Incursion
Looking around the rooftops, Twilight found herself horrified by what she beheld. All around her ponies fought desperately against the tide of confused and feral zerg, whose numbers were far greater than Twilight had first sensed. Already she could hear shots ringing out in all directions as the militia joined the fray, and in the distance she could hear the sound of bells, signalling the town was under attack.
“Spike!” Twilight exclaimed, her gaze turning back in the direction of the hall, and to where she knew the dragon was.
A quick glance into the drake’s mind told Twilight that he was okay, and that Silver Bulwark and him were held up in a bookstore not far from here. The immediate danger now gone, Twilight scanned the rooftops once more, her horn glowing as she tried to follow the now dissipating field of magic back to its source. The process of tracking another’s magic was usually a futile effort only possible by the most well-trained ponies around, but this was different.
The spell was so large, so powerful, and used so much magic that it was less searching for a needle in a haystack as it was looking for a cart in a haystack. After a short channel Twilight found herself looking towards the east, and at one of the empty guard houses which overlooked the town. Though at first she saw nothing, a brief shimmer told her there was at least one pony standing atop the tower, though they were obscured by an imperfect invisibility spell.
Utilizing her other powers, Twilight reached out with her mind, and found two beings standing atop the tower, each one looking out over the town emotionlessly. Looking away, Twilight ground her teeth together, rage building in her chest the moment she realized just who was looking down at them. It was obvious that the houses’ agents were here, and worse yet, one felt familiar, very familiar.
Pushing their presence out of her mind, Twilight looked down at the town, a battle plan forming in the back of her mind. The zerg were feral, likely captured by the houses’ scientists and turned loose for the purpose of testing the town’s primitive defences with a secondary objective of taking her and Cadance out of the picture. She would need to find the other mare, secure her, and then work with the guard to eliminate the zerg threat.
The first step would be reconnecting with Spike and Silver Bulwark, a plan that was easier said than done given that there were a small horde of zerg between her and the besieged bookstore. Twilight considered the connection she shared with the other zerg, only to qual at the thought of all those hungry, angry minds intruding upon her own. Worse yet, it might very well be a trap, Twilight realized, one meant to make her open herself to the zerg only to end up being controlled.
Which was something she simply could not risk no matter how unlikely it may be.
Summoning her magic, Twilight stomped her hooves and chanted the necessary words to open a portal and summon forth a trio of medium-sized fire elementals. The floating masses of living flame hovered above the ground, their bodies vaguely bipedal with a pair of enormous fiery arms extending from equally large shoulders. They lacked any legs to speak of though, their torsos ending in a pillar of flame that kept them aloft despite no apparent means of flight.
“Slay every zerg you encounter and secure the perimeter of the hall,” Twilight commanded.
The fire elementals nodded briefly before descending upon the streets, each one wading into a small throng of zerg and burning their way towards the hall. Twilight contemplated the intelligence of letting loose a bunch of fire elementals, but the spell that summoned them should keep them under control, and most of the buildings were stone or metal anyway. Putting that thought aside, Twilight leapt from the rooftop, and began to follow in the wake of her elemental soldiers.
Twilight paid little mind to the already dead and dying zerg which littered the area, her body already in motion, and headed towards the bookstore she had seen in Spike’s mind. Sprinting down the street, Twilight stopped briefly to fire a mana bolt through the window of a house just as an armless hydralisk was about to bite down on the neck of a father who was shielding his children from harm. Twilight only paid them enough attention to confirm the zerg was dead before running away, ignoring the confused cries coming from within the house.
Sprinting around the corner, Twilight readied herself for resistance, the pony knowing that this street would not be as clear, given that her fire elementals were going in a different direction. She wouldn't let a little danger slow her though, and didn't stop for a second as she surveyed the battlefield that lay before her. To her right a trio of Celestia’s soldiers were in the middle of a fight with a small pack of zerglings, while to her left a group of stallions were kicking a roach to death.
Without slowing, Twilight reached out and crushed the zerglings with her mind, before lighting her horn and whipping a fireball at a strange winged zerg who swooped down from the cover of a four story building. Wings now useless, the mutalisk tumbled to the ground, killed by its own momentum and splattering its burning guts all across the road. The soldiers hardly had a chance to realize what was going on before the unicorn sprinted past them.
Looking down the road, Twilight could see the bookstore near the end of the street, a whole host of zerg all banging on the entrance and trying to force their way inside. Twilight couldn't think about them yet though, as something large was coming this way, the very ground under her hooves trembling. A second later an enormous two story tall beast thundered down the road while letting out a fearsome cry of challenge.
Though the infested mare could instantly tell that this creature was malformed, with the beast sporting only a single scythe-like arm and standing half the height it was supposed to, it was still quite large, and incredibly dangerous. It was also ignoring everything else and focusing completely on Twilight, its comparatively small eyes staring intently into the unicorn’s own. Gardens, corpses, and stalls were crushed beneath the ultralisk’s great bulk, yet Twilight didn't flinch.
Summoning her magic, Twilight remained motionless, merely picking up a stone, before building more and more power into her horn even as the creature bore down on her. She could hear the cries of panic, coming from the celestial soldiers, as well as the stallions Twilight had seen earlier but she ignored them. Thirty feet, twenty feet, the creature continued to barrel down on her, bellowing a distorted cry the entire time.
With a grunt, Twilight released her spell and the small rock she had picked up a few seconds ago all but exploded, shooting out with such speed that it broke the sound barrier. In an instant the ultralisk went from confident to confused, its legs giving out from under it as it struggled to process its own death. Brain matter leaked out of the whole in its head and pulped organs oozed out of holes in its sides as blood rushed out of its mouth. By the time the beast hit the ground it was already gone, and Twilight was in motion once more.
