Journeys of a Misplaced Soul

It's probably a good thing that this body doesn't really experience discomfort in sitting or sleeping in weird places; the bed in this prison cell looks like it could hardly be considered comfortable. Honestly, I didn't even know Canterlot Castle had cells this dank and dingy. Still, it's cool and it's dark down here, which is all that matters. Most of the most egregious damage done could finally self-repair.

In the meantime, all I could really do was sit there until some member of S.M.I.L.E. or a Princess came to interrogate me. I wasn't exactly keen on dropping into sleep mode, and my 'belongings' had been confiscated. The only thing nearby was the umbrella borrowed from the restaurant, leaned against the wall across from the cell, and even that was being kept until it could be returned tomorrow. Oh, and a pegasus guard posted outside my cell, but he's more of a person than a thing.

Glancing at my tail, which had been shackled to the wall when they realised that the needle and nanite acid vial that made up the sting were attached to me, I wondered what sort of world I'd ended up in. It was clear I was at a point somewhere in the past from my own Equestria's perspective, but was this similar to mine, or was there some sort of big divergence? For all I knew, this could be a world where Celestia had been banished instead of Luna. Maybe this world's Twilight was a stallion and was living the life of a harem manega protagonist. It was impossible to know.

Well, vampires are real here, I thought wryly. They're real and enough of a problem that they've been deemed illegal in Equestria. That thought gave me pause. Even if I wasn't a changeling right now, I was one in my normal body, and that made me something of an emotional vampire; did that put my kind on the banned entity list? At least this body shouldn't qualify as a vampire. This is, after all, an artificial machine life form... Nor was it forcibly changed to feed on blood so far as I know.

Maybe it'd be a good time to take a look at that Solver thing that Robo-Satan enabled. She did, after all, state that I would receive powers comparable to magic. So what all could I possibly do with this cursed power? There was one for scaling and one that simply created a singularity, but that was hardly all, I imagined.

LS SYS://"../FABRIC/"

absoluteSolver_edt
absoluteSolver_NULL *PERMISSION REVOKED*
absoluteSolver_rot
absoluteSolver_scl
absoluteSolver_trn
READ_ME_ANONYMOUS

I'm not sure I like the fact that there's a read-me file that's targeted directly at me, I thought drily, consider whether I should actually read it. It could be some sort of trick, or maybe some sort of virus. At the same time, though, I was kind of curious. I'd ask what's the worst that could happen, but I think I already met the worst that could happen back on Copper-9.

READ_ME_ANONYMOUS - TEXT DISPLAY [READ ONLY]

SYSTEM NOTE: "THIS FILE HAS BEEN AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED THROUGH THE USE OF YOUR PERSONALITY DATA."
So, you wish to use the Solver of the Absolute Fabric. This is not merely artificially intelligent software capable of nigh supernatural feats. What you have been marked with is the capacity to tap into the code of the absolute fabric of reality, and alter it to your whims. Take care, however as the Solver is as much aware of you as you are of it, and should your AI—or as you put it, your soul—prove weak, then it will attempt to take control. Take care if you do not wish to become like Cyn, or don't. I don't care.
The following serves as a basic explanation of the capabilities, but by no means a comprehensive list. You may notice hard-light constructs appearing over or in front of your hands as you use the various signs. This is normal, and imagery has been included for your benefit.

absoluteSolver_trn: Translate is the most versatile sign in your arsenal. It allows the user to translate the position of a targeted object from one to another. It is comparable to telekinesis, but if you can think creatively, you may find far more complex uses. [Hint: What is a spell that Twilight is known for?]

absoluteSolver_scl: Scale is one of the best examples of the ways in which the Solver bends the rules. Conventional thinking dictates that mass cannot be created or destroyed, and yet scale seems to do exactly just that to make things bigger or smaller. Or maybe it doesn't; I don't know. I'm just an auto-generation script based on your personality.

absoluteSolver_rot: Rotate is pretty self explanatory, I would hope. Target an object, have it rotate along a specific axis with variable torque. Wanna get a stripped screw out? Rotate that bitch. Wanna completely shatter a wooden wall? You know what to do.

absoluteSolver_edt: Edit is, as you would put, broken as fuck. It can seemingly synthesise an object from thin air, or reconfigure an object into something similar—e.g. a kitchen knife into a cleaver. It's even capable of replicating stuff. This can become even worse in conjunction with the other signs. Maybe don't do organic stuff, though. Bad things'll happen.

absoluteSolver_NULL: [NULL] is self-explanatory. It creates an artificial singularity that collapses once its purpose is complete. Wouldn't want to create a world-eating black hole by accident, would we? I mean, the Solver might. Due to the nature of this, use has been restricted to emergencies only.

