Queen of Blades

Chapters

Prologue - Queen Bitch of the Universe
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Side-Chapter 1 - Breaking a Dog
Chapter Twelve

Prologue - Queen Bitch of the Universe

Queen of Blades

Prologue - Queen Bitch of the Universe

The world of Char was positively brimming with activity, the Zerg swarming from their hives in endless waves. The order given to them through the hivemind was clear: destroy the human interlopers. The Queen of Blades could already feel them, the primitive mental signatures of their minds clearly distinguishable to her senses despite the great distance between them. They, the terran, were already in orbit, planning uselessly among themselves. If she still had a sense of humour, she would have found it all rather amusing. To think that the humans actually believed they stood a chance, attacking the very core of her power. Indeed, the world she had been cultivating for so many years, preparing for the great war she knew was still to come. This was just a minor interruption really, one she planned to resolve harshly.

They had even brought along the Xel’Naga artifacts she had been searching for, so thoughtful of Jimmyreally. She would have to remember to give him a kiss, before ripping out his spine for stealing them before she could get to them in the first place. She wasn’t without compassion after all, and all good efforts deserved some form of reward. He would probably enjoy it too, it was painfully obvious that he had a thing for her. After all, why else would he have prattled on and on about ‘saving her’?

‘An absurd thought, does he truly believe that I am the one in need of saving? Perhaps you should take a better look at your precious humans, Jimmy.’

A surge of information burst through her mind, it was almost overwhelming, even to her, and she was once again reminded why she had decided to breed the Brood Mothers after her destruction of the Cerebrates. Controlling the Zerg as a whole was simple enough, she had done it for nearly four years after all. But effectively giving orders to such a large population of creatures in the middle of a mass scale war? That was another thing entirely.

The reports she was getting were promising, her own forces had already clashed with the Terran fleet, causing utter destruction and so much death that she could almost feel all those minds being snuffed out. Thousands died in moments, and she barely felt any emotion at all. Had there even been a time where she would have grieved? Perhaps, but those days were long past her now; only faded mirages and pointless memories remained. She would have to remember to purge those from her mind once all this was over.

Another communication from her Brood Mothers told her that the humans had managed to deploy troops to the planet. She silently chided herself for falling into contemplation, if she hadn’t she would have already felt those filthy armored boots, gracing the living surface of her planet with their presence. With a simple thought she relayed her intent to the Mothers, who then relayed it to the rest of the swarm. She wanted those pesky creatures off her planet, they weren’t worthy to bask in the perfection of her creation.

‘There, those insects should be eradicated in a matter of minutes. It was foolish of them to set foot on my world... perhaps I should even go deal with them myself, to at least reward them for their courage with swift deaths.’

Minutes passed, yet still she felt the humans press on, inching their way ever so slowly towards her and the main hive. Their stubbornness would have been admirable, if it wasn’t causing her so much ire. It was impossible, there was no way they could have survived for so long, what could they possib-...

Her thoughts were cut off as she received a disturbing message from her Zerg; not only had her Leviathan and most of the Mutalisks been destroyed, but the largest Terran group had actually managed to merge with another near a crashed battlecruiser, and they were moving towards the primary hive at an alarming speed. Without hesitation she extended her senses, focusing on the group of Terrans that was turning out to become such a thorn in her side. It only took her a moment to find them, and as she did she quickly discovered the reason for their success.

‘... Jimmy Raynor.’

The mental signature was unmistakably his, she had grown familiar with it during their time together, and she would never mistake it for anything else. More surprisingly, she also felt the presence of the Xel’Naga artifact. They were literally bringing it to her doorstep, almost as if they wished for her to steal it away from them. Or did they truly believe that they could use it to defeat her? Cure her from this supposed ‘affliction’?

She felt the ground tremble as cannon fire started raining down outside her Hive, the humans were already there, and it looked like they had stopped not far from her. Already she could feel them preparing their siege formation, no doubt hoping to bring down her minions with their long range firepower. There was no victory to be found in such a strategy, and she knew this. Her swarm was practically endless, and their numbers were limited. Still, she felt the need to at the very least recognize their efforts, futile as they were, and as such she prepared to go meet her visitors personally.

The Queen of Blades shifted her body away from the comfortable position she had found in the heart of her primary Hive, a series of mental commands later and the organic structure surrounding her opened up out into the outside world. The red, ash-filled sky, still filled with swarms of battling mutalisks and terran fighters, greeted her as she stepped outside. Her carapaced feet touched the creep, her powerful body twitching slightly in anticipation of what was to come. She took a deep breath of the fetid air before directing her attention towards the Terran camp in the distance, it wasn’t nice to keep guests waiting after all, even uninvited ones. With a simple psionic nudge, she broadcasted her voice to the entirety of the besieging force.

‘You’ve brought me the Xel’Naga artifact - it was good of you to save me the trouble of finding it for myself.’

She looked at the gathered forces around her, masses of zerglings, spine launching hydralisks, burrowing roaches, and the massive ultralisks, all standing ready to follow her every command. With but a thought she urged her forces forwards, a great swarm of zerglings rushing towards the entrenched terrans, ultralisks following in their wake as their powerful legs quaked the ground. She could already feel the nervosity spread through the space marine ranks, truly her reputation inspired fear even in the hearts of the battle hardened Terran forces.

Grim satisfaction snuck into her mind as she saw her children prepare to crush the human invaders with claws, teeth, and tusks. Just as the mass of Zerg was about to reach the humans’ position however, a great blue light suddenly exploded from their camp, washing across her children like a purging fire, leaving naught but burning ash in its wake. The wave of energy didn’t make it all the way to her hive, but every zerg in its path was utterly incinerated, and she could certainly feel the power coming from it. The humans had actually found a way to use the artifact, albeit at a much weaker level than was to be expected. She was worrying over nothing, it wasn’t like they could make full use of its potential after all, they weren’t true children of the Xel’Naga.

‘An impressive defense - but not nearly impressive enough.’

Once more her thoughts were broadcasted to the assembled soldiers, and she couldn’t keep a confident smile from her lips.

‘My forces are without number, and yours are dwindling by the minute. This can only end one way.’

Then, she released the full force of her swarm upon them, giving her children one simple order: destroy. The earth itself shook as her children ascended from their burrowed sleep, quickly gathering in eager groups. They didn't give the humans even a moment of respite before they were upon them again, and this time they were without the aid of the artifact’s power. For long minutes the swarm crashed against the terran defenses, the waves bombarded from afar by powerful siege tanks and artillery. Yet even with all that firepower many zerg still made it to the bunkers and the assembled marines, tearing through their ranks like a ravaging tide of death. Claws, teeth, spine and acid met with bullets, fire and grenades, all resulting in a large orchestra of violence and destruction.

The Queen of Blades watched from afar with an appreciative gaze, it filled her with a certain sense of pride to see her own creations at work. She had truly created some of the most perfect creatures of war, she especially appreciated the work she had put into her roaches. They were the only ones of her children to share in her rapid regeneration after all. Just as her forces were about to breach the final line of defense, the familiar blue wave of energy from before bursted from the middle of their camp, once more utterly destroying the attacking Zerg as it washed over them, illuminating the primary hive with that damnable azure light. She was never one to get enraged, but that artifact was quickly becoming a true nuisance. With a low growl of annoyance she stepped forward, once more intruding on the minds of the human interlopers.

‘I’m tired of working through others. It’s time I took a personal hand in your demise.’

She set into motion, moving towards the human encampment with determination, already gathering her psionic energies, which swirled around her as wisps of blueish-red energy. All around her, her children gathered, rushing towards their Queen’s enemies, almost eager to prove themselves in her eyes. She strolled in their wake, from time to time casually deflecting the bullet of a Ghost’s sniper. It was an easy enough thing for her to read their energy signatures, she had once been one of them herself after all. Even with their psionic cloaking they could not hide from her for long.

Within a minute she was closing in on their lines, already she could see them fortify the position she was approaching, moving siege tanks and massive thors in preparation for her attack. Those fools couldn’t even see how pointless it all was, all they were going to do was slow her down. Not even all that much by her estimation.

A chorus of explosions made her snap her gaze towards the line of siege tanks on a nearby cliff, their artillery shells already raining down upon her. With a frown of annoyance she motioned with her hand, a barrier of blue energy appearing around her, the powerful shells exploding on its surface. All around her the ground was ripped apart by the force of the attacks, sending debris and dirt in all directions. Yet when it was all over and the dust cleared, the Queen of Blades stood entirely unharmed, not even a speck of dirt tarnishing her carapaced body. She continued her stride, closing in on her target. No matter how many times the siege tanks delivered their attacks, nothing changed. She would either erect a barrier, or simply move through the attack as if it was nothing more than a simple bee sting, any actual damage to her body regenerating in a matter of seconds.

Already she could sense the fear among her enemies’ ranks, her bone wings twitching slightly in agitation and anticipation. It didn’t take long for her to reach their first line of defense, a great gathering of weaponry unloading their ammunition at her, bullets, grenades and missiles all fired directly at her. Their attacks were relentless, yet most of it went entirely unnoticed by the Queen of Blades. She was conjuring barriers and catching bullets on her carapace with ease, returning fire with bolts of red psionic energy which killed or destroyed anything they hit, never sustaining any serious injury herself. That’s when the trio of Thors entered the field, their great cannons aimed at her, and a moment later the very ground shook as they brought forth a great barrage of firepower.

The Queen of Blades actually flinched as she was bombarded with the massive amount of force, her barriers failing quickly. With a great roar of anger she sent out a wave of kinetic force, knocking any nearby marines off of their feet, and with hatred in her eyes she focused on the great machines in the background. With a gesture of her hand she summoned her psionic power, catching the closest Thor in the unavoidable power of her Implosion. The great construct began to creak ominously as gravity was twisted around it, a well of entropic force pulling and twisting the machine in all directions at once, great sparks and explosions riddling its body until it was blown apart only seconds after, causing a shockwave to fell the nearest marines.

The Zerg queen didn’t give them a chance to retaliate, quickly summoning another gravity well to take apart the next Thor, all the while her wings were lashing out at any marine unfortunate enough to get too close, bullets bouncing harmlessly off of her carapace and grenades exploding all around her. It was total chaos, and she felt a strange sort of excitement from it all. It wasn’t that she enjoyed doing it, she found no pleasure in ending the lives of her enemies, no more than an ordinary human would by stepping on an insect. That’s all they were, insignificant insects standing in her way, and such creatures needed to be crushed ruthlessly.

The remaining Thor unleashed another barrage on her, this one actually making her take a step back in pain as it tore away at her armored body, tearing away part of her wings. Despite this they quickly grew back, yet not as fast as they should have, she noticed. Perhaps the battle really was taking up more of her energy than she had expected. The question was but a stray one, gone from her mind as she absentmindedly decapitated a nearby marine with a sliver of psionic force, sending his corpse to the ground in a torrent of blood.

Before she could unleash another Implosion on the last Thor, a barrage of artillery fire rained down on her, battering her damaged form even more. She gave a small gasp of pain before directing her gaze towards the offending siege tanks, and with a burst of effort she unleashed a swarm of psionic slivers on the unsuspecting machines. The swarm of razors ravaged the assembled artillery, slicing through the metal and pilots alike with ease. The only thing that remained after a few seconds were several heaps of bloodied scrap.

She couldn’t help but form a satisfied smirk at that, those pesky tanks were starting to become something of a nuisance. The Queen of Blades swiftly turned her attention back to her other foes, crushing the skulls of a duo of nearby marauders with a single thought, satisfied as she heard their bones fracture and turn to dust. She managed to form a hasty barrier as she was assaulted by the Thor once more, responding with destructive force as she summoned another Implosion in its core.

As the last of the great machines fell broken to the ground, soldiers rushing to get out of its way, the Queen of Blades turned her attention back to the next line of bunkers, quickly reducing one of them to nothing but a bunch of scrap with a bolt of red energy. As she was ending the lives of another handful of marines, her own forces quickly pushing through the gap in their defenses, she noticed a great object in the sky shadowing the ground. With an annoyed frown she gazed up at the massive battleship in the sky, already preparing its cannons.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

“Sir!” A crewman spoke up from one of the consoles aboard the battlecruiser Maledictis, to get the attention of the Admiral. The commander in question looked away from the blinking status screens, motioning with a hand for the soldier to continue.

“Yes, Corporal MacRae?”

“We’ve got the Queen of Blades’ position, all cannons are primed and ready to fire, Yamato Cannon standing by!” The corporal replied over the noise of activity on the bridge.

The bearded admiral looked back at the screens before nodding absently, replying in a gruff tone.

“Get ready to fire on my signal, time to show this Queen Bitch the true power of Terran weaponry.”

“Understood, Admiral Joad. All stations, stand by!”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The Queen of Blades looked up at the massive battlecruiser with an unimpressed gaze, were they truly expecting to hit such a small target as herself with those huge weapons? Perhaps the Terrans were even more desperate than she had imagined. Her thoughts were almost entirely gone from the battle raging around her, simply waiting for whatever trick the crafty humans thought could bring her down. Even the screams of dying soldiers, as they were swarmed by zerglings or eviscerated by hydralisks, didn’t manage to pry her gaze away from the great battleship above. They were doing something up there, she could feel it.

In the next moment every weapon aboard the great ship flared to life, energy gathering dangerously fast in its frontal capacitors. A large orb of collected power being charged rapidly. The Queen of Blade’s eyes widened quickly in recognition, were they really going to... ?

No more than a few seconds passed before the huge bolt of gathered energy was launched, followed by a multitude of smaller weapons. The Queen of Blades only had time to think a single sentence before the massive attack came crashing down upon her with the full force of a vengeful battlecruiser.

‘The Yamato Cannon... that’s a pretty good trick.’

The battlefield was consumed in explosions and flames, the incredible firepower of the Maledictis tearing apart anything unlucky enough to be in its area of effect, Zerg of all kinds met swift ends, terran marines weren’t spared either, though most of them would likely have died anyway. It wasn’t like anyone cared what happened to the resocialized criminals in either case.

A silence quickly set over that particular battlefield, the dust too thick to make anything out beyond it. The few Zerg that survived the attack were quickly brought down, and all that remained was that deadly, nervous silence and the sound of booming cannons in the distance. All nearby Terran eyes were on the last place any of them had seen the Queen of Blades, each of them silently praying that the battlecruiser had managed to obliterate her entirely.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

“Corporal, status.” The voice of the admiral brought every crewman back to reality. They had all witnessed the bombardment, and all of them were literally holding their breath.

The corporal looked back at his console, quickly bringing up the necessary sensors to try and pinpoint the Queen’s location. “I’m not seeing anything, Admiral Joad. I think we... no, wait...”

Every screen on the bridge started flashing red in warning, a loud beeping could be heard throughout the entire ship as the hull began to creak ominously. Corporal MacRae looked back to the admiral with fear in his eyes. “She’s... she’s...”

The corporal was speechless, yet the wizened admiral only shook his head sadly, turning to address the gathered soldiers.

“Gentlemen... it’s been an honor.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

A blast of wind spread from the blurry form of the Queen of Blades, barely distinguishable through the still remaining dust. Everyone around her were frozen in terror however, as they could all hear the roar of indignation and hatred she was yelling at the sky, both her arms reaching towards the battlecruiser, as if to grab it. Her teeth were clenched and her eyes were shining a sickly yellow with pure power. She was gathering more and more psionic energy, with only one single intent. To bring down the damnable ship that had hurt her.

‘They wounded me... they wounded me!?’

As the dust cleared, all eyes were on the lone figure, standing amidst a field of utter destruction, no piece of land spared from the Maledictis’ attack. Scorched ground and broken earth had replaced the once infested terrain, and the Queen of Blades had not fared much better. Her carapace was blackened, even flayed apart in places, both of her wings were mangled and broken, and green blood seeped from multiple wounds.

‘Zeratul I can accept, but these rats!? Oh no, I will not stand for this!’

With another great roar of effort, which sent several nearby marines into a catatonic state as they were buffeted by the excess psionic energy, the Queen of Blades unleashed all of her power on the Maledictis. A virtual black hole of entropic energy bursting into existence as the greatest psionic entity in the universe brought forth the full force of her anger. She watched with glee as the massive masterpiece of engineering was torn to shreds, its hull wrinkled like paper and its very crew torn apart in the most horrific way imaginable. The Zerg Queen poured more and more power into her effort, and after only a few moments, the great Minotaur Class battlecruiser Maledictis exploded in an enormous fireball.

The shockwave caused by the ship’s demise soon washed over the battlefield, stirring up even more dust and causing several space marines to look at the Queen of Blades in disbelief and fear. They had known that she was powerful, but for the first time since the start of their mission, they started to comprehend exactly what a Class Twelve psionic really was. It was to no ones surprise then, that when she turned her hateful gaze towards the assembled troops, they did the one reasonable thing a man could do in their situation: Run for the hills.

The Queen of Blades gave them no quarter. They had barely turned tail before she was on them, tearing into their disbanding ranks with long claws, her wings incapable of performing such acts since they were only just regenerating, rather slowly in fact. The Queen was soon drowning in the screams of dying soldiers once more, ripping open their armor with ease or twisting their necks with a small burst of psionic energy. She felt drained, truly. But she wasn’t going to be taken down by such weak creatures, no matter the amount of weapons they brought to bear against her.

A knife suddenly caught her between the shoulders, she felt agony course through her body as she spun around to come face to mask with a cloaked Ghost, clearly visible to her enhanced senses. The operative quickly brought out a small handgun, intending to put a bullet between her eyes. She wasn’t going to make it that easy for him however, as she quickly swiped a claw at his arm, severing it neatly near the elbow, causing him to grunt in pain from behind his mask. With another swift motion she thrust her other clawed hand forwards, piercing the unlucky Ghost clean through the stomach. She wasn’t done however, as no sooner had his blood started coating her arm before his very essence was forced from his body, gleefully consumed by the Queen of Blades. Who only looked on as everything that made this particular psionic who he was, was swiftly devoured by her own hungry psionic power. A moment after, she pulled back her arm, letting a shriveled husk of a man hit the ground with a thud.

The Queen of Blades spent a moment appreciating the meal, feeling rejuvenated by the psionic energies she had consumed from the unlucky Ghost. Truly the Terran knew how to breed them, she would have to pick up a few more to snack on later, if time allowed.

She was quickly brought out of her thoughts however, as an uncomfortably familiar blue light began increasing in strength nearby. With disbelief in her eyes she spun around to see the assembled artifact on a nearby hill, already gathering power for another wave of energy. A snarl escaped her as she set into an incredibly fast sprint, heading directly towards the newest threat. She wasn’t going to let it be powered up one more time. If she was this close to it when it was activated even she’d be in trouble, especially after taking a Yamato Cannon, the equivalent of an Apocalypse-Class Nuclear missile focused into a ball of energy only a few meters in diameter, head on.

Her run came to a sudden halt however, when the great shape of a Thor stepped in front of her, unleashing a torrent of attacks in her direction. She quickly leapt to the side, catching one of the blasts with a quickly conjured barrier while avoiding the rest, only getting slightly knocked back by the explosion. Pure anger on her face, the Queen of Blades set into another sprint, heading directly towards the Thor. When she was close she launched herself high into the air with a boost of psionic power, landing squarely on top of the cockpit mounted on top of its head. She couldn’t make out the pilot inside, but she could easily feel his fear through the reinforced glass. With a growl she conjured a ball of red psionic energy to her hand, promptly thrusting it directly at the glass, watching in satisfaction as the bolt latched on. Without another moment of hesitation, she backflipped gracefully off of the Thor, landing on the ground just in time to hear the psionic energy explode next to the pilot’s seat, sending sparks flying across the great machine before it went silent.

She didn’t have time to savor her victory however, as no sooner had she turned her attention back to the artifact, before her world was consumed in blue energy. The artifact had had plenty of time to recharge during her battles, and now she was exposed to the full effect of the artifact’s blastwave. Her world was one of agony as she was carried by the explosion of Xel’Naga energy several meters, before painfully being deposited back on the ground, her entire body smoking and more damaged than she had ever been before. With a strained grunt she managed to get to her knees, looking down to find that she luckily still had all of her limbs intact, despite how flakey they seemed. Realising that retreat might be the wiser choice, the Queen of Blades swiftly brought her Zerg enhancements to their use, and burrowed deep into the ground, heading back towards the primary hive.

As she emerged from the ground inside the organic structure, her world was still awash with pain. Even with her regeneration working to mend her body, the ordeal was painfully slow thanks to her lack of energy. There weren’t even any zerglings nearby for her to consume, the best she could do was to reconnect with her Brood Mothers and make sure they were still on the right course.

It turned out she didn’t need to worry. According to the reports they were still winning greatly, the Terran had been pushed back on almost all fronts, and even the artifact location was quickly getting overrun. Things were going as she had expected them to after all, and with the number of powerful units she had brought down, their victory was almost assured. Even she couldn’t help but smile at the coming victory. Finally she would face her destiny, the fate she had wanted for so long was just within reach...

And then, the Zerg wailed in pain. Her connection to the hivemind left her open to all of it, as thousands of Zerg died in but a second. Fearful for the first time in her new life, the Queen of Blades rushed to the Hive’s entrance, looking out on the world outside, her world. Which was quickly consumed in an enormous wave of azure light, incomparable to the ones before it. She knew instinctively that the artifact had truly been activated, and even now her precious, perfect planet was dying, torn apart by the massive energies of the ancient Xel’Naga artifact.

The Queen of Blades, mightiest psionic in the known universe, queen of all Zerg and scourge of all beings, could only look on in desperation as everything she had worked so hard for was lost in the span of seconds. Even as the Hive was enveloped in blue and the organic walls were burning away, she could not keep the disbelief from her mind. Even as her form was consumed in blue flames, as agony, unimaginable agony, coursed through her body, she could not look away. And before everything went black, the Queen of Blades felt true loss for the first time.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Times were troubled in Canterlot. It was only a few days until the royal wedding between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Captain Shining Armor, and already a threat had been made against the royal city. What should have been a time of joy and happiness quickly became replaced by one of nervosity and fear. By order of the Royal Sisters, the security of Canterlot had been increased tenfold. Even to such a degree that Shining Armor himself was tasked with keeping a protective barrier around the city at all times, wanting to leave nothing up to chance.

Therefore it was to nopony’s surprise that the Princesses were often surrounded by several guards. On this particular day, Princess Celestia was being escorted by Captain Shining Armor and a small group of royal guards. It was a simple transition between throne room and dining room, yet the royal guard insisted on the escort, despite Celestia’s assurances that she was quite capable of taking care of herself.

“I apologize, your Highness,” Shining Armor said as he trotted alongside the royal alicorn, keeping a respectable distance. “But we can’t take any risks in these times. While the threat is still unidentified there’s no telling what could happen.”

Princess Celestia simply smiled warmly at her captain, it really was quite endearing how protective her royal guards were off her. “You don’t need to apologize to me, Captain. I am aware that you’re only doing what you believe is right, but do you really think an assassin could get to me on this two minute walk, inside my own castle?”

Shining Armor simply coughed in his hoof, running his gaze through the marble hallway they were trotting. “You can never be too safe, your Highness. Even Princess Luna has the Lunar Guard guarding her room when she’s sleeping, despite their normal nocturnal nature.”

The Princess stifled a giggle at that, fondly remembering the dedication the Lunar Guards had for her sister. “They always were an odd bunch. My sister certainly knows how to pick her guards, if only-...”

The Princess suddenly cut her sentence off, coming to an abrupt halt which made her entire escort stumble a bit before regaining their stoic demeanor. Captain Shining Armor looked worriedly to the Princess, who had a far off look in her eyes.

“Princess? Are you alright, is something the matter?”

He quickly scanned his surroundings again, intent on picking up anypony or anything suspicious which might have caused the diarch to stop so suddenly. Spotting nothing, he returned his attention to the Princess, who had started mumbling something under her breath. The Captain had to strain his ears to pick up even a few words.

“The Vault? What do you mean Princess, is there something wrong with the Vault of the Elements?”

Before the Princess could answer her Captain, a strange sensation overcame them all, almost like a shockwave of energy originating from somewhere within the castle itself. It was so powerful that a few of the unicorn guards shook their heads in pain, Shining Armor being the only one capable of shielding his mind from the effect. He shook his head regardless, trying to pinpoint where the anomaly had appeared.

A single pegasus guard came bursting out into the hall, looking around with slight panic before settling his gaze on the Captain. He gave a hasty salute. “Sir! There’s something wrong with the Vault of the Elements, I think we might have a-...”

His voice was cut off as an explosion rocked the castle walls.

Chapter One

Queen of Blades

Chapter One

To say that the Queen of Blades was in a bad mood would have been an understatement. Her entire body was still throbbing with pain when she managed to return from the world of unconsciousness. The last thing she remembered after the Xel’Naga artifact hit her and knocked her out, was a rainbow colored mass of light which washed over her mind and banished any would-be dreams she would find in her sleep.

Not only that, but she could actually feel that damnable light infecting her mind and body. It almost felt like the Ghost conditioning she had undergone in her youth, only much stronger. The process had been designed to limit her extraordinary psionic abilities, the Terran fools having clearly been afraid of her true potential. Those were the worst years of her life, having your own mind restricted was no pleasant experience. The day she finally managed to undo the conditioning had been truly liberating.

So when the Queen of the Zerg awoke to find herself trapped in a small, dark chamber, not that the darkness hindered her in any way mind you, the first thought on her mind was that the Terrans had managed to capture her following the activation of the Xel’Naga artifact, and had somehow tried to limit her psionic abilities once more. She certainly couldn’t feel her Swarm anymore. At that moment she was in fact more furious than she had ever been before, the thought of losing her destined powers, to be reduced to something lesser, haunted her mind like nothing else.

The poor chamber wall never stood a chance, exploding outwards in a torrent of marble, stone and debris as she blasted it with a massive telekinetic force. Dim daylight shone through the dust caused by the destruction, and the Queen of Blades took a step through the opening, determined to put an end to any Terran in her way. She did not however, expect to find what she did.

The first thing she discovered was that her location, which she had originally believed be a Terran facility, was in fact nothing of the sort, but instead turned out to be what looked like the main hall of some sort of cathedral. Marble pillars stood arrayed on either side of her, a garish shade of purple painted much of her surroundings, and colorful banners completed the almost sickeningly sweet interior.

