//------------------------------// // Part 27: Knock Knock, it's the Insecticide! // Story: Once a Time Lord... Well, actually still that, but now a Pony as well... // by The Bricklayer //------------------------------// Trouble with General Runaway as Rainbow called him, he’d been so scared of her little comments about the Doctor and what exactly he was going to do to him he hadn’t exactly managed to check up on her cocoon’s state. Which meant, with a little bit of effort the mare was able to break herself free. Landing on the floor with a small thudding sound, Rainbow quickly picked herself up off the stone cavern floor, and wiped a bit of blood off her mouth. Some of her fur was matted with the crimson liquid, small scrapes dotting her fur but for the most part she was fine. “Ugh, remind me not to do that again…”  Rainbow thought to herself as her vision slowly returned to normal. “Ground control to Major Dash, you there?” she asked herself as she staggered to her feet, dizzily regaining her bearings and trotting forwards a few steps before falling flat on her face once more. “Okay, not my smartest idea I’ll admit,” Rainbow begrudgingly admitted to herself even as she checked her wings and winced out in pain as one of them didn’t unfurl themselves properly. “I mean, what? Were you expecting to pick yourself up off the ground in one piece? Best not to try flying, least not yet. Damn, wish I was like that one surly buck from Sable Island with that uber sweet healing factor in his comics. ...Though I suppose I’d want better luck with the mares then he seems to have.” Slowly regaining her bearings, she began to walk normally after a few short minutes. Her wings -or at least one of them- was still out of the question for the moment but she could get out of this place. At least in theory anyways. She cast a glance to the many other cocooned ponies lining the cavern walls and sighed. “Damn it! Wish I could save them all, as Celestia knows the boys up above would need all the help they can get against this swarm but I gotta worry about saving my own flank first. Okay Rainbow, what’s your plan?” The mare then sighed. She didn’t exactly have a plan beyond finding a way out of the cocoon. Thinking ahead wasn’t exactly one of her strongest suites Rainbow had to admit, that was Twilight’s realm of thought. It was usually thinking a way out of her current situation and then figuring out what to do next that Rainbow was more comfortable for her. Which was very bad news for Rainbow really considering some of the hive had taken notice of her current predicament. Most had gone up above to start the invasion, their queen included but a few did remain behind as sentries. General Runaway wasn’t completely stupid after all, Rainbow had to give him credit for that at least. Cowardly as he was, he was the changelings’ field commander for a reason. Chittering and chattering amongst themselves, like rats from the woodwork the insectoid-like ponies slowly emerged from their little holes amongst the maze of caverns. Pinchers clicking angrily at Rainbow Dash’s escape, forked snake-like tongues darted out of mouths as the creatures let out hisses of anger. Her eyes widening, the Element of Loyalty then swallowed nervously. Quickly regaining her composure, Rainbow then smirked at the creatures. “Oh, so nice to see you care…” she deadpanned, giving a little wave of her hoof before she turned tail -quite literally- and ran like Hell with a small shout of: “Bye!” While Rainbow would never admit it, she was nowhere near as fast on her hooves as Applejack. However, she was still pretty damn fast even as injured as she was managing to somehow lose the changelings in pursuit of her in the veritable maze of caverns below Roam. Even so, two problems. She’d managed to lose herself as well, getting turned around somehow and finding herself in another cave with a small pool of water and as if to add insult to injury she could hear the chittering and hissing of changelings somewhere behind her. Perhaps she’d lost them for a time, perhaps she hadn’t. The sound seemed to be all around her, echoing from somewhere deep within the maze of caves making it pretty much impossible to tell exactly where it was coming from. Rainbow for just a brief moment took pride in the fact that her discovery had forced the changeling hive to start their invasion a little bit early and not wait for Somnambula to show up. Meant she was dangerous to them and their plans. “Okay Rainbow… don’t you lose your nerve. Not out of the woods yet,” Rainbow told herself, taking a few short calming breaths. “Still in this for the long haul, you still gotta find a way out of here and still gotta warn the Doc and Twi about what’s coming. ...That is, if they don’t know already.” she muttered to herself. She then had a horrific thought. It was entirely possible the changelings and their queen had already captured the two. Capable as Twilight was with magic -The incident with Trixie and the Ursa Minor had shown that much- she doubted the mare could handle being swarmed. And as far as she knew, Roam’s best soldiers had been replaced with changelings loyal to Queen whats-her-face. Not like Rainbow had bothered to remember