Bunsen Burner was shocked momentarily after the Princess had laid out her whole account. He sank a little farther into his seat afterwards. After a long pause, during which he stared into his glass of amber liquid, he took a long sip, and got up from his chair and went to one of his bookcases. Hidden in between two thickly bound books, Bunsen Burner deftly removed a thin journal. The cover was grey colored with a black spine, and there were no markings or title on the outside to specify what type of information was held within.
“What is that?” Princess Luna asked with curiosity.
Bunsen Burner brought the journal over to a small table near his seat, he motioned the Princess over to his side. As she got up from her chair and walked over, he explained, “Hundreds of years ago, Starswirl the Bearded studied your sister’s body in an attempt to understand your kind’s physiology.”
“I am aware of that,” the Princess replied, “She tried copying down some of the theories he postulated so that we could try to divine some kind of cure for her from it. The work was beyond the like of any I’ve seen.”
“The book itself was lost for many centuries,” Bunsen Burner continued, “Passing from hoof to hoof, either bought, traded for, or stolen. No one could crack the encryptions that held the book’s secrets, until about fifteen years ago.”
“Let me guess,” the Princess began sarcastically, “this is your oh-so humble way of saying that it was you who learned to read the book?”
“No. Actually, the feat was accomplished by an old colleague of mine; Punnett Square. The stallion practically revolutionized the study of genetics, and he also had an interest in cryptology. After he came into possession of Starswirl’s journal, he worked feverishly to decipher its knowledge, and in time he succeeded.” Bunsen Burner nudged the journal, “This was his personal translation of the work. From it, I was able to create the serums at my disposal, one of which was the one I used to kill the Changeling I dealt with here. As it turns out, Changeling and alicorn physiology are very similar.” He then began to flip through the journal to the particular section that he was looking for, “Could you show me what the strange liquid looked like that was the cause of Celestia’s troubles?”
Princess Luna cast an illusion spell, which created a floating image of the amorphous, dark green sludge in front of the scientist’s eyes. “The physicians said it couldn’t be manipulated by magic, and any means of trying to contain it were futile.”
“Unstoppable force meets an unmovable object,” Bunsen Burner murmured to himself.
“What are you talking about?”
The scientist turned back to the journal on the nearby table, “Starswirl’s observations led him to the postulate that alicorns possess a continuously regenerating body; an eternal and bottomless reservoir of magic. This perpetual regeneration is not dissimilar to the concept of a self-servicing engine; it would never run down, wear out, or lose efficiency; unless, of course, you put something in that engine that it cannot burn.”
“That would have to be a very small list,” Princess Luna declared, “Swords, whether material or magical, are ineffective at harming us. Stone, lava, even meteorites could only slow either of us for a little while.”
“Starswirl also observed that alicorn physiology cannot be altered by magic,” Bunsen Burner continued his thought process, “If Celestia’s body could not break down this fluid, it then must be of a magical origin.”
“If her body could not break it down, and it also couldn’t be removed from her system, the two magicks would conflict-“
“Which would then result in the breakdown of the perpetual engine,” the scientist finished.
Princess Luna looked at the shimmering image of the greenish black sludge, and her eyes began to widen, “Do you think it is possible that if the fluid were removed, our theoretical engine could start once again?”
Bunsen Burner’s brow furrowed as he looked up to the Princess from the journal, “Could you elaborate?”
“When Celestia died, her body dissipated like a golden fog, leaving the Changeling’s poison behind. Do you think she could still be alive?”
Bunsen Burner shrugged his shoulders, “I wouldn’t even know where to begin calculating the odds with you two, but I know if it’s possible, you must retrieve her. To be frank, Princess, your reputation is still fragile due to your infamous darker disposition.”
The Princess sighed deeply, “I was hoping that time would heal those wounds, but even now I’m working with only half earned trust.”
“Perhaps it is best if you allowed Princess Cadence to take the proverbial reins in regards to being the public face. The populace loves her, and they will be more receptive to her.”