Not one to be easily surprised, the Queen managed to keep herself from showing any outside sign of duress. Yet when she noticed the other inhabitants of the room, she couldn’t help but lift a single brow. They were, for a lack of a better word, equines. There were more than a dozen of them, all with grey or white fur, their bodies covered in a layer of golden metallic armor. Some of them even had horns on their foreheads or wings at their sides. Most of them were carrying spears, all of which were pointed in her direction by their wide-eyed wielders, who looked much more stunned to see her than she did them.

In front of them stood a single horned equine, this one clearly the superior of the group, judging from his purple colored armor and the way he had managed not to be too startled by her appearance. Indeed, his abnormally large blue eyes were actually narrowed at her, and in a most hostile way no less. This one clearly had spirit.

Only one thought really ran through the baffled Queen’s mind.

‘... interesting.’

That’s when the lead equine stomped a hoof to the ground, promptly bringing the rest of the soldiers out of their surprised state, and causing all of them to narrow their eyes threateningly at her. The militant order of the group, and their obvious dependency on crafted armor and weaponry, brought a single word to her mind: Terran. She almost felt disgusted by the show of weakness in front of her. If these creatures were truly warriors, they would have evolved carapaces and claws instead of relying on weak metal. Then again, she had thought the same way about the Terrans, and they had certainly managed to surprise her. Albeit not with a weapon of their own design.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Shining Armor was troubled, in front of him stood a creature he had never seen before, it looked like some kind of disgusting bipedal bug: a tarnished red carapace covered almost its entire slender body, strange protrusions of bone stood from its back, which looked disturbingly similar to skeletal wings. The flat, grey toned face was the only part of its skull that wasn’t covered by a tentacle-like growth, and the creature’s yellow eyes were looking at him with almost indignant contempt.

The Captain of the Guard stood his ground however, and after breaking his fellow guards out of their stupor he turned his narrowed gaze at it, intent on not letting himself be intimidated by this strange creature.

“Stand down, creature. In the name of the Sisters Royal I hereby place you under arrest, on grounds of public disturbance, the destruction of royal property, and suspected theft of the Elements of Harmony!”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The Queen of Blades was not amused, not only were these pathetic creatures threatening her with pointed sticks, but now one of them was even yelling at her, in a language she did not even understand no less. It did not take her psionic powers to feel the equine’s agitation, and she did not appreciate his idea of a greeting.

It was true that there had been a miscommunication however, perhaps they would be more inclined to talk if she informed them of her situation. It would be foolish to act with open hostility, especially considering that she had no idea what planet she was on, she certainly knew that it was not one she was familiar with. No, the Queen of Blades was an intelligent being, and she would not escalate a conflict, alone on a strange world as she was.

First thing first, she would need to get a hold of the local language. It should be a fairly simple thing, considering her substantial psionic abilities. Without moving a muscle she extended her mind towards the leading equine, intent on learning what she needed from this creature.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Only a few seconds had passed since his declaration, yet the creature hadn’t done much more than change its initial demeanor from one of annoyance, to one of curiosity. It hadn’t even shown signs of actually understanding what he had said, maybe it didn’t even speak their language. The only thing he knew was that the creature was a threat. It wasn’t just because of the claws and razor sharp wings, it was almost as if it radiated power, causing an involuntary chill to run down his spine.

He was just about to speak again when he noticed an itch at the back of his mind, barely discernible, yet disturbingly intrusive. Shining Armor looked questioningly at the creature, and noticed that its yellow eyes were glowing slightly. His eyes widened in realisation, this creature was using some kind of magic on him!

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Something was wrong, her control was sloppy for some reason, and trying to subtly use her power was far more difficult than it should have been. Had her earlier experience somehow limited her? She had dismissed the notion after discovering that she was indeed not in a Terran base, but maybe there truly was something nearby hampering her psionic abilities. More troubling however, was that the equine showed signs of wielding some sort of power, different from hers, yet similar at the same time.

The Queen did not miss the sudden show of realisation on the equine’s face, and too late she withdrew her influence from his mind. She had only managed to gain a smidgen of information, mainly in regards to the palace she now found herself in. In the next moment, the leader was yelling something to its soldiers, and as one all the non-horned equines charged.

She couldn’t help but keep an annoyed frown from her face, this was not going like she had planned. That the equine was capable of detecting her mental intrusions meant that it at the very least had some sort of psionic training; even with her reduced prowess a normal human would’ve been unable to notice her psionic presence.

The Queen of Blades didn’t have much time to consider the implications, before no less than eight ponies with spears were upon her. She felt no real danger from the situation, these creatures were primitive after all, clearly incapable of creating any projectile or energy based weaponry. Thus, when the soldiers spread out in a flanking position and the first trio of spears were thrust at her from different directions, she simply responded with conjuring a protective blue barrier, each of the attacks being swiftly negated by the strong defense. Without waiting, she willed more power into the barrier, causing it to expand and collapse quickly, flinging the three equines away with the impact.

She didn’t have more than a moment’s respite before the flapping of wings warned her of their next attack, four flying equines with readied spears diving at her from above. Within a second she had formulated a response, and as the airborne pests came within distance, she quickly lashed out at two of them with a wing each, the razor sharp bone opening grievous wounds on their muzzles, yet surprisingly enough, did not rend their armor. Not having time to ponder the issue, the Queen of Blades swiftly grabbed hold of the last two thrusting spears with clawed hands, spinning around herself and releasing them at a high momentum, sending them flying into a marble pillar each with large thuds.

As the first two flying equines fell to the ground, their bloodied muzzles painting the floor red, a surge of energy was suddenly felt by the Queen of Blades, and as she directed her attention towards the five horned creatures that had stayed out of the battle, she noticed how they had lined up and energy was gathering in their horns. She only barely had time to establish a barrier before a torrent of energy bolts was fired at her, harmlessly deflected by her psionic defenses. The attacks had been powerful, truly, and might even have harmed her had she been any slower in responding. As the shield dissipated, the creatures looking on with disbelieving eyes, she sensed another mental signature approach her from behind. With a casual fling of her wing she sent the last remaining ‘normal’ equine, who had been trying to sneak up on her, flying away to join his fellows on the floor, a streak of blood escaping the long gashes in his fur and skin. Curiously, the armor still seemed much more durable than normal gold, or even reinforced metal, should be.

The Queen of Blades turned to the remaining equines, who were already preparing another flurry of attacks by order of their captain. Not wanting to give them the chance to drain her further of power by forcing her to defend against their attack, the Queen made a swift motion with her hand, sending a large blast of kinetic energy in their direction. As the force of her attack ripped apart the marble floor, the horned equines barely had time to look surprised before the part of the room they were in exploded with a red light, sending debris and dust in all directions. She heard several grunts of pain, but when the dust cleared she saw, to her surprise, that the captain was still on his feet, a purple barrier of energy surrounding himself and his downed soldiers.

She couldn’t help but be impressed, to think that he could actually create a barrier strong enough to ward off her attack, and even save the lives of those around him. That took quite a bit of skill. The barrier was easily that of a class eight psionic, yet she hadn’t felt that sort of power from him previously. Intrigued, the Queen of Blades began walking towards him, the equine dismissing the barrier and glaring at her with defiance in his eyes. This one would likely put up a fight, but if she didn’t need to be subtle there’d be nothing he could do to stop her invasion of his mind, even if he was a class eight.

The horned equine gave a roar of anger, sending bolt after bolt of purple energy at her, yet each of them was casually flicked away with a hand. Soon she was on him, grabbing the purple armored equine and bodily lifting him off the floor by the throat, causing him to gag and cough in pain, the long claws of her fingers digging into his white fur. The Queen of Blades gave him a smile without mirth, reaching out to touch her mind with his.

‘You’re very impressive, little equine. Perhaps if you hadn’t been so defiant, I might have spared you and your men.’

The captain’s eyes widened as her thoughts entered his, confusion showing clearly even through the grimace of pain on his face. Already her claws were drawing blood, tainting his white fur with red.

‘No need to be afraid, this will all be over very soon...’

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

There was no solace in her words, for it was female as he had discovered from her mental voice, and he instinctively knew that he would not survive whatever this creature had in store for him. With a hiss of defiance his horn lit up, only to have his mind assaulted with a burst of psionic energy, his head aching with pain and causing him to lose concentration on the spell. Ever so slowly the strange creature reached towards his head with her remaining hand, and Shining Armor couldn’t help but feel fear as his end drew close.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The Queen of Blades did not truly need to actually touch her victim in order to influence them, but the proximity would make the whole thing easier, and the fear it caused was certainly a nice bonus. Just as her clawed hand was about to envelop his skull however, her senses picked up something unpleasant nearby. It was an absolutely massive power, even from this distance she would judge it to be at least a class ten, easily. An encounter with such a being at her current level of power would be unwise, and with a sneer of annoyance she let go of the equine, dumping him painfully on the ground.

Without hesitation the Queen spun around, taking a few large strides before leaping several meters through the air, crashing out through one of the structure’s many windows.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Shining Armor was gasping for breath; his body was on fire, throbbing with pain. He could not believe his luck, from what she had told him he hadn’t expected to actually survive the encounter, yet suddenly she had just let go and retreated. The athletic prowess she had exhibited during her escape did not surprise him, he had seen what she had been capable of after all. After spending a few seconds massaging his painful throat with a hoof, he quickly glanced around to discover the fate of his guards. They all seemed to be breathing, but some of them were in a very bad condition.

Just as he was about to get to his hooves, he heard the sound of several hoofsteps, and the voice of a very upset guardpony.

“Your highness! Please, you can’t go in there, we can’t let you endanger yourself like this!”

Shining Armor sighed, relieved to discover the likely reason for the monster’s retreat. No sooner had he gotten back on his hooves before the half-closed doors burst open, revealing the royal form of Princess Celestia, accompanied by a group of guards. They all looked nervous about allowing the princess into danger, yet when they took in the destruction in the room several of them quickly went to the aid of the wounded. Princess Celestia for one simply had a sad expression on her face, glancing around the room before her gaze finally came to a stop on Shining Armor, his armor dented and his fur bloodied.

With determined steps she trotted towards him. “Captain, what has happened here? Who is responsible for this?” Her voice was still the same kind, motherly one it had always been, but there was a hint of agitation and anger in it.

The captain of the guard looked up at his princess, bowing his head in shame. “I am sorry, your highness. A strange, alien creature had somehow gotten into the Vault, and I fear that the Elements are now in its possession.”

Princess Celestia cast a worried glance towards the destroyed Vault wall, one of the guards who had gone to investigate suddenly emerged from the opening, confusion plain on his face. “Sir! The Elements of Harmony are still in the Vault!”

Nopony, not even the millennia-old Princess Celestia, could keep a look of bafflement and disbelief from gracing their faces.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The librarian, Ancient Scroll, could not help but be in a joyful mood. He was happily trotting along the castle corridors, heading towards the Royal Library. After all, the library had just gotten a new shipment of exotic tomes, and he would be the first pony allowed to look at them. The grey furred unicorn put a small bounce in his step, excited at the prospect of cataloguing and examining these new acquisitions.

As he unlocked the door and stepped inside the library, the spirited librarian failed to notice a figure stepping out of the nearby shadows, eyes aglow with malicious intent and power as the creature reached out towards him with a single, clawed hand.

Chapter Two

Queen of Blades

Chapter Two

The echoes of hoofsteps could be heard throughout the halls of Canterlot castle, armored guards moving to and fro in search of the monstrous intruder. Princess Celestia was worried, from what Shining Armor had told her, and what she had felt of the creature herself, it was without a doubt extremely powerful. According to her captain, ‘she’ had even wielded some kind of strange magic, one he had never encountered before.

She was thankful that none of her ponies had been killed during the encounter. If only her guards hadn’t been so stubborn about keeping her out of danger, she might have been able to prevent several injuries. She knew that her guards had only followed the code they had all sworn to, yet it still weighed heavily upon her. It was also true that she might have gotten hurt, fighting an alien adversary with such an unknown power.

What really troubled her, as she nervously paced her throne room, was that the creature had been able to somehow teleport inside the Vault, a feat even Discord would be hard pressed to mimic, and then just leave without even taking the Elements. It made no sense to her, why had she come here? What was her goal?

In frustration she stomped her hoof to the floor, startling a pair of nearby guards with her uncharacteristic outburst of agitation. The last few days had been taxing on her, readying Canterlot’s defenses against unknown threats, preparing for the upcoming royal wedding, and now this. For once she just wanted to know what was going on, to find the missing pieces to this frustrating puzzle.

Her sister was the one skilled in divination magic and predictions however, those specific arts had always been connected to the moon and its goddess. Having Luna try to make sense of it all might have lessened her budding headache, yet she would not awake for at least another few hours, and she would need to be fully rested if she was going to track this intruder. Several hours where an unknown, powerful entity was free to roam the castle and harm her subjects.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

There was a deep silence in the Castle’s royal library. With the increase in activity and security in every part of the building, no ponies had any reason to actually visit this particular room. This had allowed the Queen of Blades more than enough time to extract what she could from the unfortunate librarian.

With a brief scowl the Zerg queen released the equine, or ‘unicorn’ as it turned out, who fell unconscious to the floor with a large thud. She had discovered a number of things, most of it rather unsettling. Apparently she was in a land called Equestria, which was ruled by a pair of alicorn sisters, on the planet Equis. Said sisters were supposedly immortal beings capable of moving the planet’s sun and moon through the sky.

The Queen of Blades scoffed at the idea. It was true that she had felt a massive energy signature from a creature inside the castle, most likely from one of these pony sisters. Yet she very much doubted they had the necessary power to move celestial bodies, and thus attributed it to religious beliefs instead. According to her unwilling informant, who was busy drooling on the floor, they were supposedly kind and generous rulers who preached the concept of Harmony. The older sister, Celestia, had been ruling Equestria alone for a thousand years until her sister, Luna, had returned from banishment. If they were truly that old, she would need to take great care not to agitate them too recklessly.

Which was the only reason the unicorn on the floor was still alive. She had actually needed to fight her instincts to stop herself from opening him up, finding out what made him tick, and assimilate him into her Swarm. They had a new, exotic power after all, which was very intriguing to her. This ‘magic’, as silly as it sounded, required great mental fortitude and concentration, and thus the unicorn had been rather hard to extract any information from, without fear of breaking his mind by accident.

Most troubling of all however, was the discovery that Equis did not have contact to any other planets, or even something capable of spaceflight. It was true that she still carried the collective DNA of her swarm, and would be able to breed a new species of creatures able to travel between solar systems. But if Equis did not already have any native creatures capable of such, which she could infest and control, she would need to breed an original strain, a Behemoth or Mutalisk perhaps. Yet doing so without an established Hive could take months. Time she did not have if she wanted to return to the nearest infested world, and her Swarm. Creating an Overlord might have been possible, though it wouldn’t be nearly fast enough to get her back to known space in time. Not to mention she most likely no longer had the power necessary to open a wormhole, her recent weakening taken into consideration.

She was promptly brought out of her contemplations by the sound of a door opening, and only barely made it behind a pair of bookcases before the sound of armored hoofsteps was heard.

“Over here! I think somepony is unconscious!” A gruff voice called out, attracting another trio of noisy guards. “Somepony get a medic. The rest of you, spread out and search the library!”

The Queen of Blades took a moment to gather her focus, and just as an armed guard turned the corner, her body was cloaked in a layer of psionic energy, leaving her almost entirely invisible. It had always been one of her strongest skills, it was the one she had used the most during her time as a Ghost after all. The unicorn guard peered right through her, and after only a few seconds he continued on his way.

None in the library noticed as the stealthed psionic slipped past them, and out the open door.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Shining Armor was resting on one of several occupied beds in the castle’s infirmary. He had of course been opposed to the idea that he had to rest, but Princess Celestia’s order had been absolute. He had rarely seen the ruler so adamant, she had actually scared him a little. Even when he had insisted that he should be out there, leading the search for the creature, it had fallen on deaf ears. He hadn’t felt good about it, but here he was.

The nursing staff hadn’t even allowed him to keep his armor on, and he felt vulnerable, thinking about how the intruder was still out there, and could burst through the door at any moment. Even after they had cleaned him up and concluded that nothing was wrong with him, they had insisted that he stayed in bed until the princess came to see him. Her order apparently.

The captain of the guard gave a snort of annoyance to dismiss his thoughts, his gaze wandering to the other beds in the infirmary. Almost all of them had a wounded guard in them, those who had been directly struck by the creature’s wings or magical attack were still out cold. He was relieved that they had all survived the ordeal.

A sound of shuffling legs and loud voices drew his attention towards the door, where a trio of guardsponies were carrying an unconscious unicorn into the infirmary. As one of the nurses directed them towards a nearby bed, Shining Armor realised who it was.

“Is that... Ancient Scroll?” he asked nopony in particular, his voice barely above a whisper.

Just then, a very familiar voice cut in from beside him. “Indeed it is, captain. He was found unconscious in the library no more than five minutes ago.”

The captain’s head swirled quickly to look at the speaker, and the royal visage of Princess Celestia looked back at him with obvious worry. How had he not heard her approach?

“Princess! I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” the flustered unicorn said as he tried to get out of his bed, but was stopped by the firm hoof of his ruler.

“Stay in bed, captain. Or do I have to order you again?” This was not a true question, and the tone in her voice told him that she would suffer no defiance on the matter.

He sighed and lowered himself back on the bed. “How did it happen? Have we apprehended the creature? Did she hurt him?”

Celestia cut off the torrent of questions with a hoof, then gave him a reassuring smile. “The good librarian will be just fine. As for the creature, I am afraid that she has not been spotted since your battle with her,” The ruler furrowed her brow in slight worry. “It is a good thing I suppose, at the very least she has not hurt anypony else.”

Shining Armor was not so certain that he agreed with her judgement, he had seen firsthoof what the creature was capable of, seen the cold, calculated malice in her eyes as she attempted to invade his mind. This creature was not one to stray from killing innocents, he could feel it in his guts.

The Princess’ voice brought him away from those dark thoughts. “I’m surprised you know of Ancient Scroll, you don’t seem like much of a library pony to me.”

The captain of the guard couldn’t help but give a low chuckle. “I don’t, not personally at least. But Twily spent a lot of time in that library, and apparently they’re quite good acquaintances.” He sent the ruler a mirthful smile. “You know how she is with books.”

Princess Celestia responded with a knowing smile, thoughts turning to her beloved student.

“Indeed.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The Queen of Blades had been busy. Avoiding the guards had turned out easy enough, they likely did not have any means of invisibility themselves, or if they did it was not a common thing at least. Just to be on the safe side however, she chose to avoid most unicorns she happened to pass by. No need to take any chances after all.

For the most part she was simply staying out of sight, taking every chance to intrude on the mind of any non-unicorn pony in reach. The guards didn’t have much to offer, but the various scholars and officials gave her a great deal of knowledge. She had pretty much gotten used to the restrictions her powers had suffered, and had managed to invade minds without causing a single one of them to notice.

There was one particular piece of information that was very interesting to her, and she now knew exactly where to go next. With a small smile she slipped past another pair of guards, and not long after that she was outside. All around her were trees, green grass and a multitude of flowers, insects and animals aplenty in their natural habitat. It was weak in her eyes, what purpose did these creatures even serve? If she had any say in it, she would quickly have replaced this annoyingly green garden with a zergling spawning pool. It would certainly be a welcome sight.

With steady strides she proceeded through the garden, ignoring the suddenly nervous animals skitter away from an invisible threat. The soil was soft, and she would easily be able to burrow in order to make her escape, lingering for too long would be unwise after all. It would be foolish to antagonize the alicorn sisters without reason, especially in the seat of their power.

She made it to an ideal patch of earth, and just as she undid her cloaking, she felt a powerful presence nearby, internally surprised that something that strong had managed to sneak up on her. With a calm demeanor she turned around, looking towards one of the nearby castle balconies. Standing on said balcony was an alabaster pony, much larger than the average specimens she had encountered earlier, and this one with both horn and wings. The Princess’ ethereal mane was blowing in an unseen wind, as she looked down on the Queen of Blades with a gathered composure.

Their eyes locked, Celestia’s magenta eyes peering into her own yellow. Neither of them moved a muscle, and the garden itself had become almost deadly silent. The Queen of Blades was not certain what the alicorn was looking for, but she gazed so deeply into her eyes it was almost uncomfortable, yet she looked back with the same intensity. She dared not reach her own mind out to touch the princess’, in fear that such a powerful being might have had mental defenses prepared.

They stayed like that for a full minute, until a chorus of yells were heard from outside the garden, soon followed by the sound of galloping guards. The Queen of Blades thought she detected a hint of annoyance, maybe even worry, in the royal alicorn’s eyes.

Deciding that she had already overstayed her welcome, the Zerg queen started vibrating the special muscles just under her skin at extreme frequencies, liquefying the soil to the point that her own body weight was enough to slowly sink her into the ground. Not once did she remove her eyes from the princess’ as she descended, and the alicorn made no move to stop her. The Queen gave her a small smile just as she disappeared from sight, the sound of stomping hooves sounding audible through the ground.

No, now was not the time to idly linger, she still had a lot of information to gather if she wanted to find a way off of this world. Picking the brains of a few scholars might have been good enough to find out the basics, but she needed something more. A source of knowledge even greater. Books and tomes would not suffice, especially not compared to the mind of a prodigy.

In all the minds she had searched, one name stood out as exceptional, someone with an intelligence even the scholars’ respected. A unicorn actually, and now she knew exactly where to find her.

‘Ponyville... Twilight Sparkle...’

Chapter Three

Queen of Blades

Chapter Three

The ancient forest of Everfree, long feared by ponies all across Equestria for its abundance of predators, as well as its extremely independent nature. One of the last untamed wilds of pony lands, the forest itself rejecting any attempts at being brought into the pony ecosystem. The deep, dark reaches of the wood was almost constantly awash in activity, its native inhabitants playing the deadly game of nature: that of hunter and prey. Truly you would not find a more dangerous place in all of Equestria, nor one that was as rarely visited by ponykind.

A stir went through the forest floor, a multitude of small critters fleeing from the sudden disturbance, just as a form burst from the ground, sending a spray of dirt in all directions. No more than a moment later, the Queen of Blades had emerged from below, standing on her carapaced feet as she took in the forest around her, shrouded in late evening darkness. She had chosen this forest, one she had learned of from the minds of a few scholars back at the castle, for a number of reasons. Namely, it was out of the way, yet close enough to Ponyville to serve her purposes. Secondly, inside this very forest was one of the largest concentrations of non-sapient biomass in Equestria, an ideal place for creating a small base of operations. If she was to work effectively, she would need to amass at least a few minions, and a small larval gestation pool would do wonders to fulfill this goal. The chance to experiment on and add a number of new, alien creatures to her Swarm was just an added bonus really. One she relished nevertheless.

Most important of all however, no ponies actually lived in the Everfree, none that the scholars had known of at least. From what she had seen of ponies already, she would have believed it unlikely that any of them had actually settled in those gloomy woods. They seemed the kind to enjoy bright colors and sunshine, not dank forests and dangerous predators.

With a judging gaze she took in her surroundings, she could just barely spot the cliffside of what might have been a mountain through the treetops, and reasoned that it might contain a number of caves. Without any drones to do the actual work, she’d need to find something already established. A network of tunnels would have been preferable, but a single cave would have to do if she could find nothing else. For a moment she considered the situation, then she closed her eyes and stretched out with her mind, feeling for any and all sentient lifeforms. The impressions she received were promising, the forest seemed to have an abundance of usable bio material, and only a few of the creatures were sapient.

‘It seems I am not entirely alone out here after all, I will just have to take a close look at my potential neighbors then...’

One of the sapient mental signatures originated from the nearby mountain, perhaps something which lived in a cave of sorts. The other one was much closer, in fact she judged it to be no more than a ten minute walk. It also seemed to be further away from the center of the forest, and as such the one most likely to be non-native. With a new goal in mind she set out towards the closest of the sapient creatures, it would be rude to not introduce herself to her new neighbor.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Zecora had been busy for most of the day, gathering herbs and maintaining her various wards against predators. It was something of a habit of hers after all, and even though the wards themselves had nothing to do with actual magic, she enjoyed the many rituals involved in them nevertheless. The ponyfolk might see such things as witchcraft or superstitions, and she was certain that Twilight Sparkle would throw a fit if she knew, yet it was a strange sort of comfortable familiarity for her. This day had been no different, and she hummed a happy tune as she applied the necessary concoction to a gathering of trees, the lime green substance entirely odorless to most, yet repulsively disgusting to manticores. It was the last ward of the day, and even she did not wish to stay out in the wild Everfree after dark. With one more application of the substance, accompanied by a rhyme from her native lands, Zecora looked at her work with satisfaction. This was just one of the many secrets as to how she was able to survive in the Everfree, a place normally considered too dangerous to live, especially for a lone zebra.

With a spring in her step she gathered up her basket of herbs, happily trotting back to her wooden cottage. Or rather, the dead tree she had repurposed into her cottage with a healthy use of anti-decaying oil. Truly there was very little her alchemy could not do, and she was certain that there were no dangers in the Everfree she could not overcome with her skills and experience.

She came home to a bubbling cauldron, a salve already in its final stages. It was something Applejack had commissioned only the previous day, a remedy for her grandmother’s back pain in fact. Ever since she had been accepted, or at least not outright feared anymore, by Ponyville’s citizens, she had received numerous requests for many different sorts of potions, elixirs, salves, and even herbal teas. It made her happy really, to become a part of Ponyville, somepony they could all count on in their times of need.

‘Even if it is just to entertain and scare foals on Nightmare Night.’

She chuckled fondly at the memory. It had been a truly delightful evening, making use of her storytelling and illusionary dust to evoke wonder in the many young ponies. Indeed, it had been a very joyful celebration, and she hoped that Mayor Mare would request her presence once more the following year.

The zebra suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine, and swiftly snapped her head to stare through one of the hut’s small windows. It had only been for a fleeting moment, yet she was certain that somepony, or something, had been observing her. Yet she could discern nothing through the deep gloom outside her home. Whatever it was, it could not have been native to the Everfree, considering all of the wards she had in place against such intrusion. Thus, it was most likely a pony. Though why said pony had not announced his, or her, presence, was puzzling to the zebra. Anypony who knew where she lived would certainly be familiar with her at least, and she could think of nopony who would want to spy on her.

