Legacy Of The Friendship

by arkantos

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Crossover, Dark, Human, Main 6
Length: 15558

After paying a visit to Arcturus Mengsk, Kerrigan set forth to chase down Amon before he regains full power.

Kerrigan wasted much time on seeking revenge against Arcturus Mengsk. This gave Amon enough time to find a way to cross dimensions. Luckily for Kerrigan, It seemed like Amon was in a hurry and had no time to cover his tracks. Thanks to this, she found a way to follow him into whatever plane he traveled to.

She was ready for the worst. The world she was about to find would no doubt be wicked and dangerous. Without a doubt, even the fiery zerg homeworld of Char would look like a child's playground compared to the one she was about to see...

PS: Anyone else tired of waiting for Legacy of the void to appear?...Either way, you've got my answer :rainbowlaugh:

Edit: Obviously this was written before Legacy of the void came out.

Published 2015-02-27 22:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-02-27 22:50:01 UTC

First contact

Author's Note

I hope y'all have played heart of the swarm, otherwise this story might not make much sense to you.

First contact

Somewhere in outer space, far away from any inhabited planet, a massive, hideous creature sailed the cosmos. The only thing louder than the creature was the noise from the turmoil inside it.

"Izsha, is the Leviathan ready?" Kerrigan questioned her adviser.

"Yes, my queen. We are ready to make the interdimensional jump," the creature obediently replied.

"Excellent..." Kerrigan gazed outside the mouth of her living space ship and readied herself.

"However..." Izsha added.

"What?" the queen of blades asked in an impatient tone.

"My queen, I only wish to warn you," her consultant calmly explained herself. "This will be the first Leviathan in zerg history to travel between dimensions. It is uncertain what impact this might have on our forces. Perhaps it is best that we wait for the terran Raynor and..."

"We've wasted enough time already, we can't afford to wait any longer!" Kerrigan retorted and turned away from Izsha. "Not even for Jim..." she quietly added, right before turning back around and giving a firm order, "Make the jump!"

"At once, my queen." Without a second of doubt, Izsha replied and took control of the monster that they were all aboard on.

"Hold on!" Kerrigan shouted out to her crew as the Leviathan started shaking and gaining speed. There wasn't a soul nearby that would question that order.

The crew gazed at the space in front of them as the stars started passing by faster with every second, up to the point where none of them could even recognize the stars anymore. The space in front of them was black at first, but it started filling up with a light blue light as they gained speed.

A bright flash of light forced them all to close their eyes and cover their faces. By the time they regained their sight it was clear that they had reached their destination.

***

The entire crew was still a bit dazed after the sudden jump. Kerrigan was the first one to recover and take a few steps forward. She was ready to see a planet with a surface that would give nightmares even to her, and yet, the land she saw still managed to surprise her.

"What?..." Kerrigan froze up as she stared at the small town engulfed by the shadow of her massive, flying monster.

"My queen, is something wrong?" curious, her faithful assistant asked. "My queen?" she asked again after getting no reply for some time.

"Izsha, are you sure this is where Amon went?" Kerrigan asked, still unable to believe the sight before her.

"Without a doubt, my queen. Why do you ask?"

"This place..." Kerrigan gazed at the planet's surface once more. "It's nothing like what I thought it would be..."

The rest of her crew had recovered and walked closer towards their leader. They too were curious about what could have possibly been so breathtaking. Also ready to see something awe inspiring, they were left no less surprised than Kerrigan herself.

Not a shred of darkness, not a speck of fire, no sight of anything even remotely corrupted...This land was as pure and clean as the flourishing fields of flowers back at Earth, the exact opposite of what any of them had expected to see. The sight before them left them even more dazed than the jump between dimensions.

"Amon is up to something..." Kerrigan spoke up as she awoke from her state of trance. "We can't let him fool us so easily. Izsha!" she shouted out and turned towards Izsha.

"Yes, my queen?"

"I'm going down there to find out what I can about Amon. In the meantime, prepare the swarm for battle."

"As you wish, my queen."

As soon as she heard the positive answer, Kerrigan stepped out of the monster's mouth and started slowly descending towards the nearest town, landing right in it's center. She started looking around and noticed that the there wasn't a living soul to be seen anywhere, and yet, they were there.

The town was full of life, even though it couldn't be seen, it could be heard. It was no surprise that the ones inhabiting this place had barricaded themselves inside their homes...After seeing a monster no less than three times the size of their entire town right above their heads, who wouldn't?

The only thing that seemed odd was the fact that the barricading was already finished long before Kerrigan set foot on solid ground...It was almost as though they had foreseen her arrival. That didn't make her feel any better. Nevertheless, there was no time to lose. She made her way deeper into the town.

***

As she walked through the empty streets, she kept shifting her eyes left and right every time she heard something move, but she was always too late to see anyone. What creatures dwell inside these homes? That question remained a mystery to her until the moment she saw 6 of them bravely approaching her. They walked without shaking, and yet their eyes were full of fear.

"Stop!" the creature in front of the pack shouted out to her. Kerrigan stopped walking and made eye contact with it.

Ponies?...Rainbow colored ponies?...What trick has Amon got up his sleeve...I don't like this one bit. Kerrigan did a lot of thinking while staring at the small equine in front of her, but she did not say a word. Not just plain ponies...pegasi and unicorns as well...and this one leading them even has the strengths of both...interesting.

Wow...I didn't actually expect that thing to stop. Twilight thought to herself. The way Kerrigan obeyed her order was almost shocking. It left her speechless for a moment. "Khe khem..." Twilight continued after clearing her throat. "In the name of princess Celestia, identify yourself!" Twilight tried to sound firm and convincing, this was no time to be scared.

This one has a fire in her, I can feel it...Aah, but I can also smell her fear. Kerrigan swiftly spread her vicious looking bone wings and leaned towards the pack leader of the ponies, startling her and forcing the five ponies behind her to back away a bit. "Who's asking?" she asked back in a voice no less firm and three times as fearsome.

Twilight gulped loudly before answering. "Twilight Sparkle...princess of friendship." Her tone had lost it's convincing attitude. She answered as though obeying an order.

Princes...of friendship...This is priceless. Kerrigan thought to herself and laughed loudly. Even though her laugh was without ill intentions, it still sent shivers down the spines of all the ponies that heard it.

"I wish I would have found this place when I was but a little girl...I would have loved it here," Kerrigan said in an amused tone and lowered her wings. "My name is Sarah Kerrigan. Leader of the swarm and Queen of Blades," Kerrigan formally introduced herself.

The sudden change in her tone suggested she wasn't hostile, but the titles she went by didn't sound too appealing. The purple alicorn got back on her hooves. She had lost balance after Kerrigan threatened her when she released her wings. "Umm...A pleasure to have your acquaintance...Miss Kerrigan..." Twilight sounded unsure and stuttered a lot.

"Likewise," Kerrigan replied for the sake of her own amusement.

After a moment of silence, Twilight finally mustered the courage to ask a slightly less polite sounding question. "Not to sound rude or anything, but...why are you here?" The fear inspiring humanoid took a small pause before answering. All ears were open. Even some of the ponies barricaded inside their homes had poked their heads out the window.

"I am looking for someone...a stranger to this world, just like me," Kerrigan politely explained.

"An outsider?" Twilight's face lit up. "You don't mean the creature that passed by here shortly before you arrived?"

Bingo... Kerrigan smiled as she realized she had found what she was looking for. "What did he look like?" she asked just in case.

"Well..." Twilight rubbed the back of her head. "It's hard to say, really..."

"What do you mean?" Kerrigan impatiently asked. "You did see him, didn't you?"

"We did, but..."

"But what?" Kerrigan interrupted and took a step towards Twilight.

Twilight paused for a moment. Kerrigan's dreaded look made her forget what she was about to say. "It's just that many of us saw it, but when we talked about what we saw, our stories didn't match..."

Her voice sounded unsure, but she didn't seem to be lying. "Please...explain," Kerrigan requested.

"Well, among all the stories that we heard there were two that were more common than the others...They also matched with what we saw," Twilight clarified.

"And what exactly did these stories sound like?"

Twilight wasn't sure whether the creature she was consorting with could be trusted, but she sure as hay didn't feel like standing against her.

"Well, just as it happened when you arrived, the six of us stood here to confront the creature, but as soon as I told it to stop it just tossed all of us to the sides without even moving a muscle!...It was as though it used it's mind to do this..." Twilight was slightly nervous as she thought that Kerrigan might think she is being played for a fool...but the idea of moving something with it's mind didn't sound all that bizarre to her.

This would explain the barricades already being here by the time I arrived... Kerrigan realized. "And then what happened?" Kerrigan encouraged Twilight to continue.

"The thing is, he tossed three of us to each side, and when it was gone we talked to each other about what we saw..." Twilight paused for a moment. Kerrigan didn't say anything and only kept staring at Twilight with a look that made her feel uneasy.

Twilight picked up from where she left soon enough, "The three of us that he tossed to his left said that they saw a creature darker than the most pitch black of nights, and the three that saw him from his right side said that they saw an angel that shined so bright it almost blinded them."

"I see..." Kerrigan added. She seemed to believe every word Twilight told her.

"There is one thing though..." Twilight added in a quiet and unsure voice.

"What thing?"

"Well...three things, to be exact," Twilight corrected herself. "Three things that matched in everyone's story."

"Name them."

"One - It had wings...different from the ones you have, but not like ours either." Kerrigan didn't seem one bit surprised about that, so Twilight continued. "Two - it flew without flapping it's wings...It didn't walk, it just levitated through the town."

"And what's the last thing?" Kerrigan asked, she didn't seem amused by the second statement either.

