Voices. The room around him was filled with the sounds of low voices. Sideralis had been dreaming, but the details were fuzzy. He was cold and his body felt heavy. The lights were dim. Something deep inside of Sideralis’ ear vibrated from a long steady beep sound. He was covered in blankets and the bed below him was warm, yet somehow his body still felt cold.

“—look, Twilight, there are no bones left to repair… we can’t fix what is wrong with Scootaloo. The bones shattered completely, they’re gone. I had to pull the fragments out myself. But we have the means to fix her if we—”

The dreams were distressing. Sideralis had been in the dream of some unknown mare. She had been cooking in the kitchen. She had been fixing dinner in front of the stove. She had just taken a pot full of noodles off of the burner and had drained it in the sink. She had turned back towards the stove, then she had stepped on a greasy spot on the linoleum floor. She had fallen face down upon the glowing cherry red burner of the stove. Her howls had filled the kitchen and her face had stuck to the burner. There had been so much pain and Sideralis had felt it all, trapped inside of her body with her.

“—Chrysalis, we know what happens if you start the bone modification process on a pegasus… they’re not strong enough—”

“Twilight, with Sideralis’ blood in her body, Scootaloo was regenerating her wounds at an accelerated rate. The wound where the bone punctured the skin during the compound fracture has already closed over. She is stronger now than she has been in years. Her lungs are repairing themselves, her heart no longer seems as weak as it had been when ravaged by parasites… Twilight, within hours of having Sideralis’ blood she was no longer anemic… I don’t know how long this will last… I need bone marrow from Sideralis… if I can graft it into Scootaloo, I suspect that it will change her physiology—”

Another dream, a mother and her foal. The sky, sunny, bright, had a dark shadow in the distance, a lurking shadow. But every time the lurking shadow came close, Twilight Sparkle would appear and the shadow would retreat. Gratitude… the mare was filled with gratitude. Her foal was alive and protected. Sideralis, laying in bed, had a confusing jumble of images fill his mind.

“This is all speculation and hunches… but then again, Rainbow Revival was built on speculation and hunches… I want to look at and study Scootaloo myself… afterwards, if I like what I see, you may go ahead, but only if Sideralis consents.”

“Twilight, Scootaloo has not been in better health for years… she is already awake and talking after the surgery. She keeps trying to get out of bed.”

“What?”

“I’m telling you, she’s been touched by an alicorn’s natural good health and regeneration… Twilight, we might even be able to accelerate your own growth and transition into a bigger, better, and stronger alicorn—”

“What?”

“Twilight, Princess Luna gave us part of her own body to heal the damage done by this war… while Sideralis might one day be a powerful weapon against what we fight, right now, he’s the key to restoring all of the harm done… let me work with him… please, let me heal your subjects. Since touching minds with you, I’ve been overcome with this painful, incessant need to do good… let me do this!”

“We’ll talk more later.”

Slipping off into slumber, Sideralis returned to the dark depths of dreams...

“Sid?” Sideralis felt himself being shook. “Wake up, Sid… wake up sleepy head, I have some orange juice for you… hey, wake up, you silly pony.”

Yawning, Sideralis opened his eyes. He felt tired, weak, his body still felt heavy. He looked into Stout’s orange eye. He smelled food. He felt his stomach gurgle. He had been dreaming and he recalled some kind of conversation between Twilight and Chrysalis. His mind, sluggish as it was, began to think about all the things he was worried about.

“Scootaloo?” he asked, his voice dry and parched sounding.

“Up in bed, chatting at Apple Bloom. She’s better than she’s been in years.”

“Mustang?” Sideralis tried to move his hind legs beneath the blanket. They felt heavy and far, far away. It took effort to do anything.

“I’m right here,” a voice replied, “thank you—”

“Sid, we’ll talk in a bit and I’ll explain stuff, but you need to drink some orange juice and eat a bit. Can you do that?” Stout asked.

Before Sideralis could reply, a straw was stuffed into his lips. He drank, slurping on the straw, and his mouth was filled with odd tasting orange juice. His eyes widened, but before he could react, he saw Stout giving him a look.

