Chapter Four
Queen of Blades
Chapter Four
The Queen of Blades was, not so surprisingly, quite baffled. These ponies had turned out to be a bigger oddity than she had expected. Planting a mental probe inside the mind of the yellow pegasus had been easy enough, and activating it during their picnic should have been a flawless process. Yet, for some strange reason, the psionic activity had resonated strongly with a power inside the pegasus’ mind. It had been such an overwhelming response, almost like a beast lashing out against her control, that she had been forced to transfer the probe to another pony in order to avoid the obvious tell of psionic influence on the pegasus.
And that’s when things had gone from strange, to outright weird. If the response from Fluttershy had surprised her, what she had gotten from the pink earth pony had been outright bizarre. Not only had there been a strong physical reaction, but the pony had even turned her gaze in her direction, as if she knew where she had been hiding. That particular incident had actually caused the Queen to withdraw her influence from the pony, while not in exactly fear, at least in worry that she would be discovered.
‘These ponies are starting to give me an headache... I’ll need to keep a closer watch on this particular group.’
Regardless, the Queen had managed to get hold of a few pieces of information. Most importantly in regards to the royal wedding, and what it would mean for her plans.
‘It would seem that I no longer have the necessary time to get into contact with Twilight Sparkle now, my preparations aren’t nearly completed yet.’
Luckily, the Zerg Queen was a creature of opportunity, so the sudden change in her plans only caused her to revise her priorities slightly. Instead of going straight for Twilight Sparkle, she would have the time needed for her to establish some measure of control in the Everfree.
‘Everything becomes a bit easier with a base of operations after all, and a few minions will go a long way to aid in my efforts.’
With a last glance towards Twilight Sparkle and her friends, who were already packing up and heading back to Ponyville, the Queen of Blades turned her back to the bright, green plains, and strode back into the deep gloom of the Everfree Forest.
<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>
The rest of the day went mostly uneventful for Twilight and her friends, not that it hadn’t been weird enough already. After discovering a new variation of the Pinkie Sense, which Pinkie insisted meant something along the lines of: ‘Somepony really in need of a party’, they had all gone their separate ways to prepare for their stay in Canterlot.
The purple prodigy was still fuming with anger at her brother, even as she was worried about the oddities of the earlier picnic. She was certain that she had seen Fluttershy’s eyes glow, and when that particular mystery had gone away, Pinkie had reacted with perhaps one of the most intense Pinkie Sense reactions yet.
“Spike! Are you finished yet? We need to get everything ready for tomorrow, time is of the essence!” her voice rang out through the library. Already she was packing for the overnight stay in Canterlot, bringing along anything she would need for a wedding.
Something was going on, she was certain of it. It wasn’t just the thing with Fluttershy and Pinkie, or even her brother’s out of character actions. The odd sense of foreboding was back, and this time even stronger than it had been the previous day. She would need an especially powerful sleep spell if she wanted any rest that night.
“Yeah, yeah. I still don’t see why we gotta rush like this, Twilight,” Spike said with slight exasperation, as he stuck his head out from upstairs. “I mean, don’t we have until tomorrow morning anyway?”
Twilight gave him a deadpan look. “I know, Spike. But we’ve still got a lot of things on our list for the day, and we need to get all of it done before we have to leave for Canterlot.”
Her assistant simply shrugged as he carried a set of saddlebags downstairs. “Still, I can’t believe Shining is getting married.” He placed the bags near the door before turning back to Twilight. “I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with your brother, he’s a pretty cool dude. It’s just that he’s always been so dedicated to the Guard, when did he even have time to find a marefriend?”
The purple unicorn snorted in response. “I don’t know, Spike. Maybe if he actually included his own sister in the important parts of his life, I would.”
The young dragon looked at his friend with worry, before a glare from said unicorn sent him back to work. Still a lot to get done before he could relax, and he really didn’t want to argue with Twilight, considering the mood she was in.
<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>
The Queen of Blades strode confidently through the Everfree, mostly ignoring the mass of activity she was feeling in her vicinity. For the most part it was just critters fleeing from her presence, sensing her unnatural presence as a sign of danger. It was a comfortable time for the Queen, she enjoyed the silence she was offered in the forest. It gave her time to think, to prepare and plan.
Then again, she was starting to feel somewhat... lonely. She grimaced internally at the thought, it was just one of those pointless flaws left over from her days as a human. It was one she could not ignore, or even remove, however. Looking through the minds of sapient creatures was satisfying enough, but it didn’t allow her to make use of that mind as anything more than a source of information, like a book really.
