Rainbow Dash flutters down the stonework hallway of one of Canterlot Castle’s side passages with her forelegs crossed over her chest as she heads towards a set of wooden double doors. She throws the doors open, startling the pair of guards on both sides as the wooden doors slam against the stonework in the process. They stare at her as she seems to be fuming, muttering to herself, and shooting cranky looks in every direction simultaneously.

Everypony watches as, a moment after she’d crossed the threshold, a pegasus stallion follows in his golden suit of Royal Guard armor that does a good job of covering up his white pelt, with his gold streaked white mane mostly hidden under the helmet. He follows at a standard trot dutifully, a bit behind and to her left, into the foyer that leads to a set of wide stairs with a pair of massive doors at the top.

The cyan pegasus spins around scowling as she takes in the view of the foyer, looking at the other guards and their positions, and then gives her wings a snap and zips over in front of a small alcove on the side with a large window behind it.

She points over into the small alcove on the left side of the hall with a forehoof as she hovers near it and screams, “Alright, Sunshine! You! There! Now!”

The buck dutifully runs over, and spins around to face in towards her and the carpeted path that leads towards the stairs. Despite the anger etched into the face of one of the most powerful mares in the world, aimed at him, he maintains his stoic faced composure as he stares straight ahead from his new position.

Dash flutters closer and puts her hoof in his face, the edge of it only an inch or so from his bright blue eye, as she yells, “You stand there, at attention, until I come back and say otherwise! Don’t move! Don’t talk. Don’t so much as blink until I get back! You understand me?!”

He quickly salutes and, before he even gets his hoof back down, Dash butts her head against his and screams, “What did I just say?! Don’t move!”

She stays there for moment, watching him not doing anything at all, before she pulls back and nods. “That’s right!” She looks at a pair of guards flanking the bottom of the stairs and points at Sunshine. “If he moves, I want to know… Understood?!”

They both quickly salute as their eyes go wide.

Dash gives a snort then zips up the stairs as quickly as she can, slamming the door behind herself.

One of the guards at the bottom of the stairs looks over at Sunshine and asks in a loud whisper, “The hell you do to get on her bad side?”

The guard on the other side of the staircase shoots their counterpart a scowl then reaches over and pops him on the back of the helmet with the handle side of their spear. “You trying to get him killed?!”

The first one’s eye go wide and he waves over towards Sunshine. “Shit… sorry.” He looks over at the other and cringes. “I just wanted to make sure not to do whatever he did.” He looks over at Sunshine and gives a cringey grin. “Sorry… just being glad I’m not you at the moment.”

Sunshine doesn’t move. At all. And keeps his eyes looking straight ahead and doesn’t even look at them.

After a few hours of things otherwise returning to normal in the foyer, a group of guards come in from the right side set of doors and there’s an official hand off of guard duties as the shift changes. One of the new arrivals asks the leaving guards, “Where’s that guy’s replacement?”

The ones from earlier shake their heads. “Do that guy a favor… don’t try to talk to him. He’s being punished.”

The new set of night shift guards look around, then at Sunshine, and another one asks, “For what?”

The leaving guards shrug before one of them replies, “We’re gonna have to wait until they let him talk again to find that out.”

The other guards look at each other then let out a sympathetic sigh, before turning to take their positions at their respective posts guarding the hall. All through the night there is barely any traffic and nothing out of the ordinary happens. Aside from the apparent day shift guard being punished into pulling a double shift all night.

The morning shift comes marching in, as the sun is starting to crest, and a few give a glance at Sunshine as they go to their positions. The leaving night shift guards give them the warning about Sunshine, earning him another wave of shocked looks, before they split off and go about their tasks. Traffic through the hall picks up as a variety of assistants, guards, and other personnel go about their business and the world starts waking up and getting active.

The one oddity is when an obviously rural earth pony family walks in through the right side doors and starts heading towards the stairs as they look around. They aren’t filthy by any means. But their clothes bear the semblance of humble roots, and not the pressed suits, pompous high fashion, or uniforms of those regularly tending to business around Canterlot.

The young colt runs around their parents, looking at the various guards with his eyes wide in excitement. He hops around taking in the sights as he jabbers on about one day being a hero of Equestria too.

