King Of The Changelings

by Bluecatcinema

Project: Infestation (Part Three)

The group all stared in shock at Sleight's Changeling hoof.

"Holy buck!" Caboose yelped.

"Incredible..." Elite gazed.

"How...?" Sazh spluttered.

"Okay, now I'm a little freaked out." Sleight said, stunned.

"You're freaked out?" Fletcher cringed. "We're the ones who saw it first!"

"I must admit, I did not see this coming..." Harlhooves frowned. "It defies all reason..."

"No kidding." Caboose shuddered. "How do we fix it? Some kind of teleporter accident?"

"Okay, enough." Wizel declared. "Sleight, Sazh, I believe it's time we headed home."

"Yeah, that might be a good idea." Sleight gazed at his new hoof. "...But didn't you want to tell me something?"

"That can wait." Wizel declared. "I trust you have no objections, Aspir?"

"I suppose not." Harlhooves shrugged. "With 'patient zero' seemingly cured, I see no real danger in letting him live."

"Gee, thanks." Sazh scowled.

"I and my troops shall escort you back." Elite nodded.

"Thanks." Sleight smiled. "I can't wait to see home again..."

Sleight and Sazh were brought back to the quarantine center, where they were reunited with Chrysalis and the others.

"Sleight!" Chrysalis embraced him. "I'm so glad to see you, my love."

"Me too, Chryssy." Sleight nodded. He had hidden his Changeling hoof under a covering of fabric, not wanting her to worry, "I will admit, I was afraid we wouldn't get to do this agian."

"Daddy!" Glinda tackled Sleight. "I was so worried about you! I thought... I thought..." Starting to cry, she buried her face in Sleight's shoulder.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, little lady." Sleight comforted her. "Daddy's here..."

"I muzzzt zzzay Zzzazh, you look far better than I thought you would be by now." Char admitted. "It'zzz good to have you back."

"Thanks, Char..." Sazh smiled weakly.

"And Wizel..." Chrysalis frowned. "When did you sneak away?"

"That's not important." Wizel shrugged. "What matters is I brought our friends home."

"Yes, it does." Chrysalis smiled, nuzzling against Sleight.

"I hate to interrupt this happy reunion, but I'm afraid Sleight and Sazh must undergo tests." Harlhooves announced.

"Why would Sleight need tests?" Chrysalis asked.

"Um, well..." Sleight held up his wrapped hoof, unraveling the cloth to reveal his black and holey hoof, "Because of this."

"What the..." Chrysalis gazed in shock.

"Izzz that... a Changeling hoof?" Char gaped.

"I am just as shocked as you are, Char." Sleight grimaced, "And it just happened with Sazh biting me when he turned..."

"Wait, Sazh bit you?!" Chrysalis gaped.

"Zzzazh turned?!" Char glanced at Sazh. "But... you both..."

"That is why we need to do the tests." Harlhooves declared. "They may or may not be cured, but we just have to make sure everything is okay."

"If you think it's best..." Chrysalis frowned. "I just hope everything's okay with the two of them."

"Relax, Chrys." Sleight smiled. "Hoof or no hoof, I'm sure there won't be any major trouble. It's just a formality."

"Exactly." Harlhooves nodded. "Come along, you two."

Twilight and the others ran a battery of tests on both of them.

"Ow!" Sazh yelped, as Echo prodded him in the underbelly with a needle.

"No signs of reduced reaction time or sensitivity." Echo noted, drawing some blood. "A good sign..."

"Yeah, great." Sazh winced.

Moon Dancer jabbed Sleight's Changeling hoof with a small electrical prod.

"Yow!" Sleight yelped.

"You still retain full tactile response." Moon Dancer noted.

"Yippee for me..." Sleight cringed, holding his hoof.

Soon, after, Sleight and Sazh, with bandages over where they been poked, came out, joined by the other researchers.

"Well, what's the verdict?" Wizel asked.

"We ran the tests... and aside from Sleight's 'hoof' and a not-so-bad bite on the shoulder, he is perfectly fine." Twilight announced.

"And as for Sazh, he is completely cured of the infection." Echo added. "In fact, there's not a trace of the virus in his system."

"Thank goodness." Chrysalis smiled.

"But how?" Char asked. "How could Zzzazh be okay now?"

"If it's any consolation, I still don't feel okay..." Sazh sighed.

"And what happened to Sleight's hoof?" Chrysalis asked, "Why does it looks like our hooves?"

"That's the big mystery." Moon Dancer shrugged. "We can't make heads or tails of it."

"No kidding." Lars frowned. "Never seen anything like it before."

"But what about the cure?" Char asked. "Now that Zzzazh hazzz zzzomehow been rezzztored, that meanzzz he'zzz not patient zero any more!"

"Yes, that is a problem..." Harlhooves admitted.

"So, because of me, the hive is completely doomed." Sazh groaned. "Thanks for clearing that up."

"Not so fast." Wizel stepped forward. "As it turns out, we have had the cure all along... and the cure is right here."He pointed to Sleight.

"...Me?!" Sleight gaped.

"Him?" Harlhooves frowned.

"What are you talking about, Wizel?" Chrysalis asked.

"Yeah, zzzpill it, old timer!" Char demanded, his patience thinning.

"Oh, I'm not the one who'll be spilling." Wizel shook his head. "He is."

At that moment, an elderly male Changeling entered the tent. He had Chrysalis's stature, a beard of webbing, and a long jagged horn. Oddly enough, his eyes looked a lot like Sleight's eyes.

"And... who are you?" Sleight asked.

"You don't recognize me?" The elderly Changeling chuckled.

"Should I?" Sleight shrugged.

"Perhaps this will help." The Changeling shapeshifted, taking on a form that Sleight knew well, that of a Unicorn who looked uncannily like a much older version of Sleight, save for a gray beard on his chin. His name was Wild Card. "It's me, Sleight. Grandpa."

"Grandpa...?" Sleight was stunned for a moment... before glaring at him. "...You don't expect me to believe this, do you? You're just taking on my grandfather's form to mess with me!"

"I assure you, that is not the case." Wild Card explained

"Oh yeah, if you're my grandfather, prove it." Sleight growled.

"Gladly." Wild Card smirked. "Your middle name is Diggs, your favorite food as a child was peanut butter and celery sandwiches with the crusts cut off, you had a stuffed rabbit with a top hat named Oz, and... I had entrusted you with my book of old card tricks upon my passing."

"How... how could you know all that?" Sleight gaped.

"Because I was there." Wild Card nodded. "I am your grandfather, Sleight."

"But... how... you..." Sleight spluttered. "Oh, this is just too confusing! Bad enough I've got a Changeling hoof now, but this bombshell drops on me... I mean, what the BUCK?!"

"Allow me to explain everything." Wild Card revered to his Changeling form. "You see, the name Wild Card, was simply a name that I took on when I had taken on my pony skin. My true name is Prothemeus Ennius Gambit... and I am, as far as I know, the only King Changeling known to all Changelings."

"King Changeling?!" Chrysalis frowned. "There is no such thing! Never in the history of Changelings has there ever been one."

"Don't believe me?" Prometheus snorted. He released a blast of green energy from his horn, reducing a nearby chair to ashes.

"Such power..." Chrysalis gaped. "Rivalling my own... You really aren't an ordinary Changeling."

"...Wait, so not only are you my deceased grandfather..." Sleight frowned. "You're a 'King' Changeling, like you were made into this the same way Chrysalis was?"

"Exactly." Prometheus nodded, "An explanation is in order though. You see, I have come from the hive of Aractus."

"Aractus?" Char repeated. "Izzzn't that the hive that burned to the ground in that freak thunderzzztorm?"

"The same." Prometheus nodded. "We had the misfortune of building our hive in the middle of the plains where thunderstorms are common. Our Queen, and my supposed mother, was... to put it bluntly, a moron. When the time had come for her to pick a heir to her throne, she had given me the royal jelly. The dumb harlot couldn't tell between a male and a female larva. It took a while before they realized that I was growing more than my bretheren and that I had power within me that could outmatch the Queen herself... as you can imagine, they perceived me a threat."

"Just like that?" Sleight frowned.

"Just like that." Prometheus shook his head. "It wasn't before long that word got out, and I was labeled a freak by my peers. I was surprised they didn't have me killed, but instead, they exiled me. Ironically, that was the best thing they did for me, as they themselves died out two weeks later. But alas, I was alone, forced to wander the world without a hive..."

"I know a little about how that feelzzz..." Char frowned.

