Silver Shield

by David Silver

5 - This is Our City

Night emerged from the room with a heavy sigh. Surprise was gone, as was most of Charlie. They had moved on to where they needed to be, wherever that was. Being a shaman had not told her where that was. It was no business of the living.

She glanced down at the necklace that dangled around her neck. It featured a human face, half of it seemingly caught, frozen in the midst of the best joke it had ever heard. The other half was the deepest scowl. The eyes were haunted with sadness. Anger and mirth. Despite... Truly that had been a conflicted soul, and one she could call on, but not one she intended to. Certainly not any--

"Night Watch?"

She looked up to see Silver approaching her. Silver never called her by her full name. He hated it when people called him by his own full name. 40% chance it wasn't Silver. She decided to test. "Silver love. It's so good to see you."

He returned her fake smile. "Night, love. It's good to see you. We have to go." He pointed down the hallway. "This way."

The chance had risen to 75%. He hadn't blushed at her calling him such a name in public. He hadn't questioned her own unusual method of greeting. He also would have said where they were going. Was it a game of Fast Change? It was far from the first time their old lover had tried to pull one over on them.

She frowned with thought as she fell in behind Silver. The chances of that were 20%. No, it didn't feel right. "Silver, honeybun, where are we going?"

Again, he didn't question her sugary words. "Important ambassador duties."

Too vague. Night slid the chance to 100%. That was not Silver. It was no longer a chance, but a simple known fact. She felt a soft tremble through her body. Her grandfather could feel her unease.

"I need to use the little fillies' room," excused Night as she turned for the restrooms. "Wait here for me."

"Don't be long," said Silver, his voice more terse than she felt it needed to be.

Not Fast. Fast would be teasing and playing, not getting impatient, not like that. She stepped out of his view and closed the door. Another of Fast's changelings? She didn't rate the odds very high that Fast would send a minion for a prank on them. They rated high enough to take the time for the personal touch.

Something was wrong.

Night gestured to the ground in front of her. Smoke billowed from her ears and nose and quickly formed the spectral form of her grandfather. "Yes, Night?"

She stepped forward and pressed noses gently. "Grandpa, I'm afraid things are getting worse."

"Worse?" He glanced left and right. "I felt you tensing, but I don't know why."

Night pointed to the door leading into the hallway. "That is not Silver. That is almost certainly a changeling, or another unicorn that has a frightening level of mimicry magic."

He frowned, wings half unfurling. "What do you want me to do?"

Night smiled. Seeing her grandfather ready to act eased her. "It's time to go, but I want you to create a distraction." She turned to the window. "I'm going this way. You go make a mess. Remain mobile, and get out. We'll meet outside."

"As you wish, Little Watch." He kissed her cheek, a little whisper of wind against her, then he trotted past her, through the door.

An unearthly roar came through the door, muffled but still loud. She could hear ponies panicking and running. It was her time to fly.

She threw herself free of the window and unfurled her wings. The wind caught them and she was soon speeding away from the compromised castle.

She would have to make new plans.

---

Shield scowled at the castle. Both princesses, captured. Prince, also captured. Who wasn't captured?

A muffled noise came from the castle, making his ears perk. He couldn't hear the source properly, but it had to be loud to reach him so well.

A lunar pony came flying away from the castle as if fleeing whatever it was. She wasn't alone, but she was the only one wearing one silver shoe and one silver shoe alone. Silver's wife. Night Watch, he knew the name. Few night guards could avoid hearing of it. Was she a changeling copy, or the real thing?

He spread his wings and took up in a powerful leap. He'd find out.

She recoiled when he approached and looked ready to defend herself at his direct route towards her. "Stay back."

Gaea Shield held up his hooves in a placating motion. "Hold on, I'm not here to attack."

"Oh?" She didn't sound too trusting.

"I'm still on your husband's mission, and I don't mean to fail it." He nodded. "A mission I'm sure you'd know."

She squinted with greater distrust. "And one you should already know."

Great. They both were testing one another. Shield laughed. "You're the real thing."

Night blinked softly. "How can you be sure?"

"The fact that we're having this conversation? If I was a changeling, or you were, it would be different. Let's not waste any more time trying to play guess the changeling."

Night seemed to consider that a moment. "The odds are in your favor. Do you have a staging area we can speak securely?"

Did he? Not really... "Not in the middle of the air." That seemed a safe start. He took for the ground and she followed, both landing lightly on the cobbled street below. He didn't slow, trotting down the road and mixing in with the crowd there. "This way."

He led her towards a bed and breakfast he knew. Not ideal, but it'd have to do.

---

Silver slammed a changeling up against a wall, and he hated it. He could fight, but that didn't mean he liked it, not one bit. "I'm leaving, get out of my way."

Two more changelings landed on him, trying to swarm him.

He threw his head and back up, sending several of them flying. If he just fought them, they could be there for quite some time, and he could lose. He seemed stronger than any single changeling, but more were coming. He would fail if he didn't move. So he did.

He charged through the hallways in a thunderous clopping. He turned a corner sharply enough that his hooves dragged the poor carpet entirely out of place and he raced for the front doors. Other ponies yelped with surprise at seeing him galloping at full speed through the castle.

Changelings weren't chasing him. Perhaps they didn't want to blow their cover by chasing him where others could see? That only served to his benefit.

A dull roar shook the castle and he perked his ears towards it. What had that been? The ponies were in a full panic, scattering and fretting over whatever dire attack had clearly occurred.

Silver veered for the sound. Whatever was attacking may be of some benefit to him against the changelings, unless it was the changelings, which he doubted.

