Silver Bulwark sighed as she trotted down the hall once more, her partner for the night having predictably called in sick, leaving her alone as usual. She didn't want to even think on the rule that no guard was supposed to be alone, or that this rule was changed seemingly only for her, as she knew if she went down that train of thought she would just end up getting angry again.
Even while isolated once again, Silver Bulwark kept her head high and a smile on her face, confident in the knowledge that not only did she have Celestia’s backing but also the backing of one fiery little foal. A kid who might end up needing her, a kid worth staying in the guard for, and she would be damned if they were going to force her out without a fight.
With her confidence surging and her smile returning, Silver Bulwark strode confidently down the hall, ignoring the looks that came from both her fellow guards and the few nobles that lingered at such a late hour. So invigorated was the mare that she stopped just outside the door to the gardens in order to take a whiff of the pleasant aroma that drifted into the castle. The night lilies, flowers that only began to bloom at evening, were her favorite, and they were especially potent due to the full moon that hung over head.
With a sigh, she opened her eyes and continued her patrol after making a note to return to the garden before she clocked out for the night, which would be in about an hour or two if her guess was correct. Either way, she was looking forward to a long rest and another day of sticking it to those prick nobles and holier-than-thou jerks she worked with.
Turning the corner, she proceeded up the stairs that led to the royal suites, winding her way through the labyrinth of corridors and floors that were intended on making any attacker search every single room in order to just get up to the fifth floor where the princess had her primary quarters. Most days she cursed this extra layer of security, as it meant that her patrol was extra long and included climbing more stairs than she liked, but today she enjoyed it, taking every chance she got to flaunt her happiness in front of those that didn't like her.
Reaching the fifth floor didn't take long though, as she knew where she was going, and the guard quickly found herself trotting up to the door of her charge where she would remain at attention for the next hour before finishing her patrol and going home. Taking a spot to the right of the door, Silver Bulwark placed her spear firmly against the ground and leaned heavily on the weapon, yawning deeply as she began to settle into the now familiar spot.
That yawn ended suddenly when the guard experienced a sensation that she couldn't quite describe. The only word she was really able to put to the feeling was a distinct sensation of having missed something, like someone had called her name, but she hadn't heard it.
Looking around revealed that other than the guards that stood outside of Celestia’s room, there was nopony else around and those guards had not so much as flinched in the entire time Silver Bulwark had stood there. Shrugging it off, the guard settled into her spot and put on the usual cold and neutral expression that all guards were trained to don when guarding a fixed position.
Only for the strange sensation to return, this time far more powerful and far more close by. Looking around revealed nothing out of the ordinary and she was about to chalk it up to being paranoid for Twilight’s safety when she heard a crash come from the staircase to her right.
For a moment she merely looked over at the stairs, unsure of what was happening and trying to listen in order to figure out what was going on. Her instincts told her that it was just another clumsy maid, probably Tipsy Tender, but her heart told her otherwise.
Before she even knew what she was doing, she was already running over to the staircase, unsure of why she was even moving until she heard a familiar and terrifying sound. It was the sound of consuming sadness, of desperation and loneliness, all of which tugged on her heart strings as if someone were attempting to tear the organ from her very chest.
Skidding to a stop, Silver Bulwark looked down in time to find the tear-strewn face of Twilight Sparkle look up at her, the filly hastily shoving books back into her bag. “Do you need assistance, Twilight?” Silver Bulwark asked, already reaching for one of the books.
“N-no! I can do it myself,” declared the filly, her magic grabbing the book before Silver Bulwark could.
Taking a step back, the guard looked down at the filly, trying to piece together what had happened judging only by her appearance. The child was haggard, as if she had been running for as long as she had been crying which had evidently been quite a while. Her coat was equally as disheveled, her mane a mess and the fur beneath her eyes was matted with tears.
“What happened, dear?” Silver whispered, lowering herself to the filly’s height.
“N-n-nothing,” the filly stuttered, unable to look the guard in the eye and turned away, stuffing the last book into her bag.
The guard watched as her charge climbed the last of the steps on shaking hooves before brushing past her and making a beeline for the room. “Did someone hurt you?” she asked, keeping her voice quiet and her tone respectful as she followed close behind the filly.
The filly sniffed. “M-maybe.”
