One Mask Among Many.

by Golden Paw

Chapter Two

“You can’t be serious Twilight! I mean they’re changelings for Celestia’s sake!” Rainbow Dash slammed her hoof down on the crystal chair with such force that Twilight feared it would crack.

The Council of Harmony were arrayed in their thrones, high within Twilight Sparkle’s castle. The light of the dying day filtering in through the high windows, casting the assembled ponies in a golden glow. The six pastel coloured mares sat in a circle and glanced back and forth, digesting the announcement which Twilight had made with varying degrees of disbelief.

“Well I have to agree with Rainbow on this one Twi. The last time we had a major tangle with those things we nearly lost your brother, sister in law and the capital city of Equestria,” The deep and resonant voice sounded out from a glowing screen as Spike’s massive eyes peered at the assembled ponies.

“I know that Spike, that’s not the point now. They are dying and have asked for our help,” Twilight replied, taking deep breaths while trembling slightly all the while.

“And a spider would plead for the fly to come into its web too if it were able Twilight. It’s a trap, I’m certain of it,” Rarity added, her sceptical expression mirrored by most of the others present.

“I know we’re all fer helpin those in need, but them critters? Ain’t no way they can be trusted - even if we could you know what they feed off Twi,” Applejack’s stern eyes stared at Twilight as if she’d suggested they summon back Nightmare Moon for a friendly chat.

Twilight looked around to Fluttershy who couldn’t meet her gaze, “Come on Fluttershy; please tell me you will back me up here?”

Fluttershy’s eyes didn’t leave the floor, “Oh Twilight I know you mean well, but I don’t think it can be done. They’re just so wrong, even if they are truly desperate and asking for help the changelings cannot survive without draining their prey of love. They leave empty ponies with nothing good in them, only the dark and hateful emotions. I want to help them of course, but I can’t see a way of them coexisting with any race.”

Twilight felt her heart sink as she tried to push the image of that poor pegasus in the diner out of her mind and her ears drooped. Surely Fluttershy would have had some idea of how they could help without endangering anyone?

In dismay Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie, seeing even her almost limitless optimism absent as she slowly turned a part squeaker over and over in her hooves. Pinkie cradled it like a precious stone, her face looked just as bemused as the rest of them.

“Well we need to do something ladies, we can’t just ignore this,” Twilight agonised.

“Yeah we should double the guards or something, make sure nopony else gets bewitched or hurt and then let the things starve,” Rainbow jumped off her throne and Twilight saw her whole body trembling with a need to act.

“That’s cold Dash. Of course we’re going to make sure everypony is safe, but you would just let them starve to death?” Twilight countered as she watched Rainbow pacing back and forth.

“If it meant the problem was solved, they haven’t earned any good will and have killed or destroyed thousands of ponies in their time,” Rainbow snorted.

“And we haven’t hurt them back?” Fluttershy whispered quietly. Only to be cut off by Applejack.

“Yeah sugar cube, them critters don’t have any redeemin qualities that I can think of, don’t make no sense us riskin ponies and others trying to help em,” Applejack continued, “When a timber wolf comes ter eat yer live stock yer drive em away, not ask them to walk right on in n take their pick.”

Twilight cringed, these were both good arguments but it just wasn’t the same. From everything she understood of changelings they were intelligent, they could reason and that made them more than just an animal like a timber wolf or a hydra. Their queen had certainly been cunning enough to endanger Equestria many times in the past.

Things had only really changed with the new S.D.F system. It had driven the changelings away, leaving Equestria and its neighbours practically free of their taint. Barring the occasional case once every few years, the changeling threat was all but over for them.

Such an act of invention had once made Twilight proud, but now it seemed that she was driving a fellow sentient race to extinction. That had never been the plan, only to keep Equestria safe. Twilight had never considered the far reaching consequences of such and still wasn’t sure if she was happy about it. Twilight didn’t want to be known as the pony responsible for the destruction of an entire species.

