Chapter Ten
Queen of Blades
Chapter Ten
Sitting on a creep covered rock, apparently having watched the fillies at play, was the most frightening and alien creature the girls had ever seen. It looked at them with glowing yellow eyes, no surprise evident in its gaze. It spoke in a smooth, feminine voice.
“I’ve been expecting you.” An almost feral smile spread across her lips. “Please join us, we have much to discuss.”
It came as no surprise that, instead of calming down and joining her for a conversation, the entire group of mares instantly tensed up and grew silent in her presence. It didn’t surprise her, though it still annoyed her immensely.
Finally the unicorn known as Rarity spoke, her voice low and firm, brooking no argument. “Sweetie Belle, come over here this instant.”
For a moment, it looked like Sweetie was about to say something, but instead she stepped away from the strange, biological growth she had been examining casually, trotting over to her sister with a slightly confused expression. “What’s wrong, sis? I know you’re probably mad about us going into the forest on our own, but we weren’t in any danger, I promise!”
Before Rarity could answer, Applejack managed to rid herself of her uncertainty and step forward. “Apple Bloom, you best have a real good explanation for what you’re doing here,” she cast a glance of mistrust in the alien creature’s direction, “and who exactly is she?”
Apple Bloom, for one, didn’t seem at all phased by the idea of them hanging out with a dangerous looking alien, a big smile replacing the confusion the filly had previously born. “Oh hey, Applejack. That’s just Kerrigan, we were trying to get our cutie marks in storytelling!”
In unison, the group of grown mares shifted their expressions to ones of dumbfounded bafflement, Applejack looked to her little sister with a blank stare of disbelief. “Uuuh, beg your pardon?”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo exclaimed, fluttering forwards in an attempt to be part of the conversation, “I thought Rainbow Dash made the changeling story sound so awesome, so we decided to share it with Kerrigan and get cutie marks in telling stories!”
The other pair of fillies nodded their heads to confirm the story, though a quick look at their flanks evoked a chorus of disappointed ‘awww’s from the trio. The Queen of Blades had been content to simply stay out of the conversation and observe their interactions, secretly satisfied that her plan of using the young fillies in order to get close to Twilight Sparkle had indeed worked out like she had hoped.
“That!” Rarity began, “Is the absolute worst excuse I’ve ever heard! I’ve told you time and again not to go into the Everfree forest. You could’ve been lost, or hurt!”
“I can assure you,” the Queen of Blades said, startling the entire group, “that the young ponies were never in any real danger. I am more than capable of protecting them from the dangers of this forest.”
“Look, lady, I don’t know who you are,” Rarity said, stepping closer to the Queen with fire in her eyes, “but the safety of my little sister is my first concern, and I am not going to trust the words of some stranger, let alone one of a species I’ve never heard of before! And I take it that this,” she waved a hoof to the creep covered ground, “is also your doing?”
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, taking up a position in the air above Rarity. “Besides, you don’t look all that tough. What makes you think that you could keep anyone safe from something like a manticore?”
For a split second there was a flash of color in the Queen of Blade’s eyes, a crimson hue which went entirely unnoticed by the group. In that moment, she had seriously contemplated killing the rainbow colored one known as Rainbow Dash, her pride having been challenged in a way that she had never experienced before. Her rational side kept her calm, but before she could reply to the taunt, or dump the manticore corpse on top of the annoying pegasus, Sweetie Belle spoke up.
“Actually, she sort of kicked out the mean dragon that used to live here, so I’m pretty sure she could take on a manticore.”
This new piece of information caused a number of different reactions. Rainbow Dash’s cocky attitude was replaced by a fearful shiver for a moment, both her and Rarity drawing a bit further away from the still seated Queen. Fluttershy was still cowering behind the others, with Spike doing the same, just behind Twilight. Pinkie Pie looked like she could hardly contain herself from some sort of outburst, and Twilight Sparkle looked to the strange alien creature with curiosity. Applejack was the only one who looked unphased by the revelation, instead drawing her little sister closer to herself with a hoof.
Realising that she’d have to explain herself in order to build some measure of trust, the Queen of Blades raised a hand in a calming gesture. “Sweetie Belle speaks the truth. I was looking for a place to stay and believed that the dragon was unlikely to be missed by the populace.”
