My Little Pony: Zerg Invasion (Rewrite)by King Xeno
Chapters
1. Chapter 1
Hello, you may have notice that this is a remake of an earlier story. I'm not going to delete the other one either so… Just check this out I guess. It's basically just a rewrite because I feel like I rushed the other story. So yeah… Here is this!
Chapter 1: The Swarm
It was a peaceful day in Equestria, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and there was a beautiful breeze. However none of the ponies throughout Equestria were enjoying this wonderful day more than Fluttershy who was outside, feeding her animals. "Oh, do hurry up now. You want to get some food too." She gently said to the large amount of mice that had been eating from the pile of seed she poured out of a cloth sack. Fluttershy loved all animals, even ones she had never seen before, but a low growl had gotten her attention. She turned and saw what appeared to be a rabbit sized caterpillar slithering towards the pile of seed. That wouldn't have upset her if it wasn't so creepy looking. It was purple and red with glowing green around its midsection. Its eyes were the same glowing green and it had several of them. A set on mandibles were there and it had at least three tongues sticking out from an unseen mouth.
"Oh… My…" Fluttershy muttered as it moved towards one of the mice. It let out a shrieking hiss and scared off the rodents allowing it to feast, but it began to cough and gag once it had started to eat the seeds. "H-hello… What kind of creature are you…?" Fluttershy asked. It didn't reply instead it turned and began to move past into the Everfree forest, which made Fluttershy worried. She began to follow it running as fast as her legs would take her. She caught up with it quickly considering it wasn't that fast. "Please turn around. You could get hurt!" Fluttershy tried to reason with it, but it ignored her and continued onward. It was just then that Fluttershy became aware of a purple slime like substance under her hooves. She looked down at it and shrieked, she ran and hid in a bush, and she peeked out her head and looked down. She began to chuckle to herself as she looked at her own reflection in the slime, which is what startled her. She then noticed the slime seemed to moving or spreading to be more exact, as soon as it touched the base of the bush it began to die and turn black as if it had been burned. She started to fly because she wasn't sure what would happen if she touched it for too long, and she had desire to find out.
Fluttershy followed the little worm and stopped when she saw something, it appeared to be some form of building. However she noted the pulsing movements and came to the conclusion that it was a living thing. Fluttershy saw more of the small creatures surrounding one section of the building, it was making them. One was wrapped in a green cocoon and several seconds later it burst revealing a crab like creature. It hovered a foot or two off the ground and began picking at a stone wall with its claws. It eventually wore it down to the point where it could remove a gem like object. It brought it to the hive while other of these creatures moved to the hive carrying what appeared to be green gas sealed in a bubble. The hive began to shake and throb before releasing what could only be described as a monster. It had spider like legs with a purple membrane between each one. It had two arms each hand with two fingers on the end. Its head was long, most likely meaning that it had some degree of intelligence.
It moved to the hive and injected something into the hive, soon large boil like objects grew on the hive, then burst a minute or two later making more of the larva. "Is she some kind of Queen?" Fluttershy mumbled to herself, but the creature had heard her, it turned and let out a roar before firing a spine at the shy pegasus. It made contact with her wing, piercing the flesh, she let out a cry of pain as she fell onto the ground. The Queen began to move closer to Fluttershy, so she got up and began to run from it. The Queen moved quickly on the purple slime, almost as if it could skate on it. Fluttershy continued to run, her muscles burned as she did. Eventually she saw sunlight breaking through the normal dark gloom of the Everfree, and she leaped towards a patch of bushes. She broke through startling several animals, many of them ran but several ones waited to help their friend. The Queen stopped moving at the edge of the bushes, almost as if it couldn't go any further, then it turned and began to move back towards the hive. Fluttershy realized she had been too occupied with running to think of being scared. Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing would later be decided. For now all she wanted was to get patched up, and sleep.
Fluttershy moved down the Everfree with a basket balanced on her back, she felt a need to return to the hive, she wasn't even sure why. "I hope this will help…" She muttered thinking about the basket. Eventually she saw the hive and the Queen there as well. It let out a roar, Fluttershy knew it wasn't an attack roar, but a warning. "I'm not here to hurt anything… I just wanted to apologize…" Fluttershy said to the Queen before placing the basket onto the ground. Fluttershy took the lid off and revealed it was filled with fish. While she hated doing this to any kind of animal she knew that food could be taken as an offering to get on the good side of a creature. The Queen studied the fish before motioning with her hand. Several small creatures ran forward and began to devour the fish with no haste, not leaving a single remain. The creatures had several sharp teeth, large horns, and what appeared to be small wings. For some reason they reminded her of dogs. They turned to Fluttershy and began to growl while snapping their jaws and slowly edging closer to her. Her eyes widened as she realized what this meant. She turned and ran once again while the small creatures took chase. These ones were faster than the Queen and were able to catch up with her relatively quickly. She felt one bite down on the end of her tail in an attempt to stop her, but she kept running. The "Dogs" kept following even after she left the forest, but stopped when she was in the safety of her own home. Fluttershy took deep and heavy breaths as she sat against the door. She was curious however as to why the Dogs followed her off the purple slime while the Queen didn't. However she was far too tired now to think about it.
Fluttershy sat with Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and the three Princesses. She had just finished explaining what she had encountered and it left the eight of them shocked. "Fluttershy, are you sure about this?" Luna asked, she seemed the most worried out of all of them. "Yes. I'm quite certain." She replied, which made Luna much more nervous. "Is something wrong Luna?" Celestia questioned. "I believe I may know what these things are… While on the moon I had been able to communicate with several different beings… One of which called himself the Overmind. He said he was the leader of a group of malicious alien beings known as the Zerg." Luna began to explain.
It was cold… Nightmare Moon was used to it, she had been for the last five hundred years. Nightmare Moon sat on a large rock and thought about how she would get her revenge on Celestia for banishing her onto the moon. "What's this? A powerful creature stuck on this planet's moon? How pathetic…" A voice rang through Nightmare Moon's head. "Who are you!? Where are you!?" She asked. "Do not bother searching for me. I am too far for you to find." The voice taunted. "DO NOT TOY ME WITH ME!" Nightmare Moon bellowed towards the stars. "You are bored… As am I… Perhaps… A little swap of stories would be for a nice change of pace." The voice said in a calmer tone. Nightmare moon seemed shocked at this suggestion. "Why in Equestria would I ever do that?" She asked. "Because you are bored… Just as I am…" The voice replied. It was true Nightmare Moon was very bored, and she didn't really have much to do. "I suppose it would be a good way to pass the time…" She eventually agreed and began to listen to this voice's tale.
"Luna, why didn't you tell me about this?" Celestia asked. "I thought it to be nothing. I did not foresee the Zerg finding their way onto our planet." Luna replied. "You mean these things are aliens?" Twilight asked. "Yes, very dangerous ones as well. Capable of evolving to fit any disaster, for every one of them that falls a million take its place… Merciless, unfeeling beyond hate and anger…" Luna answered, she closed her eyes and hung her head downwards. "So this is it then? We're just going to sit around and wait for these things to come and kill us? If that's what you all want to do then go ahead. I'm going down fighting." Rainbow Dash shouted. She flew out of the castle towards Cloudsdale, not once looking back.
Celestia watched the Zerg approach, they moved forward in small squads, but the sheer number was astounding. Thousands if not millions of Zerg marched forward, each one armed with claws, teeth, spines, and other various natural weaponry. She couldn't help but feel sorry for them, forced to march into their deaths by this one named the Queen of Blades. However her pity would have to wait, for now she prepared to fight against the Zerg threat.
2. Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Who Let the Zerg Out?
It had been three weeks since the first Zerg attack, Fluttershy wasn't allowed to go back to her home because of its location. Celestia felt that she wouldn't be safe so close to a Zerg Hive, but through certain arrangements Fluttershy had a house built for her in main Ponyville. Most of her furniture would remain in her old house, but she was able to bring all of her animal friends with her. At the moment all her new home had was her bed, a few chairs, and a table. She liked her new home but missed her old one a bit more, but it was easier to see her friends now, but she missed her old home, but the animals seemed happy about the move, but she still missed her old home. "Am I being selfish?" She asked Angel who shook his head. While he may be stubborn at times he still cared for her. Angel looked out the new window as Rarity approached she held some form of basket and walked with a steady trot. Angel let out a few squeaks to get Fluttershy's attention and pointed to the door just as Rarity knocked. Fluttershy opened the door and smiled at the sight of her friend. "Hello Rarity. Have you come over to visit?" Fluttershy asked, while the white unicorn nodded and stepped inside. Rarity looked around at the nearly empty home, and felt a bit of sadness in her. "Don't you think this place is a bit… Bare?" Rarity asked.
