The next time Gearing opens his eyes in the facility, he finds himself floating in the air face down, with his wings partially stretched out and suspended at his sides, as a variety of machines go about their business of beeping. He blinks a few times then groans as he tries to move, but the suspension field, of course, is also restricting his movements.

“Hey. Who’s around?” Gearing calls out as his face is still directed towards the ground.

From his limited perspective, a pair of hooves trot over in front of him before the mare asks, “How are you feeling?”

Gearing groans a bit and relaxes again after trying to move. “Like an Ursa Major just sat its fat ass on me.”

The mare giggles and she stoops down to look up at him eye to eye. It’s a new face, very pale green and younger than most, but, from her eyes, very intelligent. The horn helps point in that direction too. “That’s quite… descriptive… Vivid imagery… You read a lot?”

Gearing smirks. “Lot of hours in the day to be filled when there’s nothing else to do.”

“Aaaand a cryptic response… Hmmm.” She grins widely and asks, “Anywhere in particular hurt more than anywhere else?”

Gearing lets out a sigh and lets his eyes roam around. “I can’t really tell. I hurt if I try to move at all. But the fields got me pretty immobile, so I can’t test and find out for sure where.”

She lays down and looks up at him so he can see her better. “Yeah…” She shakes her head slowly. “You’re a challenge to work on. We… kind of have to take you apart to work on you… We can’t drop the field until we’re sure everything’s going to stay where it’s supposed to be.”

Gearing lets out a groan. “Yeah. I remember… Not like a scalpel would just cut through my plates and gears.”

She shakes her head lightly. “Nope… but… we’ve improved our technique. So you should be ready soon.” She reaches up and boops him on the nose with a forehoof. “All of the data from the practice runs of putting you back together after your escapades in the field has helped that.”

“Oh…” Gearing chuckles. “So getting blown up has more perks than just getting to meet the cute staff?” He partially closes an eye as he gives her a crooked grin.

Her eyes flash wide as she flushes lightly. She coughs into her hoof as she looks off to the side, but then looks up at him with just her eyes. “I see their ‘exaggerations’ about you weren’t so… exaggerated…” Her eyes start trailing down his body as she looks at what functions as his pelt.

“Hey! Hey!” Gearing yells as his eyes go wide. “That’s sexual harassment, young lady!”

The unicorn flushes and her eyes go wide as she eeps out, “I- I-“

“Yeah!” a familiar voice comes from nearby. “So don’t go trying to steal my bit!”

The amethyst unicorn mare in the business suit plops down, laying next to her, and nudges her in the side as she asks, “Enjoying the view? Eh? Eh? Eh?”

The younger mare pales then hops up and scampers away. “That’s not what I was doing!”

The mare at Gearing’s face giggles as she watches the other mare run away. “Why not? I’ll join you!” She turns her head back sideways, and blatantly stares at Gearing’s underside before looking up at him with a grin behind her glasses.

Gearing smirks then looks in the direction the other mare had run off to. “She’s cute, why not go after her?”

She waves a hoof in her general direction without looking. “Nah, she’s straight.”

Gearing scrunches his lips to the side before he asks, “How you know?”

She grins and puts her hooves up by her ears and starts turning them like dishes. “Gaydar. A finely tuned machine to distinguish which flank is for me. And which flank is just to appreciate from afar.” Her grin just gets wider as her green eyes practically sparkle in self amusement.

Gearing chuckles and shakes his head ever so slightly, about as much as the field would allow him. “So to what do I owe the honor of the visit? Or,” he grins widely, “You just here to take in the view and ravish me while I’m all helpless.” He gives his head a bit of a shake and chuckles as he rolls his eyes exaggeratedly as he finishes.

She puts a hoof to her mouth as she looks him over and ponders. “Oh you just would have to go and put that idea in my head, wouldn’t you?” She stands up as she starts gently touching his sides. “Where’d they open you up at?”

Gearing lets out a long sigh. “Not sure, he knocked me out shortly after you left. Bless him.”

She starts gently pushing on the plates and gears along Gearing’s side, listening for his light grunts as she probes going down his left side to his flank, then doing the same on his right side. As she’s pressing into his chest and underside she says softly, “Looks like they came in from both sides…”

Gearing lets out a groan. “Yeah… Seems like it-” His eyes go wide and he asks, “Wha- what are you doing? Applemint?”

She giggles as she slides under him, and slowly rises to press her back into his underside as she nuzzles the side of her cheek up his chest until she’s arched her back enough that they are cheek to cheek. “Just checking on your tummy…” She starts rocking side to side, rubbing her back along his underside and wiggling her flank against his abdomen. “And… Like I told the filly… Harassing you is my job, and if she’s not going to do it right then she shouldn’t be.” She dramatically shakes her flank one way. “Trying.” She shakes it the other way. “At” Again to the other side. “All!” she wiggles it around against him and slides back a bit.

Gearing groans then closes his eyes as he chuckles. “Oh damn… I’m in trouble.”

