There was something to be said for quiet mornings. After the hectic day trying to get ponies to look past her alicorn-ness while trying to push the idea of a community garden, being able to look out the windows of the Brighthouse to see the work her friends put in was well worth the hassle. After all, if she hadn't faced the hardship, she might never have come to the realisation that it was in doing her best to help others was the catalyst of her transformation.

The only thing that put a damper on that was the fact that nopony had seen or heard from Anonymous Flicker in a few days. She'd seemed genuinely distressed towards the end of her last video. The barkeeper had even approached her just yesterday asking if anypony had checked in on the changeling, citing concerns over he sheer volume of alcohol the bug pony had consumed. The only problem was that the closest thing there'd been to a home had been deemed uninhabitable. Even Hitch, who'd tolerated the bug crashing on the cot in the sheriff's office lock-up, hadn't seen her. They couldn't call to check in on her, either, because her phone was off.

Turning away from the window, Sunny returned to the table and picked up her breakfast smoothie. Although Izzy was still asleep, Pipp and Zipp were both present. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be enjoying the morning as much as she had. There were bags under their eyes, and the young social media influencer looked bedraggled. In fact, Sunny hadn't really seen either of them this worn down in the mornings since they'd set boundaries with a certain sleeping somepony.

"Rough night?" Sunny asked as she started preparing some pancakes for the sisters.

Both sisters groaned. "I don't know how you can sleep through it," Zipp muttered, sipping a mug of what Sunny was convinced was straight espresso. "With all the weird noises coming up through the vents at night, I'd have thought you'd have noticed."

When Sunny shook her head, pouring some batter onto a frying pan, Pipp let out a tired chuckle. "Maybe the Brighthouse is haunted?" she asked, although nopony was sure if she was serious or not—not even Pipp. "I mean, it can't be too bad. Izzy's been getting up when it starts, taking a glass of water down into the basement, talking to herself a bit, and then she comes back up after the noises stop, so maybe she's doing some superstitious unicorn stuff to quiet it down?"

That piqued the earth pony's interest. Flipping over the pancake, she gave both sisters a look. "And you're sure there's nothing down there?"

Once Zipp finished her drink, she nodded. "We went down yesterday morning with a flashlight, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary," she explained. "Besides the light-switch no longer working, there's nothing really down there."

"Oh, that's just Anon." Everypony looked over to the stairs, where a yawning Izzy was coming down from the sleeping area. "Morning girls. You two look exhausted."

"Wait, Anon's haunting our basement?" asked Pipp.

"Anon's dead!?" yelled Zipp.

"Why didn't you tell anypony? She's been missing for days!" implored Sunny.

The three ponies stared at Izzy, unsure of how to handle the sheer casualness with which the unicorn was regarding things. Izzy, for her part, just levitated over a bowl and a box of cereal, pouring herself a portion before returning the box to the cupboard. While she dined on her own breakfast, she magicked over a serving tray, a glass, a pitcher full of water, and a package of saltines. "Don't be silly; Anon's not dead," she answered between mouthfuls. "Sure, her phone kinda sorta ran out of charge, but Anon's just sleeping off all that nasty booze."

"Well, that explains where all the crackers went." Sunny blinked owlishly at her, removing the pancake from the pan just in time. "How did she get down there, and why didn't you tell anypony?" Luckily, Zipp was there to ask the question everypony was wondering. "For that matter, why didn't we see her yesterday morning?"

Izzy shrugged. "I brought her down there," she explained, finishing her cereal and taking the bowl over to he sink. "When I was driving my uni-cycling cart home, I saw her stumbling out of the bar, drunk as a skunk with just as much funk." Once her bowl was washed and placed in the drying rack, she continued, "She was in the process of asking me if I knew somewhere dark where she could sleep it off when she passed out...

"Nopony was home, so I hosed her off and put her down in the storage room," she explained. "Y'know, because it's dark and quiet there. As for why I didn't tell anypony... Nopony asked, and I thought she might want her privacy." She paused, as if lost in thought. "Although I haven't actually seen her since I put her down there. Did any of you know she could go invisible? Because I didn't."