"Yes, but I can't really do anything about it. All my furniture is back in my old house… The Zerg are too close to get near the place… At least that's what the guards said…" Fluttershy replied, she looked over at Angel who was impatiently tapping his foot against the table. He pointed at the basket and looked at Fluttershy. She knew that he was curious as to what was in the basket, but she wasn't going to be rude to her friend because of it. She watched as Rarity placed the basket on a table and began to speak again. "I just wanted to stop by and say hello, not to mention that Applejack asked me to bring these over, she can't come herself… Those apples are being harvested at a quick rate, being used to help feed the soldiers fighting the Zerg." Rarity explained. "They've been fighting for weeks, I wonder how long it will take to get rid of them." Fluttershy muttered. "Darling, don't worry. I'm sure the guards can handle a few silly bugs. They'll be gone in no time!" Rarity said with a smile. Angel stuck his little head into the basket and a happy squeak rang through the home. He pulled out an apple fritter and took a large bite. "Angel, you didn't even have your lunch yet. Please wait." Fluttershy said to the rabbit who glared at her before taking another bite in defiance. "Oh… Ok…" She gave in, while Rarity looked at the rabbit. She rolled her eyes before leaving with a goodbye and heading back towards her own home.
Once Rarity thought she was out of Fluttershy's view her mane began to become a mess, hairs popping out of place, ends splitting, and Rarity knew this was all from the result of stress. Twilight was waiting and immediately questioned Rarity. "How did she take it?" "The Zerg may never leave Equestria… I couldn't come up with the courage to tell her…" Rarity explained to Twilight, which made the purple unicorn frown. Twilight watched as Rarity began to slowly break into tears, her friend had finally cracked from all the stress. Twilight soon felt that she may crack from stress as well.
The Zerg approached a large cave and heard a soft growling from inside. The Zerglings leading the group growled with anticipation, waiting to get inside and literally tear the source of the growls to shreds. They could not act on their own, their minds often pulsing with low thoughts, mostly the wish to please the Queen, with the occasional thought of feeding. For they exist solely to please and serve the Queen, nothing more, nothing less. The Hydralisks in the back hissed with anticipation, for this was one of the few emotions they could feel. The Roaches drooled with their acidic saliva burning through the stone beneath their feet. They waited… Nothing… Not a single order… So they would continue to wait… Nothing… They felt no boredom nor any impatience, but they would wait for something to happen. Either for an order to be given or to defend themselves from the creatures in the cave. The opposing growls slowly died down, which signaled to the Zerg that they had either lowered their guard or were preparing to strike, meaning they would have to be on high alert.
The Zerg prepared to defend themselves from the unseen threat, when suddenly they all heard something whisper through their minds at the same exact time. "Now." The Zerg let out screeches and roars as they charged forward into the cave, their eyes not having yet adjusted to the darkness making them vulnerable for a short time. Even so the moment of their vulnerability was not used wisely as their eyes adjusted to the darkness and they could see the threats clear as day. The creatures were bipedal and dog like, but they were larger than the Zergling and the Roach, but the Hydralisk had a few inches on them. The Hydralisks fired poisoned spines at the creatures, they were imbedded in the creatures flesh, spreading poison through their bodies, and causing a large amount of pain. The Zerglings swarmed over the animals and began to feast on the flesh. Roaches sprayed their corrosive spit on the animals, causing large amounts of blood shooting out from the wounds created. The Dogs were being overrun by the Zerg and they were forced to retreat, but the Zerg continued to slaughter them, Zerglings would drag them back towards the rest of the group, allowing all to partake in the slaughter. One screamed in pure agony as the Zerglings ate a hole through his chest, eventually leaving nothing but bones and cloth. The Dogs barely managed to get away, only a few survivors escaped, while the wounded and tired were left behind to be killed by the Zerg. While the Zerg themselves felt no joy or happiness from this victory, their Queen did, she was the only one allowed to feel, the only one capable of feeling, the only one that could think. While it's true that the other Zerg are capable of thinking, it is not built for free thoughts such as wondering if what they're doing is right. It is rare for Zerg to have a free thinking mind, it is limited to the Queen herself, the Evolution Master, the Primal, the Infested Man, and Broodmothers. The Zerg, having slaughtered almost all of the Dogs heard another message from their Queen. "Return to the Hive Cluster, our work there is done… for now…" The Zerg did not argue, for they couldn't, without the Queen they are nothing, without the Queen they are simply animals, without the Queen they are doomed.
3. Chapter 3
Chapter 3: The Queen's Surprise
The Queen of Blades stood in her chambers, alone she planned out the Zerg's next assault. While they had suffered a loss while attacking the large city, they would not be defeated again. However, her thoughts were interrupted when a voice went through her head. "Breakthrough in Swarm. Require DNA. Finish project. Surprise for Queen of Blades. Ordered by Zagara. Indigenous life carry useful strands. Seize for Swarm." She sighed and began to rub her temples. "He never can do anything on his own can he?" She asked herself, but soon realized the answer shortly afterwards. "Of course he can't… None of them can…" She added before sending out a group of Zerg to collect the necessary DNA to finish this project.
"Manticore. Fires poisoned spines from tail. Poison help reproduce Ferocious Spew. Obtain Poison." The male voice filled the Zerg's heads, and they prepared to heed the orders, they moved from the first Hive, now having added Mutalisks and Banelings to their group of soldiers, along with several mutations. The Zerglings now were the Raptor Strain, capable of leaping up and down short cliffs. The Roaches were the Vile Strain, their acidic saliva now capable of slowing down foes, and preventing them from escaping or attacking as quickly. The Hydralisks were now the Impaler Strain, capable of transforming into the Impaler and attacking from underground. The Banelings having become a purple color as the Hunter, allowing them to jump at their foes as well. Finally the Mutalisk had been genetically mutated to morph into the Brood Lord.
The Zerg moved forward with steps, slithers, flaps, or rolls, not stopping until they found the creature called a Manticore. However they did not need to search long for the predator found them first. It struck from the thick cover of plant life and bit down into a Baneling, which was a mistake. The bite caused the Baneling's membrane to rupture with a loud warning screech, covering the Manticore in acid. It yowled in pain, but would live from the attack. It now focused its attention on the screeches of the Mutalisks above it, as they fired their wyrms at the beast. With a quick jump it sank its claws into one of them, yanking it down to the ground before slaughtering the alien being with a slash of its tail.
The Manticore was strong and large, towering over the tall Hyrdralisks, but nowhere near the size of the Ultralisk which could crush this beast with a single step. To be more accurate it was around the size of a Terran Siege Tank, large, but not too big. It fired several barbs from the end of its tail, which slid through the Zergling skulls with ease. The Zerg were being bested by this monster, but they had the advantage, the size of their group allowed them to outlast the Manticore and it fell onto the ground, blood pouring from open wounds, its tongue hanging out from its mouth. One of the remaining Hydralisks moved forward and using its scythe like hands, sliced through the flesh with ease, and found what they were looking for. One of the Banelings rolled forward and grabbed a gland in the beast's body before rolling back towards the Hive for the Swarm Queen to extract the genetic coding and share it with the Evolution Master. However far away from that group, six Roaches burrowed their way from a small town each one carrying something in their jaws, as their Queen had ordered them to do, as the Zerglings ran out from the broken door, one of them with a shred of cloth stuck between its teeth.
It was news that shocked them all, but it had the most effect on Twilight for something had been stolen. The Princesses had flown from Canterlot to Ponyville in a matter of moments once Twilight had sent the letter. They arrived to find Ponyville crowded outside of the library, each one with fearful expressions and worried glints in their eyes. The Princesses moved closer and the ponies began to clear a pathway that closed behind them as they moved back to look into the library.
