My Little Wuxia: A Canter-Kong Wedding

Still on his hinds, La Viento crunches his forehooves together... Just as the sonic boom occurs. He yelps, jumping into the air and hovering in place. He sees the nearby buildings begin to collapse and blanches, flying up and away from them. He looks down at his hooves, then to the buildings, back and forth again. As he sees the changelings begin to surrender he breaks out into a wide grin. "Good answer! If La Viento can do that with just a single clap, imagine what he could have done to you!"

He knows darn well that wasn't him, but it definitely made him feel a lot more badass if they thought it was.

Really, Viento?:

"Yeah! That's right. Surrenderer to our might! she yells and then jumps down from the cart. I seriously can't believe that just worked.

Uncle slowly trots over, fan closed and slipped into a holster on his leg that wasn't noticed before, looking around. "... Well... That was a bit of fun excersize. Anypony know where that griffon went?"

Plow pants a bit, and laughs at the Loyalty Changeling.

"Hey *pant* if you want a rematch, you'll have to wait *pant* until after Art has hers. Ha!"

He looks back at the wreckage behind him, a bit wild eyed.

"Oh man. I hope.. I hope nobody got hurt..."

His vision is starting to dim around the corners. That was really a bone-headed move. Stupid. Took almost.. almost.

Plow shakes his head, grabbing the dropped crown, and waves it over at the market.

"HEY! ...Heeey guuu-"

His vision swims the rest of the way as he collapses into a quietly groaning heap of feathers and fur. He has the presence of mind to get the crown under him, but he's probably not going to be moving a whole lot for a bit. He manages a bit of a smile at the Loyalty Changeling.

"So how... how long do you think until somebody notices us?"

"Oh. Um."

He frowns, his thoughts rather painfully scattered after blowing through multiple buildings.

"If you do want a rematch, what's your name? I'm... m Plow...plowclaw..."

He's really fading fast, and he may not even catch the Changeling's response before easing into a comforting doze. As yet not completely aware of the digging he'll need to do to retrieve Lucy.

From his rooftop vantage point, Marshal sees the changeling and Plow Claw in pursuit, and then the massive blast through the building. Moving quickly, the earth pony leaps from building to building following the chaos. He almost appears to be flying, but a keen eye shows that he touches down, however briefly, between strides.

"So what do we have here, my feathered friend? Oh. Well. Seems there's some work to be done."

Wushu:

That was awesome. For the first time in my life I felt like I was actually doing something amazing. Could this be the rush I've always been missing? Certainly possible. I always did love comics. Batmare, Supermare, Iron Mare, and me... that's an interesting thought. Is it? I don't exactly have an amazing origin story. Then again, not every hero needs a tragic past, just an evil to fight against. I could do a lot of good for ponies. But what about secret identity? At least 20 ponies just saw what I can do. If they remember this, then I'll have no chance of keeping my identity secret. Or can I? Maybe if I hide enough with my costume... I mean, more than just one pony can learn certain spells. Ah, but what to call myself. It needs to be something cool, something to strike fear into the heart of evil. Banshee? Nah, sounds lame. Maybe... Sonic Wave? No, that's stupid. How about... Siren. Yes, Siren. Hardly the most original name ever, but I don't think there are currently a lot of masked vigilantes running around. Yeah, I like it. From this day forth-
"I shall strike fear into the heart of evil, save the weak, and uphold the values of..." Whisper stops suddenly. "I mean... monologuing is a funny joke, haha... see..." Whisper shrinks down behind a food cart.

The relief is palpable, and the ponies still standing cheer. Some calling La Viento. Others cheering for Equestria. At least a couple of guards taking drinks off a collapsed stand to toast Plowclaw. You've done a good day's work, and won against incredible odds.

It suddenly strikes you how long you'd fought - it was the middle of the day when the changelings started attacking, and now it's practically nighttime.

As Plowclaw drifts off, he notices how wonderfully blue the stars seem to be, against the pink of the shield.

Whisper suddenly remembers the griffon who caused all this. Oh, there's a crater. That can't be good. I better see if I can help him.

She trots over to the crater where the barely conscious griffon lies. She pokes at him with her hoof.

"Are you okay? I don't know many ponies who can take a building to the face and still be ok, but you seem to be breathing at least. That was pretty cool what you did back there. You'd make a pretty cool hero. Oh, right, I'm rambling. Sorry. You need help. Let me see what I can do..."

Whisper does her best to try and patch up the battered griffon and bring him back to full consciousness. She grabs some cloth and fruits from nearby stands that weren't completely obliterated to aid her in wrapping his wounds and get some food in his belly.