“What happened, dear?” Silver Bulwark repeated, placing a hoof on the filly’s shoulder, making her stop in her tracks.
“I-I...” Fresh tears began to trickle down Twilight’s face and she turned suddenly, brushing off Silver Bulwark’s hoof and sprinting into her room.
Leaving a confused and concerned Silver Bulwark standing outside the now closed door, the guard leaned against the wooden portal and listened in. “Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? I could fetch Celestia or perhaps doctor-”
“No!” came the tiny cry from inside. “I’m fine, I don't want to bother them.”
“Clearly something is not okay, would you mind if I came inside so we can figure this out together?” Silver Bulwark tentatively asked.
There was a long pause before the filly finally whispered back, “No, I’m going to bed.”
“I’ll be right here when you need me, okay?” Silver Bulwark whispered, only to receive no response.
Sighing to herself, Silver Bulwark turned and took her usual spot, ready and willing to stand there for as long as it took, no matter how long that was. With her resolve hardened, and her fatigue now non-existent, she stood vigil, trying to think of something she could say when Twilight finally gave in and asked for help.
Something she hoped would happen soon.
Twilight lay on her stomach, tears staining a pillow that was probably more expensive than all the allowance she had ever received combined and yet she couldn't bring herself to feel bad about that fact one bit. Thoughts and emotions whirled in her mind, each more dark and terrible than the last. Rage at her brother for what he had said, but also guilt on her own part for what she had done. Apathy for the mother that refused to stand by her and confusion for her father who had only now done just that.
It was all too much for the young filly and she used her magic to toss her book bag at the end table, unconcerned when that bag missed and toppled from its perch, spraying her books across the floor for the second time in as many minutes. Normally such a thing would be grounds for a minor panic attack as they were books after all, and not even her own books for that matter.
Now though, now it all seemed so small, so insignificant compared to the pain and trauma that weighed heavily on her mind. Confusion was most unfortunately the single thing that weighed the heaviest on her, confusion over how she felt about this recent change, and confusion over even how she should feel. In the end, the only thing that was constant was the feeling of numb acceptance that now swallowed her whole.
Which was much like how sleep unexpectedly took the filly in its tender embrace, whisking Twilight off to a place far from all the anguish she had recently experienced.
Twilight’s eyes snapped open a second later and she looked around to realize that she was no longer in Canterlot, or anywhere she knew for that matter. The world was dark and empty and it seemed to stretch on forever in every direction, and the filly knew then and there that she was dreaming. Except it wasn't quite a dream, for it had the same sensation that the vision of that strange creature from a while ago had, with the strangely disquiet song she heard last time gaining a distinctly harmonious edge to it.
She was both asleep, and not asleep, in Canterlot and not in Canterlot and though these facts would usually be enough to disturb the filly, or at least make her curious, for now she merely accepted their existence passively, uncaring as to where she was, or what happened to her.
When the now familiar tug and accompanying song came in full force, she didn't fight it and quickly found herself being yanked hundreds of miles in the span of seconds. A sensation that normally would have made her nauseous, but was now little more than an afterthought as Twilight Sparkle merely sighed, happy that at least here she didn't have to worry about her messed up hair and tear-stained face.
This time as she neared the destination of whomever was pulling her, she did not begin to get the feeling that she was entering a body not her own and instead she was surprised to feel that she had her own body, though it felt strangely disconnected. Looking down, Twilight realized that her hooves, and even the rest of her body were almost completely see through. Again, these changes were met with only apathy and she looked around, much to the shock of someone nearby.
Turning to the sound of the gasp, Twilight’s jaw hung open as she instantly recognized the source. There stood the strange half grey, half purple pegasus, her one good glowing eye looking down at the filly while the other looked off to the left somewhere. Her wings twitched excitedly and the small arms that emerged from her chest clutched each other tightly. “Can. You. Understand. Me?” she asked in a slow and deliberate tone of voice.
Twilight nodded, noting that the same strange green bubbles adorned both of the pegasus’ flanks, making the filly wonder what kind of special skill she could possibly possess. “Yeah, I can understand you, but you still sound funny,” Twilight replied.
“Hmmf, it's about time,” grunted a stranger, more alien voice from her right.
