BlossomThing
Chapter 11: Interlude: Monster
Previous Chapter Next ChapterBlossomforth's worry and anxiety worsened as she flew to Ponyville as her imagination started churning. The implications of her discovery and Thingpone’s intent to assimilate the world clawed at her mind. Little did she know that her discovery of her hivemind ability triggered something within her, something left to her. Suddenly, a headache started to bloom in her head, giving her intense visions. Blossomforth clutched her head with both hooves. It was getting worse, she slowed down and descended to the ground. She fell on her side in a fetal position moaning in pain. The vision became more intense, robbing her of her senses until it became her new world...
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It was a beautiful day. This was world #56,792 but this was only the 547th world he had found that contained sapient species. Sapient species were delicious. The Hivemind was a veteran, one of the best his species had ever produced. The Central Collective had wanted to promote him to inspector but he relished getting down into the nitty gritty and consolidating planets, it was one of his greatest pleasures. He focused on one of his sub-minds, commanders that controlled large swaths of his minions and assumed direct control. This was something else he loved to do, most of his sub-minds and minions were able to keep to themselves and performed effectively but sometimes he loved to dive into random minions and sub minds and do their job just for the thrill. This commander was hovering over a forest commanding 40 squads of 20 minions, coordinating their movements ensure maximum efficient assimilation. The Hivemind watched the chaos his minions were bringing upon the world. It was utterly beautiful.
Each minion was essentially a mass of tentacles, a floating mass suspended in the air by some exotic form of technology or scientific phenomena. The mass would slowly float through the forest. The tentacles each had their own basic "dumb" brain and eyes which would allow the tentacles to act independently. As the mass got closer to a specimen, tentacles would dart out and fuse to the specimen causing the specimen to become paralyzed and the tentacle would quickly engulf and dissolve the specimen, reading the information contained within the specimen and consuming its biomass. The information was fed into the heart of this slimy, shifting mass of tentacles where a slightly higher order mind would process the information, discarding duplicate genetic information and saving interesting unique bits of genetic information. Eventually, once enough biomass was accumulated the minion would divide into two, multiplying themselves as they went.
The sentient species they were assimilating had managed to develop a crude handheld kinetic weapon which they attempted to use to defend themselves. It was quite futile. The minions used the biomass they gathered to power a semi-permeable energy shield that allowed the tentacles to slip through but was also quite effective at stopping the high speed kinetic pellets that were thrown at them.
The Hivemind watched as five of these creatures jumped out from behind plants, shouted out warcries and started firing their loud automatic kinetic weapons at the slimy writhing mass of tentacles. The mass simply floated in midair waiting for the primitive creatures to expend their ammunition against their energy shield. The five creatures ran out of pellets and began to reload. Five tentacles shot out of the mass and quickly paralyzed the creatures and assimilated them. The minion continued floating forward unperturbed.
All across this forest were minions reaching out and assimilating everything in sight. They moved in a line so as to not let a single succulent specimen escape their grasp. The minions divided often, bolstering their numbers. As a squad of minions became too large a squad leader floating above their squad would divide, forming two squads. Occasionally, once there were more than 50 squads the commander floating high above the forest would divide and two new companies of about 25 squads would also form. In this way they expanded exponentially, spreading throughout the land and even into the liquid oceans assimilating everything in their path.
The Hivemind had worked hard the last few days and allowed himself a treat to reward himself. The Hivemind assumed direct control of a minion as it entered a particularly lively area filled with diverse and numerous specimens. The mind wriggled the countless tentacles of the minion with absolute pleasure. They all lengthened out and fused to 100 specimens at once and rapidly began assimilating them. Some of the specimens produced shrieking noises that suddenly stopped as their bodies became paralyzed and he sucked their liquified biomass and information down his tentacles like a straw to be processed and sent to the squad leader. The screams continued in his mind in the form of their consciousnesses, a beautiful symphony. He destroyed their consciousnesses one by one in a musical manner and the information flowed through him, it was an invigorating feeling.
The Hivemind, finished with his fun, left the minion to its own devices and generalized his reach to the largest view possible. He felt millions of minions and the chain of hierarchy that were rapidly dividing and spreading. Tomorrow he would be tens of millions and the day after hundreds of millions until he assimilated all life. It was all profoundly beautiful and the mind basked in the flow of information as the most interesting and efficient organic information the planet had to offer flowed past him. The cream of the crop, ingenious blueprints of the best organic constructs flowed into his mind. It was the best feeling possible.
He was a god, and this was his domain. He would not stop until his domain was completely under his control, he would shape it to his will. He was the omega.
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Blossomforth lay on the ground, tears streaming from her eyes and her body shaking and spamming. Insect-like appendages had sprouted from her body and were also twitching in their creepy insect manner.
What was that horrifying vision? The screams of agony the poor assimilated souls made before their consciousness was ripped to shreds were like a million nails screeching on a chalkboard in the back of her mind. Her headache intensified to agonizing levels. Is this what she was destined to become? Was she to be a monstrous "god", consumer of worlds? Was she meant to forcibly destroy the lives of everyone, selfishly consuming them into herself?
A weak voice spoke from the back of her mind. "Yes! This is our purpose. This is our birthright. Embrace it! Satisfy your hunger! Experience power greater than anything you have ever known!"
The voice weakened and died as if it had expended all of its energy but it left a terrified Blossomforth behind.
"AAAAAHHHHHGGGGGG!!!" Blossomforth yelled in desperation. The discovery of her hivemind ability, the vision, the pain, the screams, and now the voice in her head. It was all too much for her. Her face turned into an impressionist painting, deforming as she screamed. Blossomforth's front hooves morphed into eagle claws. She grabbed the hair of her long mane and she pulled her hair in opposite directions. The giant insect appendages on her back twitched and scratched wildly.
Blossomforth was alone.