Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

197 - Between Friends

Silver sat before the door. To his left, Night Watch, to the right, Samantha. They all looked at Nefertari's door, but had not knocked yet. He glanced aside at Night. "This may be larger than us."

Night bristled. "She deceived me, her student, and hurt an innocent, two! Two innocents along the way. She's a thief and a foalnapper!"

Silver nodded. "And she needs to be confronted... carefully. She is an ambassador. There are politics invo--Ow!"

Samantha pulled back her hoof from where she had prodded Silver. "Please forgive my physical violence, but I'm... beyond angry, and scared. She has my mother!"

Silver's ears went down. "I know... Look, let's tell Celestia. She'll at least know what moves we can take that don't end in a mess, or at least the smallest mess, alright?"

Night grunted softly as she eyed the closed door. "Fine, you get the Princess, but I'm staying right here in case she decides to step out."

"Me too!" Samantha moved to sit beside Night. "We'll show her the error of her ways, and maybe we'll get a trial for it. Do you think? Kidnapping is as bad as what I did, right?"

Silver saw only potential disaster in his wives' decisions. The idea of a confrontation... "Neither of you are guards." He leaned towards Night but she ducked away. "At least, not anymore. I love you both dearly, which is why I want to do this right. If we push this, it could become a huge messy... thing with people hurt on both sides."

"What is the meaning of this?" It was Luna, approaching with a raised brow. "Why are you all gathered around Ambassador Nefertari's room?"

Night looked away. Silver had no such compunction and pointed at the door. "Nefertari..." Oh, that was complicated. "Some background, are you aware of the idea of shamanism and spirits?"

Luna blinked softly. "We are aware of the idea, yes. Why?"

Silver nodded. "Night did a ceremony to summon Samantha's mother, it worked. Nefertari snatched her, uh, the mother's spirit and left with it."

Luna frowned sharply. "That's a serious accusation." She approached the door and clopped on it gently. "Ambassador Nefertari, might we speak with you?"

The door opened, allowing Nefertari to peek out and scan the hallway for the presence of the Watches and Luna. "Yes?"

Luna gave a little smile. "Ambassador, we do not mean to bother, but are you aware of the presence of this one's mother?" She held a hoof over Samantha. "She is my ward, so it falls on me to see to her mental and physical health, which includes seeing to this matter."

"Certainly." Nefertari held out a small stone in a paw. "Here you are."

Luna blinked but accepted the stone. "Your cooperation is appreciated."

"A pleasure." The door quietly closed.

Luna blinked again at the stone resting on her horseshoe. "Is this it?"

Night looked at the stone with a frown. "It looks like it, but she was... a ghost before Nefertari did whatever she did." Night reached up and took the stone with a deft wing and began to examine it critically. "Thank you..."

Samantha was less reserved with her thanks, hugging Luna tightly. "Thank you! My mother doesn't deserve to be grabbed by violators of the Golden Rule." She stuck out her tongue, then looked to Night. "Can you fix her?"

Silver let out a little breath, glad that thing seemed to have been resolved with blessed peace. Too much peace. He didn't quite like it. "She... wouldn't have taken it just to give it back."

Night nodded. "Exactly what I fear." She tapped at the stone softly and turned it around and around. "I don't know how to call her out, but let's try a basic summoning and see if that works." She rose to her hooves as she tucked the rock away.

Luna cleared her throat. "Pardon me... I know I have little footing to ask, but may I accompany you... as a friend?" She ventured a little smile. "I will be on my best behavior."

Night gave Luna a nasty glare but it softened a moment later. "Go ahead... I shouldn't be so harsh on Samantha's legal mother." She clucked her tongue against her teeth as she trotted down the hallway.

Luna fell in behind Night. "Have I fouled our relationship so badly, that only politeness forbids your outright banning of my presence?"

"Yes."

Luna cringed at the response. As short as it was brutal. "I... deserve that. I have erred in countless ways. Would you have me attempt anyway?"

Night glanced over her shoulder a moment. "Go ahead, count for us, but to make it interesting, tell us why what you did was wrong."

Luna sighed as she followed the others. "Very well... We shall begin with how we all came to be entangled, that being Silver. When I first met him... I offered a hoof, but he was happy to explore Equestria, then he met that changeling queen who was not even aware of her exact significance. I was ready to terminate her life... And it was wrong. Silver prevented me from carrying it out. It was wrong because she is not defined by her species. She is a good pony. She cares and loves and wishes to improve the world she lives in. Just because she had the misfortune to be born a changeling only makes her noble heart all the more worthy of protection, not scorn."

