All that need be said of zerg larva is this: A pony like Twilight Sparkle could present a three hour slide show full big words, graphs and colours on them. A pony like Rainbow Dash would not bother for three seconds.
Beyond the apparent and the academic, few give the humble larva much thought at all. What does this little plated worm think, if anything? Do they huddle amongst one another, dreaming up for each other what they might become; the swift, the cunning, the mighty?
Fluttershy liked to think so, though it was in her nature to find the best in everything. She had just one of the mewling creatures in her care, and felt just terribly that Silky Wriggles was all on his lonesome - none of the other creatures wanted to be his friend.
In her secretest heart, she could admit - if only to herself - that he...she...it just possibly maybe sorta kinda wasn’t the nicest looking creature, but Fluttershy wouldn’t dream to be so mean as to even think such a nasty thought.
Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Even if that cover drooled. That’s what Twilight would say, and she knew so much about everything, even if what she’d actually said had been: Fluttershy, I hope you’re not consorting with eldritch abominations that befoul nature itself.
A pitiful squeak of worry didn’t count as a lie, did it? Oh, she’d hate to have lied to her friend, but how could she have just left the poor little thing there all alone...at the heart of a planet wide infestation, true,...but every other larva at the hatchery was on its mutable way to becoming something, and poor little Silky Wriggles must have felt so alone...she just had to help it.
As it was, Fluttershy struggled to fly with the weight of Silky Wriggles grasped in her trembling hooves, helping it to a nearby stream so she could bathe it.
It was quite a bit further than her usual spots, but Fluttershy wanted to brook no chances that ponies who - despite all their wonderful and good traits - might not stop to give him the same chance everything deserved.
She dropped the soap and sponge as she brought the larva in for a gentle landing, Sheltered by trees, Fluttershy set Silky Wriggles at the edge of a brisk stream, then turned away to quickly get the implements of torture, er, cleaning.
Not two steps had she taken when - either by intellect or no, - Silky Wriggles plopped down into the flowing waters.
Fluttershy went from placid to panic at a speed that would have dizzied Rainbow Dash.
“Oh no! Silky! Silky!” she cried, and things couldn’t get any worse as the larva sank and rose like an ugly bauble.
Even though she took wing and chased after, she couldn’t get a firm grip on the wet, wriggling mass as he bounced through the rapids. He took a frightful plunge, then bobbed back to the surface, and came around a bend into calmer water.
Fluttershy breathed with relief as she caught up to the floating larva once more, which just goes to show that she had an insufficient knowledge of dramatic river scene cliches. Seriously, these things are old as geography, and as consistent.
A plunge, and deceptively calmer water, by all the conventions of drama, can only mean one thing. Indeed it did mean one thing. One very big thing. Or more specifically, a lack of a very big thing, namely the ground.
The water sped on as it raced into the hungry roar ahead.
“Waterfall!” Fluttershy cried and clutched at the squirming Silky Wriggles, but again she couldn’t get a strong enough grip, one to pull him out and also not drag her in. And then he went over, into the cascading mist.
“Silky, no!” Fluttershy screamed, she rushed over the edge fast as she could, flying down in a terrified daze fast as she could. For all her drive, she was no Rainbow Dash, and the larva fell faster, propelled by the weight of water behind him. So focused on his plummet was she that the pegasus never saw the leaf heavy branch she smacked into, like a hard, unforgiving safety net, fouling her wings with twigs.
Silky Wriggles, for his part, was falling. This much has been made clear. None can be sure if the creature actually had thoughts at all, and if so, of what calibre. But Fluttershy watched helplessly as he fell.
And then the Quarry Eel struck the suddenness of thunder from the cliffside, snatching the morsel from the air. It chomped poor little Silky Wriggles down in one, all consuming bite. Its eyes crossed with bad taste and pain, and furious at the disappointing snack, spat the helpless creature out so hard he cracked off the opposite wall, then fell to the canyon floor before.
Fluttershy winced and looked away at the last second, her eyes full of tears.
And then the avalanche happened, and ten tonnes of merciless rock crashed down atop Silky Wriggles, falling so hard it crumbled and cracked and split every which way as it struck.
The last pebbles were still bouncing as Fluttershy reached the canyon floor, her whole body quivering on the verge of a bout of sorrow, a hole in her heart more expansive than this very canyon.
And then she found Silky Wriggles, wriggling free of debris. The whole world lit up once more, and Fluttershy’s heart swelled.
“You’re okay!” she cried, and cried, and cried for joy. The sobbing broke through her in a torrent, all the stress and worry and release draining away from her. She hugged Silky Wriggles with all the strength in her legs and the much greater strength in her heart, rambling away the sweet relief of love.
One thing that must be said of zerg larva is this: they are not, in fact, tough as nails. They are undoubtedly a whole lot tougher than mere iron. Such a trait would probably give larva a laid back, even blaise attitude towards life.
Fluttershy flew Silky Wriggles home, holding him so tight she might never let go, and it turned out he really could think, and his thought was this:
Need to find a bigger river. Almost escaped this time.