“Uh huh!” Applemint giggles. “Poor Gearing… unable to do anything… except hang out here.” She rocks back a bit and lets out an approving moan towards his ear.

His eyes jump wide open as he feels her flank press into him. He looks around and huffs a few times as he asks, “Since we’re on the topic of sexual harassment and awkwardness… want to explain that kiss?”

She pulls around and looks him in the eye as she grins widely. “Wellll…” She reaches up and rubs her hoof over his cheek as she continues, “I’d been thinking about it quite a bit… and… just seemed like as good a time as any.” She reaches up and kisses his nose then looks him in the eyes as she wiggles her eyebrows. “I was honestly a bit surprised at how dexterous your tongue was… gave me a few other ideas on how to properly put you to use.”

Gearing’s eyes go wide as he stares down his muzzle at her and she disappears from his sight again back under him.

“Mmmhmm… New things to enjoy… When the universe is just dangling a carrot in front of you like that… it would be a tragedy not to… take a taste,” she says with a giggle before turning her head and performing a disappearing act with the one part of Gearing’s body he is all too conscious of at the moment..

Gearing twitches and his eyes bug out as he asks in a startled voice, “Whoa! H- hey! I mean a good tease is one thing, but I thought you were interested in mares?” He shivers and shakes as he lets out a groan, “We… we sat in your office looking at Wingboner and critiquing flanks while munching on mintsticks!”

“Mmmhmm,” she says rudely with her mouth full. She pulls back and looks at his totem to stallionhood. “Yeah? And you never noticed my hooves moving under the desk while looking at your flank?” She tilts her head as she licks her lips. “You know… you don’t taste like I’d expect you to.” She starts giving him a couple long licks then smacking her lips together. “I’d expect something more… Metallic. Not like blood but like a gold coin or something… you’re… It’s… it’s almost like a type of mint…” She takes another full gulp before she raises an eyebrow. “It’s a mint like I’ve never tasted before?”

Gearing, unable to do much more than joke at the moment asks, “What? Never heard of the Gearing Mint where I was stamped into service?”

She gives a giggle then turns around and climbs under him again so she can rub against his chest and rub her cheek against his. “Gearing Mint… I like that…” She gives his cheek a lick. “Delicious Gearing Mint.” She starts rocking her flank against his abdomen again as she kisses and licks his neck.

“A- Applemint… what are you doing? Really?” He lets out a frustrated snort and asks, “You’re not just trying to make me feel better or keep my mind off this are you?”

She frowns and reaches her hoof up to give his mane a rough rustle with her cheek still pressed against his. “I’m doing this because I’m rather annoyed at you right now.”

Gearing smirks and chuckles. “Okay… that makes sense… almost.”

She lets out a sigh and looks at him. “A little birdy told me that you said I was just a mare muncher.”

Gearing looks at her sideways. “Well… I just said it too… And you seemed to agree … sooo.”

She holds up a hoof and taps him on the nose. “No… what you just said was that I was interested in mares… What they said was that you’d said I was only interested in mares.”

Gearing looks at her a moment and raises an eyebrow. “Huh?”

Tick. Tick. CLICK.

Gearing’s eyes go wide. “O- oh! You…. You mean you’re…?”

She nuzzles his cheek and giggles. “An equal opportunity lover? Yup!” She gives him a mischievous grin as she starts slowly sliding under him. “And I couldn’t help myself with your gorgeous ass in the workshop all the time.” She starts rocking her flank ever so slowly side to side as she backs up and presses her back into his underside. “You’re so big and stroooong… And I’d imagine you just stepping over me like this…” She straightens up and arcs her back against him as she says softly, “See.. you’re so tall I fit right under you…” She shakes her flanks a bit more as she slowly backs up. “And I could just imagine you pushing me against my computer desk… And I wouldn’t be able to move. And you could just hold me there with your big strong muscles.” She nuzzles his chest and leg as she starts shaking her flank back and forth against him with each word. “And. Just. Pound. My. Poor. Little. Pussy. All. Night. Looooong.” She arcs her neck, reaches up, and gives his chest kisses as she says, “And all I’d be able to do… is lay there. With you holding me down and nothing else to do but enjoy it.” She lets out a long groan of approval as she closes her eyes and visualizes it herself.

Gearing’s ears whistle and he has a hard time trying to say anything as he’s trying to figure out how to talk again.

She lets out a bit of a sigh and giggles as she nuzzles him. “We made an agreement a while ago… If things ever got pushed too far to say something…” She giggles and nuzzles his neck. “I haven’t tapped out…”

Gearing’s eyes jump around then he lets out a long groaning sigh as he feels her slowly press against him. “Yeah… And… uh… I don’t recall ever saying ‘when’ either.”

She stretches up just enough to look at him sideways and grins. “You like my mintsticks.” She reaches up and licks the underside of his chin. “How about sticking some mint?”

His eyes go wide and he stares at her maintaining hard eye contact as long as he can. She grins back, and slowly sinks backwards before her eyes jump open with an explosive grin. They both grunt at the same time.

