Caught in the Crossfire

by Inquisitor Kobold

Revelations

Eight years before the Changeling War…
Nova and Silver don’t take the eyes off the city for more than a second as they watch the changelings overrun the guards’ defences. Neither of them dare to speak as the swarm continues to rip apart the city.
“What do you think will become of Equestria now?” Nova asks.
“I don’t know,” Silver says, worriedly, “but it can’t be good…”
Nova closes his eyes as he tries to rest after their mad dash from the city, but he finds himself awakened by a jolt of energy striking his horn, which then ripples down his spine. He snaps into an upright position as he looks out towards Canterlot, just in time to see a flash of light followed by a powerful wave of magic, covering the entire city.
“Oh my goodness!” Silver exclaims. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Nova replies, trying to remain calm, “I just…” his voice trails off as he debates with himself whether or not it would be wise to reveal his family’s most carefully guarded secret to her. Should I really tell her? I mean, we just met and all, but…
Silver’s expression displays a mixture of curiosity, and confusion. “Hey, Nova?” she says, concern creeping into her voice. “You okay there?
Nova snaps back to reality at the sound of his name. “Yes,” he says, trying to sound reassuring, “I’m fine.”
Silver narrows her eyes at him. “Nopony--not even somepony as weird as you are--gets like that when they’re fine!”
“Hey, why so suspicious all of a sudden?”
“Because you’re acting suspicious!”
Oh no, this is not good! She’s onto me--what do I do? “W-what do you mean, I’m not acting suspicious. I’m just a little shaken up after the invasion, that’s all!”

Mimic pauses as she probes Nova’s emotions and finds fear to be predominant within him. Oh yeah, he’s definitely hiding something! I’ve just got to drill a little deeper, and maybe then, I can finally get him to talk… Her eyes narrow further as she continues to interrogate him. “Come on, I know you’re lying. You’re sweating way too much for a normal pony--even if we did recently escape a changeling invasion!”

Nova’s mind goes into panic mode as he tries his hardest to bury the secret. Change the subject! Change the subject! CHANGE THE SUBJECT! “Umm…Hey, did you know, uh-”
“You’ve got to be kidding me if you think I’ll just look the other way if you change the subject.” Silver interrupts him. “Come on, tell me what’s going on in that obviously scholarly brain of yours! Please?” she says, giving him a pleading look.
Dang it, how does she know that look is my weakness? Just look away, Nova, just look away…

Mimic can feel Nova’s psyche becoming weaker with each passing moment. I’ve got him, now I just need to keep pressing it on…and eventually…he’ll crack. “Pretty please?” she begs him, her tone and her voice starting to sound like those of a little filly to add to the effect. Just for an extra touch, she forces tears to form in her eyes and make her lip start to quiver as well. Heh-heh, works every time!

Nova steals a glance back at her, and instantly regrets it. Dammit! Why is she so convincing? He keeps telling himself to look away, but the look on Silver’s face--as well as the odd looks that he’s getting from the other passengers--compound his guilt until he can’t take it anymore, and his emotional barriers cave in under the weight of his conscience. “Alright, I’ll tell you when we get to Hollow Shades! But you have to promise me you’ll never tell anypony about this!”

VICTORY! Mimic’s inner self bounces around her mind in celebration, but she suppresses the urge to scream with delight at having achieved her goal. “That should be acceptable.” she says, rewarding the unicorn with a smile reminiscent of the inner filly she channeled to guilt Nova into giving up his secret.

Nova’s conscious mind screams at him for failing to hold onto his family’s--until now--best-kept secret. Damn it. Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT, YOU IDIOT! What are your parents going to say when they find out that you told a random pegasus from Celestia-knows-where, about the Eye of Dusk? The scolding from his consciousness persists until his subconscious interjects, But she did the face… to which his conscious mind replies, SO, BUCKING WHAT? You have just agreed to give away our family’s greatest secret! But she- BUCK YOU! GO TO TARTARUS!
Silver appears to have become completely oblivious to her surroundings as she hums a merry tune, which only seems to add to Nova’s distress.