It didn’t look like any of the group wanted to respond to this newfound information, but finally Twilight Sparkle’s curiosity won her over. “I suppose that’s true, the dragon had been somewhat of a dangerous presence in the area for a long time,” the inquisitive unicorn lifted a brow at this, “where’s the dragon now, though?”
In that moment it looked like the three fillies were going to say something, but after a second they just looked confused, as if they had forgotten something important. Not ones to dwell too long on such matters, the trio simply shrugged to themselves and returned to watching the scene in front of them.
“You are correct, Twilight Sparkle. I was, however, able to convince it to leave through a somewhat... violent course of action. I’m guessing it’s already far gone from here, trying to find some new cave to call its own.”
The purple unicorn stepped back in uncertainty. “How do you know my name?” she asked, a hundred new questions already forming in her mind, “... who are you?”
A sly smile graced the Queen’s visage as she answered, “I am the Queen of Blades, ruler of the Zerg Swarm and one of the most powerful psions to have ever lived.” She rose from her seat, causing the assembled group, minus the Crusaders, to backtrack a few steps more, “And I know your name because I believe you’re the one who can help me.”
“Help you?” Twilight asked. “Help you with what?”
“You are likely aware of this already, but I am not of this world. In fact, I arrived in your capital less than a week ago,” the Queen stated, her words capturing the attention of every pony (and dragon) present. “I wish to return to my own home, to my Swarm and to an important task still left unfinished.”
The group of ponies were silent for a moment, until something clicked inside Twilight’s head, looking to the Queen with wide eyes as she connected the dots. “Wait a minute, you’re the one who broke into the Elements’ Vault!” she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes as her horn began to glow. “You hurt my big brother!”
The Queen of Blades had to suppress a grunt of annoyance. Just her luck that the guard pony turned out to be Twilight Sparkle’s brother. “Wait,” she said, raising a hand in a calming gesture. “You are correct that I did indeed hurt those ponies, but I was only acting in self-defence, and I most certainly did not break into that vault. It’s just where I appeared in your world.”
For a moment it looked like Twilight was going to stand down, but then her eyes suddenly narrowed again. “Shining Armor told me that you threatened to kill him! How’s that acting in self-defence!?”
“Intimidation, nothing more,” she responded, though inwardly she cursed herself for that little slip-up. “I wanted to make sure he wouldn’t try to chase me - turned out it didn’t help though.” Twilight was just about to say something more when the Queen of Blades continued. “As for the librarian, I was in a rush for information and was forced to be... less than gentle with him, I was being chased through an unfamiliar castle by armored guards after all.”
“But he said you were trying to do something to him first and that’s why they attacked.”
“This may surprise you, but when I came here I did not know your language. I was simply trying to gain the knowledge of it so that I could communicate with him. I promise you that I had no intention of harming them before they attacked me.”
A flash of uncertainty crossed Twilight’s face, the light in her horn dimming as she looked to her friend Applejack. The earth pony nodded her head. “She’s telling the truth as far as I can tell.”
When the unicorn’s horn died down entirely, the Queen of Blades couldn’t help but lift an eyebrow in surprise at the trust Twilight obviously placed in Applejack’s ability to tell if she was lying or not.
“Alright,” Twilight said as she looked back to the Queen of Blades. “I’m going to trust that you were simply acting out of the obvious fear involved in what happened to you.” A barely discernable twitch in the Queen’s visage failed to be noticed by the gathered ponies. “What were you trying to do to my brother though? You said you went after Ancient Scroll for information, but I don’t believe he ever mentioned you interrogating him. Did you use some kind of magic on them?”
“Not... magic,” she stated, the word still leaving an ugly taste in her mouth, “but the power of a Psionic, the ability to influence the physical worlds and their inhabitants with your mind. I didn’t need to interrogate the librarian, because I could simply take the information I needed directly from his mind.” The Queen couldn’t keep a certain superiority from her voice. “No Psion is as powerful as I, thus learning your language and everything else I needed to know about your land from the librarian was quite easy.”
“That’s amazing!” Twilight started, though her demeanor quickly fell when she realised the implications. “...And a little disturbing.”
The Queen of Blades didn’t seem insulted by the statement, instead shrugging slightly. “Be that as it may, it was the safest and quickest course of action at the time.”
