2 - Around Town
Shield strode through the streets of Canterlot. Unlike most guards, he had no armor shielding him from view. That was not a mistake. He was often called on for non-combative purposes. Perhaps it was partially because he was a solar pegasus instead of a lunar one, but he could approach the citizens more easily, and they took advantage of it.
He went down to the poorer side of town. He wanted honest opinions, and he knew a place to start.
The Belfry. It drew lunar pegasi and those who enjoyed rubbing hooves with them, to say nothing of those that saught out the somewhat infamous fortune teller that lived within. He entered and was greeted with warm smiles from the staff. They knew him. He was, after all, part of the lunar guard, even if he wasn't lunar.
His eyes swept over the dim tavern before settling on his target, an earth pony with tufted ears. Ponies did that at times to fit in better with the lunars. Shield approached and reached with a wing, pulling out a chair. "Mind if I join you?"
"Huh? No..." He was peering at Shield with curiosity and a bit of concern. "Nice dye job."
That wasn't the first time Shield had been asked that. His dark fur was, especially in places like that, taken as a sign that he was one of the lunar imitators. He went with it that time. "Thanks. Nice tufts." He gestured with a hoof at them. "Take long?"
The pony's eyes wandered up towards one of them as it began to twitch. "About an hour each if I want it just right. So, what's up?"
Shield tapped the table. "I was actually curious about an even more reclusive species than the lunars."
The pony blinked softly. "More reclusive? What could even compete?"
"Changelings."
The pony shivered softly. "Oh, uh... What about them?"
He looked clearly nervous. Shield decided to pry a little. "Why so scared? Aren't the ones in the city our friends?"
The pony glanced away and back at Shield. "They say that... but they're designed to lie. I mean, no offense, really... It really is their nature. They appear as what they aren't, trick people..."
Shield pointed up at the pony's tufted ears. "I know at least one other pony that pretends to be what they aren't."
The earth pony turned a deep red. "It's... different." He shrunk a little.
Shield pressed a little. "And if a lunar was fooled, you wouldn't enjoy savoring their love?"
The blush spread down the poor stallion's neck. "I-I wish..." He seemed to realize what he had said. "Oh..." He sat up suddenly, looking less lost. "Is it really just like that?"
Shield smiled. "They just want to be liked. Who doesn't? Do you know much about them?"
He shrugged a little. "They have a hive not that far from here. Some... of my friends go there." He glanced away. "They say they'll do a great lunar impression, for some bits." He swallowed thickly. "But then there was... the trouble."
"Trouble?"
He nodded quickly. "You haven't heard?"
Shield rolled a hoof. "No, what's going on?"
"Everyone's talking about it... Changelings just bursting into ponies' houses, taking stuff, and just leaving."
Shield frowned a little. That didn't sound right, especially for changelings. Why would they stoop to such obvious burglary even if they did want to steal things? "Did they steal your things?"
"What? No! Thank Luna..." He let out a little breath. "I'm guessing you're fine. Still, we let them in the city, just for them to snatch our stuff. That isn't right..."
Shield rolled a hoof. "Let's not be too hasty. If some pony, not a changeling, broke into your house and stole stuff, would you be angry at all ponies everywhere?"
He tilted his head to the side a little. "I guess not... Still... Look..." He squirmed in place. "Let's let that go. I'm here to chat it up with some lunars." His eyes darted and he broke into a smile. "There's one there." He pointed to an incoming lunar pegasus mare. "She's a smoking hot ember in the night." His tail had started wagging. "I wouldn't mind letting her drink my blood."
Drink blood? "You do know lunars don't do that, right?"
He shook his head. "Not most of them, but a few... I was fed from once." He shivered from bottom to top. "I'd do it again, if they let me. Look, it was nice meeting you, but I'm gonna go say hi." He rose to his hooves and strode off towards the mare, hoping to get lucky in ways most ponies would not consider to be very lucky.
Shield shook his head in kind and rose from his seat. He had gotten something to go off of. Perhaps he should check in with the source of the changelings...
Silver nuzzled into the large form beside him. "Celestia, you were... energetic today."
"Was I?" Celestia rolled to better face him and leaned in, rubbing snouts gently. "It has been some time since I was with a pony attentive enough to notice. Did it bother you?"
Silver shook his head. "Of course not." A sudden smirk spread. "You dance with the sun, you'll be seeing spots."
Celestia rolled her eyes at the humor. "I have decided."
Silver blinked. "Decided what?" He leaned forward a little. "Something good?"
She lifted her shoulders faintly. "It can be taken either way. I do not think I want a foal at this time. I know you would gladly supply one for me, but something... It doesn't feel right."
Silver's mind slid along the hints provided. "Is something coming?"
