anymore then I did.”

“But Thresh, you didn’t give up on her before! And right now she can still be harmed if we leave!”

“Then what would you have me do?”

Forge stared at the body for a second before answering. “We take her back to her family. You and me.”

Thresh stood there for a second, and then nodded. Heaving the unconscious Double on his carapace, the two changelings moved towards the town center, where they were sure that the Queen was waiting for them.

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Morpheus was now hiding behind the corner, his eyes concerned and his hooves trembling. He was not one to challenge the general of the swarm. For the longest time, he was just a simple drone, whose name was considered odd to say the least. In fact, he wondered who in their right mind named him Morpheus. Morph had been taken by that kiss-ass who always followed Carbon, and well all the other good names were given off. It was as if someone had been bored and wasn’t actually concentrating on a proper name to give-

“Where are you Drone #769?” Carbon proclaimed mockingly. It had been years since his number had ever been used, but it stung him like a wasp’s poison.

Must keep myself calm… Morpheus thought…can’t give him the slip.

“You know, you never were the general type…” Carbon simply stated, “you never bothered to participate in our games, and you always stuck with those two meddlesome bozos. What were their designations again? Alter and Shifter? If I recall correctly, Shifter was under my command no? Alter was nothing more then an Overseer, dreaming to be part of the Queen’s Centurions? One hundred changelings! You could barely handle a battalion. Too bad, for they consisted of some of my soldiers as well.”

He was only trying to infuriate the Commander’s emotions, focusing on his faults, which rather unfortunately, were many.

“Perhaps the only thing you were good at was being a bully Bloom. After all, who could except a female’s name?”

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Morpheus lunged at the general, who was too shocked to send a counter-attack. Suddenly, both changelings were involved in hoof-on-hoof combat. Carbon was pinned against the wall, his hooves acting as barriers against the swift kicks Morpheus Boom delivered at every turn.

“TAKE IT BACK! TAKE IT BACK!” Morpheus moaned.

“I will never take it back,” Carbon sneered, “You were a failure. You always were Morpheus. Your name. Your life. Your position. Why, you even got caught at the beginning? How sad is that?”

Morpheus finally halted his unwavering barrage of kicks and punches to glare at Carbon. It was clear his eyes were a fiery red. The breath coming from his throat made the general choke.

“I never intended to get caught up in your stupid game with Double. You two were always so busy working at yourselves you forgot about the rest of us!”

Carbon’s eyes thinned to slits, his nostrils flaring. His voice was gruff, commanding, and severe. “You think it was just a game? You think you had it hard? I’ve seen more, did more, and been more then you Bloom! And I’ll be a lifeless husk before I let another changeling beat me to second-in-command!”

With that, Carbon cocked his hind legs back, and with the force of two trains, bucked Morpheus into the adjacent building. The sound of plates clattering and china crumbling made the general grin. No changeling could take that.

As he turned to leave, however, a green bolt of lighting struck him from the rear and sent the general into a carefully constructed set of building blocks. As the foal-like toys buried the general, his eyes could make out the fleeting figure of Morpheus Bloom dashing down the street.

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Thresh laid the unconscious Double down on an undisturbed bench. Forge turned to glare at his partner. “Thresh? We need to get her to the Queen!”

“I think she’s close enough…” Thresh muttered, “One day you’ll understand why I can’t show my face to the Queen again.”

“But Thresh, I-“

“She’ll be found by her compatriots, but for you, I think it’s time I let go.”

Forge tilted his head in confusion. Thresh simply chuckled. He knew the colonies were all a lie. The Matriarch a fake figure-head. He had played their game and now he knew it was time to finally rest.

There was once a High-General…

No. Thresh repressed the statement forming in his cranium. That part of him was dead now. He had served his Queen to the fullest extent and it was time to give up the bounty-hunting business. It was time to let Forge, Blend, and Cloak have their freedom. They would be safe under Chrysalis’ care.

“Stay with her Forge,” Thresh motioned with his hoof, “stay with her and join in the swarm. Be apart of her family, for it is her family that we all belong to. One day, the others in the colony will see the true matriarch of the changeling empire. But until then, take care of those you-“

“Thresh,” Forge came up to rest his hoof on the changeling’s carapace, “I’ve gone with you to Tartarus and back. How can you…just…leave us?”