"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Thank the stars you've arrived! We have a problem… We aren't sure how, but the Zerg have gotten into here while I was gone earlier, and this only adds to the problem at hoof, I mean, the Zerg were able to get inside of the library, and look at the place, they tore everything apart searching for something, and I think they found it because otherwise we wouldn't have the big problem. All these books were torn apart, ripped open, my bed is covered in spit and several places of the library had been melted, well broken down to be more exact, almost as if something had vomited stomach acid onto it, and I don't understand how any of that was possible…" Twilight had begun but was cut off by Rainbow Dash. "We don't have time for you to ramble Twilight we need to tell the Princesses what's wrong!"
"Tell me my little ponies. What is wrong?" Celestia asked, while tears began to fill Twilight's eyes. "They're gone! The Elements of Harmony are gone!" She shouted, breaking to sobs, while grabbing onto Celestia in a hug. Celestia didn't struggle and hugged her student back, now knew why she had been so afraid, one of Equestria's greatest means of defense had been stolen by these alien creatures. She looked at Luna who nodded and began to usher the ponies watching from outside away before entering the library and closing the door. "Do not fret Twilight. What has happened cannot be stopped. We must only hope that we will be able to retrieve the Elements from the Zerg in the near future." Celestia attempted to comfort Twilight. She continued to sob and it eventually slowed down to a stop. "Princess? Are you angry with me?" Twilight asked, Celestia smiled and replied with "No. I could never be angry at you, even if I was, I can't stay angry at you forever." This helped Twilight a small amount, she broke the hug and began to pick up the torn and shredded books placing the ones that couldn't be saved into the garbage bin.
She began to shelf the ones that survived the massacre, while the Princesses questioned the rest of the Elements and Spike. "Do any of you know how they had gotten in?" Luna asked, now worried about the safety of Ponyville, since this was much smaller and had less protection than Canterlot. "When we came back the door was destroyed. Twilight's bed is covered in spit, I think it might have been a Zergling or two. There were holes in the floor as if some had broken through underground, but I didn't know that Zerg could even go underground, let alone make tunnels…" Spike explained all that he knew to the Princesses, while they began to think about how to solve this problem.
The Swarm's Evolution Master was hunched over something, all four of his green hands working on something, he didn't stop to take a break, he didn't need to. The Zerg knew no fatigue, they would never stop until they died, unlike Terrans, Protoss, or the Ponies, who grew weary after an amount of time fighting. While it varied depending on the physical and mental strength of the individual, each and every Zerg was the same, with the exception of Broods, and different mutations. A Baneling is a Baneling, so are the other millions of Banelings in existence. Abathur's thoughts were interrupted by something, he turned and looked back at the entrance to the Evolution Pit, it had opened yet nothing had entered. He was now on alert, he moved back to his work and began twisting flesh together, but he heard something. He acted like he hadn't heard it, but then a whisper came to his attention. "What is that ugly thing?" Abathur spun around and with one of his scythe like appendages speared the intruder through the throat. Blood sprayed from the wound as the unicorn's invisibility spell wore off, leaving her hanging from the scythe. "Impressive. Magical abilities fool Spore Crawlers. Interesting… Must finish project… Feed Zerglings…" Abathur listed off his agenda to himself, the corpse fell onto the ground, while several hungry Zerglings began to feast on her flesh. He continued his work, for this was a surprise that he knew the Queen would enjoy. He worked while the sound of Zerglings greedily ripping off chunks of meat, eating, even fighting over the food. It brought Abathur… Well he wouldn't describe it as joy, perhaps pleasure? No, that wasn't the right word to describe it either… He would have to think about this later… For now he would lose himself in his work, and prepare his surprise for the Queen.
The Queen of Blades moved past the several green cocoons on the floor, they each groaned and moaned in pain and agony, from the failed experiments inside. Abathur had explained to her that once they were being broken down to simple biomass. When questioned about them being alive, he had said that pain was irrelevant, they would die soon anyway. Abathur turned to face her and waved his arms in a grand fashion towards the large beast, snarling and growling with spit dripping down its massive jaws. The Queen smiled, knowing that this would turn the tide of the war for the better.
4. Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Battle at the Orchard (It Cannot Be Stopped)
Twilight stood in a field with her friends, her brother, and her sister-in-law. It was sunny, not a single cloud could be picked out of the large blue sky. She laughed as Pinkie jumped into a pit of mud, splashing it everywhere. However she noticed something was wrong very soon afterward. Rarity was jumping into the mud without a second thought, Applejack suddenly had wings, while Fluttershy was missing her Cutie Mark and in its place was a salamander, then it hit her. This was all a dream! Yes she was asleep, most likely having crashed while researching the Zerg. She would have to enjoy this, for when she woke up back to work she would go. The dream continued to change dramatically and drastically, for very strange things had happened, Fluttershy grew an extra head, and Pinkie had four mouths.
Her friends, and brother acted like nothing was wrong often attempting to make conversations with her which usually ended with one of them shouting "CHEESE!" or flashing various colors. However this happy dream would soon turn much darker and fearful as the ground was slowly covered in a purple goo. Several sets of red eyes appeared in the nearby forests and slowly revealed their owners: Zerglings. The Zerglings approached with short steps, each had a pause between them of about five seconds. The Zerglings pounced, one digging its teeth into Fluttershy's neck, piercing the flesh and causing blood to spray out like a fountain. Twilight screamed as the Zerglings attacked, when Rainbow Dash took off several Zerglings began to violently shake, Hydralisks burst out from the Zerglings skin and began to fire their spines at her. She was knocked to the ground in a matter of seconds. Twilight watched as her friends were torn apart before her very eyes, they all were dead. Soon only her brother and she remained, but he too was slaughtered. Twilight watched as the Zerg approached but one figure stood out to her, it was almost human, but so far from it. Its wings were pointed on the ends, razor sharp. This was when Twilight knew she had to wake up. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" She shouted, shaking herself around violently, even ramming herself into trees all in a vain attempt to rise from her slumber. The human, who she began to slowly realize as the Queen of Blades approached her, and finally snapped her fingers, the Hydralisks and Zerglings jumped at her and began to tear off her flesh and bone.
Twilight snapped awake, she was in bed, meaning that she hadn't been working at all. She felt scaly arms wrap around her, as Spike cried. "Twilight! I'm so glad you're awake!" he shouted. "Spike, what happened?" She asked, rising out of the bed. "Don't you remember? The Golden thingy? You were so excited to see it, but when you did, for some reason you passed out. We've been worried, you've been out for hours!" Spike shouted, he hadn't let go of her once. "Oh… The Golden Comet… Whatever did happen to it?" She asked, while Spike had let go of her. "It landed somewhere… But as for where… I'm not sure…" Spike replied, he helped Twilight out of her bed and began to get ready to share the good news with Ponyville.
The two walked through town and many ponies were very happy to see Twilight was alright, but not even the multitude of happy faces could wipe this feeling of foreboding doom from the pit of her stomach. She had to put on a smile and try not to worry about it. Twilight however saw something that made her unable to hide her fear and worries. Several other ponies saw it too, Creep had begun to edge towards Ponyville, and where there was Creep there are Creep Tumors, which led to the possibility of a Swarm Queen having found their way to town. It may have just been spreading from Creep Tumor to Creep Tumor, but it didn't matter, the Zerg would find them either way now. It continued to spread, so ponies backed away, some ran, others like Twilight stood there staring at the substance knowing that their safe little world has just been destroyed.
Twilight stood there for what seemed like a lifetime, before Spike pulled her away. They ran, heading for the library, but Creep had begun to surround that as well. The tree's trunk began to blacken, and leaves rained down. "Twilight!" She heard somepony yell. Twilight turned to face Rarity, who had Sweetie Belle with her, along with Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Scootaloo. "We need to get somewhere safe! I see the Zerg heading right for us! They aren't too far off and I don't think they're handing out cupcakes!" Rainbow Dash shouted, swooping down from the sky. "They're not! Why?" Pinkie asked, before realizing the answer to her own question. "Right… Evil aliens…" She said sheepishly. The eight of them ran for the only place they could find as safe, which was Sweet Apple Acres. They noticed that Creep had too begun to spread around the apple trees, the fruit died and fell from the branches, while the leaves did the same. Twilight noticed what appeared to be a moat dug around the house, but somehow Creep had spread underneath the water and layered the floor of the moat. Not even water could get rid of the foul substance, meaning that the invisible Creep Tumors would need to be destroyed in order to get rid of it all.
