KA-BOOM! SPLAT!

Why do cannons always target me! Morpheus thought angrily as he was being chased down the road, avoiding the occasional pie that nearly diminished the lone changeling. The small wooden buildings seemed to cringe as the desert wind blew through their worn down windows and doors. Dodge Junction sure was the last place Morpheus wanted to be in.

I need to get the Tartarus out of Dodge Morpheus thought humorously before another blast whizzed past him and the grisly, mushy remains of an apple pie plastered the old wooden door two feet away from him. Turning the corner, he sped past a group of ponies, only that their faces were obscured by oat bags hung over their head. The dark holes for the eyes only made him cringe, their empty appearance like some sort of demonic monster, who was wielding a pitchfork in anticipation.

“Freeze!” was all they got to say before the changeling fired three paralysis spells in response. The bodies crumpled to the dusty dirt road as he turned into an alleyway. Sticking close to the wall, he could make out a large, nebulous shadow that slowly inched its way across the street. They moved in unison, their heads like the great eyes of a beast, shifting here and there as if it had lost something very dear to them.

How the buck did it end up like this? Morpheus thought to himself as he slipped out of the alleyway and into another street. Around him, the houses were burning and the local general store was missing…well…the front porch and adjacent wall. Steadily moving forward, he could make out various objects scattered among the dirt. Watches, purses, and lots of tomatoes.

“Hey bug-brain, over here!” A voice hissed. Morpheus turned to see another jet-black changeling motioning for him to take cover in an abandoned wagon. The wagon was in good shape, and had a carrot insignia occupying its side, with the words scrawled under it reading "Rose and Co." Relief flooded him like wildfire as he dashed towards the cart. Climbing into the back, Morpheus gave the changeling a quick hoof-bump. “Reflect, I thought I’d never see you again.”

The usually grumpy changeling smiled, “I knew it would take more then a couple of angry cowponies to bring you down Morpheus.” Looking over each other, both changelings noticed various scars over their carapaces and dirt smudged over their snouts. Truly it had been a long day since their arrival in this harmony-forsaken watering hole.

"But I also thought you'd make it out of Dodge Morphy," Reflect uttered with a sad smile, "did you at least make it to the stagecoach?"

“No such luck,” Morpheus sighed, “and I didn’t expect to find you here either.” Reflect shrugged and patted the cart with his right hoof. “This old beast saved me a good beating. It looks like we’re the only ones left.”

“In Equestria?” Morpheus nearly shouted in surprise before Reflect gagged him with a hoof.

“No,” Reflect explained irritably, “I mean in the bucking town you queer. Anyone with half a mind would have gotten out when the going was still good. Heck, I would have gotten out too until well…scat happened.”

“You’d think after making a peace arrangement there would be some sort of gap in time before this town went up in flames,” Morpheus whispered, "I mean, Chrysalis made an entire speech about how we ain't that bad under the shell and all."

“And then we decided to go here,” Reflect chided. “which was a terrible idea from the start! And look at how far that speech got us: two idiots stuck in the middle of the biggest mess since the Crystal Empire! Now what are we gonna do?”

Before Morpheus could answer that the cart suddenly tipped over, causing both changelings to collide with the wooden side. There was a mighty crash and both Reflect and Morpheus were momentarily stunned. The two however managed to hastily crawl out, only to be met by the glow of a dozen or so torches. And behind those torches, were a dozen or so oat bags, all with little slits that revealed the vicious stares beneath.

“Well look what we have ‘ere,” a southern accent snidely commented, “it’s two of them shape shifters. Too bad they didn’t try to hide earlier.”

Morpheus could count at least two dozen or more adversaries surrounding them. Even if he and Reflect could make it out, there was no telling how many more were behind the mob. They were cornered and had nowhere to go. As the crowd inched ever closer, Morpheus could feel the sweat drip off his carpace like a diamond dog who found the motherload. Morpheus and Reflect went back to back, their horns glowing in anticipation.

Well this sucks.

A lot LOT earlier

Another terrible day at the office Morpheus thought bitterly. The harsh wind threw dust into the changeling’s eyes, causing him to temporarily drop his spear in an effort to relieve him of the irritating specks of dust that managed to stick to the honeycomb-like compounds that formed his retina. The desert was just as boring as it was yesterday, a lone tumbleweed sluggishly making its way across the dusty plains that, at one time, was part of a fertile valley.