Twilight hummed audibly in contemplation, going through everything the alien queen had told her, and what she’d heard from her brother and the Princess. “Well, you didn’t end up giving anypony any permanent damage, and you seem truthful in wanting to go back home,” she said, looking back to the Queen with determination. “There’s still the issue that you hurt ponies in the first place, but I’m sure the Princess will understand. Your rather unique circumstance considering.” She looked to the trio of fillies who were casually chatting. “Besides, it looks like you’ve made a good impression on those three, so I’m going to trust their judgement about you.”
“Your decision, then?” the Queen prompted.
“I’ll do what I can to help you, but I’m going to have to write the Princess a letter about all this first.” Twilight said, staring off for a moment before nodding to herself. The Queen of Blades wasn’t particularly looking forward to meeting this ‘Princess’ again, but she doubted that she’d get away with trying to alter the minds of all ponies present to prevent it. Especially where that yellow one was concerned.
Instead of arguing the point she simply nodded. “I understand. Do whatever you must.”
The purple unicorn smiled. “Don’t worry. Princess Celestia is very understanding; I’m sure she’ll just want to talk to you at some point.” The zerg Queen inclined her head in agreement, before Twilight looked around at the ponies present. “Now, it’s getting late and I’m sure everypony’s interested in getting back to their homes.”
There was a chorus of agreeing murmurs from the collective ponies, minus the fillies and one mare of course.
“What!? No, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie suddenly zoomed right in front of Twilight’s face, appearing between the unicorn and Queen with startling speed. “I finally discovered who needed that party, and now I have to make it a ‘Welcome to Equestria’ and ‘We’re really glad to have you as our new friend’ party too!”
“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said with a sigh, pushing the pink party pony’s face out of her comfort zone with a hoof, “we’re not having a party now, especially not in a cave inside the Everfree Forest. I still need to write that letter to the Princess too.”
Pinkie Pie’s excitement failed to die down, however. “But I already finished decorating!” she exclaimed with a wide gesture, indicating that she had indeed managed to somehow coat that part of the large cave with balloons, streamers, and various other party essentials. Above them a banner had even appeared, reading ‘Welcome to Equestria, Queen Kerrigan!’ in large colorful letters.
The Queen of Blades blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden revelation that her hive had been covered in colorful decorations, without her noticing no less. The fact that she’d failed to notice, despite having had a near constant observation of the visiting ponies, was enough to make her grit her teeth. She was getting tired of this pink pony’s nonsensical behaviour already.
She managed to gather herself, however, letting out a silent sigh. “Twilight Sparkle is right, it would be best if you left before it got dark.” She turned to look down at Pinkie. “Make sure to bring along your... things, when you leave.”
“But... but... party!” Pinkie Pie whined, looking up at the alien queen with big, teary eyes and a quivering lip. Though this might have sent a lesser being into a catatonic state, the Queen of Blades was less than impressed, showing not the slightest twitch on her neutral expression.
“Pinkie...” Twilight said with a tired sigh. “I’m sure there’ll be time for giving Kerrigan a party later, but for now we really should head back home. The Everfree Forest only gets more dangerous at night.”
“Uhm...” The tiny voice of Fluttershy piped in from the back. “Pinkie, you really should listen to Twilight. The timberwolves will be coming out soon, and I still need to feed all my animal friends... I mean, if that’s okay...”
Their insistence didn’t stop Pinkie Pie from looking like a hurt puppy, but in the end she set to work taking down her party supplies. An endeavour which apparently took much longer than it had to set it all up. While Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash helped Pinkie with the cleanup, the crusaders were making sure that Kerrigan wouldn’t miss their departure.
“Are you sure you won’t be lonely out here?” Sweetie asked worriedly for the, by the Queen’s estimate, fifth time. “I’m sure we could find somewhere for you in Ponyville!”
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, bouncing lightly into the air. “You could even stay with us at Sweet Apple Acres! Right, sis?”
The abrupt question made Applejack take a step backwards, suddenly looking like a deer caught in a headlight. “Uuuuh...”
“Or! Or she could stay in the clubhouse!” Scootaloo added, her wings fluttering in excitement at the prospect.
“That is very... kind of you,” The Queen interrupted, though she had taken a somewhat sadistic pleasure in the farm pony's obvious stupefaction. “But I will be staying here for the foreseeable future. It might not look like a home to you, but it is sufficient to my needs.”
