My Little Zergling

'Rauuuuuuuugggghhh.....'

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'For the hive!'

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'Find... infest... merge... find... infest... merge...'

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'Do you ever wonder if we’re all alone out here- *ACK ACK*!'

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'For I am the Queen of Blades... and nobody shall ever contest my ru-'

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'I will not be stopped. Not by you - *RAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGH!.!.!** - not by the Protoss, not anyone! I will - I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE JUST GOING TO LEAVE HER DOWN - rule this sector or see it burnt to-'*

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'Ashes to ashes... dust to dust... why is blood all that you lust?'

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'You are your own worst enemy...'

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'Hmmm... Surprise, surprise, and I'm not saying this sarcastically. It appears the world *is** inhabited, my queen. Interesting... high potential for valuable additions to the swarm. Type-23 psionic potential... if it can even be called that. We’re going to need some new… classifications.'*

'Study them closer, then. Get a better microscope if you must.'

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'New secondary threat identified. A low-level partial hive-minded society in Eastern Hemisphere. Species known as: changeling....'

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'Well that's a bit strange...'

'What is it, Duran?'

'This dimension... this world... is unlike anything I've ever seen... there is a quality to it that-'

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'Do continue, Duran. You've actually piqued my interest.'

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'Hang on, stand by....‘

’Hmmmm?’

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‘Two native species have just entered conflict with each other... a full-scale assault on city identified as Canterlot. I can't believe this... the changelings, they literally feed off the concept of love!'

'By that you mean they feed off certain hormones, correct?'

'No, my queen. You would... not understand. I do not understand it myself. The usual laws of what we know... they are no longer laws here. They are merely playthings for these creatures. The powers they control... the powers they are subjugated to are... baffling, to say the least. They are outside the plan.'

'It does not matter what they are. Do you believe they are worth the effort to bring into the swarm? And if so, will they be able to use their powers in the regular universe? Could we make them our own?'

'I believe so... at least many of them, perhaps. I will need further time for study.

'There *is** no more time... I need you at my side. The UED has launched full-scale assault on our outlying sectors. I need an... inside look of them if I am to repel it.'*

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'Are you sure you need me that badly? I would consider it a personal favor to be able to- well, let's just say that I have never been so... intrigued... by any world before. Primitive though it may be called.'

'I admire your dedication, Duran, but do not forget your place. I will have Daragoth handle this regard until further notice.'

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'Of course..... my queen.'

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'Find... infest... merge... find... infest... merge...'

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'RAUUUUUUGH!* Damnit, Daragoth! I will not be stopped by she who simply calls herself a deity! 'Goddess' by title or not, she is just flesh and blood in the end! That which she cannot see... she cannot harm! And I will especially not be thwarted by some pathetic little bug!'*

'If you say so, my queen, but it would be beneficial to-'

'I do say so. And I mean it! Your subjects, your entire world will belong to the swarm, Celestia. And I won't even need to lay but two fingers on it. For your sake, I hope you're a bit more... faithful to one of your ‘faithful’ students than she has been to you!'

☼☼☼

With a gasp, Queen Chrysalis jettisoned upward out of bed, her eyes widened in horror, as sweat dripped down upon her sheets. Panting, she shook her head in a daze, the strange thoughts that had been running through her mind all night haunting both her dreams and her waking moments. She then glanced about her sparse quarters, half-expecting to see... something... something that simply belong there or anywhere, sitting with her in the darkness.

Though to her relief, there was nothing, all except a voice that soon made itself known.

"Are you alright, my queen?" it chimed, the wall that was her doorway slowly folding open to reveal a tiny slit to the outer hallways.

Chrysalis shook her head, though despite this, she found herself saying the opposite of what her gesture indicated.

“Yes... I'm fine...” she said slowly. “Just a strange dream."

Into her quarters walked the guard of her bedroom, not much different looking than her other changelings, though it didn't matter much thanks to the specific pheromone each emitted. And unfortunately for her, this was one of the smarter... and nosier ones.

"Sure didn't feel like any regular ole' strange dream. And you've been having a lot of those lately," the changeling said, perking an eyebrow.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, echoing forth a groan. "Sarius... I told you before, and I will tell you again: I love you, but please mind your own business."

Sarius cracked a smirk.

"If God wanted us to mind our own business, he wouldn't have given the changelings linked minds."

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes, a blank look upon her. "And that might as well be proof that God isn't a lady. Seriously, Sarius, just because you can sense my emotions doesn't mean you need to be playing knight in shining armor every five seconds."

Sarius gave an indignant huff, a stoic, dutiful look coming upon him. "I'm your personal guard, though! It is my solemn duty to investigate any matters that could perturb my queen, including emotional troubles, and it is a duty I intend to perform until the bitter-"

Chrysalis quickly put on a conniving grin, grabbing a hand-full of hundred-piece coins off her night stand and tossing them to the changeling guard. He quickly caught them with a bit of magic.

"How about you go investigate what type of ponies they have hanging in the love bar tonight? Maybe you'll be lucky and get one of the more... saturated ones."

Sarius glanced at the coins... then at Chrysalis... and then back at the coins.