"It's eyes..." Twilight said in a rather dramatic tone. "They were blazing red."

Kerrigan didn't need to hear more. So it's true. Amon really is here...What could he possibly be looking for in a place like this? She gave into her thoughts.

"Miss Kerrigan?..." Twilight spoke up after a moment of awkward silence.

"Which way did he go?" Kerrigan stopped thinking and asked.

"He went into the Everfree forest," Twilight replied and pointed at the woods near the edge of the town. "Do you plan to pursue him?"

"Yes. Although I'm not sure about what he's doing here, I know for a fact that it can't be anything good."

"He isn't planning on harming anyone, is he?" one of the friends of the purple pack leader asked. An orange-coated farm pony by the name of Applejack.

Kerrigan hesitated to answer. "Lets just say you can consider yourselves lucky that all he did was toss you out of his way."

Applejack got her answer. Although it didn't make her feel any better, she didn't feel like asking anything else.

"Do you plan to cause harm to us?" Twilight asked and pointed at the half-human that didn't seem too amused with such a question. "You might not be able to move things with your mind, but you don't look one bit more friendly than that thing that passed here not long ago...Aagh!" Twilight screamed as she stopped feeling solid ground under her hooves.

"Who ever said I can't?" Kerrigan calmly asked in an almost overconfident tone.

"Point taken!" Twilight nervously replied while fighting the air. "Agh...khe khe..." Twilight coughed a few times as she felt a weak grip around her neck.

"You let her go!" Another one of Twilight's friends stepped forward and took her side. Rainbow Dash was slightly braver than the others, so she was the first one to react. The other four repeated the same action after her and stared at Kerrigan with unfriendly eyes.

"I am not your enemy." Kerrigan released Twilight and gently put her back on the ground. Twilight's friends instantly walked closer to her to comfort her. "But rest assured - stand in my way and that grip will only get tighter." Kerrigan walked passed the six ponies while they were busy seeing if Twilight was alright.

"Do you plan to face him alone?" Twilight asked while Kerrigan was still close enough to hear her.

"Why?" Kerrigan tossed her head backwards and asked. "Did you think you can help me?" she asked in a tone that almost suggested she was mocking the harmless-looking equines.

"We might not look the part, but we've defended Ponyville from fearsome looking foes before." Twilight's friends confirmed her words by nodding all as one.

"Hmph." Kerrigan laughed without moving her lips. "And why would you help me?"

"If that being is planning on causing us harm, then this is as much our fight as it is yours!"

I was right...this one really does have a fire inside her. Kerrigan smiled at the young princess. "I thank you for the generous offer, princess, but I am more than capable of taking care of this myself." At least that is what I'd like to think... "And yet, I don't have to...I did not come here alone after all."

As Kerrigan finished her sentence, her feet disengaged from the ground and she started slowly ascending towards the same living spacecraft she arrived here on.

The six ponies kept watching Kerrigan up until the very moment she faded from their sights, and so did a lot of ponies from inside the houses as well.

"Boy...what a day," Applejack interrupted the silence.

"Something tells me we haven't even seen the worst part of it yet..." Twilight added.

Unforeseen consequences

As Kerrigan got back into the Leviathan's mouth, she started walking towards her main assistant right away.

"I'm afraid we have bad news, my queen," Izsha said before Kerrigan could open her mouth.

"Does this have something to do with the dimensional jump the Leviathan made?"

Izsha did not answer right away, but her silence was a better answer than any other form of confirmation. "May I suggest that you visit Abathur in the evolution pit? He will provide you with a more detailed explanation."

Kerrigan nodded and walked past Izsha. She had no reason to stop on the way, and before long, she was already being greeted by a creature no less unique than herself. Abathur had already crawled out from his hole and was waiting for the queen of blades with his sharp-edged hands put one against another.

"I take it you have something to say to me," Kerrigan began a conversation with the worm-like beast that had several long, claw-shaped limbs sticking out from it's body.

"Correct," Abathur confirmed.

"Well, then don't keep me waiting!"

"Interdimensional space jump successful, but not without temporary damage," the creature explained while waving it's arms around.

"Skip the details!" Kerrigan retorted. "How bad is it and how long will it last?"

"Damage to swarm not noticeable. Swarm fighting capabilities not affected."

"Then what's the problem?" Kerrigan interrupted before Abathur could continue.

"Swarm strength not affected. Hive mind temporarily damaged. Swarm able to move, able to fight, unable to adapt."

"It's a candy-colored haven down there! What's there to adapt to?" Kerrigan impatiently shouted. "Send my swarms down!"

"Problem..." Abathur quietly said and put his hands together again.

"What problem?"

"Dimension - Equestria, simple, yet complicated. Weak, yet strong."

"What are you babbling on about?"

"Prolonged analysis of land confirms - Equestria not like homeworld Char. Unlike any world. Magically shielded, prevents creep from spreading. Swarm unable to recognize land. Adaptation currently impossible."

"I see..." Kerrigan calmed her tone after figuring out what Abathur was trying to say. "How long will the swarm be affected?"

"Equestria magically strong, aura slowing down swarm recovery process, interfering with adaptation sequence...Swarm recovery take long time, Days, if not weeks."

"Days!? We don't have days!" Kerrigan furiously shouted and spread her wings, forcing Abathur to slightly lean backwards.

"Waiting for swarm recovery not optional. Will find alternate solution, will continue analysis of land."

"Make it quick!" Kerrigan walked away looking even more displeased than before she arrived. She wasn't about to sit and wait for Abathur to come up with something. She figured this would be a good a time as any to consult her military advisers.

***

The first one in line was a creature that looked like a perfectly normal human if looked upon from the right angle, but when he turned around he suddenly changed into a fear-inspiring abomination with flames burning inside his eyes and on one side of his face, as well as an arm completely consumed by the zerg infestation.

He was a former vice admiral of the United Earth Directorate - Alexei Stukov. Just like Kerrigan, he was once a human who had undergone an infestation, only his was a different type of infestation.

"This has got to be a joke..." Alexei quietly spoke up as he turned his head towards Kerrigan. He had been staring down at the town under the Leviathan until she arrived.

"What? You don't like the view?" Kerrigan answered in a sarcastic tone.

"This is where Amon has gone?" the vice admiral asked in disbelief.

"You better believe it." Kerrigan joined her crewmate by the edge of the Leviathan's mouth.

"I wonder if he made some sort of mistake by coming here...Some slight miscalculation perhaps? There's no possible way he could have intentionally come here..." Alexei turned his head downwards again. "What sort of creatures even live here? Gnomes? Magical fairies?"

"Ponies," Kerrigan answered with a smile on her face.

"Hah!" Stukov laughed out loud. "Even better." He turned around and walked away.

Realizing that Alexei would have no advice to give, Kerrigan turned towards the brood mother Zagara, one of the creatures on her crew that didn't seem too bothered by the way this plane looked.

"Enjoying the view?"

"I would much rather enjoy seeing it covered in a red veil," Zagara replied.

"Why so serious, Zagara? What has this world done to you to deserve such a negative attitude from you?" Kerrigan asked a serious sounding question that was clearly intended as a joke.

"I do not like it here...Too bright, too colorful...too harmonic..." Unable to bear the sight any longer, Zagara walked away from the Leviathan's mouth.

"Well, then lets hope we don't have to stay here for much longer."

"Yes..." Zagara replied. Her answer seemed to be missing something, and yet she didn't seem to have any intention of saying anything else, so Kerrigan moved on.

Kerrigan was about ready to leave the Leviathan again, when the one crewmate she neglected spoke up.

"Strange..."

"What's strange?" Kerrigan asked turned her attention towards the primal zerg with the crippled arm and broken outer fang.

"This place...I cannot see any strong essence here...but I feel it...There is strong essence here and I will collect it!"

If Kerrigan hadn't met the inhabitants of this plane face-to-face, she probably would have though that Dehaka's mind had taken a stronger blow than the rest of the creatures aboard the Leviathan. "You know, Dehaka, I think you may be right. There is more to these ponies than meets the eye."

"Pou-knees?" Dehaka repeated the word that he seemed unfamiliar with.

"Yes, ponies," Kerrigan confirmed.

"What do these ponies look like? What is their role in all this? How strong is their essence?"

How in the blazes am i supposed to answer something like that... Kerrigan wondered. "Umm..."

"Dehaka will go with you," Dehaka interrupted, luckily for Kerrigan. "I will be the first one to taste their essence! Dehaka will be strongest among primal zerg! Essence that cannot be acquired in our dimension, I must have it!"

"Hold that thought, Dehaka," Kerrigan calmed the over enthusiastic creature. "Let me go down there and see if I can find out if these ponies can be of any use to us first."

"And if they are not?"

"Then you shall have your essence...and a lot of it!" Kerrigan happily replied.

"Excellent..." Without a doubt, if the primal zerg could smile, then Dehaka would have a wide grin on his face right now.

Sadly for him, Kerrigan wasn't planning on harming the creatures that called themselves ponies. However, she kept Dehaka's words in mind, just in case.. If by any chance they somehow angered her, then she would gladly send Dehaka down there to say hello.

Revelations

Having nothing left to take care of aboard the Leviathan, Kerrigan descended down to the ground for the second time during her visit here.

The six ponies were busy trying to convince the townsfolk that the danger was gone and that it was safe to come out, but just as the first few ponies were about to take a step outside their homes, they rushed back inside and sealed the doors the moment they noticed the creature that previously scared the living daylight out of them.

The mane six and Kerrigan spent some time looking at each other. After looking upwards and realizing that no other creature seemed to be joining her, Twilight spoke up, "I thought you said you weren't alone."

