One Mask Among Many.

by Golden Paw

Prologue

It began when the sky burned with fire. The flames billowed over the city of Ponyville in a raging multi-coloured storm that blackened the high towers and caused the various business signs and antenna to sag as the conflagration swept over the scene.

‘Princess Twilight Sparkle’ snapped her head upwards; her delving into magical science forgotten as the windows of her laboratory framed the tempest of flames surrounding her research tower. Ruffling her feathers Twilight could only watch as the fire billowed and raged all around before closing her tired eyes slowly.

Her purple coat alive with the reflected colours from outside, Twilight trotted over to the nearest communications panel and with deft hoof taps opened a channel to her most trusted aid.

The blue ‘Please stand by’ image was just visible through the rainbow distortions crazing the screen due to sympathetic feedback from the storm washing against the tower. These cleared as Twilight’s research centre was enveloped within a magical field of its own. Twilight had tested it against dragon fire and so was confident the billowing inferno outside would find no purchase.

After a few more moments of weary waiting the screen changed to display a green unicorn stallion with a messy purple mane blinking owlishly at Twilight. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and peered closely, “Yes Director?” His voice sounding as tired as he looked.

Twilight took a calming breath, cooling the frustration welling inside before answering wearily, “Sorry to get you out of bed ‘Bullet Point’, but I don’t suppose you noticed the sky is on fire?”

Even as Twilight watched, ‘Bullet’ disappeared from view and she waited as the flaming clouds continued to swirl about the tower. Twilight also picked up the distant sounds of alarms beginning to chime as the city below awoke to this latest emergency.

She didn’t have to wait long for Bullet’s return, “Yes it is princess, would you like me to begin putting together a press release for you?” Bullet didn’t sound at all shocked by the firestorm sweeping over the city, responding as calmly as if Twilight had asked him to read the minutes from the latest staff meeting.

Nodding gratefully Twilight smiled to her chief ‘Pony Relations Manager’. Bullet was good, she had to admit, but Twilight found herself missing Trixie. Her stalwart friend for over five decades had retired a year or two ago, age finally catching up with her. It was a similar position for all the former element bearers these days it seemed.

Celestia had tried to explain the phenomenon to Twilight a while back, how the ‘World’ had a certain ‘balance’ to it. Twilight and her friends had given so much of their time in service to the World (both as the Element bearers and before forming the Council of Harmony) that it seemed the World was repaying them in kind with a far longer life than expected.

It was a mixed blessing, because ponies they knew inevitably went the way of the world while they hung on and seeing the great changes that had occurred over the last fifty or so years. Best way to get something done is to find a pony who’s already busy and give the job to them. Well the world had certainly kept Twilight and her friends very busy, so how long they would live for was beyond Twilight’s reckoning.

Celestia continued to be a great help as the years rolled on, assuring Twilight and her fellows that those who had passed on were not lost. That ‘hazy’ explanation didn’t appeal to Twilight’s inquisitive nature at all and only led to her pestering the ‘Royal Pony Sisters’ further.

Frustratingly Celestia and Luna hinted at knowing ways of visiting their past friends and loved ones, but for themselves only. Twilight still remembered how Celestia had lifted Twilight’s down cast chin, explaining that Twilight and her sister in law Cadance, though princesses, were not timeless as Celestia and Luna were. They would eventually get to see what happened ‘next’ in their own due time and need not worry.

Twilight closed the communication point with a resigned sigh before looking out the windows again. “One hoof step at a time Twi,” she reminded herself of Luna’s good advice. Ponyville was responding quickly and further energy barriers began to spring up over the buildings surrounding the research centre. These days if it wasn’t a fire storm then it was a blizzard or some other emergency hitting the city, so protections were firmly in place.

Mercifully its inhabitants had become well used to such strange occurrences, being the hub for advanced research attracted all sorts of odd phenomenon to Ponyville. Either natural reactions from within or when another nation displayed their displeasure at the work done here. But as the fire continued to roil outside Twilight guessed it was an internal mishap this time, recognising a reactor emergency bleed-off when she saw one.

Having made sure all was in hoof, Twilight made her way back to the project she had been working on. “You know who caused it this time don’t you Princess?” A tinny synthesized voice called out from above. Twilight didn’t even bother looking up to respond.

“I have a good idea ‘Zip’, but there is no point worrying about it now. She’ll come home soon and I can ask her myself.” Twilight ruffled her wings, a sure sign she was annoyed despite her outward calm.

“You’re too soft on her Princess, I think she causes mayhem just for the fun of it,” Zip commented and Twilight was forced to agree.