--//ERROR absoluteSolver_trn [like object non-interactive]: If you see this error, it means that you have come across another host to the Absolute Solver. What happens next is up to you.
Caution: Hosts of the Absolute Solver code are the mortal enemy to mirrors and highly reflective surfaces. In the event that you are a host, avoid looking at your reflection in things. Don't even acknowledge it. [Suggestion: If you don't mind looking like a pirate, get a custom eye patch. As the sign manifests primarily in the right eye, try blocking that one.]
Warning: Overuse may cause mutations, including extra limbs and various techno-organic growths/changes to the body. Remember J? You could look worse. Continued overuse may lead to possession, and thus, feasts in Cyn's name.

Part of me wanted to start testing those capabilities right then and there. Edit especially sounded useful. That said, I wasn't sure they'd appreciate me fucking around like that, especially if it turns out that they can't stop me from doing it with a magic suppressor. Better not to give them a reason to be even more suspicious of me. Even if I did just wanna duplicate that parasol and maybe edit it into something more suitable to me.

Seriously, Anon, why the fuck did you go and let Shining Armour know you knew who he was? I shook my head. Should I just be honest and tell them that I'm just a wandering dimension hopper, trying to find my way back home? It could be easier if I enlisted their help, but... Yeah, honesty is probably best.

As I sat there, I started to ponder what exactly the iteration of the Absolute Solver rebuilding J meant when it said that I's assimilation would lead to the quickest restoration. Why I and not N? Was it because this body was more similar to J's than N's was due to the odd sexual dimorphism between the two units? Yet there was no denying that this body was shorter than J and N, matching up in height with the average worker. Wait... No, please tell me this isn't a joke given physical form. Is it because the letter i is effectively just a short j? If the guard was at all annoyed, by the sound of my palm meeting my face or the subsequent groan, he made no indicator.

My auditory sensors picked up two sets of a pony's hoofsteps coming my way. Based on the differing sounds, I imagined one was an armoured stallion, while the gait of the other was most certainly a lighter pony. One of the princesses, given that it sounded like the horseshoes Celestia and Luna favoured. That didn't take long, either. The system clock placed it at only two hours having passed, so to receive an audience this quick was quite the turn of events.

The guard standing by the barred door to my cell went into a salute as two ponies stepped into view. As expected, one was Shining Armour, Captain of the Royal Guard, still clad in that fancy purple armour of his. Accompanying him was none other than Princess Luna, in all her starry-maned glory. Sure enough, she was even wearing her silvery horseshoes alongside that obsidian peytral of hers.

Now, my first thought in this body was to do nothing. My second thought was to curtsy for her. Then I remembered how one was meant to greet royalty as a human. I rose partially, settling one knee beneath me, flat on the floor, while I kept the other bent, bowing my head low, sweeping my arms out to my sides. "Princess Luna, Captain Shining Armour," I greeted. "I am honoured."

Regarding me with a raised eyebrow, Her Royal Blueness turned to the guard captain. "So this is the creature that has thrown Canterlot into a panic this eve? That which is suspected of being a vampire?" she asked. Upon receiving a silent nod from him, she returned her gaze to me, her horn aglow. "Rise, creature, and tell Us what and who you are."

I did as instructed, once more folding my hands in front of my skirt. If I had to guess, it is a lie detection spell, although I've no idea how effective that would be on me. Still, only lies intended will be omission. "To answer the second question first, Your Highness, my name is Anonymous Flicker," I explained. "What is a lot more complicated as it consists of two separate yet equally true answers."

Her other eyebrow raised at that statement, but bade me to continue. I raised my hands to gesture down at my body. "This body is a Disassembly Drone, infiltrator variant. A combat robot produced by JCJenson, designed to decommission rogue artificial machine lifeforms." I clasped one hand over where my heart would be if I physically had one. "I, personally, am a traveller of sorts. An accident involving an interdimensional scrying prototype and a strange anomaly—one consisting of chaotic and dimensional magics appearing suddenly in the lab displaced my soul from my body in my own Equestria and sent it across the multiverse, where it anchored itself to this body. Things happened in the last world I was stopped over in, and then I appeared in the sky over Canterlot."

The alicorn watched me for a few moments, and it may very well have been that she was scanning me. "That does indeed explain the magics enshrouding your body, and We have detected none of the fell magics associated with vampirism," she finally confirmed after an extended silence. "Before We would free you, however, we would grant you one chance to disclose any information that you think might change Our decision, lest We later discover deception on your part. For example, why your body was seen burning under Our sister's sun."