This did cause a collective ‘awww’ of disappointment from the trio, though the mood was quickly broken up as Rarity trotted over. “Yes, listen to miss Kerrigan now. We might not have ‘freaked out’ at her presence, as it were.” A deadpan look from Applejack caused Rarity to roll her eyes. “Well, not much at least. But I’m afraid the rest of Ponyville would be even less... welcoming, to our friend here.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack added. “Now, let’s get you fillies back home.”
“We’re done up here too!” Rainbow Dash said as she dove to the ground. “Pinkie Pie is still sulking, but I’m sure she’ll get over it.”
A quick glance around her hive did confirm that the disgusting ‘decorations’ had indeed been removed. Though to where exactly, considering none of the ponies had any form of container, was a mystery. A mystery the Queen of Blades was happy to leave unsolved.
“Okay everypony,” Twilight said as the group gathered around her, “time to head out.” She turned to smile at the Queen. “I’ll be sure to tell you as soon as the princess replies to my letter. I’m going to try my best to help you, count on it.”
*Buuurp!*
The sudden sound of a baby dragon burping caused every head in the cave to turn towards Spike, who had just ejected a burst of green flames and a single scroll from his mouth. The white scroll landed gently on the ground, a group of puzzled expressions following its descent.
Pinkie was the first to speak up, “Wow, that was fast!”
“But... I haven’t even sent the letter yet,” Twilight said, blinking a couple of times before she finally took hold of the scroll with her magic. With practiced ease she floated the scroll to her, unfurling it in the process.
It didn’t take her long to finish the letter. After reading it twice she lowered the parchment, a furrowed brow on her face. “It’s from the princess... something’s happened in Canterlot.”
<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>
Canterlot Castle, by many seen as the bastion of pony-kind integrity and power, its great white halls and marble pillars a true splendor without equal in the world. Any pony, or other creature for that matter, who had wandered those sacred halls would likely never forget its beauty in their lifetime. An experience of reverence that would stay with them until the day of their death. Truly it was a palace fit to be the home to the dual goddesses of day and night. Even in the dimming light of the evening sun, it looked absolutely beautiful.
To Princess Celestia however, it just looked dull after nearly one thousand years without any true change. Not that she’d ever admit it to her subjects of course, she didn’t want them to feel like she had become bored with their offering to her, after all.
With a gentle sigh she placed the report on the dining table she was seated at, located inside one of the castle’s many dining halls. One of far too many, if one were to ask her. Yet, at that particular moment, her issues with all the pointless grandeur were replaced with far more troubling thoughts. Only minutes previously she had received word that the Canterlot Museum had been infiltrated by an unknown force, many of the rarest and most valuable gems having been stolen from the building. And not a single trace was left to identify the invader.
The solar diarch was brought out of her contemplations by the sound of doors opening, followed by the gentle yet firm sound of her sister’s silver horseshoes. She turned to the younger princess with a smile, suppressing a chuckle at her appearance. “Good evening, Lulu. Did you sleep well?”
Luna stifled a yawn, tired and half-lidded eyes settling on her older sister before she took her seat by the table. “Good evening, Tia. We slept well enough, thank you.” She barely contained another rebellious yawn. “What has you troubled?”
As Luna poured herself a cup of freshly brewed coffee, she failed to notice the gloom of sadness that fell on Celestia. For a thousand years she’d been alone after she was forced to banish her own sister, millennia of experience allowing her to hide her true feelings from her subjects. Yet here that sister was now, still capable of seeing right through her practiced composure, as if they had never been apart in the first place.
The diarch of the sun couldn’t help but smile. “You have no business being that perceptive this soon after getting out of bed, you know.” Luna simply returned a tired smirk before sipping her coffee, prompting Celestia to continue. “It’s the Canterlot Museum, there’s been a break-in less than half an hour ago.”
With her magic she placed the report in front of her sister, watching patiently as the younger princess skimmed through it. She took the time to finish up the salad that had been prepared for her.
“Just gems?” A nod from Celestia confirmed it. “Peculiar, and no real leads... at least nopony was hurt.”
“A blessing, yes. According to the guard on duty at the time, he never even saw the thieves. Only heard what he describes as a ‘scratching’ sound.”