"I am for now. The company I was with got...delayed," Kerrigan reluctantly explained and started walking towards the Everfree forest.

Still unable to shake the feeling that it isn't right letting Kerrigan go after the creature alone, Twilight raised her hoof and opened her mouth, ready to say something.

"You know..." Kerrigan interrupted before Twilight could say a word. "While I'm unsure whether you could be of any use to me physically, there is a way I think you could help me out."

The mane six shared a few confused looks between each other before Twilight asked, "What did you have in mind?"

"Advice," Kerrigan instantly replied. "I am new to these lands and unfamiliar with the surroundings...Tell me, is there anything inside that forest that I should be aware of?"

Twilight spent some time thinking. "Well, the Everfree forest is full of all sorts of creatures, both friendly and aggressive...But I'm sure those wouldn't be much of a threat to one such as you."

Kerrigan stood silent.

"One thing though..." Twilight rubbed her chin while speaking. "If you happen to see a patch of small, blue flowers on your way, I'd suggest you steer clear of it."

"Aah, something poisonous, I assume."

"You could say that..."

"Thank you for the warning," Kerrigan thanked the young princess and made her way into the dark forest.

Realizing that there was nothing more to be said or done about the situation, Twilight and her friends got back to trying to convince the ponies to leave their homes.

Lets hope all goes well in there... Twilight thought to herself.

***

Kerrigan didn't hold back, just moments after the small conversation with the mane six, she was already a few steps inside the forest and was already feeling the creepy aura surrounding the place. The Everfree forest felt unnatural even to a being like her...It felt...alive.

She walked fast, but didn't let a single object of interest escape her sights. She was mostly looking for any signs of Amon having passed through here, but so far she hadn't found any. She did find the peculiar blue flowers Twilight warned her about, however. Just as Twilight suggested, she circled around them.

The last thing she needed right now was a handicap, she already wasn't certain about whether it was a good idea to follow Amon alone. He may have still been weak after his awakening, but even while weakened, he could no doubt prove to be a foe too powerful to take on alone.

It was that exact thought that helped Kerrigan press on. It was either that or letting him freely regain full power...and then things would get a whole lot more complicated.

The forest seemed to get darker as she pressed on. All of a sudden, she reached a part of the forest where she couldn't even see past her own nose. She turned around and realized that the way back was also clouded in shadow.

She would have thought that this is just a trick of the forest that Twilight forgot to warn her about, but a certain dark laugh echoing around her convinced her that she had just found what she was looking for.

"Show yourself!" Kerrigan shouted out.

There was no reply, only another laugh, no less wicked than the last one.

"I know you're here, Amon!" She shouted again and turned towards the direction she though she heard the laugh originate from. "Face me!" She turned around after hearing another laugh, instantly noticing a pair of red eyes staring at her from the darkness.

"Amon!" Kerrigan chased after the demon, but as she ran, the distance between her and him didn't seem to be shortening. She stopped running to save her breath. "Your tricks won't save you, Amon!" Kerrigan screamed and hit the ground with a charged kinetic blast around her right arm, igniting the air around her in the process and shedding some light on the darkness.

As the shadow cleared away, so did the red eyes. Kerrigan found herself surrounded by some trees. "Why have you come here, Amon? What are you looking for in a place like this?" Kerrigan yelled at her surroundings.

After a brief moment of silence, Kerrigan got her answer. "Power!" Another echo ringed through her ears.

"Power?" the confused queen of blades asked. "Are you truly so desperate that you have to come to a place like this in search of power?"

Amon laughed at her. "Desperate? Ha ha ha ha!"

Kerrigan kept turning around, trying to spot Amon whenever he said something."

"Haven't you realized yet? Do you truly not feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The magic!" Amon revealed himself for a short moment.

Kerrigan didn't hesitate to charge at him, but she only ended up attacking the air.

"It's everywhere! Don't even try to deny it! Even you feel it!"

"So this is what it's come to then?" Kerrigan regained her balance after the pointless charge and spoke more calmly. "You've come to steal magic from helpless fairy tale creatures?"

Amon laughed at Kerrigan's attempt to insult him with her sarcastic tone. "Why not? There's magic inside every single object in this land! Every creature! Every building! Every plant!"

Amon paused for a moment. Kerrigan turned towards the location she heard his last word coming from and saw Amon near one of the trees.

"Every tree..." Amon whispered in his dark tone and wrapped his hand around the nearest tree. The tree surged with a red light as soon as Amon grabbed it, after which it turned to ashes. "And these ponies are handing it to me on a silver plate!"

Amon laughed and Kerrigan furiously charged at him again, thus ending up in the same situation as before. By the time Kerrigan opened her eyes, the mist had faded away completely, and she found herself on the same path that led her here.

"Argh!" Kerrigan got up and ran back the way she came from. Continuing chasing after Amon seemed pointless to her at right now.

***

Kerrigan got back to town even quicker than she reached Amon. She was hoping that the ponies could help her find out where Amon had gone. When she got closer to the edge of the town, she noticed that the streets were full of ponies now. Apparently the mane six had succeeded in convincing them that the danger was gone.

Not all of the ponies had left their homes. While Twilight was busy trying to convince another colt to leave his home, Applejack noticed Kerrigan returning. She tapped on Twilight's shoulder and directed her towards the returning visitor.

"Be Right back!" Twilight said to the owner of the house, right before bolting off towards Kerrigan before she could scare all the ponies back into their homes. Naturally, her friends followed her.

"You're back!" Twilight greeted Kerrigan with excitement. "Does this mean you were successful?"

"You could say that."

Kerrigan's reply wiped the smile right off of Twilight's face. "Huh?"

"I did not stop Amon, but I did manage to find out what's he here for," Kerrigan explained.

"Amon? Is that the name of the creature that came here before you?"

"Yes," Kerrigan confirmed. "I've found out that he's here for the magic that your lands hold."

"Magic?" Twilight's eyes widened as she asked. "That almost sounds like Tirek!"

"Who's Tirek?"

"Tirek was an evil creature that also tried to take the magic away from the ponies of Equestria."

"And how did you stop him?" Kerrigan asked in naive hopes of finding a weapon against Amon.

"Well..." Twilight paused. She decided to spare the details and just keep it short. "Lets just say we used a weapon against him that no longer exists."

"I see..." Realizing that the same problem couldn't have the same solution, Kerrigan made a different approach. "We may not be able to defeat Amon the same way, but perhaps there's something about the methods of this enemy of yours that will match the ones of my current enemy...Tell me, how did this Tirek try to achieve his goals?"

Smart move... Twilight thought to herself and gladly proceeded to explain. "In the beginning, he was weak, just like your enemy, from what I heard."

"Indeed."

"While he was weak, he could only feed off of the magic of unicorns, but as he grew in power, he became powerful enough to take the magic of pegasi and earth ponies as well, eventually reaching the point where he could even consume alicorn magic!"

"Alicorn?" Kerrigan repeated. Instead of a verbal reply, Twilight spread her wings and pointed at her horn. "So that's what you're called...and here I was trying to decide whether to call you a winged unicorn or a horned pegasus."

Twilight giggled. A small smirk also showed upon Kerrigan's lips.

"Hmm..." Kerrigan pondered on something. "This doesn't make any sense."

"What do you mean?"

"You said that this Tirek went after living ponies...If so, then how come he's been spending all his time inside that forest?"

"You're right..." Twilight replied after a short pause. "That really doesn't make any sense." Twilight began rubbing her chin.

Both Kerrigan and the mane six were all lost in their thoughts for some time, up until the moment Sarah recalled Amon's exact words.

There's magic inside every single object in this land!

"Wait a minute..."

"You figured it out?" Twilight was all ears.

"He didn't say he was after only pony magic, he said there was magic inside every single object in this land!"

"Huh?" The conjoined voices of the mane six asked.

"Think! Is there some sort of object inside that forest that could hold great magical power?"

"I...I don't know...Are you sure that's exactly what he said?" Twilight asked, unable to solve this riddle.

"Yes! Those were his exact words. Every creature, every building, every plant..." Nothing seemed to strike a chord in Twilight's mind...At least not until Kerrigan added two last words, "Every tree..."

"Every tree..." Twilight seemed to be onto something. "Oh no..." Twilight's face turned pale and her tone was dramatic.

"What's wrong?" Kerrigan asked. Twilight's sudden grim expression gave her a bad feeling in her gut.

"We need to get to the tree of harmony! Now!" Twilight shouted out and began moving towards the woods with her friends on her tail.

"Hold on!" Kerrigan shouted. "What's this so called tree of harmony?"

"I'll explain on the way, right now we need to move! Come on!" Twilight started running. Her friends swiftly followed, and so did Kerrigan after a brief moment of confusion and a loud sigh.

How did i get dragged into this...

***

While running, Kerrigan caught up with the pack leader pony. "So what's this about some tree of harmony?"

"The tree of harmony is the source of one of the most powerful known forms of magic in Equestria - the elements of harmony."

Twilight read Kerrigan's confused expression and decided to explain further, "There are six of these elements - laughter, kindness, loyalty, generosity, honesty and magic. What makes these elements so special is that only true representatives of the element they stand for are able to use their full potential."

"And I'm guessing the six of you are those representatives you speak of?"

"Yes. Using the magic of the elements of harmony, we were able to defeat powerful foes that dared to threaten Equestria, but ultimately we had to return them back to the tree of harmony if balance was to be maintained in Equestria."

Kerrigan tried to maintain a serious attitude, but with all this talk of magic and harmony, and all the talking ponies, it was hard to not laugh. "So you think Amon might be after this tree for the magic it has in it?"