Usually, in the day it would be an arid landscape of scorching sands and mirages that affected the common traveler greatly. But in the night, the temperature dropped so far down that you’d expect to see snow any second. However, Morpheus knew better and simply shook his hole-covered hooves in order to warm up his carapace. As he stared down the valley, he noticed a small silhouette make its way across the plain. Clutching the tiny spear in his hooves, Morpheus sucked his breath in, waiting for the worse to happen.

As the nebulous shape approached the large ebony entrance to the Hive, it sprouted four legs. Another gust of wind revealed the dark fabric of a cloak. As the stranger came closer, it was apparent that the cloak was meant to cover the entire body, making the wearer imitate a shadow. Morpheus only clutched the metal spear harder.

“Halt! Who goes there!?”

The stranger didn’t give any initial reply, continuing its silent march towards the gate. Morpheus could feel sweat secreting off his shell and onto the ground, his eyes looking back and forth for backup.

Deciding that the stranger didn’t hear him correctly, he repeated his command. “Halt! I say again who are you?”

Once more the stranger didn’t respond, only advancing upon his position. He could now hear the stranger muttering something under its breath; ignorant of the destination it was currently heading towards.

“Sto-stop right there,” the changeling held his spear in defensive position, his wings flared out in case he needed to run, “I-I will use this spear! I swear! Oh of all days I get assigned guard duty! JUST. PLEASE. STOP!”

The figure froze, the hood still covering the face as it slowly rose up. Morpheus gulped down the saliva forming in his mouth. Come on Morpheus, at least he’s compliant.

“Who are you?”

The stranger’s voice was so deep and serpent like it made the guard cringe. “Who am I? Who am I? Why, I’d thought the rumors had reached you by now…”

Morpheus nearly fell over, his heart pumping vigorously. “Wha-what do you mean?”

BOOM!

The changeling screamed as bright sparks of flame erupted from the stranger’s cloak, causing the changeling to back away in horror, tripping over the gate and onto a stack of…pillows?

“What…” the changeling reached over to examine the oddly place cart of pillows that had softened his fall, “why which idiot placed pillows on-“

He stopped, noticing that the bright red flames were in fact red confetti. Using his wings to fly up to his post, he came face to face with the stranger.

“SURPRISE!”

“AHHHHH!!!” Morpheus jumped back, balancing himself less he fell off again. Once his hooves were securely planted on the wall, he darted his eyes to the figure.

“Who the-“

“PINKIE PIE!” the pink mare screamed as she literally tore through her cloak. Morpheus fell back, his previous efforts in vain as he landed carapace first onto the dusty ground.

“YOU!” he screamed as the prancing pony bounced up and down, apparently with no hint of getting weary. Morpheus shook his head, deciding that there was no reason in trying to explain why or what this thing was. Grumbling to himself, he shook the dust from his hooves, scanning the perimeter for his spear.

“This is changeling territory… how can I be of assistance?” he held the “s” with a hiss, a common sign that changelings understood as frustration. However, to an outsider, it would be dismissed as a simple slip of the Equestrian tongue.

“Oh,” Pinkie Pie stopped to think,” well I guess I wanted to visit Matchie and-“

Morpheus facehoofed himself, realizing that the Element of Laughter was here to pick up her best friend and scout drone Mirror, or Mirror Match as she was now known. Well not like Morpheus Bloom is a great name either…

“SSo Ssorry,” Morpheus hissed, “she’s busy with…uhhhh…”

The mare narrowed her eyes, causing a bead of sweat to form on the side of Morpheus’ snout as his eyes darted back and forth, searching for an excuse. “She’s uhhh…tending to the maintenance crew…yeah that’s it!” He still recalled his prank with the party cannon that caused Mirror to crash into the infirmary wall. That was hilarious! Even if it landed him a week of timeout from his office.

Pinkie didn’t even flinch; her snout now only inches away from his. Morpheus wished he had picked up his spear, for his legs were now shaking uncontrollably. The tiny breeze that had managed to blow ceased instantaneously, causing the changeling to give an involuntary shudder.

“Oki Doki Loki!” the mare’s eyes lit up as suddenly as they had slanted. Morpheus nearly breathed a sigh of relief. “Well now if you’ll excuse me I have a-“

“It’s too bad,” Pinkie interrupted, “Me and Fluttershy got invitations to a book club and we wanted to get there early to buy Matchie a ticket. She really does love Daring Do-“

Morpheus’ eyes widened before he grabbed the mare by the shoulders. “Did you say…THE ONE AND ONLY DARING DO!?” His voice was on the edge of hysteria.

“Yeah,” Pinkie giggled, “Matchie was going to be Daring Do and sort of liven up the place. I know Rustle Glow would have loved to see an exact copy of everypony’s favorite explorative-dungeon dwelling archeologist.”

