Dr. Gloriosa Daisy waited patiently for Discord to arrive. She was to give him a tour of her secret facility and present her research to him for evaluation for Umbrella. This was all standard procedure of course, but the process irritated her. She hated the idea of having to present her work to someone as beneath her as Discord, but she would do it with a smile on her face, if she were to be able to get her hands on Discord's research. Discord who was also known as a science teacher at some high school in town was originally the first to study codename: ACHERONSIS blood. He saw all of the potential it had for human and creature advancement. To him, it was a philosopher's stone to be used to strengthen humanity. Gloriosa agreed with his ambitions, for the most part.
Discord was the head founder and lead researcher for the Chimera Project. A project specifically made to find the full potential of the ACHERONSIS's blood could augment a subject. Gloriosa had already utilized small bits and pieces of the research Discord had provided her, but she needed the rest if she was ever to start any new projects. His research was highly crucial in advancing the potential and lethality of Gloriosa's virus.
She called it the XXX Plague also known as the XXX121115 virus, and it was nothing Gloriosa had ever developed before. She had gathered properties from codename: ACHERONSIS to create a virus that would force an abnormal evolution on anyone infected. Therefore if the subject showed signs of strength and endurance, then the Plague would augment them in ways that are still not completely known. However if the subject showed signs of weakness, then the Plague would eat away at the subject until nothing remained but a large pile of black goo that would be secured in a jar and stowed away in a secret virus vault. The world would be more interesting to her that way.
Gloriosa didn't have to wait long for her guest to arrive, Discord arrived moments before schedule. "Good afternoon Ms. Daisy." Discord said as he extended his hand to Gloriosa.
"Good afternoon Professor Discord," she said as she shook his hand. "I hope your day has been going well."
"It's been nothing but total chaos but it was tolerable and satisfying too, I've actually just finished writing the latest report on the Chimera Project."
Gloriosa smiled. "I look forward to reading it. Now if you'll follow me, we'll begin our tour. I have a full presentation ready for you. It'll explain all the research I've done up to this point and how I've implemented it." She began to walk to her lab but stopped when she discovered Discord wasn't following her. "Is something wrong professor?"
Discord looked away from her as he spoke. "I am sure you've worked very hard on your presentation, but I doubt it isn't anything I couldn't find in your reports. Reports, which I'll remind you, I've read extensively."
Gloriosa was completely unprepared for Discord's sudden difficulty. She had always hated working with him, but that was because he would work alongside her as a partner instead of as her subordinate, especially since she hated his sense of humor and chaotic attitude. Truth be told, she preferred working with Discord more than any other researcher because of how cooperative and useful he was. "Then what is it that you want me to show you?"
Discord cleared his throat. "I've come to understand that you've received the Chimera Project's incompatible subjects."
Gloriosa couldn't help but smile. The phrase 'incompatible subjects was Discord's softened description for the rejections of his project. "You want to see them?"
Discord nodded. "I'm curious as to what had become of them."
"They were vital into the development of the XXX Plague. I would be glad to show you." She began walking passed her lab and to her personal containment area. Discord followed close behind her.
The walk from Gloriosa's lab to her personal containment area was short and silent. Discord seemed lost in thought. He didn't even notice when Gloriosa had stopped until he was a few feet ahead of her. She reached into her pocket and retrieved her keycard. She held it up to the containment area's main door access panel. The panel buzzed to life and the doors opened. "I think you'll be very impressed with what you'll see here today." she smiled. Discord smiled back, but his eyes betrayed a glimmer of uneasiness. He didn't seem as proud as she felt.
Gloriosa led Discord to a toughened glass container the size of a prison cell. Inside it were three completely motionless bodies. "These are some of the least compatible subjects. The ACHEREONSIS serum quickly burns and melts away at the subject's body if they are not compatible, but my virus has a different effect. Instead of just melting away at the subject, it produces more Plague and increases the spread." As they look at the containment cage they notice that most of the interior structure was covered in some kind of secreted black goo all over the walls. They believed the infected had something to do with it.
Discord eyed Gloriosa as if he wanted to ask something important, but thought better of it and kept it to himself instead. "Hmm, they don't seem very different to the incompatible subjects we've already produced before."
