One Mask Among Many.

by Golden Paw

Chapter One

“Okay, so tell me again what happened,” The cream coloured earth pony who had introduced himself as ‘Strict Discipline’ asked in a wearied manner.

Buzzbot glared at the stallion, matching his bored expression with a frustrated one of her own, “Look sergeant I explained already. I was out for an evening walk when I found a custodian out cold on the ground.”

‘Strict’ nodded and jotted down further notes on a small pad, “And so you felt you needed to investigate, correct? You didn’t think it was appropriate to find some guards and inform them of what you’d found?”

Buzz let out an exasperated groan as she weighed up the pros and cons of telling this soldier who she really was. It would save so much time, but would also see her in deep trouble too. The guards all knew about Buzz and her nighttime excursions. If she revealed her true identity then they were bound to find a way to blame her for all this mess. A mess she was completely innocent of having stumbled upon the unicorns genuinely by mistake.

Continuing to glare at Strict, Buzzbot reached a decision. With a brisk flick of her magic she dropped the persona she’d been wearing to reveal her true appearance. Strict started as the white unicorn was enveloped in a yellow glow and transformed into a slender mechanical equine.

Gone was the blue mane, replaced by a nest of short antenna and blinking sensor spines. Her short tail became several lengths of armoured cable, terminating in connectors and inserts for data port access. The moody eyes morphed to become a pair of camera lenses hidden behind shielding screens of yellow tinted glass while her petulant frown vanished to reveal the smooth featureless face resembling a ponyquin.

In less than a second Buzzbot had shed her outward identity of the moody, rebellious young mare and now presented an almost skeletal figure of rounded white casing covering a dark metal interior. Buzz now showed her true form, a pony-bot, a mechanical pony; the first ever to achieve true sentience.

Strict’s dismay turned to anger as he recognised who was before him, “Oh you again, I should have known you’d be mixed up in this somehow.”

---

“Buzz what are we going to do with you?” Twilight’s resigned voice cut Buzzbot to her crystal-powered core.

“Maybe believe me for once? I know that my track record isn’t good, but I really didn’t cause the trouble this time!” Buzz tried to explain, her voice now metallic with a synthetic resonance.

She stood on a raised dais while Twilight delicately connected Buzz’s ‘tail’ to a monitor. Buzz watched her ‘mother’ with tiny clicks, her eyes whirring and adjusting to follow Twilight’s movements around the laboratory. The room which was situated high in the research centre’s main tower and was lit with bright white fluorescent lamps. These showed off the various implements of scientific apparatus along with half finished projects. It was any pony’s guess as to their intended purpose.

“I do believe you Buzz, but that’s not the problem. There were some serious happenings last night and not just at the processing plant,” Twilight finished connecting Buzzbot up to the information storage crystal display and Buzz felt her own systems synchronise. Her mind was filled with the odd sensation of data transfer as Twilight began to copy Buzz’s memories for reading and review.

“You do?” Buzzbot’s voice was filled with hope.

“Of course I do Buzz, but these ‘bewitched’ unicorns have shown up all over Equestria and we need to know more,” Twilight explained with a frown.

The harsh radiance from the lights dimmed before a floating display of Buzzbot’s last few hours was projected so that both ponies could see the events of last night unfolding. Buzz studied Twilight and felt ice in her core as the princess’ face became dour. With a flick of magic she stopped the playback and Buzz followed Twilight’s gaze to the screen.

The image Buzz had captured with her ‘arcane vision’ of the unicorn was hovering above their heads and Twilight gave a sharp intake of breath, “That makes no sense?”

Buzz would have cocked an eyebrow had she had such a thing at Twilight’s manner, “What doesn’t make sense, that unicorn is obviously ill or something Twi.” It seemed perfectly clear to her, but Twilight’s muzzle scrunched up in confusion.

“What did I miss?” The voice that Buzz knew well called as the door to the laboratory slid open and ‘Tinker Track’ trotted in, a big smile on his face.

His yellow eyes took in the scene before them before he looked up at the displayed image of Buzzbot’s memory. She watched as her ‘father’s’ face became one of acute interest, “Looks like a case of ‘Equine Morphic Obsclusion’ to me.” Buzz paused for a moment before her memory brought up the meaning: Changeling Brainwashing.

Twilight snorted, “I could have easily told you that Tinker, what bothers me is the scale of this.” She waved a hoof and the image above them swapped to a map of Equestria, where tiny red blips were glowing angrily over every major city.