"I sure hope not. Who knows how powerful he would become if he managed to obtain that magic."

This pony seems very serious about this whole tree of harmony thing...perhaps it is something of great power after all... Kerrigan wondered. And If Amon went so far as to cross dimensions just to obtain it...

Twilight noticed the slightly nervous look on Sarah's face.

Kerrigan began thinking of a backup plan in case everything went sour. "You said that these elements of harmony were one of the most powerful forms of magic known to Equestria...does this mean there are other ones? Perhaps even more powerful ones?"

"Well...There is one," Twilight slowly replied. "One more powerful than any other, one that not even Tirek could obtain, even when he was at the top of his strength."

This is getting interesting... "So what is this super powerful form of magic you mean?" Kerrigan asked. Suddenly all serious and even slightly excited.

"Well...It's..." Twilight suddenly stopped near the edge of a cliff and gasped loudly as she stared downwards. Her friends repeated the exact same action as soon as they caught up.

Kerrigan slowly walked up to them and also stared downwards. She could easily see over the heads of the ponies since she was slightly more than twice as tall as they were. At the very center of a cliff she noticed a completely black and withered up tree. It seemed like it was about to turn to ash any second.

The surprised and worried looks on the faces of the ponies said everything...At this point Kerrigan realized they were too late.

Good news

The mane six kept staring at the tree with their eyes and mouths wide open. At first Kerrigan thought she would let them take their time, but this was starting to take just way too much of it.

"I take it that's the tree of harmony you meant," Kerrigan said in a compassionate tone. She got no reply, but she didn't really need one. The answer was as clear as day. "I'm sorry."

"It...It's gone...The elements of harmony...they...they're not there anymore..." Still barely able to believe her eyes, Twilight kept stuttering while trying to say something. "We're too late..."

"I can't believe someone could simply absorb that kind of magic..." Applejack added in a tone no less desperate.

"What ever shall we do?" the white-coated fashionista spoke up for the first time since Kerrigan's arrival.

Kerrigan took a few steps back while the ponies recovered from their state of utter shock.

"I'm not sure there's anything that we can do now...Not against something so powerful..." Twilight let the hopeless situation get the better of her.

While the ponies were busy worrying about the future, Kerrigan received a telepathic call from her number one adviser. She held two fingers up to her left temple and closed her eyes to concentrate on it better.

"My queen, Abathur has discovered something that might help us in the battle against Amon. You should see him as soon as you can."

"Don't lose hope!" Kerrigan shouted, attracting the attention of the six ponies. "I just got some good news."

"What kind of good news?" Twilight asked.

"The kind that could help us turn the tables," Kerrigan replied without much thinking. She figured it would be for the best to give these ponies some hope at this moment. "I need to get back to my ship!"

"Right." Having regained her former confidence, Twilight nodded. "Lets move!"

The company of seven made their way back to the town of Ponyville. Twilight acted like everything was alright, but deep inside she and her friends just couldn't shake that dreaded image from their minds...

The very elements that had brought them together and established the friendship they have today...Gone, just like that...What would the aftermath look like?...What kind of effect would the disappearance of the elements of harmony have on those that once wielded them?

***

As soon as Kerrigan got back within range of her Leviathan's telepathic field, she started ascending towards it, telling the six ponies to not go far since she would be right back. The mane six had no intention of doing so anyways...All their hopes were currently resting on the good news Kerrigan told them about earlier.

"Has anyone seen Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked after taking a few looks around her and not spotting her friend anywhere nearby.

As soon as Kerrigan got back on her ship, she made her way to the evolution pit. Abathur was already waiting for her by the time she got there, just as before.

"This better be good," Kerrigan said in a rather unforgiving tone.

"First project failed. Analyzed pony strains for potential augmentations for swarm, found none," Abathur explained right away.

"So there's nothing that these ponies have that could be of use to us?"

"Analyzed pony strain - earth pony. Simplest strain, strong legs, no additional benefits. Strain not needed. Pony strain - pegasus. Strain more advanced, weaker legs, can move through air. Strain not needed, swarm mutalisks more efficient in combat. Analyzed pony strain - unicorn. Most advanced strain, weak body, strong mind, can use magic. Strain not available for swarm. Too complex, no creature in swarm able to adapt to body augmentations...Project not successful."

"If you called me here just for this..." Kerrigan's eyes and body surged with energy. She made it clear as to what would happen if Abathur would have called her here just to waste her time.

Ignoring Kerrigan's threat, Abathur continued, "Creature pony not useful to swarm. Closed project, moved on, found new potential strain."

"Go on..." Kerrigan seemed intrigued.

"Creature parasprite. Small creature, simple design, strain useful, swarm can easily adapt."

"What's so useful about this parasprite thing?"

"Swarm only able to multiply via hatchery. Without hive, swarm unable to increase numbers. Creature parasprite able to reproduce by itself. Parasprites consume matter, multiply on the spot. Strain useful, must acquire samples.

"I see...That does sound useful indeed. Especially in our situation."

"Creep currently unable to spread on land, hatchery currently unavailable. With parasprite augmentation swarm no longer require hatchery. Must acquire parapsrite essence."

"I'll see what I can do." Kerrigan left the evolution pit with a satisfied look. I'd best get back to the ground before Dehaka finds me... Kerrigan thought to herself and left her ship without consulting with anyone. She simply didn't feel like telling her crewmates that she has so easily allied herself with tiny, candy-colored ponies.

A new problem

"Has anyone seen Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked after taking a few looks around her and not spotting her friend anywhere nearby. The four other ponies also started looking around.

"Where could she have gone?" Rarity asked. For Fluttershy to simply wander off at a time like this...It simply didn't make any sense.

"Maybe Kerrigan scared her off?" Applejack suggested.

"I won't deny, even if she's on our side, she still gives me the creeps..." Rainbow Dash admitted.

"Lets just hope she didn't run off too far," Twilight added. "We should find her before Kerrigan gets back." Twilight's friends nodded and began looking around.

"You girls keep looking around here, I'll go see if she hasn't gone back to her cottage," Applejack said and ran off after not hearing anyone protest.

They had no luck finding her in the middle of the town, so Rainbow Dash decided to go check near the Everfree forest while her friends kept on searching around town. Before long, she spotted her pink-maned friend walking out the Everfree forest.

"There you are!" Rainbow Dash shouted out to her and flew closer. "Got lost on the way, did you?"

"Uhm...Yes! Yeah, that's what happened...hggh!" Fluttershy suddenly looked like she got pinched in the backside. "I got lost!" She awkwardly smiled at her friend and acted as if nothing was wrong.

"Fluttershy...are you...alright?" Rainbow Dash asked, slightly concerned about her friend.

"Never better!" Fluttershy replied in a voice with a much lower pitch than her usual one. "Why do you ask?" She kept smiling awkwardly.

Something definitely wasn't right about Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash couldn't let it rest. "You didn't happen to go through a field of poison joke on your way back here, did you?"

"Who, me? Hggh! Are my jokes really that baaaaaad!?" she said her last word in a voice that no normal pony could repeat...As if that wasn't enough, her eyes flashed red for a split second.

Rainbow Dash started worrying about her friend. Something was seriously not right with her. She grabbed her foreleg and started dragging her back to town. "We need to get you to Ponyville hospital right away! I don't know what's wrong with you, but..."

Before Rainbow Dash could finish her sentence, Fluttershy grabbed her head and stared deeply into her eyes with an angry look.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash tried to break free from her grip. "Fluttershy, what are you..."

Fluttershy's eyes turned blood red as she stared into Rainbow's eyes. Rainbow Dash froze up and her body became numb. "You are under my control now, tiny pony. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Fluttershy spoke in a demonic voice. As soon as she released Rainbow's head, both of their eyes were in the same red color.

***

"Any luck, Twilight?" Applejack shouted out to her nervous looking friend.

"No...I'm guessing she wasn't at her cottage either."

"You'd be guessing right," Applejack replied and walked closer. "And is it just me or is the town looking a bit...empty?"

"Why...I do believe you're right!" Rarity replied after taking a quick look around. "The streets aren't anywhere near to as full as they should be."

"This can't be good..." Twilight got even more nervous. She took a look around and noticed Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash by the edge of the town. "Hey! It's Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash found her!" Twilight shouted and started running towards the two ponies. The other three of her friends followed her right away.

"Fluttershy, where have you..." Twilight suddenly stopped and gasped loudly. The sight she just witnessed made her blood run cold. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had each grabbed a nearby pony and stared into their faces with their eyes flashing red.

After they let go of them, the eyes of the two other ponies also turned red, and now there was a total of four ponies with blood-red eyes walking towards Twilight and her three other friends, and none of them looked friendly.

Twilight could barely even breathe from the shock, let alone think of what to do or say. The four red-eyed ponies were getting close and were just about to grab Twilight and the three ponies beside her, but then, all of a sudden the red-eyed ponies stopped dead in their tracks as they became surrounded by a cloud of light-blue and white colors.

"what's going on here?" Kerrigan shouted as soon as she landed.

"I...I don't know...They're not themselves..." the nervous, stuttering alicorn tried to reply as best she could.

Kerrigan took another look at the four ponies she had just trapped in stasis. She instantly recognized those red eyes. "This can only mean one thing..."

Before any of them could say another word, the four conjoined demonic voices spoke up, "We are hybrid...We are Amon!" Right after which a flash of red light forced Kerrigan and the four ponies beside her to close their eyes. By the time they opened them, the stasis prison was empty.

"Amon!" Kerrigan furiously shouted.

"They're gone..." Twilight whispered.