“Well,” Morpheus elicited, “perhaps I could check up on Mirror, but even then Mirror would need permission by the Queen to venture outside after dark and only with a guard so…”

“Did you want to come to?” Pinkie tilted her head, a grin spreading over he snout, “Because that would be super cool! Two changelings in a book club? Who ever heard of that? It would be so much fun and then Gummy would have another playmate afterwards-“

“Ok, ok,” Morpheus interrupted, “because you are so desperate to have my company, I shall grant it-“

Pinkie squinted her eyes, confused at his statement. “But I thought you want-“

“Nah ah ah,” Morpheus raised his hoof, “I recall perfectly well that I was merely restating the protocol…you were the one who suggested I accompany you on this little shindig.”

“I-well…” Pinkie thought about it for a second before dismissing it and resuming her hop. “Oki Doki then, let’s get Mirror and party!”

“With pleasure,” Morpheus said slyly, flying over to the tiny cave entrance to the side. Just as he was about to open the hatch, the wooden door swung open and collided with Morpheus’ cranium, sending the changeling on a trajectory to the ground. “Sorry Commander I was running late and…”

“Ugh,” Morpheus rubbed his head, “watch out next time idiot, where were you anyway?”

The changeling tensed a bit, but proceeded to explain a long story involving a drone, an elite squad member, and the last piece of pie that Double brought from Ponyville. Morpheus only gave the sentry a doubtful glance, before getting back on his hooves. “Just fetch Mirror Match. Tell her the Element of Laughter requests her presence.”

The sentry raised his hoof, about to question his commander when he thought better and went back inside. Morpheus gave a sigh and turned to see Pinkie still bouncing up and down. “Is Matchie coming out yet?”

“In a bit…” Morpheus shrugged, rubbing his horn to make sure it wasn’t damaged, and “she’s getting ready. Perhaps you can shed a little light on where exactly we’re going?”

“Well,” the pink mare mused, scratching her chin, “I suppose it’s just like any other book club meeting. A bunch of fans get together in Twilights library, talk about a book, and have a BIG PARTY AFTERWARDS!”

Morpheus only gave an approving nod, now wondering if Mirror truly was busy. Or if the sentry he sent got into another “hold up”. As he waited, he noticed that Pinkie Pie had resumed her steady pattern of bouncing up and down on the same patch of turf.

The pink pony seemed totally oblivious to the outside world, and yet, when asked, she could easily answer what was happening. She was truly one of the oddballs of Equestria.

“You read Daring Do huh?” Pinkie asked cheerfully, her mane in perpetual motion, “Well I guess you must be since you seem so eager to go on this trip with us!”

If only you knew…Morpheus thought enviously. He was an avid reader of Daring Do and her chronicles. Ever since he had stumbled upon the books, he had managed to grab hold of as many copies as the Queen allowed. Now with the changeling-pony peace established, it was only a tad easier to buy a book.

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He remembered his first visit to the bookstore after the peace was announced. He and a royal guard called Star Wing were heading over to a well-known establishment that specialized in selling the cherished novels of his hatchling years. Star Wing, his only real friend of the Equestrian nation, was excited about introducing his favorite hangout. However, upon their entrance, the shopkeeper slanted his eyes. Unaffected by this show of suspicion, Morpheus quickly picked up several new copies, looking over the prices and giving a satisfying humph when he confirmed he had brought an adequate amount to pay for his purchases. The shopkeeper, on the other hoof, was less then enthusiastic. Upon ringing each book in, he charged double what they were worth.

“What gives?” the changeling growled, “it says they are 25% off and you are charging double the full price!”

“Yeah,” the shopkeeper replied coldly, “it is 25% off…for ponies.”

It took all of Star Wing’s power to hold the changeling back before he lunged at the clerk, his mouth hurling insult after insult as the embarrassed stallion dragged his friend away. When they had steered clear of the shop, the guard dragged Morpheus into an alley before releasing his hold on the furious changeling.

“What’s wrong with you?” Star Wing scolded.

“What’s wrong with me,” Morpheus answered sarcastically,” perhaps you’d like to explain why we’re supposedly at peace when a shopkeeper thinks it’s okay to be a racist peace of scat!”

“He hasn’t adjusted,” Star Wing said softly,” he’s just not use to this new peace that’s all. But he will get use to changelings, I promise. I mean you just need to take the first step.”

Morpheus tilted his head, “First step?”