The Princess nodded, “Thank you for your advice, Bunsen Burner,” and she turned to walk out of the library to leave his home.
“Princess,” he called out.
She stopped and turned back to him, “Yes?”
“While you are searching, keep in mind that the longer you take to try and find your sister, the worse things could become here. Before she died, the Changeling I.. creatively interrogated divulged that the Hive had future plans for us all. She did not say what, but knowing their insidious nature, I very much doubt it will be easy to detect or combat.”
“Then I will pray that my search is brought to a swift conclusion,” the Princess grimily declared, “Good night, Bunsen Burner.”
“Good night, Princess, and fastest speed to you,” he replied. She left the room, exited out his front door, and teleported away from his doorstep.
Bunsen Burner got up from his seat slowly with a grunt. He took the journal from the table with his mouth, and he walked to his laboratory. Equestria was headed for dark times in the future; the government would be in over its head without his knowledge regarding the Changelings.
I am a soldier, but I’m no good without subordinates to command, he thought to himself. On the steel table next to the door was a telephone and receiver. Time to call an old squadmate. Spinning the rotor, Bunsen Burner picked up the phone. The tone buzzed once, twice; he waited patiently. The other end picked up.
“Hello,” a husky voice responded.
“Mr. Black,” Bunsen Burner smiled grimly, “It’s so good to hear from you.”
“It’s been a long time, Mr. Brown,” the voice replied warmly.
“Are you still in the cleaning business?”
“Oh yes,” Mr. Black said, “I heard that you got let go from the security business. That’s a shame if it’s true.”
“I’m afraid it is true. I require your services.”
“What sort of job?”
Bunsen Burner sighed, “Long term. The bugs are back.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line, “Elysia’s pale wings,” Mr. Black cursed, “No way am I fighting those things again.”
“I saved your life, damn it,” Bunsen Burner growled, “You owe me. Without you, I’m alone, and you know how hopeless the Royal Guard is. You and I both know you’re bound by Griffon’s honor to help me.”
“Alright, alright! At least tell me you got some good toys?”
“I’ll custom make whatever you want.”
“Oh really?” Bunsen Burner could practically hear Mr. Black’s beaked grin through the line.
“Within reason.”
“I want..a long range rifle, minimal recoil, silenced; it’ll come in handy for future assignments.”
“You can consider us even then, so long as you promise to never use it on me.”
“So where will we meet,” Mr. Black asked, “The Galloping Mare in Baltimare?”
“That will do. Meet me there in two weeks. Goodbye, Mr. Black.”
“See you there, Mr. Brown,” and then the line went dead.
Bunsen Burner hung up so he could dial again, and the rotor spun once more.
“Yes?” a female voice called out to him.
“It’s me,” he said, “I’m in need of your magical abilities. If you’re nearby, come back to the manor. If not, head for The Galloping Mare.”
“What’s going on?”
“You wanted to help the world, right?”
“I figured I was doing a good enough job as a wandering magician now. What did you have in mind?”
Bunsen Burner chuckled a little before he spoke again, “We’re going Changeling hunting.”
It was midnight in Canterlot, and some of the citizens were restless. Wearing clothes that would conceal their identities, a small band of ponies found a large wall in Canterlot’s market district, and took to their work. The process only took a few minutes with all the hooves that were available, and when it was done, they vanished into the night. When the morning dawned across the fine city of Canterlot, the populace in nearby homes and shops looked up from their pursuits to the nearby wall, and saw something new. A large image of Celestia’s sun was spray painted across the white plaster of the large building. Above the image was written in large, glaring red letters, ‘The Moon Lies’, and below ‘The Sun Rises’. The ponies that looked on the mural had many different reactions. Some were angry for the slander against the Princess of the Night. Some began to have creeping doubts about the Princess and what she had claimed of her sister’s ‘death’. Still others believed that their suspicions of Princess Luna to be validated. As the many opinions began to be expressed verbally, everypony as one became aware that something was beginning. To what end things would unfold to, though, nopony could say.