“Well no pony should be hurt at least. The no high flying restrictions were in place for the test tonight in any case,” Twilight added in a distracted way.

“To speak boldly your highness, that’s not the point, she’s becoming a menace and you need to talk to her,” A tiny metallic creature, no bigger than a tennis ball drifted down to settle on Twilight’s shoulder.

This machine looked like a tiny pony with butterfly wings and small antenna; all crafted in bluish metal that glinted yellow in the light of the fires still raging outside. Zip turned ‘his’ green glowing multifaceted eyes to Twilight as his face formed a frown.

“Princess Twilight: This is the seventh time this month that something like this has happened and every time it turns out to be her,” Zip scolded.

Twilight nodded distractedly as she continued to tinker with the device upon the workbench, “I’ll talk to her Zip, don’t worry.”

The small mechanical ‘breezy’ folded its fore legs and gave Twilight a disbelieving look, “With respect Princess that’s what you said last time; it took the work crews weeks to clear out the lower levels of the research centre and all you did was scold her for being silly. The other princesses won’t stand for it you know.”

Twilight simply nodded again, carefully levitating a collection of tools and periodically adjusting the creation coming together before her. Zip released a tiny exasperated sound and waved his hooves in the air despairingly, “She is spending too much time with that ‘uncle’ of hers, you know he’s a terrible influence on her.”

Zip fluttered his tiny wings and positioned himself between Twilight and her work, “Princess I must insist that you take the situation more seriously!”

Twilight, now thoroughly interrupted, focused on Zip who glared angrily and smiled indulgently, “Zip, she’s young and trying out new things: So she gets a bit carried away with her fun sometimes, but Buzz means no harm.”

Zip folded his hooves and gave Twilight a look, “There is trying out new things and then there’s causing anarchy for the sake of it. Don’t get me started about her ‘uncle’. I know he’s the one who made Buzz what she is today and he has a right to spend time with her but…..”

Twilight continued to smile sadly and Zip simply scowled, “Yes, yes you have told me countless times how Discord’s intervention on the project caused the breakthrough for artificial sentience. How the world wouldn’t be how it is, ect, ect. That doesn’t mean you should condone Buzzbot behaving in such a manner.”

Even as the android and pony spoke, the firestorm outside began to recede, revealing the starry sky in all its beauty. Twilight tapped Zip on the head before gently pushing him out of the way once more, “See no lasting harm done,” Zip’s disapproving eyes continued to regard her before Twilight finally rolled her own eyes in defeat.

“Okay, Okay I’ll talk with her properly alright?” Twilight gently patted Zip on the head before depositing her tools back into their assorted containers. This done, Twilight rolled her stiff neck and began to tidy up the workshop with Zip watching her intently the whole time.

---

Thirty four minutes earlier:

“Not again Buzz, remember what happened last time,” ‘Quiz’ warned with trepidation, her delicate form floating above the disguised pony-bot below.

Buzzbot was currently a white coated unicorn with a dark blue mane. It was cut short while arranged at a severe angle, almost covering her mischievous green eyes. She grinned back at Quiz, who was even now barrel-rolling involuntarily. This little tech sprite resembled a 'breezy' as did like all of her kind. Quiz was a pale red hue with sparkling blue eyes that watched Buzzbot with undisguised concern.

“Come on Quiz, that wasn’t my fault and you know it: Discord was the one who pulled the control lever not me,” Buzz retorted, her own confident voice the complete opposite of her fluttering friends tiny squeak.

As Quiz calmed and her tumbling gait corrected itself. She watched Buzz carefully, Buzz had thick black eyeliner along with a few piercings in one ear. Quiz would have laughed at the effort, had they not been on the verge of disaster again. It was as if Buzz was trying too hard to look roguish.

Twilight had created Quiz with the idea of keeping an eye on the troublesome Buzzbot, who recently had taken the 'disgruntled and troubled young mare' persona to heart.

“Why couldn’t you have kept that nice look from before; the cream coat and orange mane. I liked that look on you Buzz,” Quiz tried again vainly as Buzz rolled her heavily mascaraed eyes.

“I told you Quiz, I want to try out something new, that’s all,” Buzz retorted, “I had all of my previous mission to be the good little filly.”

Quiz rubbed her tiny hooves with anxiety, “But why such a rebellious persona Buzz?”

Buzzbot grinned even wider this time, “Maybe because I am feeling ‘rebellious’ huh?”