"But to be the last of your hive... I can't imagine how lonely it must have been." Chrysalis sighed.

"It wasn't easy being a nomad." Prometheus shook his head. "Especially if you were a Changeling, but I persevered... and in the end... I ended up meeting this beautiful young scholar... the granddaughter of Star Swirl the Bearded."

"Wait, so that whole thing about Sleight being related to Star Swirl was for real?" Caboose frowned in confusion.

"What, you think I just made it up?" Sleight smirked. "Like I'd ever lie about something like that..."

"Well, it was quite a statement to make, but true, in any case." Prometheus remarked. "Your grandmother was quite a mare. When we first met, she did not fear me for what I was. In fact, she wanted to learn everything there was to know about me. And as a love story goes, one leads to another, and we ended up becoming mates, and had a foal together... that foal was your father, Sleight."

"...Hold on, you're saying that... my dad was... part Changeling? Like this part?" Sleight held up his changeling hoof.

"Well, his case was a bit more severe." Prometheus explained, as he then pulled out a photo. "Take a look."

The group looked at the picture. The subject within was an amalgam of pony and Changeling body parts; His front left and back right hooves were that of a pony, while the others were Changeling hooves. He had a Unicorn horn, and Changeling wings. His face was mostly that of a pony, but with Changeling eyes and teeth. It wasn't exactly the prettiest sight any of them had ever seen.

"Yikes." Caboose gulped. "Like the ugliest Wuzzle you ever saw..."

"Seriously, Caboose?" Fletcher frowned.

"Tell me I'm wrong." Caboose dared him.

"But I don't understand... my father never looked like this." Sleight shook his head. "Why didn't he tell me any of this growing up?"

"That...is complicated." Prometheus sighed, "Your father... had issues. Our union had created the very first pony-Changeling hybrid, and back then, hybrids of any sorts were frowned upon. Ponies loathed me for being a Changeling, ponies loathed his mother for being with me, and as whole, mostly everypony hated Final for what he was. That left a very bad scar in Final's mind, and after your grandmother passed away forty years later... your father hated me. He hated that we could live far longer than normal ponies and this went for several centuries until about fifty years ago that Final met your mother, Conjure."

"Did my mom know... about his-" Sleight was about to ask.

"No." Prometheus explained, "But as soon as Final saw her, he was in love. He demanded that we conceal our true selves indefinitely, so we could at least try to live a normal life. And so, Wild Card Gambit, a retired failed magician, was born, along with Final Gambit, a freelance magic paraphenalia supplier."

"So... all those stories about you not making as a magician..." Sleight frowned.

"Make no mistake, Sleight, while those stories may not been true, the art of card magic was." Prometheus declared, "Me and your father had spent countless years creating a legacy fit enough for several of our 'would-be' family. While your father only did so that we had a conversation piece for when our past was brought up, I always enjoyed them... and I knew, when you were little, that you would enjoyed them as well."

"...That is a lot to take in..." Sleight sat down, "...But... what does this have to do with how Sazh got cured by biting me?"

"That part is simple to explain." Prometheus smiled, "When Sazh bit you, a bit of your blood got into his mouth. When your blood was ingested by Sazh, it worked instantly to rid his system of the virus that had plagued him."

"...But that makes no sense." Twilight stepped forth. "How could Sleight's blood counteract a disease as strong as this?"

"Because by virtue of technically being the great grand son of Star Swirl, the greatest Unicorn wizard Equestria has ever seen and the grandson of yours truly, the sole King Changeling... both blood mixed together to create you..." He pointed to Sleight. "My boy, a powerful pony-Changeling hybrid. Surely you noticed how powerful your magic was and how you were able to learn new tricks so quickly? By some sort of miracle, your blood is practically an ambrosia. A Changeling's ambrosia. It renders you immune to this virus, and it can cure other changelings. That is why you are the cure, Sleight."

The room was silent for a bit, as Sleight then spoke up.

"Well, that would explain why biting me saved Sazh..." Sleight shrugged. "But... I'm sorry, but I fail to see how this could be. How can my blood really be the cure? How can my father be a Changeling? A photo doesn't really mean anything..."

"What if I can prove it to you?" Prometheus suggested, "Allow me to dig up Final's grave and extract a part of him, so that they can test it to see if your blood could be the cure for sure. No doubt that your father had the cure within him as well at one point."

"Dig up my father's grave?" Sleight spluttered, as he glared. "Sorry, gramps, but I am not desecrating his corpse like that!"

"It's the only way I can show you that what I say is the truth." Prometheus frowned, "Unless you'd rather we take a leap of faith, we must prove that you are the source of the cure."

"Sleight, I know this is hard for you." Chrysalis told him. "But if there is even a chance he's telling the truth, we must take."

"But..." Sleight looked into his wife's pleading eyes, and knew what he had to do. "...Okay. Do it."

"Don't worry, Sleight." Prometheus declared. "I shall be gentle. Final was my son. I want his body desecrated even less than you do."

The next day, one of Final's leg bones had been brought in, exhumed from his grave by Prometheus in the dead of night, and examined by Twilight and the others. They were done instantly, as they came back out.

"Well, there you have it." Lars declared. "The same Changeling chromosomes we found in Sleight yesterday."

"Looks like Prometheus is telling the truth." Moon Dancer mused.

"Sleight, you really are part-Changeling." Twilight declared, "And the cure to this disease to boot."

"Oh, wow." Sleight sat down again.

"I suppose that explains how you've always found me so attractive." Chrysalis grinned.

"And why you're such a good King." Wizel added.

"...And now I feel like a idiot for the way I had acted when I firzzzt met you." Char frowned, "All thizzz time, we were zzztill being led by a Changeling."

"Well, there was no way you could had known, Char." Chrysalis assured him. "None of us could have known."

"But still, why didn't you or dad ever tell me?" Sleight asked Prometheus.

"That... was your father's idea." Prometheus admitted. "When you were born, Final decided that he didn't want to burden you with the knowledge, or Conjure for that matter. Especially since you were born with that hoof."

"I... I was?" Sleight gaped.

"Indeed you were." Prometheus nodded. "But your father didn't want you to know what you were, so he had me cast a powerful disguise spell that would disguise your hoof forever more. Furthermore, he was insistent that we keep up the pretences of being ponies, which led to my 'passing'. He claimed that it was for your own good... but looking back on it, it was after Conjure's death... and he did not take that well. I can only assume he wanted me out of the way, blaming me yet again for the pain he had to endure..."

"That does like something he would have done back then." Sleight sighed. "But how did you know to show up today of all days?"

"I've been watching over you, my boy." Prometheus smiled. "Ever since I heard about you becoming King of the hive. And I must say, even though you had no idea of your Changeling roots, you led the hive quite well."

"Well, I did do my best..." Sleight said humbly.

"It was Prometheus who informed me of the truth about Sleight." Wizel smiled. "It was a pleasure to see you again, by the way."

"Again?" Chrysalis frowned.

"You two know each other?" Sleight gaped.

"Yes. Wizel and I have been friends for the longest time." Prometheus explained, "We met when Wizel was getting water outside of your old hives, and we hit it off."

"Wait, so did Wizel knew I was your..." Sleight turned to Wizel.

"No." Wizel shook his head, "I shall admit, you did remind me of Prometheus when we first met, but that was as far as I knew. As good friends we were, me and Prometheus had rarely stood in touch. He wasn't very popular among this hive."

"What do you mean by that?" Char frowned.

"Well, since my exile and the hive's destruction, rumors got out that I was to blame for it." Prometheus shook his head, "That I was some sort of 'omen'. Every Changeling I came across that knew who I was believed I was cursed, and that they would do best to avoid me. Even Queen Thorax thought I was bad news, and when she first found out that I was within her hive, she tried to have me killed."

"Now that sounds like my mother." Chrysalis frowned. "She always did have her superstitous side..."

"I hope that you don't share her sentiments?" Prometheus glanced warily at her.

"I will not lie, I am not comfortable with the idea of a King Changeling." Chrysalis frowned. "Mostly because it goes against the matriarchal tradition that is teh very backbone of Changeling society..." But then she gave a smile, locking hooves with Sleight. "But it is because of you that Sleight came to be, so I can learn to live with it."

"It's incredible." Sleight nodded. "All this time, I never even guessed I was closer to this hive than ever imagined... does this mean I can do all the Changelings things, like shapeshifting and stuff?"

"Not exactly." Prometheus admitted. "Your Changeling heritage has been diluted somewhat by your pony ancestry."