With a furrowed brow she quickly grabbed her nearby tribal staff, and within seconds she had opened the door and stepped outside into the cold evening air, scouting through the thick vegetation for her surprise visitor. Spotting nopony at all, she slammed the base of her staff into the ground with a large thud.

“Show yourself, I care not for your stealth.”

Her voice rang clear through the dense woods, yet nothing more than the sound of leaves rustled by the wind answered her call. The zebra narrowed her eyes, she still felt like she was being watched, and she had never been especially paranoid. It was not just her mind playing tricks, she knew something was wrong.

“I will no longer play your game, now tell me your name!”

The agitated zebra was still scanning her surroundings, trying to pick up any kind of movement which might have indicated the presence of another creature. Her senses were finely attuned to the forest around her, yet she was incapable of perceiving her supposed spy. She was so intent on finding the intruder, that she noticed too late that her eyes were growing heavy and her sight was dimming. Just as she lost strength in her legs and collapsed to the ground, she saw a blurry shape appear from empty air, its bipedal form towering over her with glowing eyes. As she started slipping into unconsciousness, it spoke to her in an obviously female voice, though it sounded as if it had several different voices, each speaking in unison with one another.

“I am the Queen of Blades, little equine. And I do believe that you and I are going to become very well acquainted.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic and personal prodigy of Princess Celestia, yawned as she fought away the last fuzziness of her sleep, stretching grandly in the comfortable bed. With tired eyes she glanced at her bedside watch, groaning in annoyance as she discovered that she’d be unable to spend any longer in bed. Truly it had been an uncomfortable night, riddled with nightmares and frequent awakenings. She was unsure as to the reason for this, the only strange thing she had experienced the previous day had been a slight migraine, accompanied by a weird sense of foreboding. It had eventually forced her to use a self-induced sleep spell on herself, otherwise she might never have been able to fall asleep.

Today she felt none of that however, and with another yawn she managed to drag herself out of bed, shaking her tired body free of the last clutches of sleep. With a plan for the day already in mind, the young unicorn proceeded to the bedroom mirror, quickly picking up a nearby brush and getting started on the tiresome ordeal of working some manner of order into her unruly bed mane.

The remaining part of the morning proceeded as it always did: according to her perfected routine. Fixing up the mane, water in her face, then down to eat breakfast with her assistant Spike, including a generous helping of pitch black coffee.

‘Mmmm... coffee, what would I do without you?’

Then she would promptly be brought out of her daze by Spike, informing her of the first order of business on her daily checklist. All as planned.

A few hours after lunch they arrived at the best part of her checklist, the time she had allotted to spend with her five good friends. This one was a tradition, their semi-weekly picnic in fact. The others had a tendency to call it their weekly picnic, despite how often she informed them that, unless they assigned one constant day for the picnic, calling it as such was fundamentally wrong. They often had to change the planned day for the picnic, on account of conflicting schedules, thus it was in reality semi-weekly.

That particular declaration had prompted a chorus of laughter from both Rainbow and Pinkie, and Twilight was once again reminded of why she normally kept such thoughts to herself. It wasn’t her fault that her friends couldn’t appreciate an orderly, structured mindset such as her own, though that didn’t stop her from blushing in embarrassment whenever one of them called her out on it.

All of this was far from her mind however, as she looked around at her chatting friends. They had set up a picnic blanket on a small stretch of land close to Sweet Apple Acres, and with a blue sky above them, a gentle breeze on the wind, and the company of her five best friends, Twilight truly felt happy. On the blanket was a collection of various refreshments: Pinkie Pie had, to nopony’s surprise, baked a cake, Fluttershy had made tea, Rarity supplied the sandwiches, Applejack had brought a basket of apples, and Twilight had taken the time to bring cooled water from a nearby spring. Rainbow Dash... well, Rainbow Dash had brought along her appetite.

They were all enjoying each others company, chatting casually about things both big and small. Rarity, who for the day had brought along a wide-brimmed summer-hat and pink scarf, had just made a comment about the wonderful weather they were having, when a wheezing Spike ran across the blanket, yelling Twilight's name in exhaustion. He then struggled to catch his breath, all of the assembled ponies looking at him with puzzled expressions, until he burped up a scroll in a burst of green flames.

Leaving her panting assistant laying on the blanket, Twilight quickly took the scroll in her magical grasp, unrolling it and skimming the first few lines.

‘Wedding? What wedding?’

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Time had passed surprisingly swiftly for the Queen of Blades. After subduing the solitary zebra, she had brought her back inside the hut. She had then spent several hours going through her mind, picking up any interesting pieces of information she could find concerning the Everfree and Ponyville. Of particular interest was the zebra’s knowledge of the creatures native to the forest.

‘Timber wolves... manticores... cockatrice. Even dragons and great celestial beasts, this forest keeps getting more and more interesting. How I look forward to examining all it has to offer.’

She had also learned further of Ponyville and its inhabitants, of Twilight Sparkle and her five friends especially. The zebra had had previous experiences with them all, and she learned a great deal from her gracious host.

It was on that note that, after making sure the zebra would remember nothing of their little encounter, the Queen of Blades retired for the night. Even if she was an ascended being she still needed some amount of rest, and it also served to help her go through the information she had obtained that day.

So it was to no surprise that the Queen went to rest with a smile, thoughts of everything she had to do the next day almost keeping her from sleep. Yet eventually she closed herself off from the outside world, leaning against one of the walls of her sleeping host's home, closing her eyes and letting peaceful slumber take her.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The next morning went by in somewhat of a blur. After she had made sure that the zebra would remember nothing of what had transpired the previous night, the Queen of Blades set out from the hut. It would take her a while to get to Ponyville, though she had discovered that the zebra’s home wasn’t really that far away, if one knew the right paths to take.

‘And thanks to the kind Zecora, I now do.’

She chuckled internally, it had been a true stroke of luck, finding a lone zebra in the middle of the Everfree. Especially one as knowledgeable and experienced as Zecora, it was almost too good to be true, but she was never one to dismiss the work of fate.

Eventually she reached the edge of the forest, and as she looked out over the rolling hills and grasslands surrounding Ponyville, the Queen felt a tingle of excited anticipation. Soon she would find Twilight Sparkle, and with the mind of this world’s greatest scholar in her grasp, she was certain that she’d be able to find a way back home.

Already she could spot Ponyville in the distance, the quaint little village almost a colorful blight on the vibrant landscape. It still irked her how these ponies had chosen to live, everything was in stark contrast to the beautiful organic structures she was familiar with, even the metal monstrosities favored by the Terran would have been a welcome sight compared to this.

With a barely distinguishable frown, the Queen of Blades set forth towards her destination, intent on getting to Twilight Sparkle as fast as possible. On her way there however, no more than a few minutes walk, the Queen stopped in her tracks as she came upon a cottage. It was a strange thing, to find a pony’s cottage so close to the Everfree. Especially one that looked as sickeningly idyllic as this one.

It was basically a wonderland of animals and insects, the disgusting critters scurrying around the building as if it was a giant nest. She could feel a chaotic mass of mental energies, and she had no idea how many creatures actually called the place their home. Once she approached however, several of the closest animals froze in whatever actions they were in the middle of, their heads snapping swiftly to look in her direction. With a click of her tongue in annoyance, the Queen of Blades enveloped herself in her psionic cloak, turning invisible to all onlookers.

Despite this however, most of the animals scurried away at her approach, fleeing from an invisible entity they could not perceive, yet felt wrong to them somehow. The Queen paid them no heed, it did not matter to her what they did, and she knew they’d be unable to convey their unease to any actual sapient creature which might live in the cottage.

‘Wait... I know this place. Or rather, Zecora does.’

Bits and pieces of the knowledge she had gained from Zecora was brought to her mind, it took only a moment for her to make sense of the place. It was the home of a pegasus, one called Fluttershy, who apparently took care of injured and homeless animals. She was supposedly a kind hearted and empathic pony, and therefore, by the Queen’s reasoning, sufficiently weak to take advantage of. If she could just make an initial connection, she might be capable of perceiving the world through the pony’s senses, making her an ideal spy.

‘Yes, this one will do nicely.’

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

“Your brother’s getting married? Congratulations Twilight, that’s great news!”

Applejack was understandably excited, all of her friends were really. Yet all Twilight could feel, was a slight tang of pain at the sudden revelation. What kind of brother tells his sister about his wedding through a letter?

The purple unicorn rolled her eyes, trotting away in agitation. “Yeah, great news. That I just got from a wedding invitation! Not from my brother, but from a piece of paper!”

At this point her friends were looking worriedly at her, but the only thing on her mind was annoyance and disappointment in her brother. They were supposed to be so close after all, how had they drifted apart so easily?

With a flourish of magic she levitated a sandwich into the air, performing a masterful rendition of her brother’s idiocy. In her own opinion at least.

“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, who in the hoof is that!?” She snorted, pawing the ground in frustration.

An unsure Fluttershy approached the unicorn with a light basking of her wings, reaching a hoof to her distressed friend in a gesture of concern.

“Uhm... Twilight, are you okay?”

Twilight sighed at the question, turning from her friend as she started trotting in her confusion and exasperation. “Sorry, it’s just that-...” At this point she cut herself off, looking uncertainly at Fluttershy with a raised eyebrow. “Actually, I want to ask you that same question, are you okay? I think there’s something wrong with your eyes.”

Fluttershy was surprised by the sudden question, she had never liked when somepony asked her something out of the blue, and the demure pegasus responded in the only way she knew. By hiding herself behind her mane and speaking in a low tone.

“Uhm... I... I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my eyesight... Twilight.” She peeked out of her hiding place ever so slightly. “I’m sorry, did I not see something I was supposed to?”

The purple unicorn narrowed her eyes at her friend, trying to figure out exactly what she had seen earlier. She could have sworn that her eyes had been glowing, just a little, but still very odd. “I’m sure that your eyes were... glowing.” The last word came out as almost a question, causing the rest of her friends to look at the shy pegasus with questioning gazes.

This scrutinization only made the butter-yellow pony curl up even more, her discomfort with the situation prompting her to hide her muzzle entirely behind her pink mane. “I.. I don’t know, Twilight. Could you please stop staring at me?” The question was almost pleading, and with apologetic faces her friends turned from the uncomfortable pegasus to look at Twilight instead.

“Darling, are you sure you’re just not seeing things? It is a very warm day after all, and I haven’t seen you drink anything since you got here,” Rarity asked with a slight air of concern. “Perhaps you should sit down and have a nice cold glass of water, we’ll figure this whole wedding thing out, I promise.”

With a sigh the distressed unicorn sat back down on the blanket. “Sorry, Rarity. You’re probably right, I’m likely just experiencing some minor frustrations about this whole affair...”

As always, Pinkie Pie was ready to cheer up a friend in need, and with a beaming smile she started bouncing in place. “Don’t worry, Twilight! I’m sure everything will turn out just fine! After all, there’s-...”

The pink party pony promptly stopped in mid-air, her head swirling around at an almost unnatural angle before her front hooves followed suit, sending her careening in the opposite direction with a loud ‘Woah!’, and crashing to the ground with an audible thud. The assembled ponies all stared at her in baffled disbelief, and barely a second after, the pink earth pony suddenly started whirling in place, her head still staring directly in one direction. The whole thing looked absolutely bizarre, and her friends, while normally used to Pinkie’s oddities, were struck absolutely speechless by what was happening.

It only lasted a few seconds, and when it ended Pinkie was more or less slung to the ground once more, her body twitching a final time before she became still. Then, without warning, the pink pony bounced back on her hooves, turning to her still motionless friends, all of them with mouths agape. She cocked her head and adapted a questioning expression.

“Well... that was new.”

Chapter Four

Queen of Blades

Chapter Four

The Queen of Blades was, not so surprisingly, quite baffled. These ponies had turned out to be a bigger oddity than she had expected. Planting a mental probe inside the mind of the yellow pegasus had been easy enough, and activating it during their picnic should have been a flawless process. Yet, for some strange reason, the psionic activity had resonated strongly with a power inside the pegasus’ mind. It had been such an overwhelming response, almost like a beast lashing out against her control, that she had been forced to transfer the probe to another pony in order to avoid the obvious tell of psionic influence on the pegasus.

And that’s when things had gone from strange, to outright weird. If the response from Fluttershy had surprised her, what she had gotten from the pink earth pony had been outright bizarre. Not only had there been a strong physical reaction, but the pony had even turned her gaze in her direction, as if she knew where she had been hiding. That particular incident had actually caused the Queen to withdraw her influence from the pony, while not in exactly fear, at least in worry that she would be discovered.

‘These ponies are starting to give me an headache... I’ll need to keep a closer watch on this particular group.’

Regardless, the Queen had managed to get hold of a few pieces of information. Most importantly in regards to the royal wedding, and what it would mean for her plans.

‘It would seem that I no longer have the necessary time to get into contact with Twilight Sparkle now, my preparations aren’t nearly completed yet.’

Luckily, the Zerg Queen was a creature of opportunity, so the sudden change in her plans only caused her to revise her priorities slightly. Instead of going straight for Twilight Sparkle, she would have the time needed for her to establish some measure of control in the Everfree.

‘Everything becomes a bit easier with a base of operations after all, and a few minions will go a long way to aid in my efforts.’

With a last glance towards Twilight Sparkle and her friends, who were already packing up and heading back to Ponyville, the Queen of Blades turned her back to the bright, green plains, and strode back into the deep gloom of the Everfree Forest.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The rest of the day went mostly uneventful for Twilight and her friends, not that it hadn’t been weird enough already. After discovering a new variation of the Pinkie Sense, which Pinkie insisted meant something along the lines of: ‘Somepony really in need of a party’, they had all gone their separate ways to prepare for their stay in Canterlot.

The purple prodigy was still fuming with anger at her brother, even as she was worried about the oddities of the earlier picnic. She was certain that she had seen Fluttershy’s eyes glow, and when that particular mystery had gone away, Pinkie had reacted with perhaps one of the most intense Pinkie Sense reactions yet.

“Spike! Are you finished yet? We need to get everything ready for tomorrow, time is of the essence!” her voice rang out through the library. Already she was packing for the overnight stay in Canterlot, bringing along anything she would need for a wedding.

Something was going on, she was certain of it. It wasn’t just the thing with Fluttershy and Pinkie, or even her brother’s out of character actions. The odd sense of foreboding was back, and this time even stronger than it had been the previous day. She would need an especially powerful sleep spell if she wanted any rest that night.

“Yeah, yeah. I still don’t see why we gotta rush like this, Twilight,” Spike said with slight exasperation, as he stuck his head out from upstairs. “I mean, don’t we have until tomorrow morning anyway?”

Twilight gave him a deadpan look. “I know, Spike. But we’ve still got a lot of things on our list for the day, and we need to get all of it done before we have to leave for Canterlot.”

Her assistant simply shrugged as he carried a set of saddlebags downstairs. “Still, I can’t believe Shining is getting married.” He placed the bags near the door before turning back to Twilight. “I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with your brother, he’s a pretty cool dude. It’s just that he’s always been so dedicated to the Guard, when did he even have time to find a marefriend?”

The purple unicorn snorted in response. “I don’t know, Spike. Maybe if he actually included his own sister in the important parts of his life, I would.”

The young dragon looked at his friend with worry, before a glare from said unicorn sent him back to work. Still a lot to get done before he could relax, and he really didn’t want to argue with Twilight, considering the mood she was in.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The Queen of Blades strode confidently through the Everfree, mostly ignoring the mass of activity she was feeling in her vicinity. For the most part it was just critters fleeing from her presence, sensing her unnatural presence as a sign of danger. It was a comfortable time for the Queen, she enjoyed the silence she was offered in the forest. It gave her time to think, to prepare and plan.

Then again, she was starting to feel somewhat... lonely. She grimaced internally at the thought, it was just one of those pointless flaws left over from her days as a human. It was one she could not ignore, or even remove, however. Looking through the minds of sapient creatures was satisfying enough, but it didn’t allow her to make use of that mind as anything more than a source of information, like a book really.

No, what she desired was a sparring partner, someone who could entertain and challenge her on an intellectual level. Tassadar, and later Zeratul, had been worthy opponents. But Tassadar had sacrificed himself to destroy the first Overmind, and Zeratul had disappeared after examining the Overmind’s carcass on Aiur. Her Brood Mothers had served a similar purpose, always adding their own input to any given situation. They hadn’t been perfect at it, they were still her own creations, her own children. It was hard to get an honest opinion out of something entirely subservient to yourself, after all.

She quickly dismissed that particular train of thought, suddenly sensing something different in her surroundings. It was an odd thing, it felt like she was being followed by a group of somewhat sentient creatures. Tracing her every move, always keeping her in their center. It was almost like she was being...

‘Hunted... what a strange sensation.’

It wasn’t anything she had ever experienced before, she had always been the one doing the hunting after all, never the other way around. It was actually a little exhilarating, knowing that a group of unknown predators were after her, desiring to subdue her, dig their fangs and claws into her flesh and devour her whole, all to feed their need for sustenance.

The Queen of Blades came to a stop, staring straight ahead into the dark forest, her entire body twitching in anticipation. It was such an exotic sensation, so new and exciting that she couldn’t keep a grim smile from her lips. Her Zerg mind might have had something to do with it, converting the fear and uncertainty of the situation into a state of almost euphoric adrenaline. Her heart was pounding harder than ever before, her claws and wings extending in preparation, her psionic powers almost running loose as she could hardly contain herself.

She wanted it, she needed it. To feel pain, to feel excitement and the rush of battle. To fight for her existence, prove herself the greater predator, and to deliver death in response to their challenge.

Then, the forest around her exploded into action, half a dozen large forms rushing at the immobile Queen. She simply stood there, waiting, all rational thought leaving her mind as her eyes turned to pinpricks, a mad grin twisting her face as she spun around to meet her predatory adversaries. And for the first time in her life, the Queen of Blades lost control entirely.

There was a flash of teeth and claws, wooden lupine forms charging at their prey with loud howls. In the next moment one of them yelped with pain, the sound of cracking wood and the scrapping of claws on carapace filling the small glade they were in. The Queen of Blades felt claws scratching her body, teeth trying to find any opening to dig into her flesh, and with every burst of pain she felt an amazing sensation. She let out a moan as one of her attackers dug its teeth into her shoulder, only to respond with an uncontrolled burst of psionic energy which ripped the creature asunder. That feeling, the feeling of ending the life of something that had just been trying to kill her, it was an indescribable experience.

The Queen of Blades actually laughed, harder than she had ever done before. Every twist of her body, every action she took ended the life of another. She ripped, clawed, tore, pierced and decapitated everything in her madness. it was liberating, exhilarating, and so very satisfying. Her psionic powers ran wild, lashing out on its own to blow apart attackers, trees, or anything else that stood in her way. Azure and crimson light flashed through the forest, energies she had kept contained for so long finding escape in every way it could, leaving nothing but destruction and devastation in their wake.

During it all she had no coherent thought, she was simply lost in the thrill of battle. So even when the whines and yelps of pain diminished, it took her a while to snap out of it and realise that she had no enemies remaining.

Taking a deep breath to gather herself, green blood seeping from numerous wounds, the Queen slowly took in her surroundings. It was utter chaos, not a single tree within ten meters was still intact, large fissures had been ripped into the ground, and the body parts of her former adversaries littered the earth. In her bout of madness she hadn’t even registered what she was fighting, and it was nothing like she had imagined.

They were wolves, large lupines made entirely of wood and vegetation. Not a single one of them was still in one piece, yet it was clear to her that they had been powerful creatures in life. Their bodies had a strong natural armor, their claws and teeth were large, jagged and sharp. She almost felt a little sad at their demise, she had always respected creatures of efficient evolution, and these were more than sufficient to satisfy even her critical gaze. They were Timberwolves she realised, a creature quite familiar to the resident zebra.

‘Wait... what am I doing?’

The Queen of Zergs looked down at her clawed hands, they were covered with both tree sap, as well as her own green blood. Something was wrong, she had never lost control like that before, and it felt... wrong.

‘No, this isn’t me. I don’t lose control, what was that back then?’

She was supposed to be above such things, to never lose her cool in any situation. The thought of doing so made her sick; it was so primitive, so impulsive, so... human.

An involuntary shiver was given at that notion, she couldn’t believe that she could devolve into that state on her own. It was this alien world, it had to be, she had been weakened since getting there, who knew what other effects it would have on her mind? At least she was certain of one thing, she needed to leave this infernal planet, as quickly as possible.

With a last growl of annoyance, the Queen of Blades set out towards her next destination, leaving her destructive work behind.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

“Come on, Sweetie Belle! We don’t have time to slow down at every puddle of mud!” Scootaloo’s exasperated voice rang out through the Everfree, the small orange pegasus impatiently waiting for her friend to get around yet another one of her ‘obstacles’.

The white unicorn filly didn’t answer until she had made her way past the patch of devious dirt. “But Rarity just styled my mane, and she’ll be furious if I mess it up...” She hung her head slightly, she’d had a hard time convincing her sister to do it, and she wasn’t going to upset her after all that hard work.

The pegasus simply rolled her eyes in response, turning around to catch up with Apple Bloom, who had trotted a bit further ahead.

“Leave her alone, Scootaloo. You know how much she cares about her sister, so you can’t really blame her for being a mite careful.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were on a mission, one of vital importance according to Apple Bloom. In a bout of unprecedented luck, Applejack had allowed her sister to fetch their order from Zecora on her own, while the farm pony worked to get everything done before their stay in Canterlot. She had started getting a bit more lenient with letting her sister near the Everfree, ever since Zecora had explained her wards and other security measures. So as long as they stayed on the designated path, Applejack was fine with letting them go. For the most part at least.

All she had to do was bring along somepony else, and that was a perfect opportunity for some CMC activities if she ever saw one.

“Pfft, whatever,” Scootaloo shrugged, turning to Apple Bloom while they waited for Sweetie Belle to catch up. “So, what are we going to do once we get to Zecora’s? There has to be a ton of things out here we could get our cutie marks in.”

“Well,” Apple Bloom said as Sweetie trotted up next to them. “I was thinkin’ we could try and do some of that al-khem-my Zecora told me about. Mixin’ up potions and stuff.”

The pony trio continued on their way, talking excitedly amongst themselves about all the different things they could try once they got to Zecora’s home.

“Alright! I’m sure we could make some awesome stuff with that, like a potion to give us superpowers!” The pegasus filly exclaimed with a rapid flutter of her small wings. “Or maybe some of that cool dust she used on Nightmare Night!”

“Or we could learn how to make tea!” Sweetie said ecstatically, her voice cracking. Her orange friend turned to her with a deadpan look. “What? I think it would be cool...”

“Don’t you worry, girls. I’m sure we’ll get to try all of it, Zecora is really nice after all.” Apple Bloom quickly interjected, not wanting the two of them to get into another argument.

It didn’t take long for the Crusaders to get to Zecora’s hut. It looked pretty much like it always did, but there was some sort of nervosity in the air. None of them could really put it into words, so their worries went unnoticed by each other. Apple Bloom quickly went to the front door, knocking on it a couple of times with her hoof.

“Zecora, it’s me, Apple Bloom!”

A few seconds passed, and eventually the door opened up to reveal the familiar zebra on the other side. Already she had a smile on, but she seemed tired for some reason.

“Apple Bloom and friends! It is good to see you all again.” The zebra had the usual energy in her voice however, so the fillies thought little of it. “Come on in, I have already prepared the salve for your kin.”

“Thanks, Zecora!” Apple Bloom said, quickly making her way inside together with her friends. It didn’t take long for the excitable fillies to start examining everything within reach, while Zecora walked to a nearby table to retrieve the ordered concoction.

“Here you are, little Apple Bloom. I am certain your Granny Smith will find it to be quite a boon.”

The earth pony filly quickly drew herself away from a collection of herbs she had been studying, trotting over to Zecora so she could place the small clay jar in her saddlebags.

“No doubt about it, your salve is pretty much the only one she uses anymore.” The young filly stated with a beaming smile. “Says it brings an extra step to her walk.”

The shamanistic zebra responded with a smile of her own. “Tell her that I appreciate the praise, perhaps I’ll pay her another visit one of these days.”

“I’m sure she’d be appreciatin’ that,” Apple Bloom said as he started pawing the ground with a hoof. “Uhm... actually, if you don’t mind. Do you think maybe you could teach us somethin’ about potion making? We’re tryin’ to get our cutie marks, and we want to try anythin’ we can.”

At this point the rest of the Crusaders had come over to join Apple Bloom, and they all looked up at her with hopeful eyes. The combined efforts from that trio of big, pleading eyes would have been enough to give any pony a heart attack, but Zecora simply sighed and shook her head sadly.

“I am afraid that I can not, it would seem that some illness I have caught. Since this morning, my mind has been muddled, and there is something else that has me quite puzzled.”

The Crusaders all gave a collective ‘aww’ in disappointment, before Apple Bloom looked back up at Zecora. “That’s too bad, we wouldn’t want to disturb you too much if you’re not feelin’ well.” The zebra gave an appreciative smile at this. “But what has you puzzled though? Does it have anything to do with the forest?”

Zecora blinked once, idly rubbing at her temple with a hoof, as if to clear her head. “Yes... it is the animals you see, something has them acting rather crazy.” Then she looked at them with worried eyes. “It would be best if you were to return home soon, otherwise I fear you might come across ill fortune.”

The trio of fillies all looked to each other uncertainly, before Sweetie Belle spoke up. “Let’s just get going, girls. I’m sure Miss Zecora has her reasons for warning us, she knows this forest better than any of us after all.”

They all nodded in agreement, and after giving Zecora a farewell and thanks for her time, the Crusaders went out the door, and back on the path leading back to Ponyville. Only a minute later, Scootaloo was unable to contain her disappointment any longer.

“Well that was a dud, just our luck that she’s not feeling well the day we decide to visit her.” She kicked a small pebble away in agitation, then, suddenly looked back at her friends with a raised brow. “That doesn’t mean we still can’t try and get our cutie marks though, there has to be a lot of stuff we can do in the Everfree!”

