Broodmother Niadra crashlands on Equestria, leaving herself in a twisted broken mass.... and Chrysalis with her technologically advanced swarm saves her.
The last time Kerrigan felt Niadra's presence was after she told the Broodmother to assault Protoss home worlds... and then they were somehow seperated. After Niadra crash-landed in a barren part of Equestria, she felt the mind of one known as Queen Chrysalis, sending a distress call through the connection.
Now she strolls along her newfound swarm, her chitinous-metal plating as dark as stone mixing with her obsidian colored flesh merged with her scarlet membrane and her new form granting her new abilities. Only a few problems cloud the Zerg/Changeling Hybrid's mind: How does she feed on love? How does she change forms? Why does her membrane HAVE to look like a dress?
Niadra walked through the smoothed caverns of the Changeling Alpha Hive, noting how several Changelings cast her a warm smile then talked behind her back, wondering why Queen Chrysalis saved her... the question Niadra has tormented herself with for ages but found no results.
"Good morning, Niadra." The male changeling known as, Kalus, said warmly, his rust-colored chitin CLEARLY separating him from his hatchlings. He was the only Changeling that understood (to a certain extent) Niadra's isolation.
"Good morning, Kalus." Niadra rasped, running her fingers through the Kalus' silky, emerald mane, causing him to blush. "What does the queen require of me today?"
Kalus cleared his throat and replied, "She wishes to speak with you in private."
Niadra cocked an eyebrow then nodded. "Lead the way."
The two walked side by side, catching the eyes of multiple Changelings as they walked. It was no secret that Kalus had feelings for the newest member of the swarm, but none of the Changelings new that Niadra had started seeking out his company due to his friendly nature, an uncommon trait amongst a race that feeds on love.
As they opened the doors to the throne room, they found Chrysalis talking to two strangers, one being a 'human' male with chocolate colored skin and black 'dreadlocks' and the other being a bow-legged 'protoss' with pale blue skin and tendrils hanging down from it's pyramid-like head.
Reacting on pure instinct, Niadra charged at them, her feet making no noise as she charged. When she was close enough, she lashed out with both hands in vicious slashes.
The human flipped over her right arm, brandishing a butterfly knife, and the protoss leaping to the side, his hands becoming encompassed in bright blue energy in the forms of blades.
Niadra lashed out with a telekinetic shove that sent the protoss flying upward and smacking against the ceiling as the human locked his white orbs he had the audacity to call eyes with hers, then lunging at her, slashing with the knife.
Niadra kicked her leg up, kicking the human's wrist with a satisfying crunch of bones snapping, then brought her other leg up, performing a backflip kick, then grabbed the human's head and leaped forward, smashing her knee into it's face. She then lashed her tail out in a sweeping motion and watched as the sword-like tip slashed through both of her opponent's legs, causing him to fall into a pool of green blood.
Wait... Green?
"EN-TARRO EQUESTROS!!!" The protoss said as it lunged towards her, pirouetting through the air using both blades to form a blue circle of death.
The green blood would have to wait.
Remember this... The Queen of Blades told her as she was growing to her full power. Facing protoss in a battle of firepower and combat would be disastrous. Cloud their mind with doubts, leave them isolated, but if you do manage to get one off guard, exerting your full Telepathic powers will cause their minds to either melt, explode, or crush from the assault.
That was before she was given the means to combat a protoss.
Niadra crouched and shot forward, then slid between the new foes legs, then using her tail to launch her in reverse. She slammed her fist into the protoss' back, and with a touch of telekinesis, watched a ripple pass through it's body before sending flying across the room with a SPLAT as it hit the wall.
MORE green blood.
K-CHAK!!!
Niadra tensed and willed her membrane/dress into a bubble shield at the unmistakable sound of a rifle being loaded, then willed it to harden into a second skin after the first hail of gunfire. She was then thrown aside as a Marauder's Grenade exploded next to her.
She hissed in anger, turning to face the two marine-class humans, one in blue armor and one in white-palette based camouflage, that dared to fire upon her, then backflipped as a bullet struck the ground between her legs with no sign that the marines fired, meaning she was facing a ghost as well.