all the names she’d heard so far. Faces yes, but she wasn’t quite so good with names unless they really mattered to her. Panic briefly overtaking her, Rainbow’s whole word became a blur as the mare dashed down another corridor, making quite a few sharp turns at various moments as the fear of her friends being captured -or worse- filled her mind’s eye. She just kept on seeing it over and over, Twilight screaming out for help that would never come as a green cocoon slowly formed over her and silenced her forever. “Never… Never thought I’d miss that egghead’s voice,” Rainbow thought to herself as she briefly galloped alongside a cavern wall. “She’d know a way out of this, I know she would!” Rainbow then came into another cavern, one that opened up wide to the sea. Waves crashed outside, and a thick set of iron bars blocked her only escape to the aboveground. There was another way up, but the ladder had fallen to pieces with age and no real upkeep making that way out unusable as well. One could presume eventually these caves led upwards somehow but it’d be almost impossible to figure out where and when they did. Rainbow could probably be stuck down here forever and never find a way out in theory. “And… And to think...  Somnambula’s arriving on the morning boat from Baladi to this place!” Rainbow panted out, quite exhausted from the chase. “Man, she must really love that Flash dude to come here!’ “Personally, I don’t know what this Somnambula sees in Flash Magnus, but love truly is blind I guess,” another voice remarked, and Rainbow’s head whipped around to see three sea serpent creatures crossed with horses tied up to rocks with muzzles fitted over their snouts residing in the small pool that led out to sea. One was yellow in scale color, the others were purple and cyan respectively. It was the yellow one who’d spoken, resting her chin on her front flippers which themselves were resting on the pool’s edge. “Seriously, she could do so much better than a simple slave.” The yellow one’s muzzle was gnawed through just enough to allow her to speak. “...Okay, more weird hybrid creatures,” Rainbow muttered before sighing. “Note to self, no more trips with the Doctor. Ever.” “Oh, you really should consider yourself lucky if you can travel about,” the sea serpent horse thing remarked casually. “Me, I’m sorta stuck here. Those idiots up top seem to think me dangerous. Least they could do is throw me some fish or chum more often! I’m getting thin as it is!” “...Yeah, something tells me if you and your friends are locked up down here, it’s probably for a reason.” “Oh, you ponies are all the same,” the creature returned in a biting snippy tone. “Always judging something before you ever really meet it!” “Okay then…” Rainbow muttered, knowing she was probably going to regret this in the long run someday. But all the same, she offered a hoof to shake. “Name’s Firefly. Yours?” she asked, erring on the side of caution and figuring it best not to give her real name. She shuddered at the sheer sliminess in the creature’s front flipper as she took it and shook Rainbow’s hoof. “Adagio. Pleasure,” she said in this voice that seemed to be constantly on a phone-sex level of a murmur. Adagio grinned, showing a maw full of razor-sharp teeth that Rainbow in no way would like to meet. Just how Adagio gnawed through her muzzle was quite clear by now. Why she was muzzled up, that was a question for later. “My sisters, Aria and Sonata. For obvious reasons, they can’t really introduce themselves.” Sonata, or at least the creature Rainbow presumed was her shook her head in a very excited almost chipper manner and gave a little wave with her flipper. Rainbow was beginning to nurse a throbbing headache, what next? “Just… Just what exactly are you?” the prismatic-maned pony asked wearily. “Huh, a pony who hasn’t heard of the siren species?” Adagio asked eyes widening in surprise. “Color me surprised. You know, if I was in the mood you not simply knowing what I am could make you very easy to manipulate…” she trailed off in this rather gleeful tone. Suddenly, Rainbow realized exactly why this ‘Adagio’ and her fellow sirens were probably locked up. They were simply just that dangerous. Or really rather annoying. Rainbow would bet on the latter at the moment. “Yeah,” Rainbow stated quickly pulling away her hoof and shuddering. “Definitely not going to trust you now that I know that little fact. May not have heard of a siren, but hearing the word manipulate really doesn’t put you in my good books.” “Oh, shame… Shame shame!” Adagio chorused as the sound of changeling wingbeats started up again, and Rainbow’s fur stood on end in fear. “And it seems you really need some help, and as far as I can see you don’t have any friends to lend you a hoof. Unless of course, I’m mistaken?” “...You know, I’m beginning to see why they pull a muzzle over that mouth of yours. They just did it to shut you up. You’re really rather annoying, aren’t you? Did you know that?” Rainbow sniped back. “And the wingbeats are getting closer…” Adagio singsonged. “You know, I can help. For a price of course.” Rainbow weighed her options. Either get captured by the changelings again, or stand around here talking with