With a pulse of magic she teleported further down the street, landing in the midst of the other zerg just as they were about to break through the hastily erected barrier placed at the forefront of the book store. Landing on top of a drone, Twilight tore the eyes from the creature’s head before lashing out at a nearby hydralisk, sending the contents of its skull splattering across the road with the power of her kick. The zerg were quick, and their surprise didn't last as long as Twilight wanted, with the entire group turning towards her.
Lighting her horn, Twilight leapt up from the drone as it sputtered and shot acid randomly, screeching all the while. As she came down, Twilight punched a hoof into the head of a zergling, causing all the flesh above its neck to instantly necrotise, killing it before it knew what had happened. As she hit the ground she pulled on her psionic power and shoved the nearest attackers away from her. Stunned and confused, the closest roach was turned into a teacup before it had a chance to even know where its enemy was.
With only two hydralisks left, Twilight brought both of her powers to bear simultaneously, forcing the creatures to face upwards and utilizing both kinds of telekinesis at the same time. The dagger like projectiles they fired at her went wide as the creatures struggled against the forces holding them back. They didn't struggle long though as Twilight grunted and poured power into her abilities, tearing them in half with sheer psionic and magical might.
Panting, Twilight trod forward, unbothered by the ichor and blood that pooled all around her. As she approached the shattered window, she reached forward and grabbed the still flailing drone by the claws before driving her horn directly through one of its empty eye sockets. After pulling back her horn, and whipping her head to the side, Twilight discarded the bloody remnants of the zerg’s brain which had clung to her.
She could hear commotion coming from within, as well as see several pairs of curious, and fearful eyes peering out from between the cracks in the wall of furniture. Not wanting to waste any time, Twilight simply pulled aside the debris with a wave of her hoof, causing the ponies inside to stumble back in panic. Silver Bulwark was quick to fill the gap, a greatsword in her telekinetic grip, her armor stained red and green by blood and gore.
“Silver Bulwark, stand down, we have work to do,” Twilight commanded.
The guard pushed her helmet up to reveal her shocked face. “Holy shit, is that you, Twilight? I didn't recognize you under all… that,” Silver remarked, gesturing to the unicorn’s body.
“I told you she was coming,” Spike declared, shoving his way past the guard and sprinting up to his mother.
“Good, you are both safe,” Twilight exclaimed with a sigh, only now catching sight of who the other sets of eyes belonged to. “And you did well protecting them.”
Spike grinned and nodded. “Bull wanted to go help you, but I knew you were fine.”
“You did the right thing, Spike,” Twilight announced before motioning for her guard to exit the building. “I’ll erect a barrier that will keep the zerg out. We have to locate Cadance.”
Silver Bulwark pushed the grille of helmet back down before placing the greatsword on her back. “Sounds good, but how do you even know where she is?”
Twilight lit her horn and quickly conjured a partial dome shield over the entrance to the bookstore. “I placed a life detection enchantment on her earlier this week in case something like this happened, so if she's alive, I can track her. Right now she’s still in the hall, no doubt protecting the partygoers as we speak,” she explained.
“Did you tell her? Because that doesn't sound-” Silver began, only to be interrupted by Spike.
“We can argue about the morality of it later. We have a princess to save,” declared the drake.
“Right, which means we need to move, now,” Twilight added.
“I’m right behind you,” proclaimed Silver Bulwark.
Twilight nodded briefly, giving one last glance to the still terrified foals inside the store, their fear making her spine itch for some reason. Looking away, Twilight focused on the job ahead of her and began to sprint back the way she came. As she ran, she noticed the stallions she saw earlier were mingling with the guards, who seemed confused and directionless.
“I’ve set up a safe zone in that store,” Twilight shouted, gesturing to the shop she had just came from. “Start directing survivors into that building and fortify it with everything you have.”
It seemed like the guards were going to argue for a second, only to nod, with the tallest one stepping forward. “You heard the mare, get on it. Stout Staff, Breakwater, you are with the locals, start rounding everypony up. The rest of you lot is with me, let’s secure that area.”
Both the stallions and guard fell into line, following the orders of the tall, well-built pegasus.
Twilight didn't give the group a second glance before she continued on, both her son and her guard close on her heels. The unicorn could feel the worry emanating from her companions as she ran, but didn't let that get to her, she needed to stay focused. Using her psionic abilities, Twilight sent out a mental pulse and created a crude mental map of nearby enemies and allies.
Few zerg were around, most having dispersed after the death of the ultralisk, though if this was some sort of response due to the beast’s death or coincidence, Twilight wasn't sure. Either way she didn't have time to think of the great monster as she could feel two more zerg coming down a nearby alley. Throwing out her hooves, Twilight slid to a halt, and spun in the direction of the creatures, her horn already blazing with life.
Confused and surprised, Silver Bulwark reacted quickly, the mare drawing her weapon as Spike fell in behind her, the dragon holding a spear he had picked up at some point. No words needed to pass between them, and a second later the enemies emerged, the creatures rolling towards them. Bright green liquid filled their abdomens, barely contained by their thin, fragile carapace.
“Wait. Use spells, these have acid,” Twilight shouted, holding back Silver Bulwark with a hoof.
Silver Bulwark nodded before lighting her own horn and extending her hoof towards the banelings rolling towards them. A second later and two phantom daggers sprung into existence from the end of the mare’s hoof before flying towards the creatures. The magical constructs tore through the banelings with terrifying efficiency, spilling acid and organs across the ground.
