Silver Shield

by David Silver

6 - Night Shield

Night and Shield settled at a table towards the back. She leaned forward at her new companion. "You're with the Night Guard if I recall properly?"

Shield nodded firmly. "That I am, and you're Night Watch, wife of Prince Silver Watch. Now that introductions are over, we need to act, quickly and decisively."

Night shook her head. "Acting without planning is a good way to lose quickly." Her eyes fell onto his emblazoned flank. "You have a relation with changelings?"

He glanced there himself. "Not like that, if you think I'm with them. I mean..." He put a hoof behind his head. "Fast's changelings aren't involved in this."

Night flashed a toothy smile. "I'm glad we agree. Just wanted to be sure. I put the odds around sixty percent that--"

"Chrysalis," finished Shield.

She nodded. "I can mark that off. Do you know if she's actually here?"

"I've been told she isn't. We just have her changelings to worry about." Shield waved at a passing waitress and ordered a tall fruit drink. "Want anything?"

She wasn't hungry, but acting without fuel hardly seemed the best idea. She nodded lightly and placed her own order before leaning forward. "Do you know where Silver is?"

He blinked. "Replaced, is all I heard."

That didn't sit well with her. How could it? "Well, that means they're in talking range. Maybe he can defuse the situation." She seemed to consider it a moment. "Twenty percent."

They paused as the drinks were delivered. Shield paid without conversation and they were left alone again. He took a sip from the glass. "We have to act."

"We do, but acting badly could mean the ponies we care about get hurt and nothing good comes out of it." She lifted her glass with a wing as she eyed her partner. "How well do you know changelings, how they work?"

"I've... been friends with a few. I know they aren't monsters." He let out a little sigh. "Is it true?"

"Hmm?"

"You and Princess Fast Change?"

Night narrowed her eyes a little. "We are friends, good ones."

Shield felt a touchy topic and gently backed away from it. "You're the mare with the plans. What do you suggest?"

All the options immediately open to her felt like brute-force kludges that would likely result in as much harm as anything good. Night sagged a bit and sipped her sugary drink. "There has to be a way..."

---

Samantha led Nefertari swiftly to Silver's room. Silver was in it.

Nefertari smiled at him even as Samantha shied back. "Prince Silver Watch, how lovely it is to see you."

Silver pointed at Samantha. "Come here, mare."

Nefertari cocked a brow. "Quite to the point, aren't you?"

"Shut up. You, come here." He grunted at Samantha and took a step closer, wings ruffling.

Nefertari ceased being where she was. The false Silver only knew where she had arrived when he felt a sharp kick in his side that sent him crashing into a wall and sliding down. Green flames revealed a dizzy changeling. "Etiquette is the first step towards domination."

Samantha clopped her fore-hooves even as her magic grabbed a rope hidden behind a dresser and quickly bound the changeling. "It's just this way."

They approached a closet in Silver's own room and Nefertari raised a brow. "Why are we here?"

"Two things." Samantha opened the door and tossed the changeling in. "And..." She tapped the back of the closet and it opened into a dark hallway. "This way, Nefnef."

They pressed into the darkness. The door behind them slid shut on its own, returning the closet to being a simple tomb for their sleeping prisoner. Moving at a brisk pace, they arrived in a room that felt quite large to Nefertari's senses, though it was still dark.

At least until Samantha performed some small magic and everything became light. They were standing in some kind of laboratory with monitors everywhere. "What is this? Your den, Sammy?"

Samantha bobbed her head eagerly. "This is where I can see everything." She trotted over to a bank of monitors and pointed. "See, there's your room."

"Why are you watching my room?" asked Nefertari with clearly building irritation. "Actually, never mind. I was aware of your... eccentricities before now. It is only the extent that continues to amaze me. You've brought me here, now explain what you desire of me."

Samantha pointed back where they had come from. "We have a class two changeling infection that requires immediate action. I was instructed to gather allies." She pointed at Nefertari. "You're a big one!"

Nefertari reached for Samantha's head, stroking an ear with a clawed finger. "You are too innocent at times. Very well, you have your ally. I presume that creature we dispatched on the way in was one of these 'changelings'?"

Samantha nodded as she turned in place. With a glowing horn, a monitor flickered to life, powered by that eldritch appendage. "Look."

There was day court, with Celestia seated in her usual place. Nefertari raised a brow. "Looks like much any other day."

"Look harder, Nefnef." She pointed at Celestia even as the Sun Princess let out a huge yawn. Celestia would never yawn so widely and obviously in front of her courtiers, and both of them knew it. "She's a changeling too."

Nefertari gripped Samantha's skull, holding her still. "By what logic can I be certain you have not been replaced, Samantha?"

Samantha didn't seem upset by it. "You are Nefnef, I am Sammy. Besides, like a changeling would know how to get into my secret place or how to use it." Samantha rolled her eyes as if the idea were simply too absurd to entertain seriously. "We need to get some people to safety."

"Safety?" Neferari released Samantha and stepped up beside her, tail wagging slowly. "Your son, Silver's foals?"

Samantha bobbed her head. "Can..."

Her words died in her throat as she saw Nefertari with two lunar foals under one arm, and a very startled lunar pegasus colt under the other.

"W-what was that?" asked Moonbeam, eyes wide and voice shaking. He tried to squirm free and was let go to flop to the ground. "I was..." He blinked as he looked at Samantha. "And then..." He looked over at Nefertari. "I am very confused right now. Please explain it with no words longer than three syllables."

Samantha approached her son and threw a leg over him, squeezing gently and not saying anything.

His trembling eased away and he smiled. "Good job." He squirmed back. "Seriously, what's going on?"