this siren. Neither prospect seemed really rather appealing, but not like she had much choice did she? Eventually, Rainbow made up her mind and settled for the lesser of two evils. “Name it,” she said through gritted teeth and swallowed pride. Yep, definitely annoying she thought to herself. Adagio smirked, having achieved a victory over her fellow female. Needless to say, Rainbow was probably never going to mention this little side adventure to Twilight when she recounted the tale to her. “Oh, just a simple small thing. Free me and my sisters. That’s all I ask,” Adagio replied. “Tick tock, clock’s ticking. Personally, I’d prefer the north wind over those lot but your choice!” Rainbow bit down on the ropes holding Adagio, Aria, and Sonata to the rocks snapping them. “My, aren’t you forwards!” Adagio chortled, covering her mouth with a flipper. “But a promise is a promise. I’ll give you a fin. Just need a song, that’s all.” “A song?” Rainbow asked arching an eyebrow. “Yes, a song. Need I spell it out for you?” Adagio sneered. “Hello, sea siren!” she stated, throwing her front flippers up in the air and gesturing to herself as the changelings entered the room from both sides. “Now, take your time Firefly dear! You’ve got plenty of it!” she mocked. “Fine… Whatever works.” Rainbow muttered before humming a song under her breath which Adagio quickly picked up on. “I was walking down the street when out the corner of my eye I saw a pretty little thing approaching me She said, “I never seen a man, who looks so all alone And could you use a little company? If you can pay the right price, your evening will be nice But you can go and send me on my way” I said, “You're such a sweet young thing, why you do this to yourself?” Adagio began to sing. The beat was a little odd to her, nothing she’d ever seen before but to be perfectly honest it sorta beat out the usual songs she heard from sailors and her fellow podmates. It was something new, something interesting to her. “She looked at me and this is what she said Oh there ain't no rest for the wicked Money don't grow on trees I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed There ain't nothing in this world for free Oh no, I can't slow down, I can't hold back Though you know, I wish I could Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked Until we close our eyes for good…” Adagio finished, the Changelings now quite thoroughly enthralled by the sound of her voice. Rainbow admitted if only to herself despite her other many faults Adagio was, in fact, a very good singer. Briefly losing herself to the sirens song, she swayed back and forth before shaking her head clear as it began to cloud. No, she had more important things to worry about than listening to this siren song. Taking her chance. Rainbow dashed down a tunnel that seemed to lead upwards. Didn’t matter if it didn’t lead up above ground, anywhere was better than here at the moment. “Suck that Twilight! And you too Applejack!” Rainbow laughed in triumph, letting her pride briefly overtake her. “See, I can think my way out of a situation at times, just need the right incentive to actually do so!” She grew even more joyful as the early rays of the dawn began to hit the sides of her face as she continued galloping upwards and out into a field. Apparently, she’d been in those caves longer than she thought. Knowing how little time was actually left, she broke into a sprint. Clambering out of what looked to be a small den, she could see the roam capital just a few kilometers ahead of her past the houses and farm fields and such. Navigating her way through a vineyard of grapes, she leaped over an aqueduct and over a small hole in the city walls. Brushing the dirt off her coat, Rainbow’s eyes narrowed in on swarms of black creatures flying down from the sky in droves. “And so cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war…” Rainbow murmured. Perhaps needless to say, one Twilight Sparkle of Equestria was not having a very good day. First off, Rainbow Dash had flown the coop and gone missing, and then as if only to make matters worse some changeling doppelganger showed up in the middle of the night and tried to make out with her! And now, she was stuck in the middle of a whole invasion, just barely managing to throw up a shield over the city to keep more changelings from swarming in. “Ah, wedding crashers…” the Doctor muttered as he bucked a changeling into a market stall, drawing on his experience -Admittedly very little at that- bucking the trees at Sweet Apple Acres. “You just gotta love them don’t ya?” “I fail to see what there is to love,” Flash Magnus deadpanned slicing a changeling’s head off with his twin serrated swords. He muttered: “Knock knock, it’s the insecticide!” to himself as he did so. “Sarcasm is lost on you isn’t it?” the Doctor deadpanned, bucking another changeling into a stone wall reducing it to rubble. “I know what sarcasm is, it’s just I don’t see why there’s anything to love about this entire scenario,” Flash retorted even as Twilight used her magic to sweep away a phalanx of changelings in a whirlwind of lavender magic. “Ugh, never mind…” the Doctor muttered. “Geez, try and make a light-hearted joke