"I'm not much of a doctor, but I hope that helps."

Spoiler:

"Mrrrrr. I dun wanna get up."

Plow wriggles around a bit, rolling to one side, off the crown.

"I dun work until noon. Staaaahp..."

His batting at air ineffectively doesn't help bandage anything, but continued probing does result in him snapping awake, and darting to his feet... before blinking at Whisper several times, and looking around.

"huh?"

He stares at her for a moment uncomprehendingly, before smiling.

"Oh, Hey Whisper. What's going on? We gonna go bust some more jerks?"

He blinks, then walks over to poke LC again. Just to make sure it's breathing.

He stares up at the beautiful blue stars in the sky with a smile. That Luna lady does good work.

And then he remembers where he left Lucy.

"Aw *RAWRK*!" And with a curse in Eagle, he starts running back to where the LC had had the NotParty Cannon set up. Probably leaving a rather confused Whisper still holding her food.

As the commotion continues, the night seems to get brighter. Iggy clambers out of the cafe, then stares up at the sky. He looks down again, and taps his watch. "That's odd, my watch says it's only half past tw-" the words die in his mouth, and a long moment slowly passes.

Those looking up start to notice that the night sky seems to be... moving? The bright blue stars start to move and disappear, and with the commotion dying down you become keenly aware of a hollow and rhythmic 'thunk'-ing.

---

Outside...

"Ready?" "As I'll ever be!" "Let's hope they left some for us!" "I know, I'm famished! It's been too long since I've had it fresh" "You and me both. On three? One... Two..."

---

Plowclaw rummages through the debris, and soon enough spots the telltale glint of the strange cannon pinned under a collapsed column.

Whispersong notices, after a moment, the changeling breathing heavily - for all the strength of its carapace, it's taken a heavy wound, and the shell is most heavily cracked around its chest. It's not going to live without intervention. It doesn't take long for it to become obvious to Custard as well.

Whisper looks down at the thing. Images of them feeding on her flash through her mind, making her cringe, but she goes closer. "You're not so scary when you're so beat up. In fact, I almost pity you," *cringe* "Almost. Still, I'm not evil. You look really hurt. I may talk a big game but, I can't kill something, even as awful as you. Hey Marshall, can you give me a hoof here? We need to get this thing medical attention now. Hep me carry him to that building over there," Whisper commands, pointing to a nearby building.

"Right." He easily hefts the changeling onto his back, and in spite of it's injuries it appears to barely notice the subtle movement. "As much as I wanna smash every one their faces in, I agree. Whisper, was it?" He passes into the building and sets the bug down on a table, ignoring the hushed murmurs of the ponies taking refuge. "Don't die, bug. I don't think our ally Plowclaw wants your blood on his...claws. So what do I do with this," Marshal says, pointing to the red lightning-bolt he put on his neck back in the collapsed building. "Pretty sure it wouldn't be smart to give it back to this guy."

"I don't know. It just looks like a necklace to me. Probably magical. Keep it with you, but keep it hidden. Whatever it is, they want it. Now, on to the patient."

Whisper ties the changeling down securely in case he wakes up, then goes about gathering several things from around the building and manages to scrounge together the batteries, wire, and metal necessary to create a makeshift power magnet. She places the magnet in his chest and bandages the wound. She places the batteries in a small container and bandages that over the wound. Finally, she gives the whole thing a jolt to get the magnet working and get the changeling awake and functional.

"Alright. That should keep you safe for now. I'm no doctor, so I didn't even try to surgically remove the shrapnel. I would have just killed you most likely. Just because I stopped you from dying, doesn't mean I'm letting you free. I've tied you down to this table. You're going to be stuck here until this mess is cleared up and the authorities arrive to deal with you properly. I recommend you not struggle too much. If you do, you might ruin the magnet, and then the shrapnel could get to the strange bug heart I was surprised to find you have."

"Hammer hammer hammer, if I were a hammer, where would I hide?"

Plow hasn't really noticed the oddness in the skies yet, checking around and through smaller piles of debris. He grumbles, leaning against the strange cannon with a frustrated snort. It's not like Lucy would hide from... Err, it's not like a hammer COULD hide from him. Dropped her over by the window, and then the building came down, and the scaffolding was around.. here?

There's a glint of metal, and Plow recognizes the shape! With a happy cry he scatters a few remaining pieces of wreckage, holding Lucy triumphantly aloft. ♫Duh duh da DAAAAAAH♫

Then he's off back to the Cafe, carefully inspecting Lucy for damage. Better she go back to Maxwell before she ends up getting scratched or something. Geez. He's going to have to apologize so much...