“We first need to know if the changelings are truly in such dire straits, that they are even willing to talk. I would be far more inclined to find a solution if we could be assured it’s not just some trap,” Rarity added, her hoof slowly tapping her chin as her eyes focused on some point in the distance. Twilight brightened, at least her friends were trying.

“I could do some investigation Twi. I wouldn’t be in any danger and could see if things are truly that bad?” Spike rumbled and Twilight didn’t doubt that Spike would be alright. Her adoptive brother now loomed in the small image, massive and powerful. He was a mighty dragon in his own right and far too big to fit into their council chamber any longer; hence the projection screen linked to his own home in Ponyville.

“Thank you Spike, but I don’t know,” Twilight said slowly before he snorted in annoyance. She smiled at him indulgently, “Oh not like that Spike, I know you can handle yourself in a fight and would be safe, but we are unlikely to find out anything solid even if you went and ripped open every nest in the badlands,” Spike growled softly in acceptance before relaxing into an attentive silence.

“Plus we could end up hurting them further. I don’t mind defending ourselves, but there must be a better way than storming their hives,” Fluttershy spoke up, her quiet voice laced with unease.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, “They’re love sucking vampires, and you’re worried we might hurt them?” She continued pacing back and forth, agitation radiating from her.

“If they are really asking for help and we barge in there smashing up the place what does that make us then?” Fluttershy snapped back, showing a rare moment of determined force. Rainbow’s ears drooped and she muttered something Twilight didn’t catch.

Twilight was too busy watching Pinkie Pie who still cradled the squeaker with a glum expression, “You know, it’s such a shame we can’t just throw them a party. Why can’t they just eat cake like everypony else?” Pinkie Pie commented almost to herself.

Twilight firmly agreed with that, why did things have to be so hard? Shaking this worry aside she straightened up in her throne and addressed the council, “The way I see things is we simply need to know more. Too many ‘if’s, buts’ and so forth.” She tried to force a look of decision onto her face, “I want to go and find out what’s really happening.” The collective sounds of dismay her friends vented made it clear what they all thought about that.

“That could be exactly what they wanted all along Twilight, if they can’t smash the S.D.F then what better way to disrupt it than to ponynapping the princess who made it. You can’t go Twilight,” Rarity insisted and the others all nodded in firm agreement.

“But I don’t want to put any of you in danger either, plus we all have responsibilities here in Equestria,” Twilight countered her muzzle screwing up in frustration.

It was true, their days of wandering the wilds and going on errands for the Royal Pony sisters were now a thing of the past. They were an integral part of the realm and couldn’t just all up and leave on such vague intelligence. It had to be a dire threat to pull them away from their own duties now. They had families to think about, businesses to run and they couldn’t just wander off anymore.

It had crept up on all of them quietly and Twilight had been keenly shown something that Celestia had known for a long time. You can’t be everywhere at once, no wonder she’d charged Twilight and her friends with so many tasks all those years ago rather than doing them herself.

One day Twilight suddenly understood that she was herself doing just that, giving orders, directing forces and taking far more of a back seat in the happenings of Equestria. It wasn’t a bad thing per say, but life had become less ‘front line’ for them all, and then this.....

“So how are we going ter find out more? Send scouts to the badlands, an armed delegation? Yer all know how well the last trip ter try and reason with them changelins went,” Applejack reminded the council, her face screwing up in distaste.

Twilight had a creeping certainty that she had an answer, but really didn’t want to voice it. There was a certain ‘pony’ that would be perfect for such a task. She could sneak into the hives, disguised as one of their own and find out what was truly happening. The irony of a disguised infiltrator moving through a changeling hive wasn’t lost on Twilight.

She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and fervently wished that their council could have come up with something else, but needs must, “Well there is one pony that could help us do that....”

---

“So what is it?” Quiz asked as she poked the small ball of black carapace.

“From what I can tell it’s a failed larval changeling,” Twilight explained in a detached manner before Quiz flitted up and away in sudden fear, the setting sun glinting off her wings.