out of a situation…” “Better times Doctor,” Twilight reprimanded as she tossed a pillar into several more changelings. “Save them for better times.” Suddenly, Twilight let out a yelp as she was forced backwards by a blast of scarlet magic. Queen Arthropod, completely calm and in control over the situation marched forwards continuously driving the three back with blasts of magic. It was all Twilight could do to keep the shield up and combat her forces at the same time. Fighting the queen one on one was a no can do for her at that moment. “Fear me, I've faced down hundreds of ponies just like you. They all died bravely all just the same. You’re no different.” Arthropod stated as Twilight stood her ground, and let out an unimpressed nicker. “I digress, I’ve faced down Nightmare Moon, the Bringer of Darkness and Shadows. So fear me.” Twilight stated, her horn cracking with magical energy. Credit where it was due, despite facing the queen one on one being a frankly stupid idea Twilight wouldn’t back down. She was stubborn like that. Must have been Celestia’s influence. “...And I’m supposed to know who that is why?” Arthropod remarked with a small yawn. “Today’s plans…” the Doctor murmured. “Oh, I think it's gone a little bit wrong.” he sighed. “Oh… Oh, look at you,” Arthropod sneered out. “You’re brave, I’ll give you that. But this entire endeavor is ultimately futile. Look at you, most of your troops are either dead or incapacitated by my own hoof! And those that remain, I replaced with my own soldiers,” “A legionnaire never gives up, he never surrenders. Veni, vidi, vici! Or did you not get the memo?” Flash Magnus spat back at her, and Arthropod only laughed harder. “What legion? You’re almost all but alone in your city's defense! What, do you expect your civilians to take up arms against me?” she asked as Flash gritted his teeth. “Even if they did, it’d be absolutely pointless. We have knowledge of your tactics, no thanks to Ironhead. He squealed like a pig, oh yes he did!” She was absolutely right about that. The changelings, they did know how a legion of Roam would work in combat. Ironhead had once said, “He who judges himself inferior should advance his right wing against his enemy's left. This is the second formation of the legions.” And that was exactly what the ground-based changeling troops were doing. “Doctor… Thing is, I know Arthropod doesn’t succeed here,” Twilight whispered as she and the Doctor found themselves quite literally backed against a wall. “I mean, Flash, he goes onto become a hero of old Equestria! Along with his wife. So he can’t just die here… can he?” “Time's in flux, changing every second. Your cozy little world can be rewritten like that. Nothing is safe. Remember that. Nothing. So yes, it is very possible for Flash Magnus to die here,” the Doctor returned. At that, Twilight had a horrific and sudden realization. “Uh Doctor… But I can't die. Tell me I can't. I haven't even been born yet. It's impossible for me to die. Isn't it?” Twilight whispered, going into a panic and losing her focus. Because of this, and adding to that the nigh-constant ramming of the shield above her by Arthropod’s forces her defense was slowly beginning to get wheedled down bit by bit. “Wish I could say different,” the Doctor replied. “But you’re a smart mare. You’ve studied basic time theory I assume You can be born in one era and die in another year before your great-grandmother began to take her first steps! Time… Well, it isn't a straight line. It can twist into any shape, any form. And it’s my fault you’re in this mess. I brought you here.” “...You couldn’t have known Doctor,” Twilight said and in spite of her fear she found time to be kind to her possibly best friend. “You simply couldn’t have. But if we go, well… we’ll go down fighting. That’s what you would have wanted right?” “Believe it or not,” the Doctor sighed as Arthropod moved even closer with her forces surrounding them. “That’s not what I wanted at all. But for the record Twilight Sparkle, I’m so glad I met you,” “Same,” Twilight nodded in return. “Aw so sweet, a couple exchanging their last goodbyes before death,” the Changeling Queen mocked as she knocked Twilight to the ground with a blast of magic from her horn. “If I wanted, I’d take your love and suck it up dry! But oh no, I’m saving myself. Going to get all fat on Somnambula when she arrives. Imagine, her reaction thinking oh she’s going to get all married and then poof, I change into my real form with her powerless to stop me!” Suddenly, Arthropod was sent sprawling to the cobblestone by a sudden kick to the side. “Yeah, sadly I didn’t get that little memo,” Rainbow Dash remarked as she narrowed her eyes at the Queen. “By the way, kidnapping me and holding me hostage in a slimy sticky cocoon? Rude! I’ll be pulling this crap out of my fur for days!” “R-Rainbow…?” Twilight blinked out scarcely able to believe it. “Hey Twi,” Rainbow smirked. The real Rainbow. Twilight knew it could be no other. “Sorry I’m late, but you know how a hero is. They don’t always arrive on schedule. And besides, arriving with a dynamic late to the party style intro? Much more fun anyhow!” the mare boasted “Bitch…” Arthropod hissed out as she