"We'll get them back! Don't worry!" Kerrigan tried to calm her.

"But how?" Twilight asked in disbelief.

"Listen! Do you know of a creature called a parasprite?"

Twilight widened her eyes. "I do, but how do you..."

"No time to explain!" Kerrigan interrupted. "Can you help me find one?"

"I could...but I really don't see how..."

"Twilight!" Their conversation got interrupted by a shout from a good distance away. "Twilight..." A baby dragon with a letter in his hand was making it's way towards them, panting loudly while running "Twilight...I...Woaahaaaaagh!" the dragon shouted at the top of his lungs as soon as he noticed the terrifying creature looking right at him.

He tucked his tail and ran, dropping the letter he was holding right before Kerrigan's feet.

"Friend of yours?" Kerrigan asked.

"Umm...Yeah..." Twilight replied and picked up the letter using her magic.

"Sorry...didn't mean to scare him," Kerrigan apologized.

"It wasn't really your fault..." Twilight opened the letter and began reading it.

"To make one run like that, I'm guessing there's something really important in that letter."

"There sure is..." Twilight replied and rolled up the letter. "It's from princess Celestia herself!"

Princess Celestia? Kerrigan suddenly recalled the very first words she heard from Twilight when she arrived. Must be the ruler of these lands...Wait, shouldn't that make her a queen? How can there be two princesses?

"I am to arrive at her castle immediately!"

"Is this about the threat we are currently facing?"

"The letter said nothing about a reason, but Celestia sees all that goes on in her lands, this no doubt has something to do with it!"

"Then I'd suggest we'd be on our way," Kerrigan suggested.

"We?" Twilight seemed surprised.

"If this has something to do with Amon, I think I should be present for this." Kerrigan noticed Twilight seeming unsure about this. "Don't expect me to just sit here and wait for you to get back!"

"Right..." Twilight nodded. "Lets go!" Twilight led the way, but suddenly stopped after realizing her friends were right on her tail. "Sorry girls," Twilight turned towards Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie and apologized.

"Huh?" The three ponies were confused about Twilight's decision to leave them behind.

"Somepony needs to stay and warn everyone to get back into their houses! It's not safe after all!" Twilight sincerely explained, but her friends only frowned. "Please, girls, this is important! Amon gets stronger with every pony under his control! We can't lose anyone else to him!"

Realizing that it's probably for the best, Applejack was the first one to raise her head and put on a confident smile. "You got it, Twilight."

Pinkie Pie and Rarity also raised their heads and nodded in approval.

"Thanks guys." Twilight hugged her friends before heading off.

Touching... Kerrigan thought to herself as she watched the four ponies join together for group hug.

"Stay safe," Twilight said to her friends and ran off along with the queen of blades. Her friends kept on waving until the moment Twilight made a swift turn and disappeared behind a corner.

***

The town of Ponyville was behind them after a good while of running, but Canterlot was still nowhere to be seen.

"Say..." Kerrigan started a conversation after a long while of silence. "How far exactly is this Canterlot?"

"Umm..." Twilight hesitated to answer.

"I bet it would be much faster if you flew, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, of course!" Twilight replied right away, but she couldn't help but wonder. "But where would that leave you?"

"Don't worry about me," Kerrigan said after she stopped running. "Fly on, I won't be far behind." Right after giving a clear order to Twilight, Kerrigan turned around and started running back the way they came from.

Twilight stared at her for some time. Still a bit confused, she shrugged and did just as Sarah suggested and took to the skies.

"Izsha!" Kerrigan lifted her hand up to her temple and shouted.

"What is it, my queen?" A voice in Kerrigan's head answered.

"Can you order the Leviathan to follow that flying, purple equine?"

"At once, my queen," Izsha calmly answered and obeyed the order right away.

Before long, the shadow of the giant creature was gone and Ponyville saw the sun once again.

***

"Princess Celestia!" a shout was heard in Canterlot castle right as the massive doors opened with young Twilight Sparkle standing between them. The three other princesses were already waiting for her. "I came as fast as I could!" Twilight ran closer to one she still loved to call her mentor, despite no longer being her student.

"It is good that you have come, princess Twilight," Celestia spoke in a tone without a sign of cheer in it.

"Princess Cadence!" Twilight happily shouted and ran over to hug the pony she loved to call her sister.

"It is good to see you again, Twilight," Cadence replied and happily hugged her back. "I only wish we wouldn't have to keep meeting in such dark times," she said in a sad tone after disengaging from the hug.

Twilight turned towards princess Celestia "So you already know?"

"Not everything," Celestia replied. "We know that Ponyville is in peril because of a great evil that has come to our lands, but we do not know just how serious is the situation."

"So..." Twilight suddenly felt uneasy. "You don't know about the tree of harmony, then?"

"Has something happened to the tree?" princess Luna asked in a worried voice.

Twilight stared back at princess Luna with a sad look on her face and slowly nodded.

"Please...tell us everything!"

Just as princess Celestia requested, Twilight told the three princesses everything that happened on that day.

5 minutes later...

"It is even worse than I feared..." Celestia spoke in a dramatically desperate tone and closed her eyes for a moment. For a short moment, Twilight thought that Celestia had lost all hope, but all of a sudden, her face lit up again. "We must act quickly!" she shouted in a battle ready tone.

"What needs to be done?" Twilight asked, ready to play her part, as always.

"Princess Twilight..." Celestia quietly addressed her former student and walked closer to her. She stared deeply into her eyes before continuing. "If what you said is true, then this foe will no doubt soon come after our magic."

"That's what I fear."

"Then I think you know what must be done," Celestia's face was devoid of cheer. She was serious and determined, but also sorry.

"You want to use the same method we used to defeat Tirek?" Twilight asked and continued without waiting for a reply, "You want me to take on your magic again."

"I am sorry it has come down to this, Twilight, but you and your friends have never let us down before! Not even in the darkest of times...I don't know anyone who would be more suited for this task than you."

The situation was indeed looking grim. Twilight was nervous, but she also felt happy to know that her beloved mentor puts so much faith in her abilities. She was just about to give her word approval, but all of a sudden, she changed her mind and began wondering about something while rubbing her chin.

"Is something the matter, Twilight?" Celestia asked after noticing Twilight's sudden change of attitude.

"Princess Celestia, I think I know someone who would be more suited for this task than me!" Twilight replied, assured that she was on the right track. Princess Celestia only widened her eyes after hearing her response and wondered who could she possibly have in mind. "Someone who knows this enemy better than any of us," Twilight clarified.

"You don't mean..." Before Celestia could say another word, the doors to Canterlot Castle opened once more, and through them came a creature the likes of which Equestria had never seen before...A creature about whom most ponies could only say one thing after looking at it:

I'm glad she's on our side...

"Are you sure she can be trusted?" princess Celestia quietly asked while Kerrigan was still moving towards them.

"Absolutely!" Twilight confidently replied without hesitating.

Kerrigan slowly walked up to the princesses. The guards stood still, just as ordered. They were ready to seize the terrifying creature if ordered to do so, but they sincerely hoped that such an order would not be given.

Kerrigan stopped and waited for one of the princesses to say something as soon as she got close. Princess Cadence and princess Luna didn't look too keen on saying anything, they just stared at Sarah and didn't let their eyes off her. Even if they knew she was on their side, they still felt a touch of fear under their skin when they gazed at her.

"Princess Twilight seems to trust you a lot," Celestia mustered her courage and spoke up.

This must be her... Kerrigan came to the conclusion after noticing the crown on Celestia's head. Funny...All four rulers of Equestria gathered in one room, and yet I'm still the only queen in here.

"And she is right to do so," Kerrigan replied. "My quarrel is not with you. If you could help me defeat Amon, then I would be forever grateful." Kerrigan acted polite. She even bowed before the four princesses.

Celestia maintained her serious attitude. She wasn't persuaded by Kerrigan's little act. "For the sake of Equestria, we are more than willing to aid you in this ordeal, but forgive me for not agreeing right away...This is no small thing that is being asked of us."

Kerrigan paused for a moment. She wasn't sure about what kind of thing the princess was talking about. "Pardon me, but just what kind of thing are we talking about here?"

"In order to have even a slight chance of standing against this foe, we believe that one would require the combined magical powers of the four alicorn princesses of Equestria!" Celestia switched to a more regal tone for a short moment, turning serious again right afterwards. "And princess Twilight believes that you should be the one to wield it," Celestia explained and pointed her hoof at Kerrigan.

"Your magic?" Kerrigan asked in a state of utter surprise. "You mean to tell me that you can simply pass your magic onto someone else so easily?"

"It is no simple procedure, even transferring it to another alicorn can be difficult, and you're not even a pony..." Celestia replied right away. "But yes...it is possible."

"And do you also believe that this magic would be powerful enough to be a match for the powers of Amon combined with the magic of these so called elements of harmony?" Kerrigan's question left the ponies wondering. As they looked at one another for an answer, it became clear that none of them really knew.

"We do not know just how strong is the raw energy of the elements of harmony, nor do we know how strong this foe is even without it," Celestia sadly admitted. "However, we do know that alicorn magic is one of the strongest forms of magic known to Equestria!"

I wonder if this is that more powerful form of magic that Twilight told me about earlier... Kerrigan wondered.

"Additionally, your experience in the matter makes you the perfect candidate for taking on this task. Our magic combined with the magic you already wield...You will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with."

"There's no denying it," Kerrigan took over the sentence. "I doubt any of you know Amon better than I do." By the way she formed her sentence, it almost seemed like Kerrigan was trying to brag. Even though that was never her intention.