"But perhaps you still have some of our kind's ability." Chrysalis encouraged him. "Try it, Sleight."

"Okay, here goes nothing..." Sleight focused hard on his hoof. It became wreathed with green flames. "Oh, here it comes!"

The flames suddenly vanished, leaving Sleight a Griffon talon where his hoof was.

"What the...?" He frowned, as the talon reverted back. "Seriously? It's just my hoof?"

"I warned you." Prometheus shrugged.

"Well, I guess it's better than nothing." Sleight shrugged.

"It doesn't matter anyway." Chrysalis kissed him. "You're perfect just the way you are."

"Yeah..." Sleight chuckled. "I'm still me, and still Mystifying and Extraordinary."

"Yeah, yippee for you." Sazh snorted.

"What's wrong, Sazh?" Wizel asked.

"What do you think's wrong?" Sazh frowned.

"I'm not quite zzzure." Char shrugged. "You're cured, aren't you? I think that would be reazzzon for celebration."

"So what?" Sazh scowled. "My point from before still stands: I can't go back to the hive now! All the changelings there know that I was the reason the virus came upon them in the first place! They will hate me like they did before. And soon enough, the ponies will find out, and they will hate me! I will be hated by both ponies and Changelings!"

"Sazh..." Sleight started.

"I told you to kill me." Sazh turned to Sleight. "I wanted to die, but you went ahead and spared me! Even if you were the cure, I could had easily torn your throat out, and I would have to live with the guilt of destroying my hive and killing my friend forever! But now, I'm just stuck with being hated by everypony! Thanks a lot, Sleight."

"Hey, wait a moment." Sleight glared. "I didn't kill you because you were my best friend. You're the reason that I had grown to become king. You stuck by my side through thick and thin. You might have been willing to die, but I wasn't willing to kill you."

"The hallmark of a true King." Prometheus nodded. "One who would never wish to harm his subjects."

"I'm proud of you for that, Sleight." Chrysalis beamed.

"Oh, you just don't get it! I would rather be dead now!" Sazh snarled, "I don't want to live being hated by so many Changelings! I don't want to live knowing I caused this disaster! I don't want to live, period!"

"Sazh, don't talk like that." Wizel urged.

"You won't be hated." Chrysalis told him.

"None of this is your fault." Sleight reminded him. "So stop blaming yourself."

"It doesn't matter if it's my fault or not!" Sazh yelled. "I'll still get blamed, and I'll still have to live with the guilt, thanks to you! Some friend you are! Not even willing to put me out of my misery!"

"Enough!" Char slapped Sazh.

"Ow!" Sazh yelped.

"Quit your whining!" Char roared. "And zzztop thinking about juzzzt yourzzzelf!"

"Char..." Chrysalis frowned.

"Zzzorry my Queen, but he hazzz to hear thizzz." Char declared. "Zzzazh, how dare you put yourzzzelf above the rezzzt of uzzz like that?!"

"What do you care?" Sazh pouted. "Out of everypony, you had always made my life miserable from the day I was born. You only ever liked me because you just didn't want to go back to that prison cell."

"That's the point... I care." Char declared. "I care about you. Zzzo do many otherzzz. Zzzleightm Chryzzzalizzz, Wizel, Maud... we all love you, damn it. How do you think we would feel if you were gone? We would be devazzztated! And while it'zzz true, there are going to be thozzze who dezzzpizzze you for this whole thing, but zzzcrew them! They can get the buck over it!"

Most of the group were surprised to hear Char express such emotion.

"And yezzz, I underzzztand that I had wronged you many times in the pazzzt... but honezzztly, I wazzz juzzzt jealouzzz... jealouzzz of how much Wizel cared for you, how you kept on going, dezzzpite everything. I hated you for being a runt, becauzzze I wazzz hating myself for what happened to Hazel, and I'd taken it out on the two Changelings that didn't deserve it." Char declared.

"Char, I... never guessed." Sazh frowned.

"Neither did I." Wizel added.

"Zzzo...just zzztop all thizzz talk about wanting to be dead." Char urged. "You are too important to zzzo many. Lozzzing you would break their heartzzz. Even I would be heartbroken, and my heart don't break eazzzily."

"...I guess it was a little extreme." Sazh admitted. "It's just... the guilt is..."

"You're not the only to have felt guilt, you know." Char declared. "Being infected wazzz beyond your control, zzzo it'zzz pointless to beat yourzzzelf up about it. And we're zzzo clozzze to rezzzolving thizzz. Don't give up now, runt."

Sazh, tears in his eyes looked around at all the supportive faces.

"You're right, Char." Sazh smiled. "I can't give up. I have to keep on going. Not just for my sake, but all of yours. Thanks for the pep-talk."

"Anything to keep you from whining." Char scoffed, nudging his chin.

"Nice try, Char." Wizel smirked. "The tough guy act doesn't work after you pull a big softie move like that."

"I wazzzn't being a zzzoftie!" Char pouted. "I wazzz juzzzt... making a point!"

"A very touching point." Chrysalis smirked.

"I'm surprised you didn't finish up with a hug!" Sleight chuckled.

The group all laughed, only for Char to soon join in. It was their first moment of real levity in quite some time.

"...So, what now?" Sleight asked.

"Well, we could just let all the infected Changelings bite you." Wizel joked. "That would do the trick."

"Yeah, I don't think that would work." Sleight snarked. "I'm immune to infection, not massive blood loss and excruciating pain."

"We'll figure something out, I promise you." Twilight declared.

"Perhaps we could take a sample of your blood, and figure out how to synthesize it." Moon Dancer suggested.

"Guess it's worth a shot." Sleight offered a leg.

"We'll try anything we can if there's even a chance of it working." Echo stated, as he drew some blood.

"This thing isn't over yet." Lars declared. "Not by a long shot..."

"Even without our 'patient zero', I'd say we have a decent chance now." Twilight smiled.

"A chance is all we need." Chrysalis nodded.

Elite Everest was outside, observing the sudden upswing in hope.

"Looks like we still have a chance after all." He smiled. "Thanks to a helping hoof..."

At that moment, something under Elite's cloak began buzzing. Quickly, he reached under it and pulled out a small buzzing sphere with a glowing crystal speared through it. With a tap of his hoof, it flipped open and he held it up to his mouth.

"Director Everest here." Elite declared.

"It's me, Director." A deep voice declared. "How are things looking down there?"

"Well, I think we might have made it through the worst of it." Elite smiled, "We had confirmation of a cure and the others are now working on a way to distribute it. Looks like we were worried for nothing."

"...I wouldn't be so quick to write it off, sir." The deep voice sighed.

"Beg pardon?" Elite frowned.

"Me and feathers have been looking at this 'outbreak' and I had a bad sensation of deja vu." The voice explained.

"So did I... but what are you saying?" Elite asked.

"Well, after this 'sensation', I opened some of our old case files... and just as I feared... this virus you're dealing with right now is not something some poor bucker caught... this one was created. Just like another..."

Immediately, Elite's face turned to a deep frown.

"You're sure of this?" Elite asked.

"Completely." The voice confirmed. "In fact..."

In a flash of light, a file of papers landed in front of Elite.

"Instant delivery." The voice declared. "FedEx, eat your heart out. You might want to share this with the group."

"Of course." Elite nodded.

"Elite?" Fletcher came outside, followed by Caboose. "What's going on?"

"We getting a call from our pals?" Caboose asked.

"One of them." Elite nodded.

"Hey, guys." The voice declared.

"Oh, it's you." Fletcher said with mild surprise.

"He has unearthed some information that the others need to hear." Elite declared.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Caboose frowned, "I mean, the moment they hear his voice-"

"That's what voice distortion is for, Caboose." Elite explained. "And trust me, we could use all the help we can get now."

Elite and co. returned to the tent.

"Hey, you guys, what's up?" Sleight asked.

"...I'm afraid we have some bad news." Elite declared.

"Bad news?" Chrysalis gasped. "What now? We're so close to ending this nightmare!"

"Not so close, I'm afraid." Elite shook his head. "I had just spoke with one of my associates... and they informed me that this infection that had fallen upon your hive was not an unlucky natural occurence... it was an artificial contagion, created in a lab, and willingly introduced into your hive."

"What?! You're saying that this virus was 'unleashed' upon us?" Wizel gaped in anger.

"Thozzze bucking dung-lickers..." Char snarled.

"Hold on, what sort of madpony would create a disease such as this?" Echo frowned.

"I dunno about you, but I feel they've been playing too many 'Naughty Diamond Dogs' games." Caboose declared... before giving a wink.