Tugging her companions along, Twilight forced them onwards, silently thankful that she could sense there were no enemies left between herself and the hall. Now on the main road once more, Twilight followed after the scorch marks left by her elementals. Her connection to the summons told her that they were still alive, or as alive as semi-sentient fire could be anyway.
Only for all three to flicker and die one after another, making the mare pick up speed, her companions quickly following suit a second later.
Careening around the final corner, Twilight saw the hall come into view and nearly stopped as her senses caught up with her. A veritable swarm of zerg were centered on the large, three story stone building, many banging on the walls, or ramming their heads against the stonework. Worse yet, Twilight could feel some sort of tug at the back of her mind, directing her towards the hall itself.
Brushing aside that feeling, Twilight continued to sprint towards the building, her companions easily keeping pace with her. Both unicorns’ horns blazed with life, and with an explosive crack, Twilight let loose a bolt of white hot lightning. Upon hitting the first zergling, the bolt jumped to the nearest zerg who happened to be a slightly malformed hydralisk who was already missing half of its face. From there it jumped to several other targets, frying a drone, another zergling and one final roach, who was left stunned but not killed.
The barrage didn't end there though, as Silver Bulwark skidded to a stop for a moment before raising her hooves above her head and chanting in ancient unicornian. With one final shout to the heavens, the guard brought her hooves down hard against the ground, a pulse of white magic exploding from the point of impact. A second later, and a great ethereal battle axe sprung into existence above the main entrance and came down with such thunderous force that the ground shook.
The zerg not initially annihilated by the axe’s impact were pulped by the shockwave that emanated from the point of impact. With a good two thirds of their enemies now reduced to paste or smoking corpses, Twilight was finally able to see the entrance. Tables, chairs and desks were piled behind the doors, though at some point they had been breached, yet the zerg didn't seem smart enough to relay that information to their brethren.
Only a handful of the creatures were left, though Twilight could already feel dozens of new ones swarming from all directions. Not wanting to lose her momentum, Twilight used her magic to grab a nearby baneling which had sat frozen until now in her magic and squeezed it out over a group of nearby zerglings. The ensuing shrieking made the pony wish she could turn her ears off, but the job was done and the immediate threat was dealt with.
Spike skidded to a stop just outside the door, the drake clutching his spear tightly. “So what's the plan? Do we hold here, or what?” he asked quickly.
Twilight shook her head. “I’ll put up a quick barrier, but we have to move inside and find Cadance. I can sense she is close.”
Silver Bulwark nodded. “Right.”
Lighting her horn once more, Twilight erected a barrier over the opening before she trotted into the hall. Bodies of zerg and ponies alike littered the floor inside, the stench making Twilight’s nose crinkle in disgust. The smell of death hung heavy in the air, and Twilight and her companions were forced to see the ugly results of this surprise attack.
The zerg did not discriminate as bodies of mares and stallions, young and old littered the ground sporadically, some having been partially torn apart. Forcing her eyes up, Twilight used her connection with Spike to ensure he did the same, keeping down his urge to vomit while also ensuring he stayed focused. Trotting past the corpses, Twilight entered into the hall proper, leaving the small entryway behind and stepping onto what had once been a dance floor.
Bodies continued to litter the ground, though here at least, most seemed to be of zerg whom had been foolish enough to get in the way of someone incredibly strong. Zerglings lay strewn across the ground, their legs torn from their bodies and tossed aside without a second thought. Bodies were crushed, organs pulped, and few ponies could be seen amidst the carnage, most being large earth ponies whom had evidently died in the room’s defence.
“There! The back room!” Silver Bulwark shouted before pulling her blade from her back and charging a duo of hydralisks slashing at a wooden door.
Leaping over the corpse of a headless roach, Silver Bulwark brought her magically keen sword down hard against the backside of the first hydralisk, cutting it clean in two. The second hydralisk seemed to be faster than most, and quickly turned and fired several dagger-like projectiles, which bounced harmlessly off Silver Bulwark’s armor. With a snarl of rage, the guard lit her horn and charged, projectiles continuing to bounce off of her like they were little more than toothpicks.
With a flash of magic she tackled the hydralisk and crushed it against a nearby walls, turning its head, and most of its midsection into a bloody goo. Twilight was quick to follow her up, and ran up to the door, quickly realizing that there was a large bookcase behind it.
“Hey, open up! We got survivors here!” Twilight shouted.
A relieved sigh could be heard from behind the bookcase. “It’s Celestia’s student. Get this thing out of the way!” a voice shouted.
A second being grunted, and through the holes in the door Twilight could see a stallion and a mare shuffling the bookcase out of the way for them. Not waiting for the other ponies, Twilight pushed it open and strode inside, ushering her companions in after her before turning to the ponies.
“Where is Cadance?” she demanded.
The two ponies blinked in shock. “She went up to the roof to try save some ponies who panicked,” the mare quickly responded.
“Yeah, just go down the hall but watch out, a few of those monsters got in before we could seal the door and we haven't had the chance to deal with them yet,” added the stallion.
Twilight nodded. “Let’s go.”
Knowing that her companions would be right behind her, Twilight took off at a sprint, leaping over fallen debris and passing by a long row of closed doors before taking a left at the bend. More doors lined either side of the hallway, while most were closed, one had been torn off its hinges, blood splattering across the entryway. Zerg cries and a familiar bellow of pain could be heard just beyond, one that Twilight recognized all too well.