The other two cast a quick glance at each other, both of them obviously still worried about Zecora’s warning. Apple Bloom was the first one to voice her uncertainty. “I don’t know, Scootaloo. Zecora sounded mighty nervous about somethin’.”

“Yeah, and I’m not sure if I’d want any cutie mark that has to do with the Everfree Forest anyway,” said Sweetie Belle, while casting glances around their surroundings.

Scootaloo wasn’t one to give up so easily however, and rolled her eyes at her friends’ fears. “Oh come on, we already know that Zecora made this part of the forest pretty safe, we’ll just not stray off too far. What could possibly go wrong?”

As if in challenge to the question, a loud roar suddenly sounded throughout the Everfree forest, a roar of anger and indignation, one so loud that the ground itself trembled beneath their hooves. A powerful burst of red light accompanied the dying echoes of the sound, and then, everything went silent.

The three fillies had all frozen in silence, the last moments of that roar had sounded pained more than anything else, and they could only guess at what could have produced it.

“Wha-.. what was that!?” Apple Bloom was the first to snap out of her stupor, looking at her friends with wide eyes. She had heard stories of great beasts living in the Everfree, Ursas and Dragons in particular, but she couldn’t believe that something like that lived so close to Ponyville.

Sweetie Belle was obviously shaken by the whole situation, but Scootaloo quickly looked to the other two with determination and excitement in her purple eyes.

“That, Apple Bloom, was the sound of a job for the Cutie Mark Crusaders Mystery Solvers!”

Chapter Five

Queen of Blades

Chapter Five

Not a sound, except for the steady footsteps of a bipedal shape, could be heard in that particular area of the Everfree forest. The Queen of Blades noted that any remaining animal life had promptly chosen to stay even further away from her, following her little encounter with the timber wolves earlier. Glad that her show of animalistic ferocity had at least had some positive outcome, the Queen took her time to concentrate on healing and restoring her body.

As she walked through the forest on her way to her destination, her many wounds were slowly closing themselves, and before long she was completely restored. It wouldn’t do to meet another sapient creature without looking her best, a good first impression was important after all.

It took her no longer than ten minutes before she arrived at the foot of the mountain, or at the very least a part of its cliffside. In front of her was a cavernous mouth, opening up into a large tunnel of almost pitch blackness. She could sense the mental signature of its inhabitant’s mind, and there was only the one entity.

With a steady, confident stride, the zerg Queen made her way into the cave, soon exiting the tunnel into a large, naturally formed chamber. Stalactites and stalagmites littered the area, great pillars of stone connecting ceiling and floor in several places. All around her were huge piles of gems and crystals, a multitude of colours reflecting the light given off by a number of greenish crystal formations protruding from the cavern walls.

She could sense another presence nearby, and already her mind was working at incredible speed, forming any number of plans and retaliations to whatever might happen. Needless to say, when a great beast of green scales stepped out in front of her, its yellow-red slitted eyes narrowing at her, the Queen of Blades couldn’t help but lift a brow. It was a dragon without a doubt, and she couldn’t help but be impressed by its massive size, powerful scales, and razor sharp claws and fangs. It almost looked like something she would have created, had she had a sufficiently fitting template creature.

The things she could do with its Essence.

“What are you doing in my cave?” its voice boomed, resounding loudly off of the cavern walls.

Already she could see steam escaping its mouth, and according to Zecora’s knowledge it was quite capable of breathing fire. Fascinating.

Before answering, she took her time to gaze around the chamber, almost appraisingly. “I was simply admiring it, I believe it will make an excellent temporary home.”

If the dragon was surprised by her nonchalance, it did not show it, instead bending down towards her. “You must be joking, and I do not find it funny in the least.” Snorting a cloud of warm steam through its nostrils at the arrogant being before it. “I suggest you leave, little creature. Before I lose my patience and decides to eat you.”

The Queen of Blades dispersed the steam with but a thought, returning the dragon’s hard gaze in full. There was no sign of fear in her, and the dragon couldn’t help but take a step back in uncertainty as her eyes glowed with otherworldly embers. It might have been more feral than the rest of its kin, but even it could sense the sheer power radiating off of her at that moment.

“I was not joking, dragon.” She took a step closer towards it, entirely ignoring the dragon’s claws being readied for battle. “I am not leaving this place,” A grim smile adorned her face. “and neither are you.”

That last statement, filled with so much malicious intent and power, sent the dragon flying into a fit of rage. As it fell upon her, fangs bared and claws fully extended, the dragon failed to notice energy forming around her, almost as a cloak of ethereal, crimson flames. In the next moment she released a mighty wave of kinetic energy, the full force of it slamming directly into the dragon at point blank, sending it flying through the cave with a mighty roar. The wyrm’s great body crashed into the opposite wall with a resounding boom, sending a rain of rocks and debris flying in all directions. Already the Queen of Blades was in movement, propelling herself forward with a burst of psionic energy, straight towards the dragon.

The beast proved more resilient than she had expected however, and she was barely halfway towards it before its eyes focused on her, and suddenly a huge torrent of flames was released from its maw, washing over her with great intensity. The Queen merely gathered power, not even slowing down her charge as she whipped out her hand, warding away the raging inferno with a shield. Just as she made her way out of the fire, she thrust her clawed hand towards the beast’s abdomen, sending a focused blast of red energy at the creature’s mostly unarmoured stomach.

With a roar of pain as its flesh was torn open, the dragon quickly whipped out its spiked tail, catching the still airborne Queen and sending her crashing into a nearby stone pillar. Yet soon enough she was back on the ground, seemingly unharmed despite the great strength of the dragon’s attack.

The dragon roared once more. “You will not kill me! I will kill you!”

Seeing red, the wyrm charged at the intruder once more, unleashing a barrage of powerful claw swipes and finishing off with another burst of flames. Panting heavily, blood seeping freely from the wounds on its stomach, the dragon peered through the smoke produced by its breath, trying to spot the hopefully dead creature.

It was not quite so lucky.

“Impressive, I will have to take a closer look at your fire breath once I’ve restrained you,” her voice reverberated through the chamber. “After all, wouldn’t want to waste such a wonderful ability.”

In the next moment, a wave of energy exploded from where she was standing, dispersing the smoke and dust left in the wake of the dragon’s attack. Before the dragon could react properly, a blast of crimson energy impacted it, sending it flying once more into a nearby wall with a wail of indignation. The attack did not stop there however, as the Queen motioned with both her hands, enveloping the beast’s body in the mass of red energy, flinging it with great velocity into the ceiling, then into the ground. Like a puppet on a string, the prideful creature was smashed into walls, slammed into the ceiling, and thrust into the ground. Each impact resulted in another roar of pain, the sound of snapping bones, and the cracking of scales.

Panting from exhaustion, the Queen of Blades gathered her energy once more, picking up the barely conscious dragon and almost lodging it into the wall with a mighty slam of kinetic force. As the dragon grew silent, its wings and other limbs torn and mangled, the Queen made her way to it. She lifted herself into the air with kinetic energy, levitating closer until she could reach out and touch its stomach.

“Please... kill me...” The dragon was fighting to stay awake, and the zerg Queen was once more impressed by its resilience. Truthfully her entire body was aching, she might have looked mostly fine after its attacks, but she certainly felt the strain they had left on her.

In an almost motherly gesture, the Queen of Blades swept her hand over its wounded stomach. “No, no, that simply won’t do,” she cooed. “I need you very much alive, makes things a lot easier on me after all.”

As the dragon looked down at her, pleading despair obvious in its eyes, the Queen thrust a clawed hand straight through its chest with a sickening sound. “I’m afraid it’s going to be quite agonizing for you however. My apologies.” There was no sympathy in her voice though, and as her hand found its way to the creature’s heart, it gave a low whimper.

Without a moment of hesitance, the Queen pierced the great wyrm’s heart, releasing and infecting it with a mass of mutative zerg bacteria. As the zerg organisms started twisting and warping its DNA, the once prideful dragon gave a last whimper of pain, before it found itself in an existence of profound agony.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

“Are you sure this is such a good idea, Scootaloo?” The white unicorn filly said, tentatively trotting along with her two friends.

The pegasus sighed in response. “Of course I do! This is a perfect chance for us to get our cutie marks,” She said as she nimbly leaped over a fallen log. “How often do you think something like this happens? I bet we’ll find something awesome.”

Sweetie Belle looked between the two other fillies. Scootaloo was obviously excited, but she usually was when they were doing something reckless. It usually just ended up with them in a bad, or sticky, situation. Apple Bloom on the other hoof was following in silence, but Sweetie knew her well enough to know that she was even more nervous about the situation than she was.

“But Zecora doesn’t make this part of the forest safe, what if we run into a timber wolf? Or a manticore?” She had heard her sister tell the story of how she and her friends had once encountered a manticore, and she very much doubted they’d be able to calm it down like Fluttershy had.

“Manticore, schmanticore. We’ll be able to get away from one of those no probs, Rainbow Dash told me how dumb they are.”

Despite her worries, the small group continued on their way through the Everfree. Once they’d cleared another small hillock, passing by a patch of blue Poison Joke, Apple Bloom turned a worried frown to the orange pegasus.

“Maybe Sweetie Belle is right, Scoots. This here part of the forest ain’t safe.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re scared too, or are you the chicken this time?” The last part was said with a sly smile, and Apple Bloom couldn’t help but turn her head away in a huff.

“Who you callin’ a chicken? Ahm not a chicken!”

“You sure? I thought you were good at sounding like a chicken.” The filly pegasus said, bawking in mock imitation of Apple Bloom from the time when they had been out looking for one of Fluttershy’s lost chickens.

Apple Bloom was just about to disagree, strongly, when Sweetie Belle’s voice brought them out of their discussion.

“Uhm, girls? I think we’re... here.” The last word was laced with quite a bit of fear, and when the other two crusaders turned around, they discovered that they had made it to a small clearing in front of a large cavern entrance.

“Huh, this doesn’t look too bad,” Scootaloo said as she took another step towards the cave, stopping when she noticed the other two weren’t following. “You coming or what?”

Gulping simultaneously, the two fillies started trotting with Scootaloo towards the opening. They could just barely see a faint multi-coloured glow from the inside, and Sweetie Belle suddenly got a bad feeling. This cave was familiar to her somehow, but she just couldn’t put her hoof on where she’d heard about it.

Apple Bloom on the other hoof, had managed to pull herself together in necessity. “Listen, girls. If we find anythin’ bad in there, we run, okay?” The gaze she sent the other two dared them to argue, but both of them nodded their heads, Sweetie Belle a bit more eagerly than Scootaloo.

Slowly they inched their way into the tunnel, keeping somewhat low in order to make themselves less visible. Soon enough they had trotted all the way to the tunnel’s exit, which seemed to open up into a large room. They all gasped when they noticed the literal mountains of gems spread about, and suddenly Sweetie Belle remembered where she’d heard of this place before.

“Wait... Spike told me about this place, this is where that big, mean dragon lives!” She couldn’t contain her outburst, a slight cracking in the last part of her sentence.

“Correction, little ponies. This is where that big, mean dragon used to live.”

The strange, female voice rang clear through the room, yet the three fillies couldn’t locate the speaker. With trembling bodies they started backing out, hoping to get away before they were spotted. They didn’t know who was there, but her voice sounded so intimidating, reverberating in an unsettling manner.

Suddenly the crusaders stopped, but not because they wanted to. Before they could even utter a yelp of surprise, each of them were lifted from the ground by an invisible force. Had any of them been paying attention, they would have noticed that no magical aura surrounded their bodies.

As it was however, they were all yelling in fear, wildly shaking their limbs in a bid to escape the telekinetic grip they found themselves in. Yet it was hopeless, and soon enough they were dragged into the illuminated chamber, in full view of whatever awaited them, and they quickly fell silent in sheer surprise.

Their captor turned out to be something they had never seen before. In front of them stood a creature on only two legs, tall and slender, with two arms and accompanying claws. They looked a bit like Spike’s, but only a little. Nearly her entire body was covered in a thick layer of carapace, almost like the one they could find on bugs, but the intelligence in her eyes bespoke of something very different. She regarded them with light curiosity, almost like one would if they had just found something interesting in the dirt somewhere.

Apple Bloom was the first to speak, blurting out before thinking. “Please don’t eat us!” She quickly brought her hooves to her mouth, suddenly afraid she might give the creature any ideas.

The creature however, did not eat them. Instead she merely tilted her head slightly, looking at the small filly with both surprise and disgust.

“Eat you? What a ridiculous idea,” She motioned with her hand, turning around and levitating the crusaders further into the cave. “Do I look like some pony eating monster to you?”

The three fillies looked to each other with cocked brows, before Scootaloo turned back to the creature. “Uhm... sorta?” She ventured with a nervous chuckle.

For a long moment, the Queen of Blades was silent, regarding them with her red eyes. She had never been a cold blooded killer, not really, and unnecessary killing was so very inefficient. True, she had been the cause of deaths for millions, including women and children, but that had all served a purpose. Killing these three would serve none, and they were far too immature to experiment on.

“Well, I’m not.” Her emotionless expression didn’t change as she looked between the three. “I’m going to put you down now, do not try to run. Understood?”

All three crusaders nodded eagerly, and the Queen felt no deceit in their minds. With another hand gesture, she levitated the fillies down, settling them back on the ground. They all gave a sigh of relief when they were back on their hooves, and soon enough they were looking up at her with wide, curious gazes. There was little fear left in them, replaced with a desire to learn about this strange new being in front of them.

The Queen of Blades didn’t care much for their intrigued gazes, snapping them out of their silence with a sharp, “What?”

Instantly she regretted that action, as no sooner had she said it before the floodgates opened, a stream of chaotic words escaping the three small noisemakers. With a twitching eye she pinned them with a smoldering gaze, causing them to shut their mouths quickly.

“One at a time... if you don’t mind.” The last part was nothing short of an absolute order, and the three fillies seemed to get the message. Truthfully she had understood every intermingled word they had said, her brain and sensory perceptions capable of processing information on a far higher scale than most other beings. She cared nothing for the noise it had created however.

After a moment of looking between themselves, the fillies seemed to reach some sort of agreement, and when they turned back to the Queen it was only Apple Bloom who talked.

“Pardon, miss. But what exactly... are you?” There was a slight uncertainty in her voice, almost as if she thought the question might be an insult.

“I am an evolved being, to try and explain it to you would be pointless, but you may call me the Queen of Blades.” There was no arrogance or dislike in her voice, just the stating of facts.

The crusaders didn’t look like they appreciated her thinking they wouldn’t understand, but none of them voiced that particular opinion. Instead Sweetie Belle stepped in with her own question.

“So if you’re not a...monster, what are you doing in a dragon’s cave?” She pawed the ground nervously with a hoof, afraid she might upset this ‘Queen of Blades’. It didn’t sound like a very nice name either.

“I already told you, this is not the dragon’s cave any longer. It is mine.”

Her statement brought looks of disbelief from the gathered ponies, and Scootaloo was quick to interject. “I’m pretty sure the dragon would disagree, you do know what a dragon is, don’t you?” Her question was brash and straightforward, it was clear that she thought the entire thing odd.

The Queen simply gave her a knowing smirk however. “What is a dragon? A miserable little pile of flesh and bones at the moment.” With that she gestured with a hand towards the back of the cave, and the three fillies turned to where she was indicating.

They instantly wished that they had not. On the wall hung the body of a once great dragon, though it was nearly impossible to discern its former nature. It had almost completely merged with a mass of something that seemed to have originated from its chest, a purple fleshy substance covering most of its body and pinning it to the rocky wall. The disgusting growth seemed to pulsate, as if it had a heartbeat, and was already expanding through the cave with the dragon at its center. The whole thing looked absolutely disgusting, but what was worse, it seemed that they dragon was still somehow alive, its slitted eyes wide open in a gaze which almost begged them for an end to its misery.

As one the three filles turned from the sight, retching heavily as the disturbing images swam through their minds, almost causing Sweetie Belle to faint. It had only been for a second, but in that second they had seen something so alien, so bizarre, something which should never have been seen by an innocent filly mind.

Apple Bloom was the first to recover enough to form words, as she looked up at the Queen of Blades with teary eyes. “Why... why...” She was obviously trying to ask something, but was unable to finish the sentence because of her sobbing.

The Queen of Blades gave her an unamused cock of her eyebrow. “Why? I thought you ponies would be happy, a dragon is a dangerous and wild beast after all. Truly you’re better off with the threat of its presence gone, are you not?” The question was asked with not a shred of remorse, so emotionless that it sent a shiver down their spines. How could somepony talk about killing, no, torturing another creature so easily?

Unknown to the crusaders, the Queen had not shown them the dragon only to scar them. No, in fact she had done so in order to gauge their reaction, to see how they would handle the situation. She was somewhat disappointed, but not too surprised, to discover that these ponies were extremely innocent. Already she was using her psionic abilities to suppress the mental scarring, not wanting to give the ponies another reason to demonize her.

Besides, she knew of these three from Zecora’s memories, and it would be detrimental to her plan if she were to damage the minds of the sisters’ of Twilight Sparkle’s friends. The pegasus filly had no such family bond in the group, but she doubted she’d be able to use that as a valid excuse.

Her mental influencing obviously had an effect, for no longer were the ponies looking like they were about to throw up their lunch. Instead they just looked slightly unsettled... and perhaps a tiny bit mentally unbalanced. Really, no one is entirely perfect.

“Deep breaths, little ponies. It’s going to be alright.” The last part was accompanied by a psionic suggestion, calming down the fillies and taking their minds away from the earlier sight.

Sweetie Belle was the next one to speak up. “Well... I suppose it’s a good thing, Spike told me it tried to kill him the last time he was here.”

“A good thing, are you kidding!?” Scootaloo almost cheered. “She took down a dragon! How cool is that!?”

The Queen gave them a reassuring smile, fake though it was. “See? I’ve done you a favor really, now, how about you join me over here? I’d very much like to hear more about you all.”

The crusaders looked between themselves before nodding, trotting with her to a slightly better illuminated corner of the cave, well out of sight from the dragon. With a slight smile, the Queen of Blades sat down on a flat, rocky protrusion, crossing her legs and looking to the small fillies with interest. It wasn’t that she wanted to talk to something actually intelligent, not really, but these three could at least serve as a source of information about Twilight Sparkle’s friends.

Getting away from the dragon, and having their minds subtly stabilized by the Queen, the crusaders were more eager to talk than they had been before. Scootaloo especially was ecstatic that they were in the presence of a dragon slayer, despite how odd she looked.

“Oh, uhm, no offense.”

“None taken.” It was true enough, she was well past the stage of being insulted by her ‘odd’ looks. Most creatures were unable to appreciate her perfection, and she had come to terms with that.

“But it’s so cool! Not even Rainbow Dash could take down a dragon, how did you do it? Can you use magic?”

‘There’s that word again... magic.’ She gave an involuntary shudder at the thought, magic was just such a preposterous idea.

Before she could answer however, Sweetie Belle spoke up. “Yeah, you lifted us with magic earlier, right?”

The Queen of Blades gave a strained smile to the inquisitive gazes of the small ponies. “I do not have... magic.” She waved her hand dismissively. “No, my power is the power of a Psionic. The ability to influence the world around me with my mind.”

“Well, my sister Rarity says that you have to concentrate real hard to use magic too, so isn’t it sort of alike?” She quickly continued when she caught the annoyed glare from their host. “I mean, I can’t really use magic myself yet, so I don’t really know...”

“From what I’ve been able to tell, your unicorn ‘magic’ is drawn from your surroundings. My power comes from within myself, not an outside source.” Truly she was only slightly annoyed at the questions about magic, she was in fact rather interested in the subject. She was something of a knowledge seeker after all.

“So, QB,” Apple Bloom suddenly said, earning herself an expression of stunned disbelief from the Queen. “What are you even doin’ in Equestria? You don’t seem the tourist type to me.”

The Queen of Blades could only sit there for a moment, until eventually she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. These ponies were simply too friendly, and what the hell was up with that nickname?

“Apple Bloom...” The pony in question looked at her obliviously. “Do you think you could not use that nickname? It makes me feel... sick.”

“But ‘Queen of Blades’ is such a mouthful, I don’t wanna say that every time, and it sounds like a weird name.” She gave the zerg Queen a smile. “Besides, Applejack told me that nicknames are a good way to make friends, and we like meeting new ponies! Even if you’re not really a pony.”

The other two nodded in agreement, and the Queen realised that she obviously couldn’t reason with their logic. She was once more tempted to simply alter their minds, but something that big could often have severe side-effects. Instead she decided to simply give them something else to call her, in fear that they’d just make up another nickname if she forbade them from using ‘QB’.

She sighed. “You can call me Kerrigan then, gods knows most everyone else calls me that anyway.”

It wasn’t her real name, not any longer, but it seemed an unavoidable part of her past. And a more ‘normal’ name might work in her favor, in order to ease the minds of these ponies. Once more she was reminded of the future dealings she would have to have with them, and a very small part of her dreaded those encounters. If they were all as happy-go-lucky and carefree as these three, who had only been scared of her for a few seconds, she knew that she’d get a major headache before it was all over. The royal guards had at least had the common decency of being terrified of her.

This seemed to appease the ponies somehow, as almost immediatly she was assaulted with another question, this time from Scootaloo. “So what’s up with your wings, can you even fly with those?”

The question made her twitch her wings subconsciously, and she turned her head to regard the bony protrusions. “Not really, they are a weapon.” Scootaloo looked a bit disappointed at this revelation, but the Queen continued. “I can however lift myself with my power, allowing for some measure of flight.”

“Really!? Think you could show me?” The small filly flapped her wings excitedly.

“I’d rather not, it takes a lot out of me. I would much rather preserve my energy than use it unnecessarily.” Her answer was straight and to the point, and also caused the pegasus to frown slightly.

Before Scootaloo could say anything else however, Sweetie Belle broke in with another question. “Where are you from then? Do you have any family back home?”

Sarah’s gaze suddenly grew dim, a tiny ember growing in her red eyes. Her head was pounding, unpleasant and long forgotten memories rushing back in an instant.

“...family.” The word was barely a whisper, but it carried so much grief, so much sorrow, that the fillies couldn’t help but feel a coldness seep into their bones.

She saw images, visions of her mother clutching at her temples and screaming, of her father standing frozen in terror, watching as his daughter’s out of control power tore open his wife's head, splitting it apart in a torrent of gory mess. Sarah could remember crying, trying to stop what was happening, but to no avail. Even when her father dropped to the floor, his mind damaged beyond repair, even when her mother’s headless corpse joined him, she could not stop it.

Crying. Pain. Fear... Powerlessness...

Sarah was frozen in place, staring into space as she relived that night in her mind. A quake of energy tore through the air, a great stone pillar nearby cracking and splitting into two, falling apart like a stack of kindlings. Crimson energy started swirling around the motionless psionic, lashing out in unguided torrents of power, ripping apart rock and blowing up piles of gems.

“Kerrigan! Stop!”

The sound of Apple Bloom’s panicked voice snapped the Queen of Blades out of her pained remembrance, her psionic energies calming down as she took back control of her mind. With a groan of pain she started rubbing her head, trying to dismiss the thoughts that were still running through it. Those were memories of her old life, they weren’t hers anymore, they couldn’t hurt her anymore...

With a dull gaze she looked at the trio of ponies, all huddled close together in obvious fear. For some reason she was thankful that she hadn’t managed to hurt them.

‘That’s right... the plan... mustn’t hurt them.’

She shook her head, casting an apologetic glance at the crusaders. “Do not be frightened, little ponies. I simply... remembered a bad memory, is all.”

The crusaders looked at her with uncertainty, there was clearly more to it than she was telling them. But they had been taught not to pry too far into another pony’s life, especially if that pony was capable of taking down a dragon by herself.

Yet the Queen of Blades seemed different when she spoke, almost as if she was tired, or lacking a certain ‘life’ about her. Her voice was dull, and empty. “Perhaps it would be best if you were to return to your homes, I’m certain your... families, are waiting for you.”

They cast another worried glance in her direction before nodding their heads, it was true that they had spent more time in the Everfree than they should have, and their friends and families were probably getting worried.

“Thank you for letting us visit, Kerrigan.” Sweetie Belle said worriedly, placing a hoof on the Queen’s knee in a comforting gesture. It made her flinch, but she did not brush it off.

The other two quickly added their own thanks, and eventually the Queen of Blades got up from her seat, looking at the three ponies with a contemplating look.

“Yes, it has certainly been... an interesting encounter.” She observed them for another moment before continuing. “Perhaps I should help you on your way, wouldn’t want you to get hurt wandering home after all.”

After a few seconds of looking between themselves, the crusaders finally nodded, intrigued as to exactly how she was going to help them.

“One more thing, I’m afraid I’ll have to remove the knowledge of my location from your minds.” They looked up at her incredulous eyes, clearly not thrilled about the prospect. “Do not worry, you will still be able to remember our meeting, but I can’t have you telling anyone where you’ve been.”

Sweetie Belle looked to the other two. “That’s probably for the best... nopony would believe us if we told them anyway.”

Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom rolled their eyes, obviously agreeing with that particular sentiment.

“Well then, my little ponies. Stand still, I’ll deposit you as close to Zecora’s hut as I can manage.”

This caused Apple Bloom to look at her questioningly. “Deposit us? And how do you kn-...”

The rest of her words were cut off however, as the Queen’s eyes flared yellow, and space started distorting around them, creating a purple vortex of energy which swirled in an almost paradoxical pattern. The three ponies felt a sudden sensation of being sucked into it, and in a flash of light, found themselves falling from a foot off the ground onto the path near Zecora’s hut.

Slightly dazed the three of them got back on their hooves, shaking the last blurry aftereffect of the warp travel out of their heads. They looked to each other, then more or less said the same thing.

“Yeah, nopony’s going to believe us...”

Chapter Six

Queen of Blades

Chapter Six

“How dare you not tell me in person that you were getting married! I'm your sister for pony's sake!”

Twilight Sparkle was angry still, the otherwise unremarkable trainride to Canterlot had only served to rekindle her previous ire. In her eyes it had been a betrayal on part of her brother, and she was going to make sure that he knew just how much, the presence of his subordinate guards be damned.

The brother in question quickly changed from happiness at seeing his sister, to apologetic sadness at her accusation. It was very hard for him to see his sister angry like this, and he knew that he’d need to explain himself.

