The Fractured Mind and Twisted Body

by The Great Reader

Rating: mature
Tags: Violence, Princess Celestia, Starcraft, Death, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, Romance, Original Character, Sex, Science Fiction
Length: 6949

Lost, confused, afraid... and hungry. What happens when a lost soul, transformed into a being of countless capabilities, is left with fractured memories and mind. Will they be able to remain sane and good, or become ravenous and evil?

A great war has ravaged the lands of Equis for years, a war that will decide the fate of the entire world. The three pony tribes have been brought together by the epiphany of their alliance, two alicorns seeking to keep the world from becoming ashen and barren. Though they stand united with aid from the other ancient races and kingdoms of Equis, the endless tide of the hordes of Tatarus are slowly gaining a foothold from the gates to the south.

The once lush lands, left unexplored, are turning into a wasteland that steadily expands like a wave over a beach. As all of Equis fights this threat, how will they be able to respond to another and possibly more dangerous creature. How will the arrival of an alien and almost demon-like being effect the world from its sudden appearance deep within pony lands. Will this hasten the destruction of the world, or will it bring salvation?

Only time will tell if this new creature will go down as a monster or great ally. Though it will be a constant struggle as the creature fights internally against what feels almost like a second mind within it. Will its fractured mind and memories be able to restore themselves for the greater good, or will it find itself broken for good and turned into a mindless monster determined to destroy the world?

A displaced story for a genre I recently encountered and a good way for me to get back into the swing of things from my lapse of writing/editing.

Published 2017-07-07 04:30:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-03 04:11:08 UTC

Friend or Foe?

The skies above were nothing but layers upon layers of grey, thick clouds. Their continuous cover leaving the land in a constant sense of despair. One would think it rained nonstop across the land as uncontrolled storms continued to plague the land of those below. Tenebris stared at the sky from his quarters balcony, saddened at the state of the land. However fitting the atmosphere was, it would lead to problems down the road if it wasn't taken care of soon. The war to the south had taken a turn for the worse, leaving few pegasi or unicorns that could regulate the weather where needed.

While lost in thought, a purple hoof slowly turning orange grabbed his shoulder. Tenebris brought one of his own black hooves to rest upon the one on his shoulder. With a sigh he closed his eyes and turned to nuzzle the figure beside him. The figure returned the gesture lovingly, knowing the troubles that plagued Tenebris' mind. "You should be resting, my love."

The mare giggled as she brought the hoof on the stallion's shoulder to her stomach, tenderly rubbing it. "I know, but just because I got a little one to worry about doesn't stop me from worrying about you." She rested her head in the crook of her lover's neck, enjoying his scent.

Tenebris smiled down at her, enjoying the embrace while he could. "Lux, I'll be fine. Once I leave to join our forces we will finally be able to stem the tide of demons and push them back to Tatarus." Gently, Tenebris pulled himself from Lux's side. He gave her a quick kiss, something that was enough to show his affection for her, before making his way out of their chambers. "I must depart soon, the demons have become to powerful for us to idly stand by."

Lux quickly hobbled to Tenebris before he could open the door, wrapping her wing and forelegs around him tightly. "Promise me you'll contact me daily? That telepathy spell shouldn't be to hard to perform to simply ensure me of your well being." She stared at him deeply, her eyes holding all the worry and pain she had at the thought of losing him before their baby was born.

Knowing a perfect way of easing her mind, Tenebris quickly turned and gave Lux a more passionate kiss. Almost immediately melting into the embrace, Lux found herself holding onto the lips of her stallion as if her life depended on it. However fate had other plans for three swift knocks were heard at the door. Slowly, the two parted as they both turned to answer the door. Upon opening it, the two of them were greeted by the Three Race Council, a council that was formed with the previous leaders of the three pony tribes.