“Oh gods I’ve been wanting this!” She keeps rocking back against him as she slowly lowers her head to the ground, arching her back, and pressing into him as much as possible. Applemint, doing all of the work and enjoying every minute of it, giggles as the suspension field holds him firmly in place for her to rock back against and into.

When she finally finishes, collapsing to the floor in a twitching heap, she slowly crawls forward, and rolls over onto her back to look him in the eyes. She grabs his face with her hooves and gives him another deep tongued kiss as she slowly comes down and repeatedly twitches.

As she’s pulling back, and keeps her face not far from his, she says softly, “I’m sorry… I went too far this time.” She brushes her eggplant purple mane out of her eyes with a hoof and fixes her glasses back into their normal spot as they’d almost fallen off.

Gearing chuckles and shakes his head as much as he can. “I’m not complaining, trust me.”

She sits up and wraps her hooves around his neck. “I just… I’m just tired of living with regrets…” She shakes her head and pulls into him tighter as she moans. “This whole damn war’s one big meat grinder.”

Gearing tries to nuzzle her but can’t so he gives her a slight lick on the cheek before he says, “The war will end eventually. We’ll win. And afterwards we can put that whole mess behind us.”

She lets out a sigh and pulls back as she looks him in the eyes. “But, how many will be left by that point? The tree’s already got so many leaves on it already…”

Gearing gives a grin and wiggles his eyebrows. “Well, I’m not going anywhere… Have you met me?”

She giggles and shakes her head. “Yeah. Every part of you now.” His ears whistle louder and she giggles as she kisses him again. She lets out a sigh and nuzzles his muzzle as she says softly, “I’m transferring.”

Gearing’s eyes go wide as he asks, “Not because of me, is it?”

She shrugs. “In part.” She reaches up and taps him on the nose. “We all need to work harder. If you can pull through what you’ve just been through, the rest of us need to step up our game too.” She looks off to the side and sighs. “We need to keep improving on the equipment.” She reaches up and taps him on his shoulder. “Like your implants.” She shrugs. “We thought we were getting close to mass implementation, but this turn of events is throwing us back to the drawing board. Not only do we need to make sure they’re compatible with organic flesh, without burning it or setting off nerves, we have to make sure if the device fails that it’ll do so…” She waves a hoof around trying to think of a word and eventually just mutters, “Elegantly… or at least better than what happened to you.”

Gearing’s eyes jump around and he asks with a groan, “Did they just put more of the same back in me?”

She shakes her head. “No, we’d actually been working on arcano-tech hardened ones for you anyway. These are definitely a massive improvement over the others. But, we weren’t planning on even talking to you about switching them out until much later. The process is so risky...” She frowns and looks off to the side. “Yours getting burnt out kind of forced an accelerated time table.”

She pulls away and uses some nearby cloths to clean them both up with her magic as she slowly walks around him. She tosses them in a linen hamper and shakes her head lightly. “It’s been fun, Gearing…” She starts walking away as she says over her shoulder. “Look me up after the war.”

“Hey,” he calls after her. She turns and looks him over and lets out a sigh as she obviously hopes he’s not going to say anything to make this harder than it already is. “Better keep up practice with that mintstick recipe.” He gives her a large grin eliciting a smile and a light nod from her, even though he couldn’t really see it. “And, could you send Crème in? I need to talk to him like yesterday.”

She nods and quickly heads out of the door.

Crème walks through the same door a few moments later and comes trotting over to Gearing, “Applemint said you needed something?”

Gearing looks over at him and tries to nod, but, of course, can’t. “I have an op that needs done.”

Crème looks around then walks closer as he asks, “What? You change your mind on that security officer?”

“No.” Gearing groans. “I’m still sure it was an accident. She seemed as shocked about the turn of events as I was.”

Crème shakes his head. “Then what?” He stoops down so he can look him in the eye easier.

Gearing looks Crème over and asks quietly, “You haven’t informed anyone about all of this, have you?”

Crème flinches and rubs his forehoof against his upper foreleg. “I was… actually hoping to pawn that off on you.” He gives a sheepish grin. “I like my head on my shoulders and don’t want Dash bucking it off.”

“What about the castle?”

Crème looks at him and slowly shakes his head. “Captain’s sworn the others to secrecy while this is all being sorted out. The only ones that know anything for sure is the nurse, the captain of the jail guard, and, to a lesser extent, some of the jail staff… None have talked, we’re sure.”

Gearing nods and lets out a sigh. “Okay… Here’s what I need.”

Crème pulls out a notepad and gets ready to write, but ends up dropping it in shock almost the instant Gearing opens his mouth again.

“I need this event to disappear,” Gearing says grimly. Crème looks at him with a raised eyebrow and Gearing continues, “First it’s a security leak that exposed our weakness. The only reason it happened was because of my implants, or I’d still be back behind bars. They’re good ponies. They won’t stop digging until they find out what went wrong. That’s the problem.” Gearing lets out a sigh. “They need to have their memories altered. All of them… Except the security officer… leave her to me.”