The, even younger, filly was far more stealthy than her brother. As she’d managed to slip away from her parents to climb up on a few potted plants and vases as she tries to get higher and higher to get a better vantage point of the surroundings.

She starts bouncing up and down excitedly as she points out one of the large windows on the left side of the foyer. “Mamma! Mamma! Lookie! So pretty! Can we see our house from here?” They turn to look at her and their eyes bug out and their jaws fall to the ground as they see her hopping up and down.

On top of Sunshine’s head.

With each cycle, her hooves make soft tinking sounds as they impact on the top of Sunshine’s helmet. But, despite the circumstances, Sunshine’s steely glare doesn’t waver from staring straight ahead in stoic defiance of reality. He doesn’t move. Despite his helmet rattling lightly with each bounce of the excited filly’s hooves.

Her mother runs over and jumps up, grabbing her off of Sunshine’s head mid bounce and looking absolutely mortified as she hisses, “Bab, nooo!”

Her father runs over and takes his hat off as he holds it to his chest and bows repeatedly, “Ah ahm so sorry, sir. My daught’ah jus’ nevah been tah Canterlot ‘fore.”

The mother holds her daughter close and keeps staring at Sunshine wide eyed. “Oh please don’t be mad. She’s just a foal, she didn’t mean it.”

One of the other royal guards trots over quickly and looks between them as he whispers, “It’s fine. Really. Go ahead and go.”

The father looks over at Sunshine and raises an eyebrow. “It’s normally fair for a stallion tah say somethin’ when someone’s tryn’ ta apologize tah ya…”

The guard leans in and blocks their view as he says, “He can’t talk right now.”

They both look at him and the young filly asks from her mother’s hooves, “He in time out?”

The guard smirks and tilts his head before he looks at Sunshine. “Something like that…”

The filly wiggles free and runs up, wrapping her forelegs around Sunshine’s left foreleg and looking up at him as she says with sympathy, “Awww… Sorry you in trouble… Time out’s no fun.”

Her mother slaps her hoofs to her own cheeks as she hisses in disbelief, “Bab, noooo.” She quickly yanks the filly away again. “I’m so sorry, sir.”

The guard looks between them then grins as he puts a hoof to his chin. “Hmmm.” He looks sideways at Sunshine and says with a smile, “Well... breathing… is fine.” He puts a hoof up to Sunshine’s muzzle and says, “One snort if your mad. Two if it’s fine and they can go.”

There’s a pause as Sunshine takes in a large deep breath then snorts out two quick audible bursts, but, otherwise, doesn’t move.

The guard turns to look at the family and grins as he points at Sunshine. “See. It’s fine… really… But...” He looks at the father and narrows his eyes a bit. “Please control your children.”

The father nods and bows again to Sunshine. “Thank ya kindly, sir.”

They walk away with the filly waving at Sunshine as they are leaving. “Bye bye… Hope you get better!”

The colt looks over at Sunshine and points a hoof at him as he says, “If I have to be that tough to be a Royal Guard… I don’t know if I can make it, pappa.”

The father scoops up his son and says with a grin as they are climbing the stairs and he plops him onto his back, “Nopony’s born that tough, lad. Takes ah lot o’ hard work an’ dedication.”

After they’ve left, and both sets of doors are closed again with nopony else around, the guard that’d come over to intervene looks over at Sunshine wide eyed and shakes his head. “I’ve heard of honor guards going through less… The universe must hate you.”

Sunshine gives a loud snort.

The rest of the guards start snickering, but resume their vigil.

At the next changing of the guard they glare at Sunshine with their eyes uniformly huge in their sockets.

“He’s still here?!” the guard taking position near the right side of the staircase asks in horrified disbelief.

The one he’s replacing nods and replies, “Yeaaahh… he’s had a bad morning too… Kid used his head as a trampoline…” Then leans in and whispers in their ear before nodding his head towards Sunshine.

The others of the day shift stare at Sunshine in disbelief.

The next two shifts go by without incident, except for the guards getting increasingly unnerved by Sunshine’s immobile form.

