Swarm: Apex Pony Predator
Sweetie took some time to get used to her new body and the knowledge that she attained. Many new thoughts raced through her head; ideas about how to fight with her new form and ideas on himhow to improve the efficiency of her Brood.
Her self-testing would have to wait because once she and Kerrigan returned to the Leviathan’s command chamber they were met with a highly peculiar Primal Zerg. Unlike most of the other Zerg strains, this one walked on two legs. It had two sets of jaws with the outer set having tusks with one broken off. The color of its carapace was a mix of grey and light purple. One of its two arms ended in a set of large claws while the other arm appeared like it was in the process of regrowth. A third limb looked like part of it was severed at some point. Its tail was lined with spikes.
“What’s a Primal doing on my Leviathan?” Kerrigan asked.
“I am Dehaka. One who collects. I kill, I take essence. Now I come to you because I feel your change. All Zerus feels it. All Zerus fears it, and you.”
“But you don’t fear us, do you, Dehaka?”
“You shine. You will bring more essence, and I will follow. When you do not, I will not.”
“Well, I’ve forged alliances on shakier ground than that. Very well, you can stay. Betray me and I’ll collect your essence.”
Something had been bothering Kerrigan about Sweetie’s mission to deal with Amon and decided to ask her, “I know that Amon is dead. Why do you believe that he is still a threat?”
“Physically, he is dead. It’s the fact that Narud is still acting in service to Amon and the vision of the future the Overmind gave me that tells me that there is a way to bring him back to this plane of existence. I don’t know if he can be physically restored but his consciousness is still active. He might have already been brought back into the universe for all I know.”
After talking to everyone in the command chamber, Sweetie and Kerrigan paid a visit to Abathur to show themselves off.
Abathur looked at Kerrigan first. “Genetic strands different. Restructured from base level up. Stronger than Queen of Blades. Sequences complex but clean. Completely different at core. Must take sample. Study new sequences.”
“Don’t even try, Abathur,” Kerrigan warned. “What I am now is beyond your comprehension.”
Abathur had to admit that she was right. He then looked at Sweetie. “Similar restructuring detected. Purpose of forehead appendage unknown. Flight capabilities possible. Strands constantly shifting, chaotic, yet orderly. Ever-changing sequences allow for self-alterations.”
Sweetie took a moment to concentrate and a number of long tentacles grew from her back that appeared to act as extensions of her body.
Acting on a feeling that she couldn’t explain, she lit her horn and a tentacle reached into what appeared to be an invisible rift. A few moments later, the tentacle pulled out a large plastic container that made the clinking sound of glassware inside. She set the container on the ground beside her.
“What is that?” Kerrigan asked.
“I’m not sure what’s in here. Discord gave this to me just before my adventures in the Koprulu Sector began...and don’t ask about him, let’s just say that he’s trouble you don’t need. If Abathur tried to look at his genetics, he would probably break mentally.”
Abathur looked at the box. “Large variety of essence detected within box. Must aqui--”
Before Sweetie could hear the rest of Abathur’s demands, Sweetie was thrust into a different realm with landmasses randomly floating about in what seemed like an endless void. After rubbing her head from the hard landing, she looked around, waiting for him to show up.
A few minutes later, Discord finally showed up. “We finally get to the fun part of your little journey,” he said.
“You knew that I would become this?” Sweetie said, gesturing to herself.
“Of course I knew.” He magically created a reenactment of the moments she and Lyra had together before he showed up, showing that Sweetie was desperate enough to do whatever it took to have her revenge on Blueblood.
“I get the feeling that there is more to it than my desire for revenge.”
“Sharp cookie,” he said while eating a snickerdoodle cookie with a razor-sharp edge. With a sigh, he said, “Perhaps you’d like to know about the experiments that have been conducted on Equus for thousands of years, conveniently, about the time when Celestia and Luna showed up.”
Sweetie raised an eyebrow. “What does that have to do with me?”
“It’s quite simple. Listen to my story and don’t interrupt. You will be given a choice.” Discord narrowed his eyes.
“It is said that the Xel’naga were decimated during Amon’s rebellion, yet a few of them remained to carry out the Infinite Cycle that they value so much. A few thousand years ago, the Xel’naga discovered Equus and searched for any possible candidates to ascend to become Xel’naga. I was actually the first on Equus to become one. I possessed Purity of Form and Purity of Essence. When they noticed, they granted me their Essence of Eternity which allowed me to ascend and become a Xel’naga.