"Well... I guess I could perform my task more diligently if I'm fed..." he said, smiling slightly, before scurrying out of her bedroom, mirth filling his voice as he called,

"Thanks, my queen! I'll be back in a flash!"

"Yep... sure... uh huh," Queen Chrysalis chuckled.

Without the distraction, her mind was turning back to the strange voices that had been filling her dreams. Sure, she could hear the thoughts of her changelings most of the time; when they opened their minds, they became her's whether they wanted it or not, it being one the oh-so 'beneficial' abilities she had under her belt compared to the others of her kind. However, the thoughts that she had been hearing in her dreams... they were chaotic, unorganized... uncontrolled... except for one. A cruel, tormented voice that seemed to be filled with nothing but unleaded spite.

'Damnit, Daragoth! I will *not** be stopped by she who simply calls herself a deity! 'Goddess' by title or not, she is just flesh and blood in the end! That which she cannot see... she cannot harm!'*

"Celestia," Chrysalis whispered, taking another deep, haunted breath. "This is the third night in a row I've sensed both of us were in danger..."

At that, she glanced somewhat reluctantly at the small orb-like device sitting upon a pedestal in the center of her room. It was called a Proloquor Orb, a communication device. And with it, she could speak with any of the major governing bodies on the planet.

Chrysalis gave a grunt of annoyance. Perhaps, for once, it was time to use it. Something had been eating at her the past few days, something that was crying for her to act... to repay a little of the debt she owed the princess who sat upon a golden throne miles and miles away...

"Mph," she huffed, glaring at the orb. "Do I dare?"

'It does not matter what they are. Do you believe they are worth the effort to bring into the swarm? And if so, will they be able to use their powers in the regular universe? Could we make them our own?'

Chrysalis sighed heavily, her eyes closing. "I don't want to... but I can feel there is something bigger going on... bigger than my pride..."

Suddenly, her eyes narrowed in resolve.

"Yes. You know what? It’s time we speak as equals once more.” She then smiled ever-so-slightly. “Who dares? I dare."

A second later, her horn began glowing a bright green, a beam of light cascading out of it and into the Proloquor Orb.

"Volo loqui cuim Celestia," Chrysalis chanted, still with a heavy amount of reluctance saturating her tone. "Volo loqui cuim Celestia!"

A second later, the orb began glowing a bright white, forcing Chrysalis to shield her eyes. And to her horror, when it finally died down, the scowling face of the last person she wanted to speak to could be seen within it.

"How dare you!" it growled angrily, its eyes glowing a bright, menacing white almost as bright as the orb had been. "How dare you call so soon after-"

"Princess Luna," Chrysalis said, doing all she could to force her disagreement with having to speak with this certain pony princess out of her tone. "It's nice to see you too, but would you mind if we skipped the usual pleasantries?" A concerned look quickly came upon her, however. "B-But w-wait a minute... so soon after what?” Chrysalis gulped. “Is Princess Celestia alright?"

Luna gave a sarcastic, bitter laugh. "No, she's not alright, not thanks you you! You tyrannical, conniving, backstabbing bi-"

Chrysalis sighed in relief. "Good, I thought something had happened to her… other than her still being angry with me, that is.”

"You're damned right she is! After all the hard work she did trying to make sure your people were well, you turn around and launch some evil, hate-filled assault directly on top of our heads! And don't say it was out of desperation either, because from what everypony said, you ENJOYED IT! I would be in my right mind to pay the Hanging Islands a little visit and return the favor!"

"Luna," Chrysalis said in a force-calmed tone, her eye twitching slightly. "I know you and I haven't been on good terms lately, but please. Tell me, where is Celestia? For I have much a desire to speak with her."

"That's Princess Celestia, Chrysalis! Or does her title mean nothing to you along side of her feelings?!"

"Luna!" Chrysalis suddenly snapped, the night princess closing her mouth, trading her words with a glare. "As I've told your sister before... I regret my attack on Canterlot. I really do. I was desperate, not thinking straight... I gave into a side of me that-"

"I do NOT want to hear it!" Luna roared. "You are nothing but a creature built for deception, whether it be through words or physical form!"

Chrysalis shook her head, bringing a hoof up to rub her throbbing temples.

"Fine. You know what? You're right,” she said in a defeated tone. “I deceive people... I use people... but sometimes, on a blue moon, I might actually care for them!" she growled, though a second later, she began to sag her head slightly. "But it doesn't matter what I say, does it? Obviously you're not going to let me talk with her…"

"You're right! I'm not! And either way, she's sleeping right now, for if you haven't noticed, the moon is up!" Luna growled. "And she has little time to deal with bugs she might as well be squashing under her hooves!"

Chrysalis closed her eyes, taking a deep, patient breath. "Then please, if you would: relay a message for me," she said, before gulping slightly. "I've been having strange dreams lately that make me question her safety... and it’s not the first time I’ve had them…"

"Oh, you've been having bad dreams, huh?" Luna said in mock-sympathy, still glaring daggers at her. "Good! I'm glad to see karma hasn't abandoned us-"

"Listen to me, please!" Chrysalis practically begged, anger now growing ever-apparent in her tone. "You are the Princess of the Night. Open your mind to the heavens. Can you sense anything… that shouldn't belong there?"