Star Wing sighed, his head gazing at the stars for some source of knowledge to explain his reasoning to a changeling. After realizing it was of no use, he began to formulate his own explanation. “Well, you know, you need to be the first one to wave the flag. The guy who tries to initiate the terms so to speak…”

Morpheus threw a doubtful glance at the stallion. “I’ve been trying to make peace with these fools for the last day or so! You don’t think I try everyday to be as cordial as possible?”

“Well you initiated a fight-“ Star Wing remarked.

“That may be true.” Morpheus nudged the stallion as he walked out of the alley before turning back to face the pegasus. “But still the only pony I’ve made friends with this past day or so is you.”

Apart from Star Wing, most of the royal guards stationed in the Ponyville Jail were also on good terms with Morpheus. However, the rest of the population still saw him as what he was: a former enemy of Equestria. A changeling who stole love. A monster that was talked about in ghost stories to spook little foals into behaving. His own previous experiences of getting chased out of towns didn’t help him adjust either. He still held the mentality that many of these ponies he was supposed to call friends had partaken in various mobs against him.

Yet, the Queen urged that it was better to face a few air-borne tomatoes than returning to their status of isolation in the Badlands. At least most changelings were smart enough to don a disguise or use their own mentally concocted pony forms. Morpheus saw it as a waste of energy, and preferred to walk “naked” in public, although he couldn’t think of a reason to be ashamed of his true form, especially since they were under peaceful times.

Sure enough, he was the target for many of the changeling haters. But he was used to it, and to be frank, he really hated some of those ponies anyhow. Snobbish, blind to the outside world, and utterly prejudice to griffins, donkeys, zebras, and anything else that wasn’t a part of Equestria. They were no better than hypocrites, proclaiming the desire to spread love and peace when they couldn’t accept the new immigrants who tried to make a living.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Pinkie!”

“Matchie!”

The two galloped at full speed when the sentry finally brought Mirror out. Morpheus only released a yawn he had been holding for the remainder of his quiet stare down with Pinkie Pie.

The embrace between pony and changeling made Morpheus cringe. He still wasn’t use to it. Heck, he was sure nobody was use to it, or was it nopony as they said? He didn’t care much for Equestrian tongue. Like its population, the language of Equestria was selective and prejudice. Everypony. Anypony. Somepony. Common tongue, which is similar to Equestrian tongue, was much more accepting of other species, using someone, anyone, and everyone. The difference was subtle, yet irritating for the changeling. Ponies are so self-centered with themselves Morpheus thought coldly.

“So Matchie,” Pinkie began cheerfully, “I hope you don’t mind us bringing one of your friends over…”

“Friends…” Mirror turned to regard Morpheus with a quizzical expression. Morpheus returned the stare with a telepathic message. Just go with it, and it’ll be a lot easier to explain later.

Let me guess… Mirror replied on the Hive Chat. You read Daring Do? Morpheus had to grin at the changeling, for the mere mention of the title always made him smile. Mirror returned the expression with her own smile, nodding her head in understanding.

“Yep!” Mirror replied, “let’s get going!”

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“So what’s your name?” Pinkie asked, her eyes nearly colliding with the changeling’s. Morpheus only gave an irritated growl before replying. “Morpheus-“

“That’s a wonderful name!” Pinkie leaped in the air, “would you mind if I called you Morphy?”

You’re not the first Morpheus thought irritably. “Sure ummm...Pinkie Pie.” He had momentarily forgotten the Element of Laughter’s name but only for a moment. They were making good time too, as Pinkie had brought an odd contraption of sorts to help her fly. It looked like two candy canes and other delectable treats formed into a bicycle without wheels, and then fitted with a propeller. Needless to say it pecked the changeling’s curiosity.

“How did you come up with that…device of yours?”

“What?” Pinkie tilted her head in confusion, “Oh this thing? IT’S my Super Awesome Flying Machine! I read one of Twilight’s books and just got the idea ‘Hey! If I can fly, I can be with Rainbow Dash and do all sorts of pranks!”

“Pranks?” Morpheus almost shouted, “what kind of pranks?”

“Well…” Pinkie pondered for a moment, “Vertical Pie Dropping was my first idea, but then I thought that I could do better than that so I tried raining fake spiders and…oh… there was this one prank that involved Gummy and my trombone-“

“That’s enough Pinkie,” Mirror interjected before Pinkie went into a long talk about the various pranks that could be performed airborne. She threw Morpheus a menacing stare. He shrugged in response, wishing that she’d let the mare continue with her rant and lead him to valuable insight into future traps for the hive.