With panic coursing through her, Twilight sprinted to the door and was just in time to watch as Steel Heart pulled apart a zergling by grabbing its front legs and ripping it straight down the middle. Gore and blood cascaded over the enraged and bloodied mare who didn't seem to care about the fact that she was now covered in the blood and organs of her slain foes. Hydralisk projectiles stuck out of her body at various points, and dozens of shallow slashes were visible all over her coat, yet she did not seem weakened by this one bit.
Behind her cowered a small group of foals who hid under the stairs which lead up to the floor above and beyond that, presumably the roof. That wasn't the only enemy in the room though, and a splatter of acid made Steel Heart stumble back in pain, the mare desperately trying to clean the burning liquid from her foreleg. The roach in the corner didn't have time to fire a second time though, as Twilight grabbed the thing with her mind and crushed it into a ball about one third of its original size.
“Help’s here, we got you,” Silver Bulwark announced before sliding in next to the pony, her horn glowing, a healing spell already partially complete.
Steel Heart looked up and sighed, her small smile turning into a grimace as Twilight pulled out one of the hydralisk daggers that had been embedded in her shoulder. “Took you long enough. Thought for a second I was going to have to crush all these bugs myself,” Steel Heart muttered, the enormous pony stumbling slightly and falling on her rump.
Looking over the pony’s many injuries, it was hard to imagine the earth pony surviving them for long without assistance. Twilight’s thoughts instantly went out to the parasite she had in her pocket dimension, and she considered using it before Silver Bulwark’s spell completed and the worst of the mare’s wounds closed.
“You should live, but be careful with that leg. Acid isn't exactly easy to heal,” Silver Bulwark cautioned.
Steel Heart chuckled bitterly. “Don't you worry about me. It's going to take more than a few puny darts and a couple of ugly dogs to take me down.”
The foals peeked from around the corner, revealing that there were over a dozen of them. “Is she going to be okay?” one rather brave one asked.
“She’s going to be fine,” Spike declared.
“Do these stairs go all the way up to the roof?” Twilight asked.
Steel Heart blinked and nodded. “It should. I don't think anything got past me otherwise there would be a hell of a lot more screaming.”
“Good, let’s go,” Twilight commanded, already sprinting up the stairs.
Silver Bulwark and Spike were quick to follow, leaving a grinning Steel Heart to pick herself off the ground and motion for the foals to follow behind the infested mare. “Get to the second floor kiddos, I’ll watch your back.”
The children all did as they were told, leaving a suddenly exhausted Steel Heart to nearly slump back to the ground. “Come on, old girl. We still got work to do,” she muttered.
Upstairs, Twilight sprinted across the mayor’s office space, making a beeline for the roof access and ignoring the looks coming from the huddled, fearful ponies hiding in the various offices. The clank of Silver’s steel-shod hooves and the distinct sound of a panting dragon told Twilight that her friends were still right behind her. A quick check of her detection spell told her that the alicorn was right above her, and her psionic abilities told her there were several zerg up there as well. One whom was clearly more powerful than the others and was likely the source of the tugging feeling she had detected earlier.
The psionic potential of this newest creature was staggering, at least compared to the usually non-existent power levels of most creatures she met. There was also something else about the zerg’s mind that made Twilight feel uncomfortable, though she couldn't quite put her hoof on why she felt that way. Shouldering her way through a door, Twilight didn't slow for so much as a second, the pony leaping up the stairs three at a time.
Upon reaching the roof Twilight was forced to trod over the corpse of a middle-aged stallion who had a long, dagger-like projectile sticking out of one of his eyes. Though it seemed different from the usual ones she had seen hydralisks use, Twilight didn't have time to think about that, and simply kept going. Upon reaching the rooftop, Twilight found the reason she had felt the tugging at the back of her mind, and also the source of this greater zerg she had sensed.
In the center of the wide, flat roof stood one of the strangest creatures Twilight had ever seen before. Though it resembled Starlight, it was clearly completely zerg, unlike the half-pony creature who had so desperately wanted Celestia’s essence. One half of its body was smaller than the other, and she was missing an eye due to a good part of her face being scorched black, but that didn't stop her from firing strange projectiles with deadly accuracy.
Projectiles that flew towards two foals and their mother who were cowering off to the side of the roof near the edge, Cadance standing tall before them. Before the spines reached their target, Cadance brought her wing down, the limb glowing and causing the objects to bounce harmlessly off of her. Seeing the alicorn alive made Twilight’s heart leap in her chest, only for her obvious wounds to fill the mare with fear.
Spines riddled the alicorn’s body, and though none seemed to have hit anything essential, one wing hung limply at the side and a great pool of blood lay beneath her hooves. Seeing such damage instantly made Twilight’s mind go to the parasite she had been ready to use a moment earlier. Before she could do that she would need to kill the queen currently attacking her foalsitter though, as she would need time to work.
With a slight push of her will, she kept Spike back, not trusting his scales to stand up to the queen’s spines. “Hey ugly, over here!” Twilight shouted.
With a wordless cry of rage, the queen spun towards Twilight, projectiles already shooting from her body. Twilight was ready though, and using her psionic abilities, she knocked aside each one of the queen’s attacks, batting them easily aside, before reaching out and grabbing the creature, intent on simply crushing its head with her mind. That didn't happen though, as the feral queen seemed to fight back, its own psionic powers just barely holding Twilight at bay.