“Failed? Do they punish those who don’t work right?” Quiz gabled, her little wings beating at odds with each other, a sure sign the sprite was distressed.

With incredible care Twilight teased open the small ball of chitin they had recovered from the diner. Within was revealed a tiny equine form, almost translucent and utterly helpless, “No Quiz, not like that, I think that the hive couldn’t feed it and so it died.” Twilight’s voice was heavy with pain and regret.

Yes she knew changelings were dangerous, and preyed on ponies, but she couldn’t help but feel sad. This little ‘foal’ had no chance, gone before it could even open its eyes and deep down Twilight felt responsible for its fate.

Quiz rolled in the air, her small eyes looking so sad, “Aww that’s terrible...”

Twilight nodded slowly as she produced a few implements and began to extract some fluids from the little larvae, “So is what they do to ponies, they leave them as heartless husks which some would argue are better off dead.”

Twilight held up a small glass vial up to the light above her workstation and frowned, “Yes starved, but why would a bewitched pegasus bring this to me?”

The ache returned. The poor mare that’d died was called ‘Butter Fly’. Twilight knew this because she’d been the one to search the Equestrian national database. ‘Butter’ had been missing for two years from her small village called ‘Cavern-Fell’ on the southern border, evidently taken when not much younger than Twilight had been when she moved to Ponyville all those years ago.

Twilight still stung inside, having written the letter to the mourning couple only this morning and sent it by special priority line. Two years trapped with changelings, being drained dry of everything good and happy. Twilight shuddered and suddenly found it hard to be sorry for the small infant before her.

“Maybe they thought you could help?” Quiz added and Twilight realised she’d been thinking out loud.

“Maybe Quiz,” Twilight’s voice sounded tired, worn out and depressed as she slotted the small vial into an analyser which swallowed the sample with a hungry click. She then input a series of commands before letting out a long pained sigh. Why send me this? To make me feel guilty about what has happened? If that’s the case then it’s almost certainly a trap.

It didn’t feel like that to Twilight though. Oh she felt guilty alright, but somehow Twilight felt that this wasn’t the message the sender was trying to convey. She returned to the sad specimen on the table, its tiny form not much different from Quiz’s if Twilight was being honest with herself.

“So what are you looking for Princess?” Quiz asked the tremble obvious.

“Hmm? Oh, yes I wanted to find out which hive this little one came from,” Twilight replied in a distracted manner.

“You can do that?” Quiz seemed to momentarily forget her own worries and stared at Twilight with interest.

Twilight smiled back sadly, No matter how many times we re-examine them, the sprites always seem to be so curious. It’s certainly not in their programming, I wonder where it comes from? “Yes Quiz we can trace back family lines, look for different indicators to give us clues as to which hive they came from.”

Quiz nodded before stopping, then shaking her head, “How many hives are there?”

“We honestly don’t know Quiz, it’s not like the changelings share their records with us. We knew of about four big ones, the most troubling group being ruled by ‘Queen Chrysalis’: Every hive has a leader, queen or matriarch. Whatever they decide to call themselves. She directs the drones and other underlings and basically rules the hive,” Twilight continued to examine the foetal changeling as she explained.

“So why is it you want to know which hive then?” Quiz pressed and Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle, now she knew how her parents must have felt with all her questions. Twilight’s face fell a little. They were gone now, well gone on to what Celestia had assured Twilight ‘came next’. Time and time’s effects. It was relentless.

Pushing that thought aside Twilight forced a smile before replying, “Well if we know which hive it can give us a better idea of what we are dealing with, plus then I can replicate some markers to help Buzzbot slip in more easily. Changelings use scents to identify hive members.”

Quiz’s mouth curled down in disgust, “You want to make Buzz smell like a changeling, urg....” She made a small vomiting gesture before Tinker’s voice called in.