Before them stood Commander Hurricane, Princess Platinum, and Chancellor Puddinghead, all of which were accompanied by a guard from each tribe. Hurricane was the first to take initiative, stepping forward and saluting to the duo. "My King, its time we departed. The reinforcements from the Zebrican Tribes, Minotaur Empire, and the Griffon Kingdom stand ready to assist in the war effort." The commander was dressed in a full suit of plate armor, however it was still relatively thin and light due to the need for pegasi. To her right stood Princess Platinum, fully clad in silver armor that seemed almost crystalline in nature. It was a form of mirror armor often found on unicorns, aiding in the defense against magic cast by others by almost reflecting it off of it. To her left stood Chancellor Puddinghead who wore nothing but the heaviest of plate armor available. If no pony knew who stood before them, they could easily assume he was just another earth pony soldier other than the strange chancellor himself.

Nodding towards the council, Tenebris quickly nuzzled and kissed Lux on the cheek, bidding her farewell as he joined them outside their room. "Do not worry, my love, I'll return soon enough." With a regretful sigh, they separated. The entire time the group made their way out of the Royal Chambers wing of the castle Tenebris could feel the worried gaze of his wife until they exited the hall through another set of guarded doors.

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Rain was gently cascading down the armored creatures below as they made their way through the mud and muck left from the constant downpour. In the front of the army, the first king of the newly found country of Equestria marched surrounded by a squad of the finest ponies around. Among this group were the council members of the Three Race Council and their respective bodyguard. They led the way for 10,000 troops, other creatures that knew what was at stake to the south of Equestria. The army itself composed of 2,000 Shamans and Warriors whose greatest strength came from their alchemy and ancient knowledge only Zebras seemed to have at their disposal. Only armed with a simple spear and tribal hide shield, they could easily be underestimated due to the lack of equipment or even armor. However few felt this way as the Zebrican Tribes had shown time and time again how skilled their Warriors were in combat and how deadly a simple alchemic powder from a Shaman could be. From the Minotaur Empire, 4,000 elite Chargers clad in heavy plate armor much like an earth pony marched forth with halberd in hand. Due to their great strength and bipedal nature, they could easily be a formidable force. The Chargers were mainly known for their ability to make a deadly charge into enemy lines with their halberds, and once engaged, easily switching to a long sword and shield to push the enemy back. The fact alone that they can wield a long sword with one hand is enough to incite fear to an untrained opponent.

However the most interesting addition to the army of reinforcements from neighboring nations were the Sky Guard of the Griffon Kingdom. The griffons were clad in thick leather armor, studded and covered with a thin layer of steal to add additional protection without risking too much mobility. They preferred to stay high in the skies and rain death down to their enemies below. Each of them carried dozens of small, yet deadly bolts, with which they fired from wrist mounted crossbows. The engineering of such devices was breath taking, and highly effective for bombarding an enemy from different angles. But this was not the only deadly aspect of the Sky Guard, they were also well trained with the use of dual sabers. Focusing their higher agility to the use of slicing weak points within an enemies defense. Though their sabers couldn't pierce heavier armor, they made up for it by effectively attacking joints and other weak points even the heaviest of armor had with a deadly precision.

They had been marching for a little over a day now, coming within a few hours march of the edge of the Everfree Forest. They still had two more weeks of marching before they reached the pony forces trying to hold the Hordes of Tatarus at bay. Tenebris' thoughts were plagued with how bad things were starting to turn for his forces to the south. Even though the ponies had been united for a few years now, they still struggled to effectively fight side by side. To easy was it yet for commanders and captains to stray from orders and take action with their respective command and race on their own. His expression slowly grimed as he thought to the steadily increasing casualties they suffered because of this. Already over 2,000 ponies had either died or become too injured to fight anytime soon. Though there was some silver lining to this whole ordeal, thanks to the guidance of the Three Pony Council's advisers, the river of casualties had slowed down to a gentle stream as the three races formed more integrated and mixed squads.

Remembering this removed the grimace on Tenebris' face, slowly replaced by a gentle smile as he felt pride for the progress of unity amongst his ponies. He only wished the strength of their union wasn't being reinforced by such a horrid threat. No pony spoke as they marched, the seriousness of the situation hanging over them. All that was heard was the clatter of metal as they continued onward.