Silver swiveled an ear towards her, but was quiet.

"But that is little compared to my true crime... I was called back to the city with report of a pony seeking to become a biped. Not the first, mind. Most are content to simply rally with others with such aberrant thoughts, but some are ready to use magic, as I thought this one had, and he had, to a degree... Silver had again surprised me. Broken, confused, and in physical pain, I... abused him. I took everything he had, even his adulthood. Some would say even his dignity. I certainly took all his material possessions, and left him a mewling colt in the hooves of two ponies, one of which he barely knew. I... was wrong. I was wrong. Completely and utterly."

Silver felt his wings rising. "Hey! I get an opinion on that, and I'm quite happy the way things turned out, thank you."

Luna smiled gently. "You're adaptable, and that's good. That you've adjusted to this change, commendable, but it is no excuse for me to--"

"I like what I am." Silver grunted softly and his magic angrily swung the door open to his room. "You could have been nicer about it, but I don't for a moment regret becoming what I am today."

Night trotted into the room and set down the onyx, taking a slow breath. "Alright... Enough counting. Samantha, sit across from me and look at the stone."

Luna entered hesitatingly, looking around at the incense and discarded mirror. "Curious..."

Silver slipped in after Luna, closing the door behind them all. He glanced towards the nursery, but things were quiet from there, for the moment.

Night and Samantha nodded to one another before Night spread her hooves in the air. "Can you hear me? I'm sorry it ended so abruptly last time. Will you come back?" She swallowed thickly. "Can you?"

Samantha drew her snout into a thin-lipped grimace before she sat up. "Mother, we weren't finished. Are you there?"

Night's grandfather quietly took his place beside her, much to Luna's surprise. She fell back, crashing into Silver as she stared at the apparition. To her credit, she did not say anything despite her shock.

Samantha tapped the ground beside the rock. "Come out of there."

Night nodded at Samantha. "Nothing is holding you anymore. Come back to us."

The rock jumped softly before smoke began to billow out of it, slowly taking a familiar form of a human, almost. While the figure was Samantha's mother, she had clearly not born her trip unscathed. She had the ears and wagging tail of an Anubian on her spectral features. There was also an odd symbol across her chest. Though none present knew the exact meaning, it reminded several of the same style as the mark placed on Night once.

Samantha tried to take the hand of her mother, but she was no shaman, and simply brushed through the air it occupied. "Mother?"

The figure was silent. It smiled a little at Samantha, and tears fell from its empty eyes, but it was silent.

Night drove a hoof into the ground. "Speak." She felt the force she had pushed through with the guardian spirit, but this one pushed back. Whatever she contended with had more force than her by far and she rocked back into the supportive grasp of her grandfather.

Luna glanced between the spectre and Samantha. "Is that your mother?"

"She was talking before, I swear!" Samantha sat, clearly dejected. "NefNef, no... Nefertari did something."

Silver looked over the figure curiously. "Can you nod?"

The spectre looked at Silver and gave a faint nod of her head.

Night smiled brightly. "Good thinking. Do you want to talk?"

The ghost nodded.

"But you can't."

She nodded.

"Did Nefertari do this?"

There was nothing. "The jackal, the one that bound you." She nodded. Night drew a slow breath. "Did she hurt you?"

The figure seemed unsure a moment, then slowly shook her head.

Samantha let out a loud gust of air as she relaxed a little. "We'll fix you, promise!"

The ghost kneeled down to Samantha's level and put her hands on Samantha's cheeks, petting gently a moment even as she began to fade. All too quickly, she was gone.

Luna shook her head. "We don't understand this, not by far, but inform us if we are mistaken. You conjured forth this apparition to speak to it. Ambassador Nefertari intervened and did... something to make it unable to speak and alter its appearance."

Night nodded. "That's the basic story..." She scowled at the stone that remained. "She seems bound to this rock, which makes calling her easy, but she can't talk, or do whatever ghosts do." She turned to her grandfather's spirit. "What do you do when you're not here?"

He perked up when addressed. "At first, nothing. Now that I properly understand I'm dead, it's different. I visit my loved ones, and their foals. They can't see me, but I can see them, and it makes me feel good to watch over them. Your foals are adorable, Little Watch."