That caused Zipp to perk up. After the whole sunglasses affair, she'd been looking for an excuse to use the high-tech visor her unicorn friend had somehow put together. Assuming Izzy wasn't just being a little more unhinged than usual, that the basement wasn't haunted, and Anon was in fact down there, it would be the perfect opportunity to try it out.

"If you wait for us, we'll go with you," Zip offered. "Right girls?"

"Yeah!" Sunny agreed, starting another pancake. "If all she's been having is soda crackers and water, maybe she's ready for something a bit more substantial."

Smiling, the purple pegasus princess provided her two bits. "And I think I have an old charging cradle that should work for her model of phone! Since she probably lost hers in the fire, she can have that."

At that, everypony nodded in agreement and got to work. While Sunny prepared the pancakes and a smoothie the changeling might like, Izzy set places for four. With speed unrivalled by any currently-living pegasus, Zipp zoomed up to the shared bedroom and grabbed the visor off its charger at her workstation. Finally, Pipp tracked down the old phone charger in question and set it up in the living room.

Once preparations were complete, the four gathered at the door down into the basement/storage room. Although Izzy was now levitating the pitcher of water and a glass alongside her, the changeling's portion of food was left on the table. "You know, now that I think of it, I don't think she's left the storage room once," Izzy commented as Sunny opened the door. She attempted to flick on the lights, but true to what the siblings had said, the light didn't come on. "Does she even use the bathroom?"

Without the ceiling light to illuminate the windowless space, the shadows in the room cast by the still-open door seemed to stretch off into unnatural darkness. While the group walked down the ramp, the unicorn at the head of the group to provide better light, Zipp had slipped her visor down over her eyes and cycled through the different modes. Night vision was out of the question with all this extra light, but perhaps the thermal, heartbeat, or X-ray modes could find something. There was also a lingering scent in the air, almost reminding them of antiseptic... or cloud vodka.

Nothing about the floor or wall seemed to particularly stand out as she looked over the room several times. The only thing that particularly stood out was the presence several buckets on the workbench, one of which seemed to be slightly above room temperature. As she drew closer, that ethanol odour grew stronger. Why would anypony collect alcohol in buckets, though?

It wasn't until she looked directly above the workbench that she noticed the small thermal pocket standing out. These weren't as high as a pony's core temp, but hot enough to glow orange. Without any of the vision filters enabled, the spot on the ceiling was completely unremarkable, but its heat signature almost made it appear as though there was a curvature to it that her naked eye couldn't detect. As if to confirm her hunch that they found their bug, the X-ray view revealed a small pony-like shape curled up inside the anomaly. It would've struck her as unusual if they hadn't observed the changeling taking on smaller forms in the past.

"Anon, why don't you come down from there and come have breakfast with us," Zipp called up. When she noticed the others looking at her weirdly, she smirked and tapped the side of her visor. "She might be able to hide from our eyes, but she can't hide from this baby."

As if to answer, there came a groan up above. It sounded almost disoriented. "Izzat you, Izzy?" came a foalish voice. "Why do you sound like Zipp...?"

"Everypony got concerned because nopony knew where you were," Izzy responded, looking up at the spot on the ceiling the white pegasus was staring. "So I told them you were down here."

"Right, gimme a moment to do something for my eyes, and then I'll fix the light..." There was a muffled sound that they'd come to associate with the sound of the bug doing her shapeshifting magic, and then the lightbulb in the room came on. Properly lit, they could now see that the spot the bug had been hiding was casting a shadow on the wall. It appeared to be an almost perfect camouflage but for the shadow it cast. Whatever she had cocooned herself in lit with blue flame, rolling down from its point of contact until it was just her mane, which returned to its shortened and rainbow-dyed state.

Without the flames or the strange cocoon, they were left with the sight of the bug standing upside-down on the ceiling. "Uh, you're not gonna tell Hitch about this, are you?" Anon asked, with an embarrassed look. "I kinda promised him I'd stop doing the whole upside down thing."

Looking starry-eyed at the compact bug queen, Pipp cooed, "Aww, look at how cute she is when she's small like that. Can we keep h—"

With the grace of a drunk cat, Anon released whatever hold she had on the ceiling and let gravity reassert itself. She caught herself with her wings just before she could hit the bench and knock over the contents of the buckets. That said, the bug did land on the surface in a bit of a daze and seemed to look about for an empty bucket. They said seemed because they couldn't see her eyes all that well. Putting her back to them, she stuck her head in a bucket, and the room filled with the sound of a liquid being poured. "Any of you have anything that runs on ethanol? Got like three litres of one hundred percent pure right here."