“However, in my impetuous nature, I ended up abusing my power and ruled Equestria as I saw fit. When the other Xel’naga saw my inappropriate actions, they feared that I would fall like Amon did. Instead of handling it themselves, however, they sought other potential candidates to try and create an example for me to follow. They succeeded in finding two. A pair of siblings who at the time failed to notice that their father was a Changeling, a race that possessed Purity of Essence. Their mother was a Unicorn, a race that possessed the greatest expression of Purity of Form. The mother knew what her husband was.
“The Royal Sisters were the product of their union. When the Xel’naga discovered them after they reached adulthood, they offered their Essence of Eternity to the Sisters in an attempt to use them to keep me under control. That attempt failed because of a difference in experience between myself and the Sisters at the time.
“In one last effort to salvage the mess they made, the Xel’naga sacrificed their essence to create a certain tree that you may be familiar with. The sisters used the gems that were produced from that tree to turn me to stone.
“Since then, the Sisters have been doing what they could to continue the work of those who empowered them; to continue the Infinite Cycle like the goody two-hooves they were. Since they learned that their father was a Changeling, they would try to sneak one into the Pony gene pool every now and then to create more potential candidates for ascension since only those who possess Purity of Form and Essence can become Xel’naga.
“The two had no idea how to continue the work of the Xel’naga. Among their first attempts was young mare named Chrysalis. She was so promising too. When the Sisters decided to make her a Xel’naga, they were so happy with the results. A few years later, she questioned why they needed to continue the work of a dead race. The explanation was not good enough for her and considered walking the same path I did. To avoid a repeat, the Sisters placed a curse on her that transformed her into a Changeling and her true power was forever lost.
“When the Lunar Rebellion happened, Celestia was afraid that Luna was turning into a Fallen One and banished her to the moon in an effort to stall her fall from grace until she could find a means to save her since she knew that turning her sister into a Changeling would emotionally destroy her..
“Since then, Celestia worked alone in trying to continue the Infinite Cycle. It was a long string of failures for her. Numerous Changeling Queens were the result of her actions. The latest three in her experiments are Sunset Shimmer, whose training has been put on hold indefinitely, Cadance and Twilight Sparkle. The last two appear to be doing well, but time will tell whether they may be Celestia’s first successes or another pair of Changeling Queens in the making.
“And now we come to you. I wanted to try my hand at nurturing a candidate and you had the drive and sense necessary to survive what I intended to put you through. In my free time, I looked up other races in the universe that possessed Purity of Form and Purity of Essence and came across the Protoss and the Zerg. All I needed was a volunteer.”
When Discord finally finished his long-winded lecture, Sweetie was finally free to ask questions. “So...the Princesses are all Xel’naga? Do Cadance and Twilight even know about what you just told me?”
“Yes and no, but not necessarily in that order.”
“Why even bother with me though? I checked my parents and they were both Earth Ponies. Unicorns are the ones with the highest psionic potential.”
“Which helped to make you the perfect candidate for my experiment. You didn’t think you ended up in that field of radioactive Jorium by accident, did you? I figured that sooner or later you would end up seeking power from the Zerg which is why I packed this case full of the essence of every known species on Equus. Plus, I wanted to see how creative you can be.” Discord dipped a paintbrush in a puddle of blood and painted on a Zergling that he summoned into his dimension.
“So let me see if I have this correct. In exchange for helping me avenge my fallen and dishonored comrades, I take part in your Xel’naga experiment.”
“That’s the simplified version. And now, your choice. If you do not wish to proceed with my experiment, I can send you and Lyra home and you can keep your powers and memories long enough for you to kill Blueblood. Once you take your revenge you can live out your simple lives together.”
Sweetie thought about it but she couldn’t comfortably come to a decision on this without consulting Lyra.
Discord snapped his talons and Lyra fell to the ground next to Sweetie.
One long winded greeting, explanation of Sweetie’s new form, which Lyra quickly accepted, and explanation from Discord later, Lyra and Sweetie began to deliberate on whether to go home or explore the deepest depths of the proverbial rabbit hole they find themselves in.
In the end, Lyra decided that she wanted to use her new powers to help Sweetie in whatever goal she pursued. Sweetie thought about what she wanted for a while and finally decided on what she wanted to do.
And that involved continuing Discord’s experiment.
When Sweetie gave her answer, Discord snapped his talons and Lyra was ejected from the spatial plane.
“So what do I need to do?” Sweetie asked.
“In order to make use of the essences that I gave you, you will need to consume the contents of each vial,” Discord said. Sweetie cringed in disgust. “No need to worry about the taste. Thanks to your metamorphosis, the essences in this container should taste delicious, like different flavors of ice cream.”
Sweetie gulped as she crouched to open the trunk. Once she unlocked it, she opened it to find a large number of vials that were filled with blood, flesh and other organic material. Sweetie could feel the magic coming from each vial.