Night turned a little red. "I-I see, alright. Well, she can't do that." She reached for the rock and tapped it. "Grandfather, do you know what this is?"

"No idea, sorry. Being dead doesn't let me know more things, just a different perspective is all." He looked across to Silver curiously. "So you're the one that took my Little Watch, hmm?"

Author's Note:

So, uh, meet my grandfather!

No typos were hurt in the summoning of this spirit.

Comments

[harts fire]

this is going to be interesting.
I do have a idea as to ware this code go but we will all have to see ware David Silver's muse pulls us next.

[Amethyst Blade]

This gives me the feeling that it is all to test Night's mettle, to test Night's skill. To be a final test for her to either advance in shamanism or complete the training as a shaman.

But, if it is a darker purpose, motive, then...Hehehehehehehe!

pa1.narvii.com/5757/f629f0fb56a2c9d0120cbddf0b37bb89eab91493_hq.gif

[Daremo]

sit besides Night - sit beside Night

Nefertari snatch her - Nefertari snatched her

brutal. I... deserve that. - brutal. "I... deserve that.

the mark placed on Samantha once.

Was Samantha marked at some point, or should it be Night?

*****
Wow, excellent work! So much happened in 2k words!

This seems an excellent opportunity to practice bowing respectfully to Night's honored ancestor.

I suspect that Nefertari's actions are a test and learning opportunity for Night Watch. She has somehow added strength to Samantha's mother's spirit and now it is more difficult for Night to exert her will. She left all the tools and material components required to do another summoning, as well, including the incense for the protective barrier. Nefertari has also given Night a good incentive to keep at it with the same spirit, no pun intended, and determination that she has already shown. By the time this is over, it would probably be wise to thank Nefertari as a teacher instead of harboring any anger or hurt feelings.

Princess Luna is certainly in a pensive mood. It's good of her to admit to doing what she felt was right at the time, but now realizes that she could have acted with more respect and consideration. As sovereign, it is her rightful authority to act unilaterally, but that is not always wise and she seems to at least be learning that this lesson applies to relationships with ponies she wants to be close to in addition to affairs of state.

Hmm...

'Affairs of State' will be my euphemism for any trysts between Silver and the royal sisters from this point forward.

[David Silver]

7294939 Typos cleared like hanging incense smoke with a stiff breeze. It was a heavy chapter, full of meaning and purpose.

I think Luna's confessions were needed to help clear that foggy air.

How will we cure Samantha's be-jackled mother?

[Booster Spice]

To me, Nef is like, I deny your god, and replace it with my own, because the true forerunner is not that which I follow, and thus is blasphemous heresy and must be cleansed.

Somethinhgs going on and I don have an AI running that can analyse it yet.

[HoneyBadgerr]

Do you have any plans to do anything special for chapter 200?

[Vutava]

"The jackal, the one that binded you."

bound

[David Silver]

7296195 Since you're the second to report this spoken typo, fixed.

[tsaukpaetra]

So Samantha's mother is now altered, maybe jailed and probably programmed to be a sleeper cell. Interesting that spirit form can change, maybe a reflection of the dream?
Keep going! ;)

[Morphy]

I wonder... could Night do a little spectral spying into Luna's and Celestia's past? We never really find out if the Princesses are born alicorns or ascended, unlike Cadance and Twilight. It'd be kinda neat if we get a peek at Faust and the two getting all weepy with each other, with the help of Night bridging a massive gulf of time-- assuming it was "nature" and not "nurture" that created Celestia and Luna.

[Shachza]

"Did she hurt you?"

The figure seemed unsure a moment, then slowly shook her head.

Seems to be a running theme for you story, David, that unless a character has been in physical pain, they don't consider themselves "hurt." (Unless you're someone who's been locked in a closet by Samantha, and that's only because others were making the determination for those who were emotionally hurt.)

I hope the characters don't accept Sam's mom's answer, because having your volition ripped from you, and then being forcibly altered, is going to hurt someone, whether or not physical pain is involved.

(I was going to say "physical damage," but Sam's mom has been "physically" altered, which I would consider damage to her form, even if it was painless.)

[NightmintHLW]

Night trotted into the room and set down the onyx, taking a slow breath. "Alright... Enough counting. Samantha, sit across from me and look at the stone.

you forgot the last "

[David Silver]

8341707
Fix'd!

[Well Geboren]

7294863
A typo sneaked into your comment near 2 and a half years ago, my condolences for it not being caught in time.