Luna gave a sarcastic laugh. "What are you saying, exactly?!"

"I'm not sure," Chrysalis sighed, shaking her head, before collecting herself ever-so-slightly. "I just have a feeling that both Celestia and I are in danger by... something... something that just doesn't belong here."

Luna then rolled her eyes, steam blowing out of her snout. "I have little time for vague assumptions brought upon by dreams. I can go into dreams after all, and if it settles you any: half of the bad, recurring ones are simply brought upon by stress... which, might I add, I'm glad you're feeling."

At that, however, her voice calmed itself slightly before she continued with,

"You have a terrible one, it haunts you through the day, and because you fear it you end up having it again. It is a cycle that can only be broken in time."

"This isn't a normal dream, though," Chrysalis continued, holding up a hoof. "I can hear... voices... conversations I've never heard before! They speak about our world as if they are looking down upon it. They want something with us... all of us."

A shiver ran up her spine, as she continued with,

"There is something going on... something beyond what we can see... that is bigger than you and me."

Princess Luna put on a blank look. "Uh-huh... sure..." She then gave a grunt. "Look, please call back when you have something legitimate to talk about aside from 'aliens are about to invade', because that's what you're saying, right?" She then put on a wicked, sarcastic smirk. "Or better yet, why not call back to announce you're never calling back again! That'd be nice!" Shen then gave a huff, looking away from the orb. "Good eventide!"

The orb blinked off, as Chrysalis stamped an angry hoof, her eye beginning to twitch again.

"Ugh! That ignorant, stupid, moon-loving, hypocritical bitch!" she roared, beginning to pace angrily about her quarters. "She yells at me for hurting her sister, yet this is only a year or so after she tried to bring about eternal night! Sure, it may not have been her fault the second time, but the first.-"

She halted in her pacing, before closing her eyes and sighing sorrowfully,

"Her envy got the best of her..."

She then plopped down upon her flank, sulking her head.

"I guess that makes two of us, Luna. Who's the real hypocrite here?"

☼☼☼

In high orbit, Digger sat within one of the many air-tight orifices of the Behemoth, it having entered the wormhole just three days prior. Other than running into a Protoss ship that quickly fled at the sight of them, and a slight scare when they thought there had might have been a Terran stealth ship near the wormhole as well, their journey had been uneventful. Oh, and best of all: H-Dawg had stayed shut the fuck up most of the whole trip!

Apparently he was in hibernation… or maybe the Behemoth itself had grown tired with his dribble and had jettisoned him into the vacuum. Oh, wouldn't that have been nice? Though unfortunately, the dreams of mice and Zerg weren't so fortunate, for if that was true, Digger would have heard it.

As he waited to be dropped upon the world via an organic, atmosphere-resistant pod, he busied himself assimilating information the Behemoth was willing to give him about the planet, as well as his rather interesting target...

'This day has been just perfect,

The kind of day of which I've dreamed since I was small...

'You do realize the reception's been cancelled, don't you?'

'We will not be stopped! Every pony in Canterlot will belong to us! We deserve this! We have suffered too long to simply starve to death because of petty ignorance, racism, and hate! We will take this city, or see it burned to ashes around us!'

'As queen of the changelings, it is my job to feed my people. And Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered!'

'It's funny, really. Twilight here was suspicious of my behavior all along! Too bad the rest of you were too caught up in your wedding planning to realize those suspicions were correct!

Needless to say, she was a conflicted being, or at least from what it seemed. The memories taken from Zerg scouts were just so sporadic. Though still, in the end, this... Queen Chrysalis, might have not have been a leg up from his master. Sure, she seemed to care about her people more, but the way she treated her enemies... it was despicable. Almost as hate-filled as the Queen of Blades.

It was funny, really. It was no wonder that she hated this creature less than the rest. They were two peas in the same horrible little pod.

That actually gave him a sense of relief, to be honest. Perhaps he wouldn't feel so guilty about eliminating this target... though he wanted to see more, first. He was going to make his new conscience as peaceful as possible with this assassination mission, even if he had to go out of the way to do it.

However, at that, a strange, but familiar-sounding thought came to him, one that he did not want to hear.

'Who's the real hypocrite here...

Digger squinted an eyebrow. 'Hmmmm?'

It couldn't have been Chrysalis, could it? He knew she was part of a hive-minded species, but Zerg could only sense each other's thoughts when they were in close proximity with each other, save for the most powerful among them, like his queen. But the voice... it sounded just like his target’s.

Digger gave an annoyed huff. If it was her, she seemed to be a conflicted being indeed, at least from what it seemed. Though he would like to see that for himself. For all he knew, Kerrigan was just feeding him disinformation through the Behemoth to confuse him about the target. Make her look like a bitch, but with a hint of a sympathetic side in order to keep him from suspecting it.

At that, however, a strange feeling then came to him, one he could not explain. It was almost like he was looking forward to heading down to the odd, magical world below.