"But don't expect me to predict every move that Amon will make! I may have heard a lot about him, and I may have battled and won against his kin, but Amon is something entirely unique...Older than the universe, more powerful than I can understand...and now, he is awake," Kerrigan quoted a sentence she had heard before.

The truth was painful to hear. It wasn't hard to notice the change in their faces as Kerrigan told them the history of the foe they're facing.

"But don't give into despair! It's only hopeless if we don't try!" Kerrigan tried to make up for her previous statements.

"Does this mean you'll accept this task?" Twilight asked as she regained her lost hope.

"I would not have come here if I wasn't ready to do battle with Amon...Yes, if you would trust me with this powerful magic, then I would gladly bring it into battle!"

"That, however, raises a question," Celestia said while walking closer to Sarah. "How do we know we can trust you?" Celestia asked and stared into her eyes with an expression full of distrust. "How can we know you won't betray us and use this magic for your own selfish exploits?"

"Do not compare me to that hybrid! I am nothing like Amon!" angered by the rude display of disrespect, Kerrigan retorted loudly as her eyes surged with blue energy. Her eyes returned to their normal colors right after that, but her tone maintained it's ferocity. Her sudden outburst even forced Celestia to take a few steps back.

"This may not be my home, but if Amon succeeds in his plans, then it will mean the end for more than just this colorful world you call Equestria!"

"Forgive my lack of respect, Miss Kerrigan," Celestia apologized right away. Her tone suggested that she really meant it. "But without our magic, Equestria would surely fall before any lesser foe...I'm hoping you'll understand why we aren't so eager to give it away to someone we've only known for a small part of the afternoon."

"Indeed..." after a few moments of thinking, Kerrigan replied in a much calmer tone. "Pardon my harsh response earlier."

"There's no need for apologies...your anger was quite justified."

It seemed like Kerrigan and the princess were finally starting to see eye to eye. Kerrigan decided to use the moment.

"I do not know of a way how I could earn your trust, so if you won't agree to transfer your magic to me, I shall not ask for it again...But there is one more thing I would like to say before you make your final decision."

"Please, do continue," Celestia encouraged her.

"Two strangers came to your world this day, leaving you with two sides to choose from." As Kerrigan spoke on, all listened patiently and none dared to interrupt her. "Side with me and I shall offer you both a choice and a chance. Side with Amon..." She paused for a moment to add a slightly more dramatic taste to the last part of her monologue. "And you will have neither."

It seemed like Sarah's words were finally getting to Celestia. They say that desperate times call for desperate measures...But this was a decision too serious for even the ruler of Equestria to make on her own. Celestia slowly turned her head from one of the princesses to another. One after another, she got three nods of approval.

"Then it is decided," Celestia said as she turned her head back towards Kerrigan. "There's no time to lose!" Every princess already knew her role and position and did not hesitate to form a rectangle around Kerrigan. "Are you ready?" Celestia asked.

As soon as the four alicorns saw Kerrigan nod, the ritual began. Just as the last time they did this, their horns started shining brightly and their eyes turned white. The magical light from their horns joined together, forming a huge ball of light right above Sarah's head. She closed her eyes as it reached her.

The magic was overwhelming. It left Kerrigan on her knees and barely breathing. A bright light surged around her for some time. After it finally faded, the queen of blades still wasn't looking too alive. Barely able to stand themselves, the four alicorns moved a bit closer to the target of their magic and waited for any kind of response.

Now I know why Amon came here... Kerrigan thought to herself as she finally started feeling the blood flowing through her veins again. This power...

All of a sudden, Kerrigan jumped to her feet and started radiating with energy of many colors. The magic flow was going through every part of her body, arms, legs, eyes and wings alike.

"It's overwhelming!" Kerrigan screamed as she started taking control of her new found powers. She had never felt so alive before. She could now easily stand against the weight of the world, even while her Leviathan was nowhere nearby. Her feet left the ground and she started levitating, still surrounded by a cloud of pure energy.

Amon doesn't stand a chance! she convinced herself. "He's still in that forest...but where?..." Kerrigan didn't even sound like herself now.

"A castle..." Celestia slowly spoke up. "There's a ruined old castle deep inside the forest...If he's still in that forest..."

"He is mine!" Kerrigan interrupted. Unable to hold in the will to try out this magic, she bolted off without another word.

The most powerful magic

Kerrigan traveled fast and didn't look back. Thus she didn't even notice that shadow claim Canterlot not long after she left.

Kerrigan slowed down a bit as she flew over the town of Ponyville. She stared down and instantly realized that something wasn't right. None of the houses were barricaded. Heck, not even a single door was shut...they were all wide open, and that wasn't even the most disturbing part of the picture...The town was completely devoid of life. The only sound that could be heard in it was the sound of the wind surfing through the open doors.

"Not good..." Kerrigan said out loud and continued towards the Everfree forest in the same speed as before.

Kerrigan soon noticed the sight that she had already visited earlier that day - the magically drained tree of harmony. Not long after she passed it, she found what seemed to be the site princess Celestia described. A ruined old castle.

Without much thinking, Kerrigan landed in the ruins and began her search for Amon. She soon found herself in the middle of a massive hall surrounded by several pillars from all sides. The room was dark, but there was something shining brightly at the end of the hallway - an opened book left on a pedestal.

Curious, Kerrigan walked closer and took a look at the book. She read the title out loud, "The legacy of the friendship?" She seemed confused by the title, so she started reading the contents of the book.

"Just as the legends say, the elements of harmony are an ethereal form of power, therefore they cannot be destroyed or consumed. Those that do not believe the legends will one day witness the error of their ways. The elements of harmony will one day find new hosts, and they will forever carry on the legacy of the friendship that once saved Equestria..."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" a sinister laugh echoed through the dark halls as soon as Kerrigan read the last word of the prophecy. The book faded, taking with it the only light in the room, leaving the queen of blades in the middle of a cloud of complete darkness.

"Do we really have to play this game again, Amon?" Kerrigan spoke to the shadows, receiving only another laugh as a response. "You know, I probably would be afraid as well if I were you." Another laugh followed, but at this point Kerrigan ignored it completely.

"You may have taken the magic of the elements of harmony, but I carry with me the most powerful form of magic known to Equestria!" Kerrigan shot a charged kinetic blast in the direction she heard the next laugh coming from. It sounded like she hit something that wasn't just a wall or a pillar. She stared at the unusual shape that her blast left in the darkness.

"Amon!" she shouted out as soon as she noticed two red eyes appear from the darkness, but before she could react, Amon charged out of the darkness and grabbed her by the neck and held her up. "Ughh...Hgnghh!..." Kerrigan struggled to break free from the grip.

"Alicorn magic? Ha ha ha ha!" Amon laughed quietly. "How kind of you to bring it to me."

Just moments ago, Kerrigan felt like she could rip planets apart, but now, all of a sudden she felt like a helpless kitten stuck in a tree as Amon started draining her powers.

"Hgghh! No!...How!?...Alicorn magic is the strongest form of magic in Equestria!...How can you still be stronger than me!?"

"A ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! You amuse me, Kerrigan," Amon toyed with her. "Who ever told you that alicorn magic was the most powerful form of magic in Equestria?"

"Gah...What?..." Kerrigan desperately grasped for air. "But...It's the magic of the rulers of this land! Haaagh!...How can it not be?!"

"He he he he...True, alicorn magic is powerful...but you know nothing about using it properly," Amon explained and tightened his grip around Kerrigan's neck. She could no longer say anything, she only kept on screaming with her last breath of air.

"You see, Kerrigan, things work differently around here...There are many forms of magic in this land, but they are all bound to and empowered by the one ultimate form of magic...The magic of friendship!"

Is he trying to mock me!? Kerrigan would have laughed if only she could. "Have you...hggh...been spending too much time in child's books, Amon? mmgh!"

"Laugh all you want, little Miss queen of blades, the fact still stands..." Amon's grip got so tight that Kerrigan could no longer get even a shred of air into her lungs...She had already taken her last breath. "Just remember why you lost here today...It was not because you were weak, but because you were alone."

"She is not alone!" a voice came out of nowhere, just as a green blade of pure energy also appeared out of nowhere. It brought itself down upon Amon's arm, releasing Kerrigan from his grip.

"Gaaaah!" Amon screamed from the pain and backed away while holding his severed arm. "What!?" he shouted out and tried to figure out what just happened. "You!" he shouted again as soon as he saw the wielder of the energy blade reveal himself. Even though the creature was still mostly covered in shadows, Amon could see his face clearly.

"Zeratul..." Amon whispered the name of the attacker. "What business do you have here?!" he furiously yelled at the templar. "You are no friend to this abomination!"

"She may not be my friend, but she is the enemy of my enemy," Zeratul explained and stood beside the weakened queen of blades.

"Hah! If you think that the two of you are enough to stop me, then you are gravely mistaken! Both of you will die by my hand, even if I only have one left!" Amon screamed and charged towards his enemies, ready to deliver the final blow to the already weak leader of the swarm. "Hmph!" Amon suddenly stopped and coughed as a handful of metal scraps hit his face.

"Don't mean to rain on your parade..." another voice came from the shadows. "But you're only gonna get to her over my dead body." The author of the voice stepped out of the shadows. It was the same metal titan that had earlier visited Canterlot. Only this time he had removed his helmet.

"Raynor..." Amon said the name out with a burning hatred. "I should have known you wouldn't leave your girlfriend to fend for herself...Not to worry." Amon held up his severed hand. The part of it that got detached suddenly surged with red energy. His hand was renewed as soon as the energy wave faded. "I've got more than enough power left to take on all of you!"