Turning her head, Twilight instantly recoiled when she noticed how truly strange the second creature was. Though the top half of her body seemed vaguely pony-like, with only a pair of mandibles on either side of jaw being out of the ordinary, that all stopped at her waist. The pink fur slowly morphed into scaly purple flesh just below her forehooves, and the purple mane that sported a single band of bright teal was tied into a single large braid that fell down her back. Her horn which appeared normal on first glance was actually slightly longer than normal and was far more curved than anypony’s horn Twilight had ever seen.
The bottom half of her body was where the truly strange part begun as though she still had two forehooves, she lacked any other limbs that Twilight would consider normal for a pony to have. Her torso bulged and twisted from there, growing far larger and sprouting six long limbs that had spikes growing from each joint, three on each side of her body. Each of these limbs ended in a remarkably sharp point and a thin purple membrane stretched between these limbs. Stranger still was her lower torso which seemed to resemble a large vertical maw complete with massive teeth, though what such an oddly placed body part could possibly be used for Twilight didn't know. Last and perhaps the most strangest feature of them all was the teal sacks of something that emerged from her back, which occasionally pulsed and shook for an unknown reason.
All in all the pony… thing, looked like a cross between a unicorn and some horror that no sane creature would possibly dream up and Twilight couldn't even imagine what had brought on such a horrible change.
“It's rude to stare, you know,” the creature exclaimed, crossing her forehooves over her chest.
“S-sorry,” Twilight stuttered, only to realize that not only did the creature speak the same chittering, guttural language Twilight heard in her head, but Twilight herself seemed to speak this odd language, though it sounded like Equestrian to her for some reason.
“At least she can speak now,” the pony thing remarked with a snort.
“Now child, that is no way to speak to a fellow sister,” admonished a kind, though strained and almost pained voice from behind her.
Spinning around once more, Twilight realized that the room they were in was likely a cave of some kind, and a strange, pulsing mass covered every last inch of the walls, ceiling and floors. There was also a vat of what looked like bubbling green liquid which sat in a corner. A vat that Twilight somehow knew was referred to as a breeding pool, though how and why she knew those things were beyond her. Though the room itself was strange, and warranted consideration on its own, that was not what drew Twilight’s eye.
For the voice of kindness she had heard before was coming from what was quite possibly the most terrifying entity she had ever witnessed, a creature so horrifying that Twilight knew she should run, yet she could not. The filly remained rooted to the floor, an alien will reminding her that this was the great mother, the sower of wills, and the only being in the universe that she owed allegiance to. An assertion that she didn't fully accept, not yet anyway, and though she could feel the chittering wall of voices in her mind continue to make that assertion, its potency diminished slightly, as if the great mother was granting her time to consider it on her own.
Twilight could scarcely tear her eyes from the creature’s strange features and instead forced herself to look up, searching for a head or a place she should speak at. Only to find many eyes where she assumed there would be only two, with the eyes being arrayed in two groups of four on either side of its head. The creature lacked any discernible nose, with a thin, dagger-filled mouth being the only facial feature to speak of other than a pair of small mandibles that sprouted from either side of its jaw. Though clearly feminine, the creature’s face was so unlike anything Twilight had ever seen before that she struggled to imagine anything in nature even remotely akin to it.
Its body, though lithe, was covered in segmented plates that jutted prominently from its chest, giving a clearer impression that it was female. Two sets of long spindly arms emerged from its shoulders and were now wrapped tight around the forefront of its body, a small space in its plates allowing its arms to slip between them, though why that was Twilight couldn't imagine. Its body was long and snake like, a comparison that was driven home by its deep brown coloration that was speckled occasionally with an equally deep green.
This snake comparison worked at least somewhat as its lower body was a single great tail. Though even then Twilight could see that many sets of smaller limbs much like her forearms were slipped between her plates, ready and waiting for the time when they are needed. A sudden movement from behind her head drew Twilight’s eye up to the crest she only now realized stretched back nearly a foot from the creature’s skull, wherein four long tentacles sprouted. Two for each side of her body, all of which ended in a long spike of some kind, another thing that made Twilight confused as there was no obvious reason for these spikes save for self defence.
The creature rose far above the small filly, her entire body nearly fifteen or so feet long and roughly the same width of a few of the female minotaurs she had seen on the upper Canterlot plate. The longer the filly gawked at this great mother, the more she realized something was wrong with her, the first thing being that although all her eyes seemed to work, some were slightly milky as if they had been damaged recently. More than that only one of her tentacles actually moved, while the other three merely hung at her sides uselessly. As Twilight looked down she realized that she was far more injured than the filly had first thought and she couldn't help but feel her fear evaporate and pity surge in her chest.
