Short Shorts

by Coranth

98. Equus de Templari (MLP:FiM/Starcraft. Author SI/Twilight Sparkle)

The vegetable broth was good Twilight decided. It was warm, the temperature just right, and was easy for the ill unicorn mare to sip and swallow slowly. The hands of the being tending her felt even better; they were rough and calloused, but also amazingly gentle as they stroked her gently and spoon-fed her the broth. The vegetable broth – which was accompanied by some kind of warm flat bread that melted in her mouth when she ate it – was the only thing she could stand to eat, after having been deprived of sustenance for so long.

She'd learned that the hard way; one day – when she'd thought she was ready – Twilight had attempted to eat her usual fare of good, old-fashioned hay fries and condiment, despite her new friend's warnings that she wasn't ready for solid foods, yet. Everything had seemed to go so well, too; when she'd described her favorite dish, the replicator had been more than accommodating, creating a delicious-looking – and tasting – meal… However, she'd paid for her folly in spades--everything the poor mare had eaten… had inevitably come back up.

Now, here she was abed, with her savior tending to her, recovering not only from her misguided attempt to eat solid food, but also from… the event that had led to her being here in the first place. Thoughts of the event moistened her eyes and she closed them, scrunching her muzzle, whimpering softly. 'Don't… don't think about it, Twilight!' the unicorn thought to herself as she once again did her best to banish the creeping fear of them from her thoughts. 'Think about what David said. We're well away from… what's left of Equus by now. They can't get me here. David said we were safe! He said we were safe…'

Whimpering softly, she looked to her savior for reassurance. Dark brown hair done up in a peculiar braid framed a weathered, hairless face with hazel eyes, a very small muzzle - no, a nose - and lips drawn with deep concern. Paws—no, five-fingered hands, attached to pink-skinned arms dusted with light coatings of fur, kept feeding her, stroking her, tending her. Suddenly, she just couldn't help herself; a nicker escaped her as she drew closer to his body, his odd, bipedal, minotaur-like body, which was clothed in some kind of amazing teal robe covered with runic designs; beneath that was some kind of golden-bronze armor.

He was a human. A real, live, living, breathing, honest-to-Celestia human! A mare of logic and reason, Twilight Sparkle had always dismissed her friend Lyra Heartstrings' fanciful tales of mythical 'humans' as just that—flights of fancy—but now… As eyes of hazel, glowing faintly with some unfathomable power, looked upon her with concern and more than a little worry, the unicorn vowed never to dismiss those tales again. Struggling with effort – by Celestia she was so very tired – Twilight managed to finish her meal; then her savior gently took her tray away to be recycled.

When he returned a moment later, the little unicorn cuddled close to him again. Although she already had his scent imprinted into her mind – she'd accidentally sniffed him the day she'd first met him – he still smelt the same even now, of sweat/soft-fabric/steel/safe/friend. It was, she decided, a good smell. Inhaling a breath, weakly, she rasped, "Were… were there any… other…?" She couldn't bring herself to say 'survivors'—but even as she asked the question the human's eyes narrowed; then after a moment of pensive thought, he nodded and sighed. "Yes," David replied, "there were two, but… their condition is… bad."
 
"Show me," Twilight rasped. So he did. Gently, David wrapped his arms about her and lifted her up; as he did, the little unicorn just couldn't help herself and leaned into him, another wordless nicker escaping her and causing him to chuckle. At this, suddenly, poor Twilight felt mortified! 'I… I did not just do that--again!' she thought, embarrassed. This… this wasn't like her at all! Since when had she become so… clingy? Snorting softly through her nose, she dismissed the thought and wrapped her hooves about David, tucking her head against his chest as he carried her out of Quarters.

Time seemed to stop for the little unicorn, albeit briefly, as the human carried her from Quarters, through the living area of his home, and then into a very different place. In front of her she saw what appeared to be a bed – albeit a very futuristic-looking one – which was equipped with some kind of support frame, the function of which she couldn't determine. Three other, similar beds lined the perimeter of the room. Overlooking the main bed, Twilight espied what appeared to be an office, to which a small laboratory was connected; near that was an alcove, similar to the one David had carried her from when he'd first brought her here.