It didn't seem able to multitask though, and it was forced to devote itself completely to fighting back against Twilight, leaving an opening Silver Bulwark could exploit. Hefting her sword high into the air, Silver Bulwark charged, yelling a wordless battle cry as she did so. Trapped between defending herself psionically and physically, the queen looked back and forth between Twilight and Silver Bulwark.
Then in a split second, it tried to scuttle backwards out of the guard’s swing, giving Twilight just enough of an opening to crush its skull and destroy its brain. Skidding to a stop, Silver Bulwark gave the crumpled queen a kick for good measure before stopping and putting her sword on her back.
Twilight didn't give the zerg a second thought though, only stopping long enough to notice the deep burns across a good third of its body and ponder how it had destroyed her elementals. Then she turned, and ran over to the wounded alicorn who still stood half over the two ponies, panting heavily as her blood ran in great rivers.
“Thank the stars,” Cadance muttered. “I don't know how long I could have held out.”
“Shh, it's okay,” Twilight replied, while motioning for Spike to join them. “I have something that can heal-”
“There's more!” screamed the tiny voice of the foal Cadance was still protecting.
Spinning around, Twilight saw two zerglings scamper up onto the side of the building, having taken an old fire escape staircase up to the top floor. Growling irritably, Twilight mentally commanded Spike to watch over Cadance before bringing her psionic power and magic to bear. A trio of manabolts brought down the first zergling while a wave of force caused the second to fly off the roof and splatter across the ground below.
The sound of claws scrabbling against metal made Twilight realize that more were coming up the stairs, a fact confirmed by her psionic abilities detecting multiple incoming zerg. Sprinting over to the edge of the building, Twilight began working on a spell which she planned on unleashing shortly after her target came into view. Dozens of zerg of various sizes and types were all climbing up the metal stairs, making the entire thing sag slightly under their weight.
A quick visual scan told Twilight that her plan would work, and after one final push of magic, she released her spell. A beam of white hot energy tore through the supports holding the staircase to the wall just as a zergling reached the top. Without anything keeping it bolted to the building, the entire thing went crashing to the ground, crushing most of the zerg and causing the rest to attack one another in confusion.
Spinning back around, Twilight was ready to reach into her pocket dimension once more, only for the entire building to shake unexpectedly. “What is it this time?” Twilight growled and spun back around.
Only to come nearly face to face with an enormous ultralisk who was eye level with the top floor of the three story building, its body glowing faintly, runes carved into its flesh at various points. “With me you two, Cadance watch the family!” Twilight shouted.
“But Silver Bulwark isn't done, Cadance is injured and bleeding every-” Spike began.
“If we don't kill this thing, everyone on or in this building is going to die,” Twilight barked back. “Cadance is strong enough to hold on a little longer before we heal her.”
The alicorn nodded wearily. “I can hold on for a few more minutes, focus on that monster first.”
Silver Bulwark, and Spike both seemed to hesitate before joining Twilight at the edge of the building. The ultralisk itself seemed confused, the beast looking around for direction, only for a lightning bolt to hit it in the back and cause it to roar in rage. Twilight had just enough time to notice a pair of unicorns standing atop a nearby building before they teleported away a second later.
The four great scythe-like limbs of the beast opened wide before coming down, intent on crushing the entire building in a single attack. With little time to plan, or cast a spell, Twilight was forced to use her mind alone, grabbing the ultralisk’s limbs and giving everything she had into holding them back. The sheer exertion made Twilight cry out in pain, the beast’s enormous muscles straining against Twilight’s hold, though they remained locked in place for the moment at least.
Noticing this opening, and how hard Twilight was struggling, Spike breathed deep and spat a ball of flame directly into the ultralisk’s unguarded face. The greenish purple ball of fire never connected though, as a rune etched into the creature’s forehead flashed briefly, causing the dragon’s attack to vanish. Silver Bulwark launched her own attack immediately after, her magic conjuring a rain of silver daggers that fell upon the beast. Only for another set of runes to light up and cause most of the daggers to vanish, and the rest to lose the majority of their momentum and bounce off the ultralisk’s thick hide.
“Do something, hurry!” Twilight shouted, veins bulging on her forehead as a thin dribble of blood trickled from her nose.
“Now’s the time to put your training to use, Spike!” Silver Bulwark shouted as she began to cast another spell, this one evidently much more complicated, requiring her to move and chant at the same time.
Spike nodded, gripped his spear, and blew flames over the tip, causing the end to light up with a bright blue flame that burned incredibly hot, yet didn't damage his spear. Without missing a beat, he wound up and hurtled the weapon directly at the beast’s face, his weapon flying straight and true. The first rune lit up again, and caused the flames to wither, but not die, only slowing his spear slightly.
Upon hitting his target, Spike found his weapon did little to hurt the enormous monster, but it did make it roar in pain, giving Twilight the breathing room she needed to shove the beast back a few feet. Collapsing to the ground, Twilight panted hard, her breathing ragged, and her head pounding from the toll her powers had placed upon her. She wanted to command her friends, to tell them to attack while the time was right, but she couldn't so much as muster a single word.
Thankfully for her, she didn't have to say anything, as Spike and Silver Bulwark leapt off the building. Silver’s magic wrapped around them both, causing their fall to slow just enough to leave them unharmed. Upon hitting the ground, Silver Bulwark ran straight at the monster, while Spike went around its side, scooping up a dropped sword as he did so. Twilight wanted to go to them, but with her head pounding and a bleeding, and panting Cadance close by, she was conflicted.
Looking back revealed that the alicorn had pulled most of the spines from her body, and though her wounds were terrible and she was rapidly losing blood, she was still standing. “Cadance, I-” Twilight began, only to be cut off.