The next morning a group of older school fillies on a senior trip come in with their teacher looking around. They run around the foyer, waving at the guards, batting eyes here and there, and generally making an ass of themselves. One, a light brown earth pony with a pink ribbon in her maroon mane, runs up and blows kisses at Sunshine, but, not getting any response at all, stands there staring at him. She opens her eyes to their widest while she maintains hard eye contact against his stoic expression as she starts an impromptu staring contest with him. Her friends, noticing the fun, come over to join her. Then, after a while where their teacher has been busy trying to sort through her satchel, she finally blinks. Causing her friends to start giggling at her silly failure.

She throws a hoof towards Sunshine and rolls her eyes. “Oh… this one’s a statue…”

A mint green unicorn with glasses shakes her head. “Nuh uh… I bet he’s one of them honor guards that aren’t allowed to talk or move.”

The group of fillies look at her and ask in unison, “Really?”

She nods and adjusts her glasses as she grins. “Yup!”

The maroon maned filly grins at her, then slowly looks up at Sunshine before she starts walking around him. “Oh ho ho…” she says with a giggle as she starts blatantly checking him out. She walks around front, sits down in front of him, leans back against his shoulder, and bats her eyes at his face as she asks, “Heading my way, soldier?”

Still, he doesn’t move. Not even her added weight causes him to so much as shift.

She grins widely. “Well aren’t you just delicious!” She leans up and gives him a long lick up his cheek. Causing her friends to giggle incessantly as they watch.

She leans away from Sunshine, to say something to a pair of her friends, and Sunshine lets out a long hot gush of air across her neck. She gives a shiver with her whole body and her mane stands on end. She turns sideways and smirks at him as she eyes him up and down. She leans in and partially closes her eyes as she says softly, “Oh I know what you’re smelling, big boy.” She leans up and whispers in his ear, “Get a good whiff.” Then she spins around, and up to all four hooves, turning her back to him as she wiggles her flanks and swishes her tail quickly like a happy dog as she talks to her friends.

The other guards standing around seem to have mixed feelings about all of this. If they ‘save’ him from this onslaught of fillies, is it really saving him or ruining what’s probably going to be the best part of his day?

The teacher finally returns her attention from out of her bag and starts glancing around before looking over and holding up her camera with her green glowing field as she asks, “How about we get a group picture?”

The group spreads out around Sunshine making a variety of funny faces before the teacher snaps the photo with a giggle.

One of the fillies waves her over. “Hey, come join us! You should be in a few too!”

There’s general consensus from the others before they giggle and finally get her to join them in front of the others. She sits down in front of all of her students, tucking her legs under herself, while keeping the camera in the same position with her levitation field as she grins and the others crowd in around her.

She snaps the picture.

“One more!” the maroon maned filly next to Sunshine says.

The teacher counts down and clicks, catching the two fillies on either side of Sunshine licking him up his cheeks without knowing it.

“Now a silly one!” the same instigator suggests.

Again the teacher counts down and this time one of the fillies has her hooves around Sunshine’s neck, and biting on his ear as she stares at the camera, and the other one with the glasses has her forelegs around his shoulder and kissing on his neck below his jaw as she looks at the camera.

“How about another!” one of the fillies asks as she gets up and tries to slink next to Sunshine to join in on the fun.

The teacher shakes her head as she giggles and stands up, “No, no, we need to go. There’s much to do, we’ll get more pictures later.”

There’s moans of complaints but they obediently start leaving. Then, the light brown earth pony runs back and looks Sunshine in the face with a massive grin. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t help myself… But, if you think I’m even half as cute as I think you are… Here’s my number.” She tucks the paper into his armor by his chest then gives him a kiss on his nose before turning and running off to join the rest of her group as they go through the doors at the top of the stairs.

On the other side of the hall a unicorn maintenance pony steps through the side passage doorway with a bucket of water floating out in front of her as she heads to clean some section of the castle. One of the guards grabs the bucket of water from the maid as she was walking by and trots over to Sunshine. “You poor bastard… You’re dedication is ridiculous. Rest of us were squirming just watching… Want me to dump this bucket of cold water over you? One huff for ‘no’, two for ‘yes’.”

He holds up his hoof to Sunshine’s snoot and Sunshine bursts out two gushes of air, causing the other guards to chuckle.