The little mare was most interested in the room across the hall. Within that room there stood an enormous, cylindrical tank, the glass top of which was transparent. Resting inside the liquid-filled tank – separated by a dividing partition – she could see two ponies. Two of her friends… "Rarity! Pinkie!" Twilight rasped; then David gently set her down on the ground. Half-stumbling, half-crawling, Twilight raced over to the strange tank and anxiously peered within—but when she saw the condition of her friends, she gasped and then started to weep, her eyes misting with tears. Rarity's normally pristine white fur had been burned black or simply scoured off. Her body was swathed with some sort of moisture-coated wraps beneath which Twilight could just make out one of the diamonds of her cutie mark.

As for Pinkie Pie, she appeared relatively fine—but then poor Twilight retched, swallowing back bile, as she realized that the pink pony's lower-half was gone. It just wasn't there; instead, an unfathomable network of complex tubes, wires, and Celestia-knew-what-else, connected poor Pinkie's upper-body to some kind of machine below the tank. These tubes also penetrated Rarity's body as well, connecting the fashionista pony to the same device. Oxygen masks covered the two ponies' faces, allowing them to breathe. Even as she wept, Twilight was thankful that her friends even were breathing, albeit weakly. They were alive… or were they? "Rarity! Pinkie!" Twilight rasped again, raising a hoof to bang on the glass.

Before she could, however, David pulled her away. Furiously, the little unicorn whirled about in his gentle grip to face him. "What is this thing? Why are my friends inside it? What are you doing to them? Answer me!" she snarled, her horn aglow with anger-fueled magic. David didn't answer her at first; instead he gently picked her up again. The human just held her for a moment as she struggled weakly in protest – she wanted to be with her friends, Celestia damn it all – but then, when she calmed down David took her out to the main ward of the… the – she would think of it as a hospital, for now.

Setting her down on the bed there, he sat down beside her and answered her questions. "The device your friends are resting inside is called an 'Autodoc', Twilight," he intoned softly. Before she could ask what that was, he continued, "It's a machine, one built to heal the sick and repair the injured. That's what it's doing at the moment, repairing your friends' injuries." Twilight nodded - allowing David to gently pet the tears from her eyes dry with a piece of the robe he wore – before she leaned gently against him as she asked, "What… what happened to them?"

Her human savior sighed sadly before he answered, "Rarity got splashed with Guardian acid as she fled her home. As for Pinkie… well, not even the so-called 'pinkie-sense' can save you when an Ultralisk bursts up from the ground beneath your feet. Damn thing's Kaiser blades tore her in half and she would've been a goner if I hadn't found her in time and had the Nexus bring her back here…" Twilight whimpered and shivered at his words—but then, she turned her head to look at him and blinked in confusion. What were those words he'd used? "Guardian Acid? Ultralisk? Kaiser Blades?" she queried. "I… I don't understand! What are those things?"

Again, David didn't answer her question at first – he didn't want to answer her. With another heavy sigh, he lowered his head to rest in the palm of a hand and at this, Twilight became worried; she thought she'd somehow offended him! When the human lifted his head to look at her again, however, Twilight paled as she saw that he seemed haunted, the light in his eyes extinguished. "'Guardian Acid'," he finally answered, "is a powerful, long-range attack produced by a slow-flying creature called a Guardian. It's a long-range bomber; looks like a giant flying spider or crab. 'Kaiser blades' are the giant, scythe-like blades attached to the back of an Ultralisk, a twenty meter long and five meter high living battering ram, evolved from the docile brontolith; both creatures are part of a larger amalgamation of biologically advanced, arthropodal aliens, collectively called the Zerg Swarm. Come on, I'll show you…"

Gently, David wrapped his arms about her again and lifted her up once more; as he did, the little unicorn found herself leaning into him once more. 'Celestia damn it, why does this feel so good?' she thought. Then, 'Why does it feel so good?' she wondered. It shouldn't have, she mused; she wasn't a foal anymore! Was she that desperate for contact; for the simple touch of another? Snuffling softly through her nose – blinking away tears as sudden embarrassment and shame gripped her – she whimpered softly and tried to subtly shift away from his touch. She failed miserably, however, a choked sob escaping her as one of the human's hands reached up to scratch her oh-so-gently behind the ears…

At that moment, Twilight just couldn't take it anymore. She let go. Sagging in his arms, the poor little pony mare actively leaned into and encouraged her saviour's gentle touch, breaking down and bawling like a lost filly as David carried her out of the Hospital. Instead of carrying her straight through the living area of his home as he had previously done – David stopped and sat down upon an old, faded brown leather sofa that had seen better days. There, he rocked little Twilight gently like a foal. When at length she stopped crying, her breathing was uneven and her eyes were puffy, the fur about them darkened with the wetness of shed tears. "Are you okay?" David asked.

