//------------------------------// // Experiments and Searches // Story: Earning Freedom // by Daxisle //------------------------------// Experiments & Searches Twilight stood in awe of the pink Alicorn of love before her. Cadance... her brother... Engaged?! "Good evening, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." Celestia greeted as officially as she could. "I hope your train ride was pleasant." Cadence was obviously in no mood for such formalities, her scowl intensifying as the time passed with her question left unanswered. "I'm sorry, Aunty, but I'm not here to indulge you. Where is Shining Armor?" "We do not know." The Alicorn replied simply. "We were hoping that you might have an idea, due to your intimate knowledge of his person. This obviously seems to no be the case." "No, I don't. Where was he last seen? Were there any ponies of interest around or leaving the Castle before he left? Was anypony..." Twilight tuned out the rambled off list of questions as she took the entire situation in. The Alicorn before her was nothing like she remembered. Kind, compassionate, Caring and very much living up to her namesake, Cadence was love and peace made flesh and blood. Yet here she sat, cold, calculating, angry nothing at all like how she remembered her former babysitter. And strangest of all, engaged to her older brother! How did that even happen with out her knowing? Why wasn't she told!? Twilight knew they were going out when she was younger, but something this big might have warrented a letter to her. Did her parents know? If they did, why didn't THEY tell her? Why didn't Celestia tell her? Twilight suddenly became very angry with those closest to her. Ok, ok. Maybe her family didn't know about it. Maybe Celestia didn't know about it, but if she didn't, than why was she acting as intimidadted as she was? Love doesn't automatically mean engagement, and even if she did know, maybe she assumed Shining Armor told her, same with her parents if they knew. "Twilight?" Than why didn't she know? Why didn't she hear from her brother for darn near a year and a half? No, no. Maybe it just happened? Yea, yea, maybe he proposed to her a few days ago. Yea, and he hadn't had enough time to tell her about it. That's the reason, that had to be the reason. "TWILIGHT!" "Huh? Whatssat?" The addressed asked, broken from her train of thought. "Did Shining tell you anything when you last saw him?" "No princess, not since he'd informed you about the city's last update a few days ago." Cadance let out something that was a mix between a sigh and a grunt. "Than I suppose I have no choice. I'll have to use the tracking spell I placed on him." Malich burst into the Futuristics Medical Research building and made quick way to the elevator. He entered the proper door order and felt himself descend. There was no point in hiding it any longer and let out a very filly like squeal of glee. An event that he'd die of pure humiliation if anybody else saw him, but the information had him more than giddy. He reached the basement and strutted from the door, startling the receptionist Minotaur. "Mr. Malich! Sir, Grind wasn't expecting to see you. Please excuse Grind while she makes you coffee." "No need. Ms. Grind." He dismissed walking right on by. "I'm in too good of a mood for caffeine at the moment. He left the lobby, and puzzled receptionist, wondering down the sterile white hall to the research labs briefing/break room. In the last few days, the team had accomplished more research on the changeling parasites than they had in ten years. And he owed it all to his newest associate. He pulled open a single white door and entered the equally white and bland break room, with nothing but update news papers, and a kitchen area differing from the white walls, ceilings, floors and cream coloured chairs. Along with a black unicorn mare, sipping away her coffee as she reclined on a comfortable looking couch, Scy sitting right besides her, his face full of interested concern. "Hello, Psy. What news do you have for me?" "It's incredible sir." Psy replied, turning over another page of the file. "I don't know how she did it, but Elsa managed to remove a living parasite from the host with both still alive. BOTH! And the organism's hyper deterioration factor didn't kick in until after she'd preformed her dissection and analysis. Hell, it was still sitting in her office before her and I left!" Music to his ears. "Wasn't anything really." Elsa dismissed cooly, taking another sip of her coffee. "That nice little Golden Flower of yours was helpful enough, I just added injected the subject with a personally developed solution that induced temporary neurological paralysis." She finished whipping her hoof on her chest, obviously pleased with the praise. "Excellent. So, what have we learned?" The only thing Malich wasn't fond of the his science teams for, was their long winded explanation about biology, physiology, genetic purpose and blah blah blah. They could go on and on for hours, and that's baring if he dared to ask for an elaboration on anything. After the thirty minute speech had come to its end, Malich understood that the parasites had an overly developed brain for their size. The neurological pathways were vastly different from the Changeling drones they had dissected, much more independent and self determining, the part of the brain that intercepts transmission from the queen not