“Not just that, but be able to fly like one too,” Tinker explained as he trotted in, a complicated device slung across his back, “I have once again outdone myself my dear, behold a limited anti-gravity unit!” Tinker announced as he stepped up to the table Twilight was working at.

“You got it to work? Brilliant, I’m sure Buzz will love it,” Twilight smiled at Tinker who simply winked in return.

“Nothing like a crisis to make you really put your inventing cap on,” Tinker said, “Just wish we had developed something like this for Buzz sooner.”

Quiz watched as Tinker Track paused. Twilight had gone very still, her eyes riveted to the small changeling grub on the desk.

Finally Twilight found her voice, “I simply don’t believe this.....”

“Okay with a leading line like that you really have to explain dear,” Tinker said, a smile forming on his face.

Twilight still didn’t look up from her work, “The whole internal digestion system is wrong, this larva wasn’t actively starved to death, it simply couldn’t feed.”

The room seemed to become a little darker for a moment before Tinker Track spoke up slowly, “A mutant, or an off shoot maybe?”

Twilight shook her head and felt the colour drain from her face. If what she was seeing was right then somepony or something had deliberately altered this little infant’s constitution. The organs, though not fully formed were clearly not natural changeling form.

“This poor little guy would never have survived, he’s all mixed up inside,” Twilight’s voice became leaden, the implications of such tampering chilling her to the core. The body’s insides looked like that had been magically rearranged to try to...what?

“Crisis and invention,” Tinker commented again, and moved to steady Twilight.

She shook slightly as the horror of what she was seeing sunk in, a cold sucking emptiness that refused to be filled. You’d have to be completely insane or a monster to even try something like this and Twilight would have never believed anyone would. Or maybe so desperate that you didn’t care? The last though cut through Twilight like a knife stabbing her in the heart.

The analysis machine Twilight had place the sample in chose that moment to chime, breaking the sudden silence that had smothered the room in its choking grip. Turning her head slowly, Twilight looked away from the abused lava on the desk and into the angry face of the infant’s progenitor. Queen Chrysalis’ condescending glare watched Twilight from the monitor and she felt her bones turn to ice.

---

“Where’s Twilight Dad?” Buzzbot asked, as Tinker worked away at her torso with a set of tools.

Buzzbot was out of disguise and standing patiently on a work table in the lower levels of the research centre. The same cold light favoured by the designers lit her metal body from every angle.

Tinker Track’s workshop was tucked away at the base of the tower. It had ever been so with him Buzz noted. Ever since she’d met Tinker he’d preferred to keep his work space close to or even underground, surrounded by his tools and shelves almost full to bursting with cast off parts. He’d been like that in the past and carried that habit down the years so that instead of the gentle scene of Ponyville at night surrounding them, grey smoothed walls hemmed the pair in from every direction.

“Your mother has some important news to pass on to the other Princesses and so left me in charge of refitting you,” Tinker Track managed to say in between grunts of effort.

Buzz glanced at the device in question, a rounded ball with lots of wires hanging from it, “So this will really let me fly like a pegasus?” Buzz truly hoped so. She could pretend to be almost any pony, even to display pegasus wings. But flight was something they had never managed to give Buzz. The power requirements for such spells to lift her metal body just couldn’t be sustained in Buzzbot’s slight frame.

Tinker snorted, “Well no, but you should be able to pass for a crippled changeling who can only make small leaps.” He tilted his head out from under Buzz’s frame and smiled cheerfully, “It’s a darn sight better than nothing my dear.”

“I guess...” Buzzbot replied, the disappointment clear in her tone.

Tinker Track chuckled softly, “Oh dear Buzz, I keep forgetting how young you really are. Just think it was only a few years ago you were giving a far younger me advice. Now look at you, so much knowledge and so little experience.” His grin only widened, “Twilight may have designed a number of your fancier features, but all the hard work of putting you together was down to me and a fine job if I do say so myself.”

Buzz rolled her eyes before laughing too, “Well I can’t fault you there Dad, you do great work.”