My simulated brow furrowed in thought, and I could just make out a loading wheel spinning to one side. I don't have to tell them this, and it wouldn't even come up in regular conversation, I'd think. They'd have to be prying through layers of details. What do you eat, how did I get it, were there no other sources on Copper 9? Those types of questions. It'd be better for me if I said nothing, but...

I simulated swallowing and then nodded. "Disassembly Drones feed primarily on oil," I began, "as a means of restoring oil burned off due to inefficient cooling methods. I imagine it was an intentional design flaw to encourage those drones to complete their task out of fear of critically overheating. Being that the only source of oil on Copper-9 was the worker drones, I can understand how vampiric that admission sounds, although that might be more of an engineered predator/prey relationship... As for sunlight, aside from heat, I haven't the foggiest why it burns such. Something reactive to UV rays in the synth-skin, maybe."

That threw her for a loop, and the guard captain regarded me with an unreadable expression. Maybe it hamstrung any chance to earn my immediate release, but I genuinely believed that it would help me in the long run. Eventually, she nodded. "We will discuss the matter with our sister, and you will have an answer to your fate on the morrow."

A smile spread across my face. "Of course your highness." A thought occurred to me then, and I asked, "Before you leave, might I ask you one question in turn?" Somehow, based on Shining Armours sudden apoplexy, I imagine that was something of an outrageous thing for someone in a prison cell to suggest. Luna, however, seemed to accept that as a reasonable trade, if her nod was any indicator. "How many alicorns currently reside in Equestria?"

Somehow, I think she got more out of that question alone than I did. There was a glint of something in those cyan eyes. Curiosity? Amusement? Anticipation? After a moment's consideration, a very slight smile crossed her own face. "Three." Maybe she realised that I was from a different time and wanted to hint at the time frame, or maybe she was just trying to get Shining to start moving, but she quickly added, "Come, Captain. I have much to do, and you have an upcoming wedding to prepare for."

There was no stopping me from giggling. I still remember the story of the Canterlot Wedding as Mom told it, including all the embarrassing parts like not knowing her former babysitter's full name. "Assuming this Equestria is anything like my own, the captain's sibling may not recognise Mi Amore Cadenza's name on the invitation. Might I suggest including a personal letter along with the invitation?" The princess's smile grew into a grin as she led him away.

On the whole, there was not a lot to do that night. My instrument and shades had yet to be returned, so it wasn't like I could really go and practice. Similarly, not enough time had elapsed, from my point of view at least, for it to be time for the scheduled check-in with the ones trying to bring me back home. Plus, I wasn't in the mood for cards or minesweeper.

That left me with only a few options. I could enter sleep mode and likely end up having to explain changelings to the princess, should she not already recognise one upon entering my dreamscape. I could also begin planning on how to completely offset this world's timeline. If I'm lucky, Queen Chrysalis has not yet made her move to replace Cadance, in which case, peace would be an option. The last option would be for me to preemptively design a custom parasol to create after replicating the borrowed one.

In the end, I settled on all three. It was bound my being a changeling stuck in this body was bound to come up eventually. Besides, sleep mode would let me cool down some more, and when I woke up, I imagined that my outfit would probably have fully restored. I'm beginning to think that this body uses nanomachines both to reconstruct the body, and to manufacture whatever weapon or tool the user needs. How else would my wings just appear and disappear as needed? Maybe I should get around to looking at the system documents.

As the world went black around me, only for the familiar sight of a now partially digitised library to spring up around me in an almost fluid motion. It's so nice to be back in my own body, even if only simulated in the dreamscape or whatever the robot equivalent might be. As soon as I sat down at the table, I focused on levitation—really the only spell I'd bothered learning to do by horn—and reached out to the MEMORY_DATA_(EQUESTRIA) section. Several books from the history shelves flew over.

Back in my Equestria, it was not uncommon for me to use my dreams as a means to work on ideas, or a little problem solving. Lucidity was something I'd possessed long before Harmony got her hooks in me and bridged my dreams with Emerald, so it just felt natural to put the time to good use, even if it affected the quality of sleep I usually got. The only real difference between then and now was the fact that I wasn't reading aloud. If Luna comes snooping and I'm reading aloud to myself, she might leap to conclusions, especially if she hears me talking of the invasion.

The first step to derailing this universe, and preventing the downward spiral that led to the extinction of the 'true' changelings, was to hopefully get to Cadance before Chrysalis. Maybe I could suggest luring her out, I mused as I read a summary of Biologia Mutabilis: On Changelings New and Old, recalling the deranged starvation my own world's chrysalis had fallen into when we met. If I explain to them that the changelings are at risk of dying out from the inability to sufficiently feed and collect the love they need to survive, they'd be willing to parlay?