"How do we know for certain that what you say is for sure?" Prometheus frowned.

"You don't have to take my word for it." Elite held up his communicator. "This is my informant."

"Hello there." The voice announced in a distorted voice.

"Whoa, why does he sound funny?" Sazh asked.

"His voice is being distorted. Why is that?" Twilgiht frowned in suspicion.

"Safety reasons. Our informant wishes to remain anonymous." Elite declared, "But I believe he can help us get to the bottom of what's going on."

"...Well, if you say so." Sleight shrugged, as he then turned to the communicator. "So...what makes you think that this virus is a 'artifical contagion' or whatever you call it?"

"Because... I have intel of this virus nearly occurring before." The voice replied.

"Before? You mean some other poor zzzapzzz almost got this crap dropped on them?" Char growled.

"Yes." The voice nodded, "I'm sure you all are familiar with the village of Reinadh?"

"You mean that poor Changeling and pony settlement that got razed by that monster Black?" Chrysalis growled, "Hard to forget something as bad as murdering a village."

"Indeed... but what does a village in Saddle Arabia have to do with this virus?" Lars questioned.

"I was getting to that." The voice declared, "You see, this village was supposedly the first part of this peace program, known as 'Horsey-bug love.'."

"Ugh, not feeling a lot of love there." Sazh grimaced.

"Cheesy name aside, it was meant to be the first step towards creating peace between Changelings and ponies, as not many had tried before." The voice explaind.

"Yeah...and it seems it would had worked... had it not been for Black." Echo frowned.

"Set back our entire species thirty years." Wizel grimaced.

"Not exactly." The voice continued, much to everypony's confusion. "You see, me and my other associates had recently 'dug up' a few reports regarding the incident, and after spending a couple of days looking through the records... and... well, if you were to look through it...you would find that 'Horsey-bug love' is nowhere to be found. It never existed."

"It didn't?" Twilight frowned.

"How can that be?" Moon Dancer asked, confused. "A peace program as big as this couldn't just vanish."

"I agree. And even if it did, why cover it up? Was this 'Horsey-bug love' a scam or something?" Lars questioned, just as confused, "I am no strangers to scams, but why would somepony go to the trouble to fake something like a Changeling and pony get together?"

"I fear this was more than a 'scam'." The voice admitted. "Not only was this program a 'fake', but so was every pony that was affiliated with it. We looked at all the credentials, and each and one of them was fabricated."

"What the buck was going on over there then?" Sleight demanded.

"Simple." The voice declared. "The 'ponies' that were participating in the program was not there to make 'peace' with the changelings. They were there to make something else entirely. Elite, if you would..."

Elite set down a folder, and opened it, revealing a weathered page filled with formulas and images of viral strains, the words "The Last Bacterium" written in bold red script at the top.

"The 'Last Bacterium'?" Echo read.

"Yes." The voice nodded. "That was the name of the virus they were 'breeding'. By utilizing a certain fungus that had been shown to infect insects, they sought to engineer a disease that could go from infecting something as small as ants to infecting a full-grown pony."

"But how do the Changelings figure into the equation?" Prometheus questioned.

"You don't suppose they were a part of this, do you?" Chrysalis frowned.

"No... unfortunately, the Changelings that were in 'Horsey-bug love' really believed that they would be allowed in pony society someday... but what they didn't know was that they would had brought about it's destruction." The voice explained.

"...I'm kinda getting lost here." Sazh scratched his head.

"I agree, this all seems a bit complicated." Sleight pouted.

"Bear with me, it's not as convoluted as it seems." The voice assured. "The disease was created from a fungus that could only infect insects. The only way they could make it to where the disease could infect a pony if they were to catch it from a insect that was their same size..."

"So... they used them like rats..." Chrysalis growled.

"I don't believe it..." Sleight snarled.

"Such callous disregard for both ponies and Changelings..." Echo shook his head.

"I think I'm going to puke." lars remarked.

"So... this 'Last Bacterium'... is that what's been ravaging our hive for the past week?" Wizel questioned.

"Well, yes and no." The voice explained. "We have reason to believe this disease was derived from the same strand of 'Last Bacterium' ...but the original disease worked differently. You see, if you look at the files, the diseases from back then were lying dormant within the changelings of the program. They had the disease, but they wouldn't turn, nor could they infect another... however, that was because the original disease was designed to act as a bio-bomb."

"Bomb?!" Everypony gasped.

"What you do mean by 'bomb'?!" Twilight asked.

"Just as I said." The voice shrugged. "The virus was specially designed to respond to a certain magical signature, one that would be impossible to replicate by anypony not involved in the program. Should that signature had been transmitted, they would had all sprouted fungus instantly, and spores would had bursted everywhere, infecting anything with a ten-mile radius."

"Holy crap..." Sleight gaped.

"My thoughts exactly." Chrysalis nodded in shock.

"So what were they going to do with this... 'program'?" Moon Dancer was hesitant toa sk.

"It would be as the 'Horsey-bug love' had advertised." The voice frowned. "After a few weeks' time, the Changelings that had taken part in the program would had been allowed to move into various cities around Equestria and the world... and when the time was right..." A loud tap was made. "We would have what's happening now happening all over the world, sending everything into complete chaos and pandemonium."

"That's just nuts." Sleight shook his head.

"Who would want to cause such madness?" Chrysalis asked.

"Some very sick ponies, that's who." The voice answered.

"This puts a lot in perspective." Sazh frowned.

"How you mean, Zzzazh?" Char asked.

"Think about it." Sazh declared. "They were planning on getting a lot of innocent ponies infected and killed. So much more than what I had done. Had Black had not done the dastardly thing and murder that entire village... who knows what could had happened?"

"Let's not go that far." Moon Dancer frowned.

"Yeah, Black still murdered them in cold blood." Lars agreed. "I'll bet he didn't even know what was going on there when he did what he did."

"It does sound like it was just a coincidence." Twilight mused. "But even then, I guess we should be a little relieved that something good came out of such awful bloodshed."

"Well, if what is happening now is any indication, this does make a lot of sense. I mean, fungus and spore on the Changelings... it all matches up." Sleight frowned.

"But what was the point of all this?" Chrysalis frowned. "Why create such a Faust awful thing that could destroy thousand of lives?"

"I believe this should shed some light." Elite pulled out a document and placed it next to the files he had shown, reading 'Project: Infestation', "This was amongst the documents recovered."

"Project: Infestation?" Wizel frowned.

"That was the true name of the program." The voice spoke up. "The ponies who headed this project had intended on one thing: creating the ultimate bioweapon. By causing a few couple outbreaks and taking a few infected ponies from there, they sought to craft a variation of the 'Last Bacterium' so powerful that no amount of medicine, martial law, or health measures could stop it."

"Unless you live on Madagascart." Caboose added, "The leader there gets so paranoid sometimes that he always block off seaports if there's even a mention of the word 'disease'."

"...Yeah." The voice said awkwardly, "Unless you live in Madagascart, you would be boned."

"Project..." Echo frowned, before realizing the familiarity. "Oh no..."

"Pardon?" Sleight asked.

"Project..." Twilight caught on as well, "As in Project: Titanfall."

"And Project: Transcendence." Lars added.

"As well as Project: Maelstrom." Echo sighed.

"Um... care to fill the rest of us in?" Sleight frowned.

"A couple of weeks back, there was a group of ponies that attacked Canterlot." Twilight frowned, "It was awful..."

"I'll say. I was there." Moon Dancer shuddered. "There was a lunatic crossbowpony, a giant Griffon, some weird Unicorn, some Earth Pony in a wheelchair, and a psycho that could fire lightning!"

"The pony in question was named Solomon, and he called it 'Project: Titanfall'." Twilight added.

"And before that, there was a prince who tried to harness the power of death and kill everypony that wasn't a Unicorn with his 'Project: Transcendence'." Lars grimaced.

"...And a 'friend' of mine had his 'Project: Maelstrom'." Echo recalled, remembering that 'friend' sadly. "It's starting to look like the 'Forefathers' might have a hoof in this."

"The who now?" Sleight asked.

"They're this bunch of fanatics who want to depose of the royal hierachy, and have 'the ponies' in charge of everything... with them on top of it all." Echo declared.

"You mean like Black wanted?" Chrysalis asked.

"Yes... but somehow a lot, lot worse." Twilight grimaced, "And if the motif of their plans match up, this project is no different."

"And no less dangerous." Echo noted.

"Then we must find a way to stop this 'project', and whoever is in charge." Chrysalis declared.