She walked to the container and began tapping on the glass. Immediately afterwards, the subjects sprang to life and began sprinting their way to the glass and to her. She smiled as she watched them claw at the glass. She always thought it was amusing to see how the black carriers always tried so hard to attack her through the reinforced glass. All of their efforts were in vain of course, they weren't strong enough and their recently discovered acidic blood wasn't potent enough to break through it.
Discord and Gloriosa eyed the carriers. One of them looked like a young adult that had a Camp Everfree uniform on. It was later discovered that it was her brother Timber Spruce. The right side of his face had looked like it had been severely skinned. The shape of his head looked ridged but also carved as well. She watched in sadness as Timber watched them with his now dark blue left eye and his glazed over right eye. The second subject was a woman in her early twenties with dark green eyes and brunette hair. Unlike the other two subjects her head wasn't elongated and she still had her human face intact. She even retained her slender figure. She looked a darker pale than she did in life, but other than that and the lifeless stare she gave, she looked normal for once. The final subject was one that Gloriosa knew personally. He was Filthy Rich and she always had problems with him, especially when he threatened to shut down Camp Everfree for his own Benefits. Other than the other two subjects that were there, his skin had changed into a hideous dark blue and he appeared to have pouches on the back side of his head that would be used to store acid that he could spit at an incredible range, and most of all his bone structure appeared to now have the structure of an alpha male mountain gorilla. The lower left side of his face had slightly faded away giving him a permeant smirk. No other significant necrosis could be seen on the subjects due to the their clothes being surprisingly intact.
Discord's eyes narrowed at the sight of the beasts in that cage. He wore a hard, unreadable expression. "I am already aware of how your Plague creates these things you call: carriers," he said as firm as he could, but even through the tough façade Gloriosa had heard his voice shake in fear. "Is this what you had to show me?"
"No, there is something else. The pinnacle of our observations and the main producers of my Plague is what we really both want to see."
Discord nodded and with that, they ventured further through the containment area. Gloriosa led Discord passed through other containment cells and into an area filled with human sized containers. There were many armed guards and scientists that she had personally picked herself keeping watch of the area. Discord was both amazed and shocked at how much guards and scientists there were, he now just believed that whatever was in these cages that Gloriosa was going to show him, they must be special cases.
The pair stopped right in front of the human sized containers. Gloriosa used her asses card on the container's panel and activated the container's panel and activated the container's opening procedure. The container's cover slowly began to lift up. Discord and Gloriosa stayed silent as the cover ascended. The only sound they could hear was the low mechanical hum of the machine.
Discord slowly backed away as the container continued to open. He looked at the creature with a mixture of shock, concern and horror on his face as more of it came into the view.
The cover finally reached the top, and the creature inside was finally revealed. it was tall, almost too tall to fit in the container. It's skin was a sickly red. It's body was slightly slender but highly muscular giving it a buff and skeletal appearance. It's fingers were now long skeletal claws. It also appeared to have a hidden pair of bat wings that made Discord shiver uncomfortably. It's eyes were closed, so neither of the scientists could see its almost completely black eyes.
Gloriosa watched as the creature's chest slowly rose and fell. She placed her hand on it and smiled as she felt the creature's long breaths. She liked these subjects more. They were far more interesting than the normal carriers. They were much more crucial in understanding how the XXX Plague worked, but that wasn't the reason she liked them so much. Gloriosa wasn't entirely sure why, but she felt attached to them, even more attached than to her family's summer camp. She had watched them grow from the weak, fragile and obsolete prisoners Gloriosa had harvested into the apex predators that they had become. She felt enormous pride at what they became. The pride a mother felt when her young had grown into something strong.
Discord forcefully cleared his throat. "What have you made?!" he asked in disbelief and disgust.
Gloriosa turned to him. "This is what our superior Katelyn Hanson wanted us to make. The subjects that couldn't fuse with my Plague properly would be used as her personal private army."
"Is that all you have to show me?!" Discord sounded utterly disgusted now.
Gloriosa's smile widened as she began to input more commands into the control panel. "No, you haven't even really seen what they are truly capable of yet. We will have to go to this room's surveillance area for a proper demonstration."