"—and it's ruined."

~ 05 ~

The other four were staring at me as I inhaled a stack of pancakes larger than my current tiny form. Although Izzy seemed to be starry-eyed over how cute 'bug-filly Anon' was—and I was super thankful for all the good emotions she was radiating for me to passively feed off as well—the other three seemed kinda unsettled by the semi-transparent nictating membranes I'd added to my eyes to make light a bit more tolerable for my hung-over ass. Even Pipp seemed less enthused about my small form after my ethanol expectoration exhibition. Not that I could particularly blame them; from where they stood, it probably looked like my eyes had gone completely black like something out of a horror movie.

While I ate, I answered what questions I could. How had I hidden myself like that? Why was there three litres of pure ethanol in buckets on the workbench in the basement? What had set me off, and why had my mood so rapidly changed in that video? Did changelings even need to actually use the bathroom? Yeah, guess which one asked that blunt question.

Hiding myself like that was a technique I'd figured out from the combined knowledge of an entire species that rested inside my head. See, before the last of the changelings all lived under Chrysalis' rule in the badlands, there used to be smaller cells all across the continent. Often they'd live among ponies without ever being detected, but during a molt they couldn't exactly be transformed, so until their new carapace had hardened and it was safe to once again transform, many infiltrators would use some spare biomass to create a cocoon to mimic their surroundings. It also made for a great way to be undisturbed when sleeping off hangovers. Don't ask me if I knew from experience prior to today.

Speaking of, even though I could drink alcohol to get drunk, a changeling's body actually can't fully metabolise alcohol like a pony's can. It'll just keep re-circulating through our system until all the non-ethanol materials are stripped away until it collects in our bellies as pure ethanol to be regurgitated. If it stays in us for too long after fully concentrated, we can die... to say nothing of the nasty-hangovers that might make us wish for death. I'd rather just collect some sorrow, bottle it, and then drink someone else's sorrows away.

Being highly attuned to emotions, changelings were known to be susceptible to mood disorders. Changeling queens had it even worse, and not just because they have the weight of their species resting on their shoulders. If a changeling, especially a queen, couldn't get enough love and biomass, their body began to eat away at itself to stay alive, and at peak levels of starvation, a changeling could begin experiencing symptoms of dementia or acquired psychopathy. For someone who had mood and anxiety disorders before becoming a changeling, well, let's just say I usually needed to keep a closer eye on what I—and others around me—feel, lest I slip into a depression spiral.

The trigger-point for my depressive episode... I didn't exactly keep it a secret that was something else before a pony, and the form I'd taken during the video was a close approximation of the species I'd been. Even fifteen pony years after the fact, I still didn't feel entirely comfortable in my own skin, although being able to transform into anything I wanted within my capabilities did help. To be reminded of that while simultaneously quashing a stranger's own dreams of being able to feel comfortable in their own fur... it upset my carefully-balanced state of mania.

As for bathrooms, I certainly could still use a toilet, although it was far less frequent than ponies did. Usually, it was just to flush out built-up toxins my kidneys and bug liver could filter out properly, or remove inorganic compounds from the body. Waste was, if you could get past the pun, rather wasteful. Most biological material like plant matter, animal flesh, and bone could be broken down into biomass to be magically compressed or decompressed as needed. There was also the matter of matter/energy exchange and the cost to convert, especially if taking a smaller form. The more transformation a bug did, the more mass it needed in addition to love to retain a healthy state.

As I patted my belly, with a happy sigh, I looked over to Sunny. "Thanks for the meal, Sunny," I concluded, putting my hooves together and bowing slightly. Casting a glance over into the living room, I saw on the coffee table, beside the charging cradle that currently worked to breathe life back into my mobile device, my harness and glasses neatly laid out. "Once my phone's charged, I'll just get out of your manes. I ate up enough of your time—" I looked to the plates of Zipp and Pipp, which I don't think had actually seen any food yet. My cheeks began to flush beneath my chitin. "—and your food."