"No kidding. Hey, deep throats, do you have any ideas who was responsible for this 'Project: Infestation'?" Sleight questioned.

"I'm afraid not." The voice answered. "The moment Black came in and destroyed everything, those who were indirectly involved scattered to the winds, along with the founders of the project. All we were able to ascertain was that it was two ponies: one that was really big, and another one that was small and lean."

"Well, that does nothing to narrow it down." Sazh scoffed.

"I wished that I knew more." The voice said solemnly. "But I can tell you this... they're out there, and they're responsible for this outbreak. They must be trying to pick up where they had left off, using a different yet very effective strand of the 'Last Bacterium'... one that they no doubt have much larger plans for..."

"You zzzeeem to know quite a lot about thizzz." Char mused. "Azzz if by experience..."

"Well, I wouldn't be much of an informant if I wasn't well-informed." The voice said cryptically.

"I don't suppose you'd know how to find our culprits, would you?" Sleight asked.

"Perhaps you should ask 'Patient Zero' what he remembers. This started with him, maybe he can end it..." The voice declared. "...Good luck."

The voice signed off, as everypony looked at Sazh.

"Great..." Sazh sighed.

"I'll go share the details of this report with our DCD friends." Elite declared.

"We'd like to take a look ourselves." Twilight noted.

"Of course." Elite nodded.

"Let us know if you come up with anything." Twilight told the others.

"You got it." Sleight nodded.

"Let's go somewhere... a little private." Chrysalis stated.

Sleight and the Changelings took Sazh to another tent, and began pressing him for details.

"Okay, Sazh, think." Sleight urged. "When did you first start feeling the symptoms?"

"I'm pretty sure it was the day after the party." Sazh recalled. "I remember waking up, feeling a little... washed-out."

"So that dates it back to when he first woke up the day after the party." Wizel deduced, "And if I recall, you went straight to bed right after the party ended..."

"So you must have somehow been infected during the party." Sleight declared.

"Now that I think about it, I did get kind of a sniffle right after the party was over." Sazh admitted.

"Did you encounter anything... out of the ordinary?" Chrysalis asked. "Anything even the least bit... odd?"

"Not that I know of, your highness." Sazh shrugged.

"Come on, think!" Char urged. "Anything at all would help!"

"I'm sorry." Sazh sighed. "Nothing comes to mind..."

Suddenly, a group of DCD ponies entered the tent.

"Sorry to interrupt." One stated. "But we might had found something. We were looking through Sazh's room and belongings in hopes of finding a possible source of contagion... and one popped up..."

"...What?" Sazh asked.

"This hat." The pony held up the hat Sleight had given to Sazh, concealed in a magic dome.

"The hat Sleight gave me?" Sazh murmured.

"So it was the hat was infected, not Sazh?" Chrysalis frowned.

"Not infected, exactly, but saturated." The pony answered. "Upon examination, it seems that was sprayed with a concentration of the 'Last Bacterium'. When Sazh had donned the hat, it seeped into Sazh's shell, and thus infected him."

"But how could that be?" Wizel asked, "Sazh never lets that hat out of his sight when he's not wearing it..."

"Wait." Sazh realized. "I remember now... I lost my hat at the party for a while. That's when it must have happened. I was looking all over for it... and then I found it. Well actually, a stallion found it. That Gridlock fellow. He said he'd found while he was out for a smoke."

"Gridlock? As in Grenade Gridlock?" Sleight gaped.

"Yeah. He was actually pretty nice about it." Sazh frowned, "When I put on the hat, I felt it was a bit damp, but I thought it was just from being outside for too long..."

"...No... you don't think..." Sleight frowned as he turned to his wife.

"It must have been." Chrysalis remarked, anger building. "He did this to us."

"He almost destroyed us?" Wizel snarled. "For no reason?"

"That odiouzzz piece of zzzcum!" Char roared. "If I ever get my hoovezzz on him, he'll wizzzh he wazzz never born!"

"I hate to say it, but it all makes sense." Sleight snarled. "That slimeball needs to pay." He turned to the DCD ponies. "Inform Captain Ulysses immediately. Gridlock needs to be brought in to face justice."

"Of course." The suited pony nodded.

Wasting no time, Fletcher and Caboose led a squad of Guards to Gridlock's home; A surprisingly modest cottage outside of Fillydelphia.

"Grenade Gridlock!" Fletcher kicked open the front door. "You are under arrest for illegal biological experimentation, and attempted genocide."

"And having really tacky furniture!" Caboose added. "Seriously, have you seen that sofa?"

The house was empty, no trace of Gridlock anywhere.

"Search the house." Fletcher ordered. "He might have left behind something useful."

Hours later, Fletcher's group returned to the quarantine zone.

"We weren't able to locate Gridlock." Fletcher admitted. "But we did find some interesting things. For starters..." He held up a pendant bearing the inisgnia of the Forefathers. "This pendant proves Gridlock is one of the Forefathers."

"We also found this." Caboose held up a file full of notes, which bore the title "Project: Infestation v. 2". "Like our 'informant' said, this outbreak Gridlock caused is their mulligan."

"Great work, you two." Elite smiled, "These notes are just what the boffins need to finally unravel this mess!"

"As for Gridlock, he can't run forever." Fletcher declared. "Sooner or later, we'll track him down."

"I hope so." Prometheus stepped forth. "But we still have another problem: the informant mentioned both a big pony and a small and lean one. Gridlock seems to fit the role of the big one, but who's the other half of this duo? And where he is now?"

"That's a good question." Elite nodded, as he looked through a case file. "I had been looking through Gridlock's records. He's a highly-decorated former soldier, skilled in both hoof-to-hoof and long-range combat. Not the best strategist, but he is skilled in thinking fast during battle. He is well-known for his aggressive, take-no-prisoners attitude. To him, an enemy is an enemy, and must be vanquished with mercy."

"I'm surprised that a guy like that made it as a secretary of defense." Sleight deadpanned.

"Same here." Elite agreed. "But there is nothing to imply that he has experience in the field of chemistry or virology. He seems like he would know his way around a lab, but there was no way he could had made a virus of this caliber on his own. His partner in crime must be the the brains of the operation, with genius-level understanding of those subjects." He then put his metal hoof to his chin. "But who?"

"Think. Who do we know who has such skill?" Fletcher asked.

"Who's got the resources to pull this off?" Sazh added.

"And the connections to keep it quiet?" Chrysalis asked.

"And is probably so high-up that nopony would suspect him?" Caboose inquired.

As they mulled it over for a second, one name sprang to Sleight's mind. It was an unpleasant possibility, the only one that fit.

"Harlhooves." He gasped.

"Harlhooves, the senator?" Elite raised a brow.

"Yeah. I remember hearing from the captain of Canterlot police department that Harlhooves was a top of the line chemist before becoming senator, and even found the cure to some virus back then." Sleight explained. "And he and Gridlock seems to be on friendly terms... more than friendly, some might say."

"But he has always been a staunch supporter of our kind." Chrysalis pointed out. "Why would he go and do something like this?"

"Obviously, it serves as the perfect cover." Sleight declared. "Classic misdirection. Acting as a pony champion for Changelings within the senate, with enough political power to fund Gridlock and enough brainpower to help the research of the 'Last Bacterium', so friendly and outgoing, that no one would suspect him causing a outbreak so he could use us like lab rats and make a stronger virus."

"In retrospect, it did seem too good to be true." Wizel sighed.

"We gotta find Harlhooves and ask him for ourselves." Sleight declared. "Where is he?"

"The last I saw, he was in the big tent." Caboose recalled.

"Then by all means, let's pay him a visit." Chrysalis growled. "There are some choice words I'd like to share with him..."

They made their way to the main tent, which was populated by more biohazard suited ponies.

"Where is Senator Harlhooves?" Sleight demanded, "We need to speak to him."

"We... actually haven't seen him for a while, now." One pony remarked. "I told him Gridlock's home was about to be raided, then he said he needed to step outside to take care of something."

"That little rat." Sleight scowled, "He must have caught on and fled the scene."

"Don't you worry, I will have ponies keep an eye out for both him and Gridlock." Elite glared, "The only question is where is he now?"

"He could be anywhere by now." Wizel remarked. "Maybe out of the country."

"In the meantime, we can at least focus on cleaning up the mess they made." Chrysalis stated.

"Yes." Prometheus nodded. "At least now things won't get any worse..."

At that moment, they heard a loud droning sound.

"What izzz that cacophany?" Char growled, covering his ears.