The guard nods. “Yup. Thought so. I’d need a cold shower after that too.” He starts slowly pouring the water down Sunshine’s neck then jumps back a bit as he goes wide eyed. “Holy shit, was that steam!? Fuck!” He slowly moves the bucket back and forth along Sunshine’s length, then splashes the last of it over Sunshine’s head.

The maid looks absolutely horrified as the guard returns the bucket to her. He nods back towards Sunshine as he says, “Trust me… he needed that… Would you mop up what’s left so nopony slips?”

She nods and hurries off where she’d come from as the guard returns to his post.

At the next change of the guards, the original guard to comment on him looks at Sunshine as he passes and comes to a dead stop. “Have mercy... has he died on his hooves or something?”

One of the guards leaving comments, “I haven’t seen him so much as blink… Not even once.”

The incoming guard goes over and starts waving a hoof in front of Sunshine’s face. “Oh shit. I think he really has died!” As he’s bringing his hoof down, Sunshine lets a huge gush of air out through his nose, causing the pegasus guard to jump into the air with their wings flaring out so quickly that a few feathers scatter out and start lazily falling around. He lands a distance away with his eyes bugging out and a hoof to his chest. “Nearly had a heart attack!”

One of the guards gets a sour disposition as they ask, “Has anyone even seen Dash since she started this?” The others gently shake their head then they let out a sigh of annoyance in solidarity.

That day Rainbow Dash comes flying lazily down the stairs leading a group of ponies, most of which had passed through not to long ago. She angles and starts going along the edge of the hall, causing the others to mindlessly follow suit as they keep up their random babbling at the cyan pegasus about one matter or another. As she’s passing the small alcove where he’s practically blending in, she looks at Sunshine and salutes him with a scowl and says, “Alright, as you were!”

Sunshine snaps to a salute in response.

However, a couple of the ponies that had been with Dash jump in complete surprise at the sudden movement. A couple even go running away in a panic screaming about living statues as paperwork scatters all over the carpeted path of the foyer.

Dash curls up in the air, holding her sides and starts laughing, as there’s a practical stampede going out both doors, from several of the ponies she was with bugging out. As she’s hanging there in a mid air giggle fit, the doors at the top of the stairs open and initially only draws a few’s attention, but all of Sunshine’s.

Sunshine begins shaking lightly, and takes a step back into the alcove as his eyes widen at the figure who steps through the doorway.

Princess Celestia, in all of her shining majesty.

“Rainbow Dash!” Celestia calls out from the doorway, drawing everyone’s attention. “I must have a word with you. Right this instant!”

Dash turns around and waves. “Sure. What do you need?” She zips over and starts flying in the air around Celestia as she walks down the stairs and the rest of Dash’s entourage, the ones left that haven’t fled already, excuse themselves and leave after giving a respectful bow to Celestia.

“It has come to my attention that you have been tormenting a member of my Royal Guard! Explain yourself this instant!” She walks through the center of the hall on the carpet, looking back and forth, then stopping and staring at Sunshine.

Sunshine, for his part, tries his best not to move. Despite the absolute terror building up within himself. To flee at this point would draw way too much attention to himself and he doesn’t want that at all. He has a distinctive fantasy about turning around, jumping through the window behind him, and flying away as fast as he possibly could.

But that would be counterproductive.

So, instead, he stands there looking as stoic as he possibly can manage and tries to continue blending in with the rest of the royal guards. And the environment itself.

Celestia looks over at Sunshine and regards him, seeing the micro movements as he does his best to stay still but can’t. “The poor thing’s been here for days! Look, he’s about to collapse!”

Dash flies around in front of her and gives a nervous grin as she rubs a hoof on the back of her prismatic mane. “Oh… well… Ya see.”

Celestia scowls at her. “Who are you to be ordering around members of my Royal Guard anyway?!” She points a hoof at Dash. “My sister may have given you an office, but that does not entitle you to harass castle guards!”

Dash gets a crooked smile that’s fading as she says softly, “I- I can explain.”

Celestia starts tearing into Dash and asking how someone who’s the bearer of loyalty could be so cruel to her underlings. It escalates and Dash can’t even get a word in edgewise as she’s increasingly mortified about how this has turned out.

Dash hovers there with her legs hanging limply and her jaw agape as she can’t do anything but take the barrage.

