//------------------------------// // Meets an Unmovable Object // Story: Lightening the Load // by Silent Bob //------------------------------// Also known as: The Doctor Dances "You want to do... what?" Chrysalis, asked raising her eyebrows. "And wait a minute, you say that you were actually here a hundred and fifty years ago.. when the Tiberium landed on this island?" Sarius asked, scratching his head, before smiling slightly. "Um... you look great for your age." "Oh no, the Doctor is a time traveler, silly!" Pinkie explained. "And I'm not even from this universe," the Doctor said. "I actually came from one... next door, you could say. Two years ago the Fifth Cyber Legion, a group of half-machine, half-humanoid androids tried to stage an incursion here." He then grinned slightly. "Naturally, they didn't expect me to show up." Ditzy gave a crude cough. "Oh and uh... Ditzy might have helped too." She gave him a blank look. "By that you mean I saved your fur... twice." The Doctor sighed, furrowing his brow. "Yes, thank you Ditzy." He then turned back to Sarius. "Unfortunately, ever since then I've been stuck here." He then nodded his head to the right as if to say, 'meh, whatever.' "However, it really isn't that bad. Though this universe really only consists of a single solar system... if you could call it a solar system... and one that doesn't even follow the normal laws of physics, I've had plenty of fun studying the massive cultural content of those who live here... and providing a helping hand throughout history to when it's needed. I've also had a fun time learning that those stars in the sky... aren't really stars. They're something else; 'spirits', I believe Luna called them. Funny enough though, there are still a lot of time fluctuations here; changes of the past, usually caused by the occasional unicorn or other creature using that bloody time travelling magic they have; messing around with things that they shouldn't be." "Hmmmm... how did that talk with Twilight go, Doctor?" Pinkie asked. "Eh, well, she seemed to understand after a bit as to why she should keep her nose out of history unless she knows what she's doing." "Alright, well if this universe is only one solar system, where did the Tiberium come from?" Chrysalis asked. "It's definitely extraterrestrial in nature." "Who knows," the Doctor shrugged. "It was probably shoved into this dimension from another by accident.... or for perhaps another reason." Chrysalis shivered at that. "That's fantastic. Why can't people just mind their own universe's business?" "Well, they do for the most part. As you know, interdimensional travel is a bit hard to do. I believe the Cybermen were only able to come here because my home universe is 'next door', and out of a stroke of luck." "Hmmm.. well for an alien from another universe, you look awfully pony like," Chrysalis noted. "Do you have the ability to shapeshift?" The Doctor let out a laugh. "Oh don't be ridiculous. I simply regenerated into this form when my last, more humanoid one was 'killed'." "Alright, I'm officially getting confused..." Sarius said. "Don't worry about it," Ditzy said. "I've been travelling with him for over five months and I still don't get half the things he talks about. Just nod your head when he's done talking." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Anyway, my time travelling machine, the TARDIS, is powered by something called... the Heart of the TARDIS..." "An original name, I know," Ditzy smirked. The Doctor shot her a look before continuing on, "....which is fueled by the raw quantum energy of the universe... however, a smaller universe means a smaller amount of power, which means it's not running at peak efficiency and can't do all the cool wibbly wobbly space timey whimey stuff it usually can. I need a secondary power source, and you happen to have one in this hive." "The Tiberium." "Right! With it I should be able to prevent the 'walls' of this universe from thinning. Sure, I won't be able to use the TARDIS for two weeks while it's active, but then nobody will be able to get into this universe and everyone will be happy. If you could just point me into the direction of it and possibly help me transport it-" With that, Chrysais' eyes narrowed in resolve. "I'm sorry Doctor, but I'm afraid I can't let you have it." "-to the TARDIS where I can..." His eyes then widened. "Wait a minute, what?!" "I said, I can't let you have it." With that, the Doctor took a stern step forward, gazing at her with disbelief. "You said you don't even have a use for the stuff yet, and it'll be better off for this planet to just let me deplete the supply you have!" "That's not the reason," Chrysalis stated blankly. The Doctor's look of confusion continued for a second, the gears in his head turning fiercely, though after a second or so a broad smile of realization came upon his face. "Ooooh... I see... they aren't threatening you with anything. They're offering you something." With that, the Queen of the Swarm threw him an apprehensive, sorrowful nod. "I wouldn't be doing it if I had no other choice. I don't want that scum in this universe anymore than anybody else." "Whatever reasoning you have for this is not good enough," the Doctor said with a slight growl. "You understand who all are coming right?" "I do." "No, I don't think so, or else you would take up my offer at the spot. These people... some of them may be coming for fun... and most might behave themselves. Heck, some might not even be so evil." He took a deep breath. "However, others may have ulterior motives for attending. They