However after a strong flash of light and what felt like an earthquake in the distance, everypony stopped and readied themselves. They all looked off into the trees ahead, where the phenomenon occured, slowly following silent commands to march onward. Tenebris kept his magic lit as he raised his wings away from the blades at his sides, keeping his senses alert for trouble. They continued slowly marching forward, preparing themselves for the worst possible scenario, but weren't prepared for what they came across. After marching for about thirty minutes or so, Tenebris raised his hoof for everypony to stop. Even for how well trained and disciplined they all were, whispers and shouts of both fear and confusion began to spread from those that could see what lie before them.

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I sense... fear, confusion, curiosity... What are these creatures, and why are there so many of them? Wait! I sense something else approaching, something filled with anger, something that wants nothing but to see everything burn...

----------*****----------

Tenebris couldn't even began to comprehend what he saw before him, an unnatural clearing had been created. Nothing remained but a strange substance that spread around for probably a hundred feet or more in a circle, covering the ground and rocks looking like a layer of flesh. But what was even more disturbing was what was in the center of the clearing. Sitting in the center was what appeared to be a cocoon of sorts, giving off a subtle yellow glow. Strange larvae of sorts seemed to be nesting around it, as if it was a presence of comfort or protection. It made sense given the countless cyst like bulges and spiked-like legs spread around the clearing. The cysts seemed to almost shake in sync as if a heartbeat was being shared amongst them. The giant crab legs sticking out of various spots in the ground simply moved with the gentle breeze blowing past.

"By the Sun..." Princess Platinum was the first to speak among the entourage, unable to take her eyes away from the sight before them. "Is this the work of Tatarus?"

Before anyone could give a possible answer, an almost giddy laugh erupted as Chancellor Puddinghead simply bounced his way into the clearing. "Hehehehheee! A new friend to aid us has arrived!" Everypony just watched in horror as the crazed stallion, seemingly unhindered by the heavy plate armor on his back, bounced past the first set of legs. It was as if they had eyes as they seemed to simply follow him with caution as he continued by unhindered. Other strange creatures began to appear and follow the mad stallion, they were similar to a stingray but without the tail and floating a few feet off the ground.

Commander Hurricane was the first to break out of their trance and began shouting at the Chancellor. "Get your arse back here right now Puddinghead, do you have a death wish!?!?" She continued to yell expletives at Puddinghead as he seamlessly bounced within a few feet of the cocoon in the center, ignoring the shouts of Hurricane and any others who thought they could dissuade him.

Suddenly everyone went silent as the cocoon began to glow brighter and brighter as it expanded, as if a pressure was building up from within.

Seeing the developing threat, Tenebris began shouting a warning. "Puddinghead get back, it's abo-" In a blink of an eye the cocoon was gone, leaving about twenty feet or so around it covered in a slimy substance. Those that did not follow out of curiosity continued their tasks of harvesting various minerals and crystals from the surrounding rocks. Puddinghead just gave himself a physics defying shake that traversed from his head to tail slowly, flinging the substance off as it went. Once he found himself presentable once again, he stretched a hoof forward as if expecting another to return a hoofshake with him.

As if on que from Puddinghead's action, a creature began to rise out of the base of the ruptured cocoon, the creatures around the clearing began to share a loud screech of some sort. It was as if they were cheering for the strange bipedal creature slowly standing in front of the Chancellor. Once it was on its feet, everypony began to take in its appearance; glowing yellow eyes with veins that seemed to be pushing against the skin leading away from them, two legs and arms much like the minotaur, it appeared to be wearing a strange suit of sorts that gave off an air of an military officer of sorts and stood at least two feet taller than Tenebris himself, however the strangest thing to note was the large growth on its back that was covered in both a bone-like chitin and more cysts like the ones around the clearing.

I sense no harmful intent from you creatures, so I will not harm you...

As the creature spoke, it's mouth remained closed, speaking not without it as the voice echoed within everyponies' minds. Slowly Tenebris began to approach the strange creature, signaling for everyone but Hurricane and Platinum to stay back. The creature continued to look at them with both curiosity and intrigue, making them all feel the powerful presence of it's mind. Once they stood before it, the being spoke once again, but this time to them only.