Celestia kissed him on the cheek. "Sharp stallion. I think so... But don't worry. I feel it is simply the dark before a new dawn. That's not it, I don't think." She tapped him, pressing a hoof to his nose. "When that dark comes, however, let it carry you. If you struggle, I feel... I don't want you hurt."
Silver frowned at that. He was no timid pony! He could fight! But then it hit him. He was royalty. His part was not... that. He would ruin the stories of Equestria if he started bucking its fate and destiny at every turn. "I'll try to be calm."
"Thank you." Her horn glowed, grabbing her tiara from across the room. "I'll retire to my room."
Silver put a leg over her and drew her close. "Just because we finished the first act doesn't mean you have to run away."
Celestia gave a gentle smile. "A stallion that enjoys snuggles?"
Silver pressed against her. "Only a fool wouldn't enjoy snuggling with you, Celestia."
"Be that as it may." She kissed him between the eyes. "You have other wives to tend to, and I, a nation to oversee." She paused suddenly. "Do not take that as an insult. Your work is quite invaluable." She pulled away and rose to her hooves. "We are both devoted to our people. It makes me proud to serve them at your side."
She strode away and Silver shook himself out before hopping up to his own hooves. He had his own affairs to see to.
Night settled down in the dimly-lit room. She was trying to take every precaution. She had spent hours preparing sigils to protect the space even as the green form of the spectre of the mare she had spurned so viciously in life hovered about.
"Surprise?"
"Hmm?" The green ghost leaned in, nose twitching. "Are ya ready?"
Night nodded. "I think we are." She pointed to the jar that rested in the center of it all, shaking once in a while under its own power. "Nefertari wasn't lying. I've never seen a spirit quite this... angry before."
Surprise moved for the jar and ran a hoof over it gently. "It'll be okay... We need to let him out first. Being bottled up is making him all kinds of angry."
Night took a slow breath before she sat down just outside the inner circle of the bottle. "He will still be bottled, but we'll get him in a larger one to start. He'll be able to see us, and talk with us, if he wants to. Do you think you can calm him down?"
Surprise bobbed her head, her floofy mane bouncing wildly. "I'm absolutely positively sure." She made the sacred sign of the Pinkie Promise. "Just give us a chance."
With reservation, Night reached for the bottle with both wings. "Angered spirit, you are not alone. Come." She popped the seal.
The room flooded in red light as the spirit surged outwards, filling the inner circle with a potent fury. "I will tear off your goddamn head!"
Surprise held out a hoof. "We're not the ones that put you in there, promise. We--"
"Diane?" The spirit's energy swirled a confusing mix. "Wait... no." He drove a fist against the side of the magic circle with a bone crunching noise. "What are you?!"
Surprise blinked gently. "I... I'm another flavor of her." She smiled a bit more timidly. "We're here to rescue you."
"Another flavor?!"
"Excuse me." Night tried to get in edgewise between the two spirits. "You are Charlie, right?"
The human spirit wheeled on Night, his spectral hair flowing wildly. "Who the hell are you? Where's that dog bitch lady? I owe her the ass kicking of a lifetime!"
Surprise approached the circle. "Forget about her. We got you away from her. You're safe now."
"There is no such thing!" He slammed the ground with the fist that somehow bled despite being a ghost. "Let me out of this thing right now or you're up first on the pain train."
Night spread her wings. "Spirit, contain yourself. We are not your enemies."
"Oh yeah? Then why are you holdin' me?" He pressed up against the side, staring at Night with an unnerving energy. "Why are you in my way?"
Adjusting her glasses, Night nodded a little. "You've been hurt and are... understandably angry. We--"
"Let me out."
"Only once I am sure that won't end in someone being attacked."
Surprise threw her hooves wide. "Come on, Charlie."
"You don't get to call me that!" The spirit threw himself against the barrier, making it ripple from the impact. "Where's my Diane?"
Night knew little about how the various probabilities came together, but it seemed safe to start, "She isn't here. We are. Can you deal with us?"
Night looked ready for things to get worse. Surprise was smiling, an expression of hope. Charlie brimmed with that furious energy.
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This is not the jeanie you were thinking of.
Your jeanie is in another bottle.
Mr tufty acknowledges he is a changeling, Shield shows his training by not responding?
Cute alien bugs stealing things at random? Who Let The Clefairlings Out? Ot these days versions, Minion Rush.