So far, my order hasn’t come in yet, but it’s sure going to be fun when I get it set up! Why didn’t anyone ever think about fireworks in the first place? It’s just as effective as the marble avalanche! Can’t wait to test it out on Shift.

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The trio had finally reached the cottage of Fluttershy, situated in between the town of Ponyville and the misty Everfree Forest. The creek that passed over the little bridge leading to the house almost looked like solid platinum. The grass around it appeared to be covered in snow. The moon was particularly bright tonight. The cottage itself was quite quaint; its rather simple design fitted with a unique roof composed of tree leaves. Morpheus could also make out a hen house, and wondered if Fluttershy’s specialty was farming. Wouldn't be surprised if it was just crops though, poor thing can't harm a fly let alone a chicken egg. Then again, ponies were vegetarians and changelings, although sufficing on love, were more fond of fruits and certain meats, although not as open to the idea of becoming carnivores as the griffins were. Even the Diamond Dogs had less quarrel with eating meat then a hungry griffin, but changelings never needed it unless they had to blend in.

Knocking on the door, the Pinkie and Mirror began to converse about their day while Morpheus went around the back to examine the pegasus' cottage. It looked quite roomy, and the changeling had to wonder how his fellow sibling Mirror managed to land in such a welcoming environment. The garden was well kept, with petunias, roses, daisies, and various tropical plants growing together as if mother nature had intended it herself. Large birdhouses dotted the few trees surrounding the cottage, and Morpheus could hear the audible snores of dozens of different species.

"I didn't even know trees could look so comfortable," the changeling mused to himself, absorbing the scenery, "and yet feel so painful. Well, I supposed landing on anything isn't the most pleasant experience." Mirror had broken her horn, a few changelings had broken their wings. He was fairly sure that the fact he had landed safely after the Canterlot invasion was a blessing in disguise. As he rounded back, he could hear three distinct voices arguing amongst each other.

"I can't go," came the muffled reply from Fluttershy.

"Oh Fluttershy," Pinkie seemed to hug the door as if it were her friend, "you just have to come, Matchie and me were planning this for a week already!"

"I know," the door seemed to speak, "but Angel is ill and I simply can't go."

Mirror looked equally upset, her adopted pegasus form staring at a puddle as Morpheus came up from behind. The sight of both pony and changeling standing side by side seemed humorous to him, but he knew better. "What's on your mind Matchie?"

Mirror turned to stare in surprise at her sibling's sudden usage of her adopted name. "Uh no-nothing," she stammered, "just that Fluttershy isn't coming with us." Morpheus turned to see the Element of Harmony practically cooing the door into opening."She already bought a pass to the book club?"

Mirror nodded solemnly, causing Morpheus to grin. "Well then why don't I just take up her form and get a free ride into the book club?"

The changeling gasped in shock at Morpheus' suggestion. "Morpheus, you can't just impony-sonate some mare just to get a-"

"That sounds like a great idea!" Pinkie suddenly sprouted from the water. Both changelings jumped back, landing on their backs at the sudden ambush. "Morphy can take Fluttershy's place, and if anypony asks, I'll just tell them that Fluttersy gave him permission to use the form!" The pink mare rushed back to the door to explain the plan to Fluttershy.

"Well..." Mirror still felt unsure at this little charade. It wasn't exactly the brightest plan under the circumstances, concerning their race. Morpheus, on the other hoof, was already beaming at her. "We're changelings Mirror, trust me I've done this a million times!"

"And you've been caught a million times, "Mirror stated bluntly, "this is a bad idea and you know it!"

Morpheus shrugged his hooves, before disappearing in a flash of green flame. The next instant, he was a yellow pegasus with a bright pink mane and timid green eyes. "After all, I have an Element of Harmony backing me up."

To hear her friend's voice made Mirror cringe. Somehow, it felt wrong to deceive ponies so easily despite what's happened. But at the same time, one less changeling could keep the crowd at bay for the evening.

"Okay," Pinkie trotted back to the group, "Fluttershy is fine with it, I'm fine with it, and Mirror, you're-"

"Fine." Mirror scowled but managed a small smile. "Let's get going then?"

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Twilight's library was still as lively as it had been before the invasion. Already a line of ponies could be seen leading into the warm illumination provided in the interior of the hollowed out tree. As the trio waited, Morpheus began to talk with Pinkie about several of his own pranks, with Pinkie adding her own input.

"Well," the pink mare explained, "fireworks are super cool, but they can be dangerous when used in excess, Morphy."

"That's why we're experimenting," Morpheus explained, "Shift is a tough changeling and so if it fails, nothing bad should happen right?"