Some plates only barely clung to her body, and some of the many arms that slipped between them either weren't there or were obscured by a thick greenish substance that held them in place. Even a single glance up at the great mother’s face told her that the creature was clearly in pain. Constant, deep pain.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked, not realizing that the room had fallen silent, its occupants looking down at her, analyzing the filly for some inscrutable purpose.
“I am fine, my child. Merely tired from a long, long journey,” the creature replied, while slowly lowering itself to the filly’s height. “Do not concern yourself with my health, tell me, how are you? You have not been discovered yet, have you? You seem to have suffered some manner of mutation in your ocular nerves.”
“Discovered?” Twilight asked.
The creature nodded slowly and deliberately. “Yes, you are not in immediate danger, are you?”
The pegasus smiled and shook her head. “Her fight or flight responses were triggered several hours ago, but it seems like she is now fine.”
“How did you know?” Twilight asked, already piecing together that the strange pegasus thing was referring to her clash with her brother.
“There are remnants of epinephrine in your blood,” the pegasus creature replied.
“It was just…” Twilight paused, unsure of how to describe what had happened with her brother and family. “An argument,” she concluded.
“Interesting,” the snake-like creature remarked, rising up slightly. “I must commend you on being able to appear before us like this, it takes a considerable amount of psychic energy to project this far.”
The many limbed unicorn snorted, and skittered forward, glaring down at the filly. “I managed such a feat with ease, it is not such a great accomplishment.”
“You are an adult, and a fully mature member of the swarm, she is a mere filly that has not benefited from my experimentation,” the larger creature clarified and waved a hand over the many limbed and heavily mutated unicorn, visibly calming her. “Do not take this as a slight, you do not have to worry about your position being taken by a mere filly.”
The unicorn thing bowed slightly, one hoof going over its stomach as it did. “My apologies, great mother, I let my emotions get the better of me.”
“You would do well to tame that anger, child, though it has its uses in encouraging our warriors, you are no mere warrior,” the larger creature intoned, laying a hand on the unicorn’s head.
“Ahem,” the pegasus interrupted, “I don't believe as though we have introduced ourselves yet.” The pegasus bowed slightly, one eyeball looking somewhere to the right while the glowing one looked directly at Twilight. “I am Bubbles, and this is-”
“Starlight,” the unicorn replied proudly. “But you may call me Underqueen Starlight.”
“Err okay…” Twilight muttered, before turning to the largest creature in the room. “And what is your name?”
“I am afraid I have yet to earn one,” the snake creature replied solemnly. “You may simply call me Mother.”
“With that out of the way, do you have a report by chance?” Starlight replied, slowly slinking her way around the filly, eying her carefully. “We have yet to hear from most of the other infested as Mother has suffered greatly from her long time spent in hibernation.”
“Report? You mean like my report card?” Twilight asked while scratching her head. “Because I got all A’s other than gym class, but I still passed.”
The underqueen stopped and facehoofed, only to be interrupted by Bubbles who took a step forward. “Excuse her, Twilight, she is just a little irritated as we were unable to locate any of the other infested save for us two, and well, yourself.”
“Indeed,” Starlight added, this time appearing much more calmer. “We have unfortunately suffered injuries too grave to be able to go incognito in pony society, and as such we were hoping that you may be able to connect us to our lost infested agents.”
Mother slithered forward slightly and looked down on the filly with renewed intensity. “You do not have to worry about this quite yet though, young one, we have many questions but first an explanation is in order. Our psionic potential has also been damaged significantly so that is why you need not worry about our infested quite yet as they are well out of our range of control right now.” Twilight could tell that last sentence was only half pointed at her, and she noticed that Starlight bristled slightly under the comment, though she tried not to show it.
“So, your name is Twilight Sparkle, correct?” Bubbles inquired, leaning forward and smiling at the filly.
“Um yes, how did you know?” Twilight asked.
“Mother has tasked me with serving as her coordinator as she heals, allowing me to see into your mind, though I did not look further than your name as I did not wish to intrude,” Bubbles explained.