Crème picks up his notepad and quickly starts scribbling. “And… internal documents?”

“I said ‘disappear’, Crème,” Gearing says with a huff.

Crème looks around and runs a hoof through his mane. “I- I don’t know if we can do that, Gearing. You’re not in charge of the ministry.”

Gearing lets out a deep frustrated snort before he says with a hiss, “This was supposed to be a joke! Do you have any idea what would happen with Dash and Pinkie if they found out about this? They’re both stressed enough as it is, that’s why we did this.” He stares at Crème in the eyes and says flatly, “If they find out their joke nearly killed me, it’ll break them. Pinkie’s hair’s already going gray from the stress and the only reason you’re not seeing the bags around Dash’s eyes is she keeps zipping around all the time and not giving anyone time enough to really look at her.”

Gearing forces his eyes closed and practically begs. “Crème, we can’t afford for the heads of two of our strongest ministries to be distracted by this bullshit. If you want to keep something official, just keep it locked away until after the war. We have plenty of documents in that area of the archive. She’s not likely to just stumble across it… just… just don’t volunteer it and make sure no one else can mention it either.”

Crème looks at him and asks softly, “Want your memory wiped too? Given what you’d been through… I wouldn’t blame you.”

Gearing lets out a sigh and looks at the ground. “No… There’s things I really need to remember for this to go right.”

Crème leans over and puts a hoof on Gearing’s shoulder. “You’re a lot like her, and putting way too much on your own shoulders. You’re a good one, Gearing, but don’t break yourself.”

Gearing looks at him and smiles weakly. “Better me than her. I’m helping her shoulder her burdens. If I break under the pressure, what do you think that means is going to happen to her?”

Crème starts turning away. “I’ll get it done.”

“I’m not finished!’ Gearing yells.

Crème looks up at the ceiling and sighs. “How’d I see that coming?” He looks over at Gearing and asks, “Yeah?”

“I need to be put back as quickly as possible. Broken manacles and wing bindings included. The whole deal. We can’t let Celestia know about this either,” Gearing says with a shiver.

Crème looks at him with his eyes as wide as they can possibly go. “You want us to defraud the Princess?!”

Gearing lets out a long snort and asks, “If she finds out, Dash and Pinkie will be the next to know as she tries some kind of platitudes or sends some kind of condolences.” He shivers hard enough with his whole body that the restraining field seems to have a hard time keeping him stationary. “I’d really… really… prefer if she didn’t know… She’s the one that threw me in the cell for a simple joke. Fuck all if I know what she’d do to try and cover this up.”

Crème looks at him and shakes his head. “G- Gearing… She’d be mortified about this… She wouldn’t be vindictive…” He snorts and looks Gearing over as he raises an eyebrow. “I know you’ve always been skittish around her. Royalty. I understand that. But you’ve entirely misjudged her.”

Gearing lets out a grumble and says, “Really? Did you miss the ‘imprisonment without trial’ for standing still for a couple days bit? Or how about the indefinite detention aspect of that? Without Luna’s knowledge or consent to boot?”

Crème’s eye jump wide as he tries to think of something. “Well… That’s… I mean…”

“Crème!” Gearing snaps. “It’d be a gods damned scandal and we all know it! Her throwing a military member in jail for a joke, and him almost getting tortured to death as a result the same day? Not even the Ministry of Image could swing that one into a positive light.” He swallows hard and grumbles, “Not without throwing me under the bus as some kind of monster that deserved it anyway…”

Crème trots over and looks at Gearing in the eye. “That wouldn’t happen. Dash wouldn’t let it.”

Gearing looks at Crème and narrows his eyes. “How about we just do as I said and make the whole damn event disappear and nopony will have to worry about it!”

Crème hangs his head as he looks around. He bobs his head and finally shakes it. “Fine… Fine… We can get you back there tonight and I’ll have all of the personnel on staff gather in the clinic and we’ll take care of everything there…” He looks at Gearing and asks, “Any idea what I should replace their memories with?”

Gearing chuckles as he looks at the floor. “Yeah… Make them creeped out by my staring contest… If they complain about it enough maybe it’ll get me out sooner.”

Crème chuckles. “Yeah… it’s something you’d do too.” He taps on Gearing’s shoulder. “Hang in there.”

Gearing starts laughing. “Oh… Now you got jokes too huh, Doc?”

Silver Aura stumbles out of her bedroom with an empty glass and wine bottle hovering in front of her as she heads towards her apartment’s small kitchenette. Most of the world may be asleep, but she’s just getting started. She pulls open a variety of cabinets after setting the bottle and glass down on the island’s countertop. She rubs her face and blinks her puffy bloodshot eyes as she moans, “I can’t be out, can I?”

“You always drink yourself stupid when you have work in the morning, or is this a special circumstance?”