That got a chuckle out of them all, as well as one of those adorable giggle-snorts of Izzy's. "We're just glad you're alright, Anon," Sunny said, reaching across the table to grasp my hoof with hers. "Lots of ponies were asking about you, including that member of the Filly Four you had on your show last time."

I blinked at that. I wasn't big on cliques,or who was famous for what, but that name sounded familiar. They were some rising group of social media influencers, weren't they? Misty was a big-shot all along, huh? And I made a right ass of myself.

"Yeah, and besides, we like having you around!" Izzy chirped, throwing her hoof on top of Sunny's. "You're always up to something interesting, and you're super smart! Remember when you were stalking Hitch? That protect and serve idea? Brilliant! I've almost finished something super special for Hitch and Sparkie!"

Next to speak up was Zipp. "You're probably the closest thing we have to an expert on magic," Zipp added as her hoof joined the stack. "Plus, even if you don't remember anything about Twilight Sparkle's warning now, you might later on, and who knows; your powers could be useful on an investigation."

I looked to the pony princess of pop and pegasi. If I knew anything about pattern recognition, she'd be next. "Even if you've adapted to the modern world, you still haven't had nearly enough time to decompress," she added in a helpful voice as her hoof of course joined the pile atop mine. "Wouldn't it be nice to have somewhere you could stay, where there are others who can cheer you up while you're feeling down?"

"Are you guys trying to ask me to stay here with you?" I asked, once more looking at each pony. When they nodded, I sighed and gently slid my hoof out from beneath theirs. "Can I have some time to think on it?"

"Of course!" they all said in unison. Then, as if that wasn't quite enough, Izzy added in, "In the meantime, why not have a nice hot shower? I thought I got most of the booze smell off you with the hose before I brought you inside, but now you smell like the shed behind the Crystal Tea Room."

Although the others immediately started staring at the unicorn, possibly in confusion, I gave myself a quick sniff. There was definitely a strong alcohol odour coming from my shell, but it was worst where the joints in my carapace were. It made a sort of sense. Like ponies, I could technically sweat under hot conditions in order to stay cool, but the body could also sweat out toxins... I guess when alcohol keeps entering the changeling circulatory system, literal alcohol sweat would be a thing if not removed fast enough.

"Yeah, I'll take you upon that shower offer," I grunted. "Would be just my luck for someone to light a match and have me catch."

I mean, although I'd gotten a tour the first time I stopped by, the toilets never came up. Neither Zipp nor Pipp had anything to eat yet, and Sunny looked like she was running a bit late, too. Even though Hitch apparently had a space here for him, he seemed to live at the station during the weekdays, too. That left only one pony for the job. With that, Izzy volunteered to show me to the bathroom.

Once I was by myself, I turned on the water to a lukewarm setting. If nothing else, I was a considerate house guest. Since most of the stuff ponies had now ran off electricity or maybe gas, there was an upper limit of how much hot water they had, and while I might be able to provide them an... upgrade of sorts in the future, it wouldn't do for me to use up all their hot water in the meantime. All I really needed was the water and maybe some soaps, so it wasn't like I'd even have to fuck with anyone's shampoos.

When the water was at the right temperature, I hopped under the stream. Although my primary reason to be there was to wash away the scents, it also was a nice way to help clear my head. The pressure of the water beating on my carapace, as well as the sensation of the rivulets of water cascading down my mane and back, was easy to get lost in. With staccato drumming of water pounding away into a soothing symphony, I found myself relaxing, the last vestiges of my multi-day hangover washing away with the funk on the shell.

With a bit more of a pep, I found myself tapping to an ear-worm from one of Pipp's videos. "Come on ponies, show me what you got," I sang in the pegasus mare's voice, swaying my hips from side to side as I bobbed my head. "I said show me what you got! Here we go now! Here we go!"

The ponies down stairs could probably hear me singing, but I didn't care. They could think I was mad for all I cared. All that mattered was building that positive vibe, and singing in the shower was as good as any. "Pony-pony, do the pony-ony-ony! Pony-pony, do the pony-ony-ony!" Turning slightly, I lifted my hooves and did a short pirouette before grabbing the bar of soap to rub into my shell. "Pick up your hooves and slide to the right. Shake your mane now, side-to-side!"