* * *

Nova and Silver step onto the platform immediately as the doors of the train open. Silver follows him for a few minutes, then finally asks, “Well? Aren’t you going to tell me your special secret?” she once again gives him that mind-rending-guilt inducing look of longing.
Nova’s primary and secondary emotional safeguards have all but collapsed thanks to a certain pegasus. But his psyche's inner defenses hold fast, for this time he expected her psychological warfare, which could charm a little colt into giving up his Nightmare Night candy. “If you’d stop giving me that look, I’d be able to think of a comprehensible way to explain it.” he says. “But that’s not the only issue at hoof here--we’re still in a public space! And while Hollow Shades is generally a quiet isolated town with a fairly low population, that also means that it would be easy for somepony to eavesdrop on us.”

Mimic’s wings twitch with irritation, and her pegasus disguise mimics this by ruffling feathers. “So when are you going you going to tell me your oh-so-important secret?” she asks, making sure her impatience gets through to Nova.
“I want to go somewhere private. If I’m going to tell you, I would prefer to speak of it where we won’t have the risk of anypony listening in on our conversation…”
Mimic sighs. “What place did you have in mind?”
“Ohh, I was thinking something along the lines of…my house.” he replies.
“Then hurry it up!” Mimic says. “The sooner we get there, the sooner I get to hear all the juicy details…”
Nova groans. “Alright, alright, I’m moving. See?” he says as he starts to walk a bit faster.

Moments later--thanks to Silver’s motivation strategy involving a stick, a spider, and Nova’s arachnophobia--the two ponies arrive at Nova’s house.
Nova opens the door and Silver follows him inside. The first room is absolutely filled with books, most of which are stacked against the walls on either side of the room. Silver’s jaw drop at the sheer number of them.
“How did you get so many books?” she exclaims, somewhat overwhelmed at the sight.
“I hang onto some of them for a few of my colleagues,” Nova replies, “others were gifts from my parents, and some of these are even from the Hollow Shades Library, but…that burned down about a decade ago. Something to do with a lightning strike hitting the roof and then…” his voice trails of as he tries to avoid going deeper into the sad story.
“What is it?” asks Silver. “What happened?”
“We’re getting off topic here,” Nova says, “let’s just focus on why we came here in the first place.”
Silver then recalls the event that occurred during the train ride, and gives him a nod. “Then out with it,” she says excitedly, “I want to hear this secret of yours!”
Nova lets out a sigh. Well, looks like I’ve wasted my last chance to avoid spilling my family’s best-kept secret. He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and then exhales slowly. Once he is sufficiently calm, Nova opens his eyes and looks directly at Silver.
“I am the most recent inheritor of the Eye of Dusk.” he says. “The Eye of Dusk is a trait that has been passed through my family for generations. It allows anypony who possesses it to sense any sufficiently large amount of magical energy that passes through the Eye’s bearer. However, it is not only a gift, but in way, it is also a curse…”
Silver tilts her head slightly to one side, giving nova a curious look. “How so?” she asks, her gaze causing Nova an unusual amount of difficulty keeping his thought clear.
What is going on with her? he wonders. Why is her every request so difficult to refuse? He looks her in the eyes, a flustered, fearful, and fascinated look frozen onto his face. “How are you doing that?”
“Doing what?” Silver asks innocently.
“That!” Nova says. “Every request you make causes me to feel obligated to comply. And it seems to be getting stronger with each passing moment.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” replies Silver, not letting her smile falter even the slightest amount.
Nova groans as he realizes that there’s no possible way for him to win this argument. “Okay, you win,” he finally says, “I’ll tell you everything you want to know!”