Tinker chuckled unconcernedly, “It’s not the first time those critters have tried something like this Twi. The measures you put in place keep their drones out easily and if any queen tried to set up nest somewhere your detectors pick them up almost instantly.” Buzz studied Tinker, his blue coat and white mane keenly reminding her of Trixie. She shouldn’t be surprised, he was her grandson after all.

He tapped a hoof to his chin and Buzz couldn’t help but smile. She’d known Tinker all her life, the white lab coats he insisted on wearing, the pair of welding goggles that always adorned his forehead and the various tools and exotic trinkets acutered about himself always cheered Buzz greatly.

“This was doomed to failure just like all the other attempts Twi,” Tinker Track announced with confidence and Buzz was inclined to agree. They hadn’t had any real trouble with changelings for decades now, Twilight however shook her head sadly.

“I know Tinker, but that’s not what’s confused me. This is all typical, since we put the ‘Sonic Deterrents’ up changelings have been trying to brainwash ponies to break them,” Twilight spoke as with another wave of her hoof a set of glowing rings overlapped the map depicting the coverage of the protection net.

“Because everything is going to be alright, once the bad sounds are gone,” The strange manner in which the unicorn had spoken to Buzzbot drifted up in her mind again. They were using ponies to destroy the anti-changeling devices protecting Equestria.

Buzz quickly accessed the information. The Sonic Disruption Field or ‘S.D.F’, broadcast a signal that only changelings could hear. It prevented them from using their powers to shapeshift and from what Buzz had seen it really hurt their ears too. It was nowhere near as effective upon a queen, but it sent their drones and other underlings crazy.

“That’s the point Tinker; this didn’t stand a chance in Tartarus of working,” Twilight explained, “I mean it’s clever in its own way. Try and distract us by causing havoc in places such as the processing plant where Buzz was last night.” Twilight gave Buzzbot a look, “Which Buzz did a fine job of helping them do.” Buzz felt that was unfair, she was only trying to warn ponies of what was going on.

Twilight turned her attention back to the map and continued thoughtfully, “They didn’t even get close to damaging even one broadcaster, it speaks of desperation or some other motive maybe?”

Tinker smiled indulgently, “Well then make sure every key person is double checked for contamination and increase security on the important sites. Either way I don’t think it’s something to worry about Twi.”

Buzz felt the feeling of disconnection as Twilight removed her tail from the data port and normal light levels resumed, “I guess you’re right Tinker, I’ll do as you suggested.”

“So can I go now?” Buzz asked hopefully as with a flash of magic she became the white and blue unicorn again.

Twilight gave her a disappointed glance, “I was hoping we could spend some time together Buzz, it’s been a while since we just sat down and chatted about things.”

The air in the room seemed a little colder as Buzz turned her now blue eyes upon Twilight, “So you can just tell me off again?”

Tinker winced and Twilight’s ears flattened before she responded, “No of course not, I told you I believed you about the processing plant.”

Buzz snorted, “Yeah and how I helped the changelings with their distraction huh?”

“Now come on Buzz she didn’t mean it like that,“ Tinker tried to reassure Buzz, “Twilight and I are just worried about you that’s all.”

Buzzbot felt a mixture of annoyance and sadness. Deep down she knew they did care, but Twilight being so busy with her research and filling her position as the head of the council of Harmony.... It made it very hard for Buzzbot to feel like she was getting the time a ‘daughter’ deserved.

Twilight smiled hopefully, “How about I talk with Bullet Point, sort out some proper family time together huh?”

Buzzbot gazed into Twilight’s hopeful eyes and felt a slight softening of the frustrations that had been building within her for weeks now. She still felt angry and so the response was not as kind as she’d intended, “Well if you can find time in your busy schedule I....” Buzz saw the pained expression on Twilight’s face and quickly changed track, “I’d like that yes.”

Tinker smiled as Twilight gave Buzz a hug, “I’m sorry Buzzbot, I know you’re often left to your own devices while Tinker and I are working, that’s partly why I made Quiz to keep you company.”

Buzz felt that little rebellious part of her flex before she snorted, “And here I was thinking it was to keep me out of trouble.”

Twilight smiled sadly before chuckling, “Well that too, I don’t deny it, I really do worry about you and it’s only because I care.”

Buzzbot rolled her eyes as Tinker joined in the hug, “It’s really true Buzz, you’re so special to us both, sometimes we just don’t know quite how to show it,” Buzzbot felt the blush forming and lightly cursed that her parents had built that feature into her disguises.

Finally Buzzbot’s forced pouting faded and she smiled happily, “Oh alright, you win again.”

---

“What are they saying?” Quiz asked as she flitted closer to the wall grating just outside the laboratory, her blue eyes sparkling in the gloomy shadows among the vents and crawl spaces high in the ceiling.

