Spark Fire was able to fend off groups of changelings in the following rooms. Thanks to the C.S.D., changelings disguised as his fellow guards weren't able to trick him, and the prototype magic amplifier worked perfectly. While he enjoyed the action, he had to find the real guards and get out of the complex. It had been at most half an hour since they were captured, and if Dr. White Rose was correct, there was still time before they turned into changelings. He tried to hurry, following only his hopes, as he had no way of knowing if the guards and scientists were spared in the first place, and interrogating a changeling was like asking Princess Celestia to raise the sun in the middle of the night.

He had to stop in front of a malfunctioning gate that could not open. He remembered it led to the area called Sector A, and remembered that this was where Dr. Test sent all the "accidents". He deduced the area would be infested with changelings, but thought it would be likely his group would be trapped here. He took a few deep breaths and focused his magic, now being able to blast the gate open.

As he had expected, a large group of changelings came out to attack him. He quickly managed to create a wall of fire between the changelings and him, and fortunately they weren't able to stop in time before being incinerated. With that group taken care of, Spark Fire proceeded to walk into Sector A. He saw with a strange mix of horror, disgust and fascination that what once had been a lab was now a large changeling nest. He quickly took a look around, trying to observe all details in the shortest time possible before more changelings attacked. Easier said than done, as he was interrupted by changelings at least twice.

When he felt he had seen enough, he began to walk through the room. There were many changelings and broken cocoons, but no traces of the guards nor the scientists. He was not going to give up, and kept going until he found one of the scientists still alive, but she was apparently in the middle of feeding a changeling with love. He was almost sure this was the case, as the changeling's horn was glowing and she was kissing the changeling's neck, though her eyes were glowing a pale green color. Spark Fire got rid of the changeling, though the scientist did not react at all. He quickly deduced what had happened.

"Doctor, snap out of it! Come on!" Spark Fire shook the scientist's head, trying to make her come back to her senses.

The scientist slowly woke up from her trance and her eyes regained their natural color. Spark Fire made sure no more changelings were nearby and turned to face the scientist.

"What happened? Where are the others?"

"I...I don't know...we were trapped and brought here by changelings, but they took the guards to another place. They kept me and my partner in here to...to..." The scientist began to cry, and Spark Fire knew what this meant.

"Stop crying, we must get out of here, I know the way out but we must--"

"Behind you!" shouted the scientist.

Spark Fire quickly turned to see a group of changelings in front of him. He didn't have enough time to react and they held him down, making him unable to move. He saw the scientist attempting to run, only to be surrounded by more changelings. He desperately tried to break free, but the next time he looked, he realized that the changelings had already begun to ate her.

Filled with anger, Spark Fire's magic caused a burst of fire that incinerated the changelings holding him down. He then incinerated the ones eating the scientist, but realized he was too late. The scientist's chest and stomach had been ripped open and most of her organs were bleeding. She was not going to survive, and they both knew this. She looked at Spark Fire one final time, tears flowing from her eyes.

"Save yourself...return to...the Princess...tell...her..." The scientist couldn't talk anymore and stopped breathing.

Spark Fire had never seen an innocent pony die in front of him, and to add to the injury he could have saved her. He stood where he was, looking down at the corpse of the scientist he failed to save. He decided he would not allow the changelings to claim more victims if he could prevent it, and ran off as fast as he could.

He reached the end of the sector after some time, incinerating every changeling in his path, and saw the corpses of changelings on the ground, along with the corpses of the pegasus guards. He was shocked at first, fearing the worst, but after taking a closer look he saw that the pegasi had fought back and died in battle. This was an honor for a guard, of course, and Spark Fire was somehow glad that they hadn't been eaten. He then remembered that there was one guard left, and took a look around, noticing one intact cocoon, and he could see the silhouette of a unicorn guard inside. He quickly ran up to it, focusing his magic to destroy the cocoon and release the guard. However, as the guard was released, Spark Fire saw in horror that he was late.

The pony that had once been a unicorn guard was now a hybrid, more changeling than pony, with the differences being clear to the naked eye. Spark Fire could not believe what he was seeing and, holding on to one last hope, he tried to talk to his fellow guard.

"Frost, is that you?"

"The White Queen...orders..." The hybrid did not seem aware of his surroundings. "...I...obey...."

"Frost? Come on...it's me, Spark Fire!"

"Feed...we must...feed!" The hybrid looked at Spark Fire, just noticing he was there.

"No...sweet Celestia..." Spark Fire quickly prepared to fight, realizing that this was the point of no return. "Frost...forgive me..."

Spark Fire and the now changed Frost began to fight, Spark Fire using his magic both defensively and offensively and Frost using an enhanced speed and reflexes, making it difficult for both to land a single hit. Frost finally managed to have an advantage and threw Spark Fire to the floor. Exhausted from the battle, Spark Fire was unable to fight back now, and it seemed everything was lost. As Frost stood next to him, seemingly ready to feed, Spark Fire tried one more time to reach out to his friend.

"Frost...it's me...Sparky..."

Frost was about to bite Spark Fire's leg when he heard that. He stopped, remembering the nickname he had given the guard who would often stand still staring at nothing. He then finally realized what he was doing and what he had become. He fell backwards, sitting on the floor and holding his head. Spark Fire was glad to see that it worked, but knew that something wasn't right.

"Frost? Are you alright?" he asked.

"The White Queen...the Hive answers to her...the changelings...obey her!" Frost said in pain.

"The White Queen?"

"She is trying to control me...to control everypony...you have to stop this...stop her!"

"What?"

"Sparky, you have to get out of here...the entrance that we used...it's blocked...the changelings are waiting for the White Queen's command to leave this place from there. If they escape, it'll be the end! You HAVE to leave and stop her!"

"Frost, I can't! I couldn't even save you...I can't do this..." Spark Fire's doubt was evident in his tone.

"Spark Fire, please...the ponies that died here...don't let them die in vain...you are a Royal Guard, damn you!" Frost held his head and started letting out sounds that sounded like a changeling's. "You are the only one who can do this...the only one who knows what has happened here...you must live to tell...you survived and came here, I know you can escape the White Queen and this place!"

Spark Fire looked uncertain, but then his duty as a Royal Guard and his friend's words made him find determination again. He looked around and saw the exit door, and remembered it led to another moving platform, which itself led to the Throne area and to his only way out. He looked at his friend.

"What about you?"

"My mind is changing...I'm too far gone...I don't know how long I have before I start acting like a changeling again...leave me here! Save yourself!"

Spark Fire obeyed and ran up to the door, opening it. He slowly walked in, then turned around to look at his friend one more time.

"Sparky...tell the princesses...tell them...that I didn't die a monster..." Frost's still mostly unchanged horn started glowing white as ice began to cover the floor beneath him.

Spark Fire knew what this would do, and saluted the fallen guard, holding back tears. As the door closed, he heard the agonizing cry of both a pony and a changeling. Frost had killed himself with his own magic. Spark Fire would have cried right there, but he decided not to until he had made sure nothing that had happened in there had been in vain. He looked in front of him and saw the platform that would take him to the Throne area, and it was different than the others one he had used. While the first ones had only a control panel and a map screen, this one had a full computer. He got on the platform and made it activate.

As the platform began to descend, the computer's screen showed a recorded message from an old unicorn. Spark Fire deduced who it was instantly. The unicorn began to talk with an arrogant tone that fueled Spark Fire's anger.

"I am the brilliant geneticist Dr.Test, the head of Project HIVE."

Author's Note

The dialogue here may seem a bit cheesy, and I apologize.