That Time I Stopped the Invasion of Canterlot, Pt. 1

I've been promising this CSP-requel story for a couple months, but life, work, headaches and stuff sidelined me. Onwards.

(inspired by this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFjEintbDXc&t=102s )

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EQUESTRIA ROYAL ARCHIVES 

SECTION: CHANGELING INVASION OF CANTERLOT, 1003

SUB-SECTION: FIRST-PERSON STATEMENTS AND DEPOSITIONS

FILE: STATEMENT OF OCTAVIA MELODY, JUNE 14, 1003 CR

My name is Octavia Melody. I am a resident of the town of Ponyville, and I am a professional musician specializing in stringed instruments, particularly the cello.

I had come to Canterlot a day or two before the invasion along with my roommate, DJ P0N-3, who had been invited by Pinkie Pie to provide the music at the post-wedding reception. I had helped my roommate select an array of appropriately romantic songs to be given her unique electronic touch before we left Ponyville and had come to Canterlot partly for moral support and partly to look for upcoming gigs. 

While the wedding was underway I was in an outdoor Haytalian restaurant, sipping my complementary water while waiting to place my order when there came a loud crashing sound followed by the ground shaking. Moments later I saw what appeared to be green fireballs crashing to the ground and occasionally through buildings. 

Now, I had noticed the extra security around Canterlot when we took the train into town, but I had thought that merely de rigueur for the first royal wedding in my lifetime. It hadn't really occurred to me that I might be in actual danger until I saw the ponies running around only to be brought down and rendered senseless by what, at the time, I took to be some sort of horrible insect-pony hybrid. 

I sat at my table and watched it all, unable to make sense of anything, until one of the monsters dashed through the gate into the bistro's courtyard, headed straight for me.

Now don't let my accent fool you. I have carefully cultivated it in order to better fit the classical milieu I operate within. In truth I was born and raised in Ponyville, where we pride ourselves on being unsurpassed in the art of panic. No one can run in circles screaming like we can. But a true artist knows when panic is a proper response, and when a monster is seconds away from ripping out your throat and any possible rescuers have their hooves full already, that is not the time. That is the time to break the monster's jaw so you have a chance to reach safe panicking distance. 

Also, I had just realized I wasn't going to get my pasta carbonara, so just possibly I took it out a bit on that first bug. He got my table first in the barrel and then in the face. Despite this he kept on coming, and so I got on my hind hooves and began using what I learned in self-defense courses at the karate dojo in Ponyville. 

(My parents bought me the lessons when I found my calling as a professional musician. After all, Ponyville faces monsters from the Everfree several times a year, but the big city is dangerous. It's a good school, and if you need more testimony, ask Rainbow Dash. She earned a black belt, while I stopped at only a brown.)

Now, whatever experience the bug had in invading cities, he didn't have much in hoof-to-hoof combat. He wasn't completely untrained, but in five seconds I had him back on all fours and swaying. That's when he sent up a magic distress flare, which brought down another of his kind to back him up. This done, he attempted another attack, which I easily blocked, sending him flying over my shoulder.

That was fortunate, because it turned out his attack was an attempt to distract me from the second bug-pony diving at me from above. This one was a much better fighter, and he got several good punches and kicks in. Fortunately for me years of carrying around my instrument, plus natural earth pony durability, kept me on my hooves until I saw the opportunity to dodge another kick. This left him wide open and in reach, and I caught him in a sleeper hold and grit my teeth while he tried to elbow me into breaking my hold. Of course that only made him use up his oxygen faster, and in ten seconds he was sleeping like a baby.

By this time the first monster had sent up even more flares, with a smug little smile on his face that lasted up to the moment I threw the restaurant's drinks trolley at him. That took him down for the time being, but I had no time for my own smug little smile, because I discovered that his distress signals had drawn down no fewer than four other changelings, who hovered around me, totally cutting off any avenue of retreat.

Now, if they had all rushed me at once, that would have been dal segno al fine for me. Fortunately for me, as I was going to learn a little later, teamwork is not a changeling strong point. Instead, after a couple of glances at their two unconscious fellows, they each waited for one of the others to make the first move. 

Fortunately for me, it was the one I was facing who moved first, though that might be because he buzzed his wings a moment before making his attack. (I think that bug might be an even worse poker player than Vinyl without her glasses.) As he swooped down, I heard the changeling directly behind me follow his lead, trying to sandwich me between the two of them. That set me up perfectly to grab the leading hoof of the first changeling, use his momentum to swing him into the second changeling, and then follow through and release to send him flying into a third changeling. 

While that move didn't knock out any of the three bugs involved, it did give me a couple seconds of clear shot at the fourth one, who remained hovering about two ponylengths out of reach. I can't be sure, what with those enormous turquoise eyes of theirs, but I think he'd gone wide-eyed with shock at what I'd just done. That was fine by me, because the shock meant he stayed right where he was until the decorative planter I'd ripped out of the ground struck him. 

Unfortunately that took a second more time than I had, because no sooner had that changeling hit the ground under a massive pile of planting soil and inedible foliage than one of the others, fully recovered, struck me in the back. If they'd just blasted me with their magic I dont know what would have happened, but no, he'd hit me with both forehooves from a flying dive. It hurt, but I was able to roll to the side and catch his chin with a roundhouse kick as he moved in to finish me off. 

The other two followed right after him, and I just barely managed to spring up off the ground with my forehooves behind me as they tried to both tackle me at once. Instead of finding me between them, they found each other, and their heads, I must confess, made a most melodic hollow sound, like a pair of woodblocks being struck at once. 

For the first time since the fracas began I could take stock of the situation. I was the only pony remaining in the courtyard, the others having all fled at the earthquake. Around me, in addition to a regrettable amount of damaged property, lay six unconscious changelings in various states of injury. For a moment I thought I might finally have the opportunity to run for cover.

That's when the cheering began.

On the rooftop of the bistro, and on various walls and fences surrounding the courtyard, I now saw even more bug-pony things. I stopped counting at eight. And all of them, for some unfathomable reason, were... smiling.

Smiling. At me, who had just beat up six of their friends.

And then one shouted, "That was SO cool! Do it again!!"

Smiling at me, I realized, BECAUSE I'd just beat up six of their friends.

That's when I realized I wasn't getting out of this one.

(the silliness really begins next part)