Pinkie Pie jumps out of a potted bush nearby and lands on Sunshine’s back as she hops and bounces around on all four of her hooves on him simultaneously, laughing uncontrollably with her head high in the air. She rolls over onto him, rolling back and forth while holding her sides in her giggle fits, before finally falling off of Sunshine’s back and landing on the floor. But it does nothing to stop her increasing laughter. If anything it makes it louder, as she even giggles at herself with genuine mirth.

With the tension cut from Pinkie’s rampant laughing, Sunshine tries to diffuse the situation further. As much as he’d personally prefer to run away screaming himself, he can’t let the beloved cyan pegasus go down for something so silly. Or, worse, get cursed like he is. Sunshine gives a sheepish grin and says shakily, “It’s okay. I could stand here as long as needed. I would stand here as long as it took.” He sits down and waves at himself as he grins, an extremely forced grin, at Celestia. “Thanks for the concern, but I’m fine, really.”

She looks him over and frowns. “Who are you, really… You’re not one of my guards…” She straightens up and looms over him. “Nopony sits in front of the princess.”

Sunshine shakes a bit as he instinctively takes a step back, and starts second guessing the merits of his jumping through the glass window escape plan, and looks around.“Pinkie? Dash? Halp?”

Dash sits down on the carpet and folds her hooves as she glares at Pinkie. “You got us in this mess.”

Celestia leans down and stares at Sunshine as she uses her magic to yank off his helmet. “I asked you a question.” Several other guards start closing in around them drawing weapons as they glare at Sunshine.

Sunshine grinds a forehoof into the ground as he looks up at her. “It’s a little complicated… promise you won’t get mad?” He increasingly shakes and shrinks down as he looks up into her ever looming eyes.

Celestia snorts in annoyance. “Better talk fast.”

Sunshine looks around at the others and takes off the armor, kicking it off to the side so it’s out of the way. Then he lays down meekly and looks up at her. He gives her a sheepish grin before his form starts to shift and sink in as he drops the illusion and his body changes into his true brass clockwork self. Gearing in the metallic flesh. He huddles down with his forehooves over his head and says with a groan as he starts visibly shaking, “It was just a joke… I’m sorry.”

Celestia pulls back a bit and looks at Pinkie Pie. “I suppose you put them up to this?”

“Yup! Best prank ever! You should have seen everpony’s face when he finally moved, it was great!” She sits and giggles some more as she holds her stomach with her forelegs.

Celestia sighs and shakes her head before she looks down at Gearing. “It’s not funny using protecaponies for pranks. It can be quite dangerous if they were to malfunction.”

Dash and Pinkie cringe visibly as they look at Gearing, but notice Gearing is too busy shaking and cowering to say anything they’d expect him to say to such a comment.

Pinkie raises a hoof classroom style and says, “Actuallllyyy… he’s… a pegasus.”

Dash points at him and confirms, “He’s a buck. Not a machine.”

Celestia turns and looks at him as she asks, “Is that so?”

Gearing nods lightly as he looks up at her. “Yes, ma’am. Princess, Ma’am. Like I said, it’s complicated. I know how I look, but I’m a pegasus.” He fans out his wings and causes the room to cascade in greenish hues of light. He hates drawing attention to himself from her of all ponies, but it’s probably necessary at this point. Though, on some level, he’s wondering how often she comes up with horrible curses that she actually forgets about them eventually… Although he realizes she is very old so maybe that has something to do with it. Best not remind her of the reason, assuming even SHE knows, and just try and get out of the situation as quickly as possible, he decides. Just let me fade out of the situation as a joking novelty, he silently begs the universe.

Celestia stands up straight as she seems to come to a decision and looks down at him. “Hmmm… so you’re a pony… right?”

Gearing straightens up a bit and nods rapidly, hoping this is the correct answer. He has to protect his commander if nothing else. “Yes. I am. I promise!”

Celestia tilts her head as she muses, “Well... that changes things.” She turns and faces back towards the stairs where she came from. “Impersonating a Royal Guard is a serious offense for a pony to commit.”

“Eep,” Gearing squeaks out as his brushed-copper eyes go large and he huddles down tightly to himself again.

Celestia tosses her hair and closes her eyes as she says, “Guards, arrest him and lock him behind bars while I figure out what should be done with him.”