“If you’d stop pestering me I may be able to find out,” Zip replied with an annoyed squeak and a wave of his tiny hoof.

“It’s about Buzz and I being in trouble isn’t it? You’re just trying to spare my feelings I knew it!” Quiz wailed, “They’re going to recycle us into lampshades aren’t they?”

Zip gave Quiz a disbelieving look, “Since when did our creators do that?”

Quiz barrel rolled with anxiety, “Well never, but Twilight will be so angry with me for letting Buzzbot get into trouble again that she’ll have me melted down for scrap, I just know it.”

Zip shook his head in a rueful manner, “Quiz Twilight’s not angry with you, this is all about the odd unicorns at the plant, now shush. I can see the display screen coming up now.” Even as Zip spoke the light filtering through the grating dimmed.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no....” Quiz trembled as Zip did his best to make out what was going on below.

“Oh Twilight, we really need to work on her emotions,” Zip mumbled as Quiz descended into another fit of paranoid shivers. He narrowed his gaze to see the projected images floating in the air while Buzz, Tinker and Twilight all watched the projection in fascination.

“Looks like they are bringing up the map of Equestria’s defences, that’s the S.D.F coverage,” Zip continued to mumble before Quiz pushed him aside to stare instead.

“That means it’s to do with changelings, oh no!” She squeaked before Zip shoved her aside again. The two tech sprites devolved into a mass of pushing limbs and angry buzzing as they both wrestled with each other for the best view.

So enamoured were they in their current struggle, neither sprite saw that the meeting below had concluded. Both Zip and Quiz froze as they heard the door below them sliding open:

“Okay you two, I’ll chat with Bullet Point and arrange a trip to a nice restaurant, just need to check in on the sprites alright?” Twilight’s call echoed up and the mad scramble for a good view suddenly changed into a frantic fight to be first to escape back to their storage room.

The pair of tiny robots worked their wings desperately, ducking and weaving among the pipes and other obstacles that made up their disproportionate world, every so often catching sight of Twilight through the grills below them.

Their journey finally came to a narrowing and without a second’s thought both sprites flung themselves forward, eager to be the first through. The ensuring bottleneck trapped both machines and after a cramped moment they looked at each other in horror.

Twilight was at the door to their room just below, she was inputting the pass code and......”Director, Director!” A stallion called out.

Both Quiz and Zip looked down to see Bullet Point approaching Twilight. Grateful for this reprieve both sprites struggled frantically to free themselves even as Twilight turned to face her P.R manager, “Oh hi Bullet, I was just on my way to see you. I need you to sort my schedule so that Buzz, Tinker and I can go for a nice meal.”

Both sprites looked to one another before wriggling and straining. They were only freed when Zip pulled backwards and allowed Quiz to go first. She paused for a moment before sticking out a tiny tongue and darting through the hole.

Zip quickly dipped through, not catching Bullet’s reply before climbing his way down and through into the sprite storage unit. Inside was an average sized room, lit by a faint blue light and whose prominent feature was the large number of cubby holes arranged along the far wall from the door. Zip could already see Quiz climbing up into her own compartment and darted forward even as the sounds of the door began to unlock with a hiss.

Most of the other sprites were in ‘standby’ mode and purred gently, but one or two watched Zip with annoyance. Ignoring the indignant stares, Zip fluttered over to his own booth and quickly settled in just as the door to the room slowly slid open and the light levels increased.

“....nks Bullet, I knew I could count on you,” Twilight was just finishing up before turning to the task at hoof, “Zip! Wake up I have some errands for you and your friends.”

Zip took a little while to respond, doing his best to pretend he was powering up at the director’s call. Sitting up and spreading his wings, he hovered out of his compartment and forced a sleepy reply, “Yes Director, how can we be of service?”

“Are you alright Zip, you look a little tense?” Twilight asked and Zip did his best to ignore the tiny squeak from Quiz’s booth.

“I’m fine your highness, just a little worried about this latest ‘accident’ that’s all,” Zip explained hastily.

Twilight nodded in understanding, “You and me both Zip, that’s why I need your help,” She paused and checked that no one was outside, “I need you and your friends to take a message to the other Harmony Council members.”

Zip tilted his head in surprise, “But surely it would be faster to send it by.....”

Twilight shook her head, “Not this time Zip, I want to meet with them quietly and you’re the most trustworthy way of me doing that.” Twilight looked up and around again and Zip only now registered the worry in her voice.