The pair made their quiet way along the back streets of Old Ponyville. The cottages all around them looked like something out of a story book and in Buzz’s opinion were totally out of place. Ponyville was a city now; it had been so for years and this attempt at keeping the ‘quiet little village’ look in the centre grated on Buzz’s nerves.

Quiz and Buzz had carefully snuck their winding way out of the research quarter on this latest escapade. Though technically allowed to go out at after dark, Buzz knew Twilight disapproved of her nightly wanderings. If she was being honest Buzz felt far more at home among the high tech buildings and creations of the research quarter. It had been her ‘birth place’ after all.

But something of the Old Quarter always seemed to call Buzzbot back to the cities’ core and its vain attempts at holding on to the long gone image of a sleepy little town. Maybe it reminded Buzz of her first ever mission; going back to the past to study a much younger Twilight and her friends.

Buzzbot chuckled to herself, Twilight hadn’t even had her wings back then and the others well…. She continued to pass among the little thatched houses that looked so ‘quaint’ in the moonlight filtering down from above. Despite the levels of light the city generated, Twilight had continued to improve on her craft, so magical fields allowed the night sky to be seen despite the busy well lit life of a Ponyville evening continuing on uninterrupted.

Buzz progressed along the empty cobbled streets and marvelled at how her home could have ever been the size of Ponyville past. She smiled genuinely, completely at odds with her chosen form, at the simple buildings all around. Twilight had told Buzz that it had been one of the hardest events of the Princess’ life to finally move out of the Old Quarter: So much history was there and so many memories.

According to her own internal chronometer; Buzzbot had been online for just under three years now. It technically meant she was still a foal by normal standards and so didn’t have all that much history of her own. It was intriguing to think that so much had happened here whereas Buzz had only been around a short time.

Not to say her ‘life’ hadn’t been full of adventure, Buzz had travailed through time, officially been the first ever machine to be declared ‘alive’ and spent regular evenings with her ‘uncle’ Discord. It had been odd knowing her ‘parents’ before they had known her, but then again not much in Buzz’s life was considered normal anyhow.

“Please Buzz, I don’t want to get into trouble again,” Quiz’s pleading snapped Buzzbot out of her reminiscences.

“Come on Quiz, we’re only going for a little stroll around the processing plants,” Buzz assured even as she smiled innocently.

“That’s what you said about the refinery visit and the weather processors and....” Quiz gabled before Buzz held up a hoof.

“Okay, okay, I’m just restless alright. Nothing fun has happened for weeks and.....” Buzzbot trailed off as both she and Quiz noticed a crumpled heap on the ground.

Buzzbot cautiously trotted forward only to discover the mound was an unconscious pony: An earth stallion and one of the city guards by the looks of things. He wore the helmet and uniform of Ponyville’s custodians: A dark blue close fitting outfit with some red decorations all topped off with a white metal helmet.

Even behind the visor half concealing his face Buzz could see the guard was out cold and more worryingly had a dreamy smile plastered across his muzzle.

“Is he okay?” Quiz asked nervously as Buzz leaned in closer and checked the pony over. He didn’t look hurt in any way, just unconscious.

“Do I look like a doctor?” Buzzbot countered even as she did her best to turn the stallion over, his heavyset frame typical of soldier ponies. Closer inspection still revealed no injuries and Buzz was at a complete loss.

“He looks like one of the guards of the processing plant; see he’s got the insignia on his epaulet,” Quiz pointed out and Buzz saw the little sprite was indeed correct.

Buzzbot looked up at her planned destination. The processing plant was the main assembly area for all of Equestria’s mechanical components, but most importantly it was the chief supplier of magical energy cores; the life blood for magical technology.

The looming building was still bright and at work even at this late hour, the demands for its wares requiring nearly around the clock production. It shared the domed look of all of the more modern buildings; all glass and gilded frames. The sight reminded Buzzbot of a large snow globe, its bright dome pushing up from the surrounding buildings like a glass mushroom cap.

Despite the obvious activity within its structure, the noise levels (even this close) were almost nonexistent. Twilight’s genius showed through once more as the muffling enchantments did their work. As with all the advances and creations from ‘Twilight’s Centre for Academic Progression’ (T.C.A.P for short) the plant was designed to fit in with the local area and be as 'unintrusive' as possible.

Even as Buzzbot listened she could hear the sounds of nighttime birds singing in the distance. This made the form of an incapacitated guard all the more out of place, a wrong note in a gentle evening of calm.

“He’s a fair way from his post Quiz,” Buzz commented as she continued to watch the dome in the distance; the activity within showing nothing amiss.