That in itself wasn't a bad plan, but I wasn't exactly sure ponies would see a changeling drone as adorable like I might, never mind the way they would likely be averse to feeding them. The fact that vampires are illegal might make ponies unwilling to allow changelings to directly feed upon them, I realised, creasing my brow as I considered my options. The bugs might not be willing to come to the table without an alternative food source offered, either.

No, there was a way, I realised after several minutes of sitting at a dead end. Years ago, Thorax taught, or maybe it's more accurate to say, he helped Cadance create a spell that could allow a creature to safely extract some of their own love and condense it in a container. That's actually a spell I got to look at the structure of when I was more experienced with runic magic. That should be in MEMORY_DATA_(EQUESTRIA)/MAGIC somewhere, but I really don't want to get up and look.

With a sigh, I opened up a console and queried all references to love in MEMORY_DATA_(EQUESTRIA)/MAGIC. It took a few minutes to go through it all, so in the meantime, I went back to the history of the Invasion of Canterlot. Although Chrysalis personally led the vanguard for the actual invasion operation, it's reported that several drones were present in and around Canterlot castle in the weeks leading up to the princess being replaced, collecting what love and information they could. If it was soon enough, it might not even come to preventing Chrysalis from replacing Princess Cadance. It might just become a matter of talking to an infiltrator, getting word back to her, and opening diplomatic channels that way. Let's see, does it name any of the infiltrators that... Oh? Oho!

A changeling queen in the body of an infiltrator robot seeking out a changeling infiltrator. Sounds like the makings of one of those weird logic puzzles that relies on awkward phrasing to obscure the meaning.

SEARCH RESULTS - "LOVE" IN: SYS://"../MEMORY_DATA_(EQUESTRIA)/MAGIC"

NAME DESCRIPTION

RUNIC_DICTIONARY "MENTAL COMPENDIUM OF ALL ACCRUED KNOWLEDGE OF INDIVIDUAL RUNES."

OBSCURE_SPELLS "VARIOUS SPELLS OF OBSCURE NATURE I'VE LEARNED FROM OTHER PONIES."

FORBIDDEN_SPELLS "VARIOUS SPELLS FORBIDDEN DUE TO DANGEROUS OR AMORAL USES."

LOVE_SPELLS "I'M NEVER DOING ANYTHING FOR TWIST EVER AGAIN."

I winced at that last one, immediately trying to keep the memory of that noodle incident from rising up. It was hardly my fault that the spell she wanted cast turned friendly shutterbug Featherweight into an obsessive stalker. What happened after was entirely on her... even if it did result in a restraining order between the two, and a one hundred bit fine on my part. No, the book on love spells would be useless.

If it came down to it, the runic dictionary would be useful, but I didn't wanna have to construct it from the ground up. Better to just dig it up and modify it. That said, I could probably discount the forbidden spells as well. I was pretty sure the only reason that love even toggled it was because of a spell that I made once upon a time in a last-ditch gambit to forcibly redeem Chrysalis when, at the end of the day, she was just as likely to kill me in order to hurt Starlight and Twilight, to whom I was only, at the time, mostly a pet project.

With that in mind, I dismissed the terminal, and focused my thoughts on levitating over the memory regarding obscure spells. It didn't take long to consult the index and find the spell I was looking for. As I opened it to that page, I then willed a projection of the spell into the air in front of me. Hmm, yes, this should do, although I should make some changes.

First and foremost, the spell was focused on extracting as much as was safely possible without killing the caster. It was originally used by infiltrators who would return to the hive after an extended gathering mission. The only pony who could safely cast it unaltered and not suffer physical and emotional exhaustion was Princess Cadance, and even then, it was more because she was capable of higher output than the spell's throughput permitted.

WARNING

UNAUTHORIZED REMOTE ACCESS ESTABLISHED

USER "4C554E41"
SOURCE: PROXIMITY, < 1,000 METRES

Even without looking at the prompt that popped up over the book as I set about changing out the safety parameters of the spell, I knew Princess Luna was there. As a lucid dreamer, I was almost always aware when my world's Luna stopped by to chat. I dunno, the touch of another soul was different than when I was being communicated with, or when I found Cyn sneaking around inside my mind.

"Evening, Princess," I commented, not taking my eyes off the spell form in front of me. Let's see... Add a function to check the caster's overall health and magic levels, then calculate what percentage of their love the caster can supply without putting them under fifty percent. Pass it out into the main spell as the transfusion value. Perhaps have it target the nearest container above a targeted anchor stone? No, that'd make it too complex to mass produce. Target nearest and... I added another function to compare it to the volume of the container, check for present love, and then one to modify the output so as to not overflow the container. Yes, much better. "Somehow, I expected you might be by. Thought you might be by as soon as you saw I was asleep, but that's neither here nor there."