At first, Twilight didn't answer him – she just looked at him, empty, her lower jaw quivering; she feared that if she spoke she might start crying again – but then, finally, she sniffled and rasped out, "No… but I will be. Show me the Zerg." The human nodded. Gently lifting her again, he resumed carrying her through the living area of his home and then took Twilight into another room whose grid-like walls glowed with a soft, cyan light. "This place," he stated, once he'd set Twilight down, "is called the Psiodeck. Here, whatever I will can become reality…" With that he sent a thought to the mind of his Home—and suddenly Twilight was gasping in awe as the entire room was replaced with a vast grassy field, beneath a deep blue sunlit sky!
 
At first, the little unicorn was in awe, marveling at her surroundings but then, happiness blossomed within her heart and – with a joyful whinny – she raced through the long verdant grass, David keeping pace behind her. When she tired of running, the little mare dropped and rolled around in the grass; she got it all over her lavender coat, got it stuck in her hooves, and even ate her fill of it and it was sweet, juicy, and utterly delicious! Cheerfully she whinnied again as David laughed at her antics; then – to her delight – he played, wrestled, and frolicked with her for the rest of the 'day.' When afternoon on the 'deck turned to evening, David set about creating a campfire; then Twilight sat with him, leaning against him, a foreleg resting on his leg as he cooked a lovely pumpkin soup.

But… where had the cooking pot come from? What about the ingredients? They hadn't been there before! As he worked to cook their meal, the human tried to explain it all – it was something to do with 'thought-based quantum replication' – but the explanation went over Twilight's head. She vowed that it wouldn't for long, however. Her savior's home simply boggled Twilight's mind—and this was only one of its mysteries! Twilight Sparkle vowed to herself that she would learn them all. Later that night, as the fire burned low and the stars lit up the sky, David faced her with solemn expression as he began to teach. "To understand the Zerg – and why they attacked and destroyed your world – you must first understand their creators…"

Always eager for more knowledge, Twilight Sparkle nodded and sat up, her ears alert, ready to listen. “Tens of millions of years ago," David softly began, "our universe as we know it was little more than a wasteland of barren galaxies, filled with frozen worlds that were completely devoid of life…" At this, Twilight gasped softly, her jaw dropping open—but then she closed her mouth with an audible 'click' before stating, "Obviously it didn't remain that way forever…" In response, David chuckled. "True—if it had remained that way, we wouldn't be here right now. The thing is… our universe would have remained lifeless, forever, if not for the intervention of an ancient, highly advanced race of alien beings who were often called the ‘Xel'Naga,’ or `wanderers from afar.'"

This… this blew Twilight's mind. "A-Aliens?" she choked. "You… me… Celestia… everyone… We were all created by ALIENS?!" David merely smirked, choosing not to answer her; instead he expertly manipulated the Psiodeck to bring the knowledge he was imparting to Twilight to life, in living color! "Little is known of the Xel'Naga," he continued, "save that they were a peaceful, benevolent and enigmatic race, who were consumed with the study, and propagation of sentient evolution. Obsessed with fashioning the perfect life-form, for untold millennia, the Xel'Naga journeyed throughout space-time within their great World-Ships, searching for a place, a ‘testing ground’ where they could experiment freely, to try and achieve this goal.

Finally, they discovered our universe. Attracted by its curious physical, chemical, and multidimensional properties, they stayed there, and began genetic experiments. Masters of the ultimate technology—the ability to alter physical reality by will alone—the Xel'Naga changed the frozen planets within each barren galaxy, to make each planet capable of supporting life. When this first phase was completed, the Xel'Naga seeded, and cultivated, dozens of various species upon the thousands of newly transformed worlds and then—for thousands of years—they worked to carefully steer the delicate evolutionary processes of their budding species.

