Chapter 8 – All that Effort for Nothing

The rest of the day was uneventful until Shane came a-knocking on the Enrichment Center. "Hey, open up! It's

me, Shane!" he called loudly. The camera above the door turned to look at him. "I can hear you just fine, no need

to shout," LaECOS calmly answered. "Oh. Can I enter? I've got stuff to discuss." Shane said. "What's the

password?" LaECOS teasingly replied. "Password!" Shane answered, going along with it. "Come on in," LaECOS

answered, and the door opened of its own accord.

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Shane walked in to see Trixie and Sara having a discussion over tea. "So, you're the Black Mesa guy, huh?" Sara

said, unimpressed. Shane rolled his eyes and took a seat. "Now, now, children, this should be a civil environment.

If you're going to fight amongst yourselves, aim for the head." All three took one look at the camera and burst

into peals of laughter. Blue popped his head around the doorway of the kitchen with an apron and chef's hat,

angrily chattering at them. "He says he needs concentration if he's to cook your panini." Shane laughed even

harder, causing Blue to throw a spork at him. "He says he's entirely serious. And that – Oh. Blue, there's no way

I'm saying that to them. No, seriously, that's completely ridiculous." Blue crossed his arms and muttered

something, returning to the kitchen. "How do you understand him, anyway?" Trixie asked, sipping some tea. "He

speaks in binary. Not too hard, once you know what's a one and what's a zero." Shane would have rolled his

eyes again, but Blue was ominously staring at him from the doorway.

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"So, what to do?" LaECOS mused, cutting his voice off from the monitors. He went back to watching one of the

current testing Subjects. "Congratulations on completing that aesthetically designed, non-scientific chamber. I'm

sure if anyone were around, they would congratulate you upon completing such a meaningless puzzle." The

griffin, male and sinewy in musculature, glanced up at the camera and growled. "Now, let's see… The next

chamber is exceedingly deadly. There is a ninety-five percent chance you will die in it, and then I will be forced to

bring yet another subject off the cryosleep line. We have hundreds, you know. This war was the best thing to

ever happen to testing." The griffin flew up to the camera and was attempting to break it off the wall. "… You do

know that this is hooked in place with steel rebar, right? You couldn't break it if you had the laws of physics on

your side. Which, unfortunately for you, you don't." Josh turned off the monitor, bored. The pits were filled with

fake acid, and would only leave an uncomfortable itch after a few seconds. Not like real acid, where the subject

would have decomposed almost as soon as they were immersed.

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Some hours earlier, 'Princess Cadance' walked around the courtyard of Canterlot Castle. Nopony had yet

suspected that she was not the real Princess Cadance, and she had already assumed the place of Shining

Armor's bride-to-be. "Take out the head…" the queen changeling muttered to herself. She had a ridiculously

dangerous, but potentially game-changing idea. "And they said I wasn't bright enough to do royal duties," she

said, smirking as she flew off to Ponyville. There was only one being who had the gullibility to attempt something

this crazy.

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Sara, Trixie and Shane were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come on in," LaECOS called momentarily before

returning to berating and mocking Test Subjects. Princess Cadence walked in regally, smiling at Trixie before

staring at Sara and Shane. "How many of you are there?" she asked, somewhat surprised. "Oh, you know, at

least two universes full," Shane said offhandedly while he took in Cadence. She stood only slightly taller than a

regular pony, owing to her being the niece of Celestia. "I'd like to speak to the manager, please," she said,

attempting a smile. Trixie pointed down the hallway. "Down there, through the last door on the end. He's testing

right now, so you might have to wait a bit." Cadance thanked her and continued walking.

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"And you are a horrible excuse for a sentient, carbon-based life-" LaECOS stated, interrupting himself as he

noticed Cadance. "One moment, please." He said to her, and she nodded. "-Form. Ignore the interruption. Now, if

you'll excuse me, which you will because you don't have any say at all, you're boring me, and thus I shall talk to

someone more interesting. Goodbye." He then swiveled to face her, Cadance flinching. Gentle laughter issued

from the thing's head, as its single yellow eye stared directly at her. "That's a common reaction. Now, what can I

do you for?" Cadance gulped, still a little shocked. "I thought you were the blue-eyed, shorter robot. What

happened to him?" LaECOS rolled his eyes. "Ever since I activated him, he's been attempting to cook nonstop. He

likes it, and most of his recipes don't explode, so we leave him be." Cadance nodded. "So, you're made of metal?"

she asked. "Not entirely. I'm human on the inside, this is just an extremely handy suit made of metal."

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'Cadance' took a bit to steady herself before speaking again. "I have a plan to end the war," she said, hating how

she couldn't sound any bolder. She needed to win him over. "Yes?" LaECOS answered. "What if we… kidnapped

the griffins' king?" she said, finally getting her idea out to the open. Cadance watched LaECOS as he watched

her, both fully expecting the other to burst into laughter. Then, a thoughtful look came into the yellow optic as he

swiveled around to examine a screen that flickered to life. "This… could work. We'd need a team of specialists,

though. Not like you, more… trained. No offense." Cadance laughed. "None taken, I don't think I'd ever want to go

back there." LaECOS turned to look at her. "This would have to be done with the knowledge of our current

monarchs to be effective." 'Cadance' sighed, though she was practically screaming in triumph on the inside. She

had done it! Now he would be out of the way for the next few days, trying to devise a strategy.

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Two days after Cadance left to attend her wedding, Josh heard of the imposter's trickery (Twilight had explained

in detail). Then, to his surprise and delight, he received a package: The trussed-up queen of shapeshifters

herself, held by Princess Luna. "Dost thou still accept subjects for testing?" she inquired, reverting to her older

tongue. "Always. Is this the insect I keep hearing about?" he casually responded, smirking at the queen, who

was glaring at him. "Yes. We believe that this was the thing we 'rescued'." Luna shook her head mournfully. "Such

an endeavor, for nothing more than an impostor… We invited her right into our doors." Josh glared at the queen

changeling. "I'll be sure to take care of her," he promised. She was dragged inside by a robotic arm, into the

waiting hooves of Trixie. "Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," she said, grinning. "Mmph!" the queen

attempted to speak with a gag in her mouth. "I'm sorry, I can't understand you. I also don't care." Trixie dragged

her over to a Relaxation Vault, the glass walls lowering so the queen could be placed inside. "Have fun testing,"

Trixie said, bored. "I'm gonna go get a drink." She left, despite the queen's muffled screaming in terror through

her gag.

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A/N: OMG FanFiction! It's been so long! HI!

Twilight: That Princess Cadance is a Spy! Oh, and review.