Zip felt a stab of guilt in his core, only moments ago he’d almost been caught eavesdropping on the director who trusted him, but hiding this well Zip nodded obediently, “Of course your highness, you can count on us.”

Twilight nodded thankfully before producing six little capsules, “I want you to pass these directly to each of the other council members, nopony else. Do you understand?” Zip nodded, motioning for a number of fellow sprites to each take a small sphere. The messages were no bigger than a pea and shaded an off white colour.

“You don’t want to inform the other princesses?” Zip asked with curiosity and Twilight’s ears flattened as he lip crumpled.

“No not yet, I don’t want to bother them with something that may turn out to be nothing,” She paused, “This is official Council of Harmony business, they have left me in charge of that and so I have decided to only let them know when I have something to actually tell them.”

Zip gave a smart salute followed by the others as they assembled to carry Twilight’s messages. She smiled back with a little chuckle, “Thanks, I knew I could count on you.” With a thoughtful look in her eyes, Twilight then about faced and headed out of sprite storage unit without another word.

Once the door finally closed one of the other sprites could keep quiet no longer, “Zip! What were you and Quiz doing? You could have been caught and then what would have happened?”

Zip drew his tiny self up and locked eyes with his challenger, “Are all of you so scared of being seen as more than simple messengers? I for one trust the director, she’s my friend alright?”

His heckler didn’t seem too impressed, “ If you're so confident in her then why do you take so much care sneaking around huh? If there is nothing wrong with what you’re doing then it shouldn’t matter right?”

Zip admitted he didn’t have an answer to that, it was a deep down fear for the sprites that if ponies truly understood what they had created then........ “Enough alright, we didn’t get caught and now we have a job to do understood?”

The other sprites nodded slowly one after the other before heading for the launch window which was even now sliding open. Zip mentally shook himself, they were all just hyped up about nothing. Equestria had plenty of sentient machines, Buzzbot being a prime example, but the nagging thought wouldn’t leave him alone: They hadn’t made sprites to be this smart, only to be useful.

We were made to be simple task doers, but we’re so much more than that. Buzzbot and her kind were intended to be sentient, whereas we weren’t and yet we are. No pony had said anything, but the tech sprites didn’t want to push their luck. Zip shivered before putting such deep questions aside, Twilight had a task for them and by the heavens they were going to do it!

---

Buzzbot had made a real effort to smarten up this time, she was in her once favourite form who most ponies knew as ‘Stage Cloak’: A cheerful cream coloured unicorn with neat orange mane and a welcoming smile. It had been the first persona she’d ever thought of as ’her’ and it felt good to ‘wear’ it again.

Twilight had been as good as her word. She Buzz and Tinker made their steady way along Ponyville’s main thoroughfare during a pleasant summer evening on their way to ‘Tasty Bite’. It was considered one of the more humble eateries in the city and to the shock of many of the ‘social elite’ Twilight’s favourite place for a meal out.

Tinker held open the door for the pair and the vendor ‘Chin-up’ beamed as his most famous and loyal customers entered. Coming out from behind his counter the stallion escorted them to one of the booths and with great ceremony presented the menus.

The large brown earth pony rubbed down his cook’s overall and waggled his very bushy black eyebrows at the seated trio, “So great to a’ve you er’e princess, the usual?” ‘Chin’ asked with great solemnity, bowing to the party.

Buzz had to suppress a chuckle as Twilight rolled her eyes, “Come on Chin, you know I hate all that bowing and scraping stuff.” Twilight grinned darkly, “Plus that accent doesn’t fool anyone.”

Chin-up looked hurt, “Oh but princess, I ave ter treat my most famous customer right, it just wouldn’t be well right. Not for you your Highness.”

Tinker met Buzz’s amused eyes with a smile as Twilight gave an exasperated snort, “Chin, you do this every time we come here, please just take our order and our thanks alright?”

Chin-up beamed mischievously, “But your highness, that’s the beauty of this. You still come er’e even after all the song and dance I put yer through! It speaks wonders for my cooking.”

Buzz had to put a hoof to her mouth to prevent the laugh from escaping as she looked at all the pictures Chin had up on the walls. Almost everyone had Twilight in various states of annoyance with Chin grinning happily next to her and it was true. With Twilight’s patronage the humble Tasty Bite was practically a famous landmark.

Twilight smiled in defeat, “Fine Chin, the usual please.”

“And for your fellows?” Chin-up pressed.

“I’ll go for the hayfry bun with the side salad,” Tinker Track announced after peering at the menu.

It finally came to Buzz’s turn to order and Chin gave her another solemn look, “And fer yerself my dear? Don’t tell me you’re gonna skip the main course again. You’ll waste away if you not careful.”

