3 - Things Are Abuzz
Shield approached the hive. He'd been there before a number of other times. Among most other guards, he was rated fairly highly in his tolerance and acceptance of their new neighbors. It was a large part of why he was picked for the mission in the first place.
One of the two guards nodded at him. "Good to see you, Gaea, but the hive's closed right now."
Closed? "I didn't know that was even an option."
The other guard nodded. "Fast's orders. It's nothing against you."
Shield frowned faintly, but forced the expression away. "Can I talk to her directly? Prince Silver Watch sent me."
The two glanced at each other. "He sent you?" asked the first.
"You swear?" asked the second.
Shield nodded firmly. "I'm on his assignment, to investigate your recent troubles and see to its resolution. I'm on your side."
The second turned. "Follow me. We have to screen you first."
Screen? Shield trotted behind the guard evenly. The hive had a nervous air about it. Something was clearly wrong. "Are ponies being that bad?"
"They're... I shouldn't say. This way." He gestured into a small room. "This will take only a moment."
Shield stepped into the room and turned to face the guard that hadn't followed him. "What do you need?"
The guard reached out and pressed in a button that was mostly hidden. A door snapped shut with a little window between them. "Just relax. If you aren't a changeling, nothing should happen. If you are, now is the last time to admit it."
Shield blinked softly. "I was born a pegasus and plan to die one. Why--" His words were cut off as he heard a loud hissing. Were they pumping in a gas?! Panic rose. Sure, they said it wouldn't hurt a non-changeling, but what was it? He didn't smell anything. It could be anything at all! "Let me out of here!" He smacked the window with a hoof, frantic energy building. "I'm not a changeling!"
"If you aren't, you just have to relax." The guard glanced away a moment. "I'm sorry..."
Shield didn't like the sad note of those words. What was he being poisoned with?! He flipped around and lashed out with his hooves in a jarring buck that sent tingles down his legs. That door was strong! Even if it hurt, he kicked again and again, trying desperately to win his freedom.
With a sudden new hiss, and the sound of a party favor, confetti rained down on him.
Shield could but just blink in confusion as a few streamers landed on his head. "What?"
The guard outside pressed the button and the door slid open. "You passed."
Shield staggered out into the hallway. His legs stung a little, but he was otherwise alright, well, besides being rattled. "What was that?"
"Air." The guard turned away. "I really am--"
Shield slapped the guard up against the nearby wall. "I'm not your enemy. You have enough of those, don't go gathering new ones."
The guard squinted a little. "Easy to say... Princess Fast Change will explain it better, this way."
Together they marched deeper into the hive.
Night sat on her haunches. "As Silver would say, we can only move forward. Kai, are you willing to do that?"
"There ain't no any kinda forward to go." The spirit crossed his arms. "I'm dead."
Surprise pointed at herself with a spectral hoof. "So am I, but there is a forward. I saw it. It's not bad. I... came back to finish things." She directed the hoof at Charlie. "I'll take you there, if you're ready."
"Like they'd want me in whatever pony heaven there is?"
She shrugged. "Didn't seem to be pony only. Come on! It's really kind of fun. We both had a good run, but..."
"No!" Energy washed off of him, rippling the barrier. "I have some faces that need some rearranging first. I ain't going quiet..."
Night glanced between the hopeful green spirit and the raging red one. "You could be a force for goodness."
"Bullshit."
Surprise tilted her head. "What do bulls have to do with it?"
Night held up a wing towards Surprise for silence. "I will craft a talisman and put a little shard of you in there. When you are most needed, when we need someone to ride that pain train of yours, we'll call you with it, and you'll visit a terrible wrath on those that would hurt good people."
Surprise slid between them. "Woah woah woah! Hold yer horses! You aren't taking Charlie and making him do bad things." She glared at Night with her own fury. "You get--"
"Wait." Charlie stood straight for a change. "Go on."
"But..."
Night nodded at him. "We'll only call if the need is dire. Until then, go with Surprise."
"Who?"
Surprise pointed at herself, moping.
"Go with her. She cares about you and she'll make sure you get to a nice place. When things get dire, we'll give a call, and you'll get your chance to return a portion of the pain you've suffered. Until then, accept peace."
Luna was bound thick and tight. She tired of such things. Certainly, her sister had warned her such may be coming. It did not make it better. She was no meek sheep. She would rather destroy the invaders and unleash the full fury of the moon on them.
Instead, there she sat. She could do nothing. She was in a small cell with not another pony in sight. She could dimly hear the noises of changelings in the distance, cackling and giggling with glee.
Vermin...
Were these Fast's? Luna perked her ears at the thought, but they settled quickly. If it had been Fast, she would have visited. There was no way Fast would have Luna captive and not take advantage of it. Even should Fast turn against Equestria entirely, her libido was something that was quite reliable. No, this wasn't Fast's doing.
She felt a tugging. A pony was suffering a nightmare severe enough to call upon her and she perked anew. A chance! She could get a message free.
Luna hurled herself into the dream world, struggling against the bonds that held her, both physically and magically. It was a pony she had met before, just a few nights prior. She shouted that the changelings had come even as the binds pulled and tugged mercilessly. She could barely get out that warning before she was sent hurtling through the dreamspace, sent to land in her own body with a jarring thud.