Their careful experimentation resulted in the creation of all life as we know it—including that in our own planetary system, Sol, in the Galaxy called the Milky Way—but the species that the Xel'Naga cultivated always fell short of their enormous expectations. Travelling thousands of light years into the burning core of the galaxy, the Xel'Naga eventually settled upon the volatile ash-world of Zerus…" Twilight listened while David laid it all down. The Xel'Naga. The Zerg Swarm… its history, every species within, and the horrors wrought by their every action. It's not every day you find out that the demons who destroyed your world were created by a benevolent alien race attempting to procreate. She took it pretty well…

"You will teach me everything about them," hissed the little unicorn, as she stared at David with fury-filled gaze. "What they look like. Where they are. Everything. And then, you will teach me how to destroy them." It was not a request. Slowly, hesitantly, David nodded. The human High Templar would teach the little mare everything he knew. The training would be difficult; it would destroy her innocence… And Twilight Sparkle, the Last Pony of Equestria, would never be the same. She, however, did not care; she was a mare driven.

So that Twilight wouldn't be consumed by her fury for the Zerg - or exhaust herself due to her illness - before teaching her anything, David cared for her, allowing her to recover from her sickness. Soon after that, the human taught her of the Protoss and the Khala--the strict set of disciplines which defined the behavior of all citizens within the Protoss Empire. Then, the training of Twilight Sparkle truly began; David taught the mare to avoid or reduce injury during combat, by evading, deflecting, or absorbing blows. He also trained and conditioned her for running and swimming, so that she could move short and long distances over land with speed and efficiency, and swim swiftly underwater.

David also trained Twilight to jump long distances, to avoid damage when falling from great heights, and even to direct her path while falling! Her training with the human was intense, grueling, and often painful, but the little unicorn never complained. Instead, she seemed to outright relish the hell he put her through; she was utterly determined to better herself... and she did, her hatred of the Zerg driving her on. Eventually, Twilight became so great in her mastery of this training, that she could move faster, jump higher, and defend herself in combat far better than any other member of her race.

In addition to training Twilight in unarmed combat techniques, David went one step further: after studying her anatomy, he developed a combat style the mare could use, consisting of brutal fore and hind leg kicks, and terrible stomping, crushing blows with her hooves. Whilst teaching her the new style, David also taught Twilight to attune herself to the disciplines of the Khala, in order to channel her fury against the Zerg into a near berserk rage in battle--a state that Protoss Zealots called the Ka'Doth, or ‘battle-fury.’ As the little pony mare gained greater and greater control of this technique, she soon found that – even in the deepest, most primal depths of her rage – she could maintain her hold on cold logic and reason

This, she thought, was excellent, for it would make her all the more deadly in combat. By the time her training in the martial arts was complete – although she was no Earth Pony – Twilight had practically become one. She was stronger, faster, and physically fitter than any other Equestrian Unicorn - her strength akin to that of her friend Applejack – and her body appeared thin and lean because nearly every ounce of useless fat had been either burned away or replaced by finely-toned muscle. No longer was she a mere unicorn bookworm; well versed in the disciplines of the Khala, and fully trained in the arts of physical combat, she was a powerful fighting pony who would have made a brilliant Guard of the Equestrian Royalty!

With the physical aspect of her training complete, David trained Twilight as best he could in the ways of the High Templar. Employing her magic in place of psionic power, David taught the little mare psionics—the art of tapping the mind's potential—and Twilight had a brilliant mind… With his guidance, Twilight refreshed herself on how to meditate, in order to close her mind to the outside world and focus her latent magical power. Then, David taught the unicorn to channel the power of her magic to augment the already formidable physical strength and endurance she'd gained from her martial training! Here was where her training really diverged from what she'd been taught at Celestia's School for gifted Unicorns—and this was only the beginning…