7695949 Hello, bronies, look at your oc, now back to my oc, now back at your oc, now back to my oc. Sadly, he isn't my oc, but if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s my oc.
dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11012971/MLP/Shield.s.png
7695958 When did he confess this?
7695967 I like that advert, I was a granite boulder going back to when I was lava bombed out of a volcano oh, 2.6 million years ago. Worn down to a size small enough for Maud to carry me around for awhile in current times, Now I'm magically turned into a pony due to the ley line nexus under the rock farm. Is that 'Old Spicey' enough?
pre13.deviantart.net/d91a/th/pre/f/2016/292/2/f/pony_was_a_rock_by_lynx318-daljgc0.png
Edit: Maybe my Nightmare Night avatar was more apt?
img10.deviantart.net/8b76/i/2016/284/a/c/nightmare_night_by_lynx318-dakmm16.jpg
(I'm taking this in fun as I assume it was meant, so my silliness I give back in comradery)
7695991 Hey are you in contact with Kiki? He seems to think we need to prod you like this...
fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/338/5/3/soarinsfire_by_ajmstudios-d5n2xme.gif
...into goading you for updates in Silververse and I quote.
Don't know what he's getting at cause here we are? But anyway I'm sure you'll chat nicely(refer below image, snerk) to him now he has a new apartment and less troublesome co-tenants. Seems we all got problems *sigh*
ponybot.net/pix/1621.gif
7696050 We have each other on Skype. He was one of the first to see this chapter. Did you like it?
7696089 Yep, like it a lot, new character plus some closure with Nefer's shenanigans a bit more is all good, though I would be glad to see her stay involved as she plays a mean wild card for Night to deal with. Happy to see some more in this verse and still think it has a wide scope for plot progress ahead of it. If I can keep my mind on topic long enough I'll try thinking up some dilemmas for the cast of silververse to contend with and pm 'short' (don't want to annoy you at all, especially with TL:DR stuff) suggestions to you hopefully?
7696153 Message away!
7695991
Um, Im Very sorry if Im mis reading this bit. I didnt do too well at school with languages.
7696706 Shield called out the stallion on altering his appearance to attract the attention of lunar ponies, which is kind of contrary to believing changelings had to be evil for pretending to be what they are not.
I understand the parable that's being demonstrated here, I really do, but I found myself having to strain to prevent slamming my head onto the desk as I read this part. No, it's not "just like that" at all!
The problem with Gaea's line of reasoning (and I find it a bit confusing to use his last name like that. Admittedly, Rainbow Dash does sometimes get called "Dash," but for the most part the second part of ponies with two-word names isn't used on its own the way the first word is. Twilight Sparkle hasn't been called "Sparkle" by anypony ever. Neither has Pinkie Pie ever been called "Pie," etc.) is that the pony he's talking to is explicitly stated to be an earth pony, whereas the only lunar ponies are pegasi.
That means that no matter how much that stallion tufts up his ears, absolutely no one is going to be fooled, because he doesn't have the leathery wings that are the single most salient feature of lunar ponies. This means that anyone who looks at him will instantly recognize that he's a solar pony sporting an affectation, which is distinctly different from the changelings, whose ability to alter their appearance is so total that it's a deception.
In other words, this entire exchange is based on a presumption of "you're like them" which simply isn't true. That stallion should have immediately pointed this out to Gaea, rather than conceding a point that doesn't survive even casual scrutiny. No lunar mare would ever be fooled by how that stallion looks, and so he's not perpetrating a fraud based on a false identity the way that the changelings do.
Also, when did this fic change its name? Is that what's being referenced in the author's note?
7700503 Good thing Silver Shield never said anything about completion? Was that really the most interesting part of the chapter?
Of course he isn't going to pass as a lunar pony, but he is modifying his appearance to look more like one to gain the attention (and love, with any luck) of one. At best, he's just really bad at being a changeling. This isn't... even an advanced concept. Could you argue changelings 'go too far'? Sure you could. Of course you could. I'm sure many do. They didn't. That's... not much of a crime. The accused also buggered off to go chasing some lunar tail rather than continue that line of conversation.
7700508 Gaea Shield is being pulled back a little, hence the name change to make it less jarring.
Oh Charlie, never stop being you. Humans and their determination, amirite?
So we have changeling pretenders? We wonder under whose authority it was determined that changelings were the source of the thefts. I find it likely some ponies are using normal robberies for fear-mongering, but it's possible the thefts have an organized purpose. We'll wait and see.
Speaking of, what was the boon Nefertari requested of Night? Hmmm. ...
Keep going! ;)
7705312 The Smart and Swirly beardpony says if you abuse time, time will abuse you.
I need to reread the other story to see when alt Pinkie (Surprise) died
7818537 It's in Kiki's story.
7818736 Did I miss the part where it said to detour to Kiki's story, and are there other detours from other authors we need to read first before continuing - I have to admit ever since Dianne was mentioned in the last section I was a bit lost.
8060271 His story has brushed gently along and is a canon part of the Silver Verse, but they have not hard bisected outside of collab chapters.
ponies'