“I’m fine, Twilight. A little blood loss won't kill me, I still have time. Your son and friend have even less than me,” Cadance replied.
Twilight took a glance down at the small ocean of scarlet liquid pooled about the mare’s legs, and nodded solemnly, trusting in the alicorn’s natural toughness. “Alright. But you are not allowed to die on me,” Twilight reprimanded before turning and leaping off the roof.
Cadance chuckled. “Don't worry, I’m not going anywhere.”
Leaping down from the building, Twilight was just in time to see Silver Bulwark get knocked through the wall of a nearby shop, the armored mare having gotten backhanded by one of the ultralisk’s great limbs. Twilight knew how tough her armor was though, and didn't spare the pony a second glance, focusing instead on Spike, who had somehow climbed atop the beast’s crest and was slashing and burning away at the rune placed upon it.
Without Silver Bulwark to distract it though, Spike was swiftly bucked off the creature’s head, and sent flying into the air. Sensing his panic, Twilight reached out with her magic, and grabbed the drake before he could get launched out of range, placing him down at the edge of the road. Now face to face with the great monster, Twilight realized just how well and truly massive the creature was. It easily towered over her, and weighed in at probably a thousand times her current mass, and that was only just her initial guess.
Without any enemies to distract it, the beast shook itself, before gazing down upon Twilight and letting out another roar of challenge. Twilight knew she had mere moments before it bore down on her, and so she chose to break out the one spell Celestia had told her to never use. Muttering an apology to her mentor, Twilight began the casting, the pony chanting while also waving her forehooves in an intricate series of motions. While this happened, she used her psionic powers to slow the beast down, stopping it from simply taking a few steps forward and crushing her underfoot.
She didn't try to stop it completely though, as that was simply out of the range of possibilities for her now that she had used so much of her power. Instantly the beast’s movements slowed as if it were slogging through neck-high water, giving Twilight time, and further enraging the enormous monster. Its bellow of rage made Twilight’s bones rattle and the ground under her shake, and Twilight made a note to complain to Celestia about just how long the spell took to cast.
Stupid old spells and their semantic and physical components, Twilight mentally cursed, her headache increasing tenfold by the second.
The ultralisk continued to slowly plod down the street, until its great limbs were in range, Twilight’s spell reaching its final stages just as the zerg’s blades were closing down around her. I won't have enough time, Twilight realized a second before the ultralisk found itself slowed even further, a silver aura surrounding its bladed limbs.
Out of the corner of her eye Twilight could see Silver Bulwark stride out of the rubble of someone’s house, her armor badly dented but not destroyed. The extra few seconds Silver Bulwark bought her were just enough for Twilight to complete the spell, her head pounding so hard it was difficult to see straight. She had done it though, and with one final thrust of her forehooves, Twilight cried out the primal name of the sun and called forth its power.
And the sun responded in kind, a great pillar of flame coming down from the heavens and slamming into the ultralisk’s back. For a moment it seemed like the runes were going to be enough to hold out, the pillar stopped in mid-air just above the top of the creature’s head. Then, with a great crack, the runes shattered like glass, and the concentrated beam of sunlight crashed down around the beast.
The ensuing howl of pain was completely erased by the far greater roar of energy currently filling the street. With the spell completed, Twilight stumbled to the ground, Silver Bulwark and Spike quick to rush in and grab her before she fell completely. Dragging her back a step, Twilight muttered an unheard thank you, the pony temporarily blinded by the sheer radiance of her spell’s effect.
All sound was consumed by the roar of the flames, all color erased by the raw intensity of the sun’s unbridled fury. The heat of which made Twilight wonder if she was on fire, her nerves temporarily shot from the exterion she had been placed under. The great pillar lasted only a few seconds longer before vanishing all at once, leading to a moment of silence before air rushed in to fill the void. Revealing the smoking body of the great beast lying inert on the ground, the rock beneath it having been heated to the point of it now resembling lava.
Twilight’s horn ached, her head pounded, and though she had strength left in her limbs, it was fleeting and growing more distant by the second. Sending out a ping, Twilight found that there were only a few scattered zerg left, most of whom were fleeing in all directions.
“-alright?” a voice asked, the ringing in Twilight’s ears dissipating just enough to allow her to hear what was going on.
“What?” she muttered, turning to where she assumed the voice had come from.
“Are you okay?” asked the distinct voice of Silver Bulwark, Twilight realizing in that moment that she had indeed been on fire, though Spike was taking care of that by patting her down.
“Fine, where’s Cadance?” Twilight croaked, her lips, face and throat burnt by the heat. “Not much energy left. Need to help her before she bleeds out.”
Silver Bulwark’s helmet was gone, allowing the unicorn to give Twilight an incredulous look. “Twilight, you were just barely on fire, we need to worry about you first.”
“No,” Twilight growled, pushing the unicorn back. “I can take it, Cadance does not have my regenerative abilities, she will die without my help.”
“Look! More of them!” Spike shouted, pointing to the sky.
Twilight spun around in horror, the unicorn looking up to where a four perfectly healthy mutalisks bore down on the roof of the hall in a V-formation. Twilight struggled to stand, limping weakly as she watched the unicorn foal Cadance had been guarding stand in front of her former guardian, her horn glowing brightly. Tiny mana bolts shot out of her horn, and whizzed past the creatures, the foal’s bleeding mother weakly crawling after her, desperate to protect her child.
“Get up there, now!” Twilight shouted, gesturing to the hall roof.
“I’m spent,” Silver Bulwark replied weakly. “I don't have any magic left.”