After rinsing off the suds, shutting off the water, and reaching into my pocket dimension to fetch my toothbrush and toothpaste, I slowly started transforming myself back up to my normal size. Rather than take on my 'default' pony form when I stepped out of the shower, I did something different. My jawline and muzzle became a bit more squared, and my musculature filled out a teensy bit. I set my eyes to the same handicap I'd gotten used to all those years ago, but I pulled my mane back in—it was otherwise still the same rainbow mess I'd left it as.

Honestly, like this, I almost look like Blue, I thought, squinting at the stallion in the mirror as I brushed my flat pony teeth. Sure, the colours of my coat and eyes were wrong, I lacked a horn, and that stallion had too much self-respect to sport a rainbow mane, but the face otherwise reminded me a lot of him. Then again, he was probably the closest thing I had to a big brother or a best friend in old Equestria. I wonder if the guy was happy when the end came.

Cleaning my toothbrush, I swished a mouthful of water around. I spat the mixture of toothpaste and water into the sink as I returned the brush to the void, and then took one last big stretch. From my perspective, it'd been months since I'd last presented as a stallion, although chronologically, I suppose I technically can't remember how long it's been.

It's kinda funny; as a human, I'd been a dude, and a filly as a pony, and then I'd been turned into a changeling queen not long after. I'd never really felt masculine or feminine one hundred percent of the time before becoming a pony, although I'll be the first to admit that it was a lot easier to feel the latter with all the oestrogen in my system. As a shapeshifter, it was just one of those weird quirks that made it easy to slip into either role if the mood struck.

The one thing I didn't like about this form variation was the fact that a bit more mass was unpacked, so my hoof-steps were heavier. Spend most of your time as a mare, and you get used to a quiet, easily muffled clip clop. Turn into a heavier pony, and suddenly it sounds like you've got a man following behind you banging some coconuts, with a more distinct clop clomp. At least it was just a curved ramp leading back down to the main living area instead of stairs.

"Hey, uh, thanks again for letting me sleep off my hangover in your basement," I said, wincing slightly as I heard my voice. I'd been aiming for something a bit deeper to match this form, but I could never get it right. Instead it always turned out like a bad Elvis impression, complete with a slight southern twang. And why do I feel compelled to say, 'Man, I'm pretty?'

The four mares had been in a discussion before I came out of the bathroom, and I thought I might've heard Pipp saying something about a back-up singer or a duet. That said, when they heard me coming back down, it got eerily quiet. I could feel four sets of eyes on me as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I modified my form momentarily so that I could use my horn to levitate over my glasses. "Uh, ladies? You're kinda freakin' me out."

When I looked over at them, I saw that there were actually only three ponies and some sort of scrap automaton that I imagine Izzy made. Pipp, Zipp, and Izzy were all looking at me with their jaws hanging wide open. The scrap automaton, on the other hand, stared straight ahead, seemingly not noticing my presence. In fact, it was ramrod stiff and I was starting to think that maybe it was actually just an inanimate object. But why though?

That's when the talented unicorn craftsmare started to squeal, a twinkle in her eyes. "Anon! You didn't tell us you could be a colt!" she exclaimed, darting over to look me up and down. Suddenly grabbing me by one of my hooves, she began to giggle. "What's it like being able to reach the top shelf at the grocery store without magic!? Why didn't you show us this sooner? Why are you still a mare back there?"

~ 05 ~

Sitting on the top-deck of the Crystal Brighthouse, I looked out over the city. The sea breeze in my mane was nice, and although it was no Crystal Empire or Ponyville, it was finally starting to feel like home. It was funny to think about, but I spent so much time on the road in my old life that it was so hard for me to settle in one place when I became a pony. Living with Twi, Spike, Starlight, and Emerald was what gave me something to stick around for, and put my wanderlust to bed. Still, it was kinda shocking that I was settling in so quickly here.

Looking back over my shoulder to the phone mounted on a borrowed tripod with a smile, I said, "Hey everypony; it's been a hot minute, hasn't it?" I looked up at the sky and sighed. "It's your—hopefully—favourite changeling queen, Anonymous Flicker. Yes I'm still alive, and I wanted to start out by apologising for my behaviour the other day. I'm sure it was alarming or distressing for some, and I never meant to put you all through that.