“It's not my fault! Princess Celestia has requested a major increase in security. Didn't you see all the guards at the train station?” he said with a downcast gaze. It might have been the truth, but he still felt bad about the entire thing.

Twilight turned away from her brother, snapping at him in her annoyance. “Yeah, there's a big wedding coming up. Maybe you heard about it?”

Before the situation could become further out of hoof, Shining trotted around to face his sister, who had lowered her head to avoid looking at him.

“It has nothing to do with the wedding. A threat has been made against Canterlot. We don't know who's responsible for it, but Princess Celestia asked that I help provide additional protection,” he stated as he lifted her head with a hoof. “This, you need to see. “

With a last glance at his sister, Shining Armor took a stance, closing his eyes and directing his horn towards the sky. What he was about to do was no easy feat, even for one as skilled in barrier magic as himself. A feat of concentration later, the captain of the guard had focused his magic into the desired spell, sending a bright purple beam of energy at the sky, colliding with and bolstering the large protective bubble surrounding Canterlot.

A sudden onset of headache caused him to grunt and rub his head with a hoof, before he looked back at his sister with a determined gaze. He had failed in protecting Canterlot from intrusion earlier, and he would never let the Princess down like that again, even if he had to strain himself like this.

“The burden of keeping Canterlot safe and secure rests squarely on my shoulders. Staying focused on the task at hoof has been my top priority.” He sighed, looking at his sister with a hint of sadness in his demeanour. “I’ve already failed once, I won’t do so again.”

The statement caught Twilight by surprise, she could understand the need for heightened security if Canterlot had been threatened, but what was this about her brother having failed once already?

Twilight moved to her brother worriedly. “What do you mean? I haven’t heard anything about this, has Canterlot come under attack already?”

Unwilling to keep it a secret from his sister, and knowing that the Princess would likely tell her student about it anyway, Shining Armor sighed before starting on his explanation. “Yesterday, a creature of unknown origins appeared inside the Vault of the Elements.” He continued despite the look of disbelief that had appeared on Twilight’s face. “She was powerful enough to destroy a wall of the Vault, as well as overpower and defeat a large group of guards, myself included.”

“But that’s impossible!” The purple unicorn exclaimed. “The Princess herself enchanted that Vault, nopony should be able to enter it!”

Thoughts became a jumbled mess in her mind, the very idea that something had the power to bypass her teacher’s magic, and destroy a piece of magically reinforced wall, was simply preposterous to her. Yet she knew that her brother hadn’t been lying, something had actually managed to do just that.

Suddenly, the impossibility of the situation was replaced by worry. “Oh no, did she hurt you? Did anypony get hurt!?”

The fearful look in her eyes pained Shining greatly, and he decided not to tell her that the creature had been close to actually killing him. Instead he directed a reassuring smile at his sister, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“I’m fine Twilight, don’t worry. She gave us a beating, but everypony will be able to recover without any permanent damage.”

“But what about the creature? What happened to her? Will she come back? What if-...” Shining Armor quickly cut off her rambling by bringing a hoof to her mouth.

“We have it under control, Twilight. The creature left, and the Princesses are working to prevent her reappearance, or at least warn us if she chooses to return.” He removed the hoof from her mouth, giving her a calming smile. “Now, do you think we could concentrate on my wedding, best mare?”

The look of joy he saw appear on her face after that statement quickly made their entire earlier argument worth it.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

In another part of Canterlot, three young fillies were sharing a room in the guest wing of the castle. The youngest Apple and Belle sisters had been invited alongside with their older siblings, and the invitation had been extended to Scootaloo to participate in the wedding. Her parents hadn’t needed much convincing, it was a royal wedding after all, and being a part of it was a great honor.

Not that the orange pegasus saw it that way, and if it hadn’t been for her friends pestering her about going, she never would have. Really, who wanted to be a flower filly?

Which is why the filly in question was rather bored, rolling around on the guest room’s single large bed, doing her best to ignore the constant rambling of her two friends. She was happy for them, really, it was obvious that they were both looking forward to it. But did they have to get so... excited about it?

“I can’t wait! Walking down the aisle ahead of the bride and spreading flowers is going to be so much fun!” Sweetie Belle was the most excited of them all, obviously. At least Apple Bloom managed to keep her voice from squeaking with every sentence. “Rarity even made us matching dresses, and they’re so beautiful!”

Scootaloo gave a shiver at that remark, it was bad enough that she had to attend, but they were actually planning to dress her up and style her mane. Style her mane!

“Yeah, I betcha we’ll have tons of stuff to do! It’s a wedding after all, and the Apple family loves weddings! Even if they’re the prissy sort.” Apple Bloom said. The last remark surprisingly not causing a reaction from Sweetie Belle.

A quick glance around the room presented no means of escape for the young pegasus, making her groan in exasperation and roll around on her back. Staying indoors for longer periods of time never sat well with the athletic filly, and she hadn’t even been able to bring her scooter. Not that she’d ever be allowed to actually use it on the castle grounds anyway.

She found her thoughts wandering to their earlier encounter with the strange creature in the Everfree, the Queen of Blades, Kerrigan. Her head was still muddled when she thought about the meeting, and if what Kerrigan had said was true, she might have lost more memories than just how they had gotten there. It was hard to tell, but she was sure that something else had happened.

It had all been very strange, being able to meet such an alien entity. Especially considering they had actually been able to have a conversation with her. Scootaloo couldn’t help but feel sad for Kerrigan, there had been something about her, but she just couldn’t put her hoof on exactly what it was. She recalled the last question she had asked her, and for some reason the answer to it had hit her rather close to home.

She couldn't fly with her wings.

“Scootaloo!” The voice of her unicorn friend brought her out of her thoughts, making her snap to attention. “Did you hear what I said? What are you looking forward to the most?”

The pegasus filly had to take a moment to register the question, but when she opened her mouth, she found herself answering with a question of her own.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

In the Everfree forest, a certain dragon was in overwhelming agony. For almost a day the zerg infestation had changed it, converting its very organs and flesh into usable biomaterial. Despite this, the dragon was incapable of expressing itself in any way, its very body no longer responding to any command. It was almost as if only its head remained, allowing him to witness the painfully slow process unfolding before it.

It no longer feared the Queen of Blades, no, it had already gone way beyond that. It wished for nothing more than to die, to have its misery end and finally find peace in that empty void after death.

There was no solace to find in its captor either, the Queen of Blades treating the entire ordeal like some big experiment. No longer was the dragon’s former body discernable as that, reduced to nothing more than a large mass of fleshy material, pulsing with a heartbeat it no longer felt. From time to time it could feel its insides churning, rearranging themselves at the wishes of the alien monster.

The worst, however, had started only earlier that day, when things had begun growing inside it. And despite not being able to move its body, it could feel the larvae moving inside it, twitching, growing, eating. It had already given birth to half a dozen of the things, worming their way out of what was once its guts, to answer the call of their Queen.

The Queen of Blades however, was not pleased with the results. All of them had been ‘wrong’ apparently, quickly killed by the Queen when she discovered that they did not live up to her expectations. Once, one of them had even been allowed to mutate, consuming more of the growing biomass creeping throughout the cave, in order to become something different. It had been a disgusting thing, large fin-like protrusions at its sides, long claws at the front, and a multitude of eyes looking out from between the smaller claws of its mouth.

“No.”

It had been a simple statement, yet it carried an absolute. In that instant, the ‘imperfect’ creature’s very existence had been discarded, like nothing but a piece of useless trash. It hadn’t even tried to fight back when the Queen dissolved its body with a psionic blast, returning the biomass to be used again.

No, the dragon no longer feared the Queen of Blades, for such a petty emotion could not describe what it felt during those last hours of its life.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The Queen of Blades gazed in annoyance at the latest failure of a larvae, it was wrong, different from the perfection of her Swarm. The dragon had turned out to be less compatible with the Zerg bacteria than she had thought, whatever natural energy allowed it to fly was interfering with the conversion process. She didn’t want to use the term ‘magic’, but she was certain that it was the issue.

“One... just one pure specimen...”

If only she had one perfect Zerg being, she would be able to more easily convert the alien materials of Equis. Yet very little progress had been made with the dragon, and she feared that she would never be able to regrow her precious swarm on this wretched planet.

“Unless...”

There was another option, the gestation of a pure Zerg using her own tissue. It would be painful, and cripple her for a while, but the result would be everything she needed to regain control of what was rightfully hers.

She looked to the remains of the once great dragon, its fleshy head the only part of it still recognizable. “You are in luck, my pretty. You get to serve me in yet another capacity, though I suspect you won’t enjoy it too much.” The flash of a smile appeared on her lips, it was slightly sadistic, yet held no real joy. “And I’m afraid it’s going to be rather... painful.”

With a last glance at the silent dragon, the Queen of Blades brought her right claw to her left arm, tracing an area with a single pointy finger. If she could, she would shield herself from the pain she knew was to come, yet such a thing would have been impossible. Without another moment of hesitation, the Queen tore off a large chunk of her right arm’s biceps.

She screamed in pain, dropping to a knee as green blood seeped from the grievous wound. With an effort of will, she dulled the still remaining nerves of her arm, setting her body to work closing the wound. It was much more than just removing a piece of flesh, she had to remove a piece of herself in its entirety, and it would take a long time to regrow it.

Not wanting to waste time, the Queen of Blades got back to her feet, moving to the proto-hatchery in front of her. After instilling her desire in the writhing lump of flesh she held in her hand, she thrust it into the Zerg structure in front of her, letting it become absorbed and integrated into its biological system.

Clutching her wounded arm, the Queen of Blades took a few steps back, observing the result of her action. The proto-hatchery began churning, its flesh glowing a bright purple, and soon it started expanding, drawing an increasing amount of minerals from the gems and crystals in the cave. Before long the entire mass started writhing and convulsing, the dragon’s head drawing its last breath as life left its eyes. At the point where the dragon’s body had once been, a new form emerged, stepping out from the hatchery with a loud, shrill screech.

In front of the Queen, one of her favorite children was birthed, as pure and perfect as the day she had designed them. Standing on six legs, its elongated body ending in a section of glowing green, fleshy mounds, a pair of long bony protrusions from its back, and a pair of sharp claws for arms. The newly born Queen was instantly connected to the Queen of Blade’s hivemind, and the Queen of all Zerg could not help but rejoice.

“Finally, I have been reunited with my Swarm.” Despite the pain she felt from her earlier action, she sent the Brood Queen a wave of affection, causing the Queen to shriek in joy at her mother’s show of approval. “Time to start our work, I will need more of my precious children.”

The Queen of Blades looked to the first of her true Zerg to be born on Equis, and smiled. “Many, many more.”

Chapter Seven

Queen of Blades

Chapter Seven

“Ugh, do I really need to wear this?” complained Scootaloo with an audible groan. She was trying her best to get her dress to fit comfortably, much to the chagrin of Rarity, who was helping the three flower fillies get ready for the ceremony.

“Now now, Scootaloo. It’s important that it fits you juuuust right, we can’t have you not looking your very best after all!” Rarity beamed, using her magic to reposition the unruly pegasus’ attire, a pink and purple dress adorned with flowers and matching collar. Scootaloo just scowled, resigning herself to a state of restrictive uncomfortableness. She was never going to wear a dress ever again, at least if she had anything to say about it.

On the other side of the room Sweetie Belle was looking at herself in a mirror, speaking up without looking back at her troubled friend. “Yeah, Scootaloo. What if your dress suddenly fell off during the ceremony?”

Rarity gave a loud gasp at that. “Perish the thought! Can you imagine the embarrassment!?” She pierced the young pegasus with a hard stare. “That simply won’t do, now stand still, dear.”

With an application of magic, Rarity took hold of the dress again and tightened it even more around the filly’s waist, causing her to yelp in pain. “Ow! Ow! I get it, I’ll be careful!”

A nearby snicker made Scootaloo snap her head towards Apple Bloom, the last pony in the room, who was busy enjoying her orange friend’s torment at the hooves of Rarity.

“Laugh it up, Apple Bloom. I don’t see you being any more comfortable in yours.”

It was true enough, ever since the young Apple had gotten her dress on, she hadn’t stopped fidgeting about with it. She wasn’t used to wearing anything at all, and despite how much she enjoyed the idea of participating in the wedding, she just couldn’t adjust herself to a dress.

Rarity simply huffed. “At least you have better grace than your big sister, you wouldn’t believe how difficult it was getting her into her own.” The seamstress managed a light giggle. “Though I did manage to get her to not wear her hat, so that’s something I suppose.”

Apple Bloom stifled a smile, deciding to keep the fact that she’d seen her sister smuggle her hat out of the dressing room earlier a secret. Not even a buffalo stampede could separate her from that stetson, and Apple Bloom knew that Rarity wouldn’t have much more success with it.

Not noticing the young filly’s reaction, Rarity put the final touches on Scootaloo’s dress, pacing around her with a critical eye. “There, I do believe that should do it,” She quickly directed another glare at the pegasus. “Don’t go and get it all messed up again, this ceremony has to be absolutely perfect!”

The filly just snorted in response, trotting over to Sweetie Belle and the large mirror. Doing her best to ignore the feeling of her wings being constricted, Scootaloo took in her new ‘attire’ in the mirror. Despite her initial annoyance at getting her mane styled, the filly couldn’t help but admire how she looked.

‘Huh, this might not be so bad after all, I guess it looks pretty good.’

“Oh!” Exclaimed Rarity. “I almost forgot, silly me.”

In the next moment, a colorful flower garland headband was levitated on top of Scootaloo’s head, and her good mood disappeared instantly with an accompanying sigh.

‘I spoke too soon...’

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

A roar of anger resounded throughout the Everfree forest, the great feline beast slamming its barbed scorpion tail into the trunk of a tree, where only a second before its elusive target had been standing. The Queen of Blades circled her wounded prey, the feral manticore bleeding from numerous wounds. She had done her best to limit the damage to its body, wanting to bring it back to her lair as intact as possible.

The manticore wasn’t going to come quietly however, and it had only just pulled its sharp stinger back before it spun around, twin paws of sharp claws leading in another attack. The Queen simply stepped into its charge, a barrier of blueish energy enveloping her form to turn aside the deadly attack. In the next moment, the zerg Queen slammed the palm of her right hand into the manticore’s face, concentrating a blast of concussive force through the limb. With a sickening thud the manticore’s head snapped back, its forward momentum sending it barreling straight into the ground, the Queen quickly stepping out of its path.

She glanced with annoyance at the great beast on the ground, wishing that it would just stay down before she was forced to really hurt it. Initially she had been overjoyed by the existence of such a creature, the zebra’s knowledge once again turning out to be a wellspring of information on the various creatures of the forest. It would make an interesting subject for assimilation, yet that very potential was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth.

That particular train of thought was only promoted as the manticore once more got on its legs, albeit much more shakily than before. The Queen narrowed her eyes at it, wishing that its brain had been evolved enough for her to communicate with it.

“You’re starting to become obnoxious, come with me peacefully before I’m forced to kill you.”

The menace in her voice was entirely lost on the beast, as it was already preparing to pounce on her again, its sharp claws digging scratches into the ground in anticipation. With a barely audible sigh, the Queen lifted her right hand towards the beast, preparing to subdue it with lethal force.

Before she could do so however, a great blast of energy suddenly washed over her from behind, causing her to stagger slightly and snap her head towards the psionic disturbance. It had been a great wave of power, so powerful in fact that it had interfered with her own sensitive senses. Too late she realised the error of getting distracted in her current situation, only just managing to turn back towards her foe in time to find it digging its large teeth into her left shoulder.

As the manticore tightened its grip, the Queen found anger rise up from the pit of her stomach accompanying the pain, her eyes glowing with power as psionic energy exploded from her body. The feline creature was thrown away in the wave of red energy, landing on the ground with a thud, yet regaining its footing only shortly after. The manticore was just about to leap again when it gazed into the Queen’s eyes, the pure indignative hate and menace evident in them freezing it on the spot. It was incapable of understanding the reason for its lack of control over its own body, but deep down a very ancient part of the creature understood what was going on. It was feeling fear for the first time in its life.

“Enough!” The Queen’s voice rang out with power, and with a downward motion of her hand she slammed the creature into the ground with enough kinetic force to destroy a Terran tank.

The manticore only managed a pained yelp before it went silent, its spine and most of the other bones in its body crushed, its mangled body barely recognizable as it was almost reduced to a red paste.

An eerie silence fell over the forest, the only sound being the light breathing of the Queen of Blades as she fought to recover her senses. She hated outbursts of anger, and the increasing frequency with which she had them was starting to become a bit unnerving. Regardless, she soon collected herself, the wounds she had sustained from the battle already healing rapidly.

‘What was that? It had to have been something massive in order to take me by surprise as it did.’

Without sparing another glance to her fallen adversary, the Queen of Blades drew her gaze to the sky and the direction she had felt the energy originate from. As far as she could tell, it had come from the Equestrian capital city, Canterlot. Less than fond memories of her brief stay there were drowned out by worry, anything that powerful had the potential to become a problem for her.

Suddenly, she noticed a large dark shape pass by overhead at great speed, accompanied by a loud scream as the living projectile crashed down in the Everfree forest somewhere nearby. With a raised eyebrow at the odd situation, the Queen of Blades connected to her newly created hive mind, sending a simple order to one of her precious few hatched Drones.

‘Fetch my prey, bring its body back to the hatchery.’

Secure in the knowledge that the manticore would be waiting for her back ‘home’, the Queen stretched out with her psionic senses and quickly picked up a new sapient signature in the forest. It was nearby, and clearly belonged to whatever creature had been unlucky enough to fall from the sky and land in her self-proclaimed ‘domain’.

In the next moment she had set into a run, swiftly making her way towards her visitor, intent on discovering its origin and possibly gain knowledge of the earlier event. Focusing on the task ahead, the Queen nimbly leapt across a fallen log, her psionically enhanced body speeding through the forest like a native born predator.

Before long she came to the site of impact, a large crater in the ground clearly marking the spot. Dust still hung thick in the air, dirt and pebbles having been spread in every direction as a result of the crash. With a wave of her hand she dismissed the obscuring dust, revealing a battered black form lying in the crater.

The creature’s body was covered in black chitin, from its head protruded a jagged horn, and from its back stood flimsy bug-like wings. It was obviously a quadruped, much like the ponies she had already encountered, yet clearly not related to them at all, though it did have a mane of cerulean hair. It had a strange growth from its head as well, looking much like a crown of sorts, and its hooves were filled with numerous holes.

It was obviously wounded, and likely in great pain, its carapace was cracked in various places, and green blood seeped from several wounds. The creature gave a moan of agony as it twitched on the ground, trying futilely to get back on its legs. Meanwhile, the Queen of Blades simply observed it, marveling at the design of its strong chitin and natural weaponry. She couldn’t fathom what the holes in its hooves were for, but the creature itself looked to have evolved naturally.

As the seconds passed by, the creature finally managed to open its eyes, the green orbs gazing about before finally coming to a stop on the zerg Queen. The creature’s eyes widened as it realised that it was not alone, but eventually gave a simple sigh of resignation before closing them again.

“This is how I die then, killed by a monster in some Equestrian forest,” she spoke with an obviously feminine voice. “Better than the alternative I suppose...”

The Queen of Blades simply looked down at her expressionlessly. “And that alternative would be, what exactly?”

At the sound of her voice, the creature’s eyes quickly snapped back up, looking at the zerg Queen standing at the edge of the crater. “You... you can speak?”

The question caused her to adopt a frown of annoyance. “I am starting to tire of being called a monster by everything I encounter here.” Her eyes wandered across the creature’s prone form. “You could at least show some fear if you wish to call me a monster.”

What happened next actually took the Queen by surprise: the creature started to chuckle, albeit weakly and with a painful cough. “How fortuitous! In my weakest moment I actually manage to encounter what is likely the only creature left in Equestria that could show me pity.” There was no mirth in her voice however, and she quickly narrowed her gaze at the Queen. “I want none of your pity however, creature. I’ve not fallen low enough to beg for my life just yet.”

The zerg Queen crossed her arms, continuing her examination. “I wasn’t planning on giving you any, I’ve long since become incapable of pitying anything.” Her eyes locked with the creature’s. ”However, I am not above giving aid if it is well repaid.”

“... do you have a name, my potential rescuer?” The creature asked, slim hope evident in her eyes.

“I am called the Queen of Blades, of the Zerg Swarm.”

The creature responded with a thin smile. “What a funny coincidence. I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.”

“Well then, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, would you tell me how you came to be in your current position? Hardly fit for royalty I’d say,” she asked, her voice taking on the almost mocking tone she usually adopted when dealing with potential obstacles.

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at the Queen of the Zerg, clearly not pleased with the way she had phrased the question. “I might deign to tell you, if you would be so kind as to help me up from here.”

The Queen of Blades simply smiled pleasantly, lifting an arm to envelop the Changeling Queen in kinetic force. “As you wish.” And with a flick of the wrist she sent Chrysalis flying out of the crater to land, less than gently, on the forest floor.

To her credit, Chrysalis didn’t even utter a groan of pain at the treatment, instead managing to get shakily on her hooves to stand tall before the Queen of Blades. They gazed into each others' eyes for a long time, the Queen of Blades searching for intent behind those green eyes as Chrysalis did the same in turn. She had tried to use telepathy to read the Changeling’s thoughts earlier, but had found that she had several mental barriers in place, making it impossible to read her surface thoughts without forcing her way into her mind.

It was Chrysalis who ended up breaking the silence. “Well, I suppose I am thankful that you did not leave me for dead in that hole.” She glanced about warily. “You wouldn’t happen to have somewhere I could rest nearby? I am still somewhat shaken after my fall.”

‘Somewhat shaken’ was obviously an understatement, and the Queen of Blades instantly recognized Chrysalis as a creature of pride, someone who would never admit to being weakened. Certainly a quality she could respect, it was almost Zerg.

“I do, as long as you are willing to pay the price for my help,” she said, her voice entirely void of emotion.

Queen Chrysalis sneered. “And what would you ask of me? I may be a Queen, but I have little in ways of treasure to offer you.”

The Queen of Blades waved a hand dismissively. “I desire no such material wealth, what I seek is knowledge,” She turned to leave, “and information. If you’re willing to give me just that, I’ll make sure you have somewhere safe where you can... regain your strength.”

Annoyed once more by the Zerg Queen’s choice of words, Chrysalis cast a single agitated glare at her back, before she begrudgingly fell into pace with the alien creature. She was in no position to decline the offer, yet she couldn’t help but feel that something was off about this Queen of Blades. It wasn’t just that she was something she had never seen or heard of before, but she also gave off an air of superiority that made the prideful Changeling grit her teeth and seethe in anger.

Regardless of her infuriation with the Queen of Blades, Chrysalis decided to take the chance with her, as opposed to wandering the Everfree forest on her own. The obvious predatory nature of the Zerg Queen did worry Chrysalis somewhat, it didn’t take more than a single glance at the alien creature to discover this truth. Splotches of dried blood marred her carapace, the razor sharp wings and claws speaking volumes for her prowess in combat with natural weaponry.

In an odd sort of way, Chrysalis even found her to be, if not beautiful, then at least graceful. A deadly grace for certain, but much more impressive than any other creature she had ever encountered before. Perhaps it wouldn’t turn out to have been such a terribly unpleasant meeting after all.

For many minutes they walked in silence, the deadly quiet forest surrounding them almost seeming unnaturally so to the Changeling Queen. She had heard stories of the Everfree, of the many predators that roamed it, constantly looking for prey in an eternal game of hunter and hunted. Yet no danger made itself known to the pair, and the Queen of Blades didn’t even bother looking around for any would-be ambushers, instead keeping her gaze straight ahead.

Eventually they reached a cave opening, dim green light visible within the darkness. The Queen of Blades continued her pace without stopping, heading into the cavernous mouth. Chrysalis was only slightly wary, she had no problems with dark caves, her own species living underground as they did. Yet something also troubled her: around the opening was a thick, fleshy substance, originating from within and blanketing both floor, walls and ceiling. It looked like purple innards of some giant creature, stretched out to cover the tunnel itself.

With a hint of hesitation, the Changeling Queen placed a single holed hoof on the fleshy carpet. It felt like stepping on slimy wax, and the sensation of it actually moving and pulsating under her sent an involuntary shiver up her spine. Whatever it was, it was somehow alive, and seemed to cover every surface within the cave itself.

Chrysalis took a last glance out at the forest behind her, then, with her mind steeled and her head held high, stepped inside the Zerg lair to join her ‘gracious’ host.

Chapter Eight

Queen of Blades

Chapter Eight

With only the muffled sound of her hoofsteps on Creep to accompany her, Queen Chrysalis trotted cautiously into the Zerg queen’s lair. She was used to environments which would leave any pony a shivering wreck, but even she could not help but be unnerved by the biological nature of her host’s home. It almost felt like she was walking into the stomach of some great beast.

Moving through the strange tunnel, Chrysalis noticed an odd creature, though ‘creature’ might not have been the correct word for it. It was a multi-tiered pillar of flesh, ending in a weird mouth, spikes covering its body. Worst of all, it seemed to follow her movement every step of the way, before swiveling back to face the outside once she had passed. The small tunnel then opened up into a huge cavernous room, pillars of Creep-covered rock spread throughout the interior. Several identical creatures milled about the place, carrying large pieces of gems or crystals in their pincers.

The alien workers paid her no heed, going about their business of transporting the various minerals to a large, fleshy structure at the far end of the cave. Moving closer, the Changeling queen attempted to discern its purpose, and was quickly enlightened when a number of larvae emerged from it with a disgusting sound. The Queen of Blades was standing by the newly birthed Zerg, picking one of them up to study it intensely.

Chrysalis made to join her, but stopped in her tracks when another creature appeared from behind a nearby pillar. It was much larger than the rest, its elongated body and multiple legs supporting an upper body that looked somewhat like the Queen of Blade’s. Though the creature was intimidating, it made no move that it had even seen her, instead releasing a sickly green ichor on the birthing structure. The hatchery started writhing and pulsating rapidly as a result, beating steadily like some sort of perverse heartbeat.

“Does the presence of my children unnerve you, Queen Chrysalis?” The sound of the Queen of Blades’ voice brought the Changeling’s attention away from the bizarre sight. “Come, join me. I promise that you will be safe during your stay.”