"But don't you have a dummy?" Pinkie asked, creating a vague outline of a pony with her hooves. "Me and Rainbow Dash always practice with a dummy before trying the real thing. Like a flour bag or something?"

Morpheus sighed, "Pinkie, there isn't a whole lot I can work with. We don't have flour bags and rocks can withstand pretty much anything. The closest thing we could use would be Mr. Smartypants and everyone knows Double would kill a changeling just for looking at it."

"But if nothing bad happens," Pinkie emphasized with her hooves, "then Double won't notice it was ever taken in the first place!"

"That's true!" Morpheus exclaimed in the soft, timid voice of Fluttershy. Morpheus would have to wait until a dummy was used, and after that was successful, then he could try it out on Shift.

As the line reached the library entrance, Morpheus once again felt a tinge of jealousy that a changeling was able to land here and not in some forsaken dungeon in the middle of Ponyville. Yet, he was content with his current position, and his cozy office. On top of that, he was experimenting with a new gender form, something that took practice to achieve.

As the trio reached the line, they were greeted by the purple unicorn known as Twilight Sparkle. "Fluttershy! Pinkie! Matchie! So good of you to join us!"

"Thrilled to be here," Morpheus said in a sly voice, " you do have food right?"

Twilight gave Fluttershy a quizzical stare, but one glance at Pinkie Pie made her wink in confirmation. "Yeah, 'Fluttershy', just down there on the table. She indicated towards a mahogany table filled with various dishes of treats. From his vantage point, Morpheus could see steaming chocolate chip cookies, various cakes of various colors, an array of pop soda, a chocolate fountain, and choco-watermelon cupcakes! I'm in paradise! Morpheus thought as his mouth began to drool.

Diving right in, Morpheus began to stuff his mouth with food. The sweet intoxication almost knocked him out too, but he was able to hold out. It was by far the most amazing experience he had ever had the pleasure of eating in Ponyville. Despite whatever he had thought about ponies, he could not deny their culinary genius. As he munched on random delectables, various ponies began to give the disguised changeling odd looks and one stallion even went out of his way to ask if "she" was alright.

"Oh yes," Morpheus replied, "just famished is all." And with that, a loud burp erupted from his bowels, causing several nearby ponies to gag. Morpheus shuffled his hooves, blushing in embarrassment. "Excuse me," he whispered as he went back to accompany Mirror and Pinkie Pie, who were deep in conversation with a brown unicorn colt. He was wearing a scarf and glasses, which made him look like he was ready for winter.

At the moment, Mirror had switched to her Daring Do form, much to the delight of the stallion as he was jumping up and down, examining the changeling from snout to hoof. With a gentle nudge at Pinkie Pie, Morpheus whispered, "Who's that?"

"Him?" Pinkie yelled over the noise, "he's Rustle Glow, the leader of tonight's super-fun book talk!"

The brown stallion was still inspecting Daring Do, his eyes widened in awe. "It's just as I had imagined it so! I don't believe it! I had no idea you could envision your own form based on a few illustrations!"

Mirror was blushing under the stallion's gaze, causing Morpheus to narrow his eyes in concern of his fellow sibling. But before he could attempt to converse with the unicorn himself he felt a sudden push from Pinkie Pie, who was indicating him to a nearby chair.Standing on the second floor bedroom, Twilight adressed the crowd.

"Let's all get started then shall we?"

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"So as I was saying," Rustle orated from his seat, "I feel that Daring Do's latest escapade could have been done a little better. After all, it isn't like we're little colts and fillies. We're full-grown mares and stallions with expectations that should be met!"

There were several cheers from the group, including Morpheus, who had noticed a similar pattern in the later novels. As he scanned the perimeter, an old changeling habit, he noticed a brown stallion with a dark brown mane and moustache observing Mirror Match with a scowl.

"Who's that," Morpheus nudged the pony next to him, a light green mare. The mare seemed to stare at him for a second, as if wondering why Fluttershy was being so assertive all of a sudden. "That's Spatchcock, remember? He's one of those anti-changeling members."

Morpheus eyed the stallion cautiously, aware now that there were several anti-changeling members in the audience. Hopefully, if he played it cool, all would turn out well and he wouldn't need to worry about getting chased out like last time.

"However, the book's villain characters lack, well, density I'm afraid." Rustle Glow sat down, leaving the conversation open for whoever wanted to jump in. Immediately, a blue colt stood up.

"I think Glow is right, the villains need some work. I mean, Dr. Feather Rico was too cliche in both his methods and origins. We need villains who have more background or at least have superb gadgetry to go against Daring Do's skills. I mean, the mare practically gets by the same situation in every story. And the bad guys never seem to learn!"