Nefertari sank to the floor and set the two smaller foals in her lap, both staring at her with sharp eyes. With a snap of her furry fingers, she produced a rattle and shook it at them.

The female lunar earth pony reached for it. The male lunar unicorn snatched at it with magic, making her dance the rattle around.

Samantha let them play as she faced Moonbeam. "You were talking to a changeling, as if I'd ever be angry at you for doing your homework in an unorthodox fashion."

"But... I didn't exactly do the homework."

Samantha shrugged. "You are within the acceptable limits for your course."

"That does sound like you," he agreed as he tilted his head. "So, for real? Changelings? Crazy." He blinked softly. "Are they the same ones?"

"Same ones?"

"The ones you saved me from, remember?"

"Ah, yes." Samantha bobbed her head. "I guess that makes it two times. You need to be instructed in proper changeling protocols."

"Mom!"

"It's true." Samantha poked Moonbeam in the chest. "Do you wish to remain saved or join our efforts?"

Moonbeam ruffled up. "I ain't no little colt. What do we have to do?"

"Yes, you are." She leaned forward and kissed him between the eyes. "I accept your pledge of service."

A little squawk drew their attention to see Nefertari had been shoved over by the lunar earth filly as the unicorn trotted up her fallen form and claimed the rattle. Nefertari burst into laughter at the situation. "What adorably persistent children he has." She sat up, letting Morning Glory slide down into her lap beside his sister. Clear Twilight reached for the rattle and he relinquished it to her mouth where she shook it eagerly. The two reveled in their victory together.

A muffled thump on one of the walls had all eyes turn. It repeated, louder. Nefertari slid to her feet and assumed a battle-ready stance. "I do believe it's time to fight or flee, and I don't prefer the latter."

---

Silver sailed through the air on powerful beats of his wings. He was ascending towards Canterlot, but not as fast as he'd have like. He could teleport to a few places he knew well enough in Canterlot, but he couldn't know which of them were compromised. Maybe all of them? How bad was it? He didn't know, so he had to go the old-fashioned way.

As he approached the mountain that was Canterlot, a thought struck him. Should he check in with Twilight? No, that would be bad. If she was involved, it would be right in the middle of an episode, probably, and she'd already be doing what she needed to be doing. If not, he'd be dragging her into one, or so he feared. Either way would be a larger breach of destiny than he had already committed by breaking free himself.

No, he wouldn't stop by Ponyville at least until this matter was fully dealt with.

A shape approached from below. Multiple shapes. It seemed his flight had not gone entirely unnoticed. With flickers of green light, the approaching swarm took the forms of ponies he knew.

"You have an eighty percent chance of failure," mocked a not-Night Watch.

They were fake. Of course they were. He'd seen them change. That didn't make it easier for him to physically strike at any pony that looked like somepony he knew and cared for. Why didn't he know the spell that stripped changeling disguises? He shoved the false Night Watch away just for a Samantha to land on his back.

Twilight fluttered closer to him with a coy smile. "Just relax and accept it."

"No!" Silver bucked his legs back without looking, catching some changeling or another. He writhed and jerked, trying to shake 'Samantha' free. "You won't stop me."

Starlight approached from the opposite side of Twilight. "Oh, but we could have so much fun. Stop making a big fuss about it."

"Don't you want to study with me?" asked Twilight with a flutter of her lashes.

With a roar of frustration, Silver projected a shield in a powerful blast of silvery magic, creating a small pocket of space free of changelings. With a sparkle, he teleported past them and started flying frantically. He had to get to the city!

Author's Note:

While better trained to fight, he still can't bring himself to outright slug Twilight across the face, even a fake one.

A typo of personality?

Comments

[Boulder]

She lifted her glass with a wing as she eyes her partner.

eyed (you did mention past tense was the preferred?)

[David Silver]

7733647 Fix'd

[Booster Spice]

Nefs speed of transport is barely behind that of Pinkie, who I assume decided to heavily Nerf herself, otherwise far fewer people would be happy than they who solved the problems themselves and make Skittlebugs.

The Resistance grows, but who will betray them.

[Daremo]

gently backed from - gently backed away from

as fast as he'd like - as fast as he'd have liked

He saw them - He'd seen them
*****
I think Samatha and Nefertari can claim to be the heroes of this chapter, now to see where things go from here. Before Nefertari becomes too wrapped up in battle lust one would hope she remembers that there are two foals present that must be protected lest they be used as leverage to force a surrender.

*****

Samantha clopped her fore-hooves even as her magic grabbed a rope hidden behind a dresser

Why was there a rope... Actually, you know what? Nope. Nevermind.

I am very confused right now. Please explain it with no words longer than three syllables.

Moonbean has learned how to properly format a request to Samantha for the most efficient transfer of information.

[David Silver]

7733849 Fixed! Things grow more dramatic it seems.

[tsaukpaetra]

Interesting, but Samantha's lair should still have been secret, for they weren't followed.
We find it interesting the changelings assailing Silver are so well versed in their target's friends and wives.
At least Nefertari has been briefed now, how she knows why she'll be fighting.
Keep going! ;)

[Daremo]

7735259
I would hypothesize that due to changelings being able to sense 'love' that Samantha and Moonbeam's reunion as well as the happiness of the foals have given their location away.

[tsaukpaetra]

7736153 ah, point. Maybe she'll get more security to hide it for the future.
She could ask Celestia!

[harts fire]

wow this is a super interesting story and some how I am thinking that Samantha should be renamed to a one letter name. Q

[Crystal Treasure]

And here I thought Samantha was over tossing ponies in closets.

[David Silver]

8904582
Old habits die hard.