No, what she desired was a sparring partner, someone who could entertain and challenge her on an intellectual level. Tassadar, and later Zeratul, had been worthy opponents. But Tassadar had sacrificed himself to destroy the first Overmind, and Zeratul had disappeared after examining the Overmind’s carcass on Aiur. Her Brood Mothers had served a similar purpose, always adding their own input to any given situation. They hadn’t been perfect at it, they were still her own creations, her own children. It was hard to get an honest opinion out of something entirely subservient to yourself, after all.
She quickly dismissed that particular train of thought, suddenly sensing something different in her surroundings. It was an odd thing, it felt like she was being followed by a group of somewhat sentient creatures. Tracing her every move, always keeping her in their center. It was almost like she was being...
‘Hunted... what a strange sensation.’
It wasn’t anything she had ever experienced before, she had always been the one doing the hunting after all, never the other way around. It was actually a little exhilarating, knowing that a group of unknown predators were after her, desiring to subdue her, dig their fangs and claws into her flesh and devour her whole, all to feed their need for sustenance.
The Queen of Blades came to a stop, staring straight ahead into the dark forest, her entire body twitching in anticipation. It was such an exotic sensation, so new and exciting that she couldn’t keep a grim smile from her lips. Her Zerg mind might have had something to do with it, converting the fear and uncertainty of the situation into a state of almost euphoric adrenaline. Her heart was pounding harder than ever before, her claws and wings extending in preparation, her psionic powers almost running loose as she could hardly contain herself.
She wanted it, she needed it. To feel pain, to feel excitement and the rush of battle. To fight for her existence, prove herself the greater predator, and to deliver death in response to their challenge.
Then, the forest around her exploded into action, half a dozen large forms rushing at the immobile Queen. She simply stood there, waiting, all rational thought leaving her mind as her eyes turned to pinpricks, a mad grin twisting her face as she spun around to meet her predatory adversaries. And for the first time in her life, the Queen of Blades lost control entirely.
There was a flash of teeth and claws, wooden lupine forms charging at their prey with loud howls. In the next moment one of them yelped with pain, the sound of cracking wood and the scrapping of claws on carapace filling the small glade they were in. The Queen of Blades felt claws scratching her body, teeth trying to find any opening to dig into her flesh, and with every burst of pain she felt an amazing sensation. She let out a moan as one of her attackers dug its teeth into her shoulder, only to respond with an uncontrolled burst of psionic energy which ripped the creature asunder. That feeling, the feeling of ending the life of something that had just been trying to kill her, it was an indescribable experience.
The Queen of Blades actually laughed, harder than she had ever done before. Every twist of her body, every action she took ended the life of another. She ripped, clawed, tore, pierced and decapitated everything in her madness. it was liberating, exhilarating, and so very satisfying. Her psionic powers ran wild, lashing out on its own to blow apart attackers, trees, or anything else that stood in her way. Azure and crimson light flashed through the forest, energies she had kept contained for so long finding escape in every way it could, leaving nothing but destruction and devastation in their wake.
During it all she had no coherent thought, she was simply lost in the thrill of battle. So even when the whines and yelps of pain diminished, it took her a while to snap out of it and realise that she had no enemies remaining.
Taking a deep breath to gather herself, green blood seeping from numerous wounds, the Queen slowly took in her surroundings. It was utter chaos, not a single tree within ten meters was still intact, large fissures had been ripped into the ground, and the body parts of her former adversaries littered the earth. In her bout of madness she hadn’t even registered what she was fighting, and it was nothing like she had imagined.
They were wolves, large lupines made entirely of wood and vegetation. Not a single one of them was still in one piece, yet it was clear to her that they had been powerful creatures in life. Their bodies had a strong natural armor, their claws and teeth were large, jagged and sharp. She almost felt a little sad at their demise, she had always respected creatures of efficient evolution, and these were more than sufficient to satisfy even her critical gaze. They were Timberwolves she realised, a creature quite familiar to the resident zebra.
‘Wait... what am I doing?’
The Queen of Zergs looked down at her clawed hands, they were covered with both tree sap, as well as her own green blood. Something was wrong, she had never lost control like that before, and it felt... wrong.
‘No, this isn’t me. I don’t lose control, what was that back then?’
She was supposed to be above such things, to never lose her cool in any situation. The thought of doing so made her sick; it was so primitive, so impulsive, so... human.
An involuntary shiver was given at that notion, she couldn’t believe that she could devolve into that state on her own. It was this alien world, it had to be, she had been weakened since getting there, who knew what other effects it would have on her mind? At least she was certain of one thing, she needed to leave this infernal planet, as quickly as possible.
With a last growl of annoyance, the Queen of Blades set out towards her next destination, leaving her destructive work behind.
<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>
“Come on, Sweetie Belle! We don’t have time to slow down at every puddle of mud!” Scootaloo’s exasperated voice rang out through the Everfree, the small orange pegasus impatiently waiting for her friend to get around yet another one of her ‘obstacles’.