There were more murmurs of agreement from the group, some ponies nodding their heads in unison. A few stood up and shared similar experiences. Even Morpheus himself, got up and explained his own personal quarrel with the villains.

"-I feel that they just need to make them more realistic!" he proclaimed, "They aren't necessarily evil, just misunderstood by society. We need to to see these characters just like we see Daring Do. With their own problems and needs and concerns!"

Several faces were alarmed at "Fluttershy's" interjection, but were impressed none the less at the speech. There was a round of applause from the moved group of fans. They all felt that the discussion had reached its climax, and were ready to begin the next discussion when a gruff voice spoke up.

"Except that some real-life villains should be recognized as evil."

Several heads turned to Spatchcock, who got up from his chair, a scowl plastered on his face. "We think they're misunderstood? Do you think she's misunderstood? Why, because their so-called leader wants to play kiss-butt to their prey? I'd think we'd be a bit smarter than that!"

The room was dead quiet, until Rustle tentatively raised a hoof. "And who," he motioned around the room, "is the real-life villain we should be wary of?"

Spatchcock seemed to glower at the colt's rather inane question. "Who? Why the damn changelings of course!"

There were several outcries and gasps as faces now turned to face Mirror Match, still disguised in her Daring Do form. Morpheus could see that some eyes were gentle while others regarded his friend harshly. Spatchcock, with a smug look plastered over his face, trotted over to the changeling, eyeing her as he continued.

"You see, these changelings are just trying to lick their wounds. Look at this!" he motioned at the perfect copy of Daring Do. "This is a perfect replica of Daring Do, and why would she go through all the trouble?"

"To just make some fans happy!" A voice retorted.

"No!" Spatchcock growled, "to make us think she had our best intentions at heart! And here we are, imagining the last hundred or so years of changelings didn't happen! Don't any of you remember the forests? The ones who escaped the hive or even the not so long-ago siege on our capital? Which was shortly followed by another attack on this very soil!"

Spathcock stared at Mirror with an icy hatred that instinctively caused Morpheus to stand. He didn't like this stallion for the very reason he remembered why he loathed ponies. Ignorant, and snobbish. But Spatchcock was not paying him any attention, simply focusing all his hatred on the only scapegoat in the room."Why, she's nothing more then another love-stealing parasite! A thief!"

"Take that back love-sucker!"

Spatchcock did a double take before he turned around to face the only other standing equine in the group. His face immediately morphed from anger to confusion. "Fluttershy? What the-"

"I said take it back!" Morpheus shouted once more from his disguised form. In the background, Mirror was sweating profusely, the realization sinking in that this night had just taken a turn for the worse.

"Fluttershy, that changeling over there is nothin' more then another monster! Some deranged, cold, calculating monster that just wants to use us for its own benefit!"

"That 'monster' is ten times better then you bucko!"

There were more startled gasps as ponies slowly got up from their chairs, while others who were sleeping woke with a start. Spatchcock, however, didn't even flinch. In fact, a small grin spread over his face.

"Yeah, Fluttershy, I guess your right..."

Several ponies sighed in relief, including Rustle Glow.

"...she may not be like me..."

Suddenly, before anypony could do anything, Spatchcock fired a bright purple bolt of magic that hit Fluttershy square in the chest, sending her flying into a set of bookshelves whose contents collapsed over her frail body just as a green flash shined through the rubble.

"...but she's definitely like you..."

There were screams and shouts as several ponies made their way to tackle Spatchcock for attacking a harmless mare. "Check on her before you tackle me!" the unicorn shouted as several stallions grabbed his hoof. Acknowledging the unicorn's command, one colt dug through the books to find a...

"CHANGELING!?"

Morpheus was seeing stars after being knocked out by the spell. As soon as he got up, he could see several shocked and angry faces. Where have I seen this before?

Pinkie immediately rushed to the changeling's aid, along with Mirror, who stood back to back with the Element of Harmony. "Stay back! He's with us!"

Several ponies didn't look convinced. "Why was he disguised as Fluttershy?" a voice cried out. There were several murmurs of agreement from the crowd, who even now had released their grip on Spatchcock."See," the stallion proclaimed, "this pony is a fraud! Even now they tried to deceive us! And the Elements of Harmony aren't going to stop them! So who will?"

Once again, there was silence. Nopony knew what to make of the events that had just unfolded before them. Would the Elements of Harmony protect them? Or was Spatchcock starting to sound a little too logical?