"Like I was saying to some friends this morning, changelings are susceptible to mood disorders, in part due to our empathic abilities and feeding on emotions, but I had anxiety problems even before becoming a bug," I explained, taking off my glasses and returning to my natural changeling queen form for a moment. "We also risk neurological issues in cases of starvation, and with the pressure of bringing back a species from potentially being extinct, I gotta manage my own emotions better."

Returning to my stallion Anon transformation, I slipped my glasses back on and held up a sheet of paper. "I wanted to thank everypony that expressed concern during my absence, as well as address a few of the questions that came in." Rubbing my temple, I yawned. "I'm still not 100%, so I'm gonna answer just a few today."

With a glance at the paper once again, I began my Q and A. "Fire Whiskey's back asking, 'You said Fluttershy was your friend; does that mean you were friends with the other Guardians of Harmony?'" Shrugging, I looked away from the camera. "She was more of a family friend, in the sense that she and the other Guardians were Mom's confidants. They were basically my aunts, thats how tight knit a group they were. Good ponies. All of them kind in their own ways, but none more so than her." With a forlorn look, I leaned back against the railing and turned my head. "I'm gonna miss all of them, but writing about them on a blog might help provide a bit of closure."

After a moment's pause, I glanced down at my list again. "Celeste had a number of questions, but for the sake of fairness to everyone else, I'll address the most important ones today, and save the rest for a rainy day." Clearing my throat, I read aloud, "'What does changeling hunger feel like, and how does that differ from the hunger for affection linked to emotional insecurity and attachment disorders?' Honestly, the hunger is just like a pony's for the most part, but maybe a bit more intense. You gotta understand that the magical energy in love is essential not just for augmenting their own magical stores, but for maintaining a healthy bug brain... Physical and emotional hunger can progress quickly if not regularly attended to, and if the brain begins deteriorating... you get crazy bugs that wanna take over the world and make everyone their food-pets... if they're lucky.

"Podding a pony and transforming them, for example, would use up a lot of that pony's own physical energy and mass to complete the transition. That means they would likely step out in a starved state..." I smirked a bit. "Think of it like a zombie movie... The dead rise with only one purpose: to eat."

The next question I'd written down still made me flinch. Although it could probably have been considered insensitive, especially after my little breakdown last time, it was a good question. "Then we have Tinted Glass's question, 'Could there be other survivors from the Equestria you left behind?'" I read aloud. "I gotta be honest. I am not even sure how long I was sealed away. According to Princess Zipp, there are intact ruins in Zephyr Heights dating back to my era, but it could've been thousands of years... Since Twilight and her friends were little more than a legend, and there have been no hints as to Celestia, Luna, or Cadance being active, I'm not all that hopeful.

"Although dragons were long-lived, I couldn't say exactly how long. Even certain powerful, meddlesome spirits have been conspicuous by their absences." I looked at my hooves, and to my surprise, they were trembling a bit. I'd have been happy if it was out of sorrow, but I was angry. If Harmony or Hunger would answer my metaphorical calls, it might be possible to get some real answers to that very question. "As much as I still blame her for what she did, it's concerning that the Spirit of Hunger hasn't popped up once to torment me."

It took a lot longer to rein in the emotions tied to that than I'd have liked. I'd probably have to do another edit-job like I did with the last video. At least I won't be trashed while doing it this time. Once I was certain that I wasn't shaking, I took a breath and smiled at the camera. "Sorry about that. I got a bit worked up there. Ebon Dash asked a question about the pegasi of old and a link to electricity, citing some shocking issues." Laughing at one's own puns was bad, but I didn't care; it was sorta funny. "Back then, they could kick a thunderhead and make it produce lightning, but doing it themselves? That was more a spell sort of deal. All I can say is that magic has changed and may behave in unpredictable ways, so be careful. If push comes to shove, I think they make electrostatic straps in this era... although you might need a custom one if you're putting out that sort of voltage."