She spins around and sees Gearing sitting on the other side of the island holding and looking at the empty bottle she’d laid down on it. She trails her eyes over his blue pelt and the thick trench coat he’s wearing as she slowly sinks to the floor on her rear and leans back against the counter near her refrigerator.

“Y- you a ghost?” she asks weakly.

Gearing sets the bottle down and shakes his head. “You can take that off your conscience.” He gives a grin and tilts his head as he wiggles his eyebrows. “I’ve had worse from those actually trying to kill me.” He waves a hoof at her and leans on the counter with the foreleg of the other. “That sucked for sure. But I’m alive.” He opens up his trench coat and shows his body covered in tightly bound healing bandages.

She smiles lightly and starts crying again as she nods. “Here to… finish it then?” She looks around and asks as she waves a hoof, “Can I at least finish getting drunk first?”

Gearing shakes his head and pulls out a bottle from inside of his coat as he holds it up. “In a manner of speaking… but not how you’re probably thinking.” He pops the top and starts pouring a glass slowly. “See… I need your help with something.” He looks at her as he sets the bottle back up, then pushes the glass towards her.

She looks at it for a few moments then shrugs. “Drink poison? Sure. That works. I deserve no less.”

The glass glows with her magic and starts to rise, but Gearing grabs it and pulls it out of her magic field. “Oh no. Uh uh. You’re not getting out of this that easily.”

She looks at him and her lip quivers. “I- I didn’t mean it… please… if you’re going to kill me. Just… just do it.” She starts crying hard as she throws a hoof around and looks at the pictures along her wall. Her eyes pause on a picture of her posing with another unicorn mare as they lean sideways into each other and stick their tongues out at the camera. “I screwed up. I know… I’m sorry.” She roughly rubs her face with her hooves before she pushes her silver mane back out of her eyes and looks at him. “I’ve fucked everything up.”

Gearing looks at her and slides the glass towards her as he shakes his head. “Well. That’s part of what I need from you.” She looks at him with her head sideways on her shoulder and stares at him as she tries to figure out his angle through her drunken stupor. “I need you… To live… And pretend nothing happened.”

She blinks a few times then crawls over to the counter and pulls herself up so she’s hanging there by her forehooves and her chin is just barely peeking over the lip of the island’s counter. “Excuse me?” Her purple amethyst eyes, while being bloodshot, clearly display her confusion.

He gives her a wide grin and snickers, “Can’t, no excuse for ya.” He reaches over and messes up her already messy silver mane with his hoof. She clinches her eyes, expecting a strike, but is left even more confused as he’s being annoying, but very gentle. He leans across the counter and rests on his right elbow as he points at her. “Here’s the deal…” He traces his focus over her features and says softly, “As of about now… you’re the only one that’s left of the detention security team that actually knows what all happened.”

Her eyes go wide and she hiccups as she asks, “D- didja already kill everypony else?”

Gearing lays his head down on his folded hooves on the counter and looks at her at almost eye level. “Nope. They just don’t… remember things the same as you do…”

She looks around and asks softly, “Memory manipulation? On royal guards?”

Gearing bobs his head around. “When it has to be done, it has to be done.”

She looks around and asks with a sniffle, “Why can’t I have my memory wiped? Why can’t I be allowed to forget what I’d done? Nopony else did anything bad, and they get to forget it all.”

Gearing tilts his head sideways. “Because we need you.”

She looks at him and her ears perk up for a moment before she asks, “Who’s ‘we’?”

Gearing shrugs and waves a hoof around. “Equestria, really. All of it.”

She frowns and stares at him. “I’m not that important of a filly.”

He reaches over and taps her on the nose. “What about Dash, Pinkie, and Celestia?”

Her puffy eyes jump wide open. “What about them?”

Gearing shrugs and throws a hoof around. “It wasn’t your fault. That’s why I’m not mad and it’s why we’re having this conversation… here… instead of… not here.”

Her eyes dart around as she tries to figure out how he’d gotten in and stayed out of view. Not to mention the strong possibility that he’s not alone. “And?”

Gearing folds his hooves again and says flatly, “The thing I was carrying is what caused the damage. It just had…” He waves a hoof and looks off to the side as he says with a sigh, “A bad reaction with the spell you used… that’s all... But.” He raises his hoof in the air before lowering it to point at her nose. “What do you think would happen, if Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Princess Celestia found out that somepony almost died because of a prank they were apart of?”

Her eyes jump wide and she looks around as she tries to think of the possibilities. “Celestia would be crushed. Dash… I don’t know so much, but Pinkie seems to live for parties and pranks, that’d just… gut her.”

Gearing nods. “So. Because of that… We’re going to forget this whole thing happened.”

She blinks a few times then asks, “I thought you said you’re not removing my memories.”

Gearing shakes his head. “We’re not… And despite strong counsel to the contrary, I’ve opted to keep mine as well.”

Her eyes go wide as she asks in horror, “Why?! With what you’ve been through-“

She stops as Gearing raises a hoof and glares at her. “You don’t have to tell me what I’ve been through… You don’t even know all of it.” He pulls the coat back again and shows his bandages. “But we both need to know… so we can do what needs to be done.”