Amon charged at Kerrigan again, but before he could even get close, another round of fire to his head stopped him dead in his tracks. This time it seemed to affect him even more than before. "What in the...who!? Who could still be on your side!?" Amon shouted furiously. These sudden interferences were making him lose his temper.

"He he he...Don't worry, mon. It's nothing personal." The author of the voice revealed himself and took a spot next to Jim Raynor. "I'm only here on Raynor's behalf."

"You...who are you?" Amon asked the black-skinned spectre to identify himself.

"The name's Tosh," he gladly introduced himself.

"Well, Tosh...You've sure come a long way just to watch your commander die!" Amon attempted to attack again, but he was clearly getting weaker with every blow he took, and after taking another blast of green energy to the chest, he nearly dropped on his knees.

"Grrrrr!..." Amon was barely still able to think rationally. His anger was immeasurable, he seemed ready to explode. "Show yourself, whoever you are!"

"As you wish," another voice answered as it's author revealed himself. It was none other than Alexei Stukov. "What? No warm welcome? He he he." Alexei only laughed at Amon's furious expression.

"Ohh, it's about to get warm alright! Aaaarrgaaaaah!.." Amon didn't even get to launch an attack this time. Another blast, similar to the last one, caused him to collapse. "No...this can't be..." Amon seemed to be completely drained of his strength. "Who...who is this sixth one?" Amon asked. No longer in a demanding, but rather in a pleading tone.

"The one who will collect your essence!" A fearsome looking primal zerg came out of the shadows and stared at Amon with a thirsty look. Dehaka's appearance seemed to scare Amon much more than the others.

"Minions! To me!" Amon shouted out.

"Hate to burst your bubble, Amon," Raynor drew Amon's attention. "But your little army of critters just wouldn't get out of our way."

"Nooo....This can't be happening...You can't be them...You can't be the new six!"

"What are you babbling on about?" Jim Raynor asked, convinced that the all powerful Amon had finally snapped after taking too many hits to the head.

"The prophecy!" Amon shouted. "You can't be the ones! The six of you...you are a joke!" Amon started sounding like a true madman. "The legacy of the friendship...How could it possibly be passed on to the likes of you? You're not even from Equestria! You..."

During the long talk between Amon and Kerrigan's allies, she had more than enough time to recover. Before Amon could say another word, Kerrigan charged forward and turned the tables on him.

"It's over, Amon!" she shouted at him while holding him by the neck.

"Noooo! This can't be happening! I cannot be so easily defeated! I..."

Kerrigan had heard enough. She didn't let Amon say another word. A swift blow with a charged kinetic blast around her arm sealed Amon's fate once and for all. Kerrigan let his neck go, but by the time the blast pushed him to the wall, the only thing left of him was an empty carcass.

As it hit the wall, it fell to the ground and got covered by a pile of ashes that were left from Amon's disintegrated body. The deed was done. The almighty god of hybrids had ceased to exist, but Kerrigan still couldn't let her guard down.

She just kept on staring at the pile of ashes, waiting for something to happen. After hearing all the stories about Amon, it wouldn't really seem too surprising if he had one last trick up his sleeve.

Silence claimed the room. It lasted until the moment a delightful breeze of wind found it's way into the vicinity, carrying away both the darkness surrounding them and the ashes of Amon. All of a sudden, the air felt much lighter, and Kerrigan could finally feel clean air reaching into her lungs.

"It is done," she said in a relieved voice and stopped straining her body. All the bad things that were bound to happen that day were already behind them.

In the end, Amon was destroyed by the very same kind of magic he sought to control...Quite ironic, really.

Just as it was every time Twilight and her friends succeeded in a difficult task, there was also a lesson to be learned from all this. The lesson was simple. Don't judge a book by it's cover, for everything might not always be the way it might seem at first.

When Kerrigan first arrived in Equestria, she didn't think that this colorful and peaceful place would contain even the slightest amount of power...Who could have known that it would contain magic so powerful that even a creature like Amon couldn't wield it?

Kerrigan stood still for quite some time, still wondering about many things. Above all, she pondered on a single question.

What happens now? What fate awaits the leader of the swarm now that she has no more enemies left to seek out?

Kerrigan might have stayed here and wondered for much longer, if only it weren't for the cold, metallic hand that she suddenly felt upon her shoulder.

"Lets move on, darlin...There's nothing left for us here."

Without saying a word, Kerrigan turned around and gladly followed Jim and the others outside.

***

"Thank you all," Kerrigan said in a quiet and sincere tone as they walked through the empty halls. "None of you had to do this for me."

"My pleasure, darlin." Jim Raynor was both the first and the last one to reply. "Always was."

"Say..." Kerrigan spoke again after quite some time of silent walking. "That bunch of red-eyed ponies that you ran into on your way here...You didn't kill them, did you?"

"Why?" Jim asked. He picked up on Sarah's tone and realized that she cared for the ponies, so he used the opportunity to tease her a bit. "Aren't you a bit too old to be caring about little ponies?"

"Hey!" Kerrigan protested. Her cheeks turned red from shame. "That's not what I meant! They helped me! I was just..."

The cowboy laughed, interrupting Kerrigan's sentence in the process. "Dun worry, darlin. They're alright," Raynor confessed about that which already became obvious as soon as they entered the next room. It was full of sleeping ponies that had just started to slowly raise their heads, one after another.

As phrases like "Where am I?" and "How did i get here?" started echoing through the room, Kerrigan could only smile.

Uncertain fate

Not wasting any more time, the company led the ponies home. As they reached the town of Ponyville, the youngest of the alicorn princesses was already running over to greet her friends, as well as her heroes.

"Twilight!" five of the ponies from the crowd shouted and ran past Kerrigan and hugged their most beloved princess friend.

"How can we ever repay you?" Twilight raised her head and asked as she looked at Kerrigan with eyes full of tears of joy.

"Amon was as much my enemy as he was yours, and I never would have won this fight without your help," Kerrigan happily replied and bowed to Twilight. "I also owe you my thanks."

Kerrigan and the six ponies kept smiling at each other until the moment Jim Raynor and the others caught up with her.

"And, of course, I never would have done it without the help of my own friends as well," Kerrigan happily admitted.

"Your...friends?" Twilight asked and gave another look at the company that Kerrigan was with.

"I won't deny it, some of us might not exactly see eye-to-eye with one another," Kerrigan said while looking at Zeratul. "And I might not even know some of them that well," she added while looking at Tosh.

Or at all... she thought to herself. "But we all shared a common goal and had a common enemy, and I would not be here now if it weren't for them!" After she finished promoting her so called friends, Kerrigan quietly added, "Maybe Amon wasn't all that wrong about this whole legacy thing..."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Amon said something about the six of us having inherited the legacy of the friendship that once saved Equestria," Kerrigan explained, still unsure whether she had repeated Amon's words correctly. "That make any sense to you?"

Being the passionate reader that she is, Twilight instantly realized just what Kerrigan was talking about. "Of course...It all makes sense!"

"What does?" Kerrigan asked, curious about what was Twilight suddenly so excited about.

"I see now how you were able to defeat Amon. He thought he could draw power from the elements of harmony, but he could not do so because the elements of harmony cannot all reside inside the body of a single creature, nor can they be controlled...Instead, they have a will of their own, and they can only choose those that are truly worthy of carrying them!"

Twilight was so taken by this whole thing that she just kept on talking without pause, thus not letting the others keep up with her.

"Hang on," Kerrigan slowed her down. "I'm not sure I follow."

"Not long after you left to face Amon, your friends arrived at Canterlot in search of you. Since we didn't know whether they could be trusted or not, we asked them to tell us a little bit about their connection to you...When they told us at first, I didn't pay that much attention to it, but now I've realized something!" unable to quell her excitement, Twilight kept talking in the same tone and pace as before.

"Realized something?" Kerrigan repeated, unsure of where Twilight was going with this.

"Their pasts, the things they've done for you...they've all done something that represents one of the elements of harmony!"

"Us?" That statement left the metal titan surprised.

"Explain...what exactly is so harmonic about us?" Alexei asked, almost certain that this was something the young pony was wrong about.

Twilight started by turning towards Jim Raynor. "Not leaving your friend to fend for herself, even after she had done something that you could not forgive her for at first...If that's not a clear sign of loyalty, then I don't know what it is!"

Jim stood wondering for some time before replying shortly, "Point taken."

Twilight turned towards the protoss templar and the former vice admiral of the United Earth Directorate, both of which where standing side by side. "You two..."

This should be good... Stukov thought to himself as Twilight began to explain.

"If I understood right, then Kerrigan has once hurt both of you dearly...She once took something from you that can never be regained, is that not so?"

Both humanoids didn't say a word, but their silence said everything by itself.

"Even after this, you were able to forgive her and even risked your lives for her...Your kindness and generosity knows no bounds!"

"I stand corrected," Alexei admit his mistake and laughed. "You sure know how to keep one entertained, Twilight Sparkle."

After smiling at the man with the flaming eyes, Twilight turned towards the next member of the company. "Gabriel Tosh..."

"Aye?" Tosh answered, confirming that he was listening.

"From what I heard, I take it you never even knew Kerrigan."

"Aye, I had never even seen her in person until this day."

"Raynor told me about how he convinced you to come along, about how you only agreed because going after Amon sounded like a much more fun thing to do than to keep sitting on that ship...I believe that the element of laughter would fit you perfectly."

"The pony speaks the truth, mon," Tosh said while fiddling with his butterfly knife. "I only came here for some fun," Tosh gladly confessed and laughed.