“We’d have to go through the building,” Spike added.
Twilight didn't hear either of them though, as her eyes were glued on the foal who through tear-strewn eyes continued to launch her tiny mana bolts at the fliers. The mutalisks ignored her attacks, the lead-most flier casually firing some manner of projectile at the foal in order to silence her forever. That attack never landed however, as Cadance dove in the way, protecting the child with what little of her life she had left.
Twilight felt her body hit the ground at the same time she saw Cadance’s do the same, a large glaive sticking out of the middle of the alicorn’s torso, severing her remaining wing and dropping her like a stone. All she could do was watch as the lead-most mutalisk swooped down and grabbed the alicorn with its four-pronged tail before attempting to fly off.
“Cadance!” Twilight shouted, the unicorn pouring everything she had left into her horn.
A thin beam of purple energy sliced the mutalisk in half, severing its tail, and making Cadance plummet to the ground. With one final grunt, Twilight reached out, and using the last of her psionic power, caught the alicorn before she hit the ground. The mutalisks were faster than her however, and by the time Twilight was about to lay her former foalsitter safely out of the way, the fliers were already coming back around.
Seeing the outstretched claws of the new lead mutalisk, Twilight could only scream in wordless rage, helpless as the zerg grabbed Cadance and flew off with her. Something rumbling nearby wasn't enough to distract Twilight as she tried to muster anything she had left. Her horn sparked uselessly, her head pounded with such ferocity that she could hardly think, and there wasn't even a weapon which she could throw at her enemies.
She was defeated, Cadance was gone, and nothing could change that, a fact reinforced by her life detection spell failing as there was no life left to detect.
And then Twilight was airborne. When she landed, the ground shook not from her impact, but because of something else, something very, very large.
Glancing over her shoulder, Twilight saw the ultralisk’s foot lift from the spot Twilight had stood a moment earlier, revealing a broken guard clad in gold armor. Spike was quick to snatch up the pony, but it was a wasted effort as the ultralisk had nothing left, and with one last wheeze it toppled to its side. Spike didn't make it far though, the drake tripping on a piece of rubble and falling before Twilight, Silver Bulwark’s broken body tumbling to the ground once more.
“Silver Bulwark, Bull!” Spike shouted as he gripped the mare’s shoulders. “Twilight you have to give me the thing. It's the only way!”
Twilight couldn't hear his cries however, as her attention was fixated on the broken body of the pony who had just saved her life. Her horn was cracked, as was her skull, her entire head slightly misshapen, yet still she breathed, and looked up at Twilight with hope in her sole remaining eye.
“You are alive. Thank goodness,” she croaked weakly. “Celestia woulda killed me.”
“Twilight, the thing, do it now!” Spike shouted.
Shaken from her stupor, Twilight lit her horn only for her spell to fail. “I can't, I don't have anything left,” Twilight replied.
“Take what you need from me,” Spike pleaded, tears cascading down his cheeks.
Twilight didn't know if that was possible, but she wasn't about to argue. Reaching out, Twilight tried to pull in what energy she could from the dragon, only to find that such a task was far easier than she would have thought. Strength flowed through her, rejuvenating her broken form and giving the unicorn just enough power to retrieve the parasite from her dimensional pocket.
Silver Bulwark, do you want me to save you? Twilight thought, connecting her mind to the dying mare’s.
I swore I’d lay down my life for you, but I have gotten rather fond of being alive, Silver Bulwark thought bitterly, a tiny smile growing on her face.
Without wasting a second longer, Twilight activated the parasite, and shoved the creature towards the mare. The unicorn wasn't sure what happened next, only that Silver Bulwark went limp, and Twilight poured every last bit of borrowed energy into the mare. As she did so, consciousness became more and more difficult to hold onto, until Twilight could no longer see, or sense what was happening before her, and yet still she pressed on.
Only when the last of her power was gone, and darkness loomed, did she finally let go, falling into the void just in time to hear someone gasp for breath.
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I though it would be Cadence that would get it but it seems I was wrong.
You know what they say...
You truly hold nothing down for a new year, aren't you?
Noooooo, Cadence
Twilight's never going let them get away with this, that's for sure.
Bulwark Is now part of the Zerglight swarm!!
Cadance triggered so many narrative death flags that it's actually kinda funny.
Any character with blood loss telling you that they can hold a while longer is going to die , same thing for someone telling you they can handle themselves while heavily injured.
Hell , the heavy character development last chapter was already one , since she mentioned finally feeling whole , and being more or less content with her life.... especially since she said "it's not the last time we see each other."
The only thing she could have done to doom herself more would have been to show a family photo and mention it was her last day before retirement.
Rip dreams of infected Flurry Heart.
Also conflicted about the infestation; Silver is no longer a pony, but infestation is hot, so I guess it's fine.
I'm very curious if Cadences death is permanent, or will she become an infested thrall? Twilight keeps mentioning using the parasite seems to foreshadow this, or I could be wrong.
Or given the time this occured, she's a changeling. It would be "hilarious" if Shining Armor unicorn supremist ended up marrying Chrysalis. It would also make Twilight's reaction in seeing "Cadence" inexplicably alive interesting. And probably drive Shining insane.
Well that's a cliffhanger and a half, next month can't come soon enough.
Oh my.
Railgun'd
Some zealot is interfering, I bet
A queen
You'd better not
"somatic" compontents
But hey, there's a reason high-level wizards are the most dangerous thing in any edition of D&D
Kill Sat activated
A few of Twi's spells demonstrated in this chapter seem strangely Azerothian.