Niadra tapped into her armor, fusing it with a vast amount of telekinesis, then charged towards them. The marines opened fire, the newly enraged hybrid dodging the weapons fire... and running past them and lunging at a ripple in the top corner of the room.
The ripple shifted in an attempt to dodge, but was grabbed by Niadra and thrown at the marines as a makeshift projectile. The ghost's cloak dispersing with the sound of bones snapping as it slammed into the blue marine.
The camouflage marine readied to fire another grenade from it's arm cannon, when Niadra sent a small bolt of energy into the barrel... and howled as the arm exploded which triggered a chain reaction that caused the marines armor to implode with the sound of metal crushing flesh.
The blue marine activated the rifles bayonet and threw it like a spear with damn-near perfect accuracy, then pulled out a chain gun, firing a stream of projectiles at Niadra.
Niadra snatched the bulky rifle out of the air and took off in a sprint, pulling the rifles trigger to find it empty, then smirked as the marine's chain gun overheated. She then threw the spear at full strength, watching as it broke through the marine's visor.
Her victory, however, was short-lived when a bolt of lightning struck her, sending her flying. Niadra willed her second skin into it's original form, and looked upon the face of the human that created the Queen of Blades, Arcturus Mengsk.
Her vision sharpened and she willed her second skin to tear into small shards of chitin, then fired the salvo at the arrogant human, watching as the shards slashed the human to ribbons in a display of chitin and green blood.
A cold realization washed over her... she just butchered her brethren-
"Well done, Niadra." Chrysalis' ethereal voice chimed, snapping her from the self-induced panic. "You have thoroughly exceeded my expectations. KALUS, TETRAS, RUDOK, TAKE THE WOUNDED TO THE HEALING PIT!!!"
Niadra watched as Kalus, aided by two other changelings, carried out their now wounded kin away using magic, then turned to Chrysalis. Ever since Niadra woke, she had always admired the Queen of the Swarm, her gritty, battle-hardened chitin, her moss green mane were nice to look at, but the queen's bright green eyes radiated such fierce willpower that Niadra found herself wanting to be like her in the future.
"That was a test?" Niadra inquired as her second skin replaced it's missing and damaged parts.
Chrysalis nodded, smiling at Niadra with pride. "It was," she said, her expression darkening, "but it was also a preview of what the hive might be facing in the future."
"So... let me clarify..." Niadra said, rubbing her temples. "You're saying Equestria, a peaceful realm, is a proverbial dumping ground for the cruelest of villains or those who died before their preordained time... to learn how to live peacefully?"
Chrysalis nodded and furrowed her brows. "Yes... wait... something is-"
A raspy, ethereal growl echoed through the hive, followed by an eerie silence.
"W-What was- THE HIVE CLUSTER IS UNDER ATTACK!!!"
As if on cue, the throne room doors were knocked clear of the hinges, revealing a white armored behemoth, easily Niadra's size. The throne room reflecting off of the newcomers golden, bug like visor.
Niadra reacted on instinct once more and charged, only to have the behemoth's hand close around her neck, lift her into the air, and slam her into the ground, causing the floor to crack from the force.
"Easy, Maine." A calm, almost robotic voice chimed, a flaming, holographic humanoid the size of a child appearing sitting on the behemoth's shoulder. "She's not the true threat."
Niadra hissed and lashed out with her tail, knocking 'Maine' back, then rose to her feet.
The two regarded each other for a moment, then charged.
Maine crouched low and put on a huge burst of speed, ramming his right shoulder into Niadra's stomach, and kept moving until he crashed into the wall, then pulled back, priming his fist for a killing blow.
Niadra reached up with her legs, locking them around Maine's neck as she dug her fingers into the stone wall, then with a mighty roar, slammed her opponent into the area of the wall above her, then pushed off the wall.
Maine growled again, ripped a chunk out of the wall, and threw it, the makeshift projectile shattering as it slammed into Niadra. It then grabbed a pillar, ripped it out of place, and threw it like a javelin, only to watch as Niadra blasted it apart with a blast of energy.