He burst through double doors to find changelings being thrown about by a familiar specter, though the spirit was looking tired from the effort.

That spirit rushed Silver. "Infernal changeling!"

Silver held up his shoe. "I wear this proudly, a sign of my love."

The spirit came to a crashing halt. "Is that really you?" He glanced left and right. "Get out of here, damn fool."

"Get this off." He pointed up at his horn. "If you can?"

The spirit seemed to consider it a moment. "Don't fight it," he said in a final tone before he rushed forward, passing right into Silver.

Silver shuddered from head to hooves as he felt the spirit possessing him. His internal magic twisted and bucked as it mixed with the spirit's and he began to grow warm as when he gathered his power.

It rushed up towards his horn and he felt the awful congestion that came with trying to do horn magic while blocked, but it didn't abate. It was growing worse and worse. He staggered back towards the front doors even as he heard the changelings recovering. They'd be on him soon. It would be too late.

The power in him grew more and more pointed. The headache was blinding. He staggered and fell.

Something broke.

He could see again. He could see and feel. His magic was pouring out of himself at an incredible rate and filled the hallway. He could feel it all. The headache was slowly ebbing. He fought his way to his hooves just as the first changelings turned the corner in their gallop to catch him.

He froze the magic around them, arresting them. With a mental heave, he lifted them up like little toys and sent them both hurtling out of the nearest window with surprised yelps. They'd probably get their wings working before they hit the ground, but it bought some time.

There were more of them. They had gathered their forces. Half a dozen armored changelings were on either side of him. With a wild cry, they charged, hoping to catch him in a pincer attack.

He pulled his magic back and formed a shield with it, creating the heated geodesic dome rapidly, licking the air with heat and fury. "Let me go or suffer for it." He struck a hoof on the ground with spirit-enhanced fury.

They were on him. The shield met them. They pressed the panels in against their neighbors and the entire thing began to heat dangerously, jets of flame licking out at their scrabbling forms.

"I'm leaving." Silver decided to do just that. The magic was gone, the changelings fell, and the Prince was gone.

---

Rough awoke with a jerk to the sounds of both his daughter giving an excited coo and something crashing down on the first floor. He scrambled to his hooves and rushed for the stairs, only to find his adopted son slumped up against a wall, panting for breath.

"D-david?! What on Equestria?!" Rough Draft approached with wide eyes. "Are you alright?" Silver looked like a mess. His mane was unkempt and haggard, though his tail was straight and smooth, like his mother's.

Silver gave a weak smile. "I couldn't think of another place to run, so... here I am."

A squeak came from above, drawing the attention of both stallions.

They rushed back up the stairs to find the filly reaching for them with outstretched hooves.

Silver smiled, his wings ruffling. "Adorable..." The expression soured even as Rough moved to see to his child. "My foals..." Who would be watching for them in the middle of the infested castle? What if they took revenge on his escape by hurting them? He trembled with fear. "I can't stay."

Rough tossed his foal up onto his own back easily, walking back to Silver. "Er, son..." He chuckled at himself. "Is it wrong that I still remember you as the man I dreamed up on paper those years ago?"

Silver carefully threw a leg over Rough, avoiding the child, and hugged his adopted father close. "Thank you. You've been an amazing friend, and a great father."

Rough broke out into a big grin. "And now you need to go off on an adventure."

"I do." Silver bobbed his head. "Want to come with?"

Rough actually looked tempted a moment, but a tug of his mane by his child brought him down to earth. "No, go on. Go and save the day. I'll be rooting for you."

Silver smiled gently. "When this emergency is over, we need to go on an adventure, the two of us." He glanced around. "Is mom away? Make her stay and babysit for a change and it'll be us, father and son."

"That'd be nice." Rough pointed to the stairs. "Go on now. Can't have you being late."

"Thanks again, Dad." Silver blinked in a flash of light, appearing just outside the window of the house and orienting himself for the mountain that held Canterlot. "Bye!"

He was off. He had a day to save.

Author's Note:

The loose threads are coming together! What manner of pattern is it making? Is this a typo?

Comments

[Booster Spice]

The city changelings are mainly carrying out rear guard distractions now?

[Boulder]

If he just faught them, they could be there for quite some time,

fought

He charged through the hallways in a thundering clopping.

suggestion? 'thunderous'

Rough jerk awoke to the sounds of both his daughter giving an excited coo and something crashing down on the first floor. He scrambled to his hooves and rushed for the stairs, only to find his adopted sun slumped up against a wall, panting for breath.

suggestion? 'awoke with a jerk'
son
The engines of drama are rapidly turning up the revolutions.

[David Silver]

7723196 Fix'd!

[Daremo]

chance had raised - chance had risen

pull one over them - pull one over on them

waste anymore time - waste any more time
*****

Boulder got all the tastiest typos, but there was still a few left for me!

This was quite action heavy and I think you did a fine job.

edit:found one more for dessert

[tsaukpaetra]

Shield and Night have assembled, Silver momentarily retreats. Wonder if the spirit is still inside him and able to get them back together? Meanwhile the castle is in shambles, wonder how the replacement Princesses will react...
Keep going! ;)

[David Silver]

7723416 Thanks for the kind words. Action scenes, sheesh!

[HoneyBadgerr]

Ooohh it's getting really fun now~!

[Not so New Brony]

"When this emergency is over, we need to go on an adventure, the two of us."

The need for these two to go to the Everglow, even if it's non-canon to be written is rising...

[Cursed Quill]

He lead her

led