“And because you can't do anything more,” Starlight muttered under her breath, hooves crossed over her chest.
“Regardless,” Mother interrupted, “you must be near this Canterhorn, yes?”
Twilight nodded. “I live in Canterlot, yes.”
“Ahh, good. You are safe then, I presume,” Mother continued.
“I guess so, the castle is safe, well… sorta,” Twilight muttered, looking down.
“Wait, you live in a castle?” Starlight asked, skittering forward. “You don't mean the Sunspire, do you?”
“Celestia doesn't like it when ponies call it that,” Twilight corrected. “She prefers that ponies just call it Canterlot Castle.”
“I am glad you are safe, little one. Your life is very important.” Mother leaned down until she was eye level once more with the filly. “Do not take any grave risks and value your life over others, understood?”
Twilight nodded slowly, baffled by the command but unable to find a reason to argue against it. “I will,” she whispered.
The larger creature nodded and slowly rose once more. “Good, now tell me more of this Celestia, it sounds like you two are close.”
Starlight stepped forward instantly. “She is the ruler of Equestria and the only known alicorn to still live.”
“An alicorn, interesting, they are both immortal and quite powerful so I hear…” The creature slithered back slightly, her hands emerging from their resting places and folding before her. “What is your relation to this Celestia pony, Twilight?”
The filly gulped and took an unconscious step back, slightly disturbed by the other three creatures’ combined looks of interest. “I, err, uh.” She stumbled a bit for a moment and considered lying to the three but for some reason that felt wrong, and she felt bad for just considering it. “I’m her student,” she blurted suddenly.
“Really now?” Mother remarked idly, a hand tapping her chin. “Bubbles, scan her mind and find out everything she knows on the subject of this alicorn princess.”
“Yes, my queen,” Bubbles replied instantly, bowing slightly to the large creature before trotting over to the scared filly and crouching down. “Don't worry, it won't hurt and I promise Mother will be very pleased to know what you know.”
For some reason the prospect of pleasing the enormous snake creature she had only just met felt… good to the filly and she nodded reluctantly, some of her worry bleeding away as she allowed the other creature to come closer. Bubbles raised her hooves to either side of the filly’s head and closed her eyes, focusing intently on something. What that was became clear a second later when Twilight felt a strange presence in her mind that was unlike the smaller voices she had grown used to. One that sought out and latched onto every memory she had made that had Celestia in it, combing through them for information as well as a few memories that did not. Slowly, reluctantly, Bubbles pulled back, a sad smile on her face as she moved to stand beside the larger creature once more.
“This is most fortuitous, is it not, Mother?” she asked, her smile growing a little wider. “They may know a little of our operations but they have not found our base or truly understand us.”
“But they have found us.” Starlight growled. “Worse still, this… fool, has been giving them information and has been actively working with them.”
Mother shook her head. “This is still acceptable. We were desperate for sustenance and the gambit has paid off. Furthermore their information gathering will be diminished by their infighting as well as their fractured support for these ‘frontier towns’.”
“This will give us more than enough time to fortify ourselves and find a way to heal our great mother,” Bubbles explained, her enthusiasm growing by the second.
“If we acquire more subjects that is. The survivors from my village did not have enough biomass to do even the most basic of experiments and I will need far more test subjects if I am going to have a hope of mastering gene magic,” Starlight continued, a frown crossing her face.
“Be that as it may, we have an interesting option before us,” Mother declared, smiling down at Twilight. “An infiltrator inside the highest office in the land, one that is well trusted no less.”
Bubbles placed a weary hoof on the larger creature’s side. “I would warn caution, my queen. The princess is quite formidable and has been alive for at least two millenia, perhaps longer and she will not be unprepared.”
“But if it were possible to infest or harvest her in some manner, we would be looking at acquiring arguably the most powerful essence in all of Equestria,” Starlight muttered before turning upwards to the larger creature. “I must request that we attempt to infest the princess at the earliest possible convenience.”
Twilight gaped silently at the three creatures, too shocked by the sudden change in conversation to have any idea what she should say.
Unaware of the filly’s sudden fear and confusion, the queen nodded slowly. “Normally I would agree, as her genetic material may hold the key to dominating this planet, but this is not normal circumstances and we find ourselves pushed to the brink already.”
