//------------------------------// // Hostile Takeover // Story: Invasion // by ZombieBrony22 //------------------------------// Blank sat at the dinner table to Tempest’s right with Twilight to her left, waiting for Blank’s parents to gallop back to the table. The three sat in absolute silence—Tempest waiting for the right moment to say something and Blank and Twilight unable to form a complete sentence without stuttering. Tempest sighed and cleared her throat. “So, you and Twilight went to school together, right?” The two looked over to her before nodding. “Were you two... ever... dating?” She let the emphasis slip. The two gasped softly before Blank finally cleared his mind. “Y-yeah... we dated for a bit.” Blank confessed. “Hmm. I never saw you as the dating type, Twilight.” Tempest chuckled, glancing over to her royal friend. Twilight started stuttering again, but took a heavy sigh. “Neither did I... at the time, but Blank kinda came out of nowhere, you know? Like one minute, I was so focused on my studies thst I wasn’t paying attention in the halls, the next minute, I bump into somepony and drop all of my books, and I see this kind... warmhearted colt help get my books back in order...” Twilight remembered, sharing glances with Blank. Tempest simply smiled, before said smile fading away. “I really wish I got to have that with somepony...” She whispered, almost to herself. Blank caught wind of that statement and his smile faded as well. “It comes with its cons...” Blank whispered, not heard by Twilight, but heard by Tempest. As Tempest registered Blank’s response and went to question him, Golden Honey and Strong Breeze arrived with a waiter—not Ruby—to serve the five of them. “How can I--” The waiter stops after noticing Tempest. A few seconds of silence bond to the small group as Breeze clears her throat. “Me and my husband’ll have the black stuff to start. How about you, Blanky?” She asked, breaking the silence. Blank looks over the menu, wanting something different, and finds something he likes. “Can I have the... Pear & Thyme Spritzer, please?” He asked. His mom smiled while Golden glanced at the floor, thinking about the last time he had a drink of “the black stuff” with his wife. Back in the castle, Nightmare—being held by Celestia’s magic barrier, began swimming around in joy of being free again. “It’s been so long since I’ve been in this form... I’ve missed it.“ Celestia sighed, knowing that she was taking a risk. “Don’t get used to it—I need you to talk to one of your kind, another Klyntar.” Nightmare stopped shifting and looked over to her “sister”. “There’s another? Here?” “There’re potentially thousands ready to invade. We have one captive and we’re using it for study. Your contribution would be much appreciated.” Nightmare laughed at the situation—potentially thousands of her kind were ready to destroy Equestria and possibly set her free. “I couldn’t have planned it better myself! You, coming to me for help!” “This isn’t for you, Nightmare, this is for my subjects.” Celestia began to grow unnerved, sensing that there was nothing she could gain from the symbiote. Nightmare showed anger at the statement, but continued swirling all-the-same. “So... when may I see my bretheren?” Nightmare asked. Celestia used her horn to seal Nightmare back into the tube and teleported the two to the testing chamber where Wrath was still contained, swirling upward at the new Klyntar in front of him. “So, this is the other one?” Nightmare asked Celestia. Celestia looked on as she nodded at Nightmare’s question. “Hmm... something’s wrong with him... he seems... different.” Nightmare whispered. Wrath then latched onto the glass, desperate to see his new friend. “Different how?” Celestia asked. Nightmare didn’t answer, she simply backed away slightly and started nudging at the edge of Celestia’s barrier. “Get me away from him... now, please.” Nightmare nudged again with more force than last time. “No, not until you talk to him.” Celestia insisted. Nightmare responded by screeching in pain, much to Celestia’s shock. “He’s trying to speak to me, but... It’s all so... so... oh, Knull... Get us out of here, now!” In a frenzy, Wrath actually cracked the glass—scaring Nightmare to break Celestia’s barrier and bond with her, entering her fur coat and entering her nervous system, just in time for the glass holding Wrath back to shatter and land on the floor. Blank, his parents, Twilight, and Tempest all sat at the table as the occasional silence swooped in and hovered over the small group. “So... Tempest.” Golden started. “Yes?” She asked. “How long have you and Blank known each other?” He asked back. “We met in the Badlands, I kind of saved him from—a... timberwolf.” Blank, catching on the lie, played along. “Yeah, I remember that we fought it off with... I’m pretty sure it was our campfire... we just used our magic to fan the flames at it, and... it ran off.” Blank finished, making the story sound good. His parents seemed astonished at how well their son handled the situation, but Blank left out that Tempest was the one who did most of the fighting... against the Klyntar, that is... “A timberwolf? I thought they were only dormant to the Everfree... maybe they... branched out?” Golden joked, much to Blank’s embarassment. “Dad... not cool.” The conversation was cut off by screams coming from outside, and as Tempest trotted outwards, she just missed a ball of symbiote goo from latching to her face. Outside the streets, several variations of Wrath were loose in Canterlot, with ponies being bonded to and others becoming food to the creatures. Others were climbing the sides of buildings and stretching their symbiotic tendrils almost across the block in order to latch on to somepony. Others were galloping down the streets with the strength and size of carriages, trampling over whoever was in their way... “No-pony out! Lock the place down, let no-one in!” Tempest ordered, much to everypony’s confusion. “What’s happening out there?” Blank asked. He was responded to by the goo from earlier beginning to move, much to Blank’s parents' horror. Twilight moved fast, grabbing the bottle of “black stuff” that Blank’s mother ordered from the back and putting a few napkins into it. “Get down!” Twilight lit up the napkin and threw the molotov at the symbiote, melting it almost instantly. Blank and Twilight then used their magic to seal off the flames until they went out. Everypony turned to Twilight, who awkwardly smiled at a job well-done. “Where did you learn that?” Blank asked her. Twilight smiled, recalling that action movie she and Sunset watched together back in the Mirror World—or Earth, as the planet is also known as. “It’s... a long story.” Twilight’s cheeks shined a bright red. The doors began to bust open, ruining the conversation. Tempest and Blank galloped over and tried to hold it shut, but more Symbiotes began crashing into the door, latching on to the walls and trying to slither in through the barred windows. “What are those things?!” Blank’s mother asked. “Yeah, I may have lied when I said that it was a Timberwolf...” Blank shouted, keeping the door shut. Outside, the chaos unfolded—the symbiotes were everywhere, either taking hosts or feasting on the weakest. All while Wrath watched from above, now bonded to a random host and laughing sinisterly...