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as she wandered into the 'library', looking around in wonderment. Then her eyes locked on me, and she tensed. She definitely recognised the shape of my soul here, so I prepared myself for some sort of condemnation and a vow to send me to Tartarus or something. Instead, she tensely replied, "Yes, well, your mental defences are quite robust."

"That," I began, before letting out a soft chuckle, "is pretty close to what my world's Princess Luna said, once upon a time." I made a mental note on the revised spell to engrave a circle for a container to sit upon when creating a slate. Finally, I committed the revision to memory as its own variant, but intentionally left the spell floating there. Let her see it if she wishes.

Finally, I turned to look directly at her. "Greetings once more, Princess Luna." The smile I gave was a gentle one, long practised to not show off my sharps. "Don't worry, I'm not intending to feed on anypony's emotions while I'm here. In the body I occupy, I couldn't if I tried. Besides, love given willingly and without deceit is far more worthwhile."

Her body language relaxed, but still she regarded me with a guarded look. "You are certainly more... amenable than the last queen We encountered before Our banishment." After a few moments, she took a seat on one of the plush cushions opposite to me. "Though you do bear a striking resemblance to her."

I nodded slightly, mentally conjuring up a photograph of Chrysalis as I remembered her then. "That's partially intentional, I fear," I said, passing the photo across the table. When the mare looked at it and blanched, I sighed. "In my world, the changelings... Harmony would say that they voluntarily evolved—although Hunger might say that her children defected—and no longer needed their deceitful, predatory behaviour."

Another photograph appeared in front of Luna, this one of Chysalis after she'd been tricked into redemption. "I had a hoof in the last queen's redemption, effectively driving the changelings as you knew them extinct," I explained, conjuring up a photograph of a green earth pony filly with a black mane and glasses, and another of a changeling queen nymph with a mane the same green as the filly's coat. "This was me, once upon a time. The Spirit of Hunger involved herself in my affairs, and suffice to say she took great pleasure in modelling me after Chrysalis when her scheme played out to its end. Luckily, I already had ponies who cared for me."

A voice echoed through the room, coming from nowhere and everywhere all at once. "You'd best not be about to tell these ponies how to lead my children astray, outsider," came a voice I always hoped to never hear again, yet dealt with on an uncomfortably regular basis. I didn't bother checking my systems, given that I didn't even receive any sort of connection notifications. Luna, however, seemed rather chilled by the sudden voice.

"Far be it for me to cause another extinction, oh Goddess of the Swarm," I shot back in a casual voice that only caused the princess to look incredulously at me. "Besides, if I'm right about what is to happen, I can derail that entirely and allow ponies and changelings to coexist without that conniving bitch Harmony's interference." Turning my attention back to the princess, I had the decency to look abashed. "Apologies, Your Highness, for my crass language; I still bear a grudge against that accursed tree in my world."

Although Hunger let out an interested hum, she offered no further commentary. Instead, I gestured back to the spellform floating between us, rotating it for her to take a look as I spoke. "The changelings are dying out, Princess, and they are desperate," I warned. "They plan to make a move before the wedding of Captain Shining Armour and Princess Cadenza. If we are not too late, we can put a stop to this. Here's my plan..."

I wasn't exactly sure when dawn came about. My system clock was still set to Copper-9's time, after all. The discussion with Princess Luna went on for quite a while before she had to excuse herself to go about her rounds in the dream realm. Plus, with the spell complete, I was left to quickly modify the design for a parasol before finally waking up. There was nothing else to do, and I didn't fancy seeing what might happen if I allowed myself to dream without restriction. As it stood, I was still running a little warm, but other than needing some fresh oil, I was good to go.

It was maybe forty minutes after I 'woke up' that I heard some ponies coming down the hall. There'd clearly been a shift change, as there was a bat-winged night pony in the familiar dark plate of the Night Guard parked beside my cell. Maybe it was another change of the shift? Then again, they wouldn't bring more than one pony if they're just guarding this one cell.

Eventually, Shining Armour walked in with a lower-ranked shiny boy right behind him. To my surprise, I saw the Victim's Guitar, the WDF Aviators, and a white cloth sheet sitting across the enlisted pony's back. The captain's face was a mask of professionalism, but there was a key floating in his magenta aura. Maybe he was actually able to read my surprise, because for the slightest moment, the mask slipped and the corner of his mouth perked up. Just a moment, and then it was gone.

"Well, Anonymous," he said, slipping the key into the lock. "I don't know how, but you've convinced the princess of your innocence." The look in his eyes said he knew exactly how I'd done it, but wasn't about to start any shit. With the way his eye darted to his accompanying guard, as well as the one posted by the door, I dare say he was even briefed. The door swung open, and he quickly added, Princess Luna has extended an invitation for you to dine privately with herself and her sister."