"It sounds like... rotors..." Elite frowned.

Meanwhile, in a deserted field not far from the hive, a rather foreboding airship was powering up for take-off. Onboard, several of the Forefathers' members were attending to the inner workers, making final safety checks, and ensuring their payload was optimal...

At the front of the ship, Gridlock was overlooking the operation, donning his Forefather cloak.

"Steady as she goes!" He ordered. "We do this fast, and we do this right, understand?"

"Yes, sir!" The agents chorused.

Suddenly, another agent came forward.

"Sir, Harlhooves had just arrived and wishes to see you." The agent announced.

"Hmph. Bring him in." Gridlock scoffed.

Moments later, Harlhooves, donning his own cloak, stepped onboard and approached him.

"So...I'm guessing they figure out your part in this?" Gridlock growled.

"By now, I'm sure." Harlhooves nodded, "The moment I heard they were raiding your residence, I had to get out of there."

"Lucky you." Gridlock scowled. "I was unable to grab all my notes before those buckers at RDL came and wreck the place. Now they know our plans!" He then glared at Harlhooves, "We should had killed 'patient zero' the moment they started looking for him! Now we are wanted stallions!"

"Do not get angry at me, Gridlock." Harlhooves glared back. "Out of all the changelings at that party you could had infected, you had to pick the royal advisor."

"Well, I didn't think it would matter. We got results, didn't we?" Gridlock declared, "Besides, you're the one that was wasting time in those tents, making nice with your fellow eggheads."

"I was trying to find the cure." Harlhooves snarled, "What were you doing?"

"What we came here to do." Gridlock snapped back, "And we need to do it fast. Our lives as Secretary of Defense and Senator are now over. All that remains now is to complete our mission and serve the Forefathers, before that damn Director and his band of misfits gets in our way, just like they did with Solomon!"

"But we can't!" Harlhooves yelled, "They have found the cure! We need to secure it!"

"What are you babbling on about?!" Gridlock growled, "How can there be a cure for our Project?!"

"Well..." Harlhooves was about to explain, but stumbled as the airship began to take off. "Whoa!"

Back at the quarantine zone, the others rushed outside as the sound of the rotors grew louder. To their horror, they saw the huge airship flying overhead.

"Holy buck..." Sleight gaped.

"What is that?" Chrysalis asked.

"I don't know." Prometheus frowned. "But something tells me it isn't friendly..."

"It looks like some kind of military vehicle." Elite mused.

"They couldn't be planning to attack us... could they?" Fletcher fretted.

"I'm gonna need a bigger cannon..." Caboose frowned.

Back on board the airship, Harlhooves finished his explanation.

"They're saying that King Sleight's blood is some sort of Changeling cure-all." He declared.

"...You expect me to buy that piece of crap?!" Gridlock roared, "Our new and improved 'Last Bacterium', being undone by the blood pumped by some dumb carny?! What a load of horseapples!"

"It is not horseapples!" Harlhooves growled. "You know 'Patient Zero'? He had turned, fungus and everything, but by biting Sleight, he was cured! I saw him cured with my own eyes!"

"Oh please, there has to be an explanation." Gridlock scoffed.

"I looked at the blood over and over with the others." Harlhooves insisted. "He is the cure, I am sure of it."

"Okay... let's say that what you're saying is true, that this punk is the cure." Gridlock declared. "What does that do for us?"

"It means that we can have control!" Harlhooves answered, "We just need to grab some of that blood, and we will be set. We just need a little more time..."

"Hey, genius, in case you hadn't noticed, time is something we don't have!" Gridlock snarled. "Even if this cure is for real, that only means we need to harvest those bugs now before they undo our work! We can't be wasting time on your stupid cure!"

"Well, we're wasting time right now!" Harlhooves growled. "The cure is still out there, and we need to secure it. Maybe if we just take Sleight and preserve his body, we might-"

"Harlhooves, don't you understand?" Gridlock said in exasperation, as he then gestured out to the territory. "With this new strain of Last Bacterium, we can create outbreaks anywhere we want to! We can control where it goes! When we're done, we can just send in a kill team and exterminate them! It will wipe out all that oppose us, but leave all the infrastructure."

He then gave a devious smile, a gleam in his eyes.

"It'll be like the neutron bomb I always dreamed of." Gridlock mused.

"But it is nothing without the cure!" Harlhooves declared.

"Oh, this cure thing is bullcrap!" Gridlock snarled in frustration. "It's a Faust damn distraction that you made for yourself!"

"What?!" Harlhooves growled.

"You heard me! Ever since that damn red bucker came and destroyed everything the first time over in Saddle Arabia, you've been worrying over the stupidest things that could not possibly go wrong! All those damn tests, all the trials and re-trials, every single detail, you had fretted over. And now, we're on the brink of our project succeeding, and all you can think about is this stupid cure!" Gridlock ranted.

"Can you blame me?" Harlhooves crossed his hooves. "I more than anypony wants this project to become a success... but it was because of both yours and my arrogance that 'they' found out about our project and 'Horsey-bug love' and 'they' came in and ruined everything! I had been taking these steps so we could redeem ourselves! But by trying to rush things and focusing only on results, you are making a big mistake!"

"You can say it all you like." Gridlock sneered. "Doesn't make it true. I mean, come on, Black Knight is dead! He can't come back and ruin things for us like he did back then! And that old fool Elite can get as many of those freaks and misfits as he wants, but he can't stop us. Nopony can."

"You see, it's that arrogance again." Harlhooves growled. "The same arrogance that got Black Thorn killed. Got Nalik killed. And do not get me started with what happened to Solomon and Sterling."

"But you don't get it! We finally succeeded!" Gridlock declared. "We created the ultimate bioweapon! One that can bring Equestria to its knees. WIth the Last Bacterium on our side, we can wipe any and all who try to get in the Forefathers' way!"

"But what good would a bioweapon be without a cure to counteract it if we lost control?" Harlhooves asked.

"We won't lose control of it." Gridlock argued. "Not after all the effort we've put in, and all the precautions."

"But what if we do?" Harlhooves urged. "We can't afford to take that chance."

"You know, that is always been a problem with you, Harlhooves. You talk a big game, but even with the greast bioweapon, you lack the stones to follow through with your convictions!" Gridlock snarled. "You gotta take big risks if you are going to get an even bigger payoff!"

"Or even graver consequences, should we fail!" Harlhooves scowled. "Don't you understand that things are getting too dangerous now? You saw what happened with Project: Titanfall. If we go in for the attack, we could end up destroying everything we had worked for! We must stop!"

"And then what?" Gridlock demanded. "We have no lives to go back to. And if we back down when we were so close, we'll become the biggest laughingstocks within the Forefathers. And who knows what 'Father' will do to us: at best, he will take away our places as members of the Ouroboros, at worst, he could terminate us! So there is no way I am backing down, not after all the blood and tears we poured into this project!"

"This isn't about your pride, you fool." Harlhooves snarled. "This is about common sense."

"Or fear." Gridlock sneered.

"Face it, we flew too close to the sun." Harlhooves insisted. "We need to back off now, before it's too late."

"A defeatist attitude if I ever heard one." Gridlock snorted. "You wouldn't have lasted long in my regiment."

"Being a defeatist isn't always a bad thing, you know." Harlhooves insisted.

"But being a quitter is." Gridlock retorted. "We started this together, and we can succeed together."

"Can we?" Harlhooves glared.

"...Come on, Harlhooves." Gridlock whispered, holding out his hoof. "Don't throw our lives away over something so trivial..."

Harlhooves glanced at his hoof... only to bat it away.

"Oh, don't be so pathetic..." Harlhooves scowled. "You are such a fool. You... you make me sick..." He turned away. "We are pulling the plug on Project: Infestation. End of story..."

Gridlock remained silent... before sighing.

"...We would have been good friends, Harlhooves." Gridlock murmured.

Before Harlhooves could process what he said, Gridlock grabbed him by the neck and began hoisting him over the edge.

"What are you-?" Harlhooves struggled, powerless against his brawnier counterpart.

"I'm sorry, partner, but if you're not with me, then you're against me. And I don't take kindly to those who are against me." Gridlock snarled.

With a simple flick of his wrist, he threw the senator off of the airship.

"NOOOOOOO!!" Harlhooves screeched, landing within the infected part of the hive with a sickening thud.

Gridlock gave a solemn nod as he then walked towards the cockpit, issuing more orders.

"We've got a job to do, men, now let's do it!" Gridlock barked.

On the ground, Harlhooves was miraculously still alive, but badly injured.