may be running from something in their home universe... to try to escape it. Some might even want to try to take this planet for their own purposes, or conduct their..." He squinted in disgust. "...'fun' here. I know if any of my old friends show up, that case is very likely." "I know who is coming, but I've been assured that they will not be a threat to my people or the planet. The Nameless Man is handling security as I believe I mentioned earlier." "And who exactly does he have under his belt?" the Doctor asked suspiciously. "Two people called the 'Two Rangers' and someone named Admiral Thrawn. He seems to know what he's doing." The Doctor brought a hoof to his chin. "Never heard of him. Tell me though, what sort of asset is he bringing to prevent those attending from crashing the rest of the world's party, or even your own people's?" "Something called a 'Star Destroyer'; I assume it's a sort of airship." The Doctor's eyes widened in horror. "That only goes to show just how ignorant you are!" he said, his voice rising. "Doctor..." Ditzy said. "Not now, Ditzy." He then turned back towards Chrysalis, pointing a hoof her way. "That ship belongs to one of the most corrupt, powerful empires of the multiverse. They've conducted planet-wide genocides, wiped out an entire order of peace keepers, and countless other atrocities!" He narrowed his eyes. "And you've just opened the front door for them to bring in a ship that could slaughter every last living thing on this world." With that, both Sarius and Pinkie turned towards Chrysalis. Though they said nothing, the look in their eyes said everything that was needed. It was obvious they were quickly turning against the idea. However, Chrysalis would not be thwarted so easily. "I'm sure the Nameless Man has him on a tight leash. There have been countless IGOMs on this world and many others in the past.... have you ever heard of a doomsday scenario occurring during one?" With that, the Doctor sulked back. "Well... no." With her opponent's resolve shattered, Chrysalis pressed forward. "I need what they're offering me to feed my people, something that could do so for an entire year. Ultimately, it would be beneficial to both Equestria and Savarance." "Your people will be fed!" the Doctor argued. "You just need to give Equestria and the other nations time to warm up to you. The changelings are quite remarkable, they'll see it in time." Chrysalis' eyes narrowed. "I've given the world four hundred years to change its opinion of us. I've given them countless opportunities to open up diplomatic relations that don't involve tribute demands, plenty of chances to grow to know us, to eventually love us, but what always happens?" She took a menacing step towards the Doctor, glaring down at him. "Paranoia happens. They believe we're trying to deceive them, that we only want love so we can grow all the more powerful and begin marauding through their countrysides like the days of old, capturing thousands of people to gorge ourselves upon. No matter how much I try to show them that we've changed, they always view us as locusts, a bunch of abstract freaks who shouldn't be walking the world, or in some cases: actual demons from Tartarus itself. And now, with my foolish attack on Canterlot, they will always feel that way." With that, she turned away from the Doctor, taking a deep breath. "You're just like Celestia, Doctor; so engorged on idealism that even a teaspoon of reality makes your stomach churn." Though she half-expected the Time Lord to be taken aback by the speech, to her surprise, he firmly stood his ground. "How old are you, Chrysalis?" "Four-hundred and fifty years." "Do you want to know how old I am?" he asked, his eyes narrowing once again. "Go ahead..." "Over nine hundred." With that, he took a deep breath. "And with the time I've had, I've traveled through the space and time of two dimensions. I have seen great horrors; genocide and brutality beyond your comprehension, but at the same time, I have seen many acts of the opposite nature. I've seen a candles light the darkest rooms, I've beheld the birth of beauty on wartorn fields of chaos. I have seen two peoples, pony, and another species called 'humans', who while ruled by emotion, and sometimes their inner demons, always manage overcome their dark sides with the help of their inner, inherent light; and more importantly: logic. You may say what you want of idealism, of Celestia and myself, but you should know that it isn't blind optimism that we follow; it comes from experience. And with this I know that people like Blueblood will never reign victorious, for in the end, logic and good will triumph like it always does, and when that happens: you will find your love." With that, a moment of silence filled the room. However, after a second a loan bit of clapping could be heard. Another two hooves then joined in, followed by a third, squishy sound of Sarius'. "Yayyyy Doctor!" Pinkie beamed. "That was awesome! And also, slow eighties clap for the win!" "Heh, I seriously love your cheesy speeches," Ditzy smirked the Doctor's way. "Cheesy?!" "Not bad... had me believing," Sarius said, before gaining a glare from Chrysalis. "I mean uh... I hated it! Grrr... go cynicism..." With that, Pinkie whipped out her guitar from her travelling pack, Chrysalis' eyes widening in horror as she did so. "You guys know what this calls for, right?!" "Oh no..." "Ooooh! A song to seal the deal with?" Ditzy grinned, before turning towards the Doctor. "We haven't been in a musical number since Winter Wrap-up!" "No... NO!" The Doctor smiled warmly