Before any of them could answer it in their own head, Morpheus managed to get on his hooves, his blue eyes bright with fury. "I'm ssssick of these mother-buckin' poniessss with thessse mother-bucking theoriesssss..."he hissed. And with that, he fired a bright blue bolt of energy that slammed into Spatchcock's chest, sending the stallion into the opposite bookshelf.

Pushing past his protective wall of friends, Morpheus stood his ground, wincing every so often as Spatchcock got to this hooves. The stallion had a red glare in his eyes, to where the hatred was almost palpable. Morpheus stood his ground, his mind off in some distant dream and his body now completely occupied by instinct.

Must protect the hive at all costs. Once a changeling always a changeling

The two stood for a moment, glaring at each other in the silence that followed. Then, with a spurt of speed, Spatchcock charged towards his opponent, screaming at the top of his lungs, Morpheus simply side-stepped, and landed his front hoof on the stallion's back, sending him to the floor. The stallion, however, was much stronger than he looked, and charged once more, grappling Morpheus. The two tangled and fell on top of the table, sending pies, cakes, and deserts into the air.

Chaos erupted as ponies ran here and there, trying to escape the madness that had occupied some of their fellow neighbors. Already, several other colts and mares were joining in the fray, attempting to subdue Mirror where as several others, including Twilight, blocked their path. What followed was an all-out brawl where no pony could tell friend from foe. Already, Rustle was standing on the table, his horn glowing as he tried to restore order like a lonely lighthouse surrounded in a sea of chaos.

Morpheus was smothered by a piece of cake as Spatchcock tried to dig his hoof into the changeling's mouth. Gagging, Morpheus sunk his saber-like fangs into the stallion's limb, causing him to pull back in agony. Taking advantage of the moment, Morpheus smashed his head with Spatchcock, who flew into a group of brawlers. After being violently shoved back into the fray, Spatchcock used his momentum and collided straight into his smaller opponent's front. Both crashed into another pile of books, which sent the shelf toppling over.

Grabbing, a History to Equestrian Mannerisms Morpheus began to repeatedly strike the stallion again and again. Irritated with this, Spatchcock went under and lifted the changeling off the ground, so that it looked like they were in some sort of demented piggy-back ride. Morpheus continued to wack Spatchcock who, disoriented from the fight, drunkenly flung the changeling off his back and through the door.

There was a loud crash as the changeling broke down the wooden barrier and rolled over the cold grass outside. Through his dazed eyes, Morpheus could see several lights flashing open and in the distance several shiny black shapes in the sky.

Either fellow changelings or the Equestria Guard Morpheus thought absently before Spatchcock belly-flopped on top of him, crushing his noggin into the ground.

Firing another bolt of magic, Morpheus lifted the stallion a few inches off him, enough room for the changeling to use his hind legs to buck the stallion into the air. Dazed, and dizzy, Spatchcock swung his hooves once more before Morpheus slowly got up, his eyes burning with hatred, and allowed his hole-covered hoof to collide with Spatchcock's snout. The stallion immediately collapsed on the grass, his breathing rapid as he lay perfectly still.

"I WIN!" the changeling shouted half-heartedly, chuckling a little as he spat some saliva that had been stuck in his mouth. He prepared to lead his legs in an airborne dance when there was a violent stab of pain in his wing area. Turning around, Morpheus nearly squealed at the sight. His wing was bent at an odd angle, the soft texture curved well-beyond its capacity.He needed to get to a cocoon and fast.

Before he could do anything else, however, he felt a small force smash into the back of his head, sending a ripple down his frill. As soon as it had happened, Morpheus suddenly felt his legs give in and he soon toppled on the grass. Looking up, he saw a familiar pink unicorn observing him with her famous grin.

Double...Morpheus sighed. He could already see several armored guards pouring into the library, calling for order and breaking up the fights that had started inside.

As he gazed at that smug, satisfied face, Morpheus could have sworn he saw a tinge of approval in that hidden facade. But at the same time, he could see a feeling of regret as the repercussions had far outweighed the merits.

And yet as he stared up at Double, he did manage to make a grin himself, as he would be using her doll as soon as he got out of this mess. And with that, darkness consumed him.

Author's Notes:

Sorry if I haven't updated and just started a new story but I couldn't help it. My mind wouldn't stop talking about a sequel and I was just playing Red Dead Redemption when the idea hit me.

Also thanks to TeaPartyCannon for allowing me to use Double and Mirror in this story!

So the Commander is back, and no, he hasn't improved that much either. Well I guess a little. I mean, he learned a few new things, and well he got a new job and all. And he is wary of party cannons too!