Buzz smiled up at Chin, when it came to her and food it was complicated, mostly because she didn’t need it. She was a machine and drew all she needed from the background magic in the air, but to keep up appearances she could eat while disguised: Storing the food in a special container and.....well, Buzz didn’t tend to go into much detail after that and it wasn’t a well known fact open to Equestria as a whole.

It felt wrong to make such good food go to waste here and so Buzzbot was very ‘frugal’ in her order, sticking with some biscuits and other light starters to which Chin shook his head sadly, “One of these days I’m gonna tempt you to something more than that Buzz.” With his ‘duty’ done, Chin headed back behind his counter much to the relief of the other customers who had been queuing impatiently.

“Do we really have to go through that every time we come here Twi, I know he means well and all but surely it must get on your nerves right?” Tinker asked in a bemused manner.

Twilight smiled, “Royal duties and all that Tinker, it’s not all that bad and the food here is really good.”

Tinker conceded that point as with extraordinary haste their meals were brought to them, the mouth watering smells causing Twilight to close her eyes blissfully as she inhaled deeply quickly followed by Tinker himself. Buzz watched the pair with no amount of envy, taste was one of the things that had eluded her design. In fact there were many things that Buzz still didn’t understand to this day. For example exactly why she had been made?

It had all been a big confusing matter of cause and effect from what she understood. Twilight and Tinker had built her to go back in time, to find an earlier version of Tinker and make sure he straightened up and flew straight. But if she hadn’t have gone back then the whole mechanical revolution that had swept Equestria wouldn’t have happened....

Buzzbot always lost interest at this point. All this progress and technological advancement was part of some big plan privy only to Celestia and Luna. They had never deigned to let her or even Twilight know the full details and quite frankly Buzzbot was happy with that. She was here, she had a family of sorts and overall Buzzbot was happy with things. If a little restless.

She had so many talents for sneaking into places and being able to be practically any pony she wanted. These skills, while being useful when going back in time and not upsetting history, didn’t have much call in Equestria now. Buzzbot’s life had become one dull day to the next. It seemed her primary directive had already been accomplished and all that was left was to while away the years in boredom.

“Well?” It dawned on Buzz that Twilight had been speaking to her for the last few minutes and now expected an answer. Buzzbot shook her head before coming back to the here and now:

“Sorry Twilight, I was just musing on things,” Buzz added quickly before nibbling on one of the biscuits she’d ordered, “What was it you were asking?”

Twilight chuckled, “Well that’s one thing you take after me in Buzz, always daydreaming about something: I was asking what your thoughts were on the three of us going on holiday for a bit? Somewhere distant like the dragon realms or such?”

Buzzbot looked dubious, not that the idea didn’t appeal to her, more that she didn’t believe Twilight could pull herself away from work for that long, “That would be nice I guess.”

Tinker grinned supportively, “I’d say more than just nice, it would be great to see the sights and visit....”

Tinker was cut off as a wave of spreading silence suddenly filled the Tasty Bite. They all looked around to see what had caused the disturbance; A Pegasus mare had stumbled into the restaurant and she was in a bad way by the looks of things. Haggard and wasted, it was a small miracle that she was even standing.

Several patrons shrank back as the pony, whose coat might have once been a warm orange under all the grime that covered her, took a couple of faltering hoof steps forward. Her pink eyes were distant and she mumbled a nonstop tirade of babble, twitching the whole while as she swayed visibly. Buzzbot felt an odd familiarity sweep over her, a sense of lingering wrongness which only heightened when the pegasus caught sight of Twilight and made her determined way towards them.

“Please! Please! You must help us, have mercy we’re dying!” The pegasus ranted as she half stumbled, half crawled towards the shocked trio. The stunned silence was broken by further pitiful cries before this newcomer collapsed mere inches from the table and crawled feebly onwards with painful slowness.

Twilight looked terrified at the sudden change events had taken, but mastered herself and leaped to the pony’s aid, “Hold on, who are you and how can we help?”

The pegasus looked blearily into Twilight’s anxious face and simply whispered, “Feed us.....” Something vital faded in the mare’s eyes and with a last shuddering breath she trembled slightly before becoming very still. As what had just happened dawned on the crowd a number of gasps and a few shocked cries resounded around the Tasty Bite.

The ensuing pandemonium faded into the background as Twilight saw what the pony had been clutching in one hoof, it was a small piece of shiny black carapace along with a delicate looking insect like wing. Tinker and Buzzbot saw them too and they knew what those items belonged to: Changelings.