"Quick come across!" They heard Big Mac shout, he had pushed a large wooden board to be used as a bridge to cross the water. They ran past without a second thought and watched as he yanked the board back just as a Zergling fell into the water, however it had not been expecting this and began to panic, its quick struggle and jerking movements caused it to sink under the water and drown. Several Zerg stood across the moat, luckily they were out of their range. The Hydralisks fired spines, but they fell harmlessly into the water or on the ground, the Roaches did nothing while Zerglings paced around in anger.
Big Mac smiled and opened the door to the house and allowed them inside, but Spike stayed outside glaring at the Zerg. "Girls! Y'all all right? The Zerg didn't do nothin' to yah?" Applejack asked, concerned for her friends. However a loud roar broke them from their conversation as they rushed outside, Spike stood frozen in fear. Something large trudged towards them, it had no visible eyes, but that didn't mean that it was blind. Twilight knew what this creature was but she hoped that she was wrong. The only Zerg known to strike fear into the hearts of other Zerg for it was larger than the Ultralisk, the Brutalisk. However it had not been sent for them, it moved past the moat, deeper into the orchard apparently searching for something. Twilight now was scared beyond her mind could even register fear. If they had Brutalisks then this was a war that they could never win.
5. Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Crystal's Fall (Rainbow's Mission)
Twilight sat in the Apple Family's cabin for she had nowhere else to go, or rather nowhere else she could go. The Zerg had been sitting around the crudely dug moat and had not moved an inch. However she just couldn't wrap her head around something. They hadn't moved for several weeks how are they still alive, they should have starved to death by now. Hydralisks and Roaches left and returned, but the Zerglings remained, only occasionally drinking from the water. "Flying is out of the option, there are too many Hydralisks, and one might get a hit on you Rainbow Dash, besides you can't fly as fast carrying all the supplies we need." Twilight said to her friend, but Rainbow Dash had made up her mind. "I have to do this, we ran out of food two days ago! I can probably fly over to Ponyville and get something. Besides, we don't really have a choice." Rainbow Dash said in a quiet voice.
She walked outside of the house and instantly noticed the lack of Zerg. While there were a few Zerglings and a roach or two, most of them were gone. Not a single Hydralisk meaning that this would be easier than she thought. She took off just out of the Zerg's reach as a means of teasing them, for they could not attack her, however this would prove to be a mistake, several Hydralisks burst out from underneath the surface, and took her by surprise. They fired their poisoned spines, but she was able to avoid each one and stuck her tongue out tauntingly, but was only met with a screech from directly behind her. She looked and saw that not too far off were Mutalisks, moving at their speedy rate, but they couldn't keep up with her, after all this was nothing but a slow speed for her. She began to accelerate and left them in the dust. She flew above the now deserted Ponyville and landed on the roof of a building. She needed to see exactly what would be stopping her and how she could get around it.
There were about six Zerglings, two Hydralisks, nine Roaches and twelve Spine Crawlers. She might be able to get past a few of them, but it would risky going deeper into town, so she decided to check some of the buildings around the edge. She entered one building and found a few jars of food, which she quickly shoved into her saddle bag and continued her search, anything that can be eaten would help them, but it doesn't matter what. She stopped moving when a crash was heard from the next room over, she slowly opened the door enough to peek in and saw several Banelings fighting each other, which was never a good thing. They slashed at each other with their tiny legs and screeched and roared, however one was sitting in the corner of the room. She noticed something was wrong when the single Baneling began to pulse and throb, she slammed the door shut and flew off as the acidic explosion melted down the building. "Are these… Feral Zerg?" Rainbow Dash asked herself as she continued to scavenge food and any other useful supplies. However during her search she was only able to conclude that these Zerg were indeed feral, whether they found a way to resist the Queen of Blades or she found them useless was unknown, however it meant that they were bit more dangerous, after all these Zerg have free wills. She had made it so far without being detected by any Zerg but now found herself nearing the center of town, where she saw several Drones collecting bubbles of green gas, and taking gems from Rarity's boutique. Which meant that they were using them somehow. She was curious and it overwhelmed her, so her better judgment was quickly pushed away.
Rainbow Dash flew into the building and got into a secure spot where she could still see the Zerg. Drones moved inside and knocked over mannequins before ripping the dresses to shreds while getting the small and large gemstones. She noticed the destroyed chest with several Drones taking turns grabbing gems of any size and then bringing them back to the Hatchery. "Why would they need gems? Do they use them somehow?" Rainbow Dash asked herself, but her curiosity having been filled left to continue her search for food. However she found nothing more of use and began to fly back to the orchard where she would share her findings, both the food, the knowledge of Feral Zerg, and the strange gem collecting behavior, with her friends. She approached and noticed that not a single Zerg was waiting outside of the building, but she kept flew at a higher level and made her back over to the house, as soon as her hooves hit the ground the hidden Zerg burst out from the ground and growled in anger and annoyance. Rainbow Dash laughed as she entered the building and began to share what she had seen with the others.
The Queen of Blades had summoned those who followed her, after all they each had a mission now that would be completed without mercy and as quickly as possible. Zagara, one the Queen's first Broodmothers, who had rebelled against her, but then followed in hope to one day lead the Swarm. Dehaka, the Primal Zerg Pack Leader that had assisted her in defeating the other Pack Leaders on the planet Zerus and helped to destroy Mengsk's Psi-Destroyer. Finally was Alexi Stukov, once an enemy of hers that had been infested, cured, and infested again, he helped her to destroy Skygeirr Station, the breeding ground for Protoss/Zerg Hybrids, and also assisted in killing Dr. Narud. She found herself flooded with memories as the three of them approached her. "You have need for us, my Queen?" Zagara asked, she was eager to serve and learn from the Queen. However Dehaka had other plans. "I wish to feed on their essence. You have forbidden me from doing so. I followed to collect essence!" The Primal shouted, clicking each "kah" in the sentence. "Quiet Dehaka, I'm sure Kerrigan has something important to say." Stukov silenced the Primal, but Dehaka still had a look of anger. "Stukov is right. I have missions for each of you. Zagara, you are to attack the Crystal Empire, in the south, kill the Princess and spare no one." The Queen of Blades spoke, and Zagara nodded before moving off to attack.
The Zerg massed around the Crystal Empire, after all this was their next target, but what they didn't know was that the Princess and her husband had already left, with no choice in the matter they fled to Canterlot where they would assist the royal Sisters in defending their land from this threat. The Zerg however were being led by the Brood Mother Zagara. Who would allow nothing to leave this city alive. The exits were being guarded by fifty Spine Crawlers each and forty Spore Crawlers each to prevent anything from escaping. Zerg ran around in circles, slashed at the air with their claws or shifted in anticipation of the attack. After the last few cocoons burst open, allowing the Zerglings to join in the ranks, Zagara pointed forward and the Zerg charged forward and they were met with the weapons of the guards who remained to fight. Zerg clashed with metal as the weapons pierced their skulls and skin, knocking them away, but they continued to flood into the city and fight.
Zerg were dying left and right, but for every one of their losses a thousand took its place. Hydralisks, Zerglings, Roaches, Mutalisks, Aberrations, Swarm Hosts, and Banelings rushed forward to meet their enemy in combat and die fighting. The guards had the same intentions, to either repel the enemy or die trying, however they were being slaughtered by the sheer amount of Zerg entering the Crystal Empire. They continued to fight, but were soon overwhelmed and the Zerg broke into the castle. Zagara led the forces and searched each and every room, but her attempts were in vain as she finally located the throne room and found it filled with nothing but guards. "Enough games! You will tell me where your Princess is, or you will all die under the Swarm!" Zagara yelled in anger, but the lead guard smiled. "You won't find the Princess or her husband here, they've escaped." He said, but was silenced by a spine tearing through his throat. "KILL THEM ALL!" Zagara bellowed in fury and the Zerg rushed forward to end each of them.