The white unicorn filly didn’t answer until she had made her way past the patch of devious dirt. “But Rarity just styled my mane, and she’ll be furious if I mess it up...” She hung her head slightly, she’d had a hard time convincing her sister to do it, and she wasn’t going to upset her after all that hard work.
The pegasus simply rolled her eyes in response, turning around to catch up with Apple Bloom, who had trotted a bit further ahead.
“Leave her alone, Scootaloo. You know how much she cares about her sister, so you can’t really blame her for being a mite careful.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were on a mission, one of vital importance according to Apple Bloom. In a bout of unprecedented luck, Applejack had allowed her sister to fetch their order from Zecora on her own, while the farm pony worked to get everything done before their stay in Canterlot. She had started getting a bit more lenient with letting her sister near the Everfree, ever since Zecora had explained her wards and other security measures. So as long as they stayed on the designated path, Applejack was fine with letting them go. For the most part at least.
All she had to do was bring along somepony else, and that was a perfect opportunity for some CMC activities if she ever saw one.
“Pfft, whatever,” Scootaloo shrugged, turning to Apple Bloom while they waited for Sweetie Belle to catch up. “So, what are we going to do once we get to Zecora’s? There has to be a ton of things out here we could get our cutie marks in.”
“Well,” Apple Bloom said as Sweetie trotted up next to them. “I was thinkin’ we could try and do some of that al-khem-my Zecora told me about. Mixin’ up potions and stuff.”
The pony trio continued on their way, talking excitedly amongst themselves about all the different things they could try once they got to Zecora’s home.
“Alright! I’m sure we could make some awesome stuff with that, like a potion to give us superpowers!” The pegasus filly exclaimed with a rapid flutter of her small wings. “Or maybe some of that cool dust she used on Nightmare Night!”
“Or we could learn how to make tea!” Sweetie said ecstatically, her voice cracking. Her orange friend turned to her with a deadpan look. “What? I think it would be cool...”
“Don’t you worry, girls. I’m sure we’ll get to try all of it, Zecora is really nice after all.” Apple Bloom quickly interjected, not wanting the two of them to get into another argument.
It didn’t take long for the Crusaders to get to Zecora’s hut. It looked pretty much like it always did, but there was some sort of nervosity in the air. None of them could really put it into words, so their worries went unnoticed by each other. Apple Bloom quickly went to the front door, knocking on it a couple of times with her hoof.
“Zecora, it’s me, Apple Bloom!”
A few seconds passed, and eventually the door opened up to reveal the familiar zebra on the other side. Already she had a smile on, but she seemed tired for some reason.
“Apple Bloom and friends! It is good to see you all again.” The zebra had the usual energy in her voice however, so the fillies thought little of it. “Come on in, I have already prepared the salve for your kin.”
“Thanks, Zecora!” Apple Bloom said, quickly making her way inside together with her friends. It didn’t take long for the excitable fillies to start examining everything within reach, while Zecora walked to a nearby table to retrieve the ordered concoction.
“Here you are, little Apple Bloom. I am certain your Granny Smith will find it to be quite a boon.”
The earth pony filly quickly drew herself away from a collection of herbs she had been studying, trotting over to Zecora so she could place the small clay jar in her saddlebags.
“No doubt about it, your salve is pretty much the only one she uses anymore.” The young filly stated with a beaming smile. “Says it brings an extra step to her walk.”
The shamanistic zebra responded with a smile of her own. “Tell her that I appreciate the praise, perhaps I’ll pay her another visit one of these days.”
“I’m sure she’d be appreciatin’ that,” Apple Bloom said as he started pawing the ground with a hoof. “Uhm... actually, if you don’t mind. Do you think maybe you could teach us somethin’ about potion making? We’re tryin’ to get our cutie marks, and we want to try anythin’ we can.”
At this point the rest of the Crusaders had come over to join Apple Bloom, and they all looked up at her with hopeful eyes. The combined efforts from that trio of big, pleading eyes would have been enough to give any pony a heart attack, but Zecora simply sighed and shook her head sadly.
“I am afraid that I can not, it would seem that some illness I have caught. Since this morning, my mind has been muddled, and there is something else that has me quite puzzled.”
The Crusaders all gave a collective ‘aww’ in disappointment, before Apple Bloom looked back up at Zecora. “That’s too bad, we wouldn’t want to disturb you too much if you’re not feelin’ well.” The zebra gave an appreciative smile at this. “But what has you puzzled though? Does it have anything to do with the forest?”
Zecora blinked once, idly rubbing at her temple with a hoof, as if to clear her head. “Yes... it is the animals you see, something has them acting rather crazy.” Then she looked at them with worried eyes. “It would be best if you were to return home soon, otherwise I fear you might come across ill fortune.”