Mimic’s smile broadens, and switches from her previous sly grin, to an excited look of satisfaction. Yes! she mentally cries out in an internal victorious cheer. He’s such an easy pony to get to. I hardly even have to give him a pleading stare, with only the slightest dose of royal pheromones and an undetectably small burst persuasion magic, and his mind becomes an open book to me! She spares a moment to look at the dazed unicorn. He’s certainly not the first pony I’ve tried this on, but he is the first pony to so readily succumb to the effects. I’ll have to look into why that is…but for now, I mustn’t waste this opportunity to make him spill the rest of this oh-so-important secret of his.
“You may continue…” the disguised queen says, urging Nova to continue.
“Very well.” he says. “The Eye of Dusk’s main issue is that anypony who possesses it to experience a very unpleasant sensation in the presence of divine magic, or light magic.”
“What’s the difference?” Mimic asks.
“While anypony who is skilled enough in the art of spellcasting can use light magic,” Nova answers, “divine magic is otherworldly, and tends to be very selective of who and/or what can control it, as well as when it can be controlled.”
“So divine magic is limited to very specific circumstances, while light magic is just really hard to cast, right?” Mimic asks.
Nova nods. “Exactly!”
“Fascinating…” Though she was already fully aware of the difference that Nova just explained to her, she hides her knowledge from Nova out of fear that he might become suspicious of her if she were to imply any prior knowledge of magic. After all, she is disguised as a pegasus, and for a pegasus to have extensive knowledge of advanced unicorn magic would be very surprising to anypony.

---

One year before the Changeling War…
Nova escapes his pursuers, and begins looking for somewhere he might be able to meet up with Silver. However, he doesn’t get far before something swoops down and grabs him, then lifts him up into the air. Nova struggles to break free, but as he watches the ground fall away beneath him, he realizes that his efforts are futile. He tries to get a look at his captor, and realizes that she is a changeling queen.
“Relax,” says a familiar voice, “you’re safe now.”
“S-silver?” Nova asks. “Is that you?”
“Well, that’s not my real name, but it is the name you’ve known me by since we first met.” She remains silent for a moment, then adds, “You’re probably confused about all of this, but I Promise, I’ll explain everything soon. For now, just rest--you deserve it, and you’re going to need it.”
Nova lets out a sigh. “Well, if your name isn’t Silver, then what shall I call you?”
The changeling queen looks down at him, and smiles. “My true name is Mimic. You are the first pony I’ve revealed my name to, during my time in Equestria that is.”
“Wait, were there others before me?”
“Shh…” Mimic soothes, “no talking, just rest…I’ll answer everything later--I promise. Just go to sleep now, and all will be revealed, when you wake up.”
Green light flashes from her eyes, and creeps its way into the edges of Nova’s vision. Nova finds himself rapidly growing wearier with each passing second. Before he has a chance to realize what’s happening to him, he’s out cold.