I stretched a bit before leaning forward with a grin. Tucking the paper away beneath my back hoof, I clapped my fore-hooves together. "Last question's another one to do with my favourite topic, runes!" There was a sound from downstairs, and it sounded like somepony might have been calling my name. "Lithium Pillow asked, 'So your runes operate by siphoning off your internal magical energy like a phone does its internal battery, making you like a big battery too, right? Could you use your rune magic to infuse some of your magic energy into some discs so you could have an emergency recharge on hoof in case you end up draining yourself dry by accident?'

"Funny enough, I have a story about that very topic," I said with a giggle that probably sounded insane. It didn't help that I lowered my hooves out of the frame as I reverted to my bug form, albeit intentionally leaving the last quarter of my right foreleg out. "See, when I was ten, just before my first molt as a changeling occurred, I was experimenting with that concept. I'd made spells in the past that could hold a charge to either delay casting, or simply have a prolonged effect, like a magic lock, but I'd never attempted to pull energy out of one before."

Holding up my right foreleg to show a stump, I gave a 'What can you do?' look to my phone's camera lens. "Calculations were perfect, and in theory, it should have worked..." I transformed my hoof back to show the difference. "It, uh, technically released all the energy, but the spell misfired and I had to explain to Starlight and the maids why I needed morphine and about four kilos of food before Mom, Spike, and Emerald got back."

While I spoke, I subtly put my pocket-dimension spell onto my other leg. "Turns out, I was REALLY overthinking everything, and I blew a hoof off for nothing." My free hoof shot into the space beside me, vanishing up to the elbow into the void where most of my belongings were. When it came out, I was holding a thirty centimetre long hexagonal chunk of pure sapphire. It positively thrummed with energy. "You can just as easily pump energy into some quality gemstones just as one might with an engraved spell. Just... don't do it too quickly or the crystal might break.

"Gemstones, at least in my time, were naturally occurring containers for magic that held magical charges, but did not resist any attempt to draw on them," I explained emphatically. "Princess Celestia's crown and peytral both had such magic batteries, although they also powered some wicked defensive enchantments. This took me a year of careful charging to fill this baby up with enough magic to power a spell I was banned from ever recreating—several times over, no less."

Returning the mana battery to the void, I stood up and started to approach the camera. "A small gemstone is enough for most ponies to get an emergency recharge out of. My sapphire, on the other hoof is more of a 'Break in Case of Emergency' sort of tool... Not for hobbyists, to be sure."

The voices of Zipp and Pipp, accompanied by the sound of wingbeats, were drawing close. They were probably gonna ask me if I'd made a decision as to whether I would take them up on their offer. It was tempting, but if I was gonna do this, I decided it would probably be a good idea to construct my own space. I'd need time to draw up the spells and plans necessary, and maybe a couch to crash on in the meantime.

Giving one last glance over my shoulder at the city, I transformed back into my stallion Anon disguise. "This is your doomsday prepping queen, signing off," I concluded with a completely straight face. Nothing like a stallion calling himself your queen, am I right?

Author's Note

Fun fact. I actually wrote a song that they might sing to get Anon to come live with them.

It's basically a complete rewrite of "I Really Want to Stay at Your House" from Cyberpunk 2077/Edgerunners.

[Verse]
I couldn't believe when you came out of that capsule,
But now you're nothing but a creature out of time.
We hate to see you there pretending that you wouldn't change a thi-i-ing,
Because you have nowhere to stay.

[Pre-Chorus]
Why stay away,
And pretend that you don't fit in, or no-one wants to chance you,
And cause yourself pain?
You know you deserve some happiness now.
Nopony could lay the blame.
Come and stay.
You're down on your luck, and feelin' bad, but you don't deserve it.
Don't give yourself grief.
S,o will you compromise?

[Chorus]
So what choice will ya make, do you see what's at stake?
Don't turn away now, do you have something to lose?
A hoofhake with you, share your point of view.
We'll be friends with you, we won't let you go.
We really want you to stay at our house
At the Brighthouse it'll work out
But we know how much you're broken apart
Got hope for you, we're not leaving you
Don'cha wanna know, ah-

This was technically finished back in august before I went on my little vacation. As it stands right now, it's gone through enough edit passes that I feel comfortable putting it out.

Next time, Anon does magic, buys some furniture, and does a short home tour video! The time after that? Anon goes to Bridlewood!