Silver Shield

by David Silver

21 - Scrapped Chapter

Silver perked an ear towards the door to his office. He hadn't been expecting any visitors just then. Was it one of his wives? Most of them would just charge in, so he decided it wasn't them. Maybe Samantha? Whoever it was, he was being rude. "Hello! Come in."

The door nudged open with a hoof, not magic. "Hey Dave."

Silver started at the voice, and the brown/grey shape that stepped in, a small foal attached. It was Rough Draft, his adopted father and once his OC. "Dad?!"

Rough smiled, but there was something wrong with it. "Hey kiddo." A pained snort of a laugh escaped him. "It still feels weird to call you that. Can... I need David right now, if that's alright?"

Silver tapped the top of his desk. "Of course it is. Rough, please, what's wrong?" He hopped free of his chair and rushed for Rough, his wings half-extended. "Are you alright?"

"No," replied Rough flatly, and the room fell to uneasy silence as he looked around.

Silver could guess what was going on. He used to do it a lot, as a human. Being a pony prince had grilled a lot of it out of him, but he couldn't forget, not in that moment. Rough was trying to think of what to say. He was lost. Silver leaned in and touched nose to nose with Rough. "Whatever happened, I'm here."

Rough smiled, tears freeing from his eyes. "Thanks... She left."

"She?" Silver quirked up an ear. "Who?"

Rough went quiet again.

There were not many females in Rough's life that Silver knew. "Trixie?" Rough winced. "She left?!" Silver exclaimed, recoiling half a step.

"Don't... be angry at her..." Rough's head sank. "It was a bad match."

"Don't even start giving me that line! You were... You loved her completely!" Silver sank to his haunches. "What went wrong?"

Rough flinched back. "Nothing... specific. It was... Look, sometimes everypony can do the right thing and still lose, alright? I'm... not mad with her, and she's not mad with me."

"That's still not an answer. Rough, please... from the start?"

"I... was what she thought she wanted... until she realized what I cost. I was... a life of obscurity. I was a life without magic. I was a quiet and peaceful life. I... was everything she didn't want." He trembled softly. "I could not help her grow... She didn't understand what I was writing. We lived so far apart we may as well be on different worlds." He licked over his dry lips. His eyes refused to stay in one place for long as he fidgeted from hoof to hoof. "I tried to cross that divide, to join her in her performances, but that isn't me... I wasn't very good at it, or enjoyed it, and... someone had to watch our foal..."

Silver leaned off a bit to get a peek at that foal. He smiled just a little at the sleeping bundle of fur. "Are they alright?"

Rough heaved out a mighty sigh, his sides swelling a moment. "I've been their parent more often than not... I'm... not sure what I will even tell them when they're old enough to ask questions. Silver... I chased a rainbow, and this is what I got." He raised a hoof to his chest. "It hurts... It hurts really bad and I just want to cry and fuss and make a lot of noise, but I know that won't fix a damn thing and that makes me even more angry and--"

Silver set a hoof on Rough's shoulder as he rambled. "Let's get your bundle somewhere safe, then we can go talk some more. Right now, I'm all yours." He threw that same hoof over Rough, squeezing his 'elder', even if both were technically the same approximate age. "Come on."

The door suddenly swung wide open. Samantha was standing there. "Please excuse my lack of decorum. That is the right word for that, right?" She flashed a big grin. "I heard. I can foalsit."

Rough blinked at Samantha. "You're that crazy doctor."

Silver nodded. "Now my adopted daughter. You can trust her."

Rough chuckled softly. "What strange webs you've woven... If you trust her, then I will."

Samantha's horn glowed as she carefully extracted the foal and wandered off, cooing in gentle nonsense that only infants and mothers understand.

Silver nudged against Rough. "You get used to her showing up when she's most needed. Now... What about your house?"

"Sold it."

That was not the answer Silver was expecting. "Sold it?!"

Rough hung his head. "It might have been hasty, but I couldn't stand to even look at it... I had to get away. I ran."