Luna shook her head, clearing away the last remnants of drowsiness. “Not much to go on.”
Her sister gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, some of our ponies are quite talented at figuring things like this out.”
Before Luna could answer, however, a mental alarm suddenly blared in their minds. The lunar princess lost her magical grip on the cup in shock, causing it to fall to the table and spill its content. She quickly looked to her sister, who had a matching look of surprise on her face.
“Sister!” Luna exclaimed as she rose from her seat.
“I know, Luna. There’s an intruder in the Royal Vault.”
First of all, a very big thank you to Breath of Plagues who helped immensely with this chapter. Seriously, this guy is awesome.
Well, this one took much longer than it should have. Here it is though, plenty of dialogue if you're into that sort of thing 
I promise the next one won't take this long to get out... probably... but until then, you could always take a look at this here other fic I published a while ago: Erevis Cale: Dark Side of the Moon featuring my favorite Forgotten Realms character of all times, as well as our beloved Lunar Princess. Hope you enjoy, and pony on.
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I should probably get working on the next chapter of my story too.
abought time you update try to update mor often or i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/masonry/000/123/598/12066%20-%204th_wall%20Cupcakes%20fourth_wall%20knife%20pinkamena_diane_pie%20pinkie_pie%20rainbow_dash%20tv%20tv_meme.png
Yay! thanks!
Well, once again you have outdone yourself. I hope that the ponies don't win, (in the inevitable conflict they will have with the Zerg)
Thanks for updating!
Hm, new intruder... Tassadar perhaps?
PLEASE GOD let it be a Protoss. Zeratul or Tassadar preferably. But, I'll settle for Ol' Jimmy or Tycus. Hell, maybe even a Specter.
Awesomeness!
This crossover is great. Long live the queen.
Last chapter released... :( i finally caught up with you and it seems i'm doomed to wait for updates like everyone else, oh well ill survive, i hope :P
There meeting was interesting and i think the dialogue was grate, Feels like everyone present where in character and the interaction was fun to read. Judging from this Pinkie especially i think will be fun to follow in future chapters. There is such a contrast between her and Kerrigan it will undeniably be interesting to read,
I don't know if she'll get her will and there will there is a party at some point, and if so if miss Zerg will be there bye her flee will, (as in she wants to be there no strings attached)
or her presents being merely a necessary component in a plan. non the less the thought just slightly amuses me, just as the negotiations scene.
The real cliffhanger here tho is the vault thing, as i see it there is tow options, i was first thinking it who'd be the muted zombie dogs looking for gems, they seams so be looking for quality, taking time to breaking in to museums and stealing price collection (all while the option if just digging them up your self still lingers),
and the element weapons are jewelry whit gems so why not, if they want quality i see no better target.
Or you may be introducing a new player, makes sense seeing as there is now no active conflict present, all parties seems to be getting there will, assuming Celestia (which will undoubtedly not be so keen on trusting her as twilight was) will help miss Zerg home, Im still thinking dogs are a more plausible option but we will see ^^
This is probably Zeratul, because:
1: Tassadar is a projection of the Khala, and requires large amounts of energy to manifest, or so it appears from what we see in mission 2 of the little mini-campaign.
2: Raynor would have no methods to get there, same for Tychus and all other terrans.
3: Zeratul has shown the ability to teleport, and going through the void is quite easy for him. He also hates Kerrigan, although the fact that Kerrigan will save the universe from the hybrids may make it so he will back up Kerrigan, or at least capture her.
Also, as the elements of harmony change, reform, fix and improve, I belive that the elements, used directly, would improve Kerrigan. Why? Because those objectives sound awfully Zergy to me, and Kerrigan could probably channel it enough to deal with it.
Given the fact that the zerg had set up in a trailer "Heart of the Swarm" ... Equestria is fucked.
We already knew that, silly!
I saw this image and was immediately reminded of your enjoyable story:
fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/288/9/0/slumber_party_by_madhotaru-d5hv8yu.jpg
source: http://madhotaru.deviantart.com/art/Slumber-party-332342310?q=gallery%3Amadhotaru%2F36348927&qo=25
2029221
Hah, that's absolutely adorable
I can't promise there'll be any slumber parties in this story, but I might write a few silly omakes if there's an interest
2029858 Of course there's interest silly billy
Lol the drones want the elements XD