She picked up a vial that was labeled ‘Parasprite’. Looking inside, she saw a blended puree of several of the creatures. She popped off the cork and closed her eyes tightly as she downed the mix.
It was...delicious…
The taste wasn’t what she was expecting at all. In fact, the taste had a bit of sweetness to it that wasn’t overpowering. There was a slightly crunchy texture to it.
She picked up another vial that was labeled ‘Griffon’. She saw what she assumed to be Griffon’s blood within the glass container. When she drank the blood, it turned out to be quite tasty.
After that, Sweetie began consuming vials of essence left and right until she emptied the trunk of its contents.
When she finished, she wiped her mouth of any that got on her. Her mind was filled with ideas on how to improve her Brood. She knew then what kind of Brood that she wanted to create.
Discord was intrigued and disgusted by Sweetie’s display but swallowed his bile before giving her one last message. “We will not see each other for a while. When next we meet, I will be taking you home.” Discord snapped his talons and Sweetie was once again in the evolution pit of the Leviathan.
“--re...huh?” Abathur looked at the empty trunk. “Essences gone. Abnormality occurred.”
While Abathur was busy being confused, Sweetie led Kerrigan back to the command chamber and explained some of what happened.
Zurvan told the two that it was time for them to confront the other pack leaders and claim their essence. He told them about the other leaders. Yagdra was a worm that could spit burning acid. Kraith was an armored Zerg that was blinded by its hatred. Slivan the Eternal Mother looked like a Swarm Host and was hollow and destructive.
Since the leaders sent most of their packs to attack the Swarm, they themselves were vulnerable to attack.
Kerrigan left Zagara to protect the Leviathan while she and Sweetie dealt with the pack leaders.
Kerrigan leaped over a lava stream and stabbed an unfortunate Primal Hydralisk with her wing claws. Sweetie flew over the stream.
After leaping to another platform, Kerrigan used her Psionic Shift ability and dashed through a group of Primal Zerglings, tearing each one apart.
Sweetie flew over to a strange relic and realized that it was of Xel’naga origin. She held onto it for safekeeping.
Some of Dehaka’s Primal Roaches were battling some of Yagdra’s Hydralisks. This time Sweetie tried one of her abilities: Mass Impale. She grew some tentacles and stuck them in the ground before they impaled all of the Hydralisks from below. The Roaches joined Kerrigan and Sweetie. Kerrigan healed the Roaches by twisting their essences and mending their flesh.
Sweetie devised another ability to use against a nearby Primal Ultralisk: Baneling Grenade. She spawned a Baneling in her hand and tossed it at her enemies. Upon impact, the Ultralisk dissolved into a pile of goo. The ability also worked especially well against group like ones that were guarding a Xel’naga relic.
Against a group of Hydralisks and one Ultralisk, Sweetie Impaled the Hydralisks and hurled a couple of Banelings at the Ultralisk.
Dehaka gave them a couple more Roaches to assist against Yagdra who was nearby.
Yagdra emerged from the ground and was taken by surprise. “Leaders of the broken pack? No!” He was clearly scared of the overwhelming power of Sweetie and Kerrigan.
He began spitting fire at everyone which was skillfully dodged. When he retreated underground, he laid eggs that contained a combination of Zerglings, Hydralisks and Ultralisks. Sweetie dissolved the eggs with a Baneling Grenade.
As the battle progressed, Yagdra retreated underground more often and left more eggs to deal with.
One lucky shot of fire hit Sweetie. To her surprise it didn’t even hurt. She suspected that her resistance was due to the Dragon essence she consumed.
Feeling bold, Sweetie dove into Yagdra’s mouth. One moment the worm was confused before he realized too late what she did as numerous tentacles punched out of its carapace and wormed their way about its body, stabbing its internal organs. When a vital organ was impaled, Yagdra slumped over and ceased movement. Sweetie burst out of the fallen worm with a magical blast.
Kerrigan and Sweetie shared the essence that was absorbed from Yagdra’s corpse.
The next leg of their journey took them past a lot of eggs. Sweetie used her Mass Impale and Baneling Grenade abilities to eliminate the eggs with help from Kerrigan’s Leaping Strike and Psionic Shift.
Dehaka provided Hydralisks to support the duo as waves of Kraith’s pack emerged from caves and other places. The group pushed their way through the waves, grabbing a relic along the way, and found their way to Kraith’s lair.
“I feel your strength. You will both be worth killing, worth the blood!” Kraith said.
The first thing Kraith did was launch a barrage of tiny creatures at them. This was followed by charging at the duo and hitting a wall, dropping a number of Zerglings into the arena.