She finished inputting the commands and began making her way to the surveillance room. The room wasn't very large. There were surveillance monitors scattered across the left and right sides of the room. The backroom led to the back out of Gloriosa's lab. The front faced the containment area with clear, reinforced glass acting as a barrier. The control panel faced the front.
"These wretched beasts are going to be militarized?" Discord asked.
"That's correct."
"They don't even look like they can fight. They're just nothing but walking breathing corpses, exactly the same as the rest of those beasts."
"Oh I assure you they are much more than that."
A loud alarm suddenly sounded in the containment area. Its long high-pitched wails made it impossible to hear anything else. The surveillance room door suddenly shut in front of the scientists making it impossible to hear again.
"What the hell is going on Daisy?!" Discord sounded anxiously. "Why is the damn alarm going off?!"
"There's a containment breach," she said calmly. "Look." She pointed to one of the monitors. Discord looked up to see the subject that they had monitored was now fully awake and tearing at his restraints.
She smiled in glee as it tore itself free from the wires and the machines. Discord and Gloriosa could see the features of its face now. Its eyes were black as charcoal but had light red pupils. Its mouth had curled into a devilish grin revealing its long jagged teeth. Its bat like nostrils began to flare in ravenous anticipation. It was free.
A group of ten armed guards rushed to the xenomorph. Their guns were trained on it. The xenomorph seemed to notice this. It stopped dead in its tracks and stood completely still. There was a brief pause as the men waited for it to react, but it didn't. The guards slowly began to edge closer to it. One of the guards grabbed a syringe full of a very strong sedative from his belt. He cautiously walked closer and closer until he was a few feet away from the xenomorph.
Gloriosa sighed in disappointment. She had fully expected the xenomorph to do more. She expected it to put up a fight, but instead it just stopped. She however continued watching in hope that it would react. She disabled the alarm so she could hear the interaction as well.
The xenomorph took a long breath and sprang to life. It grabbed the three guards closest to it and used them as shields against the others. The other guards began to shoot the xenomorph, but most of the bullets hit the guards and those that did hit the xenomorph didn't seem to slow it down. It threw its make-shift shields towards the group and managed to knock six of the ten down. With the six other guards momentarily incapacitated, it rushed for the last guard. It dashed to her with god-like speed. It lunged itself towards the guard and knocked her down to the floor. The xenomorph easily tore through the guard's chest. The xenomorph began to grab chunk after chunk of the guard's flesh and threw them carelessly away. It was senselessly mutilating her to bits.
Gloriosa was taken aback by the unnecessary gore she was watching. She had wanted her subjects to become ruthless hunters that she could use at her will, but the way he tore at the guard was more vicious that she had anticipated. She watched as the xenomorph dug its hands into the guard and pulled apart her ribcage. The way it attacked almost made it seem like it had some kind of vendetta against the guards.
The guards got back to their feet and began firing at the xenomorph again. This time, it had nothing to protect itself. It staggered backwards from the gunfire and ran for the cover of a nearby container. It let out a loud high-pitched scream that caused the guards to stop their attack and cover their ears. They were severely disoriented.
The xenomorph took this opportunity to attack. It rushed towards the guards and immediately threw one towards one of the containers. It slammed the next guard onto the floor and grabbed the final two from their chests. The xenomorph smiled again intentionally showing all its jagged teeth to the last horrified guard. It was discovered that second guard in its hand was already impaled by its long spiked tail and thrown carelessly away to another container. The last guard tried to squirm frantically away to escape, but it wasn't enough. The xenomorph began to bite the guard's neck. The guard tried with all her might to fight back by clawing at it, but it only got worse when it's acid blood melted away her hands and fingers, and she wasn't strong enough. She fought less and less until finally she stopped moving all together.
The xenomorph's rampage wasn't over yet, there were still a few guards left along with some of the scientists. It leapt onto a container and started searching for more targets.