Quiz landed softly on the guard and leaned her delicate head on his chest, “Well he’s got a steady heartbeat and is still breathing. Maybe he’s just out cold from one drink too many?”

Buzz shook her head, “Nah Quiz he doesn’t smell like he’s been drinking.” She turned her attention back to the unconscious guard and tapped his muzzle with a hoof, “Hey mister wake up!” The stallion groaned and his eyes drifted open briefly, the pupils unfocused, before he lapsed back into unconsciousness.

“Maybe we should go find another guard and tell them?” Quiz asked, her tiny wings blurring as she lifted off again.

“And tell them what?” Buzzbot replied, “All we have is a pony who’s not well and knowing my luck Twilight will blame me for that too,” Her tone sounded a trifle bitter.

Quiz’s face fell even as Buzz’s formed a grin, “Well we’re heading for the plant anyway right? Why don’t we find out a bit more and then we can tell how we saved the day!”

Before Quiz could contradict that idea Buzzbot was up and galloping towards the processing plant, leaving the guard lying on the ground and the tech sprite shaking her head in defeat, “Oh Twilight why did you have to put me in charge of her?”

---

As the pair approached the plant, Buzz caught sight of yet another guard unconscious upon the ground. This one also bore no signs of any outward harm and was snoring gently as she and Quiz came close.

“He’s out cold, just like the first one. I really don’t like this Buzz, we really should get some help,” Quiz fussed as Buzzbot leaned in close to study the unconscious pony. This one was a bat pony mare, wearing the same slightly dreamy smile on her muzzle as the previous guard.

Looking about Buzzbot saw the service door to the processing plant was partially open, the horizontal metal slats raised half way up to reveal the dark interior. Not pausing, she ducked under the obstruction and entered the building proper. Inside was dark and the sounds of industry, muffled to the outside world, suddenly rang clearly.

Adjusting her eyes to the gloom Buzzbot found herself in a darkened storage room, boxes and pallets lining the high walls. They were stacked in ordered piles all around, creating a grid of narrow passageways, leading off into the darkened space beyond.

“Please Buzz, this really is a very bad idea,” Quiz pleaded, hovering by Buzz’s ear and looking around with an anxious expression on her tiny face.

Buzz smiled ruefully at her little friend, “Come on, Quiz, enough with the whining, where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Left behind with your common sense it seems,” Quiz muttered as Buzz pushed further into the room.

As they moved deeper into the storage area the sounds of machinery in full swing became steadily louder, resounding and bouncing among the stacked crates which surrounded the pair. There wasn’t another pony to be seen and Buzz finally began to feel share Quiz’s growing sense of unease.

“There should be some pony here, these plants aren’t completely automated,” Buzz whispered to herself. She blinked a couple of times and her vision changed, flicking between different hues as Buzzbot worked through her sensors, until eventually the mundane world dropped away and she saw the magical hues in the air.

The plant was alive with arcane forces, flowing through the machines close by, hanging in the air and most importantly for Buzz, in the shape of a unicorn who was now revealed to her. The pony appeared as framework of golden magical lines. Throbbing and pulsing in the manner of a heartbeat. Her ‘Arcane Sight’ was such a beautiful thing and Buzz revelled at every opportunity to see the world like this.

The unicorn was different however. There was a sickly sense to the magic, just like when oil formed a sheen on the surface of water; an enveloping haze shrouded the normally bright lines of power. To Buzz’s dismay this wasn’t the worst of it. The unicorn was stooped over another pony, as with horn glowing, spread the tainted magic to its fellow on the ground.

Blinking again, Buzzbot returned her vision to normal and glanced at Quiz, a look of discomfort on her face, “Okay you’re right, this is bad and we need help.”

“What did you see?” Quiz pressed as Buzzbot led their way between the stacked boxes.

“There must be a security station here somewhere Quiz, we need to let somepony know about this,” Buzz replied.

Quiz threw up her tiny hooves in exasperation, “That’s what I have been saying from the start!”

“Okay, okay so you were right, what more do you want me to say?” Buzzbot snapped back as she neared a door marked ‘Security.’ “Thank Celestia Twilight uses prefabricated designs for these buildings,” Buzz commented as she knocked sharply on the door. “The important rooms are in all the same places,” She beamed at Quiz as the pair waited for a response.

After a short while Quiz began to fidget again, “Shouldn’t somepony have come by now?”

Buzz felt her ears flatten. Quiz was right, this whole situation was feeling worse by the moment. Cautiously she tried the door knob and to mounting nerves it slowly drifted open and revealed the room beyond. Several ponies, of all breeds, were slumped at their stations, the same dreamy, blissful look on their faces.