She looks around and asks as her ears lay back, “What is it? I’m not going to betray the Princesses.”

Gearing chuckles and waves it away. “I’m not asking you to betray her, I’m asking you to help her.”

She tilts her head and asks with ever narrowing eyes, “How?”

Gearing folds his hooves again and rests his head on them. “Tomorrow when you go into work. Nopony else will remember what’s happened… Don’t bring it up… Ever… understand?” She nods lightly. “You’ll find me in the same jail cell, and you’ll find your ledger is missing your notes on me… Come down to the jail, do your normal thing, announce you’re intentions… then blast me with your magic again.”

Her eyes shoot to their widest and she shakes her head. “I- I can’t do that… not again.”

Gearing raises a hoof. “I’ll be fine… and… if not…” He chuckles morbidly. “Somepony’s really fucked up and this time someone at the hospital’s in a lot of trouble.” He reaches over and taps on the countertop. “Then demand I turn over the items in question. I’ll tell you no… and present a document. Write down in your ledger ‘Security deferred’… Hear me? This is important… Security. Deferred.”

“Security deferred,” she mindlessly repeats.

Gearing nods. “Then go through the standard process from that, and answer everything as you normally would. Don’t lie. Don’t try to cover anything up.”

“And… What if they ask about you getting injured and everything else?” she asks quietly.

Gearing shakes his head. “They won’t.”

“But what if,” she asks with near panic as her purple amethyst eyes enlarge.

Gearing looks her over for a moment then shrugs. “Then tell them you’ll have someone to talk with them about it soon. Go to the clinic and put my serial number into the medical terminal. Once Crème gets there, refer the individual to Crème.”

She looks at Gearing, exploring his face as she asks, “That’s it?”

Gearing nods. “Yup. If anyone asks, there’s been a leak somewhere, and Crème will take care of it. Beyond that.” He waves a hoof around. “Go about your business as usual.”

She looks around and asks, “And… then I’m free to go? No creepy midnight visits? No ‘unfortunate accidents’? No,” She looks at the bottle. “Poisoned wine?”

Gearing shakes his head. “Nope.” He grins and rolls his eyes. “I don’t typically make these kinds of personal visits… It’s a bit too… open. But this is a special circumstance.”

She nods as she looks around. “I bet you don’t normally have to worry about crumbling the morale of three heads of state simultaneously either…”

Gearing nickers. “Yeah. That’s the damn truth.”

She looks him over then looks at the wine. “Want a glass?”

Gearing looks at her and holds the bottle up. “Are you asking so I’ll drink some so you can make sure it’s not poisoned?”

She looks at the bottle then at him and gives a sheepish grin and shrugs. “Maybe.”

He sets the bottle down and leans on the counter sideways. “Even if I did, you’d still be worried about it, because there’s always the possibility that I’d taken the antidote before hand.”

She frowns and looks at the bottle. Hard. “Filly, if I wanted you dead. You would be… okay?”

She looks at him and narrows her eyes. “Not if you need me to do this tomorrow, it could be a slow acting poison.”

Gearing grins at her and actually sends a shiver up her spin. “Then I would have left the poisoned bottle in the cabinet, and not come out until after I’d made sure you drank some already.”

Her eyes go wide and she looks over at the other bottle.

He reaches over and gently ruffles her mane then trails it around to cradle her cheek. “Nopony’s going to hurt you. Not if I have any say in the matter… and trust me… I have a lot of say in the matter.”

She sniffles and looks side to side before she asks, “Then... why won’t you drink any?”

He pulls his hoof back and frowns. “Did you forget what I actually look like already?”

She tilts her head and looks at his blue pelted face. “I’m not that drunk. I’m looking right at you.”

He chuckles. “No… I mean… really look like…” He raises a hoof to himself and says, “I looked like this before you hit me with the illusion canceling spell, remember?”

Her eyes go wide as she thinks it through. “You- you can’t be a protectapony.”

Gearing’s eyes narrow and he lets out a very obviously annoyed snort. “I’m not. I just fucking look like one apparently.”

She looks him over for a moment, then asks softly, “Can... can I see then? You? The real you?”

Gearing looks around and lets out a sigh. “It typically causes problems. Way too many questions… but… if you’re going to cooperate, and keep everything quiet… okay.”

She nods quickly as she peeks up at him from the other side of the counter.

He smirks, then shrugs as he says, “Okay.” And a moment later the illusion fades into him and he stares grinning at her with his metallic face. He pulls off the trench coat and sets it on the island as he walks around to show himself. He fans out his wings, with the green and blue hues cascading around him and his entire torso wrapped tightly in bandages. He strikes his standard pose and even gently raises his forehoof nearest her as he shows off his profile. “Enjoying the view?”

She flops over sideways then crawls towards him as she stares at him. “No way…” She looks him over and gently raises a hoof to his shoulder. She trails it up his neck, and near his muzzle she carefully feels his mechanical jaw.