Gloriosa continued watching as the xenomorph tore its way through its captors. It shredded every single person that it found into pieces and then continued its search. One of the scientists that was left ran into the surveillance room Gloriosa and Discord stood in. She pounded on the door with her fists all the while begging to be let in. Discord reached for the door switch, but before he could open the door, the xenomorph reached the scientist. It grabbed her by the back of her head and slammed her head on the reinforced glass. Blood began to run down the scientist's face from the top of her head looking severely sunken. It slammed her again and this time more of her and a fleshy pulp began to stick on the glass. It slammed her face again and this time almost more than half of the scientist's face was sunken in, but it didn't stop. The xenomorph continued to slam the glass with her head until there was nothing left of her.
The xenomorph dropped the remains onto the floor. It began to claw at the reinforced glass trying so desperately to finish what it started.
Gloriosa walked to the door and activated the door's intercom. "There is a button on the left side of the door. Push it to speak to us."
"What in the name of God are you doing?!" Discord asked as the demon continued to claw its way to them.
I need to talk to it. This is an opportune moment that we have been waiting for all this time."
"Are you fucking kidding me Gloriosa Daisy?!?!?! That thing isn't going to talk to us. It's just a mindless bloodthirsty demon!!!"
The pounding on the door suddenly came to a stop. The xenomorph slowly guided its left hand to the intercom button and pressed it. There was a long pause and the xenomorph seemed to compose itself. "Demon?" it asked slowly and casually. It began to chuckle a harsh, low and menacing chuckle. "You think I'm a demon?"
Gloriosa smiled. She looked at Discord triumphantly, but he didn't seem to notice her. He was transfixed on the xenomorph. "What the fuck is that thing?" he asked.
The xenomorph responded with a harsh laugh. "I am more than you could ever understand little one, I am the XXX Plague."
Gloriosa hadn't expected the xenomorph to be so self-aware. It already knew what it was and what had made it. She wasn't sure what to make of it anymore. She was not prepared for this. "You are indeed the product of our experiments with my Plague."
The xenomorph erupted into a roar of laughter. The sound of it caused her to flinch. "Your Plague?" it asked trying to contain it's laughter. "You think you are responsible for us?" It's laughter dies down and it's posture became rigid. "You hope to experiment on us? Contain us? Use us for your own personal goals? You are playing with something that you could never hope to control. We will be the death of you."
Gloriosa had enough. "You think I'm afraid of you?" she asked spitefully and full of confidence in her voice. "You don't think I have something to sterilize a containment breach like you? Your just another failed experiment I have to terminate now."
"G-G-G-Gl-Glo-Goriosa," Discord spoke stutteringly. "Look at the screens."
"What?!?!" Gloriosa yelled. She gave him a puzzled look then turned to the monitors. She Gasped and froze in sheer horror as a sudden revelation struck her. There were now fifteen open containers. The xenomorph had intentionally made sure to damage the containers and in doing so freed sixteen more xenomorphs. Sixteen more xenomorphs were now lurking around the facility.
"Terminate them!" Discord yelled. "We can't let them escape."
"Right." Gloriosa rushed over to the control panel and began to work on the termination process, but she grew frustrated when it wasn't working. Normally this process would be instant, but she had almost completely disabled the procedure in her fear that someone would carelessly implement it in unnecessary situations.
"You're the one who wants to use the Plague to strengthen humanity?" the xenomorph addressed Discord. "What a big heart you must have? I can't wait to see it for myself." It erupted in laughter again.
A chill ran down Gloriosa's spine when she heard sixteen more sets of laughter seem to join in the distance. As she continued typing, sixteen more xenomorphs emerged from the distance. They smiled just widely as the xenomorph holding the intercom button smiled. She looked to the control panel and then back to the front. There were sixteen more xenomorphs walking towards them now.
Gloriosa was beginning to panic. The glass should still hold against the strength of all sixteen xenomorphs, but she had a feeling that they were up to something. A feeling that they might be smarter and more independent than she had ever realized, and that her ambition to control them was doomed to fail from the very beginning. Much like when she attempted to make sure that none of the campers at Camp Everfree would ever escape when one day she found those magical geodes in a cave a couple of miles from their summer camp.