Hello, I have a few quick updates about several of my stories. First of all would be my Sonic/MLP crossover "Chaos and Discord: Infection". It is the third installment of the Chaos and Discord series and I need you to help me write it. I need ideas, so either PM me or leave a review on the story, if you leave your review on this story I will not use it. Secondly will be my Metroid/MLP Crossover "Dark Samus Returns". I have not been working on that one for a while and I will soon get back to it. Finally this story, I will be working towards more chapters of the original, so next chapter I will deal with Dehaka's mission, then Stukov's mission. Thank you for taking the time to read this author's note and please leave me a review.
6. Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Dehaka's Mission (Wrath of a Primal)
"Dehaka, you will take your pack and move to a research center in the west, there they experiment on Zerg and work on several different spells and poison to kill them. Destroy everything, leave them with nothing."
Dehaka stood outside of the large research facility, several ponies could be seen walking past the large glass windows, but with it being late at night, he and his pack were unseen. He knew that it was heavily guarded, even his pack and his own strength could not get him inside the main entrance, so he would have to think of another plan. "Wait around each entrance. I will let you inside." Dehaka ordered some of his Pack, and they obeyed leaving to wait for him to allow them access from the inside. He noticed several air vents on the roof of the building so he quickly began to move. This plan would require him getting close to the building so he would have to be careful not to get caught, especially if he wanted the element of surprise. Whenever a pony passed by his location he would burrow into the ground and surface when the coast was clear. He moved to a lower ledge and leapt on top of it before making his way to one of the vents. He broke the frail metal grating and climbed inside.
He moved several feet and broke down another grate, dropping directly onto two guards, his weight breaking their spines, before they could say anything he slit their throats with his claws and continued to move on. He noticed the guards were in a certain location, with large air tight doors, he then turned his attention to a control panel not too far away. He smiled as another plan began to form in his head, in one swift motion he destroyed the control panel and various poisons began to fill the room that the guards were in. They began to choke and cough, one vomited, another fainted, but they all died eventually. He forced the door open once the poison had cleared and allowed his pack to enter. He had four different sections to go through in order to fully clear the facility of anything that could be a threat. Which meant he had to do this quickly but thoroughly. So he began his attack, the first building was filled with several guards, for this is where they trained their poison handling specialists, but it would not be for long.
He forced open a locked door a small amount and was greeted with cries of shock. "WHAT IS THAT THING!?" "I don't know but it ain't friendly!" "I think it's some kind of Zerg!" Several guards shouted while Dehaka fully pushed open the door and entered the room with his pack close behind. "I will feast on your essence!" He shouted diving at the guards, while the Primal Zerg attacked as well. Primal Hydralisks fired spines, Primal Roaches spat their acid, and finally the Primal Zerglings attacked with their reptile like claws. Dehaka ripped them apart with his left hand, the guards had stood no chance. Dehaka finished with the guards began to move around the room and found what they were using in this building. Several containers of poison lied around the room, so he did what he thought was best to get rid of them. He had his Zerglings push the large barrels of poison towards the hallway that led to another section, which was heavily guarded. "Zerg!" One of the guards shouted as a barrel collided with him, breaking open and covering him and several other guards in the sticky poison.
The other barrels were rolled down and broke, covering the remainder of the guards in the poison and they soon began foaming at the mouth, suffering from many other symptoms as well, but they were all dead. Dehaka moved forward stepping into their dead bodies while his Pack trampled them following him. He turned and saw a part of his Pack outside, more Primal Hydralisks, so he shattered the nearest window, allowing them to enter. "Join me, Hydralisks. We will collect essence together." Dehaka moved past the double doors and was met with the attacks of the ponies in the next section. He growled in anger and let his pack move forward. They attacked and left no survivors in the halls, with only forward to go to he moved on.
The next section was where they collected the final product, several hundred barrels of poison. Dehaka slinked forward and listened closely for any sign of a threat, but he found none and began his work. He pulled the covers of the poison and pointed. The Roaches understood and began to spit into the containers causing the barrels to melt while the poison seeped from the sides. It spilled across the floor and caused several guards running into the room to trip in a comical manner, but Dehaka didn't laugh instead he killed them, he grabbed one of their heads and continuously slammed it into the floor until a puddle of blood had formed. He stomped on their heads and kicked them until they were all dead. "Now to move on." Dehaka muttered to himself before walking out of the room with his pack following. However he heard a tapping in the metal walls and pointed to it. One of his Roaches spat their poison onto the wall, melting it allowing the Zerglings to join him. Dehaka made his way down through the next corridor and found himself at the third part of the facility, where they created the poisons and tested the spells on live Zerg specimens.
Dehaka however could not open the door to the research chamber for it was specially designed to lock on one side, the side he needed to get to. He needed to find a way to get inside there so he could stop them from continuing the spells and the poison, but he was at a loss, until an idea came to mind, the door might be too reinforced for him to break open, but there was something in his pack that was more than capable of doing so. He shattered another window allowing the last of his Pack to enter the facility, and the last Primal Zerg that entered was the fearsome Primal Ultralisk, the large beast used its massive claws to break down the door, allowing them to access the insides. The ponies and unicorns were shocked, the Zerg had broken into their facility, meaning that they had to hurry and test these spells out on them now. Unicorns fired magic from their horns, but the Primal Zerg were unaffected by the spells, and they moved forward slaughtering everything in their path. Dehaka looked at the Feral Zerg that filled the room, about three quarters of them were dead, but that didn't mean they wouldn't come in handy. "I have found Feral Zerg. Take them back to the Leviathan." Dehaka spoke to the Queen of Blades, and the Feral Zerg turned from a greenish color to the dark purple that the Swarm controls. He now had to destroy the machines that produced the poison, and he did, with the help of his Pack he was able to destroy the machines and move on to the final section of the building, where they did their main pulled the door open and entered, however it was abandoned, and all that remained were scraps of paper, and charts hung on the wall. He growled in anger, for they had escaped before he could get here, meaning that they still had their research, and they still had a chance to oppose the Swarm.
Hello, I'm getting close to finishing this story, so I'll only be working on this for a while, but otherwise my other stories will still be worked on. Next chapter will deal with Stukov's mission and then there will be about three more chapters before I finish this story. I really hope you guys all enjoyed this so far and you will until the very end. Please leave me a review and that is it for this chapter, good bye!
7. Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Stukov's Mission/Queens Anger (Spreading Disease/Kerrigan's Rage)
"Stukov, there is an Infested settlement nearby, you are to go and take control of the Infested, and destroy the large city nearby, it holds the main base of the Defense's operations, steal their plans."
Several Infested limped around the city, however it was not limited to ponies, as there were several Infested Terrans there as well. They aimlessly moved around the city without purpose, but they would soon be given a purpose as Stukov approached them. The Infested turned and prepared to attack the oncoming stranger, but upon seeing he was like them, they began to relax. "I am Alexi Stukov, I have been sent by the Queen of Blades to lead you in combat, and we are to attack the nearby city soon. Kill or infest anything in your path. For the Swarm!" Stukov shouted, while the Infested raised their weapons and also took in the shout. "FoR tHe SwArM!"
The Infested began to approach the city, they marched with a steady thump of each foot and hoof. Left, right, left, right, left, right. Several ponies boarded up their homes in an attempt to keep the Zerg from getting to them, however this would be their downfall. Stukov had with him an Infestor, and once it got close enough to one of the buildings, began to plant Virophages around them. Once the Virophages were complete, they began to release a thick green liquid onto the buildings, causing them to grow boils and tentacle like appendages, but the ponies trapped inside could be heard screaming as the liquid seeped through the cracks of the buildings and were covered in the substance. Their screams eventually stopped and the newly Infested began to destroy the wooden boards meant to keep out the Zerg and join their brothers and sisters. The guards were horrified as the Infested approached, but something made their hearts sink to their stomachs, one mare moved closer and said "PlEaSe KiLl Me…" She got her wish as a spear pierced her skull. She lied on the ground writhing in what could only be described as a seizure, and she said "ThAnK yOu…"
"Oh dear Celestia. We are doomed." One guard muttered as the Infested approached, but they would stand their ground no matter what happened, they would never back down. At least that's what they thought, once they saw the Infested Terrans and their ranged weapons one shouted "Oh screw this!" before running away deeper into the city. "Cowards…" Stukov muttered beneath his breath as he approached them and prepared to attack. He fired bolts of Psionic energy at the fleeing guards and killed them, however some wearing heavy armor ran forward with their nerves steeled. However he used his Corrosive Blast on them, melting their armor and their flesh done to the bone. The Infested finished the job by ripping them apart, using their hooves, claws, and guns they slaughtered each guard as they ran over to fight. More and more ponies were becoming infested, eventually the entire town was under the Swarm's control, and all that remained was the main base, where they waited for the Zerg to attack, for they had all their defenses set up around the round building.