Gearing sighs and says, “Here… close your eyes for a second.” She does and he turns towards her and gently nuzzles his cheek and neck along hers, causing her to shiver. “With your eyes closed you should be able to feel the difference easier.”

She nods lightly then looks at him as she pulls back. “H- how did you end up like this?” She reaches up with a hoof and starts rubbing it over his cheek and down his neck as she wonders just how much this stallion had sacrificed for Equestria. He’s already willing to bear the burden of his own torture, as unintentional as it was, for the sake of everypony else. With little to no thought on the matter. What he had already been through to make that such an easy decision to make, she can only speculate on. She lets out a sigh as she slowly drifts her eyes to the floor. “Can’t tell me, can you?”

Gearing shrugs. “It’s a long story anyway.”

She smiles weakly then grabs the bottle and the glass with her magic as she asks, “So… you going to help me drink this? Or doom a poor mare to a string of bad decisions and hangovers?”

Gearing looks at the bottle and frowns. “If you really want... but it’d be wasted on me.”

“Pffft… right.” She starts taking a sip and her eyes go wide as she looks down at the glass. “Hey, this is pretty good!”

Gearing snickers. “I had some help picking it out for you. Your favorite brand’s a bit too conspicuous for us to just grab a bottle. But this has a similar profile apparently.”

She smacks her lips some and looks at the bottle. “You saying this is cheaper but tastes the same?”

Gearing shrugs. “Basically. That’s what they told me.”

She fills her glass then offers it to Gearing. “Here… You drink some too… or I’m going to end up drinking all of this bottle as well.”

Gearing looks at the bottle as she takes a swig straight from it. “I don’t think you should be trying to pound that like you are.”

She giggles and waves the glass at him. “Well… drink up… Otherwise I’m just an alcoholic that’s making bad decisions…”

Gearing looks at her and frowns, then snatches the bottle from her. “I brought this as a peace offering and to show you I wasn’t mad. Now you’re going to make me feel like a douche for drinking it all myself.”

She waves a hoof at him and giggles. “Oh you couldn’t possibly.” She carefully sips on her cup then holds it to the side as she regards him with a growing smile.

He rolls his eyes then swirls around the bottle looking at it’s mostly full status. He tops her glass off then says with a grin, “I think that’s enough for you.” Then puts the end in his mouth and holds it there with his teeth as he tilts his head back and starts slamming the whole remainder of the bottle.

She stands there wide eyed, swaying slightly, as she watches the bottle ‘blub’ as air bubbles trail up the center and the liquid level quickly drains lower and lower until it finishes with a loud ‘bloop’.

He pulls the bottle away and grins at her as he shakes it at his side. “You were saying?” He leans over and holds the bottle high in the air, before setting it down forcefully onto the kitchen island.

She giggles as she watches him and her face flushes. “Hits ya kinda hard and quick… don’t it?”

He shakes his head a bit then sits down and grins at her. “Eyup!”

She sips the glass, ever so regularly as her eyes trail over his body. She finishes the last quarter of it with a loud gulp and slaps the glass down next to the empty bottle as she lets out a loud long satisfied ‘aahhhhh’. “Good stuff!”

Gearing nods hard and his head wavers a bit. “Eyup... thaz wad they thed.”

She giggles and wobbles closer to him. “I… I thought you said it’d be wasted on you.”

Gearing nods. “Eyup… wad gift for yoouu.”

She crawls over and pulls herself up by her forehooves as she looks up at him. “You promise you’re not mad at me?”

“Eyup.” Gearing nods hard. “Not mad.”

She wraps her forehooves around his foreleg and chokes, “Y- you’re really not going to kill me?”

He shakes his head and ends up wobbling. “Nnnnope.” He reaches down, wraps his hooves around her chest and pulls her up towards him as he slowly rocks her. “Weren’t your fault.” He roughly brushes her silver mane behind her ear and sways side to side as he pats her shoulder. “You’re a good’un. You cried when ya hurt me. Not your fault.”

She spins around and wraps her forehooves around his neck. “Oh gods I’m so sorry. It hurt… didn’t it? It hurt a lot?”

Gearing looks at her a moment then lets his head dip hard again. “Hurt lika sonovabitch... eeyup.”

“Will you ever forgive me?” She trails her forehooves up to his head and pulls his cheeks so he’s looking at her and they are almost muzzle to muzzle.

Gearing nods lightly, but repeatedly. “Eyup… already have.” He grins widely as he looks at her and they maintain eye contact. “Would have, even if you weren’t so cute.”

She chuckles and snorts, and wipes her tears and nose dribble on her robes. “Cute. Me? Right…”

He nods hard. “Eyup… cute little unicorn filly. That’s… that’s you..” He reaches over and sloppily brushes her cheek. “You’re a good pony too.”

She looks him in the eyes and asks softly, “Am I? Really think so?”