Why do you disturb my slumber? The creature began to step out of the cocoon, stopping once it was standing within a foot from them, it's hands clasped each other behind it.

"I am King Tenebris, we apologize for disturbing you but you appeared seemingly out of thing air in our path as we marched." Tenebris kept his voice as steady and relaxed as possible, trying to hide his growing fear and suspicion for the creature before them. "These three before you are advisers of mine, Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and... Chancellor Puddinghead." As he began to introduce the others, he paused in both confusion and annoyance when he came across Puddinghead riding one of the smaller creatures while a couple of the larvae curiously crawled on top of his back.

No pony else had the nerve to speak, fearing the creature before them. It just stood there, analyzing those around it, it's expression turning into one of amusement as it fell on Puddinghead's antics. It seems the creatures that follow me enjoy your presence. The creatures face turned to one of confusion as it returned it's gaze to King Tenebris. Its strange, I recognize these creatures but yet I don't...

Tenebris raised an eyebrow at that, confused just like the creature. "If they are attracted to you, what are you exactly? I don't mean to cause offense but I've never seen anything like you before." Now that they were closer to the creature, Tenebris could see that the creature was mostly different from what tied all of the other creatures around them together. Other than it's strange growth on the back, it seemed just as foreign to the other creatures as they did to it. Another thing that peeked his interest was the strange, metallic polearm hanging by a strap from it's shoulder.

The creature just stood there, staring through Tenebris as if it was deep in thought. I... do not know... It's face contorted in pain as it seemed to struggle to recall anything to memory. My memories... they feel fractured, scattered. It is as if something is stopping me from remembering anything. It's face then filled with sorrow and regret. I can't even recall what or who I am... But then it seemed the creature recalled something, it's face lighting up immediately. I can recall one thing, I am a man... a male, sadly that is all my mind will let me remember at the moment.

Before Tenebris could speak, the creature suddenly stiffened, before it spun to face behind it. Almost instantly, the strange legs in the ground began to pull themselves out of the ground. Everypony watched, frozen in place, as the crab like creatures with a sole massive leg sticking from there back made their way to the opposite end of the clearing. As they began to burrow into the ground once again, the larvae surrounding Puddinghead rushed to the ground around the cocoon. To everyponies horror, they surrounded themselves within their own cocoons, and within seconds an entirely new creature burst from their cocoons. They were covered in chitin-like armor, standing on four legs with two appendages with bones for blades on each end sprouting from their backs. Their mouths seemed they could tear a hole through the strongest plate armor. At least two dozen of the larvae turned into these vicious creatures as the rest tried to hide around the bursted cocoon in the center of the clearing.

It would seem a small army seeking our demise is almost upon us, ready your men Tenebris! The creature's growth than began to form a chitin and bone armor around him as he took the polearm from his back, pointing it towards the approaching enemies. The new beasts around him, nearly three times the average size of a pony, started to form a defensive pack around their apparent master. Cysts began to pop like the cocoons from earlier on the creatures back, causing more larvae to slither off him, as more cysts or rather cocoons began to form and develop even more larvae.

Shaking himself from the trance the sight before him had thrown him into, Tenebris turned towards his own troops. "Alright that's enough sight seeing, form a defensive line on me now!" Almost instantaneously, his army began to move into position around him, their military background showing how well they were trained and disciplined. As everypony was finishing their formation, a load bang came from their new ally.

----------*****----------

As the creature pulled the trigger on the rifle he had with him, he watched as one of the approaching enemies had their head pulled apart from the blast. He continued this act, taking as much of the advantage given to him as possible, the approaching enemies stopping in confusion for a minute as they tried to protect themselves with shields that could not stop the penetration of his sniper rifle. However the enemy only stood still long enough for him to pick off just over a dozen, immediately initiating a charge.

Slinging his rifle back onto his back, the creature extended a bone blade from each of his forearms, preparing to meat the oncoming charge with the other creatures that wished to protect him. Tenebris and his own forces had formed a formidable defensive line stretching into the forest around the clearing. Already hundreds of the large creatures the larvae around him had turned into were standing between the new threat and Tenebris' forces.

They are almost upon us, prepare to fight!