The trio of fillies all looked to each other uncertainly, before Sweetie Belle spoke up. “Let’s just get going, girls. I’m sure Miss Zecora has her reasons for warning us, she knows this forest better than any of us after all.”
They all nodded in agreement, and after giving Zecora a farewell and thanks for her time, the Crusaders went out the door, and back on the path leading back to Ponyville. Only a minute later, Scootaloo was unable to contain her disappointment any longer.
“Well that was a dud, just our luck that she’s not feeling well the day we decide to visit her.” She kicked a small pebble away in agitation, then, suddenly looked back at her friends with a raised brow. “That doesn’t mean we still can’t try and get our cutie marks though, there has to be a lot of stuff we can do in the Everfree!”
The other two cast a quick glance at each other, both of them obviously still worried about Zecora’s warning. Apple Bloom was the first one to voice her uncertainty. “I don’t know, Scootaloo. Zecora sounded mighty nervous about somethin’.”
“Yeah, and I’m not sure if I’d want any cutie mark that has to do with the Everfree Forest anyway,” said Sweetie Belle, while casting glances around their surroundings.
Scootaloo wasn’t one to give up so easily however, and rolled her eyes at her friends’ fears. “Oh come on, we already know that Zecora made this part of the forest pretty safe, we’ll just not stray off too far. What could possibly go wrong?”
As if in challenge to the question, a loud roar suddenly sounded throughout the Everfree forest, a roar of anger and indignation, one so loud that the ground itself trembled beneath their hooves. A powerful burst of red light accompanied the dying echoes of the sound, and then, everything went silent.
The three fillies had all frozen in silence, the last moments of that roar had sounded pained more than anything else, and they could only guess at what could have produced it.
“Wha-.. what was that!?” Apple Bloom was the first to snap out of her stupor, looking at her friends with wide eyes. She had heard stories of great beasts living in the Everfree, Ursas and Dragons in particular, but she couldn’t believe that something like that lived so close to Ponyville.
Sweetie Belle was obviously shaken by the whole situation, but Scootaloo quickly looked to the other two with determination and excitement in her purple eyes.
“That, Apple Bloom, was the sound of a job for the Cutie Mark Crusaders Mystery Solvers!”
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Lunar in a liquor store, how I hate writing Zecora. Those rhymes
Also, does a more reckless group of ponies exist than the CMC? I doubt it.
1253079 If you think about it, Twilight sparkle in the beginning, and to some degree the elements of harmony later. Look, dark goddess brining eternal Night/ancient chaos spirit more powerfull than the princesses... Fight it by ourselves^^. I mean magical supeweapon or not, wanting to stop nightmare moon by herself is somewhat crazy, and discord? ok, without the elements there may have been no way of stopping him, so confronting him may have been the right thing to do, but it was still reckless as hell. Both confrotations were won mostly only because their vastly superior foes failed to take them seriously, and got a bit caught up gloating (or being crazy) to boot.
1253160
Especially when you consider the first time - the rationale was, well, this book says they'll work, so let's charge through the deadly forest to find their last spot, which they could've been moved from or buried over time. Wheee~!
lol those three are so gonna die
I say this is quite impressive writing! I looking for more. Are you gonna update regularly?
If the CMC start making The Queen of Blades more compassionate, I am going to be disappointed.
.
Evil QB is best QB
Scootaling, Hydrabloom, and the Sweet Ultralisk.
Hmm, would the CMC be more useful as mind controlled spies, or a nice set of slippers?
1254168
Disturbing images... in my head
Quick! Counter with cute zergling fanart!
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvg8037fP31r5aka0o1_400.jpg
1253554
Little chance of that
1254201
Just think, zerg cutie marks
And I actually had those comics in mind when thinking up the idea.
I see pain in Queen's future care of the CMC.
Zeraturl? It's Zeratul. I played the games.
And yeah, it's a pain to make rhymes.
1254201
YAY!
Nerf Now!!
1261292
Suddenly, a wild R appears! Thanks for catching that
And yes, Nerf Now is awesome.
1262667
Wild R? I've heard of wild rappers, but not wild R's.
1262820
The 'r' I included in Zeratul's name by accident
1262831
Why'd you reply to this comment instead of—never mind.
A pack of wolves made out of WOOD dealt as much damaged as marines in steel armor with piercing rounds, heavy tanks and giant mechs?
Even if she is weakened...
In the words of Heavy Weapons Guy, "EES NOT POSSIBLE!"
1254201
Those look more like necromorphs than Zerglings, but that's just me.
you stupid...stupid.... stuPID, FILLIES!!!
sigh...
well lets see wut happens
If there is a Charles Darwin of equestria then he is wrong. No way would natural selection breed herbivores who head toward very obviously predatory roars. Those friggin fillies. I think they should be called "kill ourselves via our own ignorance crusaders" rather than cutie mark crusaders.