Niadra screeched and her second skin formed a pair of leathery wings, adding to the speed as she launched herself through the air, too fast for Maine to track, and kicked out both feet. There was a thump as feet met visor, followed by a clap of thunder as Niadra drove her opponent into the ground, a crater forming from the impact.
Niadra was about to relax when pain shot up her legs, followed by the sound of both her legs snapping, the bones protruding from her skin.
"Okay Maine..." The flaming humanoid said as it reappeared. "Now you can kill her."
Maine growled and stood up, stomping over to the fallen Niadra and raised his boot above her head and-
"YIPE! Wrong room!"
Every eye turned to the throne room entrance where a blue-armored human had just... appeared.
"YOU!!!" The glowing humanoid screeched.
Niadra took the opportunity and rolled away, her tail sweeping her opponent's feet from under him. At this time, she willed her second skin to form casts around her legs after adjusting the bones, then used a quick mend spell to repair them.
Maine growled and stood up, reaching for Niadra but was cut off when a jagged scythe stabbed the ground ahead of him. He was then knocked back by a powerful roundhouse kick from Chrysalis.
"SHE'S THE THREAT, MAINE!!!" The humanoid shouted, the behemoth lunging in response.
Niadra tackled him out of the air and pinned him to the ground. She raised her hand, extending her claws, and was about to tear out Maine's throat when Chrysalis rested a hand upon her shoulder.
"Stay your hand, Niadra." She said, watching as Niadra lowered her hand. "We might have use for him."
As guards shackled Agent Maine, Niadra turned her attention to the blue humanoid.
"Many thanks, stranger." She said as she bowed. "If you had not intervened, Maine would have probably had my head."
As if the compliment was unspoken, the man asked. "Will you be my friend?"
Niadra was taken aback. Was this a ruse? A clever scheme to get her guard down? It seemed like a possible problem... but he had no weapon, his voice carried that unbroken, everything is right in the world, innocence... and... he reminded her too much of Kalus if he had been injected with steroids and dressed in blue armor.
After a nudge from Chrysalis, whose eye's saw this as an opportunity for gaining a new ally, Niadra cleared her throat and asked. "What is your name?"
He snapped a swift salute. "Captain Micheal J. Caboose, at your service! You can call me Caboose!"
Niadra stifled a laugh. "Caboose... I like that name."
A familiar presence... Niadra thought to herself as she sprinted through the hive, her claws leaving holes wherever they dug into the floor. As she opened a rather dented door, her feelings of hope turned to dread as Kallus howled in agony as his body was mutated by none other than...
Abathur, in the form of a ghoulish mare with sinewy hair.
"Body capable of carrying internally produced Hornets." Abathur rasped to Chrysalis as she examined Kallus, her red, ringed irises flicking over the stallion. "Hornets linked to mind. Thoughts turn into motions. Hornets serve as new extension of his body."
Chrysalis was deeply impressed with what Kallus' body was capable of... heightened magic, enhanced physical capabilities, burrow and tunnel adaptation, camouflaging in place of disguising, independent food sources, and now the ability to command it's own swarm.
"How long will it take for you to apply the mutations?" She asked. "What kind of process are these applied through?"
"Time irrelevant. Process applied through external and internal rearrangements."
"How are they performed?"
Abathur's slender fingernails extended from half-a-centimeter to six inches as her chest-mouth-thing, labeled The Gorge, opened up.
"Agonizing splicing. Must tear flesh to bind sequencing."
"Why must you insist on modifying my subjects?"
Abathur bowed low and spoke thus:
"Only focus is evolving the swarm. Seek perfection in all things."
With that sage wisdom, Chrysalis permitted the mutations.
"A-Abathur?" Niadra gagged as she tried not to vomit at the combined scent of waste, mutilated flesh, and organ juices. "W-What are you doing?"
The Gorge spits out a strand of mutated flesh and Abathur begins weaving it around Kallus' spine. "Complying with request. Chrysalis permitted."
"C-CHRYSALIS PERMITTED THIS?!?"
"Pheromones suggest emotional attachment. Love... I think."
Niadra hissed at the assumption but remained silent, there was no lying to Abathur.
How long before Chrysalis found out about her feelings for Kallus?