Mimic smiles as she carries Nova away from the city. A few pegasi from the Royal Guard fly after her, but changelings divert the guards’ attention away from her, lead them close to the ground, then fire a few shots from their paralyzers to incapacitate them. A changeling scout, who Mimic recognizes as Ryder, flies up alongside her.
“Good work on those guards,” the queen says, “your unit has done a commendable job.”
“I serve to please.” Ryder replies. “But please--with all due respect your Highness--save your compliments for the unit overseer. I mean, she is the one who coordinated the maneuver.”
Mimic shrugs, using her magic to move Nova up onto her back. “Very well then. But what might I ask brings you up here with me? Shouldn’t you be down there, assisting your unit with cleaning up the evidence?”
“Actually, your Highness,” he says, “I was sent up here to report that we’ve taken a prisoner…”
Mimic did not expect to hear this, she pauses to think for a moment then decides to question the scout further. “Who is this prisoner?”
“We have no idea your Highness,” says Ryder, “but I am able to provide you with a description of his appearance.”
“Well?” Mimic says. “Go on…”
“As you wish, my queen!” Ryder says. He takes a moment to clear his throat, then continues. “What we know of the prisoner is as follows: He is a black stallion, unicorn, surprisingly muscular build, his mane and tail are both red, and his eyes are a bright orange color. He also appears to be in his early forties--though that has yet to be confirmed.”
“Anything not related to his appearance you might be able to tell me?” The queen inquires.
“Of course your Highness.” he says. “We believe the prisoner to be of significantly high status-”
“You do realize this is Canterlot, don’t you?” Mimic interrupts him.
“Y-yes, your Highness, I…I am aware of that--but please, just hear me out!”
“Very well then,” she says, “continue.”
Ryder nods, then resumes his explanation “Well, based on his uniform--I’m no expert on their ranking by the way--another member of my identified him as a ‘first lieutenant’ of the Elite Canterlot Guard.”
Mimic sighs. “I’m only accustomed to non-military life in Equestria. Could you please explain the significance of this pony’s rank?”
“As you wish!” Ryder says, his tone becoming frantic as he grows more worried he may soon offend, or already have offended the queen.
“Ryder,” Mimic says, sensing the tension in Ryder’s voice, “calm down, you’re doing just fine. Please, continue…”
“R-right,” he says, “I…I’m sorry. I’m…new to this position…” He takes a deep breath, then exhales slowly, and resumes his explanation. “First lieutenant is the highest rank a pony can receive in the Royal Guard, without becoming an officer.”
“Could you explain it in terms of our military’s ranking system?”
Ryder shakes his head. “I myself don’t understand it that well, but if it would please you, I could get my comrade who does.”
Mimic sighs. “It can wait.” she says. “For now, tell your coordinator that I want the prisoner brought back to our encampment so that I may see this pony for myself.”
Ryder nods, and is quick to obey the queen’s orders. Mimic lets out another sigh, and waits until Ryder is out of sight. She then looks at the unconscious unicorn on her back.
“Don’t worry Nova,” she says, knowing that for now he can’t hear a word she says, “we’ll be somewhere safe soon enough…”