in response. "Now those were good times. I will always admire the pony ability to spontaneously break out into well-choreographed song numbers with no prior rehearsals or even musical experience! Quite the genetic gift. And hey, you're being less critical!" "Mph..." Sarius narrowed an incredulous eyebrow as Pinkie began to strum. "You guys are seriously doing this, aren't you?" "Oh come on Sarius!" Pinkie said, sticking her tongue out. "You should join in!" "Er... no thanks," he said, backing away from the group slightly. "I uh... have a sore throat." "You sure could sing 'I'm Blue' well earlier," Pinkie grinned. "Well uh... it just came a second ago." He gave a fake sneeze. "Damned spontaneous Changelinitis... comes when you least expect it." Pinkie gave him a look. With that, he sighed and shook his head in defeat. "Alright fine, but I'm definitely going to hate myself for this later..." "You will," Chrysalis groaned. "Seriously, what's with Equestrians and singing?" She then squinted in thought for a second. "And... why does their singing make others want to join in?" "It's just how they roll," the Doctor said, shrugging, as Pinkie's playing began to become more intricate. "Alright, let's do this!" And so, the most horrible thing in the history of everything began: "I've traveled the whole of time and space, Battling monsters like the Dalek race, But what's worse than what comes from beyond the rim, Is what comes from the horrors within," "But though it's hard for it to be reserved, I know there's one thing not so absurd, That though we can't always win our inner fight, A few good thoughts can show you what is right." "So don't you see, Chryssy? That it's not so bad, maybe? A few right words can make a nation quake, A little push is all it could take." "By that you mean we're going to push Blueblood off a cliff, right?" Sarius smirked. The three ponies gave him a look as Pinkie continued to strum. "I uh... mean just to scare him... we can have like... a trampoline below or something. A really small one. Safety first, right?" "You're missing the point of the song!" the Doctor groaned. "Yeah but... it's a little gay..." "I think it's super!" the voice of the fashionable guard rang from the hallway. "Case and point." "You've gotta win their hearts with their minds!" "Show them the changelings have changed in time!" "To the heavens you will help them climb!" "This has no relevance but it still rhymes!" "Er... you need some practice," Ditzy said, gazing Sarius' way. "So wait, what are you all saying, exactly?" Chrysalis said, folding her arms. "That I should address Equestria, apologize for the past actions of the changelings, and give them logical reasons why we shouldn't be feared anymore?" "Yeah!" the three optimists beamed. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I've already tried that a hundred years ago. Somepony threw a pitchfork at me." With that, the strumming stopped with a ill-played quang of a chord. "Oh..." Pinkie said. "Um..." the Doctor simpered. "Hmmm..." Ditzy pondered. "Verse two?" Pinkie grinned. "Verse two!" the time travelers agreed. And so the strumming continued.... While Chrysalis facehoofed. "There once was a land called America, Where bigotry reigned supreme, And then a man named Martin Luther King, Showed them how to dream. He came at the right time and in the right place, And with his passion and his grace, He showed them what it meant to love, And how to finally erase all of their hate!" "And though it may be true, That Equestria may not be ready for you, To erase the damage of the past, Those who hold spite you must simply outlast." "With some work and twenty-forty years, You may yet chip away all their fears! For in the end your will will endear, You've just got to work on turning those gears!" "You've gotta win their hearts with their minds!" "Show them the changelings have changed in time!" "To the heavens you will help them climb!" "Something something something... chime?" "Badadadcham!" With that, Pinkie finished up with a brilliant chord as the three grinned, Chrysalis staring at them with what could be perceived as a look of awe. To an outside perspective, perhaps one may think something like this: That perhaps she was puzzling, puzzling until her puzzler was sore. Perhaps she was thinking of something she hadn't thought for a score. "Maybe changelings," she may have thought, "can show the world they're something more?" "Perhaps with time... I can show them what for!" Unfortunately, my friends, as it will soon be seen, Chrysalis wasn't in fact being so green. For what happened then...? Well... in Ponyville they say, That the vein throbbing in Queen Chrysalis' forehead, Grew three sizes that day... "A beautiful sentiment, really," Chrysalis growled. "But things are worse off than before. This Martin Luther may have changed a nation with his words, but like you said; he came at the right place at the right time. The nation was ready to hear what he had to say instead of outright rejecting it. I wonder how many years it took, how many speeches, protests and other actions that may have happened for things to get to that level?" "Many..." the Doctor sighed. Chrysalis let out a huff. "That's what I thought. Have any of you actually been in a town during Equestria's lovely little 'changeling roundups?' I know you have, Pinkie, and I swear, it could probably make Nightmare Moon cringe. Sure, maybe if given more time things could change, but my people don't have twenty or forty years, we have about ten, and you can throw me all the optimism and cheer you want but it's