“You swallow that, or there will be trouble… there’s medicine in there, it will make you feel better. Yes, it tastes awful, that’s why we put it in orange juice.”

“Tastes like rancid bananas mixed with vinegar barbeque sauce. It’s just nasty!”

“Mustang, please, do not make him laugh while he is drinking his medicine, please?”

“I wasn’t trying to make him laugh, I was just being honest, honest!”

Sideralis somehow managed to keep drinking the foul stuff. The glass was already half empty. Or was it half full? Did it matter if it was half full or half empty when it was filled with something nasty?

“Sideralis, I don’t know what you did, but you saved me… I was stuck… they did something to me… it was awful… but then I heard your voice and everything was okay. Thank you so very much… if you ever need anything, you just ask. My sister isn’t the only pony that can be helpful.”

Ugh, the more he drank, the worse it tasted. It was bitter now, and tasted nothing like orange juice. He felt his stomach give a lurch. Not only did it taste foul, but now there was a terrible stench lurking in the back of his sinuses, he could taste it in his nose.

“Stout, it really is nice to see you—”

“I’m sure it is, Mustang.”

“Look, I know we don’t always get along, I’m sorry.”

“Now is not the time—”

“Yeah, I get it, now is never the time. You’re an important nurse. You’re the primary focus of Rainbow Revival… you’re the favourite… I’m Fluttershy’s wayward foal. Fuck this, I’m out. See ya.”

Sideralis heard heavy thumps on the floor, the sound of heavy hooves striking, the door opened, and for a moment, he was certain that the door was going to slam. But it didn’t. He and Stout were left together in silence.

“I’m sorry, Sideralis. She’s moody. Try not to get too upset,” Stout said as she watched Sideralis slurp down the last of the glass of not orange juice. “We need you up and on your hooves if possible. I know it is a lot to ask, but your ponies need Prince Sideralis… big things are happening. For the record, I am against what is about to take place, but I guess it needs to be done. I’ll be with you every step of the way, even if I don’t agree with what is going on.”

“What is happening?” Sideralis asked.

“General Thunderclap has restored order to our fair city. Come sundown…” Stout shook her head. “You have a lot of growing up to do before sundown.”

Something was going on, but Sideralis didn’t know what. While there was plenty of good news about Scootaloo or the situation there in Cyclops in general, not much was being said about what was happening come sundown. Sideralis had only been able to pick up on a few bits and details as he listened to everything around him. Apple Bloom and Mjölna were being left behind to guard Scootaloo and to protect the facility. Mustang Salvation and Creamy Stout were going to be guarding him—Sideralis could only assume that there was some kind of outing planned.

Stout kept stepping in and out, her skills as a nurse were needed, leaving Sideralis alone with Mustang, who was standing watch just outside of his door. There was a lot he wanted to know, he had questions, perhaps Mustang had answers.

“Mustang?”

Sideralis saw the silhouette of the bulky mare appear in his doorway. She was calmer now after her outburst earlier. He hoped that he would not make her upset. He felt nervous, apprehensive, she was strange to him and he didn’t know her.

“Yes my Prince?”

“You had a leg ripped off… how are you okay?” Sideralis asked.

Mustang chuckled and a broad smile appeared upon her muzzle. “That was reconnected and some kinda royal jelly goop stuff accelerated the healing process of all the living steel and changeling flesh I have.”

“But how are you okay?” Sideralis blinked a few times.

“I’m not like other ponies… I’ve had my head ripped off once. That was interesting.”

“How… how did you… how did you survive that?” Sideralis stared at the mare, wondering if she teasing him perhaps.

“The inside of my skull has complicated life support systems in the event of decapitation. A bit of magic, some kinda cryogenic something or other, it preserved my brain and kept it alive. I have no idea how this stuff works, I just kick ass. A pony doesn’t doesn’t need to understand how a toaster oven works to be able to use it. Chrysalis screwed my head back on, sewed everything up, and I got better.”

“You got better after having your head torn off.” Sideralis sucked in a deep breath and began to feel uncomfortable. Stout’s head had been twisted around. Sideralis began to understand just what had been done to these ponies. He also began to understand what might be done to him, should he choose to accept it.