Dash cringes and rubs her upper forearm with a hoof. “I- isn’t that a bit harsh, Princess?”

A couple guards come over with their weapons drawn, and Gearing solemnly offers his forehoofs as they put on manacles. They start leading him away, as he’s hanging his head and offering no resistance, as they head towards the stairs.

Pinkie watches as Gearing’s walking away and says softly, as her hair seems to deflate a bit, “Well… that’s not as fun.”

Before Gearing gets to the door there’s a loud clank and ping as the manacles holding him break, as he apparently takes a step too far, and sends a link flying away and bouncing off a wall. He cringes and the guards surrounding him spin around putting their swords to his throat as he says, “Sorry! It’s just it was too small. I’m not trying to run, honest!” They snort and motion with their heads and he continues on out of the room dragging the pieces of chain across the floor as he walks.

Gearing’s lead to a small dungeon area where ponies wait until they are either released or sent on to one of the more modern jailing systems. It’s dark and dank and a reminder of times not to far passed. Gearing gets put in a cell by himself with a bed and a bucket for a pony to relieve themselves in. But not before they clamp his wings down to his sides with special wing restraints, like a metal reinforced cloth girdle, to keep him from flying off. After the guards have locked the large metal bars behind him and walked away, he starts taking in his surroundings. He shakes his head as he closes his eyes, then as he opens them again his form changes once more.

This time Gearing’s body is quickly coated in a dark blue pelt with his mane and tail changing into a more even blue. Without the armor covering it up, and even with wearing a different color pelt, his strong features, both muscular and structural, like his jawline, become prevalent as he turns around and backs into the far back left corner. He lays down and stares at the gate wide-eyed as he tries to process everything that’s happened.

This isn’t what he was expecting. Celestia wasn’t supposed to be involved. If he’d known she’d be anywhere near it he would have never agreed to it. He’s sure he could probably get out of this on his own, but it would involve a lot of ponies getting hurt in the process. Worst of all, Rainbow Dash would be in even more trouble than whatever punishment she’s having to face now.

His brain runs from one morbid grim thought to another in rapid succession.

There’s no telling what’s going to happen to him. With the princesses pissed off at him, anything’s possible. He’d already been cursed with this metal body. What’s after that? He can’t even imagine. But, then again, most ponies couldn’t even imagine a pony being stuck in a metal shell. So, obviously, they are very creative in their torture. He huddles in the corner, shivering and shaking and debating on some other way out of this.

Hanging himself wouldn’t do any good. He doesn’t need to breath. And there’s nothing in here sharp enough to do enough damage to himself to avoid whatever hell’s coming his way. Maybe picking a fight with a guard? Getting their weapon away and using it himself? On himself? Would Dash still get in trouble if he suicided by cop?

A detention guard walks by with a tray and looks in at him as he smirks. “Hey, blue buck… Dinner time.” He sets the tray down and pushes it to the bars.

Gearing looks at it and says softly, “No thanks.”

The guard shrugs and turns around to leave. “No skin off my nose. I just have to give it to you.”

Some time later, of which he can only guess at given the lack of natural light, a pale gray unicorn mare comes down and stares at Gearing through the bars. “Are you the one known as ‘Gearing’?”

“Yeah,” Gearing says softly as he huddles in the corner and stares at her. He takes note of the robes which designate her as a Royal Guard security administrator.

She looks down at the ground at the untouched tray and asks, “Not hungry?”

“No,” he answers flatly.

She looks him over and asks, “You intend on eating this?”

“No,” he answers in the same tone.

She frowns as she sits down and folds her forehooves across her chest. “Well, you are in jail. This isn’t a resort. It’s a punishment. You’re going to have to eat what we give you or go hungry.”

Gearing replies flatly, “Fine.”

She sees him still not moving then asks, “You’re really not going to eat this?”

Gearing doesn’t even respond to her, and just lays there wide eyed as many possibilities goes through his mind and he barely pays the current conversation any attention.

She lets out a sigh as she opens a book and holds it up in front of herself with her silvery levitation field. “Well, Gearing, my name’s Silver Aura and I’m the security officer on duty. Come to the bars please; I need to give you an examination.”