As Whisper cuts into the carapace, the hard shell almost pops right off, springing up from the creature's chest. Thin tendrils fall limp as they hang from the inside of the shell. Thin green fluid drains from the veinlike constructions and pools on the comatose changeling's chest, mixing with the blood on the creature's pale white coat and running it slick as it drains to the floor. Placing the magnet on its chest, she gives the whole thing a jolt.

The changeling jerks and its eyes open like a shot. The poor mare doesn't even get halfway through her speech before the changeling cuts in. "What the?" Its holed hoof lashes out like a shot, smashing Whispersong in the face, the restraints snapping like string. It pulls itself off the table and rolls over into a standing position, looking down and back up at the two. "YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?"



---

Plowclaw's glee all but overwhelms the distant sound of crashing, and the beginnings of screams. In fact, there's Maxwell over there right now! Wow, today has been a g-

CRACK!

A hoof slams into the back of his head, sending him crashing into the rubble. The changeling behind him reaches down and scoops up the hammer in its teeth. "Knock knock? Who's there? Me me me me me!" it taunts, laughing cruelly as it waits for Plowclaw to get back to his feet.



---

Elsewhere everypony is seeing trouble - changelings descend from the sky, slamming into ponies left right and centre. Victory turns into terror as ponies are smashed into the ground. All over the city, changelings - and not half as much slouches as what seems the paltry amount before.

Whisper gets up with a moan. "Oh I'm sorry, just saving your life. Can't say I expected you to be grateful, but that was intense. Anyway, as I was SAYING. You have a magnet in your chest that is currently the only thing stopping large bits of iron re-bar from floating around in you, ravaging your organs. If you'd like to live, I suggest you calm down. Too much movement will dislodge the tentatively placed magnet, and it's only death from there. Alternatively, all it'd take is one well placed blow to your chest and BOOM! You're dead. So I recommend you just sit back down."

Spoiler:

Even more shots to the head:

Plow blinks a few times, before finally sighing. He dusts himself off, and sits down. Deeeeeep breath. Let it out.

"I'd like that back, please."

His muscles are coiled and tensed and decidedly unhappy at this need of adrenaline again.

Trying the polite action first. The fool.:

Bundle of Muscles:

Marshal stares at the half-dead changeling for a moment, then peers outside at the renewing carnage. "I suggest you heed her advice if you wish to live. If it your fate to die, though, I expect you will continue to figh right. Right now, though, it looks like some one out there needs help. I trust you can handle your patient, Whisper? I'm gonna go help Plow."

With that, Marshal leaves the building in a flash to slam the changeling that hit Plowclaw right back at his full speed. "Need some help? I have something that you earned," he says, tossing the necklace to Plow as he dusts himself off. His coat now faintly glistens with some hard and presumably sugary substance.

Wushu:

"I see your point. Well, I suppose I'll just have to come quietly..." agrees the changeling, nodding and starting to walk slowly towards the table, before suddenly rushing forwards, catching the battery in one leg from the bench and rolling over the table, grabbing one of the knives used as a makeshift surgical tool off the bench and sweeping down in a slicing motion, letting the remnants of its chest carapace fall to the ground and hurling it at the running Custard before swinging around with a hindleg to kick the table into Whisper. "In your dreams. The cavalry is here, and it's not yours." it laughs, wheezily, not even noticing the table clatter to the floor with little effect.

Custard gallops hard, and feels a sudden brush against his neck, as the blade gives him an impromptu trim of the mane, only just missing the necklace clasped around his neck.

The changeling by Plowclaw laughs, flicking the hammer up into the air before catching it and leaping towards Plowclaw, only for a hoof to suddenly bury itself in the back of its head, sending it reeling. It tumbles about over the rubble, and regains its footing midair as its wings flap into motion, seemingly almost oblivious to the fire wrapping its carapace. "You're welcome to it." it grins, flipping about and flinging the silver hammer right at Plowclaw, zooming in without much obvious effect, as he catches the necklace.

Spoiler:

---

Out in the marketplace, Cast Dice, La Viento, and Uncle watch as the shield finally gives up and and changelings start streaming in - no nighttime, but an immense horde of the creatures. They look to be dividing up the ponies on the ground between themselves, and they shortly see one each coming for them.