Twilight learned to magically alter and shift her weight about such that she could balance easily upon moving objects. She learned to perform tremendous, magically boosted leaps, hundreds of feet into the air. She even learned to add a kind of magical momentum to her already formidable hoof-attacks; the equivalent of adding massive, weighted anvils to the ends of her hooves! During her 'exam' for this section of training, she combined all of these techniques to ascend the leg of a running Ultralisk, climb onto its back—and then crush its head to a viscous, bloody pulp! David seemed especially pleased, but Twilight – grinning ferally, and covered with gore – was thrilled! But the little mare's training wasn't over yet, not by a long shot…

David taught her the 'lesser' abilities he'd mastered. Telekinesis—the ability to interact remotely with objects, without physically touching them—was simple enough; it was a 'refresher course' for one of the most basic spells she'd ever learned. Her human friend, however, made her push it to new heights, drilling her relentlessly until even the most massive of objects could be moved effortlessly… and then he taught her to use this simple spell to crush an enemy's bones to powder, and tear the heart from an enemy's chest! Finally, the human taught Twilight to use her telekinesis spell in conjunction with the environment around her to devastating effect. When accelerated with enough telekinetic force, anything that wasn't nailed down could become the deadliest of weapons…

With her 'basic' spell of Telekinesis now deadlier than ever, David instructed Twilight in Healing—the ability to channel her magic to regenerate damage to her own body, and the bodies of others. However, the High Templar didn't just instruct her on how to enhance a general healing spell she knew; he taught her about all aspects of healing, both physical and psionic, and trained her in all manner of healing techniques from ancient to modern. Most notably, David taught Twilight Battlefield Medicine and surgical techniques she could easily employ while in the field, as well as knowledge of how to use the various systems in the Hospital within his home.
 
With that done – via the use of a heavily modified 'Want-It-Need-It' spell – David instructed the little unicorn in Charm—the ability to implant thoughts in another person's head. Charm, Twilight found, had many uses. She could use it to soothe those who were angry, or calm those who were frightened. Charm's primary use, however, was misdirection; she could literally make her enemies believe she wasn't there simply by implanting that thought in their heads! Much to her chagrin, however, Twilight discovered that Charm would fail if she attempted it on an enemy in plain sight, or if she came into physical contact with an enemy already under its influence.

Nevertheless, when used correctly, this ability was still a valuable addition to her skills. Once Twilight had gained mastery of these 'lesser' abilities, David instructed her in the Greater: Mageblast—the ability to manifest a sphere of condensed magical energy, which Twilight could throw at a target—and Shockwave, the ability to create a physically manifested magical shockwave, which the unicorn could use to stun, or kill, an entire group of opponents! At first, the relationship between Twilight and David had been strictly business; the little unicorn mare had sought to learn all she could from him, using him – albeit kindly – as a means to an end. However, as David walked her further down the path of Khala, Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but be drawn to the human.

Perhaps it was because, as a herd creature, she longed for companionship—even if that companionship came from another being, and not from a member of her own species. Perhaps it was because of his unusual, informal teaching style, or the way he could draw from her a laugh or a smile, even during the darkest of days. Whatever the reason, no matter how hard she tried to fight it, she found herself becoming closer, and closer to him. It was little things, at first. David would ask her if she was well, compliment her mane and coat, or the subtle lavender perfume she wore—and Twilight would blush, turning her head down and away… David would pet her after commending her on a job well done – not to treat her like an animal, but as a gesture of friendship – and Twilight would find herself wishing for more of his touch…

During sessions of study – when David began tutoring her in galactic history and politics – as the human read aloud to her Twilight would lean against him, letting him gently stroke her coat and mane, which she'd deliberately altered with magic to be extra soft and silky to the touch… After long, hard days of training, Twilight would stretch out on the old, faded brown leather sofa and allow David to stroke and caress her as he wished, from her head to the very base of her tail, and oh, his touch was glorious! His hands – combing through her mane, scratching behind her ears, combing through her lavender coat and roving over her belly – could evoke the most primal of sounds from the little mare, no matter how hard she tried to suppress them.

Twilight nickered, and whickered, and whinnied softly, putty in his hands. The culmination of it all occurred the night before her final lessons were to begin. Having suffered a terrible nightmare of the event during which the Zerg had destroyed her world, poor Twilight half-ran, half-teleported herself into David's Quarters and then crawled into his bed! Nickering, whimpering, eyes blinded by tears, Twilight Sparkle lipped and nuzzled the man who had become far more than just a friend to her as she poured her heart out to him. David soothed her pain with gentle words and touch then pulled her against his body, spooning her against him.

David thought it was lovely – the feel of her fur against his flesh – and embarrassment was the last thing on Twilight's mind. They didn't make love – Twilight was still too distressed to be thinking thoughts of sex and David, of course, would never take advantage of her lest he stain his honour – but man and mare both held each other, exchanging shy glances, whispered words and the softest of kisses in the night. The next day, with Twilight and himself refreshed after a good night's rest, David set about teaching the little mare how to manifest her power into a variation of the devastating attack that all High Templar use in battle: the Psionic Storm. Twilight Sparkle's Magestorm was just as deadly.

David watched with critical eye as a pack of Psiodeck-made Zerglings were suddenly swallowed in a crackling haze of pink energy. Dancing arcs of something that almost looked like lightning raced across the entire pack, critically overloading what little brains they possessed. As she observed the effects of the storm – as she watched the Zerglings scream and die – a cruel smile split Twilight's muzzle; she was almost ready. Once David was satisfied with Twilight's mastery of her Magestorm, the human taught the unicorn to manifest her magic as illusory duplicates of other beings.

Although they possessed no physical substance, these Phantasms could be used to sow confusion and cause disarray amongst enemy forces; a variation of a High Templar ability simply called Hallucination. This, however, wasn’t the greatest ability that Twilight learned. No... That title was reserved for the final power David taught to Twilight: Projection—the ability to project her soul out of her body in an ethereal form made of raw magic! Although this ethereal form had limited interaction with the physical world, it was still a wondrous ability indeed because Twilight could use it to reach normally inaccessible places, interact with simple physical objects, and even possess other beings.

Upon the dawn of the Final Day – once their meditation was complete – David opened a hand, showing to her a rough shard of pure Khaydarin Crystal. Overcome with joy, Twilight reached to take it—but then David gently closed his hand. "For reasons you know, I cannot offer you this, beloved," he softly intoned. "However, I can give you these…" Reaching into his robe, the human withdrew two items; one was a shard of Equestrian Quartz – a powerful, magically conductive crystal – whilst the other was a book filled with sacred scriptures. She knew of one of these items; the scriptures penned within the book would reveal how shards of Khaydarin Crystal—a special crystal found only on Aiur—could be carved into holy amulets which could be used to more potently focus the mental power of any High Templar. But as for the other…

"Where did you get this?!" Twilight whinnied, surprised. "This is an Equestrian Gemstone!" David chuckled as he handed her the items. "I managed to retrieve it before I took you from… what was left of Equestria," he replied. Then, gesturing to the items with a hand, he stated, "You know what to do with these. To the Forge with you, now; I'll see you when you return…" Twilight nodded, grinning, and then away she went. With the knowledge she gained from the book’s pages, a little improvisation, the tools within the Forge and her own hooves, Twilight Sparkle cut and carved the gemstone David had given her into a cover for her horn. Fashioned with precisely aligned mana channels, engraved with runes from the magical language of the ancient Unicorn Oligarchy, and then polished to a mirror finish, it was an impressive work.
 
When she focused the power of her magic through this Arcane Amulet, Twilight found that her magical spells become more powerful, and that she could use them more often. The little mare affixed the amulet to a half-circlet of golden-bronze, which she wore atop her head. She was done. When David saw the newly made amulet – chanting litanies from the Codex de Khalai – the human proceeded to ritually dress Twilight in spectacular clothing. A 'triple-loincloth' like garment – called a shendyt – was draped over her rear (a hole existed for her tail to exit through), and also covered her flanks. Next, David helped her into barding made of gantrium; a metal known for its magically conductive properties.

Atop her barding, Twilight Sparkle wore a long, flowing, teal robe. Adorned with Equestrian and Protoss glyphs, the robe was made from a thick material that resembled fine silk, and it would serve to protect the mare from the elements, whilst denoting her rank. Once she was dressed David stood as Twilight knelt before him. "Twilight Sparkle" he asked, "who are you?"

"I am Equus de Templari," she answered.

At her answer, the human nodded. "Twilight Sparkle" he asked, "what is your Duty?"

The mare answered swiftly, and without hesitation. "I take upon myself the mantle of the Dae'Uhl, or Great Stewardship. I must watch over the lesser races living within my shadow—but I must not interfere. I must not direct their course. They are not my students. I am theirs."

David nodded. "Twilight Sparkle" he asked, "what is your Mission?"

Anger seethed within the unicorn, then, as she hissed softly, "To liberate my Home World, Equestria, from the Zerg!"

Satisfied with her answer, David nodded as asked a final question. "For the Zerg, what is best?"

"To crush them!" Twilight whinnied savagely. "To see them fall at my hooves – to destroy their spawning pools, hatcheries, and hive clusters and hear the lamentation of their accursed Overmind! That is best!" She grinned up at him ferally; as he returned her gaze David's grin was equally savage.

Then… "Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. Equus de Templari. Rise!" he commanded.

And she did.

Author's Note:

Look out Zerg, High Templar Twilight is GO!

Comments

[Oddboy]

Look out Zerg, High Templar Twilight is GO!

The Pain Train has arrived, and the ride will never stop.

"To liberate my Home World, Equestria, from the Zerg!"

Does this mean there may be other survivors? Otherwise, I don't know why she'd phrase it as liberating Equestria instead of something like "To purge my homeworld of the Zerg!"

Eh. I'll just consider it as a sign there are survivors, and maybe they just discovered that later when they still thought that only Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie were still alive. Wouldn't surprise me if Celestia pulled something, or if Luna relocated ponies to some makeshift bunkers inside the moon or if Cadence and Shining Armor used his shield and the Crystal Heart to cut off all outside contact with the rest of the world.

I like that better than "everyone's dead, the tragedy!" because I'm a big softie and a sucker for happy endings.

Or maybe Celestia woke up Discord in desperation and the old trickster moved the surviving population somewhere the Zerg can't get them. idk. I'm not really buying that the Zerg managed to exterminate them all, magic sort of makes ponies really, really hard to pin down without using something like carpet nuking.

I'm thinking the other Elements survived (because MAIN CHARACTER LUCK ) and then Twilight arrives accompanied by Rarity and Pinkie (Pinkie would of course either be a pilot of something or a cyborg and Rarity would be a Zealot because she apparently knows weird equine martial arts), alight with psychic hellfire just in time to save them as their last bastion or something is about to fall...

Hmmm... High Templar Twilight (magic+psionics - this combination hurts you) versus Queen of Blades Kerrigan... Win or lose, that would be an epic fight.

[Coranth]

4702569

Hmmm... High Templar Twilight (magic+psionics - this combination hurts you) versus Queen of Blades Kerrigan... Win or lose, that would be an epic fight.

It's not magic and psionics; it's magic used to emulate psionic abilities, and as for that fight--it would be epic, think the Zeratul vs Kerrigan cutscene from HoTS but with Twilight replacing Zeratul... and she KICKS the zerg-lady's ass!

Eh. I'll just consider it as a sign there are survivors, and maybe they just discovered that later when they still thought that only Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie were still alive. Wouldn't surprise me if Celestia pulled something, or if Luna relocated ponies to some makeshift bunkers inside the moon or if Cadence and Shining Armor used his shield and the Crystal Heart to cut off all outside contact with the rest of the world.

Yes.

I'm thinking the other Elements survived (because MAIN CHARACTER LUCK ) and then Twilight arrives accompanied by Rarity and Pinkie (Pinkie would of course either be a pilot of something or a cyborg and Rarity would be a Zealot because she apparently knows weird equine martial arts), alight with psychic hellfire just in time to save them as their last bastion or something is about to fall...

Feel free to take this snip and run with it; I say this all the time but no one does. My ideas must suck. I guess...

[Oddboy]

4702593 I obviously can't speak for anyone but myself, but the reason I don't write any stories or even just snippets is because I'm never even remotely satisfied by anything I've tried to write. My stuff either feels flat, too simplistic, out of character, unrealistic, the dialogue is bad or badly structured, etc etc.

So it's not that I think your ideas suck. I just think my writing skills suck. Otherwise I probably would have asked perms to do something with one or two of the shots you've posted.