Huh, guess I was wrong, that's good
And now Twi will be on the warpath
Welp, I doubt Celestia nor Twilight will let this go without making very sure that those responsible are brought to justice. This and the presumed death of an alicorn itself will have major consequences, and give good reason for investigation to uncover the treason.
Interesting, here I was thinking that Twiliight would let herself get captured so Cadance could escape.
Well this seems like Queen of Blades Cadences to me, exciting.
Rest in peace, this AU 's Cadance, we briefly knew you.
Shame, they have little to prove the house's involvement here, but they're not the only ones to blame.
Keep going! ;)
I like that Twilight isn’t as strong as I thought. I like it because it shows she can get stronger. Significantly stronger. Especially with this loss.
See, Kerrigan in SC2 got as strong as she did from her experiences. She started out strong, sure, but it was about as strong as Twilight is now. She could do a lot, but she would go down if enough was thrown at her. Then she became the Queen of Blades, and her experience as the Queen gave her more and more power the more she grew into them, the more the Swarm grew. Then she became even stronger by becoming the Swarm.
I can’t really say anything about Stukov, but just knowing the similarities Twilight has with Kerrigan, it’s apparent. Again, especially so with this loss.
Granted I could be wrong, her strength could come from her friends MLP style. Who knows?
I do find it interesting that this kinda opens up a new avenue. There’s currently 2 known Zerg factions in Equestria. Mother’s Swarm and the Indoctrinated Zerg. But Twilight has the potential to make a third faction, in fact she technically already has.
Currently the story I’m most interested in. Keep up the good work.
10014398
I don’t think the Zerg are capable of necromantic procedures. In the lore, there’s never been a case of someone being brought back from the dead. Kerrigan was captured alive and the Infested Terrans are still alive too (despite Lt. Nikara’s insistence that they’re dead.)
I love being able to spot references to real StarCraft mechanics and creatures! The Indoctrinated Zerg, the Apocalisk, even Time Warp and the Purifier Beam!
10014926
Life detection spell failing to detect doesn't necessarily mean she's dead, it could just mean she's extremely close to death and the spell can't tell the difference, we don't really know how exactly the Author intends magic to work in this story (or Alicorns for that matter). Kerrigan was alive when captured but she was likely extremely badly injured in the process (I don't really imagine Kerrigan letting the Zerg capture her particularly easily).
Also the fact that the Zerg do have magical pony-zerg hybrids opens the possibility of Zerg using magic.
10014926
Stukov did.
10015015
Exactly.
10015184
We dont know that for certain. It's only assumed he died. He could've survived on the verge of death for all we know.
And for that matter, even if he was dead, it wasn't the zerg that infested Stukov. It was Amon's lackey, Narud and the Moebius Foundation. With him being a Xel'Naga, basically a God, he could've certainly found a way to bring Stukov back to life, assuming he was dead.
Never assume someone's dead unless you see the body, and even then it's not certain till you see said body destroyed.
10015451
They confirm it several times actually.
Once visually in the game, where you murder stukov over the course of the stories events and his character model goes through a death animation. Then after that they have a full military funeral for him, firing his body into the cold vacuum of space. Then there is also Stukov himself, who said he was brought back from the dead by Narud. Then there are other mentions in the primary zerg campaign for starcraft 2 that reference the fact that Stukov was dead and brought back to life.
10015456
Well my point still stands. The Zerg didn't bring him back to life, they've never done so. Narud brought him back to life,experimenting on him and making him infested as he is.
10013496
Politically, the Zerg made a bold move in attacking a town instead of a village. The magic is something that goes unnoticed when they tear your loved ones to ribbons.
Alright, I have to say that I was wrong in my comment a few chapters ago. You've still kept the original vibe the story had early on instead of turning it into starcraft but with ponies instead of humans/protoss.
I'm glad that I was wrong.
10017080
totally fair. That chapter was heavy with starcraft stuff but that was just so I could get it all out of the way at once and introduce the beginings of what would come later. Something I think you get now. Plus they arent skipping that far ahead. Celestia mentions a few times that she has been holding back technological progress as quality of life is already really high, and anymore isnt really needed. This is just taking the genie out of the bottle so to speak.
My bet on the zerg attempt, make Cadence in
Queen of Blades. Let's see how well this goes for them this time.
rip cadence *sad pony noises*
10017807
Cadence is dead siver is the one twilight turned
10020939
Personally I more betting its Twilight losing magic and not Candace dying. That or her passing out. Because notice its not marked tragedy but I know it doesn’t have all the tabs in can have
10023053
not all tags need to be present, also the spell was powered by cadances life force, not twilights magic so when the spell went dead, it was cause cadance's heart stoped, so unless someone ELSE saved her, shes dead...if you want cadance to not be dead you beter start begging jest now, me personly i was looking forward to infested cadance but if jest decided that it is not a thing, then its there story *shrugs*
I feel so dumb for just noticing that twilight in the picture looks a lot like stukov after infection
mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/w:382/h:266/q:auto/https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/AdmiralStukov.jpg
10039239
lol
Great chapter, and now I really hope Twilight destroys all the great houses to the very last pony. Spare no one.
Tragedy tag incoming.
10046058
I assume everything just goes downhill after this chapter as Twilight's life mostly falls apart, and there's nothing she can do as all her friends die, racism wins, and Canterlot becomes a white unicorn stallion utopia for a brief period before falling apart due to noble infighting, and Zergs kill everyone.
10012957
I’m calling a Cadance Queen of
bladesLove.