----------*****----------

As the first of the enemies came into view, Tenebris couldn't believe his eyes. A small demon army was charging them, something that shouldn't be happening unless the front to the south had been breached. The creature and it's minions stood before them, ready to take the brunt of the charge, or that is what Tenebris thought.

As soon as the first demon came close enough to the clearing, the legs buried in the ground began to attack them with deadly accuracy. Whether it was an impaling stab or a swing that left the body cut in half, the strange legs began decimating those it could. Once the demons were engaged by the first line of defense, the creatures sprouted from the larvae began charging forward with their master leading the charge. A terrifying screech was shared amongst the beasts, causing a lot of the demons to freeze in fear for a moment.

As soon as the two forces collided, the demons began to quickly loose numbers as the beasts used swarm tactics to quickly take down any demon that was unfortunate enough to not die to the initial defenses. Tenebris couldn't take his eyes off the sight, watching as the demons struggled to even take down a single beast before they lost twenty. Their master was doing even a greater number on them, slowly slashing his way with deadly precision towards the back of the enemy forces. He could see he was going after one of the larger demons in the back, one that could easily be assumed as the leader.

"Griffons, flank from the skies, Minotaur's charge their ranks, Zebras light their back line aflame!" Commander Hurricane's orders carried throughout the clearing. Its effect was immediate, Tenebris' army began to move into action as they joined the fray. With a mighty battle cry everypony charged forward, focusing on the demons that weren't being swarmed by the beasts around them. Within minutes, the beasts had torn apart half of the demon forces before Tenebris' own joined the fray.

"Platinum, Hurricane, Puddinghead, you're all with me! We're gonna give our new friend a hand reaching their leader." His commands were immediately followed as he led them to join their new found ally in his fight. They quickly formed up behind the creature, aiding it with their weapons and magic as it carved a path to the demon leader. Platinum was continuously sending spell after spell into the demons around us, a levitated scythe taking out any that got through the magical onslaught. While Platinum showed her prowess as a battle mage, Hurricane was a flurry of metal, the wingblades on her wings joining together with the onslaught of the dual foreleg mounted blades she wielded. Puddinghead was crushing or skewering any demon the others didn't kill, his halberd half warhammer being wielded with deadly earth pony strength. Tenebris stood amongst them, using his dual blades in his telekinesis to pick off stragglers as his horn continuously cast off defensive spells for the occasional projectile or offensive spell from the demons forces.

In what felt like minutes, the group had reached the back of the demons forces. The leader was already calling for a retreat, only a few hundred demons heard the order as thousands laid dead around them. The demons were routed, but with how deep they were into Equestrian territory they could not be allowed to escape. Using as much magic as he could muster, Tenebris created a wall of magic to stop the demon retreat. "No mercy! Show these demons what happens when they invade our lands!"

Rallying to Tenebris' voice, his forces gave a final battle cry and charge before finishing off the remaining demons as they tried to escape. As he watched the last demon fall, he looked for the creature who had shown to be an ally. He saw him standing over the ravaged remains of the Naga that was apparently the leader of the demon forces around them.

Making his way over to the creature, Tenebris held a smile as he stood before him. Reaching out a hoof towards the creature, Tenebris made up his mind. "I think we found a name for you, Amicus!"

Amicus looked over to Tenebris, his organic armor retreating back to the growth on his back. Stepping away from the Naga, he grabbed the outstretched hoof, giving it a firm handshake. I accept this name, and your friendship. The smile on Amicus' face was genuine and large.

Author's Note

And here we have my return into the fray as a writer. I still plan on continuing my other stories after some revising and addition of missing details I failed to realize were left only in my notes. This chapter is unedited so if anyone sees something that is missing grammar and so forth feel free to pm me the mistakes. :twilightsheepish:

This story is something I plan on making as another main project like Heaven's Gift, so if any of you reading this are wondering about my other story its still not forgotten. Anyways I hope you enjoy this story.

What Am I?