picked herself up off the ground, lighting up her horn as she did so ready to fire off a spell at a moment’s notice. “Pot, meet kettle,” Rainbow deadpanned as she stood in front of her friends pulling out a sword. “As I said, your boy General Runaway -And yes, I will keep on calling him that from now on- cocooned me! On your orders no less! I mean, bleagh!” she gagged. “One more makes no difference,” Arthropod replied calmly before firing a beam of pure magical energy right up into Twilight’s shield -or what remained of it anyways- shattering it like glass and the Changelings came in full force pouring down like hailstones. “You’ll all die anyways. And there will be nobody to speak of your heroic deeds here today. Almost a shame really,” she continued, her tone filled with mock-sympathy. “Rule one of being a queen, always assert your authority.” Suddenly, a flurry of arrows pierced her hoards scything through her forces like the goddess Ceres and her sickle would through grain. “Who said she was alone?” Somnambula asked as she and her own forces holding bows and arrows along with bronze khopeshes appeared, taking their places amongst the city walls. “Rule two of being a Queen. Never assume you’ve got the upper hand.” “Okay, now that’s how you make an entrance…” the Doctor grinned as Queen Somnambula’s forces leaped down to join the fray quickly cutting down Arthropod’s own. “Not a fan of the bloodshed, and the killing, but can’t deny that was impressive.” By now, Flash Magnus was staring at his wife-to-be with an expression that could only be described as the utmost love. “Damn you!” Arthropod swore before yelling to her hive. Twilight tried to pick herself up off the ground and recreate the shield, but it was no use. Letting out a yelp of pain, she managed to stand using a magically-created splint. “Take them, take them all!” The changelings descended in droves, and Rainbow’s eyes widened as they did so. She realized something at about that moment even as the sky seemed to cover itself under the shroud of night. Why exactly nobody had ever heard of the Sonic Rainboom. Why nobody had ever heard of it being performed. It was because it hadn’t been performed. At least not yet. “So, time’s in flux huh?” Rainbow thought to herself ignoring the pain in her wings as she rocketed upwards. “A catalyst, that’s it. That had to be it. Something had to start the legend, and I was just too foolish to realize what it was! No, not something… SomePONY.” A loud CRACK! filled the air as a wave of pure rainbow-colored light splashed and bathed the sky in its colors, the wave knocking away changelings by the dozen sending them into the waiting blades of the Baladi reinforcements. Arthropod was no fool, and even she knew when to retreat and cut her losses. Swearing quite profusely, the Changeling Queen took to the sky with what little of her forces that remained following. As the Doctor observed this, he felt his knowledge of what happened to both Celestia and Arthropod began to change. The Queen’s forces were so weakened by this battle she’d never go onto try and conquer Equestria and therefore Daybreaker would never come into being. Rainbow meanwhile in the present time, screeched to a halt atop a bridge outside the city. “...Well, that was something.” Rainbow muttered as she felt a bit faint before falling forwards with Somnambula managing to catch her. “Easy there,” the future Pillar of Hope told her. “Quite a crazy stunt you just pulled there. Not sure what to call that, but that’s certainly no small feat for a pegasus.” “Not sure what to call that?” Rainbow grinned. “Well… How ‘bout the Sonic Rainboom?” “So, this is how you travel?” Somnambula asked of the Doctor, Twilight, and Rainbow as she studied the exterior of the TARDIS. “Interesting… What’s your secret?” “Some things will stay just that, secrets,” the Doctor replied. “And secrets, well they should never be revealed. Except for cheap tricks.” he winked, kissing Somnambula on the cheek. “Oh my… How modern,” the pegasus giggled. “Well, guess this is goodbye. A pleasure to meet you Flash Magnus,” Twilight smiled and shook the Pillar’s hoof. “You take care understand?” “Yes… I most certainly will,” he stated with a look towards Somnambula that said more volumes than any amount of words ever could. The Doctor smiled, he’d read the history books. Those two would go onto have a long and successful marriage even after they vanished off the face of old Equestria. Give or take a few centuries, Twilight and Rainbow would meet them again soon enough. “But, I don't understand. In what way is this goodbye? Where are you going?” “Oh, you’ll see. Just wait a tick okay?” the Doctor asked. “All three of you, in one little… shed?” Flash asked, his jaw dropping. “Down boy!” Rainbow laughed as the Doctor turned to her. “Let’s say we give them one last surprise eh?” he asked. “Like I said, cheap tricks.” Rainbow smirked knowing what the Doctor was thinking even as the Time Lord threw a switch and the TARDIS began making its signature groaning noises before vanishing into thin air completely. “Well, I’ll be damned…” Flash whispered out before saluting the three travelers. “Veni, vidi, vici Doctor. Veni, vidi, vici.”