Again, they caught me off guard, not least of all because I was not certain I could metabolise anything they had to offer. Then again, I'm not sure exactly what they even expected me to do or where I could go today. I might be able to get away with simply walking around inside the castle so long as I stay away from windows, but I'd be going nowhere until after sundown.

Once my tail was freed, I stepped out of the cell and accepted my belongings without argument, slinging the instrument behind my back and clipping the glasses to my blouse. I wasn't exactly sure what to do with the cloth sheet, mind you. It could easily have been the sheet for a king-sized bed, but unless the plan was to wrap it around me and haul me up to the dining room in it, the purpose of it here was escaping me. It did, however, make me miss the cloak Rarity made for me when I was a filly. I did not, however, take the cloth.

Instead, I focused my gaze on the borrowed umbrella. Someone would be returning that to the restaurant today at some point, but... Now would be as good of a chance as any to test out those powers now that they saw I wasn't a threat. "Don't panic; there's something I'd like to try before we leave," I said, holding my hand out towards the umbrella. I gestured with my hand and began channelling.

ACTIVATING SYS://"../FABRIC/absoluteSolver_trn"
ACTIVATING SYS://"../FABRIC/absoluteSolver_scl"
ACTIVATING SYS://"../FABRIC/absoluteSolver_edt"

The umbrella lifted off into the air, gripped in the same symbol of translate as the one that appeared before my hand. My hand ran through two motions, and the umbrella duplicated itself, the symbol shifting between scale and edit. The original floated back down to the ground, but the duplicate stayed suspended before me. The metal shaft thickened, becoming denser, and splitting into interlocked segments of a collapsible staff, while the canopy went from a friendly pastel rainbow to a much more familiar green and black scheme. Finally, I deactivated the almost cheat-y reality-bending software.

Gripping the shaft in my hand, I tested the weight. It was heavy, but not so heavy as to be unwieldy, although I might wish to get a belt to which I could clip it. Finally, I turned away from the guards, facing down the cell-block hall and—keeping in mind who was where—thrust the canopy end forward. The shaft expanded to its full length, and the umbrella canopy sprung open. I nodded to myself, propping the umbrella against my shoulder as I turned to face the soon-to-be prince. "Shall we?"

The captain and both guards simply stood there, their jaws hanging open as they watched me. It took longer than I'm particularly pleased with for him to pick his jaw from the floor, but eventually he shook his head. "That won't be necessary indoors, Anonymous," he commented in a disbelieving tone. "Curtains have already been drawn along the assigned route."

Before agreeing to go with him, I engaged the thermal vision script once more and overlaid it in the corner of my sight. A quick comparison of the three ponies revealed they were all the same standard pony body temperature of 38°C. Accounting for individual differences, I allowed a variation of ±4°. Anything that ran lower than 34°C was likely to be a changeling. With that in mind I collapsed the umbrella staff, and, after a thought, slid it beneath the band over my left arm.

The trip out of the dungeon was about the same as the trip there last night, but I found myself paying a lot more attention to the ponies that passed us by. Most of them were normal, although we did have to stop when I pointed out that one of the guards posted along a corridor was running a fever. It was funny, because I'm not sure he even realised it himself until I pointed it out. Poor dude was probably pretty out of it.

As we drew closer to the royal dining room, which I honestly could have found my own way given my storied history with Canterlot Castle, I noticed something outside the norm, and definitely triggered the parameters I'd set for concern. One of the maids, little more than a teenage mare of arctic blue and amaranth colouring, was scrubbing at the floor, where it looked as though a decorative plant had been knocked over. But for her temperature, nothing about her even really made me suspicious.

Instead of approaching her directly, I stopped to examine a tapestry. When Shining Armour stopped to join me, I turned to face him, my back to the mare. I flashed a quick message up on my face plate in a digitised version of the Equestrian glyph system dragged up from my memory. GREATER DISCRETE EXCHANGE? It was a privacy bubble that prevented eaves-dropping and lip-reading that I'd seen used once or twice over the years.

He nodded and began channelling a spell through his horn. "What is it?" Shining asked in no small degree of concern.

"How much did Princess Luna brief you on what was discussed in the dream realm last night?" I asked, folding my arms as I returned to looking at the tapestry. He too returned his attention to it, catching on. "Did she mention anything about shapeshifters?"

He nodded slightly. "You've spotted one?" was his only means of answering. I angled my head toward the maid, ever so slightly when I was sure she wasn't looking. He quickly glanced over at the indicated pony. "Should we apprehend her?"