"Without anywhere to go," breathed out Silver. He had been there before. "I'm... glad you trusted me enough to come to me."

Rough quirked a smile. "Not even one told you so?"

Silver blinked. "I don't think I told you so."

"You should have." Rough stuck out his tongue a moment before trotting for the door. "Come on."

Silver moved to keep pace with his pony father/friend. "Where are we headed?"

"Your favorite place, wherever that is. I'm sure you know the local spots better than me."

"Two." Nefertari appeared before them, looking between Rough and Silver. "You are linked in a way I have not seen before."

Rough looked Nefertari up and down. "Huh, you look like you came right out of one of my books. She even has the mammaries in the wrong place like I thought."

Nefertari bore a grin of gleaming teeth. "I am certain you are important to Silver, so I will give him a chance to explain your words before I begin assuming."

Silver edged a little in front of Rough, to shield him from Nefertari's wrath. "Nefertari, this is Rough Draft, my adopted father."

Her eyes went wide a moment before they narrowed. "Did you adopt him, or did he adopt you? I have not heard of a son adopting a father, but I put nothing past you ponies."

Rough laughed at that. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm his father, and adopted him, and I didn't mean to offend, really. Actually, you're every bit as lovely as I hoped a biped would be."

Nefertari's expression softened. "How curious. Most ponies prefer their paramours have as many legs as them."

Rough began to color quickly. Silver shook his head. "Don't tease him. He's had quite enough to deal with. We were just going to get something to eat and maybe drink some of it away with some conversation."

"A lovely idea. Where are we headed?"

We? Silver blinked. "I meant for it to be just the two of us, Nefer."

Nefer tapped Silver on the snout. "Your father is not subtle. I will make him happier being there. Don't dampen the mood."

Rough coughed softly into a hoof. "I don't mind making a new friend..."

Silver let out a sigh, his eyes rolling before he resumed his walk towards the exit of the castle. "Come on."

---

Meanwhile, across the city, Gaea Shield sat on a pillow, facing a colorful reformed changeling. "So," he explained, "I want to help things around here. I'm really hoping you can help."

"That's easy," said Stand In with a smile. "First we have to get rid of some dead weight. We need to unify Decanter, which means removing those who would eagerly see it pulled down further, or wallow in its current state."

That seemed reasonable at first glance to Shield and he nodded at the leader of the changelings. "Right, but how? I can't just go around arresting ponies if they aren't breaking a law."

Stand In perked a brow at that, realizing Shield did not even start to think of the darker ways her words could be taken. "Of course not! We can get them help too, while getting rid of them. The important part is them not being here, so we can begin rebuilding in earnest."

Shield hopped up to his hooves. "How do we start?"

Stand clucked her tongue. "Let's start small, literally. There are those who attempted to overthrow this hive. Some of them repented and rejoined us, and that's fantastic, but others still harbor feelings, bitter poisonous ones. I can provide names and addresses... And I even know a fine place to bring them. They'll be safe, and out of the way."

Shield's heart soared. He was finally making progress. Suddenly, he remembered the price for this progress. "Wait, what place is this you want me to bring them?"

Stand In shook her head. "It's a place you ponies invented. Like I said, it's a safe place. They can leave it when they've learned how to be harmonious, and they'll be quite secure until then."

Shield felt his mouth go dry. "W-where is this?"

Stand In met his gaze. "You don't need to know, just that they will be safe, I swear on that."

"Where," he repeated firmly.

"Where all bad ponies go when they are a true danger to others." She drew out a sheaf of paper and slapped it down. "Murderers, arsonists, and more. These are not good ponies. You will bring them to Tartarus, and they will learn, eventually."

"Tartarus!" exclaimed Shield in almost a squeak. "We can't send them there!"

"Why not?" Stand in shook her head slowly as she began to gesture around the room. "May I remind you that Tartarus is owned and run by ponies, not changelings. This isn't my creation. If they learn their lessons, they will be set free, simple as that. Feel free to look through the papers." She shoved the bunch of them towards Shield. "Nopony on that list is anypony worth sympathy."