Gearing nods lightly as she keeps hold of his cheeks. “Eyup… goodn’ cute… A cute good’un. Cute… and good.” He nods forcefully with the last word, at least as much as he can with her holding his cheeks in place.

She starts crying again and shakes her head. “God… you’re crazy… You big wonderful stallion you… forgiving me… now… hitting on me too?” She leans up and starts kissing him, pushing him back and digging in even deeper with the kiss.

He leans back against the wall and wraps his forehooves around her lower back as he kisses her in kind and follows her lead. After a few minutes she starts nuzzling his neck. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness…” she mumbles.

He reaches around and gives her a swat on her flank. “There… Iz spanks ya… feel better?”

She jumps a bit and her eyes go wide then she giggles. “I… I just might.” She starts running the end of her muzzle around his in loops as she asks, “Anyway I can… convince you… to stay the night?”

Gearing tilts his head and looks up at the ceiling as he thinks out loud and hums to himself. “HHmmmm” The whole time she is nuzzling, kissing, and licking his exposed neck.

“Please say yes…” she asks quietly in his ear.

He shakes his head lightly and frowns an oversized frown. “S- sorry I g- gotta get back to the jail. I- if I’m not there… things go bad… ‘kay?”

She lets out a long sigh and starts pulling back. “I can’t even talk you into some makeup romp in the hay?”

Gearing chuckles and nuzzles her neck. “Iz really gotta goooo.”

She sits back and frowns as she wipes her eyes. “I thought you said I was so cute? How can you just leave me like this then?”

He grins and leans in. “Iz can prove it, if ya want?”

She tilts her head as she looks at him. Then she shimmies her shoulders as she says softly, “Yeah… sure,” and bites her lower lip.

Gearing leans forward, massages both of her cheeks with his hooves, before trailing one on the side and cradling her face and the other around her head massaging her scalp and silver mane as he moves in and kisses her. Deep. Forceful. She ends up laying back on the floor wide eyed. The effects of the alcohol seem to exponentially grow as she quickly gets foggy headed. She wraps her forelegs around him and holds him there as she tries to reciprocate, but finds herself seriously outmatched.

He pulls back and smiles at her as he asks, “How’s that?”

The pale gray mare pants a few times then nods as she looks up at him. “O- okay.”

He leans down and gives her another kiss, just as intense, but not nearly as long, and, as he pulls back, he says softly, “Iz wouldn’t kiss someone like that, if Iz mad at them.”

She instantly bursts into tears and clamps down on him with all four legs as she wraps her neck around his. “I’m so sorry, Gearing.”

He slowly extracts himself and waves it away. “N- no worries… Remember.” He winks at her and makes a click sound with his tongue. “You got work in morning.” He starts over towards the door, wobbling and wide legged, but, as he’s grabbing for the door, he turns around and chuckles. “Whoops… forgot my jacket…” He grabs it and puts it on and starts wobbling away as he pauses long enough to activate his blue pelted illusion. He walks by and leans over, looking her in the face, as he grins widely. “Good night!” He walks over towards the door humming to himself, staggering left and right before he finally gets the door open.

He turns sideways, sees that she’s rolled over onto her belly looking at him, and gives her a big grin and a little wave of his wing before stepping out into the hallway as he locks the door behind himself.

The door opens and she peeks out, giggling as she sees him sway one way then to the other as his legs are moving all discombobulated. He turns towards the stairwell, and she sees him slip and her eyes go wide as she hears him crashing down a few of the steps. A moment later his voice cheerily comes back with a yell, “I’m okay! I’m O-kay!” and his humming fades away as she giggles and shuts the door finally.

Gearing trots down the last few steps to the ground floor as he ruffles his wings and looks around at the sleepy Canterlot neighborhood.

A stallion in a coat turned up against the night’s chill turns from looking at a nearby vending machine, walks up, and asks quietly, “So?”

Gearing looks around and says with a tone of stone cold sobriety as he speaks, “Keep an eye on her. If this alcohol problem gets any worse… just go ahead and proceed with a wipe after this mess is over.” He trots over to an awaiting bakery van as he says, “She was so distraught that she tried to get me drunk to make sure I really wasn’t mad.” The ponies inside the van giggle as they look at the variety of monitors and Gearing gets in with them. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, bastards.” He turns around to shut the door as he grumbles, “I could drink a whole distillery dry and all I’d get is the need to piss before a race.” As he’s closing it the others just laugh harder as he scowls. “Lucky shits.”

Footnote: Internal component 06 not responding. . .

Prioritizing Emergency Reboot Protocol. . .

Emergency Reboot Protocol Initiated. . .

This chapter gives a bit more of a view, and hints, into Gearing's past, and his job, and methods of getting things done. Along with a few other characters that had / have helped shape Equestria's history and have lead to several current circumstances. Though most of that won't really be apparent for a while.

Again, thanks for all of the help with getting this story going, and keeping it going. All of the assistance and feedback has been amazingly help and motivating!

As always, comments, questions, and critiques welcome and encouraged.

-Quillsy