* * *

Nova wakes up to find himself in a tent of some sort. As his eyes adjust to the dark, he notices that he is laying on a sleeping bag, with a pillow placed neatly under his head. He adjusts himself into a sitting position, and looks around.
“Whuh…what happened?” he asks.
When he doesn’t receive an answer, he realizes that he is completely alone in the tent.
His eyes become better adjusted to what little light can make it into the tent, and he notices that it is of considerable size. Upon further inspection he discovers a rectangular metal container with its lid lying partway off to one side. Sunlight penetrating a small hole in the tent hits something inside the metal box and reflects off of it. His curiosity piqued, Nova carries himself over to the container, and pushes the lid all the way off, and casts a light spell to illuminate its contents. Nova doesn’t know what to make of it at first, everything in the box is made of metal, some polished, some not. He adjusts the spell so the light concentrates into a brighter, more focused beam, allowing him to better analyze the contents.
Everything he sees is completely alien to him. He stare at it in a mix of fascination, curiosity, and confusion. He shines the light on some of the polished metal objects in the box. He picks one up with his magic, killing the light spell, and therefore, forcing him to rely on nothing but the light of his horn.
He reaches up with a hoof to adjust his glasses, then realizes that they aren’t there. He sets down the unidentified object, and casts another light spell, this time with greater effort, illuminating the entirety of the tent’s interior, and causing light to reflect off of something in one corner. Nova takes it in his magic, and brings it close enough for him to make out the overall shape of it. Once he confirms that it is, in fact, his glasses, he puts them on and turns back to look at the mystery item, but the now-clear sight of it sends a chill down his spine.
The seemingly polished metal is now clearly what Nova recognizes to be the blade of a double-edged knife. Each edge runs in a straight line to meet the other at the tip. One edge has a serrated section that takes up about two thirds of its length, spaced evenly between the handle, and the tip. But the knife itself could just have been a tool, what has truly terrified Nova is the fact that the blade is stained with blood.
Nova stares in both shock and confusion at the weapon, only asking himself, “Why? Why am I seeing this?” Seconds later--though Nova feels as if an eternity has gone by--he is snapped back into reality by an angry voice, coming from behind him.
“Hey, put that back!” someone shouts.
When Nova fails to respond quickly enough, the angered individual follows up with a blow to the back of his head, setting him off balance and causing him to drop the knife. The attacker whirls him around and forces him onto his back. When the stranger struck Nova from behind, the impact left his vision blurred, making it impossible for him to identify his assailant.
“Are you deaf? I said, put it back!”
“I’m sorry,” Nova exclaims, “I didn’t mean to-”
“Shut up,” the stranger says, placing a hoof firmly on Nova’s chest, “I don’t have time to hear your excuses, nor do I want to!”
As the world comes back into focus, Nova begins to be able to see the one standing on him a changeling, who is currently glaring down at him.
“Well?” she says. “Was there something you wanted to say?”
Nova lays there in silence for a moment, then the memories start flooding back into him. He remembers in perfect detail what happened in Canterlot. The entire day plays back in his mind over the course of a few seconds. He gasps as the events of the recent past emerge and reveal how he came to his current situation. Finally, his mind rests on the thought of two entities: Silver, and Queen Mimic.
At last he finds the courage to speak, and asks, “Where is my wife?”
“I was asking if you had something to say in your defense,” the changeling says, “but, if you insist,” she lets out a sigh, “the Queen is outside, speaking to one of the scouts.”
Nova hesitates for a moment, then rephrases the question. “Where is Silver?”
“Hm?” the changeling cocks an eyebrow. “The buck are you tal-”
She cuts off mid-sentence as she realizes what he’s saying.
“Ohh,” she says, “I see now…” she lets out a sigh. “You’re still denying it aren’t you?”
“What?” Nova asks, confused.
“You still believe that the pony you met in Canterlot was a pegasus by the name of Silver, correct?”
Nova nods slowly. “Yes, now where is she?”
“I’ve already answered that question.”
The changeling releases Nova, and he makes an awkward attempt to stand up. Immediately, Nova falls flat on his face, and the changeling lets out a sigh.
“Here,” she says, grabbing Nova with her magic “let me help you…”
She pulls Nova back into an upright position, gives him a moment to regain his balance, and then releases him.
“You good? Now get out there, the queen’s waiting for you.”
The changeling moves out of the way, putting her knife back into the metal box, and Nova steps out of the tent.