Stukov watched as they prepared to fight back against the Zerg, weapons raised, with bravery in their eyes, however all the weapons and bravery in the world couldn't save them now. The numbers of the Infested had grown too large and now threatened to overwhelm them, so their actions were pitiful and useless. No matter how much they fought, they would die and fail in the end, their plans would fall into the Swarm's hands, and they would know all of the Defense's secrets. Stukov marched forward and raised his right hand, a symbol of speech. "What do you want Infested?" One of the guards shouted. "I wish to offer you a choice. Fight us ultimately fail at the hands of your friends and family…" Stukov began but paused, he said nothing more and confused the guards. "Or…?" Stukov smiled before finishing his sentence. "Surrender. We will let you go, all you need to do is give me all your tactical data, your plans, and anything else you might have."
"Never! We will never give into your fiendish demands! Prepare to defend the base!" The guard shouted, as the Infested charged forward, prepared to fight and kill anyone and anything in their path. Stukov walked slowly while the rest of the Infested bolted past him in an attempt to break into the base. Guards were slain left and right, while Infested fell to the ground, several in the middle of an attack. One Infested Marine was focusing his fire at a guard when a spear went through its head, it fell while the weapon still fired, hitting several guards and several Infested as well, but eventually it only shot at the ground. However the guards on the outside had been killed, allowing the Infested to enter the base, and search for the plans. Stukov made his way to the main area and found several guards hauling papers and other things to pile before they noticed him. "I don't know what you're planning, but I wouldn't go through with it." Stukov spoke, while moving forward. However one guard looked Stukov in the eyes while he said "Burn it…" The plans and data were set aflame, and they were burnt to nothing but ash. "You're going to regret doing that." Stukov said calmly before the Infested lunged forward to attack.
The Queen of Blades stood near the Leviathan, knowing that they should return soon. Zagara, Dehaka, and Stukov approached, but something was wrong, she could tell. "My Queen, I was unable to kill the Princess of the Crystal Empire, she had fled with her husband before the Swarm had arrived…" Zagara spoke with her head hanging low, but that would not be the only disappointment for the Queen. "I was unable to destroy all of their research. They escaped with all of it…" Dehaka said in a low tone. "I am afraid that my efforts have also landed in failure, they destroyed their plans, and I believe they may have copies of them in Canterlot…" Stukov said. The Queen of Blades was furious, she had sent them out and they failed her, she could kill them all at this moment. She raised her right hand and Dehaka was lifted into the air, she spun around throwing him onto the ground. "My Queen!?" Zagara had muttered before she was slammed into the Leviathan's side. Stukov however was lifted straight up and dropped onto the ground. "Idiots! How could you have failed such simple tasks!?" The Queen asked, but she wouldn't get an answer, for Izsha would call to her. "My Queen. The Defense is attacking one of our Hive Clusters! They seek the Artifact we had stored there!" Izsha's voice rang through the Queen's head. "You're lucky… Izsha send forces to defend the Hive Cluster, and send some to defend the others as well, I have a feeling they'll be going for them next…"
8. Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Retrieving the Elements Part One
They stood just outside of the Hive Cluster, the royal sisters, a married couple, and six friends. Several guards were with them, but they were here for a certain reason, to reclaim the Elements of Harmony. Celestia will admit it, she had let this gone too far. Now it seemed the only way to get rid of these foul creatures was with the power of the Elements. She had not yet seen this Queen of Blades, but she somehow knew that she would. Call it a hunch, but she had a feeling that she would encounter the Queen of Blades soon, far too soon. However that was something that may be, for now she had to focus on getting back the Elements. The Hive Cluster was basically defenseless, a few Zerglings and a single uprooted Spine Crawler, but based on the information that Rainbow Dash had given, she now knew that the Zerg had the devious ability to hide underneath the ground and surface at any given moment, but she didn't feel something waiting underneath the ground at the moment. "Shall we attack?" Shining Armor asked, and Celestia nodded.
The guards charged forward with the three princesses, the Captain of the Royal Guard, and the Bearers following, for this would determine the fate of Equestria. They took the Zerg by surprise, and began to fight with the Zerglings and the Spine Crawler, which had to root in order to attack. They took the opportunity and killed the Spine Crawler before it could root, meaning now all they had to deal with was the Zerglings. The guards stabbed and threw their spears, while the Princesses used magic, Rainbow Dash slammed into her foes with her hooves outstretched, Pinkie bounced around, leading the Zerglings in circles until Guards took care of them, Applejack managed to capture some with her lasso, while Fluttershy took care of wounds the best she could. The Zerg were being reinforced, they ran and flew in from several different directions, strangely the Drones paid no attention to the fighting around them, and they focused on collecting the gems and green bubbles of gas, almost as if they could only focus on one task at a time.
The Zerg rushed in to fight, they even trampled their own wounded and dying. Celestia was disgusted by this, but the Zerg continued to come, they poured in from every direction not stopping the onslaught. However a loud roar got their attention, a large Zerg beast began to approach, while not as large as the Brutalisk, but it was one of the largest Zerg to exist: the Ultralisk. It was a sickly purple color but it seemed perfectly healthy, it attacked with its bone like scythes and rammed into them, but even the Ultralisk fell leaving a large purple cocoon like object that seemed to throb with life. The Zerg onslaught slowed, and eventually trickled down, leaving them with the throbbing purple cocoon like mass. Twilight was the first one to approach it, and she pressed a hoof on its side. "What is this thing…?" She asked herself, but it began to throb more violently, making Twilight back away in fear. It began to throb harder, move faster and faster until it burst revealing the Ultralisk had survived the attack. "It got back up! That just ain't right!" One of the guards yelled, and they began to attack the Ultralisk one again, however it had been fully restored, allowing it to slaughter many of the guards before it one again fell this time leaving nothing.
The remainder of the group turned to face the Hive, it was very large and tall, possibly holding who knows how many larva inside. "The Element is inside. Destroy the Hive." Luna ordered and the Guards began to stab the living building with their spears, if they left wounds none were visible, but several holes around the bottom began to spray blood like a fountain, that is until it burst in a mess of flesh, bone, and gore, it had splattered onto the group and left a terrible smell that would be imprinted into their brains forever.
Lying in the middle of the mess was the Element of Generosity. Rarity slowly lifted it using magic with a disgusted face, for it had been soaking in blood and other strange fluids. How it had gotten inside the Hive was a mystery, but there was a theory made by Twilight. "A drone must have held onto it when the Hatchery was created, over time the Hatchery became a Lair, then a Hive." Twilight spoke in a serious tone as Celestia, Luna, and Cadance began to think about the location of the other Elements. They used their magic to search and informed that it would take a while to locate the next one. They had no choice but to wait for the results and search again.
"They've reclaimed one of the Artifacts. I can feel its power is no longer in the Hive… They must not reclaim the others! Set up Impalers and Brood Lords at the Hives. Keep those Artifacts out of their hands!" The Queen of Blades ordered Izsha who sent out Zerg forces to help defend the Hive Clusters for when they came for the rest of the Mysterious Artifacts.