"No, I have a different idea in mind," I responded almost as quickly as my mind roiled with thought. It was a bit of a deviation from the plan I'd made with Luna, but all it really did was accelerate the timeline a bit, having already located one of the scouts. I leaned closely and whispered into his ear my plan, and then had him drop the privacy spell.

We began to move down the hallway once more, only for the prince to stop a few paces past the disguised changeling. He turned, and then casually initiated a conversation, "Excuse me Miss..."

The changeling in earth pony form nearly leapt out of her skin, and I could just imagine the alarm pheromones she was releasing into the air. She took a few steadying breaths to calm herself before she looked up, at Shining. "Dewdrop, sir."

I don't think the smile on his face was at all fake. It almost reminded me of the sort of demeanour a guard might take when talking to a lost foal. "Miss Dewdrop," he repeated as though committing it to memory. "I realise this is an unusual request, but we have a VIP guest that will be staying in the castle on very short notice, and an attendant has not yet been assigned to her." I took that moment to wave at her with a friendly smile. "Would you kindly accompany Lady Anonymous until such time as one can be assigned by the head maid?"

She looked like she was ready to protest, but thought better of it. Wonder which would look worse to the head maid, ditching her job at the request of the Captain of the Guard, or ignoring his request. Instead, she bowed and fell in step behind us. The remainder of the journey was silent.

I didn't even need a flesh body with its instincts to feel her gaze on me as we went, but I wondered what she was thinking. Perhaps she was (correctly) assuming that the weird robot alien had her figured out and was going to blow her cover. Then again, it might just have been that being called off like this had her out of place for some plan or another. Of course, I also couldn't deny the possibility that I was simply freaking her the fuck out.

Not that I blame her. I'm like nothing she's ever seen before.

Eventually, the captain led us to a pair of large doors, two guard unicorns flanking it, with their spears crossed in front of the doors. As soon as they saw me, they tensed, but a shake of the captain's head called off any aggressive behaviour. "The princesses are expecting us." At that, the spears parted, and the door slowly opened.

The room was just as grand as I remembered the one from my own Equestria being, complete with guards posted on the inside of the door as well. That said, I was somewhat surprised by the relatively small table present at the centre. Even with only a small breakfast party, my princesses used the same grand table they used for feasts. I couldn't even fathom the idea of having ponies haul the long table in and out with any regularity. But that was beside the point.

See, I was more focused on the presence of Princesses Celestia and Luna. The former was watching me with trepidation, especially when she noted the maid a few steps behind me. Meanwhile, the latter merely gave me an arch look. At the very least, though, they were similar to their counterparts in my world as far as their breakfasts were concerned. Huge stacks of pancakes and tea and coffee respectively, as well as a pitcher of water with empty glasses at the centre of the table.

Once we came to a respectable distance from the table, I lowered myself into the same kneeling bow that I'd given Luna the previous night. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna," I greeted, rising only once prompted. At that, I took a seat at the opposite side of the table at the spot that bore several glasses, with various liquids. Evidently for taste testing various oils. Beside me, Shining Armour took a seat at the remaining spot.

"Anonymous Flicker, I take it?" Celestia asked, noting the changeling maid already taking her place behind me. "I was not aware an attendant had already been assigned to you."

I flashed another message across my faceplate, earning a raised eyebrow from both. I'LL EXPLAIN SHORTLY. "The good captain saw fit to requisition Miss Dewdrop's services until somepony could be assigned to me in a more official manner," I lied. Somehow, I think they got the hint nonetheless. "I thank you for having me, Your Hignesses."

Quietly, we went to eating our breakfasts. Or rather, they ate, and I sampled the various oils present. Two of the glasses were full of a clear liquid, but the other three were full of different coloured cooking oils. I couldn't smell or taste them—not in the traditional sense at any rate—but I imagined they were sunflower, rapeseed, and olive oils. The last two were lantern and mineral oil. Of the five, only two of them set off any sort of warnings in my system advising me not to consume them in great quantities, being the sunflower and vegetable oil. What 'tasted' the best, however, was the lantern oil—a bit spicy like a cinnamon-infused cider.

Commit that to memory.

Once everyone was done eating, we moved onto business. "So, Luna tells me that you have brought a potential diplomatic nightmare to our attention," Celestia commented, her eyes again drifting to the maid standing quietly behind me. "One that could mean life or death for a kingdom. Would you care to elaborate?"

I nodded, glancing over to Luna. "Princess, have you the slate I requested?" When a stone tablet appeared on the table in front of me, I withdrew my left hand into my arm and deployed the etching laser I'd discovered previously and began etching the love donation spell into it. "Thank you... Yes, so there is a species out there, one that is on the verge of starvation and extinction... Only a few thousand left by my estimate. It's one you and your sister have had an antagonistic relationship with the leader of once before."