“Oh...” Buzzbot began before Quiz emitted a little squeak of panic.

Spinning around she saw what had frightened the little tech sprite. A unicorn was swaying gently in the darkened storage room, his eyes vacant and an unnerving smile across his face. This pony wasn’t dressed like a warden and he seemed to look past the pair as if they weren’t there.

“You two feel wrong, why aren’t you happy?” The newcomer asked in a fuzzy way, his eyes still fixed on a point past Buzzbot’s shoulder.

“Um why would we be?” She asked slowly as the stallion swayed gently, a look of confusion crossing his muzzle.

“Because everything is going to be alright, once the bad sounds are gone,” The unicorn explained as Quiz ducked behind Buzz’s mane and peered fearfully at the strange pony.

“Bad sounds?” Buzz pressed and the unicorn nodded.

“Yeah, they hurt my friend’s ears so we need to shut them off, then everything will be alright again, my friends can come back,” Buzz took a couple of steps back as the pony before them moved in closer, “Let me show you what I mean.”

“We’re quite happy as we are thank you,” Buzzbot replied as the unicorn’s horn glowed with the same sickly colour that Buzz had seen before. Quiz squeaked in fear as Buzz shoved past the clearly bewitched pony and headed for the exit at full gallop.

Even as Buzz heard the disappointed cry from the unicorn behind another stepped around a crate before her, the same distant grin and thousand mile stare adorning this mare. Buzz didn’t slow, veered off in another direction through the pallets.

“What’s wrong with them?” Quiz called as Buzzbot was forced to make yet another detour as a third unicorn shuffled into view ahead.

“Some sort of mind control or brainwashing I would guess,” Buzz replied as she inwardly cursed at having to change direction again, their pursuers seemed to be herding Buzz and Quiz deeper into the processing plant, evidently something was thinking more clearly than these enslaved ponies.

With little other choice Buzzbot rushed forward, bowing her head and barged aside the door connecting the storage area to the factory proper as yet more unicorns appeared from behind stacks of boxes. The noise level rocketed, the working machinery clanking and whirring away all around the fleeing Buzzbot.

It took only a fraction of a second for her eyes to adjust to the sudden light here and without even pausing Buzz quickly busied herself getting lost among the various apparatus. “Well if they say their friends don’t like the sounds here then maybe they won’t either,” Buzzbot had to yell back to Quiz who was trembling with terror.

Buzz slowed, weaving around the various components being produced here and felt a little more confident now she’d had time to take in their situation. Okay, crazy bewitched unicorns are trying to take over, so what do they want? Think Buzz think! Buzz cautiously watched the door from which they had entered, and to her annoyance she saw the unicorns calmly follow them in, any hopes that the loud noises within the factory floor would put them off fading in Buzzbot's core.

She watched the unicorns as they spread out, searching with that same disturbingly distant manner. The little smiles never shifting from their muzzles. She quickly glanced at Quiz who was shaking, her little hooves over her blue eyes and came to a decision. They couldn’t just hide here. They had to do something, there had to be a way of getting the outside world’s attention that things were very much amiss in the processing plant.

Looking around Buzzbot thought she caught sight of an emergency venting valve attached to what looked like the main power storage units for the building and a crazy idea formed in her head. Twilight would be so angry with her, but when she understood why Buzz had acted it would be okay. Maybe. Quickly bolting from their hiding place Buzzbot cannoned forward, knocking over a mesmerised unicorn even as it caught sight of her and galloped to the metal handle before gripping it tightly.

Buzz strained for a moment before hauling the lever down and diving aside as the stored magical charge that powered the processing plant was released in one mighty upward blast. Arcane forces, once carefully stored were suddenly freed and surged upwards and outwards along specially intended lines. The ball of magical energy crackled and spat as it passed through the ceiling, the roof over head before exploding outwards.

The rogue power mixed with the background magic in the air and ignited, causing a billowing wave of magical multi-coloured flame to spread outwards and wash over the city of Ponyville in a tide. Back down in the plant, Buzzbot and Quiz watched with fascination as the unicorns that had been chasing them all suddenly toppled over, like puppets with their strings cut.

Quiz chattered in happy relief, but Buzzbot looked at the fallen ponies as a nagging sense of dread crept over her: They still all had the unnerving little smiles on their muzzles.

Comments

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You have a period in your title.

That's as far as I'm going to get.

[Golden Paw]

5493667 Okay, thanks for your comment

[Dragon of Shadows]

World was repaying them in kind with a far longer life than expected.

you give to the world the world gives back