Thresh merely dipped his head and let a single tear escape his eye. “Forge, you’re a good changeling and I know the Queen will see it. But I’ve been there and I’ve seen what you haven’t. I know it’ll change, but it can go on without me. When I leave, just remember those that came before you. And those who have been long forgotten in then endless expanse of time.”

Forge nodded, understanding that his friend and mentor had to leave. As he watched Thresh depart into the haze of ruins, Forge turned to tend to Double’s wounds. Maybe Thresh will go on to a better place. Perhaps it’s what we are meant to do. Transition. Change. Adapt. Were we without homes and a place to have pride in? Were we always parasites? Or were we once something grand?

The sound of arguing caught Forge off guard. Moving towards the source of the noise, he could only imagine what lay ahead. Perhaps a new dawn was rising. And he would at least make sure the little changeling by his side would live to see it.

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Carbon was scouring the surface, his eyes desperately trying to pinpoint Morpheus’ location. So far, he was nowhere in sight.

“Come out you coward!”

SNAP!

Carbon only had time to see the string at his hooves before a large bucket of honey landed on his head, the gooey substance blinding him as he tripped over the rubble.

“MORPHEUS BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!”

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Transparence was watching in awe at the discussion taking place before her. However, she suddenly noticed Morph, who was oddly standing still, watching the show play out.

“Hey Morph,” Transparence whispered, “where’s Carbon?”

“I don’t know,” Morph stammered, “I thought he was with the Queen, but he vanished with Double. I’m-“

“Then he’ll be fine,” Transparence reassured, “he’s a strong general and I know-“

“But he disobeyed a direct-“

“Leave the past to the past Morph. We’ve seen enough action to last us a lifetime.”

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A disheveled and honey-glazed Carbon was smashing a cabinet apart. Morpheus had once again slipped from his grasp, his traps getting more elaborate, involving everything from tomatoes, to chairs, to wagons, to banana bombs!

“There is no use in hiding, you can’t keep setting your little traps Morpheus!”

“Oh but you’ll probably pass out before I’m done.” The voice came from everywhere, as if it was inside his brain. Carbon began to grind his fangs. The bucking moron was using the HiveMind.

Speak for yourself. I’ve withstood more then filly’s play.

It was silent for a minute or so before the reply came. And yet I see you weakening. Can you keep up with this game of cat and mouse? You seemed to fare better against Double…

AND I’LL MAKE SURE TO BEAT YOU DOWN TO THE GROUND SO HARD YOU’LL BE BEGGING ME FOR MERCY!

“Then why should we wait?” Carbon veered to face an equally disheveled Morpheus. Both changelings looked like prisoners from Tartarus. In fact, they may have even grown some new holes in their hooves.

“So you finally face me like a true warrior…” Carbon chided.

“It’s time I put you down Carbon!”

The general laughed, a cruel, cold, and sadistic laugh that made Morpheus cringe. “You imbecile! I am better then you in every way. You were always a failure. I never did understand why you acted like you acted. You never had empathy sickness, and yet you always found a way to be the most annoying drone in the hive.”

Morpheus bared his fangs, his eyes filled with malice and his hooves pawing the ground. “It’s time we play our game Carbon. It’s time for the match that never came to be. The one you never thought you’d face. I may not be a Double, but I’ll take you on as a Single.”

“Well then I hope you made your peace…” Carbon growled.

The two changelings circled each other, eyeing each other’s pace as they rotated around the market square. In the distance, a light was starting to form. And within that light, changelings were slowly lured into a peaceful slumber. The Elements of Harmony were beginning to undo the centuries-old curse of the changeling and empathy sickness. One by one, Transparence, Morph, Reflect, Mirror, Ditto, Image, Haze, Shift (actually Mix Match),Vapor, Zeth, and even Forge and Double, fell to its power.

“I will destroy you.” Carbon barked.

“I fart in your general direction!” Morpheus chided in an unknown accent.

“You’ll be a sign to all who dare oppose me!”

“I’ll slap the bucking acorns out of your head so you can hear your own words!”

Silence.

Nothing but the wind now blew through the trees. That and the loud hum coming from the Element Bearers.

They were silent, still, and quiet as they circled each other in an endless spiral. This was no game, no competition or match. It was a ritual put into place before the dawn of Equestria. An ancient tradition set among warriors, but never spoken or recorded among textbooks. A way of settling debts or of proclaiming freedom.