Amicus stood beside Tenebris, watching as their forces worked at gathering the dead demons. Though Tenebris' forces were lucky to only suffer minor wounds, half of Amicus' had died to the demons. As he stood there, he couldn't help what felt like a growing hunger within him. The creatures that fought beside him seemed to feel it as well, for they continued to look between him and the dead demons. Whatever the hunger was, it was if it had a voice of its own, telling him consuming the beasts would bring forth the answers he seeks. Slowly walking towards the pile of dead demons, everyone watched in both curiosity and confusion. Tenebris was even more confused, but more so worried, as the two new friends were conversing about the demons when Amicus suddenly stopped.

Before Tenebris could ask if everything was alright, he was caught off guard with the rest of his forces when, once in front of the pile of the dead, the demon bodies began to turn into a strange orange energy. The energy slowly flowed towards Amicus, absorbing into his very being. A gentle, orange glow covered his body lasting for a few minutes until all of the demons had been absorbed into him.

As Tenebris approached him to see if he was alright, the creature let out a blood curdling scream as he fell to his knees with his hands grabbing his head in pain. What was even more so surprising was the fact that this scream came vocally from his open mouth, rather than telepathically like he had been previously communicating to them. But as soon as the scream came it ended, everyone but Amicus' creatures covering their ears in pain.

Slowly, Amicus rose from the ground as his body seemed to change. All of the strange growths on his body seemed to recede into him, almost as if they were fading from existence. Tenebris watched in awe as the creature before him became less grotesque each second that passed. As the new creature before him turned to face him, Amicus had something adorning his face he'd yet to see since meeting him... Emotion... So many different emotions flew across his face, sadness, anger, pain, happiness, but the one that came last was clarity. "I...Remember."

And with that Amicus began to fall forward as he lost consciousness, but before he could hit the ground Tenebris rushed forward and caught him with his side. Gently he laid him across his back, calling for room on a cart to be made for him to rest. "Don't worry my friend, we shall watch over you until you awake." Almost immediately a group of minotaurs had brought a supply cart with some space cleared for the creature to rest as they made their way out of the Everfree Forest. As everyone prepared to march once again, the creatures that were created by Amicus began to follow closely to his cart, seemingly protecting him as a pack of Timberwolves would their alpha. However, as the combined army began to weed through the forest towards the plains outside, another larvae and a dozen of the creatures that were mining the nearby rocks for useful minerals burrowed into the ground around the center of the clearing before becoming cocoons of various sizes.

Everypony stopped to watch in both fear and awe at the sight, neither running nor drawing their weapons as they both knew nothing of these creatures but knew their apparent leader was on their side. Within a few minutes various organic and living structures formed around the clearing, the largest being in the center where Amicus had emerged from his own cocoon. From this central structure countless larvae began to come out of it and mindlessly wandered around it, as if they were young foals not knowing what to do with themselves, curious of the world around them. A few of the seemingly unique structures that sprouted from the larvae ranged from tall spires with flying beasts moving in and out of it to pools of a strange green goop where more of the creatures that fought alongside them would come out of every now and then.

However Tenebris' attention focused on the final cocoon that hatched after all of the other structures finished hatching, revealing a new creature that reminded him of an arachnipony from Tatarus. The major differences were that this new creature had only six legs, chitin like armor all over its body with no skin or fur exposed anywhere, and two green eyes glowing with an inner and eerie power. It locked eyes with Tenebris before slowly approaching him. His advisers and their respective body guards quickly stood beside him with their weapons at the ready. "Stand down! After gaining a new friend and ally, is this any way to treat his own forces?" He glared at those around him that took defensive stances, he knew it was out of fear of the unknowns surrounding these creatures, but he had to snip this problem at the bud before anything worse could happen.

As everypony that had drawn their weapons and taken defensive stances sheathed them and began to relax, the new creature finished approaching Tenebris, speaking with a feminine voice as it bowed. "It is an honor to meat another powerful being like our father."

Everyponies eyes went wide at this, both confused and surprised to learn this new creatures was somehow the offspring of Amicus. However Tenebris was the only one not to be surprised by this, for he has come across other creatures around Equis that were similar to this. "So you are a hive-mind sort of species?" Everyone just looked at Tenebris, not understanding how he could already know of such kinds of creatures when none of them have heard of such things before as the creature just nodded. "What is your name, young one?"