She looked on as a seventeenth and final xenomorph began walking towards the room. This one was much taller and way more muscular than the rest. Its hands weren't clawed like the rest of them, and it had chains wrapped around both of its arms. It wasn't smiling like the rest of its pack, instead it just stared at us with an expression of revulsion, irritation and hatred. It stopped In the middle of the room and took in its surroundings. The revulsion on it's face intensified with it's hatred as it examined the room. Its eyes finally rested on Gloriosa and a look of interest flashed on its face. The xenomorph sprinted towards the room. It collided with the wall causing the whole room to vibrate. "Stop it!!!" Gloriosa ordered. "I made you what you are! You are strong because of me! I'm ordering you to stop!"
All except the sixteenth xenomorph roared in laughter. The seventeenth xenomorph struck the glass again. "We are not your creation." it said between strikes. "We are Plagasi, and we only take orders from the one above."
Gloriosa watched as the glass began to crack. The whole room shook at the sheer strength of the lone Plagasis. One final blow caused some of the glass to shatter. The demon forced its arm inside the room and struck Gloriosa in the head. She fell backwards and collapsed to the floor.
In her unconsciousness, she started having flashbacks about when the students from Canterlot High decided to spend the first week of summer with her and her brother. She then remembered the debt she owed to Filthy Rich in order to keep the camp. She then remembered the geodes she found in the cave that she could use to make sure that the campers would have the best week of their lives. Finally she remembered that when Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle and the main 7 used the magic of friendship to save her from the power that would have taken her over and then she and the rest of the campers celebrated on how they were now able to save the camp from Filthy Rich's clutches and now life would take a turn for the better. Right after that memory faded as she gained consciousness.
Gloriosa Slowly opened her eyes. She instantly realized where she was, she was back in her lab. She surveyed the room and found Discord lying on the table next to her.
"M-Ms. Daisy?" said a female voice from a few feet away. It was Gloriosa's personal assistant Coco Pommel.
"What happened Coco?"
"There was a containment breach in your holding area."
"I know that you idiot, what happened after I was knocked out?"
"The xenomorphs, they escaped into Canterlot. We have no way of tracking them and now they're out on the loose. What should we do Ms. Daisy?"
"They escaped?" Gloriosa asked amazed and concerned for her new friends. She hadn't realized that her new friends from Canterlot High were even there. Even worse She hadn't realized just how clever the Plagasi had become. Failure or not, their augmented capabilities were far beyond what she ever could have anticipated. They even kept their individuality while creating some odd version of some kind of religion.
A new thought entered her mind. If these are the results of the failures of the XXX Plague, then how strong are the successful ones? A wide smile spread across her face. She now had the perfect place to cultivate and observe the XXX Plague. She could watch it grow and develop while working on a way to implement all of the power it holds in her own body. She also realized that she might have just put her friends in danger as well, but she knew that she would need to leave Canterlot as soon as possible.
"Dr. Gloriosa?" Coco asked again. "What should we do?"
"We need to keep an eye on everyone and everything that tries to leave Canterlot. Set up a perimeter and make sure nothing infected leaves."
"What about the escaped xenomorphs?"
"They're right where they need to be. We don't have to do anything other than keep them from leaving Canterlot."
Coco's eyes widened. "But what about the people in the town, your friends?"
"Our focus is the XXX Plague. And now that Discord has given us full control of the Chimera Project, we can now find a way to cultivate the XXX Plague. The wellbeing of our subjects is nothing to be concerned about anymore. Don't think of Canterlot as a city anymore, think of it as a petri dish." Gloriosa turned to face Coco. "Now report to our superior Katelyn and tell her that the situation is under control. We need to make sure that she doesn't try to shut down this project."
Coco didn't move, She seem unsure of what to do. She looked at Discord and back to Gloriosa. "You can't be serious. This too dangerous for us to handle. If the XXX Plague were to get out of perimeter then there'll be no way to stop it."
Gloriosa just stared at Coco. "This will happen with or without your cooperation Coco, but if you choose not to assist me, then your as good as that scumbag Filthy Rich in his glass cage." She paused to let the weight of the threat sink in. "Ask yourself if that's where you want to end up."
"N-no." Coco's voice was shaking.
Gloriosa smiled. "Good, and try not to worry about the people in Canterlot, but if my friends are in danger make sure that they are safe. Protect them no matter the cost. There are only seventeen escaped subjects. How much damage do you think they could cause?"