not going to change reality. Now, I must admit, I can't see everything. So Doctor, do you have any ideas how my people can get what they need: love? Any sort of artifact you can pick up for me from somewhere? Or maybe you could go back in time to stop me from invading Canterot?" "No..." the Doctor sighed. "That's a fixed point in time. I can't do anything to change it." "It's the same reason why we didn't just snatch the Tiberium from this island right after it landed," Ditzy added. "Direct action must be taken then, and IGOM is what it's going to be. Nopony or anyone will get hurt, the monsters will stay on this island less they face the drink or the fist of the watchers, and I will get what I want out of the whole deal." With that, her eyes narrowed menacingly. "You can either help me in this endeavor or stay the hell out of my way, but I'm sure as hell not going to let you end it!" "You're going to jeopardize the world because you feel like you need to erase a past mistake!?" the Doctor growled. "I'm not jeopardizing anything!" Chrysalis snapped. "You're just overreacting!" "She did bring up a good point," Ditzy admitted, setting a hoof on a raging Doctor's shoulder. "There haven't been world-threatening incidents at any of the previous IGOMs, at least none that the Infinity has ever stated or that either of you have ever heard of." She then turned towards Chrysalis with a stern expression. "However, I still think you underestimate just how much my own people can love and tolerate. We're not the only ones with bias, you know, because we're better than you think we are, you've just have had the worst of what we have to offer shoved in front of your face. It's made you so cynical you can't see beyond anything else." "You may think whatever you wish..." Chrysalis groaned. "Hmmm... I think you're right about IGOM though, Ditzy," Pinkie agreed, before smiling towards Chrysalis. "I'll still help ya, Chryssy." The swarm queen couldn't help but return it, albeit in a lighter way. "Same," Sarius said. "Doctor, you seem like a great guy and all, but well.. my stomach is starting to rumble. I'm just going to try to wade through the storm." The Doctor let out a groan at that. "Fine, but I have a feeling things are going to be different this time; call it a gut reaction, but it's one that can be trusted. The whole thing with the wolves... the fact that the Nameless Man is getting directly involved... and this Thrawn character being here. It all adds up to trouble." Chrysalis took a deep breath. "If you want, you can stick around to advise me. Would that make you feel better?" "In fact it would," the Doctor said coldly. The swarm queen nodded at that. "Good, then." At that, she let out what could be described as a low, deep, penetrating drone. Immediately, a knock came upon her wall. "Come in!" she shouted. "You summoned us, ma'm?" a guard stated. "Yes," the swarm queen nodded. "I want the Tiberium we have in storage moved to a secure room and sealed shut. Let there be no possible way to access it aside from teleportation. Have our best mages keep an eye on it to prevent the spread of its growth. I want a minimal amount of lings to know about this too, alright?" "I've got this. Your will is mine, my queen," one nodded, before scurrying away. She then turned to the Doctor and Ditzy. "These two are allowed to move freely through the hive, though I want four guards on them at all times, understand?" "Yes, ma'm!" "Well, I suppose we'll take our leave then," the Doctor said coldly. Obviously, he wasn't happy that IGOM was still happening, though it was possible some of his anger may have come from the fact he had been 'defeated' in a verbal spar.... though to Chrysalis, it felt like anything but a victory. With that, the Doctor and Ditzy exited the room to join their escort. "Well, this didn't go as planned but... nice seeing you again, anyway, Pinky," Ditzy smiled. "You too, Ditzy!" Though with that, she soon shot her a slight, pleading look. "Please don't tell my friends I'm here, though, OK? I don't want them going on some super crazy rescue mission!" "Don't worry, nopony's whacking the hornet's nest," Ditzy winked. The Doctor gazed away from her at that. "Right, Doctor?" she said, elbowing him slightly. "Yes, yes..." With that, the escort and the two time travelers left the room towards the exit of the tunnel system. "She's making a big mistake," the Doctor whispered to Ditzy. "Maybe, but what can we do about it?" "I'm not sure... I suppose we can just keep an eye on what's happening; maybe find out a little bit more about this Him. I'm not sure if it's the same entity I once encountered before, but if he is..." "I wonder when Luna will get back to us... maybe she'll find something in the archives?" "Maybe. We'll have to see." "You know... we could talk with Celestia, maybe get Equestria's military involved. Capturing all the villains of the multiverse would be doing it a pretty big favor." The Doctor shook his head. "We'd be staring down the barrel of too big of guns. Any military force on this planet would be slaughtered by what's going to be 'guarding' this place." With that, the Doctor smiled slightly. "Then again, we're not without our own... 'guns', you could say." "What do you have in mind?" "You'll see, but my plan involves making sure this 'Admiral Thrawn' isn't going to pull anything. In the meantime, let's just keep an eye on what's happening; maybe help Chrysalis out when she needs it... perhaps find out where the Tiberium is..." "For a backup plan?" The Doctor smiled deviously. "Of course. For a backup plan."