"And you..." Twilight turned her attention back to the leader of the company. "Fearlessly and selflessly charging into battle alone, as well as succeeding in uniting those that did not so willingly follow you...That can only make you the element of magic!"

"The element of magic?" Kerrigan didn't seem too assured. "But how is magic an element? Especially compared to elements like loyalty, kindness and generosity."

"The element of magic is a very special and unique element. Unlike the other elements, It's not a trait that someone can inherit or learn, nor is it something that can be obtained through means of strength and power..." Twilight tried to explain as best she could. No one seemed eager to interrupt her, so she continued.

"The element of magic is the one element that chooses it's owner by itself, but how it chooses it's owner is unknown even to me...The only thing I know is that the bearer of this element is destined to unite the other elements, as well as that it's much stronger when combined with the other elements than it is on it's own."

Twilight's words left the crowd speechless for some time. Even Kerrigan couldn't find anything to add or subtract from that explanation. She could only quietly reply, "Quite the speech..."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Jim Raynor suddenly interrupted, drawing the attention of most of the crowd. As soon as he saw Twilight staring at him, he pointed his thumb over his left shoulder, right at where Dehaka was standing. "Who's this guy supposed to be?"

Realizing that she had indeed forgotten one of the elements, Twilight felt slightly embarrassed at first, after which confusion took over her as she tried to figure out just what element could this creature possibly be representing. "Uhhm..." They've got me with this one...this creature truly doesn't seem to represent anything harmonic.

"Supposed to be?" Dehaka repeated. He didn't seem to care much for everything that was going on until the very moment a finger was pointed at him. "I am supposed to be collecting essence!"

"Well, uhm..." Applejack spoke up, seeings how Twilight wasn't about to. "He seems to always be honest about his intentions."

"That must be it," Twilight agreed. "Dehaka never says anything else but that which he truly means...He might not be the most friendly type, and he might not even care about this himself, but the element of honesty has chosen him for a reason."

"You hear that, buddy?" Raynor addressed Dehaka in a friendly, but also slightly impudent tone. "May as well grow a beard and put on a top hat! You're the element of honesty!"

"I am not your friend...You speak in riddles. I do not like you!"

As Dehaka harshly replied, the others around him could only laugh at his display of honesty. All things were said and all deeds were done. A good laugh seemed like the perfect ending for this crazy day.

"So...ready to head back home?" Jim Raynor asked.

"You go on ahead, I'll catch up," Kerrigan replied.

Given the circumstances, it only seemed normal for Kerrigan to want to say a proper goodbye to her new allies, so the others didn't hesitate to leave her alone with the six ponies.

"Don't take too long, alright?" Jim said and followed the other four away.

Kerrigan didn't turn around to see them leave, she only listened to their footsteps. Jim's were the loudest, so they were the last ones she heard.

"So I guess this is goodbye," Twilight said with a touch of sadness in her tone.

"Indeed," Kerrigan replied in a tone equally as sad. "I fear I must be on my way now."

"Do visit us again sometime, if you can."

"Yes, you will certainly always be welcome here."

"I'll see what I can do," Kerrigan happily replied.

"Group hug!" Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted. The other five seemed to agree with her. They stared at Kerrigan with wide smiles on their faces, as if waiting for her approval.

Kerrigan hesitated to agree. She was never really one for such things, but the warm smiles on the pony faces eventually won her over. "Ohh, what the heck." Just as the ponies came closer and wrapped their hooves around her, she knelt on one knee and hugged them back.

Is it just me or does that pink one smell like cotton candy? Kerrigan wondered.

"Ooh! Almost forgot!" Pinkie Pie said and handed something to Kerrigan. "Here, I remember you said you were looking for one of these."

Kerrigan didn't know what to think when she stared at the green, cute-looking, round-shaped, creature with wings and eyes bigger than it's own head. "What is this thing?"

"A parasprite, silly! What did you think?" Pinkie Pie laughed.

Kerrigan was just about to thank Pinkie Pie, but she started getting second thoughts as she looked into the big, blue eyes of the innocent and unsuspecting little creature. It wouldn't seem right to give it to Abathur for his vile experiments.

"Thanks, but I think i've changed my mind," Kerrigan said as she handed the flying bug back to Pinkie.

"Huh?" The six ponies seemed surprised.

"I'll admit, the plans I had in mind for this creature weren't all that nice. When I heard the name parasprite I began to think that it was something disgusting and something your land would just be glad to be rid of...but this thing actually looks kinda cute."

The parasprite smiled at Kerrigan.

"Oh! We really won't mind if you take one, there's plenty more where that came from...Plus, they're not all that cute once you get to know them," Twilight explained.

"It's fine, really, I..."

"Seriously..." Twilight interrupted. "Just take it!" She took the parasprite away from Pinkie and shoved it back into Kerrigan's hand. "Consider it a parting gift!" Twilight said with a wide grin on her face.

"Uhh..." Kerrigan got slightly confused about that response. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!"

All the goodbyes were said, and the hug was also behind them...After one last round of smiling at each other, it was finally time to leave.

"You should really be going now, there's someone waiting for you."

"Huh? Who is it?"

"Who do you think?" Rainbow Dash replied and pointed at the wielder of the same element as her.

"Of course..." Kerrigan said as she looked behind her and noticed Jim standing near a dropship a good distance away. "Thanks again...for everything." Kerrigan thanked the ponies and started backing away while waving at them. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" The ponies waved back.

***

"Those pony folk seem awfully fond of you," Raynor said as soon as Kerrigan got closer.

"What can I say...I'm a charmer." Kerrigan smiled back at Jim, but both of their smiles suddenly faded away as they remembered an important question that was yet to be answered.

"So what happens now?"

"I don't know..." Kerrigan replied with her head hanging low. "We've been fighting all our lives, war is the only game we've ever known, and now, just like that...there's nothing left to fight...Funny...this almost makes me wish Amon was still alive."

"Enemies come and go, Kerrigan. The war game is the one game that never really ends."

"You're right, Jim," Kerrigan replied and lifted her head back up. "It's only a matter of time before the next madman tries to seize power again...and when they do, I'll be ready for them! I'll make sure my swarm keeps growing in both strength and numbers!" She got a bit carried away.

"Isn't it about time you took a little vacation?"

"What?" Kerrigan asked as she woke up from her moment of bloodlust.

"Just give control of the swarm over to that brood mother of yours for some time...you deserve a break more than anyone," Raynor said in a caring tone and put his hand on Kerrigan's shoulder.

"I can't do that..."

"Why?"

"Because!" Kerrigan moved, shaking Jim's arm off her shoulder in the process. "Because..." Unable to think of an answer, she paused.

"It doesn't have to be for good, just a short moment away from all the war and violence, a small trip to help you remember what it used to feel like to be human."

Raynor's words seemed to be getting to Kerrigan. She no longer seemed so against this.

"And where would I even go?"

"Why go anywhere?" Jim asked, leaving Kerrigan slightly confused. "Your four-legged friends looked like they'd welcome you with open arm...erm...hooves."

"You can't be serious..."

Raynor didn't reply to that. He just smiled at her and winked while backing away into his dropship. "Stay in touch, darlin."

Kerrigan's eyes followed Jim for some time, and when they could no longer follow him, they followed his dropship. When it faded from her sights, she turned her attention to the town full of ponies behind her. After a short moment spent staring and thinking, she started laughing out loud, after which she started slowly walking towards the town.

Learning how to be more human from a bunch of candy colored ponies...And here I was thinking that the craziest part of this day was already behind me.

I hope they're friendly

The speed with which Kerrigan left Canterlot was miraculous. As she flew on, a massive wind rose up behind her, blowing away everything in the city that wasn't holding on to anything tightly. Mostly things like hats and fruit from stands.

As the wind blew, everyone turned their sights towards the creature causing it, but none could tell what it was. They could only see a big ball of pure energy flying through the sky.

It was a crazy day in Canterlot. After the wave of wind passed and the creature responsible for it was long gone, the ponies in the streets thought that they would finally have some rest...Unfortunately for them, just after they had sighed and were ready to continue on with whatever they were doing before this, a massive shadow engulfed the whole city.

With a shadow of that size falling upon their city, most ponies were afraid to even look up. Those that did soon found themselves running for their lives. It wasn't Kerrigan's Leviathan this time...but whatever it was, it inspired that same amount of fear.

"Your Highness!" a royal guard shouted out to the princess as he ran into the royal hall.

"What's going on?" Celestia asked as she got up, still weary after giving up her magic.

"Your Highness! There's someone here to see you!" the guard immediately explained himself.

"Who is it?"

"Your Highness...uhm..." The guard stuttered, unable to find the right words. "There's more than one of them, Your Highness! I...I don't even know how to describe them..."

"How many?"

"Five, Your Majesty!"

"Are they being led by someone?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!...It's..." The guard paused for a moment while he tried to find a good word for describing the creature. "A metal titan!"

Celestia could only widen her eyes as she heard that kind of response. She didn't know whether to believe those words or not, but she didn't have to keep on wondering for long. Just moments after the guard arrived, the so called metal titan also walked in through the doors. It's footsteps echoed loudly through the halls. Indeed, the company he was with was a pack of creatures that were hard to describe.

The metal titan walked fast, right towards the four weakened alicorn princesses. With Kerrigan having taken all their power and the royal guards shaking from fear, they could only hope that this company wasn't here to cause them harm, for if they were, then they would surely not stand a chance.

As the company came closer, the metal titan stopped and stared at the ruler of Equestria. Celestia looked back at it, but she didn't even know what part of it to stare at...It had something that resembled a head, and yet it had no eyes, but it still saw. It had no mouth, but it could still speak. And it had only three words to say.

"Where is she?"