"You're going to lose, Gridlock..." He wheezed tauntingly. "Mark my words..." As he struggled to move, he noticed the infected surrounding them. "Ah, buck..."

Gridlock took his place aside the helmspony.

"Time to see if Loveless's inventions are good for something." Gridlock sneered, "Release the drones. Have them grab as many infected as they can!"

"Yes, sir." The helmspony nodded, pushing some buttons.

"Finally... It's harvest time!" Gridlock cackled triumphantly.

To the horror of those below, a number of mechanical insect-like machines emerged from within the ship, dropping down on the infected side of the hive, then rising back up, infected Changelings struggling in the vise-like grip of their mechanical legs.

"What are they doing?" Sazh asked, as the infected were taken into the airship.

"Beatzzz me." Char snorted. "Who would actually want infected on their zzzhip?"

"They must be trying to harvest the 'Last Bacterium' from the infected." Elite realised. "They aim to make a stockpile of the virus!"

"Not on my watch." Sleight growled.

"Or mine." Chrysalis declared.

"I'm not too old to lend a hoof." Prometheus smiled.

"Let's smash some tin cans." Sazh declared.

"We cannot allow them to zzzpread thizzz contagion any further." Char stated. "For the hive! For Equezzztria!"

"Very well then." Elite nodded. "Just let me bring in some back-up..."

After Elite called in Fletcher and Caboose, the group charged toward the hive, out to stop the other drones from reaching the infected area.

"Not today, trazzzh can!" Char tackled one, tearing off it's head.

"Enough harm has been done to my subjects!" Chrysalis blasted another. "No more, you hear me? No more!"

"Yeah." Sleight nodded, as he used his card portals to make two crash into each other. "This ends now."

"Leave my fellow Changelings alone!" Sazh zapped a drone, knocking it out of the sky.

"I've been needing some target practice." Elite joked, shooting several drones down with his rifle.

"I love smashing robots!" Caboose cheered, as he blasted a drone.

"I admit, there is some sense of satisfaction to tearing these things apart." Fletcher declared, as he pulled the legs off another.

"A pity I can't enjoy finally being back home." Prometheus declared, as he kicked a drone away.

"It's still good to have you back, old friend." Wizel smiled. "I wouldn't have anypony else by my side..."

The group fought valiantly, but more and more drones descended. Despite the many they had destroyed, tehy were unable to prevent more infected from being captured.

"This isn't working!" Elite growled. "There's just too many of them."

"Agreed." Chrysalis nodded. "We must somehow cut them off at the source!"

"But how?" Wizel asked.

"Sleight, look!" Prometheus pointed to an opening in the airship, where the drones were returning.

"I gotta get up there!" Sleight declared. He saw a drone slowly rising, a large rock nearby. "And there's my way up!" He ran towards the rock.

"Sleight!" Prometheus yelled, as Sleight jumped onto the rock and then onto the drone, flying up to the ship. "What are you doing?! If you die, the cure dies with you!"

"Sleight!" Chrysalis cried.

"Sorry, everypony." Sleight said sadly, as the drone carried him inside. "I gotta do this..."

Once inside, Sleight let go, dropping onto the airship's innards.

"Time to head to where the action is..." He declared, running towards the cockpit.

In the airship's cockpit, Gridlock was watching the scene below with frustration, still standing aside the pilot. Despite the amount of infected they were hauling in, it was taking much longer due to the others' interference. Unbeknownst to them, Sleight had slipped into the room.

"You're supposed to be the cream of the crop!" Gridlock groaned, growling both at his men and the drones. "What the Tartarus is the matter with you?!"

"Good question." Sleight smirked.

Instantly, Gridlock turned to face Sleight.

"You!" Gridlock snarled.

Gridlock tried to punch him, but he ducked under the swing. Sleight made to hit back, Gridlock dodged, and his hoof struck the pilot, knocking him out. Sleight kicked Gridlock, knocking him back (only to catch a nearby seat), but then the airship to start spinning out of control.

"FLY THE FAUST DAMN SHIP, YOU FOOL!" Gridlock yelled at the unconscious pilot.

The airship spiraled out of control, careening towards the ground, crashing with a loud 'BOOM!'. The others watched the scene happened with horror.

"NO!" Chrysalis screamed.

"He has to still be alive!" Prometheus insisted. "We gotta get in there!"

"Well, then get behind me!" Elite declared, holding up his rifle.

"We're coming, Sleight!" Sazh yelped.

"Open the gates!" Elite told the Guards.

"But, sir-" One pony started.

"Now!" Elite demanded.

"Y-yes, sir!" The pony nodded.

The gates opened, and the others charged in. While several of the infected had been removed, there were still quite a few inside.

"Back away!" Char blasted one aside. "We have no time for thizzz!"

"I think they landed over there!" Chrysalis pointed, simultaneously knocking another infected.

"We must hurry!" Prometheus urged, forcing an infected back with a force dome.

The group made their way deeper into the hive, Sleight's fate weighing heavily on their minds...

Sleight awoke to find himself in one of the hive's newest buildings, an observatory, his coat tattered, letting out a couple of coughs. The airship had crashed onto the upper level, two of its rotors were still spinning, with one not far from Sleight, and the other on a raised platform. It was apparent, that most, if not all of the ponies that were onboard were probably dead... yet somehow, the infected that been collected were all fine, as they shambled and crawled out of the holes of the airships. Even worse, the crash had drawn the attention of the other surrounding infected, who were gathering around the building.

"Great..." Sleight groaned. "Out of the frying pan, into the fire..."

A loud growl echoed, as none other than Gridlock rose to his hooves shakily, standing on the same raised platform. His coat and hat were gone, assumingly torn off in the crash, leaving a awful gash in his back and a nasty head wound on the back of his head, and various scratches and bruises on his body. But if his furious scowl was anything to go by, he was far from broken.

Unreal..." Sleight gaped, as Gridlock pulled a hoof-held cannon from out of the wreckage.

"You think you can take me out that easily?" Gridlock snarled.

"Well... yeah." Sleight shrugged. "Not that I'd call this 'easy'..."

"Let me show you how it's done, boy!" Gridlock roared.

Gridlock fired his cannon twice, but Sleight rolled out of the way, barely dodging the blasts.

"...That is it." Sleight glared at Gridlock, knowing what he had to do. "Let's end this, you psycho."

"Respect your elders, punk!" Gridlock snarled.

Sleight rushed toward the platform. As Gridlock fired another blast, he ducked behind a pillar.

"You can't hide forever!" Gridlock yelled, firing a blast that cracked the pillar.

Sleight dashed around the pillar, but encountered some infected.

"Sorry, my loyal subjects." He declared. "I don't have time for you right now."

"Sleight a card across the room, which turned into a portal. He opened another one in front of him, and stepped through to the other side.

"Nice trick." Gridlock smirked. "Now I'll do one. I'm gonna make you disappear!"

Sleight barely dodged the next blast, but it led them to to a group of infected. He managed to contain some in cards when another leapt at him.

"Please respect my personal space!" He throw the infected at its cohorts. Taking advantage of their collapse, and avoiding more blasts, he raced to the platform, the others hot on his tail. Sleight barely managed to climb onto the raised platform, the other infected clawing at his coat.

"Say goodbye!" Gridlock spat, firing the cannon again.

Sleight dodged the umpteenth blast.

"Okay, that toy's getting annoying." Sleight snarled, as he held up a card and threw it, using magic to trap the cannon.

"Gah!" Gridlock glanced at the card, only to tear it in half. "You think that's gonna help? I'll just beat you to a pulp with my bare hooves!"

"You can try." Sleight declared, "What happened to your friend? Harlhooves? I didn't see him in the cockpit with you!"

"He and I had a disagreement." Gridlock growled. "He failed to see the big picture, so I dealt with him."

"...You killed him?" Sleight snarled.

"Just like I'm gonna kill you!" Gridlock roared.

Gridlock charged at Sleight, striking him hard. Sleight retaliated with a kick to the face, and Gridlock headbutted him.

"Guh!" Sleight cringed. "Headbutting? Seriously? I thought you were just using your bare hooves! Or is that your idea of using your head?"

"There's a time for strategy, and a time for force." Gridlock sneered. "And this is definiely a time for force."

"On that, we agree." Sleight nodded. For everything Gridlock had done to the hive, he wanted to beat the pony with his bare hooves. He didn't even want to bother with his cards. "Come get some."

"Gladly." Gridlock snarled.

The two clashed once more. Gridlock's greater strength meant Sleight had a distinct disadvantage.