“Mmm, I like royal guard protocols… it satisfies some deep itch inside of me. Makes me feel happy,” Mustang said in a low voice as she moved to Sideralis’ bedside.

“I don’t like these protocols or these inhibitors… they need to be removed.” Sideralis watched as Mustang poured him a glass of apple juice from a little cardboard carton. He hadn’t even asked for it, but he was thirsty. He wondered how she knew, or for that matter, how Stout seemed to know everything. When he was thirsty, when he needed to use the bathroom. It was a mystery.

“I dunno, I like my protocols, I like how I am feeling right now, but I agree, the inhibitors have to go. I just had somepony seize control of my inhibitors, so I’m a bit peeved about them right now. It was supposed to be a way to keep me and other ponies safe… and they were just used to hurt me.” Mustang held up the little plastic cup full of apple juice for Sideralis to sip from and slipped a straw in.

“So you like being a guard?” Sideralis asked before the straw was slipped between his lips.

“Yes I do… for you, anyway. I’m not overly fond of Twilight right now. I’d save her, but I wouldn’t be happy about it… you though… you saved me and made the pain end. I was just stuck standing there and my nociperception system was overloaded. It was pretty bad, I was like that for hours. Felt like years. I couldn’t even blink and my eyeball went all dry.”

A sick feeling in his stomach made Sideralis almost barf up his apple juice. She had been left paralysed and in pain. It was almost too much to bear. He felt something welling up inside of him, something that felt a lot like rage.

“I would like to have the choice of activating my own protocols. I like having a clear list of directives… I get that it is biological programming and that my brain releases some kind of dopamine burst every time I complete a directive or a goal. I’m happy with the system… but I want my body back. A lot of promises were made to me and they haven’t been kept. I have a right to be angry… but even my anger can be overrode with a command… I can’t even protest my situation.”

“I’m sorry.” Sideralis really did feel sorry. This was awful. This was slavery. This was every bit as bad as being sealed away inside of a changeling cocoon and having your whole life controlled. He took the straw back between his lips and took a long drink.

“Free me, and I will serve you… I mean it, my life for you… I like being a guard, it makes me happy, it is what I want from my life, I don’t mind servitude, but I want it to be a servitude of my choosing… if you free me, you will have my loyalty. Your enemies will be my enemies. Ponies are going to say a lot of bad things about me, you’re going to hear some stuff… yes, I’m angry, but I am not out of control. I’ve never brought harm to another pony, other than my sister, but we were just playing around. I’m allowed to be angry… if I was a regular pony made of flesh and blood, it would be okay if I was angry… nopony would care… but I am a five hundred pound monster made of synthetics and biosteel, so ponies freak out when I am angry.”

Sideralis didn’t know what to say. Mustang had a peculiar expression upon her face, something that Sideralis did not recognise. He swallowed the cold apple juice, feeling an odd stew of emotions, many of them were unknown to him.

“I give you my word, I am not a danger to others, no matter what has been said about me. I just don’t like how I am treated… I was supposed to be a protector, but I have been made a slave. I’ve been wronged… please, please, please don’t believe all the things you are bound to hear about me!”

The straw slipped from Sideralis’ lips. “I’ll do what I can to help you… this… all of this needs to end. You, Stout, the others, this has been a mistake. I will not allow it to continue.”

“I will never be a danger to others. I will obey your every command. I will be your most devoted servant… I will execute your every whim… just give me the ability to say no to others… I can’t keep living like this… and I can’t even kill myself… that… that is what I was trying to do back in Las Pegasus… I didn’t want to live anymore… I picked a fight that I thought would end me. I’m sorry… I shouldn’t be dumping this on you.”

Mustang Salvation pulled the cup of juice away, set it down upon the bedside table, and then marched away to resume her position by the door. After stepping through the door, she sidestepped, and then went as still as a statue.

Laying in bed, Sideralis wept for Mustang, as it seemed that nopony else would.

Author's Notes:

Next chapter:

Control.