A sneer was the queen’s response, the Queen of Blades’ patronising tone annoying her beyond measure. “I was simply... admiring your minions. It is not every day I get to experience such an unfamiliar hive, though it does share some similarities with my own.”

The Changeling cast a quick glance to the side, where a biological structure of some sort, adorned with the same spikes as the one at the entrance, but with a long tentacle-like growth protruding from its center, was walking across the floor on several legs.

“And some of it... not so familiar.”

Potential enemy or not, the Queen of Blades could not keep a tiny smile from her lips at the casual air around the Changeling. It was refreshing to meet someone who was not immediately repulsed by the nature of her being, or those of her creations.

“Beautiful, aren’t they? All of them a result of perfected evolution, and brought into this world from one of these small larvae,” she presented one of the maggot-like creatures. “Each of these carry the genetic code of the entire Zerg species, capable of becoming anything I want them to be.”

As to prove her point, the Zerg queen placed the larvae back on the ground, taking a step back as she sent it a mental command. In no time at all, the larvae had entered a pupal state, the green egg pulsating and glowing as the DNA of the desired breed was quickly replicated. Less than a minute later, the egg suddenly hatched, bursting with green goo and revealing the form of yet another of the alien workers.

“These are Drones, originally gashyrr wasps of Eldersthine, brought into and enhanced by the Zerg Swarm.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, pacing closer to get a better look. “That larvae just increased its size tenfold in a matter of seconds,” she turned to glance at the Zerg queen. “How is that possible, where does it get the mass?”

“You’re standing on it,” she answered simply, smirking slightly as Chrysalis lifted a hoof to look at the fleshy carpet. “It is something the Terran have taken to calling ‘Creep’, it is in fact a living organism, sustaining and connecting all Zerg in contact with it. It draws minerals from underground as nourishment.”

“That’s certainly... effective,” she couldn’t help but grimace. “More so than the source of food for my kind at least. We Changelings feed on love and affection, all positive emotions shared between creatures.”

The Queen of Blades perked up slightly at that. ‘They feed on love? No doubt in the form of psionic energy evoked by strong emotions. I suppose that explains her strong mental protection...”

“Intriguing. I’m guessing you have some way of integrating with a society then? With a name like Changelings I can’t imagine otherwise.”

After taking a moment to watch the newly hatched Drone move to join in the work, Chrysalis turned to the Queen of Blades with a confident smirk. “Indeed, a Changeling is capable of changing their physical form to perfectly imitate another individual, as long as the desired form does not stray too far from our own. Watch.”

In a flash of green fire, the black insectoid shape of Chrysalis was almost instantly swapped with the regal, white form of Princess Celestia, standing just as tall and proud as one would expect of the real one. The Zerg queen couldn’t help but feel somewhat impressed by the display.

‘No use of psionic impression, and I only detected a slight mental fluctuation. It is certainly much more effective than my own changelings, dependant on psionically influencing others as they are. This is actually a perfect physical transformation, achieved in the span of but a second.’

The fake Celestia flared her great wings, smiling gently at the Zerg. It was almost unnerving how perfect a copy she was, the Queen of Blades even detected a slight change in the Changeling’s mental wavelength. “A perfect imitation, as you can clearly see,” even her voice had changed. “It is a talent which has enabled us to feed on the love of ponies for millennia, entirely unnoticed.”

Only her advanced psionic training allowed the Queen of Blades to detect a very subtle flinch at the end of the Changeling Queen’s sentence, revealing a small degree of hesitance in that last statement.

“That is certainly impressive - Yet, entirely unnoticed? Perhaps it is time you told me how you came to end up in the Everfree,” she gestured with her hand for the Changeling to follow her. “I detected an enormous release of energy shortly before you showed up, and I suspect it had something to do with your current situation.”

Trotting next to the Queen of Blades, a twitch of the eyes was the only sign that her words had struck home. “You are correct, the release of magical energy you felt was the result of an unforeseen complication in my effort to take control of Equestria,” A burst of green fire returned the Queen to her normal form. “I am not too prideful to say that I let my own arrogance get the better of me, and both me and my Changelings have suffered because of it.”

The Queen of Blades came to a stop near a large, organic pool of green liquid, settling down on a Creep covered rock. “You were in Canterlot then, did your plan have anything to do with the wedding perchance?”

“You’re certainly well informed,” Chrysalis said as she sat down on her haunches, the Creep making a surprisingly comfortable cushion. “Yes, I had managed to take the place of the bride, enchanted the groom, and siphoned enough magic from him to take down his protective force field.” She cast an annoyed glance out across the pool of bubbling, green ichor. “I was foiled in the end however, and my Changelings have been spread in all directions. I’ll need some time to reestablish my link to the hivemind.”

The Queen of Blades smirked internally. ‘So the Changelings make use of a collective mental link too, they are certainly the most evolved species I have encountered since coming here.’

“And what about you?” The Changeling’s voice brought the Queen of Blades out of her thoughts. “What are your plans, where do you even come from? No one of your obvious power would have been able to stay hidden in Equestria for any length of time, even if you kept to the Everfree Forest.”

She saw no real reason to lie to her new acquaintance. “I arrived only a few days ago in Canterlot, I’m not certain what the ponies are saying about it, but I did encounter and fight a group of guards.” Recognition showed clearly in Chrysalis’ eyes. “It was through no choice of my own, I was sent to this world by an ancient artifact of the Xel’Naga.”

The Changeling Queen seemed in thought for a moment. “I did in fact hear about the appearance of some rampant ‘monster’, though Shining Armor would tell me very little.” She cast a searching glance at the Zerg creatures around them. “You’re truly not of this world then?”

“No, I am from a place far beyond these stars. There my Swarm controls numerous planets, almost endless in their number. I wish to return to them, to my rightful place of power, and finally settle some old scores.” Her eyes glowed with an inner flame at the statement, and Chrysalis could feel the very strength of her conviction. Any lesser being would have shriveled under that burning gaze, yet Chrysalis was no ‘lesser being’.

“And how will you do this? I will admit that I somewhat admire those with such strong desires, but I have never heard of any ways to travel beyond our world.” She gave a dismissive gesture with a holed hoof. “I have lived for a very long time, and what you seek is likely impossible.”

The Queen of Blades reclined herself slightly on her seat, her demeanor cooling back to its previous casualness. “I can work with ‘likely impossible’, I’ve already done things others have believed to be impossible. I will not be denied my destiny, not by anyone or anything.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

A group of shadowy figures sprinted through the Everfree Forest, the sound of soft paws on dirt the only noise evident by their stealthy trek. For the most part they would run on all four, stopping only once in a while to stand on two legs in order to scout their surroundings. Their progress was swift, silent and, most importantly of all, coordinated. The entire pack moving like a singular being, it would certainly have been an impressive sight to any military commander.

Until one of the shapes ran face first into the low-hanging branch of a tree, dropping to the ground with a painful thud and a yip of pain.

A low, miserable whine came from the humanoid dog as it managed to sit back up on its haunches, gingerly stroking its bloody snout with a paw. The rest of the diamond dogs had already stopped, and quickly gathered around their hurt pack member with worry in their eyes.

All but one, who instead facepawed and groaned in annoyance at the pathetic display. “Ugh, I tell you to run careful, and you go ahead and run into tree.” The taller dog brought the paw away from his face in a gesture of exasperation. “Stupid dog needs to see where he’s going, or stupid dog gets kicked out of scouting pack.”

The dog in question, not wanting to get scolded anymore, quickly regained his footing and returned an apologetic look. “I is sorry, tree suddenly show up and I don’t see.” His surrounding pack mates, all with tongues sticking out and light iron armor covering their bodies, made sure to nod agreeably to the statement.

This did little to appease the pack leader, who simply sighed in futility and turned to leave. “I...- fine, whatever. We continue scouting now.”

He managed to take a few more steps before noticing that there were no sounds of moving dogs behind him, and with a puzzled look turned back to them. Only to find that they hadn’t moved at all, instead looking at each other with lost expressions, until one of them turned to the leader with a blank stare.

“Uh, what we scouting again?”

The sound of the resulting facepaw rung through the forest, sending a flock of birds flying from a nearby tree. With another groan of misery, the leader turned an almost hopeless, deadpan look to his pack.

“We are here to find out what happen to dragon in cave, and take gems back if we can.”

A chorus of ‘Ooooh’s originated from the dogs, who quickly got back into position and before long were back on the right path again. The entire pack, numbering five scouts and the leader, was fast to pick up the pace, and before long they had made it to the cave in question.

An uplifted paw from the leader stopped the rest in their tracks, and with practiced patience they closed in on the dragon’s lair. The task to check out the cave had come from the Alpha himself; apparently there had been very little activity from the dragon recently, and it was entirely possible it could have started its long sleep, or even left for that matter. Whatever the reason, it was a good chance for the diamond dogs to expand their territory or gem stock.

The cave itself seemed silent, the dogs’ sensitive hearing barely able to pick up any sound at all. More puzzling to the canines was the fleshy substance that seemed to grow out from inside the cave, creating a disturbing, purple blanket to cover the ground.

Each of them sniffed curiously as they approached, picking up an unfamiliar scent. It almost smelled like flesh, yet the distinct odor of blood was absent. The pack was wary as they closed in on the cave opening, one of them gingerly placing a paw on the Creep at the behest of their leader. When nothing sprang from the ground to eat them, the dogs continued onwards with coiled muscles, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.

All of them were silent as they entered the cave, and eventually they reached the primary chamber. It was entirely covered in purple Creep, yet devoid of any other creatures and sounds, and none of them could detect any immediate dangers. A collective sigh of relief was given by the group as their searching gazes ran across the cavernous room. Many green, glowing crystals adorned the walls, granting some measure of illumination for them to investigate in.

“Beta! Beta! Over there, look gems!” One of the dogs suddenly exclaimed, pointing a dirty claw to a corner of the room where a large pile of gems was situated.

The leader did not respond however, as something else had caught his gaze. Behind them, just above the cave exit, was a strange growth protruding from the wall. The long, fleshy stalk twitched slightly, the pointed barb at its end swaying silently from side to side. In the next moment, the Spine Crawler’s long tentacle shot out, taking one of the dogs by surprise and impaling it with a sickening sound through its stomach, sending a spray of red blood in all directions.

The dog’s body hadn’t even hit the ground before the rest went into a flurry of activity, sprinting with terrified yelps for the exit. Only to find it blocked by a wall of the purple Creep, which had been stretched across the opening. Despite their best attempts, the diamond dogs were incapable of ripping apart the rubbery substance with their claws, and quickly stopped their hopeless endeavour as a new sound was heard from behind them. A chittering and clicking of fangs.

As one they turned, their eyes growing wide with fear as they noticed the alien creatures closing in on them, appearing above them from around the pillars, their clawed limbs easily allowing them to walk the surfaces of the Creep-covered towers. The chittering and hissing of gleeful Zerg resounded throughout the cave, and even more of them became visible, falling from the ceiling or burrowing up from the ground.

They were quickly surrounded, and in an act of desperation the beta threw up his hands, yelling to be heard over the cacophony of noise. “Wait! Wait! We not enemies, we good diamond dogs!”

Surprisingly, the mass of zerglings became silent, eerily looming over their canine prey. For a moment the beta hoped for the best, right up until the point where a flurry of spines turned the dog on his right into a pincushion, falling to the ground without a sound. Another creature emerged, this one much larger than the others, its large claws swiping at the air menacingly and the ‘wings’ on its back twitching after their release of acid spikes.

The queen gave a single screech, and the Zerglings washed over the cowering dogs like a flood of claws, sickles, and death. Everything was quickly drowned out by howls of pain, the sound of tearing flesh, and the helpless yelps of the aliens’ canine victims.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

He awoke to a world of painless agony, every part of his being felt like an alien entity to him, and for some reason he could not remember, he was afraid... so very afraid. His vision was dark, and a mass of chaotic voices in his head almost drowned out his own thoughts. Yet one voice rang through, so clearly that he could not ignore it.

'Awaken...'

The voice was strange, so unfamiliar, yet so very beautiful. In his mind he knew that he had to obey, to open his eyes and wake up. It was the only thing that mattered, to answer that beautiful, perfect voice and fulfill its every wish.

He fought a battle, and eventually his eyes opened to the world for the first time, yet not for his first time. Shaking his head to dispel the other voices, he sought only to hear that one voice. With surprising vigor he brought a limb to the front of his face, his... paw, yes, that was what it was. It was different though, or was it different? He couldn’t be certain. It certainly looked like his paw, yet the nails were more like claws than he remembered, and much of his fur was gone, replaced with a strange, hard coating. Little bits of white bone had apparently ruptured through his skin, yet he felt no pain.

'Look to me.'

The voice was back, demanding his undivided attention, and he was glad to give it. With a shift of his head he turned to look at her. The one with the voice. The one who was...

“My... Queen.”

Chapter Nine

Queen of Blades

Chapter Nine

The sound of a scooter racing through the streets of Ponyville was all the town’s inhabitants needed to confirm the return of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the only urging they needed to get off the streets as soon as possible. The peaceful ponies had long since discovered that the presence of this particular trio of fillies often brought with it quite a heap of trouble, and none of them were interested in getting involved in whatever the Crusaders were up to.

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo zoomed down the road towards Sugarcube Corner, their speedy approach kicking up a gratuitous amount of dust, before they finally came to a screeching halt near a small gathering of market stands. The orange pegasus scratched the side of her helmet with a hoof for a moment, then looked back at her two puzzled friends in the attached wagon. They still hadn’t made it to their destination after all.

“Why are we stopping, Scootaloo? Sugarcube Corner is right there, so you can’t be lost.” Sweetie Belle noted with a hoof pointing at the bakery in question.

“Yeah, what gives?” Applebloom inquired, an eyebrow raised in question.

“So, why are we going crusading there again?” The orange filly asked, confusion showing clearly on her features, “Didn’t we get banned from baking stuff after... well, you know?”

The resulting giggle from Apple Bloom and Sweetie’s embarrassed blush made it quite clear that they remembered that particular incident. To this day, even Pinkie Pie couldn’t explain how the young unicorn had managed to set bread dough on fire. Without using an actual oven.

“I just don’t know what went wrong! I did it exactly like the recipe said!” A flushed Sweetie Belle managed to utter, her embarrassment quickly turning into annoyance, “Besides, it was Apple Bloom who said we should go to Sugarcube Corner, I have no idea what we’re supposed to do there.”

Two pairs of questioning eyes were directed at the earth pony filly, who simply stared back. “What?”

Scootaloo sighed. “Why are we going to Sugarcube Corner?”

Blink. “Dunno, I figured you two would think of something.”

A couple of groans later, Scootaloo turned a deadpan look at Apple Bloom. “So you had us drive all the way from our treehouse, into Ponyville, without any idea of what we were supposed to be doing once we got here?”

“...yes.”

“Bloom!” Scootaloo threw her hooves in the air in exasperation.

“Well I’m sorry, but there’s pretty much nothing interesting to do at the farm!”

Before Scootaloo could start yelling, Sweetie spoke up with a pondering hoof under her chin. “She’s right though, since the wedding everything else just seems dull in comparison. I know it’s only been a day, but everything has been really quiet.”

“Ugh, tell me about it,” The orange filly complained, “Listening to Rainbow Dash tell the story of how they fought the changelings was pretty awesome though, she made it sound really exciting.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom chimed in, “...I bet Kerrigan would love to hear about it.”

A gasp of realisation made Scootaloo and Apple Bloom look to the third crusader, who at the time had her eyes open wide. “That’s it! We should tell miss Kerrigan about what happened at the wedding!”

Wide grins spread on their muzzles as the trio looked to each other.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS STORY TELLERS! YAY!”

“...so uh, do you two remember how we got there?”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

In another part of Ponyville, a certain young dragon was easily having a worse day than the CMC, once more the unfortunate victim of one of his friend and caretaker’s academic ‘pursuits’. Which more or less amounted to him running around the library, trying to maintain some measure of order and organization as Twilight kept pulling down more and more books she didn’t really need anyway.

“Spike! Where’s the copy of Ivory Quill’s Mystical Mythical Monstrosities!?”

A tired sigh escaped the dragon in question, going entirely unheard by the frantic unicorn. “It’s right here, Twil-...ugh!” No sooner had he muttered the words before the book was ripped from his claws, causing him to fall from the stepladder he had been balancing on.

“Good, now where’s the quill and paper? Spike! I need more paper!” A flurry of magic launched another pair of books through the room, narrowly missing a still dizzy Spike. The young dragon gently caressed the side of his head, fighting back an approaching headache.

They had been at it for hours, Spike running around trying to contain the chaos, all the while having to fetch books, quills, parchment, or whatever else the studious unicorn required. No matter how many times in the past he’d had to go through this, it had never gotten any easier.

The annoyed snort of a unicorn brought Spike back to his senses, knowing full well that they’d likely continue this far into the night if Twilight had anything to say about it. “Ugh, where is it!?” A mass of books and quills passed above Spike’s head, enveloped in a purple aura. “Spike! Paper!”

“On it!” Spike replied, quickly making his way across the messy library floor to a pair of drawers, opening one of them to reveal a stack of blank paper, “Here it is.” He had barely brought the paper out before it was promptly seized by a telekinetic grasp.

Another sigh, “Twilight, why are we even looking for information about the changelings? The princess said not to worry about it, remember?”

The moment those words had left him, Spike realised it had probably been the wrong thing to say in that particular moment.

Twilight’s voice suddenly raised in volume, “Why!? I’ll tell you why,” the unicorn turned to look at her assistant, violet eyes narrowed, “Because no matter what the princess might have said, I was still the only one who knew something was wrong with the fake Cadance, and I didn’t even know she was a changeling!” Another book was torn from a nearby shelf. “And if she’d been a better actress, I probably wouldn’t have suspected anything before it was too late! You’ve seen what the changelings can do, and I’m not going to rest until I’ve discovered a spell that can look through their disguises!”

Spike was about to speak up when Twilight turned back to her work, “Now, get me a copy of Professor Safari’s Beastial Biology!”

Another book was quickly found and delivered.

“I need more ink!”

“Okay!”

“Where did you leave the paper on emotuvores?”

“Here!”

“Did you categorize my notes?”

“On it!”

“Get me another reference to Badlands Geography!”

“I brought two!”

“Where’d that green dragon live in the Everfree?

“Path from Zecora, cross the river to the east.”

“I need another quill!”

“Gotcha!”

“Could you make more coffee, please?”

“Already on it!”

They kept at it for a few more minutes, Spike fetching things and putting books back on the shelves, and eventually Twilight calmed down enough to take a short coffee break, allowing Spike to take another breather. He was just about to munch down on a sapphire when something hit him.

“...wait, what does the dragon have to do with changelings?”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

“I still don’t see what you’d want with those...dogs,” the changeling queen cast a glance towards the small group of mutated diamond dogs, shifting slightly in her position on the creep covered ‘chair’, “Though I’ll admit that the process was fascinating to watch at least, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such rapid evolution in a living thing before.”

The Queen of Blades, sitting across from the changeling, couldn’t help but give a self-satisfied smirk as she observed her new minions. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, and only one of them perished before I adapted the infestation successfully. Their genetic structure is surprisingly similar to the humans and dogs I’ve worked on before,” emotionless yellow eyes turned back to look at Chrysalis, “Make no mistake however, infestation such as this is nothing compared to full inclusion into the Zerg, this is just a partial assimilation.”

“Indeed,” the changeling queen looked to her host, “the changes do seem minimal compared to your other... strains.” She smiled slightly before a serious expression came over her. “Now, are we in agreement then?”

“We are,” the Zerg queen answered, looking to a pair of black carapaced changelings that had managed to find their way back to their queen, “you’ll allow me to use your changelings as scouts, to find any mineral deposits or other dragon lairs nearby, and as infiltrators and information gatherers on pony activity. I’m also free to do whatever I want with any dead changelings I find that were killed because of the blast.”

The two changelings buzzed lightly, still clearly not at ease with the Queen of Blades’ presence. Chrysalis simply glanced in their direction, conveying silent commands through the telepathic link. “Yes, and in return you’ll aid me in locating and gathering my children that were scattered after the Canterlot incident. You’ll also assist me should we ever find ourselves at a negotiation table with Equestria.”

“I still don’t see the point of that, from what I’ve gathered it’s unlikely you’ll ever be able to talk peacefully with the Equestrians,” the Queen of Blades made a dismissive gesture with her hand, “In my experience any creature is more likely to wage war against those that are different from themselves.”

“I like being prepared,” Chrysalis said with a smirk, “you never know what those ponies might do, they’ve surprised me once before already.”

The Queen of Blades inclined her head at that. “Very well, you’ve certainly interacted more with them than I have, but if they’re anything like the humans I’m familiar with... well, I won’t hold my breath.” She was just about to continue when a message was relayed through the Hive mind. “Hmm, I’m afraid we’re going to have to cut this meeting short, I’ve got some visitors coming.”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, but didn’t poke further into it. “I suppose I had best be off then, I’m going to need to establish a temporary hive as a gathering place for my changelings anyway.” The changeling queen rose from her seat, stretching her holed legs and fluttering her wings. “I’ll be in touch... oh, and I suggest you hide away your minions, I’m not sure if your ‘visitors’ will really appreciate them as I do.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Not far from the Zerg hive, a group of ponies and a single baby dragon were trotting through the Everfree Forest. They were all clearly tense, keeping a watchful eye out for any dangers they might encounter. Or in the case of a particular butter yellow pegasus, doing their best to wish themselves as far away as possible.

“I still can’t believe you just told them that, Spike!” A very agitated Twilight Sparkle said for the umpteenth time, glaring back at her assistant.

“How was I supposed to know they’d just show up and throw in a question like that? It was pretty much just you telling me to do stuff!” Spike exclaimed from her back, throwing his arms in the air, “I got confused, okay!?”

Before Twilight could get further upset with him, an orange hoof was placed on her shoulder and drew her attention to the farm mare trotting next to her. “Calm down, Twilight. It was an honest mistake I’m sure.”

The purple unicorn was just about to open her mouth when she was cut off by another member of their group. “I don’t see how you can remain so calm, Applejack. Both our sisters are currently on their way to a dragon’s cave!” Rarity bemoaned, placing a hoof to her head in a dramatic fashion, “What if they’re hurt!? I can’t believe they’d just go off like that without telling us!”

“Oh I’m seething alright, Rarity, and I’m gonna give Apple Bloom a real talking to once we catch up to those fillies, but there’s no use getting angry with anypony until we’re sure everything’s fine.”

The fashionable unicorn didn’t respond, instead directing a worried gaze towards their destination, which according to Twilight was getting closer and closer. The atmosphere was as oppressive as it had always been in the Everfree Forest, the crooked trees reaching down with pointy branches, not a sound heard from the forest itself, and every member of the party couldn’t help but feel the tang of fear in their guts.

All but one, of course.

“Oh! I know! We should totally throw that big dragon a party! That way he’ll be our friend, and then we’ll have two dragon friends, and having two dragon friends is like twice as good as having just one dragon friend! Not that you’re not a good friend Spike, but can you just imagine having a huge, adult, fire breathing, dragon as a friend!? We could go for rides on his back all the time!”

“Uh, Pinkie Pie?” An airborne Rainbow Dash ventured with the uncertainty common to all dealings with the pink pony, “You do remember what happened when you tried that with the last dragon we met, right?”

The pink party pony simply bounced on, oblivious to her friend’s obviously ungrounded fears. “Don’t worry bout a thing, Dashie! Even if the dragon turns out to be another Grumpy McMeaniepants we can just get Fluttershy to scold him like she did the other one! Easy peasy!”

The resulting ‘eep’ from that statement went entirely unnoticed by Pinkie Pie, though Rainbow Dash cast a slightly worried glance towards the already terrified Fluttershy. Somehow she had managed to curl herself up even more, while still keeping up with the rest of the group. The chromatic flier sighed in exasperation, disappointed in herself for not being able to support her old friend when she needed it. She could only hope that Fluttershy would find the strength in the moment like she had before.

Her attention was drawn to Applejack when the farm pony looked to her from under the brim of her hat. “I’m just glad Rainbow Dash saw them entering the forest when she did, otherwise who knows when we would have discovered them gone?”

“Yeah, I’m just awesome like that,” the pegasus said with a smug smile, “trust me, Applejack, we’ll get those three back easily enough. That dragon won’t even know what hit it!”

A collective eye roll was had at that statement, all of them quite clearly remembering the last time the boastful pegasus had tried taking on a dragon. For a moment it even seemed like Fluttershy had gathered enough courage to tell her to be careful, but all hopes of that happening was soon squashed when they came out into a clearing. Right in front of a large cave entrance.

“Well everypony, we’re here,” Twilight said as she took the lead, trotting closer to their goal, “this is the dragon’s cave, do any of you see the gi-...”

“What in the hay is that!?” Applejack exclaimed, cutting off Twilight’s question before she could finish it. Spreading out from the cave was a strange purplish substance, almost like a growth of some sort. It didn’t take long for the rest of the ponies to notice it as well, causing a variety of reactions.

Rainbow Dash looked unworried, keeping to the air and looking around for any immediate danger to her friends. Applejack looked both surprised and perplexed. Pinkie Pie was poking it with a hoof, giggling all the while. Twilight was bending down to study it. Fluttershy was keeping as far away as possible, and Rarity quickly scrunched up her muzzle in disgust.

“Eeeww! What is that supposed to be?” She cast a quick glance around the others, coming to a stop on the only pony who seemed interested in figuring it out. “Twilight? Do you know what this is?”

The purple unicorn hummed to herself as she pondered the substance, it looked biological in nature, yet like nothing she had ever seen before. A careful telekinetic prodding caused the mass to writhe and squirm, almost like a living organism.

This caused an even stronger reaction from Rarity, prompting her to pull further back from the revulsive creep. “Ew! Ew! Ew! There’s no way I’m setting a single hoof on that! It’s absolutely disgusting!”

The giggling from Pinkie Pie had turned into a full out laughter, and Rarity almost fainted as she noticed the earth pony bouncing about on the creep with a wide grin. “Weee! You should try this, Rarity! It’s like the ground is all bouncy and soft!”