“I agree, my queen,” Bubbles added. “We are too few, and our essence is weak and damaged by your slumber, if we reveal our hand too soon, we may find ourselves wiped form the face of Equis before we are even able to heal you.”
“We are already revealed,” Starlight declared angrily. “Or did you not see the filly’s memories while you were busy trying to find mention of some other unicorn filly?”
“I did not!” Bubbles yelled back.
“Quiet, you two!” Mother barked, making her advisors quail and become silent. “Though I agree it is too early to reveal our hand, we are also already revealed somewhat, though infesting the princess may make us the public enemy of the entirety of Equestria.”
“It is a small price to pay,” Starlight declared. “Her essence is incredibly strong and her genetic material may be what we need to heal Mother, as well as create a new breed of zerg that is capable of using the magic of all three tribes.”
“We don't even know if the princess can even be infested. She is an alicorn, the only one left of her kind and other than having vast magical stores of energy that eclipse anypony else, she is also closer to a god than a pony,” Bubbles explained, glaring at Starlight.
Who merely shrugged in return. “It matters little whether or not she can be infested, for regardless of the possibility we must try, the reward would far outweigh the life of a single child.”
“W-what?” Twilight stuttered, shocked to hear that her life meant so little to the the unicorn creature.
The other three didn't even seem to notice her fear though and continued their debate unabated. “If they make the connection between us and her, we will be wiped out. Gone, exterminated down to the last zergling.” Bubbles growled, taking a step closer to the other creature and jabbed a hoof into her chest. “They are divided now, but how long do you think they would stay divided after we attacked the princess in the seat of her very power?”
This time Mother seemed more than happy to merely watch the two bicker, carefully considering her advisors’ words and not making the attempt to stop them.
“You assume much, pegasus.” Starlight growled, jabbing a hoof right back into Bubbles’ chest. “If we simply overload the filly’s body and force it to produce as much spores as possible, I estimate a seventy eight percent chance of successful infestation of the princess.”
Overload? Twilight thought to herself, the filly catching a stray image of her body becoming bloated before exploding near the princess, showering the alicorn in gore and bright orange spores. The thought made the filly sick and she spun around, searching for an escape from this horrifying conversation, only to find that there were no doors other than a strange orifice that seemed built into the fleshy wall.
Mother frowned and continued to caress her chin. “Are you sure the child is even capable of such a thing?”
Starlight nodded confidently. “All infested are able to use this trait, though it would take several hours to accomplish, I do believe it could be done.”
“You don't know that,” Bubbles hissed. “The genes of every single parasite were damaged, and she may not even be capable of producing the normal spores. Besides, what you are suggesting is cruel beyond measure. I supported the taking of your village as we require sustenance and they were not on any map, but this is insane!”
Twilight searched around frantically, and after finding no available exit turned and looked up at Mother expectantly, trying to scan the alien creature’s face for any sign of who she may agree with. The creature’s features were drawn, her mind intensely focused on the predicament before her and despite Twilight’s best efforts, the filly could not seem to figure out what Mother was thinking. With little else to do, Twilight focused on simply praying for her safety, and silently hoping that Mother saw the wisdom in Bubbles’ words.
Starlight sneered down at the winged creature. “We are here to dominate this world, to infest its peoples and await the coming of the swarm, do you think such a goal can be accomplished without cruelty? Furthermore, may I remind you that we all suffer the effects of the slumber, and that Celestia is the key to fixing everything!”
“You don't know that!” Bubbles shouted back. “Furthermore, we do not even have the right to demand this filly to die by our command, she knows nothing of our struggle, of our mission.”
“We may not have that right, but Mother does! She commands every zerg on this wretched planet, which includes you, me, and that loathsome filly!” Starlight declared, gesturing to Twilight.
“This was not supposed to happen, I wasn't supposed to be in charge,” Mother whispered, her arms drooping. “My orders were merely to remain underground until the fleet arrived, only then was I to act. You both make excellent arguments.”
“That doesn't matter,” Starlight declared, stomping several of her pointed limbs. “If we obtain the essence of a several thousand year old alicorn, we can create the perfect zerg, one capable of wielding all three tribe’s magics while also able to bring down the full psychic might of the swarm!” Starlight stepped closer, looking up into Mother’s eyes. “Think about it, we could conquer Equis before the fleet is even here, imagine our queen’s pleasure when she realizes you already control everything.”