being present from what they could see. This lead either to the possibility that the larva would consume its host and become a queen, or the theory that the larva would keep its independence until mature, gaining access to the hive cluster after it's need for self sufficiency had been completed. More tests would need to be done. Though, the aspect of having a queen in their midst was what Excited both Malich and Elsa. Both for vastly different reasons. "It's a shame we're out of infected subjects, though." Psy declared sadly. Malich perked up at this. "Out of subjects?" Malich repeated. "Yes sir, Elsa dissected the last Zeborican a few hours ago." Malich's heart sank. "Save his life too, he was very appreciative." Lower. " "We've officially cured the disease." And that's the day Malich's heart met his ball sack. But he couldn't let Psy see it, the poor auburn unicorn was an ethical being, kind and fair. If he knew Malich's true intentions for the changelings, the bastard might actually try to kill him if he ever found out. "Truely a shame." The business pony replied, feigning disinterest. "The current living parasite, is it still being studied?" "Yes sir!" Psy chirped. "Subject CP 001 and 002 are in climate controlled solution tanks as we speak. Again, last we checked, both were alive and are currently being observed for their response to different stimuli. See if we can find out anything relevant about them." Well that was something at least. Hmmm, maybe he could still make something out of this yet. Still though, he'd have to capture more infected Zeboricans and bring them to the lab. If there was a chance, that he could grow a Queen naturally, not only would he pay his debt to Elsa, he could also follow through with his grand plan. Hmmm. "What blood are you currently using to nourish them?" Psy was taken aback by the question, but answered honestly that earth pony blood given to 001 and donkey blood to 002. "I'll be sending some agents from my Dragon Mount Division here. Greet hem at the entrance and Change up Subject 001's diet to dragon blood." Malich demanded, a delightful thought entering his head. "Let's see if that will garner some results." Twilight Sparkle walked beside her former baby sitter. Apparently her tracking spell had caught onto Shining's trail and the two were now walking along his magical signature. The air was tense between the two, half from the unicorns resentment and half from Cadence's one track desire for her lover. Celestia all but begged Twilight not to go, that she wanted all of the elements together should Discord decide to strike, but the unicorn insisted. Besides, the others were already out and about looking for the aformentioned anyways. Her leaving to find her brother was of the utmost importance. But she promised to teleport back at any sign of chaotic magic. "Any idea how far away he is?" Twilight asked, trying to defuse the tension between the two. Hey, she may be rutting his brother, but they were both still friends, right? "No." Cadence replied simply, sparing no words. "He came through this way recently, though. So, he can't be too far away going on hoof." The two were silent again, the awkward and tension returning. Maybe it was the heat of the day, maybe it was the the fact that she was kept in the dark about the engagement, or maybe it was the fact that her son was imprisoned and awaited trial by Diamond Dogs who still believed in the death penalty. But the love pony's shortness had began crushing her patience far more quickly than it should have. "What's your problem?!" Twilight finally blurted out indignantly, causing Cadance to look at her, irritation just as plain on her face as her accuser's. "My problem? Are you seriously asking me that, Twilight?" "Yea! We haven't seen eachother in years, and you're treating me like a total stranger! The least you could have done was say hi to me back in Celestia's throne room!" Dead panning, the Alicorn let out a sigh and put on the fakest smile she could muster. "Hi, Twilight. It's been too sooooo long! I've missed you so much, we should catch up some time! But right now, we have to find your brother who's gone missing, okay?" She proclaimed in mock perkiness before dropping back to the determined scowl and marching forwards again. Twilight stood in shocked indignation at the display. What was left of her patience was slowly dwindling and she used the breathing trick Cadence had taught her when she was younger to try to regain control over herself. How dare she behave in such a manner? Twilight knew Cadence loved her brother, but this kind of behavior was simply unfathomable. Then her mind drifted back to the lecture Celestia gave her right before Cadence had entered the throne room. She somehow knew just how upset the Alicorn of Love would be, stating that Love enhanced other emotions such as anger when something of value was taken. Cadence, being the embodiment of love, suffered more from that than than anypony else. So long as her ability to fight existed, her anger would be roused and fueled by her love, same if she was unable to fight and her love would enhance her despair. Considering that, the Alicorn's rage really wasn't as baseless as Twilight had first thought, maybe it would be best to simply stay quiet and let the seething princesses be until they'd figured the situation out. At least, that what she would say, if her temper was under control...