Gearing blinks a few times then actually looks at her. “For what?”

Silver Aura looks over at him as she has the book floating in the side of her vision. “It’s come to our attention that you have some sort of magical abilities. Being a pegasus, you shouldn’t be able to do that… so… either you aren’t a pegasus, and really a unicorn, or some other magic capable race, in which case we have to take the proper precautions… or you are hiding items on your person that lets you do which you should not be able to do… in which case we need to confiscate them.” She waves a hoof dismissively. “Either way, I need to find out the truth.”

Gearing stares at her for a few moments then says flatly, “Not doing that.”

She stomps a hoof before pointing it at him. “Don’t be so stubborn. You’ve already accepted your punishment. Don’t make it any worse!” Her purple amethyst eyes narrow as she scowls and points down by the gate. “Now get over here so I can process you correctly.”

Gearing doesn’t move a single hair.

She smirks and asks, “You think I don’t have any way of dispelling that illusion of yours?”

Gearing’s eyes go a bit wider and she smirks even wider. “Yeah. I know all about it. Faking looking like a white Royal Guard… and somehow making yourself look like a protectapony after that? Nope.” She shakes her head as she looks up at the ceiling and ruffles her silver mane in the process. “We’re not having any of that nonsense in here. So either cough up the items, or you’ll end up regretting it.”

“I can’t do that,” Gearing says flatly.

Her horn glows brighter as her smirk increases. “Fine! Then after I expose whatever item you have, and take it, you’re getting extra time for non-cooperation and conspiracy to escape!”

“I’m behind bars.” Gearing rolls his eyes. “I can’t do anything in here with an illusion, even if I had illusionary magic!”

She grins widely then shrugs as it turns into a half scowl and she snorts, “Fine. Criminal!” Then a gust of energy shoots from her horn and splashes against Gearing in a burst of bluish twinkling lights.

Gearing’s illusion drops instantly. At the same moment, he starts spasming and shaking all over in his brass clockwork form as electricity starts sparking and arcing over his body while his eyes bug out and his throat seizes shut.

Silver Aura stands there with her muzzle agape for a moment, in complete shock, that only morphs to a look of abject horror as Gearing’s throat opens enough to scream.

And scream he does.

A blood curdling involuntary scream of pain and torment as his body shakes and sparks.

A couple guards come running over at the noise and one shoves her out of the way as he screams, “The hell did you do to him?!” He looks in and sees Gearing shaking and rolling around in pain as he screams, at least when he’s able, as the electricity jumps and arcs over his entire form. The arcing electricity heats up the metal, both from his body and inside of the wing restraints, in certain points that they get so hot that the thick cloth binding his wings smolders, scorches, and burns in spots, creating smoke that wafts out of the prison cell.

The mare guard shoves Silver Aura against the far wall and repeats what her coworker just asked, “The fuck did you do to him?! He’s just being detained! Not tortured!”

The light grey unicorn stammers. “N- n- nothing! I- I- I-”

The first guard wheels around on her. “The hell you did nothing! Look at him!”

The unicorn mare shakes her head. “That shouldn’t have happened! It’s just a magic disruption spell to cancel out illusions!” She looks past them and puts her hooves to her mouth as Gearing flops around and spasms as he sporadically howls. “It shouldn’t be doing this…” She flops down on her rear watching in horror at what she’d done. “It- it shouldn’t be doing this. It shouldn’t!”

The mare guard slaps Silver Aura across the face to pull her out of her stupor. “Well stop it! Turn it off!”

Silver Aura shrugs. “I… I can’t… It’s just a burst spell. It simply turns them off, it doesn’t have lingering effects!”

The mare guard looks over at Gearing flopping around and asks in panic, “The fuck are we going to do!?”

Footnote: Internal component 04 not responding. . .

Internal component 05 not responding. . .

Internal component 06 not responding. . .

This chapter starts a section that reveals a lot about Gearing's past. It's also provided me a bit of a challenge in the way I'm presenting it, and I may have to rearrange things if I figure out a better way of doing it later. It's sort of a flashback, but a more accurate way of saying it would be scenes from the past being shown and limited in focus to being directly around Gearing.

Questions, critiques, and comments welcome and encouraged as always!

-Quillsy