“Indeed,” Tinker agreed, “So trust me when I say that this will be enough okay?” He gave a final grunt before shifting himself from under Buzz, “That should do it. Try synchronising with your new data chips.”

Doing as she was instructed, Buzzbot did a mental check over and found the relevant systems. With a cautious mental flex, she powered up the new ‘jump generator’ as Tinker called it and felt gravity loosening its grip on her.

Getting to his hooves and dusting himself down, Tinker Track beamed as Buzzbot hopped a few times on the spot. She found to her delight that on the simplest command Buzz could lower the gravity around herself and jump easily into the air.

“Okay now keep it simple, just a few more tests to run,” Tinker cautioned as Buzz was overcome with the urge to see if she could leap and touch the ceiling; bounding high into the air with minimal effort. Laughing, Buzz obeyed and felt the normal pull of the world reassert itself.

Tinker came forward and gripping her tail, connected it to the diagnostic device for just such an occasion, “Hmmm good, yes good...oh....ah.....hmmm,” Tinker Trailed off and Buzzbot felt a flash of worry.

She stared at Tinker intently, “What, what’s wrong?”

Tinker seemed to snap out of a daze, “I’m sorry to tell you this Buzz but I think you’re missing something, I was sure I put everything back in and in the right order too, but do you see this?”

Buzz craned her neck around to see the image displayed and to her mounting disquiet didn’t see anything amiss, “How can you tell? I don’t see anything.”

Tinker leaned in close, a questioning look in his eyes, “Oh my I think I can see it now, hold still Buzz.”

Feeling more worried than ever, Buzzbot froze and Tinker leaned in closer before with a sudden lunge forward he wrapped his hooves around Buzz, “You’re missing a big hug from your Dad! How could I have ever been so silly to forget that.”

Buzzbot snorted, feeling embarrassed as Tinker squeezed her tight and once he’d broken away, grinned mischievously, “Yep I’m amazing and you Buzz are a work of art.”

Feeling a little silly, Buzz shifted her hooves as she glared at Tinker, “Ha, ha, ha, very funny Dad. You shouldn’t scare me like that.”

Tinker looked hurt, “It’s part of the job my dear,” his face fell somewhat, “Plus I may not get to see you for who knows how long when you set off. I thought it was best to get my hugs in now.” The tender moment drew out before Tinker detached Buzzbot’s cables and gave her a final check over.

“I was based on changeling magic right? The whole shape shifting thing I can do?” Buzz asked as a tiny fear flickered in her core.

Tinker continued his work even as he replied, “Yes, what of it?”

“I, well, I...” Buzzbot began before shaking her head, “Never mind.”

Tinker paused in his administrations, “Now come on Buzz, that was a loaded question if I ever heard one. What’s on your mind?”

Buzz shuffled uncomfortably; it was such a foalish fear that have overcome her, “Well it makes me wonder how much of me is changeling?”

Tinker gave Buzz a disbelieving look, “What? No, no, no: You’re no more a changeling than Twilight and I am in any way biologically related to you.” He gave her a curious look, “Where in the heavens did you get such an idea?”

She felt so silly. It had been a passing worry, but with this entire changeling business Buzz felt the insecurity creeping back. It seemed that even without a disguised face to show her emotions Tinker could read Buzz’s mood and placed a much gentler hoof on her shoulder.

“Now listen Buzz, even though we don’t understand everything about you. One of the things I do know is, even though your magic is derived from the same spells changelings use to alter their form, that in no way makes you one of them,” Tinker reasoned.

“But at some level I....” Buzz tried, but Tinker shook his head emphatically.

“I have a thing for Barbeque hay fries, I use the nutrients I eat to make my cells, does that make me a hay fry?” Tinker said with a little chuckle.

“Do you want me to answer that truthfully?” Buzz countered, her own feelings lifting again at Tinker’s humour.

“I guess not, anyway you’re ready to go as far as I can tell. Why don’t we make our way to the testing rooms and try out some of your new hardware?”