Spoiler:

Whisper shakes her head while stepping forward. "Cavalry or not, YOU are not looking good. You're too evil for your own damn good. You see this," Whisper uses her unicorn levitation to grab hold of the magnet in the changelings chest. She jostles it around, not enough to dislodge it, but enough to cause some serious pain to that changeling. "This is all that's standing between you and death right now. So you think you've got some glorious victory to win? Well you won't see it if you don't wisen up and accept that I am giving you a chance to live. So, you have two options. You submit, or I push this thing right back into your chest. I may have saved your life, but if you're just going to get yourself killed I'll just make it quick for you."

Spoiler:

Seeing another changeling, Uncle's eyes dart around for a moment, trying to find some way to defend himself before he lets out a wide grin. "You wouldn't hurt an old timer wouldn't you? After all, I need to use a CANE!" Uncle's horn glows and his previously misplaced cane comes flying out of the teashop, smacking straight into the Changeling's wings (Rather ineffectually) before returning to him, spinning around him with a soft chuckle coming from the unicorn. The elderly pony's hooves went to the base of his cane and with a quick spin he slammed it straight into the side of the changeling's head with a satisfying THUNK before he went back to holding the cane in front of him for protection from the Changeling's incoming assault and casting a quick spell he had learned before, putting a small force field over his body.

Rolls:

"Oh buck... this is bad, very bad... but of course, I should have expected this..." What they had faced before was not the main invasion force, just a preliminary infiltration team.  "Why the hay did the shield fail?  Why now?..."

There were so many of them.  She had to get out of there.  Where did all the other ponies from the diner go? They seemed to know how to defend themselves... but she had got separated from them when she over-enthusiastically had been chasing after the earlier foes.

Dice squirmed out of her "armor" and kicked it at the changeling coming after her, before ducking into a nearby alley, finding the quickest back-way route back to the cafe to get her bearings, trying to remain unnoticed by any more changelings.

Uncle was there, beating up a changeling with a cane.  

"Uncle!  We need to find a more defensible position!  We should probably find Marshal, and the others from the diner, and head for... say, the castle."

Rolls:

Plow snatches Lucy out of the air with a bit of annoyance, catching the Element of Loyalty with his other foreclaw. He considered the necklace with a shrug and dumped it into his pack with the pears, his apartment keys, and at least a small handful of the wreckage he'd plowed through. He nodded for a moment before lashing out at the energetic changeling with the hammer in a feint. He underestimates the Changeling's speed, though, as his balled claw zips past the almost improbably flexible changeling.

Stealth:

He rolls his eyes, bringing Lucy up in a counter strike to the changeling's next blow. "Geez, you guys just keep getting faster, don't you?"

Counter:

He leverages his annoyance into the blow as he tries to bear down on the changeling. "And you just keep picking on my friends."

Overwhelm:

"I guess I should be happy." He grins. "I'm gonna get a lot of fighting in today."

Marshal lets Plow distract the changeling as he sneaks up behind, and then barrels through the changeling once more. Rather than just hitting him this time, though, the earth pony crushes the bug against his chest and keeps pushing him in a moving grapple.

Right towards a wall.

Right before they both crash, Marshal slows for a fraction of a second to let the changeling ahead, and then leaps on top and uses it as a launchpad up the wall, continuing to run until he reaches the top. At the apex of his climb, he kicks off(sending the already weak wall wobbling) the tiniest bit and lets go...and falls, all the way to his already battered target at the bottom.

CRASH

The wall falls on both of them, but when the dust clears Marshal stands in a gaurded position, only a little worse for wear for his efforts. "Next up, I have the chef's special. Who wants some?!"

Wushu rolls:

"Evil? Call it... progress." The changeling lunges, only to be stopped short - Whisper is as good as her word. With a strangled gurgling, it stops short, staggers backwards, and finally falls backwards into the remains of the tool and falling still, a thin trail of drool starting to run from its mouth.

Uncle slams the changeling in the head, splintering his cane. For a moment, it's dazed, and the moment is all he needs - the shield pushes the changeling away, and its foreleg slams uselessly into force field. Behind it, Cast emerges from an alley, hotly pursued by her own changeling.

Plowclaw bears down on his own changeling, to little avail. It quickly wraps its forelegs around his chest and flings him backwards, moments before Custard slams it into the wall and collapses it on them both.

---

Rocker looks down at the goop tying him to Snowpea and the asphalt and grits his teeth, grunting and trying to pull himself away. "I'm pretty sure this is unhygenic." "Hey I'm just happy to not be a burned out husk yet." "Good!" "Er, that is to say I am really unhappy about not being a burned out husk yet." "Oh noooo I can feel the unhappiness shooting through me, making me all chewy and tough."

The changelings around the pair loom gleefully, as the reverb of a song floats through the air. "Every stallion, mare and foal~"

Spoiler: