PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

-CHAPTER START-

Canterlot Castle

Throne Room

The three alicorn princesses and the six Harmony Element bearers, along with Trixie and Sunset, waited for their guests to arrive. Fortunately, the knowledge of what Kerrigan had been up to had arrived several hours ahead of Kerrigan herself, so there wasn't any mass panic when a Zerg Leviathan showed up in the skies over the capital. Still, ponies and COG personnel were a bit… on edge; the idea of "friendly Zerg" was still a foreign one.

The massive doors at the far end swung open, and in walked Sarah Kerrigan, the Primal Queen, flanked by Alexei Stukov; Zagara and the others were staying on the 'ship'.

"What's this about there being Zerg on our planet, Miss Kerrigan?" Celestia asked.

"I'll allow my geneticist to explain" Kerrigan replied, tossing down a holo-projector that came to life to reveal a 3D real-time image of Abathur.

"Formax Brood" he said. "Small, focused mainly on Zerglings. Went missing 1,800 years ago. Traced 'essence' signature to this planet. Zerglings had ability to alter coloration to match environment – passive camouflage. Could also project weak psychic suggestion field, affected other organisms, made them 'not notice' hidden Zerg. Brood has likely developed this ability through further evolution. Two millennia of separation, and exposure to planet's abundant ambient magical energy, possibly altered Formax Brood's physical appearance considerably from baseline Swarm. Likely not recognizable as Zerg at first glance. Also, undoubtedly still operating under Amon's corruptive influence."

Celestia's expression became one of realization. "The Changelings…"

"Princess?" Twilight asked.

Celestia focused her power, magically projecting an image of an insectoid equine (or a pony-like insect).

"The Changelings are a reclusive species who dwell in the mountainous badlands about halfway between here and the frozen northern regions. They have the ability to magically cloak themselves in a 'secondary layer of reality' to take the form of another being."

The projected Changeling was enveloped in a brief flash of green 'fire', which faded to reveal a pale-yellow-furred unicorn stallion, looking exactly like a normal pony except for a brief flash of green to his eyes.

"They are 'emotion eaters'" Celestia continued. "They literally gain sustenance from love. They generally take the form of a pony, and then interact with that pony's loved ones, feeding on the love emanated by them."

"Possible evolution of Formax Cerebrate's ability to siphon and consume excess psionic energy radiated by other races" Abathur supposed. "Altered by long-term exposure to planet's magical signature."

"Little is known about them" Celestia said. "I do know, however, that they are ruled and controlled by a queen, who controls their hive-mind, and rumors say she is as powerful as an alicorn."

"Then the 'Changeling' Queen is likely the main conduit for Amon's corruptive influence" Stukov said. "Strike her down, and her underlings will be open to Kerrigan's control."

"I think we can help with that" Twilight said. "I've been testing ways to temporarily reconfigure the energy signature of the Elements of Harmony. We may be able to replicate the Xel'Naga artifact's energy on a smaller scale; we won't be able to blast the whole Changeling swarm with it, but it should be enough to take out their Queen, if we can hit her with it."

"Alright" Kerrigan said. "I'll lead my Swarm to their Hive Cluster, and fight through their fighters to reach the queen. Once I've weakened her, you girls teleport in and blast her with the Elements. Once she's dead, I'll assume control of her brood. Let's make this happen."

-SCENE BREAK-

Northern Badlands

The valley was dominated by a massive spire of stone and centuries-hardened biomatter – the Changelings' hive. Smaller structures of similar build were scattered around it, dwellings and garrisons and storehouses and the like. And the residents had now taken notice of the Zerg Hive Cluster that had been established within sight further up the valley, as well as the multitude of Zerg moving around in it. Standing atop a Hive, Kerrigan stared out at the Changeling Hive Cluster's main spire, reaching out with her mind. Sure enough, she could sense the psionic presence of the Queen, around as powerful as Luna or Cadence.

"Here they come…" she murmured, spotting the swarm of a few dozen Changelings approaching the Hive Cluster. In the distance, she could sense as Amon's influence created what could only be called 'artificial hatred' for the Swarm in the Changeling Queen's mind.

As the hostile pony-shaped Zerg drew close, the Hive Cluster's Spine and Spore Crawlers reacted, firing acid bursts and lashing out with armor-piercing impaling strikes. Hydralisks joined the defense, their armor-piercing poison-tipped projectile spines further culling the attackers' numbers. When about two-thirds of their numbers were dead, the Changelings retreated.

Kerrigan immediately started beefing up her Hive Cluster's defenses, adding Swarm Hosts and Lurkers to plug gaps between Spore and Spine Crawlers and stationing a sizable flock of Mutalisks over the Hive. Over the next several minutes, Zerg of various types emerged from the Hive's larva nests, while a large Overlord from the Leviathan dropped off an Ultralisk ready for combat.

Soon, a pack of Zerglings and Roaches moved out into the field, encountering another pack of Changelings that attacked immediately. However, the Changelings had spent so long focusing on infiltration that their only weapons were their fangs and claws; the Zerglings, being combat-oriented, had considerably larger and sharper fangs and claws, and supplemented by the Roaches' acid blasts they handily defeated the group of rogue Zerg, sending them scurrying. The group continued on, soon being reinforced by another half-dozen Zerglings… which the already-present Zerg immediately turned on, revealing the newcomers as disguised Changelings; they had sensed that the new group, despite their perfect physical mimic, lacked the bit of Primal energy to their Hive-Mind presence that Kerrigan's Zerg now all had, and also bore a hint of Amon's corruption.

As her Swarm proceeded to engage the Changelings, Kerrigan focused her power into her wing-blades as she spread them open like they were actual wings… and then glowing purple energy formed 'webbing' between the long, thin claws. She flapped them and leapt high, and she didn't come back down, using the psionic power focused through her wing-blades to defy gravity. She soared over the battlefield, heading for the Changeling Hive Spire. A 'small' swarm of Changelings emerged from the Spire, flying at her; she unleashed a Kinetic Blast that acted like a flak round, taking a good chunk of them down, and then unleashed quick bursts of Psionic/Force Lightning that made their bodies seize up and plummet; some regained control before hitting the ground, others didn't. She sped up, wreathing her body in psionic energy as she rapidly grew closer and closer to the top of the Spire, streaking towards it like an artillery shell…

Changeling Queen Chrysalis got a nasty surprise as something busted through the wall of her throne room from outside. The object crashed into the floor of the chamber at an angle, and before the dust had cleared a wave of purple psionic power was released in all directions, sending her elite guards flying, smacking into the walls or landing motionless – dead or unconscious, she couldn't tell. The 'object' straightened up, revealing a biped with insectoid traits, including a set of claws that looked like the skeleton of wings, along with glowing purple eyes and a massive psionic signature. Then, Chrysalis' thought processes took an abrupt turn, her green eyes turning red, as Amon's influence overtook and assumed control of her. She cried out in rage as she fired a blast of magic at the intruder.

Kerrigan rolled to the side, dodging the beam that had been aimed at her heart as she sensed her ultimate enemy's influence overwhelming the Changeling Queen's mind. The equine Zerg snarled as she fired a barrage of crimson energy bolts at Kerrigan, who flitted about to dodge them and then returned fire with a psionic pulse that hammered Chrysalis into and through her stone-carved throne, shattering it. Within seconds the Changeling Queen was on her feet again and flying at Kerrigan, insectoid wings buzzing and horn pointed forward as she went for an impaling tackle. Kerrigan thrust her hands forward and used her formidable telekinetic power to halt Chrysalis' horn-charge around a foot from her face, and then flung her to the side and into a wall, which did little more than briefly daze her.

Chrysalis took to the air, firing a wide wave of energy bolts down at Kerrigan, who formed a psychic energy shield that withstood the barrage. Kerrigan then leapt high, flash-stepping to beside a surprised Chrysalis, and lashed out with a backhand strike to the side that fractured Chrysalis' chitinous natural armor and send her careening down to the ground at an angle, only to right herself and land on her feet at the last instant. The cracks in her exoskeletal armor began to mend themselves, and she fired a rapid-fire series of green-tinted red energy blasts from her horn. The still-airborne Kerrigan fired a psionic pulse upward, propelling herself straight down to the floor and out of the barrage's path.

Chrysalis charged and fired a continuous stream of greenish magical/psionic lightning, which Kerrigan matched with her own purple-hued lightning power. The two streams of energy pushed against each other, much like the "beam-o-war" Kerrigan had found herself in at Skygeirr Station, but Chrysalis proved weaker than Narud, and so Kerrigan was able to slowly but surely push her attack back. Try as she might, the Changeling Queen couldn't match it, and before long Kerrigan's attack overpowered hers and struck her, the Psionic/Force Lightning coursing through her body; despite the burning pain she was unable to scream, her body seizing and twitching.

After several seconds Kerrigan cut the attack off, leaving Chrysalis to flop to the floor, gasping for breath and smoldering slightly. The Primal Queen sent a psychic signal, and a burst of magenta light accompanied Twilight and the other five Bearers teleporting in, Elements at the ready. Kerrigan quickly got out of the way as the sextet floated off the ground, energy channeling through the Elements of Harmony and changing signature to match the Xel'Naga artifact's energy. Weakened by her loss, Chrysalis was unable to get out of the way as the multicolored wave of energy engulfed her. There was a brilliant flash of light and explosion of magical energy.

Kerrigan sensed as Amon's influence vanished from the area. Outside, all the Changelings ceased their offensive actions against the Swarm, standing or hovering in place, confused and leaderless. Most of them then peacefully retreated back to their hives or garrisons, following the now-inbred compulsion to "go to standby, and await further orders". Kerrigan, meanwhile, lowered the arms she'd been shielding her eyes with, watching as the six gifted ponies lowered to the ground.

"Excellent work, girls" she said. "With the Changeling Queen's destruction, I should be able to fully assume control of the Changeling-Zerg with little difficulty. Now, next we-"

She was interrupted as a faint, weak groan was heard from within the settling dust cloud where Chrysalis had been. Kerrigan's eyes widened. "Can't be…" she murmured.

The seven cautiously approached where the Changeling Queen had been, and as the dust settled the ponies gasped, while Kerrigan took a few seconds to remember to breath. Lying on the floor, curled up on herself, trembling and shaking, was a pony – a mare, who looked like an Earth Pony, but her dull-green coat had a faint sheen to it, and in place of her mane was a series of chitinous tendrils.

"W-What's going on?" Fluttershy asked.

"I wasn't the first…" Kerrigan whispered. "This girl… She's like me…"

-SCENE BREAK-

Canterlot Hospital – Private Wing

"She's a what?"

Celestia took a deep breath at her faithful student's question, looking around at those gathered – her sisters, the six Element Bearers, and Kerrigan (currently in mostly-human form) & Stukov.

"A Crystal Pony" the solar diarch replied. "They are a fourth race of ponies who have been absent for over 1,000 years. They lived in the Crystal Empire, a magnificent kingdom up in the north; their power source, the Crystal Heart, projected an energy field that enveloped their city, kept back the biting cold and provided warmth and energy for plant and animal life."

"A few decades before my fall to darkness," Luna said, "a threat emerged within the Crystal Empire: Duke Sombra, a unicorn stallion with a wicked heart and a lust for power. He delved deep into dark magic, becoming strong and monstrous, and amassed an army of shadow creatures with which to conquer the Empire and make it his own. Celestia and I aided the ruling Queen and her followers in fighting against Sombra. One of our allies in that fight was Duchess Crystalia."

She gestured to the unconscious part-Zerg pony in the hospital bed in the next room.

"Despite her status as a noble, Crystalia was a skilled leader of soldiers, as well as a fairly powerful user of the Crystal Ponies' style of magic. We fought together in no small amount of battles. However…"

"The Changelings existed even back then," Celestia picked up, "though they did not have a true leader that I am aware of. To divide our forces, Duke Sombra deliberately stirred them up, and steered them in the direction of our kingdom. Crystalia led a force of ponies to try and stop them, but they were completely overrun. We found the mangled bodies of all our soldiers, and we never did find Crystalia."

"Until now" Rarity surmised.

"By the time we beat back the Changelings from our nation's territory and got back to the Crystal Empire, it had already fallen – the kind Queen and all her followers were dead, and Sombra had crowned himself King and enslaved the populace, as well as grown significantly in dark power. Luna and I fought him together, but we were unable to kill him. Instead, we destabilized his physical form, leaving him a living mass of darkness and shadow, and sealed him deep beneath the snow and ice. However, as he was sealed he cast his most powerful spell yet on the Crystal Empire, throwing it and its populace forward in time. …We've no idea when they will emerge, but we have seen no sign of them in the nearly 10-and-a-half centuries since."

"So when the Changeling-Zerg captured Crystalia," Kerrigan said, "they turned her into another like me. But why? They were cut off from the Overmind; why would they do to her what he did to me in an attempt to thwart Amon if he had no control over or contact with them?"

"Most likely," Luna replied, "they were feral, and operating on a desperate instinct to find a leader – any leader, even if they had to make one. And once Crystalia had been… 'Infested', Amon's influence was able to reach her, and through her the rest of the swarm."

"So what'll happen now?" Applejack asked. "To the Changelin's, I mean, and to her?"

"I've already purged Amon's corruption from the Changelings," Kerrigan replied, "and assumed some control over them. As for Crystalia, we'll have to speak with her when she wakes up."

Luna's head perked up. "She is about to regain consciousness" she said. "I sense it."

"Luna and I shall speak with her first" Celestia said. "Everyone else, wait here unless called for, please."

Kerrigan, Stukov, Cadence, and the Element-Bearers nodded, as the two celestial diarchs entered the other room. Crystalis groaned faintly as her eyes partially opened, two old friends being the first thing she saw.

"Lady Celestia…" she whispered. "And Lady Luna… How… Where…"

"Stay calm, Crystalia" Celestia said soothingly. "A great deal has happened, but you are safe now."

Crystalia's eyes squinted shut and she whimpered. "I remember… The bugs overwhelmed us. I was… taken… I remember feeling my body being… broken down and twisted and remade, along with my mind… I don't remember much about being the Changeling Queen – everything from that time is fuzzy and blurred, and the memories have holes in them. …H-How long has it been?"

"Roughly 1,050 years" Luna replied.

"…The Empire… Sombra!"

"I'm sorry, Crystalia" Celestia said, quiet and sad. "The Crystal Empire is no more. Sombra used the time we spent fighting the Changelings back to conquer it and crown himself King. Luna and I sealed him away, but he flung the entire Empire and its ponies forward in time, and we haven't seen them since. I'm sorry."

"…I …I see… What else have I missed?"

Outside, everyone sat in silence, waiting. Kerrigan closed her eyes, extending her psychic senses. The Princesses were explaining to their old friend things that had happened; the Changelings were waiting just outside the city, anxious for news on their queen (even though she was purified, they still held loyalty for her, much as the Zerg did for herself after the Xel'Naga artifact stripped the Queen of Blades out of her); Stukov was reminiscing on his old life; and Pinkie Pie was using every ounce of self-control not to let her boundless energy run free and start moving around and talking to everyone just to abate her boredom.

After a little while, Kerrigan received a telepathic summons from the Princesses. She let the others knew she'd been called as she got up and walked over to the room, stepping in just as Celestia introduced her. Crystalia looked at her with curiosity and a bit of fear.

"Celestia said you could explain to me more about the situation I got caught up in, Miss Kerrigan" she said.

"Indeed I can" Sarah replied, pulling up a chair. "You see, Duchess, it all goes back millions of years ago, with a race called the Xel'Naga…"

She spent the next 20 minutes or so explaining the Zerg's tale to the part-Zerg pony, ending with the recent developments involving Zerus, Skygeirr Station, and the fight against her Amon-corrupted self less than a day ago. She included a brief shift to her Primal Queen form to show what it looked like and how powerful it 'felt'. All throughout, Crystalia listened, one hoof absent-mindedly fiddling with the Zerg tendrils she now had for a mane, and eyeing the same things growing from Kerrigan's head.

"This close to you," Kerrigan said, "I can tell that Amon's influence hasn't completely left you; there's still a seed of his corruption inside your mind."

"Is there… any way to get rid of it?" Crystalia asked.

"…There is one" Kerrigan admitted. "But I'm not sure you'd go for it. To completely purify you, I would need to trigger a transformation of your body – turn you into a Primal, like me. You and the Changelings beneath you would be purged completely of Amon's influence, but your body would be thoroughly transformed, like mine was. I won't force you to go through with it, but I won't tell you not to either."

Crystalia looked to Celestia and Luna.

"It's your choice, dear" Celestia said.

"…Alright. Do it. Let's get this over and done with."

Kerrigan nodded. "We can't do it yet, though. Right now, you're still too weakened and injured; if we attempted your Primal Transformation now, you wouldn't survive it. You need to recover your strength and heal for a few days, wait until you're at full strength, if you've going to live through the change." She turned to the sisters. "Also, once the transformation begins, it'll be like a beacon to our enemies; they'll come crawling out of the woodwork to interfere. If we do it here in Canterlot, the collateral damage and civilian casualties will be at unacceptable levels. We'll need to do it elsewhere." Her eyes closed for a few seconds. "Izsha informs me there's a leyline convergence point up north, near the snow line. It's far away from any civilization, and doing it there may increase Crystalia's chances of surviving the transformation. My Zerg and the Changelings can guard her chrysalis as she transforms, but if you or the DDF wish to volunteer your services toward defense as well…"

"I will contact the Coalition of Ordered Governments and see if they wish to contribute" Celestia replied. "They have been a bit bored lately…"

"Also, the DDF's Theta Team are present on this world" Luna added. "We shall ask for their assistance as well. Besides, the enemy will likely consist of creatures of Darkness, and two of Theta's members are Keyblade wielders…"

-SCENE BREAK-

That Evening

A lounge in the castle

Sarah Kerrigan, in her mostly-human form, slumped against a wall, feeling tired from all the micromanaging she'd had to do today. Crystalia was recovering quicker than anticipated, and would likely be ready to undergo her transformation later in the day tomorrow, rather than three days away as originally predicted. She had put the Changelings to work, given a deceased one from the battle to Abathur so he could perform a more in-depth examination of their physical and genetic/evolutionary adaptations, and had Zagara start forming a Hive Cluster near the leyline nexus for tomorrow's task.

Two new people entered the room, catching Kerrigan's attention as they moved over to a comfy-looking couch and sat down together, neither of them realizing she was there. She recognized Erika & Timmy from reports, recorded data & footage, and the few times they'd been on the battlefield together like at Radiant Garden and Ulnar, but this was the first time she'd actually noticed them. What was immediately obvious to the telepathic Kerrigan was what they were presently doing.

The old Earth-made stereotype was of lovestruck young couples constantly calling each other cutesy pet names that annoyed most of the people around them. These two kids, though, were doing something quite different, more common to the magic-telepathy-using Midchildans, as well as a few psionically-gifted Terrans: they had an empathy link going, and were near-constantly transmitting each other's emotions and feelings toward each other over it – comfort, calm, serenity, safety, and more love than you could fill a hundred sappy Valentine's Day cards with. This was actually considered a far, far deeper and purer way of showing each other their love than the over-the-top saccharine flirting used by mundanes; rather than superficial attraction, it allowed them to literally feel the true depths of each other's love and admiration and happiness.

Most people outside the link couldn't pick up on it, but Kerrigan's high psionic power meant she could detect it at this range. And she could tell these two had a love for each other as strong and deep as that between her & Jim, if not even more. They were still only 10 or 11 years old, but it was abundantly clear they would be perfectly happy with each other the rest of their lives.

Then, a third person entered the picture. Kerrigan watched as a little girl with long pink hair and cute little horns, a little shorter than Erika, happily entered the lounge and ran over to the couple, who pulled her close and snuggled up with her. Kerrigan remembered; this girl, Mariko, was in a three-way relationship with the other two. And judging by what she could now detect over the link, their connection with her was just as deep and strong and pure as with each other. The little one let out a soft giggle as she snuggled closer, and the emotions being transmitted over the three-way empathic link intensified even more.

At this point, the effect on the powerful psyker that is Kerrigan was much the same as how most people reacted to the stereotypical "cutesy couple calling each other schmoopy-doo" phenomenon. She had to leave the room, quietly slinking out and leaving the little lovebirds to themselves; for their part, they were so entranced with each other they hadn't even noticed she was there to begin with.

'And those cutesy little kids are part of the renowned "Theta Team"…' Kerrigan thought.

-SCENE BREAK-

Next Day – 5:45 PM

Northern Hive Cluster

A sizable base had been constructed atop and around the leyline convergence point. The Hive Cluster was up & running, scores of Zerg warriors (including Changelings) stationed throughout the area, and a significant amount of C.O.G. troops were present as well, including the eight members of Delta Squad. A company of Equestrian Armed Forces personnel – mostly marines with a handful of Air Force –, the Element-Bearers, the three Princesses, Theta Team, and Stukov, Zagara, & Kerrigan (currently in her Primal Queen form) completed the defense. No-one was taking any chances here. At the center, directly over the leyline convergence point, a 'pedestal' of hardened Creep stood, with Crystalia standing atop it, and everyone important gathered round.

"This is your last chance to back out, Crystalia" Kerrigan said. "No one would think any less of you."

"I won't" the partially-Zergified crystal pony replied. "You said it yourself. That 'fallen Xel'Naga' still has a hold of me, and this is the only way to free me of it. Plus, I kinda want to be part of what you have going, and maybe I can finally use the Changelings for something good this way. …Go ahead, milady. Start the process."

Kerrigan nodded, and then her eyes & hands glowed purple with Primal power. A hardened chrysalis enveloped Crystalia, who took a deep, slow breath and closed her eyes as it closed around her, sealing her inside. Kerrigan then turned to everyone else.

"Alright, we probably don't have much time. I can already sense the beginnings of Dark powers stirring on the edge of my sensory range. Everyone get ready to defend this cocoon at all costs!"

"Of course, My Queen" Zagara replied. "The enemy shall not lay a claw upon the chrysalis."

"They shall not pass" Princess Luna said, calm and resolute.

"We've been training a whole lot" Mariko said confidently. "I've been figuring out new stuff to do with my vectors, and I have a part-time sensei who's been teaching me lots of cool attacks and stuff!"

"It's high time I get a chance to show what I can really do!" Anya said, fiery in tone and in the magical flame she wreathed her pumped fist in for emphasis.

"We've fought off sieges with a hell of a lot less guys on our side than this" Marcus Fenix said. "With all the firepower we got here, this should be much easier than the 'four men defending an entire mansion' stuff me & my team ran into during the Locust War."

"Darklings approaching from the north!" a high-flying pegasus scout shouted down. "Lots of 'em! ETA 10 minutes or less or your pizza's free!"

A handful of soldiers chuckled.

"More of 'em comin' from the southwest!" another scout reported. "ETA 15 to 17 minutes!"

"Places, everyone" Kerrigan said. "It's almost showtime."

Everyone got into position, readying for the coming forces. Mutalisks, Changelings, and pegasi flew in clockwise and counterclockwise circles of varying circumferences and altitudes with Crystalia's cocoon at the center, while soldiers both human and pony took position beside Hydralisks and Spine & Spore Crawlers, guns at the ready. Luna circled the perimeter of the base, ready to go wherever needed once the fighting started. Kerrigan and her 'generals', Celestia and the element-bearers, and Theta Team formed an inner ring of defense, sticking close to the chrysalis in case any hostiles got past the outer defenders. Zergling packs supplemented by Roaches and Swarm Queens patrolled different 'sectors' of the base, as well as reinforcing the outer defensive lines. And a trio of Ultralisks was stationed halfway between the base's Hive and the cocoon, ready to add their mass and power to defending either.

Before long, the enemy came within range to be identified: the 'Demon' dark-creatures that were Amon's foot-soldiers, supplemented by a new type of enemy that looked like tall, lanky, hunched-over '3D shadows', with glowing red eyes and a glowing red mouth full of jagged fangs the only color to their forms, their long, thin arms tipped with long, sharp claws. Celestia's eyes narrowed.

"Shadow Slashers…" she said. "Creatures of darkness that feed off of magical energy; Sombra created them for his army back in the day. After his defeat the survivors spread out all over the continent, and I've been trying to exterminate them ever since, but they reproduce asexually whenever they find any wellsprings of mana, like the sites of old artifacts or leyline convergence points, so I've never been able to completely wipe them out."

"Looks like a nest of them was close enough to sense what was going on" Kerrigan surmised. "And for whatever reason, they've decided to work together with Amon's forces."

"Or maybe Amon has found a way to control them" Stukov suggested.

COG and Equestrian snipers started making shots, picking off targets of opportunity (including a pair of Type-Bs). As the enemy got closer, assault rifles, marksman rifles, and Hydralisks opened fire as well, while Luna flew overhead and fired a few explosive mana blasts into the attacking crowd, destroying a good number of them. Spine Crawlers and Lurkers started sending their impaling spikes out as a few enemies lived long enough to get within range, and a Centaur tank rolled up behind the infantry and started firing shells into the advancing hostile forces.

A pack of Type-Ds and Type-Fs flew in, passing over their ground-bound fellows as they approached the Hive Cluster. Spore Crawlers opened fire on them, culling their numbers by a bit, and when they got past the outer defensive line the flock of Mutalisks and pegasi circling over the cocoon sprang into action, about half of them breaking off from their patrol flights to engage the approaching enemy air units. Glaive-Wurm shots and saddle-mounted machineguns began to tear into the flying demons, sending them plummeting torn & broken.

Suddenly, the inner ring of defenders got a nasty surprise as Shadow Slashers began spawning/emerging inside the base perimeter. The pitch-black creatures hissed as they began to approach the chrysalis, heedless of the multitude of powerful individuals surrounding it in defense positions. Kerrigan made the first kills, a Kinetic Blast that blew three of the monsters apart, and then little Mariko scored the next half-dozen kills when a cluster of Shadow Slashers got within 11 meters of her. Everyone else opened fire with weapons or attack spells, as the enemy came crawling out of the woodwork inside the perimeter.

"Keep focusing on the ones coming from outside!" Celestia ordered the exterior-defense personnel. "We can handle things here!"

Changelings under Kerrigan's control dove into the fray from above, blindsiding the Shadow Slashers and keeping them off-guard. Celestia, Twilight, and Rarity fired blasts of gold, magenta, and blue magical energy into the shadowy horde, Laicixa and Erika used their Keyblades to hack apart any Slashers that got within range (as well as some out of melee range thanks to the Strike Raid technique), and Stukov & Zagara fired psionic bursts and high-velocity venom-tipped spines.

Perched on his young mistress' hat, the semi-sapient dragon whelp Friedrich fired small fireballs with remarkable practiced precision, each shot nailing a Shadow Slasher in the face and destroying it, while Caro fired bolts of light magic with similar precision and to much the same effect. Erio and Timmy fired bolts of Lightning-type magic at attacking Slashers, the former's spear-Device and the latter's electrified fists serving them equally well up-close. A quartet of Shadow Slashers that were bulkier than their brethren and looked to have a sort of 'armor' attached to them charged at the defenders, only to fall victim to one of Mariko's newest tricks: the ability to combine/merge five vectors into a single 'extra-large' vector, sacrificing cutting & piercing ability for raw strength, for lifting and smashing. She demonstrated this by forming two and grabbing hold of the Armored Slashers, carrying them through the air in a rapid arc that ended with slamming them head-first into the ground with enough force to kill them all. Meanwhile, Anya cast Flagrantia Rubicans, roasting at least a dozen Slashers in one go.

Before long, the sounds of combat came from the southwest to accompany the in-progress attack from the north. Celestia telepathically sent Cadence to reinforce the north while directing Luna to the southwest sector, while a set of Zerg drop-pods deposited Dehaka and a portion of his pack at the southwest defensive line, allowing the Primal Zerg to lend his tusks, claws, and crushing strength to the cause. One of the Ultralisks charged into the Shadow Slashers trying to attack the cocoon, using its ultra-sharp arm blades and sheer size to help in culling their numbers, while the other stayed by the central Hive as defense. Kerrigan lashed out with a psionic shockwave that sent a good number of Slashers flying, while Stukov blasted a Slasher that had gotten behind Zagara, destroying it before it could harm her.

For 10 more minutes they fought, destroying the dark creatures that had come in attempt to disrupt Crystalia's transformation. A few Equestrian and COG soldiers died, along with some Zerg, but the defenders held strong, fighting off the waves of attackers. Even so, the enemy seemed to be getting steadily more determined, larger waves attacking closer together. Kerrigan was a whirlwind of destruction, using her powers to annihilate clusters of attackers, but still they kept coming. A few of the soldiers were starting to worry about how much longer they could keep this up.