The fashionista quickly averted her gaze with a very un-ladylike gagging sound, trying to erase the mental picture of herself frollicking on what might as well have been the innards of some giant animal.

“Pinkie!” Twilight called in annoyance, “Don’t touch it until I’ve figured out what it is, we don’t even know if it’s dangerous!”

“Well it hasn’t tried eating me yet,” Pinkie Pie stated as she continued whatever it was she was doing, “and my Pinkie Sense isn’t going off, so it can’t be dangerous!”

Hoof swiftly met face as Twilight sighed in exasperation, trying to apply any sort of logic to Pinkie Pie was a lost cause from the get-go. She was just about to share some very choice words with the pink pony, when suddenly a loud scream resounded from inside the cave.

Instantly all heads whipped towards the cave entrance, and before any of the others could even react Rarity had already rushed ahead, ignoring any protest her mind might have made about the creep. “Sweetie Belle!”

The others weren’t far behind, and with speed born from fear and desperation they galloped through the gloomy tunnel, hearing the yelling of fillies from the inside, before finally exiting out into a large open chamber covered in creep and lit only by dim crystals.

“Girls! Are you oka-...” The group almost exclaimed in unison, though they were quickly cut off by the sight in front of them. No sooner had their eyes gotten used to the new environment before the yelling was replaced by laughter.

“And then they were like, POW! BANG!” Scootaloo shouted, kicking at invisible enemies with her hooves, or quickly fluttering to the side to evade some imaginary foe. Next to her Apple Bloom was apparently re-enacting a similar fight scene, accompanying every kick and thrust with a suitable sound.

Nearby, Sweetie Belle was poking at some sort of tumor-like pod with her hoof, apparently finding a sort of bizarre curiosity in its existence and the way it pulsed under her touch. None of the fillies even seemed aware of their presence at the time, happily playing as they were.

“Sweetie Belle!”

“Apple Bloom!”

“Scootaloo!”

A chorus of relieved yells erupted from the group, causing the trio to look up at the newly arrived ponies with surprise. The would-be rescuers all stepped further into the cave, but instantly froze when they noticed the other presence in the chamber.

Sitting on a creep covered rock, apparently having watched the fillies play, was the most frightening and alien creature the girls had ever seen. It looked at them with glowing yellow eyes, no surprise evident in its gaze. Then it spoke in a smooth, feminine voice.

“I’ve been expecting you,” an almost feral smile spread across her lips, “please join us, we have much to discuss.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The late afternoon sun cast a comfortable blanket of red across Canterlot, its waning rays accompanying the ponies on the streets as they all headed for their homes. All had been peaceful since the wedding, and many of the city’s inhabitants were still jovial and uplifted following the festivities.

In a more secluded part of the city a lone guard wandered the empty halls of the Canterlot Museum, known wide and far for its collection of valuable artifacts, art, as well as unique gemstones. Truly those halls were populated when the museum opened its doors, yet at this time those same corridors were empty and silent. The guard, a grey unicorn with a teal mane and a flashlight held steadily in his magical grip, had always prefered the quiet work of a night guard. There was a certain serenity to the empty museum, being surrounded by such priceless works of art was both humbling and a gift.

The humming of a simple tune and clopping of his hooves on the marble floor was all the sound that could be heard, truly there was little more peaceful to this guard than the job he had been blessed with.

For a second he halted, his ears pivoting to pick up what sounded like scratching, as soon as he thought he’d heard it however, it was gone. Shrugging he continued on his way, yet again resuming the happy tune of his humming. From time to time he directed the beam of his flashlight into a darkened room, its flare reflected in the surface of mirrors, metallic objects, or the multitude of beautiful gems inside many of the display cases.

Once more he stopped, the scratching sound from earlier returned, this time a bit louder. With a scowl the guard backed up, returning to the gem exhibit he had just passed. The scratching sound grew stronger, it was almost like glass being forced against stone. Carefully he stepped inside, the flashlight’s beam directed to every dark corner of the room.

Eventually the sound reached a crescendo, then it suddenly stopped and all was silent, the guard barely dared breathe as the silence almost became deafening. Outside, the last rays of the sun passed below the building’s windows, casting an eerie glow into its interior. He could hear his heart beating, the only sound evident to him.

Then the scratching resumed, louder than ever before and resounding all around him, he felt the marble floor beneath him vibrate and in a moment of clarity he leapt backwards, just in time to see part of the gem exhibit’s floor collapse into itself. Dust and rock was blown in all directions, causing the guard to cough and cover his eyes to avoid being blinded.

He quickly recovered, directing his flashlight to shine through the dust. “Who goes there!?” he yelled out, trying desperately to find the cause of the sudden intrusion, though unable to perceive much through the smoke other than a few tiny bursts of light, dimmed by the dust in the air. The only thing he heard was that constant sound of scratching, and the screeching sound of something edged being rubbed against a hard surface.

With an effort of concentration he gathered power into his horn, the flashlight falling to the floor as he directed his magic in a new direction. The magic swept out from him, dispersing dust to the sides and casting a teal glow across the room.

For just a moment he saw the light of his magic reflected in a crystalline surface; the sound of skittering appendages, like tapping needles on a floor, and the familiar scratching accompanying whatever it was. Then it was gone, and as the dust settled he gasped in shock.

Left in the room were only broken display cases, glass from their destruction spread across the floor, not a single gem in sight, and in the floor were large holes, dug straight through several feet of magically enchanted marble, and however much solid rock lay beneath it.

Chapter Ten

Queen of Blades

Chapter Ten

Sitting on a creep covered rock, apparently having watched the fillies at play, was the most frightening and alien creature the girls had ever seen. It looked at them with glowing yellow eyes, no surprise evident in its gaze. It spoke in a smooth, feminine voice.

“I’ve been expecting you.” An almost feral smile spread across her lips. “Please join us, we have much to discuss.”

It came as no surprise that, instead of calming down and joining her for a conversation, the entire group of mares instantly tensed up and grew silent in her presence. It didn’t surprise her, though it still annoyed her immensely.

Finally the unicorn known as Rarity spoke, her voice low and firm, brooking no argument. “Sweetie Belle, come over here this instant.”

For a moment, it looked like Sweetie was about to say something, but instead she stepped away from the strange, biological growth she had been examining casually, trotting over to her sister with a slightly confused expression. “What’s wrong, sis? I know you’re probably mad about us going into the forest on our own, but we weren’t in any danger, I promise!”

Before Rarity could answer, Applejack managed to rid herself of her uncertainty and step forward. “Apple Bloom, you best have a real good explanation for what you’re doing here,” she cast a glance of mistrust in the alien creature’s direction, “and who exactly is she?”

Apple Bloom, for one, didn’t seem at all phased by the idea of them hanging out with a dangerous looking alien, a big smile replacing the confusion the filly had previously born. “Oh hey, Applejack. That’s just Kerrigan, we were trying to get our cutie marks in storytelling!”

In unison, the group of grown mares shifted their expressions to ones of dumbfounded bafflement, Applejack looked to her little sister with a blank stare of disbelief. “Uuuh, beg your pardon?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo exclaimed, fluttering forwards in an attempt to be part of the conversation, “I thought Rainbow Dash made the changeling story sound so awesome, so we decided to share it with Kerrigan and get cutie marks in telling stories!”

The other pair of fillies nodded their heads to confirm the story, though a quick look at their flanks evoked a chorus of disappointed ‘awww’s from the trio. The Queen of Blades had been content to simply stay out of the conversation and observe their interactions, secretly satisfied that her plan of using the young fillies in order to get close to Twilight Sparkle had indeed worked out like she had hoped.

“That!” Rarity began, “Is the absolute worst excuse I’ve ever heard! I’ve told you time and again not to go into the Everfree forest. You could’ve been lost, or hurt!”

“I can assure you,” the Queen of Blades said, startling the entire group, “that the young ponies were never in any real danger. I am more than capable of protecting them from the dangers of this forest.”

“Look, lady, I don’t know who you are,” Rarity said, stepping closer to the Queen with fire in her eyes, “but the safety of my little sister is my first concern, and I am not going to trust the words of some stranger, let alone one of a species I’ve never heard of before! And I take it that this,” she waved a hoof to the creep covered ground, “is also your doing?”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, taking up a position in the air above Rarity. “Besides, you don’t look all that tough. What makes you think that you could keep anyone safe from something like a manticore?”

For a split second there was a flash of color in the Queen of Blade’s eyes, a crimson hue which went entirely unnoticed by the group. In that moment, she had seriously contemplated killing the rainbow colored one known as Rainbow Dash, her pride having been challenged in a way that she had never experienced before. Her rational side kept her calm, but before she could reply to the taunt, or dump the manticore corpse on top of the annoying pegasus, Sweetie Belle spoke up.

“Actually, she sort of kicked out the mean dragon that used to live here, so I’m pretty sure she could take on a manticore.”

This new piece of information caused a number of different reactions. Rainbow Dash’s cocky attitude was replaced by a fearful shiver for a moment, both her and Rarity drawing a bit further away from the still seated Queen. Fluttershy was still cowering behind the others, with Spike doing the same, just behind Twilight. Pinkie Pie looked like she could hardly contain herself from some sort of outburst, and Twilight Sparkle looked to the strange alien creature with curiosity. Applejack was the only one who looked unphased by the revelation, instead drawing her little sister closer to herself with a hoof.

Realising that she’d have to explain herself in order to build some measure of trust, the Queen of Blades raised a hand in a calming gesture. “Sweetie Belle speaks the truth. I was looking for a place to stay and believed that the dragon was unlikely to be missed by the populace.”

It didn’t look like any of the group wanted to respond to this newfound information, but finally Twilight Sparkle’s curiosity won her over. “I suppose that’s true, the dragon had been somewhat of a dangerous presence in the area for a long time,” the inquisitive unicorn lifted a brow at this, “where’s the dragon now, though?”

In that moment it looked like the three fillies were going to say something, but after a second they just looked confused, as if they had forgotten something important. Not ones to dwell too long on such matters, the trio simply shrugged to themselves and returned to watching the scene in front of them.

“You are correct, Twilight Sparkle. I was, however, able to convince it to leave through a somewhat... violent course of action. I’m guessing it’s already far gone from here, trying to find some new cave to call its own.”

The purple unicorn stepped back in uncertainty. “How do you know my name?” she asked, a hundred new questions already forming in her mind, “... who are you?”

A sly smile graced the Queen’s visage as she answered, “I am the Queen of Blades, ruler of the Zerg Swarm and one of the most powerful psions to have ever lived.” She rose from her seat, causing the assembled group, minus the Crusaders, to backtrack a few steps more, “And I know your name because I believe you’re the one who can help me.”

“Help you?” Twilight asked. “Help you with what?”

“You are likely aware of this already, but I am not of this world. In fact, I arrived in your capital less than a week ago,” the Queen stated, her words capturing the attention of every pony (and dragon) present. “I wish to return to my own home, to my Swarm and to an important task still left unfinished.”

The group of ponies were silent for a moment, until something clicked inside Twilight’s head, looking to the Queen with wide eyes as she connected the dots. “Wait a minute, you’re the one who broke into the Elements’ Vault!” she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes as her horn began to glow. “You hurt my big brother!”

The Queen of Blades had to suppress a grunt of annoyance. Just her luck that the guard pony turned out to be Twilight Sparkle’s brother. “Wait,” she said, raising a hand in a calming gesture. “You are correct that I did indeed hurt those ponies, but I was only acting in self-defence, and I most certainly did not break into that vault. It’s just where I appeared in your world.”

For a moment it looked like Twilight was going to stand down, but then her eyes suddenly narrowed again. “Shining Armor told me that you threatened to kill him! How’s that acting in self-defence!?”

“Intimidation, nothing more,” she responded, though inwardly she cursed herself for that little slip-up. “I wanted to make sure he wouldn’t try to chase me - turned out it didn’t help though.” Twilight was just about to say something more when the Queen of Blades continued. “As for the librarian, I was in a rush for information and was forced to be... less than gentle with him, I was being chased through an unfamiliar castle by armored guards after all.”

“But he said you were trying to do something to him first and that’s why they attacked.”

“This may surprise you, but when I came here I did not know your language. I was simply trying to gain the knowledge of it so that I could communicate with him. I promise you that I had no intention of harming them before they attacked me.”

A flash of uncertainty crossed Twilight’s face, the light in her horn dimming as she looked to her friend Applejack. The earth pony nodded her head. “She’s telling the truth as far as I can tell.”

When the unicorn’s horn died down entirely, the Queen of Blades couldn’t help but lift an eyebrow in surprise at the trust Twilight obviously placed in Applejack’s ability to tell if she was lying or not.

“Alright,” Twilight said as she looked back to the Queen of Blades. “I’m going to trust that you were simply acting out of the obvious fear involved in what happened to you.” A barely discernable twitch in the Queen’s visage failed to be noticed by the gathered ponies. “What were you trying to do to my brother though? You said you went after Ancient Scroll for information, but I don’t believe he ever mentioned you interrogating him. Did you use some kind of magic on them?”

“Not... magic,” she stated, the word still leaving an ugly taste in her mouth, “but the power of a Psionic, the ability to influence the physical worlds and their inhabitants with your mind. I didn’t need to interrogate the librarian, because I could simply take the information I needed directly from his mind.” The Queen couldn’t keep a certain superiority from her voice. “No Psion is as powerful as I, thus learning your language and everything else I needed to know about your land from the librarian was quite easy.”

“That’s amazing!” Twilight started, though her demeanor quickly fell when she realised the implications. “...And a little disturbing.”

The Queen of Blades didn’t seem insulted by the statement, instead shrugging slightly. “Be that as it may, it was the safest and quickest course of action at the time.”

Twilight hummed audibly in contemplation, going through everything the alien queen had told her, and what she’d heard from her brother and the Princess. “Well, you didn’t end up giving anypony any permanent damage, and you seem truthful in wanting to go back home,” she said, looking back to the Queen with determination. “There’s still the issue that you hurt ponies in the first place, but I’m sure the Princess will understand. Your rather unique circumstance considering.” She looked to the trio of fillies who were casually chatting. “Besides, it looks like you’ve made a good impression on those three, so I’m going to trust their judgement about you.”

“Your decision, then?” the Queen prompted.

“I’ll do what I can to help you, but I’m going to have to write the Princess a letter about all this first.” Twilight said, staring off for a moment before nodding to herself. The Queen of Blades wasn’t particularly looking forward to meeting this ‘Princess’ again, but she doubted that she’d get away with trying to alter the minds of all ponies present to prevent it. Especially where that yellow one was concerned.

Instead of arguing the point she simply nodded. “I understand. Do whatever you must.”

The purple unicorn smiled. “Don’t worry. Princess Celestia is very understanding; I’m sure she’ll just want to talk to you at some point.” The zerg Queen inclined her head in agreement, before Twilight looked around at the ponies present. “Now, it’s getting late and I’m sure everypony’s interested in getting back to their homes.”

There was a chorus of agreeing murmurs from the collective ponies, minus the fillies and one mare of course.

“What!? No, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie suddenly zoomed right in front of Twilight’s face, appearing between the unicorn and Queen with startling speed. “I finally discovered who needed that party, and now I have to make it a ‘Welcome to Equestria’ and ‘We’re really glad to have you as our new friend’ party too!”

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said with a sigh, pushing the pink party pony’s face out of her comfort zone with a hoof, “we’re not having a party now, especially not in a cave inside the Everfree Forest. I still need to write that letter to the Princess too.”

Pinkie Pie’s excitement failed to die down, however. “But I already finished decorating!” she exclaimed with a wide gesture, indicating that she had indeed managed to somehow coat that part of the large cave with balloons, streamers, and various other party essentials. Above them a banner had even appeared, reading ‘Welcome to Equestria, Queen Kerrigan!’ in large colorful letters.

The Queen of Blades blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden revelation that her hive had been covered in colorful decorations, without her noticing no less. The fact that she’d failed to notice, despite having had a near constant observation of the visiting ponies, was enough to make her grit her teeth. She was getting tired of this pink pony’s nonsensical behaviour already.

She managed to gather herself, however, letting out a silent sigh. “Twilight Sparkle is right, it would be best if you left before it got dark.” She turned to look down at Pinkie. “Make sure to bring along your... things, when you leave.”

“But... but... party!” Pinkie Pie whined, looking up at the alien queen with big, teary eyes and a quivering lip. Though this might have sent a lesser being into a catatonic state, the Queen of Blades was less than impressed, showing not the slightest twitch on her neutral expression.

“Pinkie...” Twilight said with a tired sigh. “I’m sure there’ll be time for giving Kerrigan a party later, but for now we really should head back home. The Everfree Forest only gets more dangerous at night.”

“Uhm...” The tiny voice of Fluttershy piped in from the back. “Pinkie, you really should listen to Twilight. The timberwolves will be coming out soon, and I still need to feed all my animal friends... I mean, if that’s okay...”

Their insistence didn’t stop Pinkie Pie from looking like a hurt puppy, but in the end she set to work taking down her party supplies. An endeavour which apparently took much longer than it had to set it all up. While Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash helped Pinkie with the cleanup, the crusaders were making sure that Kerrigan wouldn’t miss their departure.

“Are you sure you won’t be lonely out here?” Sweetie asked worriedly for the, by the Queen’s estimate, fifth time. “I’m sure we could find somewhere for you in Ponyville!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, bouncing lightly into the air. “You could even stay with us at Sweet Apple Acres! Right, sis?”

The abrupt question made Applejack take a step backwards, suddenly looking like a deer caught in a headlight. “Uuuuh...”

“Or! Or she could stay in the clubhouse!” Scootaloo added, her wings fluttering in excitement at the prospect.

“That is very... kind of you,” The Queen interrupted, though she had taken a somewhat sadistic pleasure in the farm pony's obvious stupefaction. “But I will be staying here for the foreseeable future. It might not look like a home to you, but it is sufficient to my needs.”

This did cause a collective ‘awww’ of disappointment from the trio, though the mood was quickly broken up as Rarity trotted over. “Yes, listen to miss Kerrigan now. We might not have ‘freaked out’ at her presence, as it were.” A deadpan look from Applejack caused Rarity to roll her eyes. “Well, not much at least. But I’m afraid the rest of Ponyville would be even less... welcoming, to our friend here.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack added. “Now, let’s get you fillies back home.”

“We’re done up here too!” Rainbow Dash said as she dove to the ground. “Pinkie Pie is still sulking, but I’m sure she’ll get over it.”

A quick glance around her hive did confirm that the disgusting ‘decorations’ had indeed been removed. Though to where exactly, considering none of the ponies had any form of container, was a mystery. A mystery the Queen of Blades was happy to leave unsolved.

“Okay everypony,” Twilight said as the group gathered around her, “time to head out.” She turned to smile at the Queen. “I’ll be sure to tell you as soon as the princess replies to my letter. I’m going to try my best to help you, count on it.”

*Buuurp!*

The sudden sound of a baby dragon burping caused every head in the cave to turn towards Spike, who had just ejected a burst of green flames and a single scroll from his mouth. The white scroll landed gently on the ground, a group of puzzled expressions following its descent.

Pinkie was the first to speak up, “Wow, that was fast!”

“But... I haven’t even sent the letter yet,” Twilight said, blinking a couple of times before she finally took hold of the scroll with her magic. With practiced ease she floated the scroll to her, unfurling it in the process.

It didn’t take her long to finish the letter. After reading it twice she lowered the parchment, a furrowed brow on her face. “It’s from the princess... something’s happened in Canterlot.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Canterlot Castle, by many seen as the bastion of pony-kind integrity and power, its great white halls and marble pillars a true splendor without equal in the world. Any pony, or other creature for that matter, who had wandered those sacred halls would likely never forget its beauty in their lifetime. An experience of reverence that would stay with them until the day of their death. Truly it was a palace fit to be the home to the dual goddesses of day and night. Even in the dimming light of the evening sun, it looked absolutely beautiful.

To Princess Celestia however, it just looked dull after nearly one thousand years without any true change. Not that she’d ever admit it to her subjects of course, she didn’t want them to feel like she had become bored with their offering to her, after all.

With a gentle sigh she placed the report on the dining table she was seated at, located inside one of the castle’s many dining halls. One of far too many, if one were to ask her. Yet, at that particular moment, her issues with all the pointless grandeur were replaced with far more troubling thoughts. Only minutes previously she had received word that the Canterlot Museum had been infiltrated by an unknown force, many of the rarest and most valuable gems having been stolen from the building. And not a single trace was left to identify the invader.

The solar diarch was brought out of her contemplations by the sound of doors opening, followed by the gentle yet firm sound of her sister’s silver horseshoes. She turned to the younger princess with a smile, suppressing a chuckle at her appearance. “Good evening, Lulu. Did you sleep well?”

Luna stifled a yawn, tired and half-lidded eyes settling on her older sister before she took her seat by the table. “Good evening, Tia. We slept well enough, thank you.” She barely contained another rebellious yawn. “What has you troubled?”

As Luna poured herself a cup of freshly brewed coffee, she failed to notice the gloom of sadness that fell on Celestia. For a thousand years she’d been alone after she was forced to banish her own sister, millennia of experience allowing her to hide her true feelings from her subjects. Yet here that sister was now, still capable of seeing right through her practiced composure, as if they had never been apart in the first place.

The diarch of the sun couldn’t help but smile. “You have no business being that perceptive this soon after getting out of bed, you know.” Luna simply returned a tired smirk before sipping her coffee, prompting Celestia to continue. “It’s the Canterlot Museum, there’s been a break-in less than half an hour ago.”

With her magic she placed the report in front of her sister, watching patiently as the younger princess skimmed through it. She took the time to finish up the salad that had been prepared for her.

“Just gems?” A nod from Celestia confirmed it. “Peculiar, and no real leads... at least nopony was hurt.”

“A blessing, yes. According to the guard on duty at the time, he never even saw the thieves. Only heard what he describes as a ‘scratching’ sound.”

Luna shook her head, clearing away the last remnants of drowsiness. “Not much to go on.”

Her sister gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, some of our ponies are quite talented at figuring things like this out.”

Before Luna could answer, however, a mental alarm suddenly blared in their minds. The lunar princess lost her magical grip on the cup in shock, causing it to fall to the table and spill its content. She quickly looked to her sister, who had a matching look of surprise on her face.

“Sister!” Luna exclaimed as she rose from her seat.

“I know, Luna. There’s an intruder in the Royal Vault.”

Author's Note

First of all, a very big thank you to Breath of Plagues who helped immensely with this chapter. Seriously, this guy is awesome.

Well, this one took much longer than it should have. Here it is though, plenty of dialogue if you're into that sort of thing :twilightsmile:

I promise the next one won't take this long to get out... probably... but until then, you could always take a look at this here other fic I published a while ago: Erevis Cale: Dark Side of the Moon featuring my favorite Forgotten Realms character of all times, as well as our beloved Lunar Princess. Hope you enjoy, and pony on.

Chapter Eleven

Queen of Blades

Chapter Eleven

Canterlot Castle was in chaos, no sooner had the Royal Vault alarms sounded before the guard and every administrative servant had been put into motion. It had only been a week since something similar had happened in the Elements’ Vault, and nopony was particularly thrilled at the prospect of another impossible intrusion.

The Royal Vault had long been one of the most secure installations inside the Castle, a multitude of wards and reinforced stones making entrance without proper authorization all but impossible. Even the two elder princesses would be hard pressed to breach the vault through force alone.

Those same two princesses were already heading towards the disturbance, exuding a calm and collected air even while surrounded by bewildered and panicked ponies. It was a true testament to the seriousness of the situation that the mere sight of their rulers did not calm the various servants flitting through the hallways. In reality they were as troubled as their subjects, though none but themselves would have been capable of picking that up through their stoney exteriors.

Though they remained as calm as could be, the royal sisters still hurried towards the treasury. “Sister, We do not recall the current state of relations with the various Diamond Dog tribes. Is it possible one hath decided to risk our wrath for immediate gain?” inquired Luna as they hurried past a pair of open doors to avoid getting dragged into a panic meeting.

Rounding the final corner, their journey came to a halt as they encountered a large group of ponies outside the vault’s entrance. A squad of royal guards and several accountants were anxiously watching as the Royal Treasurer, an aging unicorn stallion with a beige coat and amber mane, unlocked the last of the Vault’s seals.

“I do not believe so,” Celestia answered, her voice low as to avoid disturbing the nearby ponies. “No tribe would risk this, no matter how desperate they might be. Of all the tribes, only the Garmr have fallen on hard times, yet they’re already negotiating for mining rights near some of our northern quarries.” The solar alicorn shook her head, looking to the assembled ponies with worry. “It just doesn’t make sense that the Diamond Dogs would do something like this.”

Not a moment later, the sound of several multi-ton tumblers sliding into place reverberated through the massive, metal door, causing every guardspony present to tense their muscles.

Luna cast a glance to her older sister. “We pray you are correct, big sister.”

No sooner had the great, vault door swung open before the guards rushed in, their movements a well-coordinated effort as they took up positions on the inside. The diarchs stepped forward, coming to a stop next to the clearly troubled Treasurer.

“Gold Note?” Celestia prompted, softly commanding his attention and making him turn to face them. “How does it look?”

“I can’t be certain, princess,” he said as he gave a slight bow of his body, then turned to trot towards the vault opening. The alicorn pair followed closely behind. “I’ve only received the same alarm that you have. Though I did manage to open the vault with little trouble, so the enchantments haven’t been dispelled at least.”

“Clear!” the voice of a guard rang out from inside. The trio swiftly made their way through the open passage and into the vault proper, each of them taken aback by what awaited them.

The large stone chamber, lit by magical torches and outfitted with numerous shelves, still held the majority of its items. In fact, other than several large holes in the floor and a few broken shelves, the vault looked the same as it always did. Already the guards were combing through the vault, examining the entry points and running magical scans on any intact countermeasures.

Gold Note wasted no time, quickly grabbing hold of one of two scrolls from a nearby table. With a flourish of magic he undid the seal, spreading it out on the floor and scanning its contents.

While they waited for the unicorn to finish, Luna beckoned one of the guards closer. “Sergeant, what is your assessment?”

“Princess,” the unicorn guard said as he saluted. “The holes are roughly Diamond Dog sized, but from what we’ve been able to gather they weren’t dug with claws. All knowledge we have on Diamond Dog digging also indicates that the holes were dug far quicker than any Dog would’ve been able to manage. We should’ve been able to catch them in the act at the very least.”