They had found the location of the next two Elements, both in the same Hive Cluster. This would prove to be dangerous, as they had new and different forms of Zerg waiting to protect the Hives from them. Brood Lords had been added into the fray, while Celestia used magic to see under the ground, for she had a feeling that something sinister lurked beneath. Impalers waited underneath the ground, for they could only attack while burrowed. She now had to focus on using magic so that the guards could see the buried Zerg threat, meaning that she would be unable to help in the fight. Celestia thrust out a hoof and the Guards began to rush at the Zerg while shouting. The Zerg had been expecting them however, and they prepared to attack. The Guards were near the edge of the Hive Cluster when a large tentacle burst through ones entire body, spraying blood and chunks of bone in all directions, his comrades moved on to the fight, for they were in war and had no time to mourn his loss. Tentacles continued to shoot out from under the ground, killing guards each time, but they finally made it to the Impalers and began to attack. The Impalers were being destroyed, during this time the Brood Lords had begun their approach and began to birth their Broodlings, they fired them and watched as the guards were ripped apart.
"Destroy the Brood Lords! They create the smaller creatures!" Cadance shouted, the guards having destroyed the Impalers now focused on the Brood Lords. The Brood Lords continued to fire Broodlings creating a gap between them and the guards, but the guards were slaying the Broodlings too quickly, and they quickly closed the distance and began to attack the Brood Lords, killing them. "Now we need to focus on the Hives." Twilight muttered as she began to attack the Hives with magic, they once again began leaking blood and with a wet disgusting splorsh the Hives were destroyed. Lying in the middle of the blood and gore were the Elements of Laughter and Kindness. They were quickly scooped up by Guards to be cleaned and then returned to their proper owners. Celestia already knew where the other three were and they were very close to where the Queen of Blades has her Leviathan, and most of her Swarm. Just getting to those Hives would be an accomplishment on their own. However she could not give up for fear that the Swarm would swallow this world with their hungry maws and bottomless stomachs.
9. Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Retrieving the Elements Part Two
The Zerg were furious, they had lost three of the six Mysterious Artifacts, they need to protect the remaining ones, they may not know what these things are, but they could sense the power emanating from inside of them. They knew that they were powerful and they could possibly wipe them off the face of this planet, they knew that they were used for something, but as for what was unclear. The Zerg feared them, for their power was close to that of the Queen of Blades, but which one was stronger? One of these Artifacts was being held tightly by a Hydralisk, it had it coiled in its snake like body. This one was in the form of a crown, a tiara to be more exact, but nonetheless it radiated with power. Perhaps they would learn in the near future, but until then all they could do was protect them from any harm.
"We must be careful, I do not believe the remaining Elements are inside of Hives… We can't risk anyone getting hurt…" Luna said to the group moving deeper into the Everfree Forest, however they came across something that hadn't been seen in a long time. It was a Hive, however it was almost abandoned, but a single Swarm Queen remained and still seemed to guard it from any harm, but it hadn't seen them yet. This location stood out to Fluttershy for one reason, there were chunks of wood scattered around, and shreds of a blue ribbon. This was where she had offered food to the Queen, where the "Dogs" which she now knew were Zerglings had chased her, where one had latched onto her tail and tried to slow her down by dragging its feet along the ground. She couldn't help but feel even more nervous than usual, she feared the Swarm Queen would recognize her, and attack. The Guards prepared to fight and they did, moving forward and stabbing with their spears, they killed the Queen and destroyed the Hive.
They didn't see a single Drone, further proving the fact that the Hive had been abandoned, but as to why the Queen hadn't left was a mystery. They all were puzzled until a roar broke them free from their thoughts it was a roar that Twilight recognized. "We need to hide now!" Twilight shouted, she dove into a bush and hid while the others stared at her hiding place confused. The unseen creature roared again, this time it was closer, so the group, except one guard, decided to hide and watch. They each took cover while the pegasus guard stood there looking dumbfounded. "What are you all doing? We can take on this monster after all, we have to in order to protect Equestria!" He said while the creature revealed itself. The Brutalisk growled loudly and looked at the guard who had no idea about the beast behind him. It roared again, getting the guard's attention and attacking, but the blow didn't kill the guard, only injure him. He began to fly off when the Brutalisk fired a green blob from its mouth and began to melt the guard alive. Not seeing any more targets the Brutalisk moved past them and went back to whatever it had been doing.
"See why I wanted to hide now?" Twilight asked poking her head out from the bush. "There aren't enough of us to beat a Brutalisk. If it comes back we need to hide again." Cadance said looking at the others who slowly came out of their hiding spots. "Now then we need to get back the remaining Elements, let's go." Luna said leading the group off towards the next Element. They found themselves at what appeared to be a large mass of Zerg, they ran in different directions chasing each other, and fighting to pass the time. The Zerg turned to face them and began to growl before slowly edging towards them. "Ready… Attack!" Celestia shouted allowing the guards to move on and fight. They attacked with their weapons while the Zerg didn't fight back. They stood there and allowed themselves to be slaughtered. Which was strange, but it all made sense once the ground began to rumble beneath their feet, and large worms burst through the planet's crust and set themselves into place.
Seeing as the Zerg were not fighting, they continued their onslaught and killed all but the worms as they appeared to have no form of attack. One guard approached and began to stroke one of their faces saying "I think it's broken. Shouldn't it be trying to kill us?" Celestia quickly scolded him shouting "We don't know what that creature is! Don't pet it!" Fluttershy was frightened by the large creatures as they seemed to be producing Creep, but as she backed away she bumped into something and turned around to apologize but screamed in fear. A single Zergling stood there, however its right horn was broken about halfway, it turned and walked away. Fluttershy's eyes tracked the Zergling, not daring to look away, but she felt something grab her by the throat. She was thrown towards the group, and crashed into Rainbow Dash. "Fluttershy! Are you alright? Who did… That…" The mare began but slowly stopped as she saw the perpetrator. A human like creature stepped closer to the group shocking them all. "Who are you? Why have you harmed one of my subjects!?" Celestia asked infuriated at this. "You will not reclaim those Mysterious Artifacts. For my Swarm will stop you." The human said in an echoing voice. "Yer Swarm? Yah mean…?" Applejack had begun but the human finished for her. "I am the Queen of Blades." The group of ponies was shocked, while this creature was Zerg like, it was obviously part human, meaning that the Zerg had done this to her. "Now… I'm feeling generous today, I'll give you all to the count of five to leave." The Queen of Blades said, her eyes began to glow with a purple light.
"One… Two… Three… Four… FIVE!" The Queen of Blades shouted in anger before she turned and began to walk away. "What happened to destroying us? Huh? You scared?" Rainbow Dash asked, having found her courage. "No, I wouldn't kill creatures as low as you myself. For that I have the Swarm." The Queen of Blades said before she left, but the worms began coughing and hacking, spitting up green slime that had no effect on anything it was almost as if it was going to vomit, but Twilight saw the red eyes appear deep in their throats and she realized what was going on. The Zerglings erupted from the mouths of the worms, swarming over the ponies and attempting to kill as many of them as possible. "Destroy the worms! They will continue bringing reinforcements!" Luna yelled, and the guards began to focus their attacks on the worms and killing them shortly. The worms let out deafening shrieks of pain as they died, moving upward a small amount then, falling over and sinking back into the ground. Now all that remained were the Zerglings and there were few left, so they were killed quickly and the next two elements found. The Elements of Honesty and Loyalty had been dropped by two Zerglings, most likely sent out to fight by mistake, or the Queen of Blades wanted them to have the Elements. Only one Element remained and that one was not too far off from where they stood now, but it was very close to the Leviathan, where the Queen of Blades and her allies waited for them to attack.
10. Chapter 10
Chapter 10: The Final Battle
The Queen of Blades sat on a rock, while it may not have been the most comfortable seat, it provided her rest. On her way from confronting the group who were determined to reclaim the Mysterious Artifacts, she had encountered a large group of Timber Wolves, which was not easy to destroy. A Zergling sat next to her, while she ran her hand down its carapace, gently the Zergling made a low growling that almost sounded like a cat's purr, it looked at her and the Broken-Horn Zergling jumped down before running and disappearing into the thick brush of the forest. However this rest would not be long as she sensed a Hive Cluster being attacked. "The group of ponies are attempting to collect the final Artifact, if they obtain it they may be able to use their power. I am sensing an energy similar to that of the Xel'Naga Artifact that the Terran Jim Raynor used to return you to your human form. However I believe that it cannot alter your current form, you have grown far too powerful my Queen." Izsha spoke to the Queen. "We cannot allow them to reclaim the Artifact! Kill them all!" The Queen of Blades shouted, and Izsha's voice soon filled her head. "It shall be done my Queen."