Strangely, even though the creature was covered in chitin, it somehow managed an adorable smile between its deadly mandibles as it's eyes lit up with happiness. "Our father has decided that I should be known as Filia Prima!" An energetic shake coursed through her body as she almost began to dance in excitement. Suddenly her features became more serious as she focused her attention on those before her once again. "But enough questions for now, as my father will be better suited for them once he recovers from the mental exhaustion of regaining some of his memories." She turned around and waved everyone's attention to another creature like her that was approaching. "This is my sister Primum Custodem, we are both queens, creatures of the Swarm capable of running our own hives without the need of our father to guide our actions."

The new queen stood beside her sister, the only difference between the two was that while Filia had black chitin and green eyes, Primum had blue chitin with bright ruby eyes. Her voice was still distinctly feminine, although it was more tomboyish sounding. "Father has tasked me with developing this hive, to not only defend the city of Everfree, but to also defend the surrounding area from additional threats." She did not bow as her sister did, but rather tilted her head down while crossing her arms across her chest.

"If your father is Amicus, how are you speaking with him? He's unconscious right now and shouldn't be able to even speak telepathically." Princess Platinum found it strange how, even as a hive mind, they were communicating within it even when such a connection should be temporarily severed.

Filia put a friendly claw on her shoulder as she brought the startled unicorn to her side, once again managing a friendly smile to ease everyone around her. "You are right, we can't speak with him at all right now. We are just following his wishes before he became unconscious." With another claw she brought Tenebris to her other side, bringing the two in for a group hug. "I'm so excited to help father with aiding you against these vile demons!"

While everyone stared dumbfounded at the queen currently making Tenebris and Platinum become one with their bluing bodies, Primum face clawed with a deep le sigh before saving the two ponies from 'death by suffocation'. "Sister, I understand your excitement but could you please refrain from killing our new found friends with your death hugs..."

With an embarrassed chuckle, a heavy green blush adorning her cheeks, Filia apologized to the ponies. "Sorry, even though my sister and I are newborns, we are ready to help however we can." Suddenly she stood tall with her head held high, giving a loud screech as she raised her arms with a deep green glow surrounding them. The effect was immediate, most of the forces of this Swarm began to gather behind Filia, most of them consisting of the ones that fought beside them earlier while many of the flying beasts joined them. The flying beasts had similar design with their heads as the other creatures, with vicious jaws and mandibles. They flew using two large, bat like wings while their body ended in some strange open maw for a tail. Another of the new creatures to join them were snake like, slithering across the ground with vicious bone blades for arms. As the army of the Swarm gathered behind her, Filia brought her claws to her sides, casting her father's new friends a warm smile. "The Swarm stands ready!"

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You will either submit... or burn in a golden fire...

With a start, Amicus' eyes flew open and he lurched forward, his breaths quick and short while sweat formed on his skin. That voice... all I can recall of it is that it is a great evil. Within seconds of waking up, he suddenly found himself pulled into a crushing hug. "Father, I'm so glad you are awake!" Though the hug would've crushed lesser beings, Amicus being infested had the strength to survive what would be known from that day forth as the Grasp of Death.

Finding a way to free an arm, he reached around to embrace his daughter, returning the love she was giving him. Though he was enjoying this, his memories made this interaction surprising. From what memories he had regained, he could recall everything about the Zerg, especially the fact that they weren't supposed to have personalities like this. Why do I feel like I always wanted to meet a zerg that was like a normal person... Another squeeze knocked the breath Amicus was holding out of him, bringing him back to his current predicament. "Filia dear, could you please allow daddy to breath again?"

The effect was immediate, Filia gently yet quickly set him back down on the cart, rubbing the back of her head with a claw while a sheepish smile was displayed by her maw. "Sorry father, but I have yet to speak to you since my birth."

With a smile of his own, Amicus reached out and patted her other arm. "It is alright, child. However I would like to speak with our new friend Tenebris if possible... We have much to discuss now that my memory has returned somewhat."