“Indeed, perhaps there is an unknown force at work here.” Luna nodded in thought, glancing to where Gold Note and Princess Celestia were busy examining the inventory scroll. “Get an investigation unit in here, sergeant. We expect a report within the next four hours.”

“Understood, your highness.” The guard saluted before turning back to the assembled guards. “Look lively, colts. We’re getting this place combed, make preparations.”

With a last nod of confirmation, the night princess turned around and walked the short distance to her sister. She couldn’t help but notice the disbelieving look on the Treasurer’s face.

“This simply can’t be right, your highness. How in Tartarus does something like this happen?” Gold Note asked numbly, looking up from the scroll to look at Celestia.

“I can’t be sure, Gold Note. But we’ll get to the bottom of this.” Celestia turned her head as Luna approached, then gestured towards the inventory scroll. “Luna, take a look at this.”

“Hmm? Oh, the inventory scroll. Magically enchanted to list every object of value present in this chamber, correct?” she inquired, receiving a nod in return from her sister. “Fascinating tool - would have made administrative work quite a bit easier a thousand years ago.”

Luna quickly glanced down the list, her eyes narrowing as she understood the Treasurer’s bafflement. “That certainly is odd. Did anything else of value get taken?”

“No.” The Treasurer shook his head, bringing up another scroll for the princess to see. “If you look at the outtake scroll and compare it to the intake, we’ve lost maybe twenty actual bits, and nothing consisting of any valuable metals, yet we have no gems left. Even the rare crystals have been removed.”

Luna hummed thoughtfully, lifting a golden tiara from the floor with her magic. It had clear indents where gems were supposed to have been, yet they were empty. “Sister, isn’t the Element of Generosity skilled in gem locating magic?”

“She is.” Celestia nodded in confirmation. “And I see where you’re going with this, I’ll get started on a letter immediately. Also, if my thoughts are correct, I believe that my faithful student might have experience that could prove useful in this situation.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

“... Luna and I eagerly await your arrival. Princess Celestia.”

Twilight finished her dictation of the letter, folding it nicely as she allowed time for the Princess’ words to register with her friends. Rarity however, since about halfway through, had been donning the largest grin Twilight had seen on her since the wedding invitation.

“Moi!?” Rarity exclaimed in excitement. “The Princess asked for me, personally!?”

While the almost hysteric unicorn was busy being lost in a fit of giggles and squeals, a certain chromatic pegasus was more concerned about the rest of the letter.

“Who in the hay would break into Canterlot Castle? They’d have to be insane, no offence,” she added with a glance towards Kerrigan, who didn’t dignify the insinuation with any response. “To even consider trying something like that! I’m gonna show those thieves what’s for!”

“Uhm, Twilight?” Fluttershy spoke up from the back, though she still hid behind her mane despite her initiative. “The Princess only asked for you and Rarity, right?”

“Well, yes,” the studious unicorn replied with a slight pause. “But the invitation extends to the rest of you as well, that’s what she said in the letter after all.”

“Well... I’m not sure I’d be much help, and I still need to take care of all my animal friends...” Her slightly quivering eyes spoke of her reluctance to voice her next suggestion. “Do you think, that maybe, I could stay at home? I mean, if that’s okay with you that is.”

“I’m with Fluttershy on this one,” Applejack spoke up before Twilight could respond. “I still got my work on the farm, and I don’t think I’d be much help with that thievery stuff anyhow. I’d rather stay in Ponyville if that’s all the same to you.”

The lavender unicorn looked between her two friends with an understanding smile, nodding her head at their reasoning. “You’re right, I’m sure the princess will understand.” She quickly looked to the last remaining member of their group. “What about you Pinkie Pie, are you coming along?”

“Sorry Twilight,” the pink pony said with a sad smile. “I’ve got to foalsit for the Cakes tomorrow, and I’m opening the bakery this week too.”

“That’s okay, Pinkie.” Twilight said with a reassuring nod. “Between the four of us I’m sure we’ll be able to figure it out.”

“Four of us?” Spike spoke up in excitement. “Am I coming too, Twilight?”

Twilight giggled lightly, poking Spike’s head with a hoof. “No silly, I need you to take care of the library while I’m gone.” She then pointed to Kerrigan. “She is.”

This statement caught the rest of the ponies by surprise, Rainbow Dash and Rarity speaking up as one in their shock while the Queen of Blades just looked on with furrowed brows.

“She is!?”

“I am?”

“Yes, you are,” Twilight said with a smile, obviously finding nothing wrong with that suggestion. “It’s the most logical course of action. We’re already going to Canterlot, so we might as well bring Queen Kerrigan along with us to meet the princess.”

“Twilight, darling,” Rarity started with a hoof raised in question. “Do you truly believe it’s a good idea to bring her along, considering how crazy Canterlot must be at this point? I don’t think adding more confusion to the entire thing is the best course of action.”

Rainbow Dash nodded along in the air, hooves crossed in front of her. “Yeah, I’m with Rares on this one. That’s just asking for more trouble. I’m sure Kerrigan wouldn’t wanna get caught up in some investigation anyway, what with her already having been part of a break-in already.”

“I don’t mind.”

“See? Kerrigan knows wh-... what!?” The pegasus did a double take at the disturbingly calm alien, eyes wide in surprise. “What do you mean ‘you don’t mind’!? You’d be like a prime suspect if you just showed up now!”

“Exactly what I said,” the Queen of Blades replied, making a dismissive wave with a hand. “Even if I didn’t come along, Twilight Sparkle would still have to tell the princesses about me. It’d be better if I were there myself to avoid any misconceptions about my intentions, or possible involvement in this crime.” A far too sly smile spread across her lips. “Besides, I’m sure I could be of some assistance. That is what allies do for each other after all, correct?”

This evoked another smile from Twilight. “Very thoughtful, thank you Queen Kerrigan. I’m sure the princess would appreciate any help you could offer.”

“Oh! Oh!” the squeaky voice of Sweetie Belle suddenly exclaimed, her tiredness having seemingly disappeared at the newest development. “Can we come too?” It didn’t take more than that to coax the other two Crusaders into beaming adorably along with their unicorn friend.

Rarity, however, simply pinned the three with a deadpan look. “Absolutely not, what gave you that ridiculous idea? You’re far too young to get involved with this sort of thing.” Even the combined power of their disappointed ‘aww’s’ failed to change her mind. “However, I was going to ask Applejack if perhaps she could look after you while I’m gone, so maaaaaybe?” She left the question hanging in the air, looking to Applejack with a raised eyebrow.

The mare blinked a couple of times, finally catching on. “Shoot, Rares, course I’d be happy to look after little Sweetie Belle. I guess we could make a sleepover out of it?”

All thoughts about going to Canterlot swiftly disappeared in a chorus of excited ‘yay’s from the three, the fillies having soon decided that Scootaloo should sleep over as well. Soon their attention fell away from their surroundings entirely, already making plans for the various activities they’d be undertaking. Applejack suddenly looking like she regretted making the suggestion in the first place.

A light cough from Rarity brought the adult ponies’ attention back on her. She glanced up at the much larger alien with slightly narrowed eyes. “Be that as it may, how exactly were you planning on accompanying us all the way to Canterlot? I don’t mean to be insulting, darling, but you aren’t exactly...” She paused for a few moments to swirl her hoof around. “...dainty.”

“Hmm, that’s a good point, Rarity,” Twilight said, stroking the bottom of her chin with a hoof. “You’re likely to cause at least some degree of panic on a train, and we’d likely need to use the princess’ own sky carriage to carry you.”

The Queen of Blades held a neutral expression, glancing between the three ponies who were coming along. “That won’t be a problem, Twilight Sparkle. I’ll be able to take us there immediately— a simple feat with my power.”

It took a moment for the Queen’s words to sink in, Twilight having gone silent as she processed what the alien entity had just said. Rarity and Applejack looked doubtful. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie could hardly contain their giggling at the ludicrous statement, and Fluttershy just hid even further behind her friends.

Twilight quickly sent the laughing pair a glare as she recovered, though she herself looked no more convinced when she turned back to look at the Queen. Said Queen did not seem amused at having her capabilities doubted so obviously.

“Sorry about those two, it’s just that... well, teleporting that far, and with passengers— I doubt even Princess Celestia could do so with little trouble.” She quickly threw up her hooves as the Queen of Blades’ red eyes met hers. “Not that I don’t believe you! It’s just, okay, maybe I don’t.”

Whatever the unicorn thought her words would evoke from the Queen of Blades, the sly smirk she received was not one of them.

“I suppose I didn’t make myself clear enough earlier. Perhaps a demonstration would help clarify exactly what level of power I wield.”

Her eyes closed for just a moment, in her blindness missing the look Rainbow and Rarity sent each other as she delved into the well of psionic power. Stolen memories from an old librarian, decades of time spent wandering Canterlot Castle, it all flowed to the front of her mind as she pictured a destination.

The Queen of Blades' eyes snapped open, a yellow flash in their depths accompanying the surge of energy she conjured. She didn’t hear the ponies’ exclamations of surprise as space warped around them, reality straining under her effort as she released the power she had been shaping. In the next moment, they were gone, a fading glow of dark purple energy left in their wake.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

It had taken a few hours, but eventually Canterlot Castle’s inhabitants had calmed down enough to not crash into one another in the halls. The entire mess had left the ponies tired and spent however, especially the numerous guards who had been trying to keep peace and order.

Therefore, it was a satisfied bunch of guards who could finally return to their sentry duties, no longer having to run around and subdue the more panicked members of the castle staff. The throne room was one of the more desirable places to be following the chaos, namely because the princesses weren’t present, thus there was a lack of supervision.

A dozen or so guards were on duty, happily chatting amongst themselves as they attempted to regain some measure of energy after a very tiring day. Fate however, had other plans.

The vibrating floors and pillars were the first signs that something was about to go horribly wrong, and before the guards could even have started to begrudge their career choice, the entire chamber was washed in purple light. A moment later, three ponies and an alien monstrosity were deposited on the white marble floor.

Twilight Sparkle gazed around as she shook her head, already contemplating the implications of what had just happened. Rarity was too stunned to even stand, and the Queen of Blades was looking around the room with her arms crossed and a smirk adorning her lips.

Rainbow Dash, amidst the chaotic scramble of yelling guards, simply looked at the first trio of spears being pointed her way. Then, she said the words that were on the mind of every tired pony who had heard the clamor inside the throne room.

“...oh buck me.”

Author's Note

Well, here we are at long last!

Once again a very big thank you to Breath of Plagues for his help with this chapter, this guy is seriously awesome. Also, I can wholeheartedly recommend you read his story Black Box if you're looking for an awesome Dark fic, it's really unique. And I'm not normally one for the more grimdarky stuff.

Side-Chapter 1 - Breaking a Dog

Author's Note

This is the first side chapter to Queen of Blades, taking place before the last section of Chapter Eight. It is not vital to the story, so it is not a requirement that you read it. It does give some background story for one of the story’s characters, and a better understanding of how the zerg infestation works. A word of warning, this chapter is quite a bit darker than previous ones.

Side-Chapter 1 - Breaking a Dog

Queen of Blades

Side-chapter 1 - Breaking a Dog

Fear.

Why do I feel fear?

I remember a cave, an odd cave. It had ugly fleshy walls, gems and crystals. There was no reason to feel fear, gems are good. Nothing wrong with crystals either.

…Fleshy walls? Never saw anything like that before, not ever since I became scout leader. Was there anything else, a reason to feel fear? I had my pack of five strong dogs, it was just a scouting task for the Alpha. We found gems, no dragon anywhere in the cave. It was supposed to be good.

No... we found other things, dangerous things. Were those the things I was afraid of? I never saw anything like them either. There were claws, fangs, and... pain. Yes, they brought lots of pain. But, fear? As a Beta I was never supposed to fear anything. I was supposed to be strong, to have the courage to lead dogs into danger.

I remember it now. I was not brave. Cave opening closed off by fleshy walls, the monsters appeared from all around. They walked on the walls, ceiling, came from below like diamond dogs. They rushed us, didn’t listen to my words. They tore into us. Into me. Claws and fangs, digging into flesh like dog claws through earth. So much pain, so many screams, so much...

Fear.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

I woke up with a gasp, the cool air of my den soothing my damp fur. All around me was darkness, though it was all so familiar. Already the nightmare... had it been a nightmare? It was gone, replaced by other thoughts. At my side I felt the breathing form of my mate - my beloved mate. Maja. I looked to her, the most beautiful diamond dog I had ever known.

A deep sigh calmed me down as I gently ran a paw across her brown furred neck. Already I could imagine those eyes, blue as sapphires, opening up and looking to me with love, making me feel like the luckiest dog in the warren. How I managed to get such a mate still puzzles me.

Life in diamond dog warren is simple; you get born, you grow up, almost all the time you end up in caste of your parents. Alphas breed alphas, betas breed betas, deltas breed deltas. Females find the best mate from same caste. Simple.

I was born to delta parents. Became beta, that was not simple. Many times I had to prove myself, that I was smart, capable enough to be beta. Pride of parents, envy of siblings, disliked by ‘true’ betas. Didn’t care much what others thought, meeting her was all the confirmation of my worth that I needed.

Maja, of pure breed and line of many alphas. How she ever even noticed me is still a mystery to me. Even when all other dogs disapproved of us, even when the alpha found other, better suited males for her. Even then did she not relent in wanting to be with me.

Not sure why, she never told me even though I asked. In the end it didn’t matter to me why, I was just happy to be the luckiest dog in the warren.

“Xander?”

The voice from my side brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked up into those eyes I had fallen in love with. She smiled, nuzzling my head lightly.

“Bad dreams?”

I nodded, bringing an arm around to hold her closer. Her softness dispelled the last of my worries like dust to the wind.

“Yes, but all good now. Waking up next to most beautiful mate works well for chasing bad dreams away.”

She giggled softly, pushing her head up below my chin as we embraced. My world became bliss, her breathing the only thing I noticed. We stayed like that until she fell asleep again, leaving me to stare up at the stone ceiling of our home. I no longer even remembered the nightmare, content to simply stay in our simple bed in peaceful rest.

A rustling from the corner of our den drew my eye, glancing quietly towards my biggest treasures. Four tiny shapes lay asleep in a bed, the result of our love. The pups slept peacefully in a small pile, every once in awhile one of them would twitch or yip softly. Perhaps they also had bad dreams?

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

I woke up the next morning, my paw already searching for the warm body by my side. Not finding it, I slowly opened my eyes, glancing around our shared home sleepily. From nearby I could hear the pups play, the smell of fresh meat reaching my nose and bringing me out of sleep completely.

I gave a sigh, sitting up in the bed to find Maja standing in the adjacent room, cutting venison into smaller pieces for our pups. They were already past the age of drinking milk, just now starting to eat meat. Watching them play around my mate’s legs brought peace and joy to my chest, they were my biggest reason to get up in the morning.

“Xander, are you awake?” The sound of my mate’s voice brought me back from my thoughts, and made another smile appear on my face.

It did not take long for me to join them in the kitchen, and soon we were eating together as a pack. My mate showered me with affection, and I did the same in return. We played for a while, me and the pups, until they finally fell asleep again.

Maja embraced me from behind as I sat on the floor in front of our pups, watching them sleep together in happiness. It felt familiar, like something that happened every day. And I’d not have it any other way.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

“Beta Xander?”

I looked up from the gems I had been working on, spotting a delta in armor standing outside our den opening. A delta ever only came to the beta dwellings for one reason: a summon from Alpha.

I glanced towards my sleeping mate and pups, silently making my way to the other dog. “Yes?”

“Alpha wants see you.” The answer short and simple, as expected from delta dog.

One last glance to my treasures before I joined the dog, making my way through the dwelling tunnels towards the Prime Den. We passed many other dogs on the way, delta and beta alike, before we made it to Alpha’s den. This large den acted as a meeting place for the warren pack, and also as home to Alpha’s mates. I left the delta behind before walking in, heading towards the chair room.

The chair room was the biggest room in the warren, it only had the big chair for Alpha and smaller chairs for meetings with deltas. I walked inside, seeing no dog there other than Alpha and myself. As always Alpha looked at me with dislike, having a potential mate choose a beta over him had caused bad relations between us. I did not care though, and I only bowed my head to him.

Alpha was alpha for a reason, not just because he was born to it. He was the strongest and smartest dog in warren, and he had fought many more battles than any other diamond dog. My respect towards him was well earned in this way.

“Beta Xander,” the gruff voice of my alpha said as I looked back up at him. “I have sent for you to give you a mission. You will take your scouting pack through the Everfree forest, and you will discover what has become of the green dragon which lives there.”

Scouting missions were the purpose of my small pack, and I would gladly do this for my alpha. Scouting dragons was a mission with much honor in it.

I opened my mouth to accept, but then something stopped me. I was not sure why, but for some reason I felt uneasy about it, like my chest telling me not to say yes. There was a bit of pain in my head, and my eyes grew blurry for a moment.

Fear.

The voice in my head - it said I should be afraid. But Betas are strong, and I had no reason to be afraid of a scouting mission.

“Beta Xander?”

Alpha’s voice made the doubt disappear, and I looked to him with a nod. “Yes, Alpha. I accept. I will go gather scouting pack right away.”

I bowed again, heading back to send a message to my scouting pack. It did not take long for me to find a delta, and I gave him order to gather my dogs. As soon as he had taken off, I headed back to my own den.

They were still sleeping when I came back, my mate’s body curled protectively around our pups as they snored. Not wanting to wake them, I silently made my way to them, bending down and kissing Maja on the muzzle. She only leaned towards me, continuing her sleep as I stroked the head of one pup.

I stayed like that for a while, resting my paw on top of our sleeping pups. Finally I moved away, giving one last look to my treasures before heading towards our meeting place.

It was time to begin the mission for our alpha. Already I could not wait to come back.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

The run through the Everfree was easy enough, I had trained my scouting pack to work together very well. Only once did they mess up, and I was once more reminded why we had a caste system to begin with. Some dogs were just too stupid to do anything but follow orders. After warning the dog at fault, we continued on our way, and soon we made it to the dragon’s cave.

Already I could tell something was different. The ground was covered in a strange purple mass, and the smell in the air was unsettling. After ordering a dog to investigate, I decided that the purple stuff was harmless. Silently we made our way inside, finding more and more of the strange flesh around us.

“Beta! Beta! Over there, look, gems!” One of my dogs suddenly said, pointing a claw towards a nearby wall. There was a large pile of gems and crystals, but before I could chide the dog for yelling inside a dragon cave, something above us moved.

It was a strange thing, made of the same purple flesh as the floor. It had a long middle, with a claw of some sort sticking out of it. The claw shot down, ripping into one of my dogs faster than we could react and withdrew itself shortly after as I was coated in the blood of my pack member.

We turned quickly, running to the exit to get away from the strange flesh thing. We found it closed, blocked off by more of the purple flesh. My dogs were clawing at it in fear, but I could tell it was no use.

Then, the sounds started. Turning around, I spotted the monsters coming from all around, their chitter and hisses making their intentions clear. It was almost deafening, and behind me I saw my dogs huddling in terror.

Fear.

I was afraid too, more afraid than I had ever been. The monsters approached us, their claws and fangs raised to strike at us. I did the one thing I could think of: I threw my paws in the air in surrender.

“Wait! Wait! We not enemies, we good diamond dogs!”

I felt the breath stuck in my throat, my body shivering as I looked at the monsters in front of us. At my words their approach stopped, the sounds stopped, and I felt relief in my chest.

Then, a dog by my side was pierced by large spikes dripping green goo, he had barely managed to yelp in pain before he fell dead to the ground. The life left his eyes as I looked at him, his face twisted into a mask of pain.

I looked back to the monsters, only to see a much larger monster appear behind the others. It stood on many legs, its long body covered in chitin and a pair of large claws sticking out of its back. The hissing, chittering, scraping noises started again, and I felt cold spread through my body, tears forming in my eyes. The monsters rushed at us and I couldn’t move from my place. The dogs behind me screamed and howled as the monsters leapt on them with their fangs and claws, digging into the flesh of my pack mates and bathing me in their blood.

No. Not their blood... mine. The pain was greater than anything I had ever felt, the strange claws and fangs tore into me, tearing my body apart so loudly that my own howls of pain drowned in it. I felt afraid, so very afraid. My claws scratched feebly on their hard shells, my body twitched as their fanged mouths bit into me, greedily emptying the blood from my body. I was dying, and it was the greatest pain I could imagine. And then I felt an even bigger pain.

I would never see my family again.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

And then I woke up. My shivering body felt cold and damp, even beneath the blanket I shared with my beloved Maja. I trembled as I searched the dark for her, fearful tears falling from my eyes, my paw finally coming to rest on her sleeping form. Silently I wrapped my arms around her, not caring if she woke up or not, and cried into her fur.

I was afraid, so very afraid. The nightmare seemed a distant thing now, but I still remembered the pain, and fear. I clutched myself tighter to my mate, unwilling to let her go for even a second. Nearby I could hear the light breathing of our sleeping pups.

I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night, fearful that I’d lose her if I let her out of my sight for even a moment.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

But the morning came, and my mate did not disappear. She looked at me worriedly as she awoke, no doubt noticing my red eyes. I dismissed her worries when she asked, and kissed her deeply instead. We stayed like that for a while, happier than ever before at being together with my family.

But the fear. The fear was still there.

Maja could tell however, and she embraced me as lovingly as ever.

“Xander, you don’t have to be afraid. You have your family and we’re not going anywhere.”

Her words soothed me, and the coldness in my chest disappeared almost entirely. We soon left the bed to wake our pups, preparing breakfast for them. They no longer had to drink milk, so we fed them small pieces of venison as we ate in happy silence. We played for a while after dinner until the pups fell asleep, and soon after my mate joined them on their bed. I smiled to myself, feeling happier than I had in a very long time.

“Beta Xander.”

The voice, that familiar voice froze my smile, and I felt the coldness return to my stomach. I turned towards our den opening, and spotted an armored delta standing there.

I could feel my heart slowing down, fear overtaking my mind as I numbly replied: “...yes?”

“Alpha wants see you.”

Fear.

It was back, the fear. I could feel it crawling through my skin like bugs. I didn’t want this to happen, it shouldn’t be happening, it was just a nightmare. I felt dead inside, the pain of claws and fangs returning as the nightmare played through my mind again and again.

I stood up, walking to the delta in a daze. I wasn’t able to think as I slowly followed behind him. There was nothing but the fear, and I couldn’t stop it.

We arrived in the chair room, the alpha looking down on me from on top of his chair. I barely even recognized him as he spoke.

“I have sent for you to give you a mission. You will take your scouting pack through the Everfree forest, and you will discover what has become of the green dragon which lives there.”

Fear.

It was paralyzing, the words from Alpha hitting me like a death sentence. An order that would take my family away from me. The coldness clutched my heart, I couldn’t even hear it pounding anymore.

“No.”

“... what?” The tone of disbelief from the alpha didn’t even faze me. “What do you mean, no?”

“I refuse mission.”

I turned around, ignoring the alpha’s enraged yelling as I left the room. As I closed the heavy wooden door behind me, drowning out the noise around me, I felt relief flooding my body. I increased my pace, almost sprinting back towards my den, bursting through the opening.

My family still slept on the floor, safe and content. I walked up to them, falling to my knees as I wept tears of happiness. They were still here, they were still here and I wouldn’t have to leave them. I smiled, reaching a paw towards Maja to stroke her head.

Then, I heard the chittering.

My paw stopped, my heart stopped, the cold returning to my body in full force. I looked down as I heard dripping, discovering the long fang piercing my chest, my red blood falling down to paint the fur of my pups red. I glanced back up in disbelief, discovering the monsters inside my own den. Their mouths opened as the hissing sounds increased.

I watched in stunned silence as Maja woke, her eyes growing large as she spotted the monsters. Her screams woke our pups, and they looked up at me with wide, curious eyes.

Fear.

“No...”

My beloved Maja’s screams were drowned out by the chittering, her body ripped apart by their claws in a torrent of blood. I saw the agony in her eyes, those beautiful sapphire eyes I had fallen in love with, the life leaving them quickly, and I could do nothing. I felt an intense numbness, my body and mind becoming almost blank as I looked to my pups as the monsters tore into them and devoured their flesh. Their small yips of pain sounded distant me, and as my most beloved treasures were taken from right in front of me, I knew only darkness again. Darkness, and fear.

And then, I woke up again.

… And again...

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

I clutched my head, my claws digging into my skin and drawing blood, yet still not enough to dull the pain of my mind. I was in agony, it felt like I would break. The fear was ever present, keeping my body in a state of cold ice. I didn’t want to wake up, didn’t want to feel it again, the pain and fear, losing my beloved treasures. I didn’t have tears anymore, wasn’t even sure if I still had eyes.

There was only the fear. Again and again, pain and loss. It was maddening, it consumed me and tore away at my soul. I would give anything, anything to make it stop. To just make the fear go away.

“Anything?” A voice sounded inside my mind.

“Yes! Anything!” I screamed to the voice. My body feeling like it was being ripped apart while my mind was shattering into a million pieces.

“Then, you know what you must do.” The voice rang through my being, making everything so clear to me.

I woke up. Glancing around to find my sleeping mate by my side, our sleeping pups nearby. Their light breathing in perfect harmony with each other. A true family in every sense of the word.

I gently caressed my mate, letting my soft paw’s movement wake her. She smiled up at me, her bright sapphire eyes promising me a life of love and tenderness. A world of happiness and laughter.

A world of fear.

The voice had brought me clarity. There was only one way to get rid of the fear. Without a second of hesitation I ripped open her throat with my fangs, her warm blood spilling down my muzzle as she looked up at me with her shocked, disbelieving, sapphire eyes. She opened her mouth, trying to say something, anything to try and make sense of what had happened. I simply looked down on her, seeing the tears form in her eyes and feeling nothing. I glanced towards the corner of our den, and her eyes turned wide and begging as she realised.

I paid her no mind, leaving her to bleed out on our bed as I stood up, striding towards the place where our pups slept peacefully. Their confused yips of pain barely reached me. The only thing I heard was the voice, that perfect voice.

And the fear was gone.

Chapter Twelve

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.