All eyes turned to the queen who had risen to her full height, her expression unreadable as she looked from Bubbles to Starlight and back again. Twilight studied those features closely, desperately clinging to the hope that someone with the name like Mother would not throw away her life so easily.
As she watched she noticed those same features grow ever more strained, Twilight’s anxiety reaching a fever pitch as the seconds turned into minutes. Mother’s advisors remained silent throughout it all, their voices both mental and physical remaining still, allowing their queen to contemplate Twilight’s fate.
That was until, Twilight noticed that Mother had made up her mind and seemed ready to announce her decision. A decision that Twilight knew she would not like, one that may very well end with her death and the death of her mentor. Though the filly valued her own life relatively lowly, the instant she realized that this may very well harm the one pony that had never done wrong by her, something flipped.
She was no longer content to wait for judgement to be delivered, and though she hoped Mother would ultimately agree that this was a bad idea, she was not going to chance it. She would not allow anyone to harm Celestia, no matter what they said about powerful essence or the healing of herself and others.
With a psychic shove she recoiled, trying to recreate the feeling that had brought her here only in reverse. It worked surprisingly well and surprisingly quickly, her body flickering as the endless guttural voices began to dim. Unfortunately the room’s occupants quickly realized this and Twilight watched in horror as they all began to approach her, each one speaking at the same time.
Her hearing had already begun to become muddied though and the words blurred together as their thoughts became more and more distant. With desperation fueling her actions, Twilight shoved as hard as she could, using as much energy as possible in order to get away from the strange creatures. Her senses finally dulled completely, her body flickering and vanishing from the room.
The feeling of weightlessness coupled with the endless darkness quickly returned, with the filly falling backwards as she traversed the space between space. For a moment she felt her efforts resisted, and the tugging returned, the feeling emanating from the place it had first originated from. With fear now aiding her desperate bid to escape, her psychic might increased and for a moment they were at a stalemate, the filly unable to break away from the pull she still felt but also no longer slowly backsliding towards them.
That was until she closed her eyes tighter and tried to focus on what she felt, the fear, and desperation had given her the strength to get away but were not enough to fully return her to her body. Panic had begun to creep up her spine, until Celestia’s smiling face suddenly flashed through her mind, reminding the filly that not only was she fighting for herself, but also for the one pony that she cared about more than perhaps any other.
With a grunt of exertion Twilight put everything she had into her efforts to push away from the strange creatures that had so coldly called for her death. Her efforts were rewarded and she quickly found the strength of the tug vanish, allowing Twilight to continue her flight through the void, the unicorn landing in her own body a few seconds later. She did not want to wake up quite yet though as she knew that she would be summoned back to that strange place the second her defences wavered. With that fear firmly in mind, Twilight summoned all her power and did everything she could to erect a wall between herself and where she felt the tug originate from.
It was a strange process, one that she did not know how to truly begin, or how to even accomplish for that matter. Yet despite this lack of experience, she continued to shove every last ounce of the strange strength that had filled her, putting it to use in order to keep her mind walled off from Mother and the others.
After what felt like eternity, something clicked in Twilight’s mind and she realized she had fortified her psyche as much as was possible. The voices which had first dulled to the point of nearly becoming inaudible were now muted entirely, leaving Twilight alone in her own mind for the first time in what felt like forever. Even the thoughts of the ponies of the castle seemed dulled somewhat, and though Twilight had never been able to truly read their minds before, now she could hardly even detect their thoughts at all.
A wide smile came to the filly’s face and she couldn't help but grin when she realized that she was at least a little more normal. That smile faltered when she realized what had just happened and that she was still asleep.
With a sudden gasp, Twilight returned fully to her body, her eyes snapping open and revealing her pitch black room. Her curtains were closed, meaning the room should be shrouded utterly in shadow, yet Twilight’s eyes picked up nearly every detail of the small room, her glowing orbs easily able to pierce the mundane darkness that surrounded her.
Lifting a shaky hoof, Twilight thought back to those terrifying last moments she had spent in the presence of those creatures. Her limb appeared normal, yet Twilight knew it was not the hoof of a pony, for she was not truly a pony any longer. She was one of them, one of the zerg, and from the impression she received from the others, this was not a change that would be easily undone.