Suddenly, there was a deep double-pulse sound like a heartbeat from the cocoon, which now had a faint purple glow from within. Soon, cracks appeared along the hardened chrysalis' structure, spreading as a bright purple light shone from inside. Then, the hard shell shattered, accompanied by a pulse of light and power, and the transformed Crystalia cried out verbally and telepathically at the same time, unleashing a pulse of energy that instantly obliterated the Darklings inside the base perimeter. She looked much like the old Changeling Queen had, including in size, but what was once green was now purple, her once-crooked horn was straight, thin, and sharp like Celestia's, the odd holes in her body were no longer there, her mane & tail were violet-streaked chitinous tendrils like Kerrigan's hair, the old partially-shredded fly wings were replaced by large, magnificent blade-wings like Kerrigan's, and her eyes glowed bright with purple psionic & magical power. Finally, her black chitinous body had a bit of a dark-purple crystalline sheen to it.

Crystalia focused her power, and then unleashed it in a massive wave of Primal energy that raced outward in all directions, well past the edge of the base, obliterating every 'Demon' and Shadow Slasher it touched. Every Changeling in the area bowed to her as the green of their bodies became purple. Kerrigan gave a triumphant little grin; another 'royal' Primal had been born.

Once the last of the attackers was destroyed and the waves of power subsided, Crystalia gently floated back down to earth, setting foot before her allies. She opened her eyes, which – other than being purple with a slight glow – looked normal.

"How do you feel, Crystalia?" Celestia asked.

"I…" the transformed Crystalia spoke with her mouth and her mind at the same time. "I feel so powerful… I can feel the connection to the Swarm, filling me with information, and the Primal energy coursing through me… But at the same time I still feel like myself at the core; there's no fundamental change in my thought patterns like when I was Chrysalis."

"You've become a Primal Zerg," Kerrigan replied, "purged of Amon's corruption. …I'd put your power level at around 85, 87 percent of mine; not bad at all…"

"So what next… My Queen?"

"As soon as you've gotten used to your new abilities, we're setting out for Korhal. It's high time Arcturus Mengsk paid for the billions of lives he's ruined…"

"…Before we leave, can I check something? I want to see the Cr… where the Crystal Empire used to be."

"…Very well. But take someone with you, just in case."

"I'll accompany her" Cadence volunteered.

-SCENE BREAK-

That Night – 8:15 PM

Frozen tundra along the northern edge of the continent

Two alicorns, one with 'wings' composed of blade-claws with violet energy forming wing membranes between them, flew low over the ice and snow, their magic protecting their bodies from the cold. Soon they crested a snow drift, setting down atop it and looking out at a vast, empty flat plain of snow.

"This is it…" Crystalia said softly and sadly. "This is where the Crystal Empire was. It covered nearly the entire plain… There's no trace of it whatsoever now… Not even a hoofprint from… from any of my old friends…"

Cadence draped a wing over Crystalia in a comforting gesture.

"Let's go…" the Primal Zerg Alicorn said.

As the two ladies left, neither noticed the tiny tendril of smoky shadow that poked its way out from beneath the snow…

-SCENE BREAK-

Next Day

The time had almost come. Kerrigan's Leviathan, now carrying Crystalia and her brood of Changelings, made ready to leave orbit and make the jump back to the Koprulu Sector, to join up with the other Leviathans and begin the assault on Korhal. Right now, Kerrigan was in communication with the Hyperion.

"I'm going to Korhal" she told Valerian and Matt. "It's time. …There will be ruin, destruction; millions could die amidst the chaos. Valerian, your people will need a leader."

"You're right, Kerrigan. They will. If I'm to be that leader, I will ask only one thing of you: bring your Swarm down outside the capital. That will give us time to evacuate."

"Korhal is going to be the most difficult battle of my life, and you're asking me to make it harder?"

"I am."

"…I was wrong about you, Valerian. You're not like your father. …I'll give you your chance. Make the most of it."

Within minutes, the Leviathan entered transdimensional slipspace, bound for the rest of the Zerg fleet ready to ransack the capital world of the Terran Dominion. At last, Kerrigan would reveal her full might to Arcturus. At last, she would have her revenge.

-CHAPTER END-

Next Time: the Assault on Korhal