"Look at you." Gridlock punched him. "So weak. So arrogant. I never dreamt that you would ever stand in my way."

"That's the whole point of a stage magician." Sleight shot back. "To hit you with the unexpected!"

Sleight tried to punch him with his Changeling hoof, but the blow was caught.

"Hmph, nice hoof." Gridlock smirked, as he threw him to the ground. "Guess we should have expected something like this, considering your... heritage."

"Wait... you knew?!" Sleight spluttered, as he struggled to his hooves.

"You'd be surprised what the Forefathers know about everypony." Gridlock sneered. "But that does little to change what you are. You may be the 'King of the Changelings', but deep down, you are still that same pathetic runaway carny who was too big for his buckin' hooves. Nothing but a freakish crossbreed. No wonder you've always felt right at home with those vermin."

"Don't even think of insulting my hive!" Sleight yelled.

"Why?" Gridlock sneered, throwing a hard punch. "I've already brought them to the edge of extinction. Compared to that, an insult or two is small potatoes."

"Not to me!" Sleight spat.

Gridlock gave Sleight another headbutt.

"Ugh!" Sleight grunted. He grabbed a rock, and slammed it against Gridlock's head.

"You'll pay for that..." Gridlock spat, blood trickling down his forehead.

Gridlock pummeled Sleight, punching him again and again. Sleight could barely stand under the onslaught. Gridlock was far stronger, and well-trained. Sleight's own blows paled in comparison.

"Had enough, punk?" Gridlock taunted.

"Never." Sleight spat.

"Good." Gridlock sneered. "I'm having some real fun here."

"Fun this!" Sleight kicked him.

"You little..." Gridlock headbutted Sleight again.

"Ugh!" Sleight groaned.

"You've already lost, Gambit." Gridlock sneered. "I can't be stopped. Your hive is done for."

"We'll see about that..." Sleight growled.

"And to think, I owe the success all to that little friend of yours." Gridlock huffed. "That pathetic lttle runt played right into my hooves. Thanks to him, this whole hive is going done. I'll bet it was rough, finding out he started all this. The poor boy must had been begging for death."

"Shut up!" Sleight charged at Gridlock again.

Sleight was punched to the ground, as Gridlock then heaved them over to the edge of the platform, as the infected Changelings clawed at the said edge.

"What a joke." Gridlock sneered. "You weak little excuse for a King. and to think, Harlhooves actually thought you were the cure."

"I'm not done yet." Sleight wheezed.

"You know what's gonna happen?" Gridlock taunted, as he kicked him. "I'm going to squash you like a bug. And then I am going to finish harvesting all these damn vermin. Once I do, I am going to unleash hell upon the entirety of Equestria and the world. And I will personally find and kill every one you loved... that old fogey, the general, your runt of a friend, that little girl you adore, as well as your other family..." Sleight snarled as Gridlock pressed his hoof against his neck, choking him, "Yeah, I know about that showmare and the illegitimate foal you had together... they will joining the rest of them..."

He then got close to Sleight's ear.

"But you know what? I'm gonna save your precious Queen for last." Gridlock snarled. "I will see to it that she dies a slow and exceptionally painful death. I am going to finish what the princesses and the rest of Equestria lacked the stones to do. And you won't be there to see it..."

Instantly, Sleight's eyes were alight with rage, as he then gave a great kick to Gridlock's stomach.

"Oof!" Gridlock stumbled back. "Why, you-"

Sleight interrupted his foe with a punch, knocking him back.

"Now you've made me mad." He snarled.

Sleight lashed out like never before, hooves striking, horn blasting. Gridlock fought back just as hard, breaking Sleight's nose with a solid punch. But Sleight retaliated with a kick to the spine. As Gridlock leant over, Sleight put him in a headlock, and repeatedly punched him in the stomach.

"Ugh" Ugh! Ugh!" Gridlock grunted. "That's it!"

Gridlock headbutted Sleight, breaking free. He then grabbed Sleight and pushed him towards the edge.

"Your subjects await, you highness!" He taunted.

"Well, I'm afraid... they're going to have to... wait!" Sleight pushed back with all his strength, moving them away from the edge.

"No... way..." Gridlock struggled.

"Way!" Sleight retaliated with a headbutt of his own. As Gridlock reeled backwards, he struck again and agan, pressing his advantage.

Despite the difference in their strength, Sleight was pushing Gridlock back, towards one of the spinning rotors. Gridlock spit out some blood, glaring at Sleight.

"Your friend Harlhooves, was right... There is a cure..." Sleight showed off his Changeling hoof. "I'M THE CURE! My heritage makes me immune to your damn Last Bacterium!"

Gridlock panted, his body growing weak from the blood loss from the back of his head and the gash in his back.

"You think you got it all figured out, don't you?!" Gridlock snarled. "YOU KNOW NOTHING! I'm gonna get outta here, and I am going to make an even better Last Bacterium! So strong that your stupid bug blood can't stop it! Project: Infestation will bring the whole world to it's knees, and no damn carny is going to get the best of me!"

"Well, here's something I do know..." Sleight pointed to Gridlock. "There is no cure for this."

"BUCK YOU!" Gridlock snarled.

Gridlock lunged at Sleight, and the two grappled.

"I'll kill you!" Gridlock spat. "I'll kill your friends! Your family! Even your damn dog if you have one!"

"No, you won't!" Sleight pushed Gridlock back. "You will not harm another member of this hive ever again!"

Sleight kicked Gridlock hard. While his opponent was reeling from the blow, he stuck an explosive card onto his chest.

"Boom." He snarled, setting it off with his magic.

The card exploded, knocking Gridlock backwards, scorching his face, as he sent flying, right into one of the rotors. Before Sleight's eyes, the fiend's body vanished in a cloud of red mist.

"Gotcha..." Sleight sighed, as the adrenaline faded away, and he knelt down, exhausted.

At that moment, Chrysalis and the others entered the observatory.

"Sleight!" Chrysalis gasped.

"He's alive!" Wizel smiled.

"Thank the firzzzt Queen!" Char grinned.

"That's my boy..." Prometheus chuckled.

The group forced their way past the infected, reaching Sleight. Caboose waved a crucifix around, having been carrying it for no good reason.

"Outta This House! Outta This House!" He yelled, as he blasted away the infected.

"Are you okay?" Chrysalis embraced Sleight.

"I'm fine, Chryssy." Sleight smiled, wincing at the bruises dealt upon him. "A bit beaten, but it's over."

"Did you see Gridlock on that ship?" Sazh asked. "I'd love to have given him a piece of my mind."

"Let's just say Gridlock won't be bothering us anymore." Sleight smiled, indicating the red stains by the rotor. "He may have been evil, but the guy was a real cut-up."

"Yuck." Caboose cringed.

"Far too good a fate, if you ask me." Chrysalis growled.

"So much for arresting him." Fletcher frowned.

"Sorry, Fletch." Sleight shrugged. "It was him or me, and I picked me."

"I doubt anypony will hold that against you." Elite smiled. "At least we can be safe in the knowledge that the contagion will not be spread across Equestria."

"And the cure will soon be ready." Prometheus smiled.

"We can finally start to recover from this nightmare." Wizel added.

"And rebuild." Sazh nodded.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Chrysalis kissed him. "My King."

"Which is more true than we ever imagined." Sleight chuckled.

The hive had faced its greatest trial yet. But through the strength of its King, Queen, and loyal defenders, it had survived. But there was still much rebuilding to be done. Their story was far from over..

Comments

[Vakama95096]

so, is that it to this horrible nightmare?

[danick]

i'm kinda disapointed with the reveal of the villain, it was way too obvious, why don't you make that coop who hate sleight the villain?

[Rakoon1]

When did Project: Titanfall happen?

[Ebony Stallion]

7101675 This takes place after the events of Shades of the Past, hence Elite, Caboose, and Fletcher's team-up.

[Rakoon1]

7101792
I see... So it didn't happen yet, right? This is just setting the stage, right?

[Ebony Stallion]

7101879 No, it did happen. Project: Titanfall happens in Shades of the Past, and this final chapter takes place after it.

[Rakoon1]

7101882
Oh, sorry. I still didn't read that story.

[HolyCross9]

Thank goodness that they've managed to finally end Project Infestation.

[Razzy]

Too good of a death, he didn't suffer enough for using ask those poor changelings as Guinea pigs.

Huh, didn't see Sleight being part changeling coming.

[00RaiserGundam]

When did Project: Titanfall happen? I forgot which story that was in.