As if summoned, Tenebris landed beside Amicus, a warm smile gracing his face as he put a hoof on his friend's shoulder. "It is good to hear you have regained some of your memories and self, my good friend." He then flew into the sky, one filled with the setting sun, before making a call for the army to set up camp.

Once again standing on his own, Amicus looked around them to see they were no longer in the Everfree Forest but rather among the rolling hills of a large plain. Looking at Filia, they shared a nod before she went to the edges of the camp, laying down cysts to create a perimeter of creep for the spine crawlers and spore launchers they brought with them. As Filia left to complete her task, Tenebris returned with the council and their bodyguards in tow. They all gathered around him, making themselves comfortable as he requested. Taking a deep breath, Amicus prepared himself for the long explanation and many questions he would have to endure soon enough. "Now my new friends, allow me to tell you of the Zerg, or as many know them as, The Swarm...

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The ponies around him were staring at him in both shock and awe, having listened to him intently as he told them of the Zerg. They learned all they could about their history, the various creatures of the swarm, and how they lived, but one thing they could not learn was how Amicus came to be their new Overmind or how he even got to Equestria in the first place. All they could learn about him, personally, was that he was able to manipulate the biomass within himself and the strange device attached to his back that had become more prominent now that the biomass had receded back into his body and said device. From what Amicus was able to recall since regaining some of his memories, he was originally a human male, that had somehow become infested by the Zerg and it lead to him becoming the new Overmind. Using the device on his back; he can both lay down cysts to help spread creep for his swarm or hatch larvae to turn into either workers or zerglings, form a formidable exoskeleton to act as a set of armor stronger than even steel, and form forearm blades that cut through steel like butter.

Other than that the only other memories that came back to Amicus were fragments, which either depicting glimpses of a large vessel that was infested itself, or moments of him using the strange sniper rifle he had slinged across his back with a strange glow of energy from both his hands and eyes. There was another one where all he could see was a strange figure shrouded by a cloak, a devious smile plastered on his face as nothing but his mouth was visible. I know one thing for certain, I must find a way to trigger my memories as I have with the Zerg. Only then will I truly know myself...

Platinum had been kind enough to manifest a mirror in front of Amicus, allowing him to see what he now looked like, and he found it rather pleasant. He stood at about 6'8" in height, with a compact and muscular form and short black hair. He had no facial hair, but what really caught his attention was what his eyes looked like. They were glowing orange, not allowing any details to be made of what they looked like behind said glow, with what looked like veins moving away form them and eventually getting smaller till they were none existent the further they got from his eyes. It was as if they were roots to a tree with how they looked. Strangely this was the only signs Amicus could see that would lead one to believe he was infested. Everything else seemed normal to him from his fragmented memories of humans, and he believed this was due to his feast on all that biomass from the demons.

Other than giving him insight on their biological structure down to the cellular level, it had somehow helped stabilize his own. He believed the loss of his memories had resulted in his own biomass and control over it to go haywire, and the use of his armor and bone blades was purely a result of survival instinct. He was thankful to be able to revert to his less threatening original state. Now he could more easily interact with the ponies around him, finding it easier to approach and befriend them.

While everypony continued to discuss about Amicus and his swarm, a fireball in the sky gained everyone's attention as it crashed in the distance to the south. Even though the sun had set and the moon was high in the sky, a strong red and yellow glow could be seen on the horizon as the fires from the object crashing were either that strong or the object that crashed was that large.

Tenebris as well as the other ponies were wide eyed as they worried for their forces to the south, for they were close to where the object had crashed. "Everyone, we march NOW!!!" Everyone of the army already packing up the camp before Tenebris could finish his order. Whatever had crashed either just gave the demons what they needed to shatter the ponies defensive line, or it gave the ponies a chance to refortify their positions. There was only one way for them to figure out however.

Author's Note

And we have the next chapter! Finally learning a little more about Amicus' abilities and what he may learn in the future. But it seems our friend still needs to do more to regain his memories and past self... Once again if you see any errors or where something might be missing, please don't hesitate to point it out to me! :twilightsmile: Hope you all enjoy where this story is going.