I didn't miss the alarmed look on Celestia's face when the implication hit her. "Their people aren't inherently evil, though they are very much subject to their own nature, which can put them at odds with ponies; at the same time, they do not deserve to die out... Yet, their leader is desperate and is prepared to attempt a course of action that will doom her people." With my free hand, I repeated what I'd done earlier with translate, scale, and edit, targeting one of the glasses in front of me. It duplicated itself, and then that duplicate grew and transformed into a pitcher, which levitated over to sit in a circle etched on the tablet. When the etching was complete, I glanced at Shining Armour, "May I borrow one of your unicorns? I'd normally do this myself but this body doesn't possess Equestrian magic, and I'm not entirely sure it'd work on me as I am."

The captain looked to a guard posted by the door, and nodded him over to me. "Could you channel your magic into the spell engraved on this tablet? Go as though you were to grab it with telekinesis, but let the grooves shape the spell with the intent to cast." It took the armoured mare a minute to understand what I was asking, but the moment it clicked for her, a pink liquid quickly began to fill the pitcher. Finally, the spell cut out. "I imagine you feel as though you've just donated blood." The guard nodded, but quietly returned to her post. "You should be fine in a few hours, although I'd hold off on any further donations for a while."

Finally, I turned to glance at the maid. She was trying to hide the fact that she was drooling, but it wasn't going very well. Her pink eyes were focused solely on the liquid inside the pitcher. "Would you like some, Ocellus?" If she'd been paying closer attention, she'd have realised I did not use the name of her cover identity. Instead, she simply nodded, so I grabbed one of the empty glasses at the middle of the table and poured some of the concentrated love into it, before passing it over.

When she shakily took the glass in her hooves, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna watched with a mixture of alarm and interest on their faces. The moment she started drinking, tears could be seen beginning to form in her eyes. I could only imagine when was the last time she'd gotten to have anything like it. "How is it?" I asked, ruffling her mane with my hand. "Better than anything you've had back at the hive?"

The little changeling was definitely getting a bit love drunk. "No drone would ever be permitted something this rich," she whimpered as she cleared out the glass entirely. Her transformation reverted, revealing the diminutive changeling drone in all her nature. She was just as gaunt and emaciated as I imagined a drone from the Badlands hive would be. Holes peppered her limbs and wings, which buzzed happily. "It's the first time I've ever felt the hunger abate." Finally, her words caught up to her, and she realised all eyes in the room were on her. "I—oh no! I shouldn't have said that! I've broken the masquerade... She's going to kill me..."

"Relax," I reassured her, gently patting her head. "I give you my oath, in the name of the Goddess of the Swarm, I shall permit no harm befall you in my presence."

An appreciative smile crossed Princess Luna's face. "Show them," she prompted simply. "Let them see why this matters to you so."

My holographic emitters flickered to life, showing my nature as I remembered it. Celestia tensed until I used a fork to demonstrate the illusion of my holo-emitters. "I come from an Equestria where her queen's plan failed," I explained in a soft voice as the young drone stared at me in awe, likely noting the lack of holes in my limbs. "Changelings, at least as they were, died out, and the Spirit of Hunger made me a queen as punishment for crossing her by removing her last piece from play. I'd rather not see the same happen here, as they could be so much more with love freely given and a chance at something more."

That seemed to allay some of the princess' fears. "An admirable goal," Celestia finally admitted. She seemed to relax. Even she couldn't deny that if ponies and changelings coexisted, there was one less existential threat pointed at her ponies. Plus, if Chrysalis could be turned to their side, who knows how the future will change? How could the integration of changelings benefit the world? I bet all of those questions were spiralling within her head. "I nevertheless worry how much your idea hinges on their leader being open to diplomacy."

Eventually, Ocellus calmed down enough for me to ask her a question—a very important question. "Has Chrysalis arrived or otherwise replaced Princess Mi Amore Cadenza as of yet?" That did get an alarmed shout from Shining Armour and Celestia, forcing both to rise to her hooves. When the disguised bug shook her head, I smiled. "Could you find Intelligencer Chelicerae and bring her here?"

Even as she shakily nodded, reapplying her disguise, Shining pointed to the guard who hadn't donated love. "You go with her, and don't let her out of your sight. Take one of the guards outside with you." Smart boy. "At the first sign of treachery, lock the whole place down."

Item Get!

Friends

N, Disassembly Drone - COP9AU
Uzi, Worker Drone - COP9AU

Items

The Victim's Guitar - COP9AU
WDF Aviators - COP9AU
Shapeshifter's Parasol - EQUS____ *NEW*

Software

Conscience_v0.1a - COP9AU
absoluteSolver (?) - COP9AU

2 extra lives remaining