Kerrigan lured the Zerglings to her to group them up then finish them with Psionic Shift. Sweetie went for Kraith by kicking it at its side and causing it to roll over on its back. Sweetie and Kerrigan took advantage of its vulnerability and tore at its flesh until he succumbed to its wounds. Once again, the two shared the essence reward.
The next area featured a more jungle-like area. Dehaka provided a Primal Ultralisk for assistance.
Creatures encountered in the area included Ravasaurs, who hurled globs of acid, and Creepers, who were similar to Banelings but had a small delay until detonation when they came into contact with an enemy. There were also Slivan Needlers that were weak equivalents to Spine Crawlers. Sweetie noticed a Xel’naga relic near a group of Ravasaurs and flew over to grab it. She flew above the attack range of the Ravasaurs and swooped in to grab the relic.
Kerrigan pushed through swarms of Creepers and tore down Ravasaurs and Needlers.
Soon, the duo came face to face with the Eternal Mother.
“Welcome...to your demise.” she said as she spawned more of her weak imitations of Banelings.
Instead of dealing with Slivan’s tactics, Sweetie decided to simply impale the Eternal Mother before leaping on the nest on her back and ripping out an egg before tossing a few Banelings of her own into the nest. The resulting explosions devastated Slivan from the inside out.
Once again the spoils were shared by the duo.
It was at this time that Zurvan decided to make its move. “The pack leaders are slain, their packs join your Swarm, and here you stand. Complete. You are Zerg. Your essence overflows with power. I...I thirst. You both shall feed my evolution; the first in millennia.” Zurvan arose and tore apart the area around the platform they group stood upon.
Sweetie smirked, “This saves us the effort of hunting you down. Eliminating you is a necessary step on our path to eliminating the threat of Amon.”
“If you believe that you can destroy him, then prove it by taking my essence...if you can.”
Whenever Zurvan opened its mouth, Sweetie tossed a Baneling in to cause the ancient Zerg internal damage. It consistently tried to smash the platform with its arms. Sweetie and Kerrigan were able to avoid the arms while the minions were too slow to avoid the attacks. Zurvan spawned a group of Zerglings and Hydralisks which got impaled on Sweetie’s Tentacles and the Ancient One got another mouthful of Baneling for its efforts.
The battle continued like that for a while before Zurvan elevated its head and began firing blasts of energy from its mouth. Sweetie responded in kind with blasts from her horn and more Banelings down its throat.
Zurvan roared in agony before Kerrigan blasted its head off and the two feasted on the ancient essence.
After savoring their victory, Kerrigan ordered Izsha to prepare the Leviathan for the return trip to the Koprulu Sector.
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She has officially earned the name Ali-Bug the Terrifying. And yes, I am quite serious about that name now. It fits her new form perfectly. Although I won't use it all the time, I will use it often. Although for short, I'll just call her Ali.
9787478
You think that's terrifying? Wait till you see what Sweetie's Brood can do.
9787478
🎶Princess Ali! Fabulas she, Aliahbaoa!🎶
9787595
Ummm... Whatever reference I have made, I seem to have made a terrible mistake...
One I'm not taking back. :-)
Also, my Ali is pronounced Ally not Al-Lee or A-Lee as you possibly think. If you already knew that, then I am sorry for correcting you on something you already knew.
Although when used within the name, it's pronounced Ali(like in Alicorn)-Bug. You could also pronounce it Ally-Bug, but that would be more informal than the other pronunciation, but more formal than just calling her Ali.
Did I just say my Ali? I end up saying the weirdest things sometimes when I'm dealing with stuff like that. Although usually it's something more along the lines of calling myself we.
9787595
You think Will Smith can match up to Robin Williams?
Feel free to not reply to this if you want.
9787607
I just seced in on a fun referenc when a saw one.
No harm done.
9787633
I havent seen the remake yet but from what I have heard, he did a good jobb whitout trying to copy Wiliams.
And lets face it, no one can copy Wiliams.
Confused Abathur is best Abathur
They care so they share. The swarms future is bright one side or anothers.
Zerus will be pretty mutch leaderless at the end...
New blooded leaders will rise and fall until the power vacuum will be filled but that outside this story interesst
Not long before the Emperor is a thing of the past...
Dont think he could survive even if he flee to earth
Great chapter. One more well done. Not a singel chapter that isnt very entertaining
9787540
Pretty sure Amon must be insane not to shit himself seeing what Sweetie will do to Mengsk and himself...
10369148
If i would not fear hes biting or stabbing me i hug that poor Evomaster...
OP with a big 'O' and a bigger 'P'!
Equus is the Spawningpool of Xel'Naga
I wonder what Gender they are, unless the are both or none?