Luna winced from the psychic pain of the rough rebound. At least the message had been sent. She perked an ear. She should have mentioned Fast's changelings were innocent, but she had forgotten in the rush of the moment. "I will have to have faith." Celestia could believe in destiny itself to put all to right. Luna would have to share that.
Silver hissed in pain as a changeling bit roughly into his shoulder. "Is this revenge?"
The changeling giggled softly. "Of course it is. Stupid pony, you tried to wreck our hive."
One beside it nodded before becoming Fast Change in her unicorn form. "You went with the false queen, stealing our friends. You deserve a lot worse."
Another held up a hoof. "Enough. Chrysalis wants him alive."
"Alive doesn't mean whole." One of the other changelings moved for Silver's ear but he wrenched away at the last moment.
"Enough. Your Queen will be very upset if she doesn't get a chance to punish me herself."
The logic seemed to bring some hesitation through the attackers. They grunted and grumbled, then scattered.
Silver settled with a sigh of relief before he looked up at his horn. He couldn't see the ring on it, but he could feel it. Of course, he knew more magic than unicorn magic. But he had been told to let it flow and not get in the way. He glanced around the sparse room. Was this an episode? At least it'd be a cool episode, seeing all the royals all captured.
He rolled his eyes. Who was he kidding? Even if it was an episode, there was no way they'd show them being physically attacked. The worst that'd get was some unkind words, and being shackled in the first place.
He felt a soft ping against his senses just behind his left ear.
A faint voice whispered, "Silver, hi!" It was Samantha. "Don't worry, I'm monitoring the situation. As soon as I calculate the ideal and optimized path, I'll be coming to rescue you and restore order."
On one hoof, yay for Samantha being free, on the other, she could get herself hurt... "No, don't. Look for others that are not replaced. Get friends before you rush."
"Shut up!" screamed a changeling, leaning in the door before he slammed it shut.
The voice whispered softly, "Roger and received, Father. Don't worry, I'll do just as you asked."
About a week earlier, Rough Draft worked on his latest book with scrawls of a quill held in his snout, pressed over a paper as he sighed out. He set the quill down and looked out the window out to his small town. He missed Trixie. Why wouldn't he? What husband wouldn't miss their wife when they were out and about, and Trixie enjoyed traveling far too much.
"One day I'll tame you, my Great and Powerful mate."
A sudden cry caught his attention and he went scampering to the nursery to tend to their foal. He had taken over most foal-watching duties. Not that he didn't love the foal to pieces, but he did wish Trixie would stay home more often, and be a part of the family they had created together.
"I shouldn't complain," he admonished himself as he changed the foal's diaper. "Some stallions never get a wife, or a child." Once the source of the stink was dealt with, he kissed his beloved fuzzball. "We'll just wait for Trixie to get back. I hope she's enjoying her Great and Powerful tour."
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So little is shown up front that many things happen out of sight, that are still canon, and then theres the rest of the realm, and world.
After all, Chrysalis had to take out the Alicorns, because even with the magic damping field, Isaac Newton is the biggest SOB there is. Lets see how bad a time they have with Science And Samantha.
I believe this is the point where Night goes Charlie Horse on them as well?
Placebo test for Shield, if he was a changeling, desperation would have him change to something else stronger in order to escape.
7707405 Silver isn't out of it just yet, he's just biding his time for more information to fill in the details of what's going on.
Yes, that is goodness for the garden, why do you have some?
pony she met before - pony she had met before
bit roughly in his shoulder - bit roughly into his shoulder
*****
You've done a good job of integrating this into the show canon without disrupting anything. I'm super curious to see how this all plays out with the big revelation at the season finale.
7708850 Fix'd!
7708874
"There ain't no any kinda forward to go."
Rambling Southernisms are typos all by their lonesome.
7708884 Typo is evolving! It's become... a different typo?
Yay! I think.
7708898
Dialogue is almost never a typo, so your words will be spared undue scrutiny.
7709319 Dialogue is frequently nothing but typo after typo before typo within typo above typos surrounded by typos within typos with little typo medals pinned on their chests by flashy typo ribbons.
7710174 But it still gets a pass as long as one can reasonably argue that it's the way the character talks. Nobody says "hte" for "the" in real life so that's easy to pick out, but "goin'" instead of "going" is a little more tricky.
yes, alternate faction it is.
Changelings detecting other changelings? Poor Fast, she's not in a favorable position...
Keep going! ;)
How did Surprise die?
If this leads to pastel stag beetles I will disapprove. ed: yup, disapprove.
7710215
That looks like the way Corvids from the Palaververse speak.
With their skewed demography it looks really hard to believe. Especially first part.
Actually, it's hard to imagine how exactly they moved from herds to our traditional marriage. This just doesn't make sense... as a lot of other things in Equestria. I mean, seriously, a freaking shovel! They have shovels!
Charlehh, whæt are you doeng Charlehh..? Stahp mæking typoes Charlehh..
11714684
We should be going to the magical mountain instead, Charlie.
9414140
This is years late, but why wouldn't ponies have shovels? The better thought is: What would a pony shovel look like to get its purpose done?