The Zerg rushed forward in an attempt to cease the attack on their Hive Cluster. (Insert badass battle music here) The Hydralisk holding the Artifact began to do what the Zerg had never done before: Flee. It was an order from the Queen of Blades to return the Artifact to her in order to keep it from falling into their hooves, and assuring the Swarm's survival. The crown was draped from the Hydralisks large scythe like talons and it moved towards the Leviathan to complete its mission. However it would never return the crown to the Queen for a spear pierced its skull, spraying blood in a mist. The crown fell to the ground and landed with several soft sounds. Plink, plink, plink. Twilight saw her crown and quickly rushed past the Zerg in order to reclaim it, but it was scooped up by a Zergling who continued the Hydralisk's mission to bring this back to the Queen. Twilight chased after the small Zerg creature but it was faster than she was, so she began to lift the Element with Magic and it floated upwards taking the Zergling with it. The Zerglings swiped at the air trying to find any form of ground for it to stand upon, but it found none and it slipped off and fell to the dirt.
A Mutalisk attempted to grab the crown and startled the unicorn causing her to drop it, the crown once again fell onto the creep covered ground, but it bounced towards the battle and between the fighting forces. Several guards and Zerg rushed forward in an attempt to collect the crown, and were only met with death and doom. Rainbow Dash managed to avoid attacks and grab the Element with her hooves shouting "I got it! I got it!" However it was knocked away from her grasp as a Hydralisk fired a spine at her, and hit the crown. It was caught by Applejack who threw it to Twilight. The Zerg began to charge forward and attack while one of the guards shouted "Zerg Rush!" They prepared to fight and in a bloody mess the Zerg fell and the Hive Cluster was destroyed. "We need to return to Canterlot quickly, before the Zerg send more after us." Celestia said and the group rushed back towards Canterlot where they would prepare for the final battle.
The Queen of Blades stood outside of Canterlot, this battle would decide whether the Swarm or the Defense was victorious. This would either drive out the Swarm or wipe out the Defense. "My Queen your Broodmothers are sending their Broods to assist in the fight, however it will take some time for the Nydus Worms to reach your location. You will need to defend the Hive Cluster and push back their forces simultaneously. I will alert you when the Nydus Worms are near." Izsha said to the Queen while Zagara, Dehaka, and Stukov waited with her. "Listen I have a plan. Stukov you attack the western part of the city, Dehaka you attack the eastern part, and Zagara your Brood will attack the northern part of the city while I attack the southern part. Understood?" She asked and got nods from each one. The group once again split up on order to attack the city and claim victory for the Swarm.
Twilight waited inside the castle, she looked back at her friends, her brother, her sister-in-law, Princess Luna, and at her teacher. This battle would decide the fate of Equestria as they knew it, and their own fate as well. They would wait in the castle for the Queen of Blades to fight her way in then use the Elements to defeat and hopefully destroy her. While it was not preferable it may be the only choice they have.
The Zerg began to flood the city, which had been evacuated hours beforehand, and all that remained were soldiers and those who refused to leave. Nevertheless the Zerg invaded and were battle ready. The Zerg had been mutated to be as dangerous as possible. As the Zerg progressed Hatcheries were placed around in various locations, Primal Hives began to place themselves in the streets, Infested began to place Command Centers at corners of streets. Each section was being led by those chosen, Zagara, Dehaka, and Stukov. They each knew that this was serious, that if they failed the Queen of Blades would kill them. However in a sense they knew that there was no way for the ponies to win this fight. So they continued to march on. Eventually they made their way to the gates of the castle and began to attack. The Queen of Blades had joined in the slaughter and was standing outside of the gates as well. Before she could give the order to destroy them, she heard Abathur's voice go through her head. "Sending Brutalisks. Destroy gate. Assure victory for Swarm." Nydus Worms broke through the surface of the city's streets, and they began to cough and hack as the Brutalisks move out from their mouths and began to destroy the large gate that protected the castle from the Swarm.
It took seconds to destroy the gate, for it was made with the intention of keeping out smaller threats, not massive beasts such as the Ultralisk or the Brutalisk, both of which had begun to destroy random buildings to assure that there were no survivors. The Queen of Blades planned to wipe the pony race out and to wipe out every miserable race on this planet. "Leave those who reclaimed the Artifacts to me. I want to enjoy this." She said before entering the building. She moved down the long halls, and had not encountered a single guard or soldier, meaning that they either were all outside fighting, or waiting for her to pass in order to create an ambush. However no ambush came and she found herself at a large and elegant looking door, which she took as being the main throne room. She forced the door open with her bone like wings, and entered to see the ones who had stolen the Artifacts from her. "So this is it. Whoever wins gains Equestria?" Celestia said. "It would seem so, but even if I die, the Swarm is under orders to wipe out all of you." The Queen of Blades replied and rolled her neck. "Who are you? Who were you?" Twilight asked, this question having been burning in the back of her mind. "None of that matters now. For you will not survive to remember it!" The Queen shouted rushing forward while slashing at them with her razor tipped wings.
Celestia and Luna began to fight and protect the Elements while they prepared to use them. They began to float into the air, their eyes had gone pure white and glowed. The Queen knocked the two royal sisters away and began to charge up as much of Zerus' power as she could. The six ponies were soon wrapped in a rainbow and began to unleash one towards the Queen, but she released the energy that she had been storing and made her own attack. The two masses of energy collided and resulted in a massive explosion that launched the ten ponies out of the castle and towards the city streets. The Queen had been stronger and was pleased with her work. She knew that she had to continue onto her journey to the Void where she would fight her true enemy, and she left, the leviathan had flown off into space where they would travel until the fallen Xel'Naga was found and killed.
Twilight woke up gasping for air and with aching pains all over her body. She whipped her head left and right searching for her friends, who were also waking with the same thirst for air and bruises. She waited to wake up a smaller amount more before taking in her surroundings, what she saw amazed her, she was in some form of large cylinder, the floors and walls were made of gold and had no architectural similarities to pony works, meaning that something else had recovered them. She noticed what appeared to be glass blocking her from studying the walls and floors further to find out just where they were, however upon closer inspection it appeared to be some form of an energy shield.
She was confused and dazed, with nothing making sense, but it would get stranger as mysterious creatures approached them. There were bipedal and had blue skin. They were human like, except their feet resembled paws of an animal. Their hands were clawed and their eyes glowed either blue or green, and they wore golden armor with cloth in certain locations. What stood out most of all was that they lacked mouths, but could still speak, as for what they were saying Twilight couldn't make it out fully. "Found them… Unnamed planet… Zerg… Lost… No others… Located…" Those were the only words she could make out of the approaching creatures, and they seemed shocked to see her awake. Twilight was now frightened and began to back away from the creatures. The others upon noticing these strange creatures began to grow frightened as well, but Luna was the first to approach them. "It can't be… They hadn't been seen in over ten thousand years…" She muttered as the creature's eye's widened at the sight of her. "The creature of legends…" One of them muttered. While the other simply stared. It was easy to tell that one was male and the other was female, for one had a curvier body compared to other. After what seemed like several hours, Rainbow Dash finally asked "Would anypony like to fill us in on what's going on?" Luna sighed before saying "These creatures are not new to ponies, for they had encountered each other many years ago, before our parents were born, and their parents before them. They had found Equestria and shared their knowledge of the universe with the inhabitants. One of which was Starswirl the Bearded. They are known as Protoss, a highly advanced race of creatures." With the exception of Celestia, they were all shocked. None of them had heard of this meeting before and it confused them further. "Get the High Executor! She needs to know of this!" The male Protoss shouted while the female rushed off to find someone. It was at this point that Twilight knew their troubles had not ended, but rather they had just begun.
The End…?
I hope you enjoyed this rewrite, I thought this ending would have led to more suspense and I have a sequel planned, however it will not be written until after I finish my other two stories, Chaos and Discord: Infection, and Dark Samus Returns. So look forward to it coming out! Thank you for reading and that's all I've got right now so see you later!