Shield could hear his past words ringing in his ears. He could say no! He could just say no and walk away and not do it. He could...

But then he wouldn't get what he asked for. He wouldn't make progress fixing Decanter. He would be a failure.

"Think on it," came Stand In's voice, gentle and caring. "But think quickly. These ponies are dangerous, to everyone. Even the youngest of them is mentally unbalanced and capable of grave violence. It's as much for their protection as anyone else's."

Shield picked up the papers with his wings. He gave a stiff nod and turned as if his bones were partially welded together. He felt like he was made of wood and awkwardly made his way to the exit. He had a choice to make, and he hated it.

Stand In watched him go quietly before she gave a soft whistle. With flashes of flame, two changelings appeared where potted plants had been. "You two, follow him. Make sure he doesn't do anything... foalish." They saluted and trotted away.

Author's Note:

The story continues. Poor Rough Draft. I want to give him all the hugs!

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Comments

[badninja]

Gaea Shield has one difficult choice to make, one that will define who he is. I think Tartarus is not the place to send the changelings that do not want to change. They kinda need their own place.

[Daremo]

She shove the bunch - She shoved the bunch

---

Rough deserves all the hugs. It's clear that he's just barely keeping it togehter right now.

I suppose that if Nef Nef can't join Silver's family in the most direct way, she can still get what she wants indirectly. If it does pan out, I hope they are good for one another.

[tsaukpaetra]

We were secretly wondering what was going to happen to Trixie, just as soon as we saw it was an inverted trope of the working father. And what of the nameless foal anyways? Surely it has a name already? Our guess places it an least a few months old...?
Gaea is being played, but he's too preoccupied with the fortune-telling to realize it. Is Tartarus really the only place for all these "evil" ponies? Hardly! Let's hope he doesn't end up too broken...
Keep going! ;)

[Booster Spice]

If he dont like the idea of Tarterus, theres always Purgatory, which many would say is actually worse?

Also, the style of this chapter, given the rest of the story, means its three weeks late almost? to a certain date?

[harts fire]

Rough Draft is back but he is in a bade spot in life but he did a good thing with coming to Silver.
a good chapter with a interesting twist, I am interested as to ware this is going to end up.

[Alzrius]

I feel bad for Rough Draft, but in all honesty this was always going to happen. The writing was on the wall when Trixie went right back to doing her shows after giving birth, and long-distance relationships usually only work in the short term. This is why compatibility isn't the same thing as love; if there aren't mutual interests, or at least related interests that work well together, then you're just asking for things to end this way. It's sad, but ultimately there's no real villain here; this is what happens when two people don't have enough between them to sustain a relationship.

That said, I honestly can't see Nefertari and Rough Draft getting together, since that would be repeating the same mistake. Rough Draft is a lot of things, but he's not a warrior, and it's pretty damn clear that's what Nefertari wants. Can anyone really see him defeating her three times over in battle? She's dominant enough that she might give him a ride out of pity (and even that seems unlikely), but other than that she definitely won't be getting paired up with him anytime soon.

[David Silver]

8112933 What if he just has a million questions about her exotic biped life? He's surely chit chatted with minotaurs and diamond dogs, but this is a new race!

[Boulder]

Rough laughed at that. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm his father, and adopted him, and I didn't mean to offend, really. Actually, you're ever bit as lovely as I hoped a biped would be."

every
I thought Tartarus was for the evil dead?

[David Silver]

8113152 Typo fixed, with another lurking nearby that was addressed. Human tartarus is not equestrian.

[Warrior Kitten]

8114002
He says as he typos sneaky

[Warrior Kitten]

So, this isn't a scrapped chapter?

Why is everything going downhill? I thought Stand In was good?

And isn't tartarus for the baddest of the bad? Those that a normal prison can't contain?

[Cursed Quill]

We need to unify decanter,

Decanter (it's a district or something, so should be capitalized)

Neferough Draftari? interesting.