It was a fight that zoned both opponents out of their surroundings. The moment they knew that all that they had worked for, lived for, and fought for was accumulating to this very day. The day that would make them or grant them peace should they fall. It was the time to fight, and the time to prove their worth.

The rubble stood stoically, like an audience watching from the arena, the cracks and loose stones observing with emotionless glee. Morpheus could feel every heartbeat, and every point of pressure in his body.

He could only breath in anticipation.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

WACK!

KA-BLAM!

WHOOOOSSH!

The two collided headlong like trains on the same track. The force sent both flying into the walls, who rebounded them back, demanding more blood to be split for their pleasure. Morpheus was the first to recover, grabbing Carbon by the neck in a chokehold.

Carbon managed to put pressure on Morpheus’ jugular, causing the changeling to gasp and release his grip as Carbon landed himself on his opponent’s stomach.

Morpheus gave a slight howl of pain before grabbing Carbon by his ears and throwing him into the wall, who finally gave way and collapsed over both of them.

For a few seconds it was calm, but Carbon finally got up and grabbed Morpheus by his frill, before smashing his hoof against Morpheus jewels.

The changeling groaned in pain as Carbon dragged his body across the square, his eyes wild with a psychotic demeanor. He was going to make Morpheus understand the true meaning of pain before he killed him.

Morpheus’ eyes flickered open, and before Carbon could react, he thrust his free leg into the general’s snout, causing Carbon to squeal in anger.

Released from the general’s grip, Morpheus once again tried to land a chokehold on Carbon. However, Carbon foresaw this and sidestepped Morpheus, leaving his hood to trip him.

Morpheus stumbled to his hooves, his stance now wobbly from the shear amount of blood oozing from a gash on his side. Carbon took the second for a breather, his eyes never ceasing in its stare.

“You’re wounded Morpheus,” Carbon managed to say, “you won’t last long I’m sure.”

“Tis but a flesh wound.” Morpheus stated matter-of-factly.

With a cry that would send any mountain to its foundations, the two changelings locked each other hoof-on-hoof, both wrestling for the dominant position that would guarantee victory. As they struggled, the light turned into a rainbow and suddenly Carbon’s eyes grew weary, his legs starting to shake.

With this, Morpheus was able to pin the general down, his hooves now relentlessly pummeling the changeling into submission.

“Don’t…(punch)…you…(punch)…ever…(punch)…mess…(punch)…with…(slap)…me!”

At last, the general dipped his head back, knocked out cold by the light. Morpheus only watched in confusion, his head slowly swiveling towards the large beam of energy now emanating from the town center. And with that, the ritual ended.

“What in the name of all that is love and pranks is that?”

The Commander lifted himself off Carbon’s motionless body to observe as the light spread over the mountains.

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The Matriarch closed her eyes, awaiting the blast that was evident to come. However, she was only surrounded by silence. Daring a peak, she opened her eyes to see all her would-be assailants asleep, knocked out by whatever force had decided to intervene on her behalf.

“Perhaps I was not meant to die,” the Matriarch said aloud, “perhaps I can still be the dragon I once was…”

And with that, she too, fell in a deep slumber.

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By this time, every changeling from Manehattan to Las Pegasus had been influenced by the spell. Every changeling, except Morpheus Bloom, who simply stared dumbfounded at the events surrounding him.

“MUST. NOT. SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.”

But alas, his efforts to stay awake were in vain and he too, eventually began to slur his speech. For a moment, the Commander simply waddled around the market, laughing and occasionally crashing into a variety of items.

However, with one last chuckle and absurd giggle, as well as a poor attempt of a song, the Commander known as Morpheus Bloom fell asleep.

At least his last thoughts were this.

I never did pay that nice librarian her check…

Author's Notes:

Well I am back from holidays and with that I am posting another chapter! YAY

Also, special thanks to TeaPartyCannon for the reference in her latest side-story. Can't wait to see more!

So this is the whole seriousness of our tale, and some rather odd action bits placed as well. Who knew that Morpheus could fight eh?

Well anyhow, I would like to give a big thanks for all who still hold on to this story and remain patient as I dabble over ideas and what not.

Well take care! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!