Ryder peers through a pair of binoculars, observing several search parties departing from Canterlot.
“See anything I should know about, Ryder?” Mimic asks as she walks up behind him.
Caught off guard by the queen’s sudden approach, Ryder struggles to maintain his grip on the binoculars. “N-nothing troubling to report so far, your Highness.” he says. “The other teams have successfully led the guards astray. I doubt they’ll discover this camp before your escort arrives.”
“Good,” Mimic replies, “I was hoping for a short trip home.” The albino changeling queen pauses for a moment, then adds, “The sooner we arrive with Nova in our empire, the better.”
The scout nods in agreement. “Speaking of Nova, what do you think is taking Lesser Overseer Ravage so long to wake him up?”
Mimic looks at the tent of the recon team’s leader, then back at Ryder.
“I suppose I should go in and find out what’s going on in there…” she says as she starts walking towards the tent. “As you were, Ryder.”
Mimic hears shouting coming from inside the tent. “Ravage?” she calls. “What are you doing in there?”
The lesser overseer doesn’t reply. Mimic approaches the door, but leaps back when she hears what sounds like an intense struggle of some sort from inside.
“Ravage,” she repeats, “I do not find this to be the least bit amusing. Come out at-”
Before the queen can utter another word, Nova emerges from the tent. Most of his body is shaking, and in her excitement, Mimic fails sense an aura of fear radiating from him. Barely able to control herself, Mimic runs up to him, and pulls him into a hug. “I’m so happy to see you,” she exclaims, “and in my true form, too!”
As she calms down from her initial wave of joy, Mimic realizes that she isn’t feeling Nova reciprocating her love. Concentrating on what her sense tells her, she recognizes Nova’s fear. Except for being a little less potent, it is almost identical to the fear he felt in Canterlot, but there’s more to it this time. He’s not only afraid of what the near future holds for him, but also that his entire relationship may have been nothing more than a lie. Tears start to build up in his eyes.
Mimic teases him a little, hoping to lighten the mood. “No, don’t cry,” she says, “you don’t cry unless you’re sad. This is a time to be happy!”
Mimic wipes away Nova’s tears, and gives him a kiss. She can feel him calming down, but Nova’s love has yet to return.
“Nova,” Mimic says, “what’s wrong?”
“How do I know everything you’ve told me is true?” he says.
Mimic sighs. “I suppose you have a point.” she says. “Alright then, what could I do to make you believe it was really me, all along?”
“Tell me something that only the pony I met that day in Canterlot could tell me.”
Mimic is silent for several minutes as she sifts through her memory. I obviously shouldn’t speak of anything too private, so that eliminates most of my options. By now, have of Canterlot probably knows he is a practitioner of dark magic, so that’s out… Oh! What about his sixth sense? He told me about it the day we met, and I remember most of the details, so it should be perfect! “Okay,” she says, “I’ve got it!”
“Well, what is it?” Nova asks.
“You have a sixth sense called the Eye of Dusk, which has been in your family since the days of your ancestor, Silent Dusk--who it was named after.”
“Very good,” Nova says, “but just to be sure, tell me exactly what the significance of that sense is…”
Mimic releases another sigh. “The Eye of Dusk gives any unicorn who is born with it the ability to literally feel magic. However, it is both a gift, and a curse, because any sufficient amount of active magical energy can harm those who have the Eye, as the energy disperses. The form of the damage varies from one type of magic to another, but the only real difference is what kind of harm the energy inflicts upon you.” She looks at Nova, and follows her long-winded speech with, “Can we hug now?”
“Yes,” Nova says with a nod, “now we can.”
Mimic’s expression instantly changes from annoyed, to excited. She cries out in delight as she tackles Nova to the ground, and attempts to squeeze every last drop of love out of him. Nova lays there in the grass. With Mimic on top of him, it is nearly impossible for him to move--not that he’d want to anyway. He relaxes in her embrace, knowing that he is safe now…even if it is only for the moment.
Ryder flies over to them. Landing just within reach of them, he gives Mimic a hesitant tap on the shoulder, and hopes that he didn’t just ruin the moment.
“Do you need something, Ryder?” Mimic asks, not taking her eyes off Nova.
“Your Highness,” the scout replies, trying to maintain as much formality as possible, “would you mind if I borrowed your attention for a minute or two?”
“Not at all, Ryder.” Mimic says, releasing Nova, putting an end to his (mostly) playful squirming.
“Thank you. This way please.”
Mimic follows Ryder to the edge of the camp. “Now what is so important that you had to interrupt a deep personal moment with my loved one to tell me?”
Ryder bows respectfully “Sorry about that, your Highness. I thought you’d like to know that there is a recon crawler transport en route to our position, to escort you home.”
“How long until it arrives?”
“Approximately three minutes,” Ryder replies, “so you may want to be ready to depart soon.”
“I see…” Mimic says. “Very well then, thank you Ryder! now, I’m going to go back to Nova. I only have a few minutes before phase three of our plan is set in motion, and I’m planning to enjoy the time we have until then.”
Without another word, the queen trots off back to Nova for three minutes of uninterrupted snuggles.

Comments

[Grekoy]

Snuggles for the win.