//------------------------------// // Auburn Gust // Story: Demoted // by Nido_King //------------------------------// “Hey, look over there…” Auburn Gust glanced towards his fellow guard, Star Victory, without moving from his post, noticing him pointing across the room. Following where the unicorn was pointing, the pegasus noticed one of the maids cleaning the windows. “Yeah, it’s one of the maids. What about it?” “Doesn’t she look kind of… familiar?” Squinting, Auburn gave the mare a second glance. “Now that you mention it… yeah, she does kinda look familiar. I can’t quite put my hoof on how though…” “I think she’s new. I only started seeing her a few days ago.” “I guess…” Auburn couldn’t take his eyes off the mare as she cleaned, the nagging feeling in the back of his head that he had seen her somewhere before. She kinda reminds me of… His eyes widened as the pieces in his head finally fit together. No way! That’s– Silver Gleam hummed to herself as she finished cleaning the windows, smiling at her reflection in the glass. Despite her initial apprehensions about going from being a member of the Guard to a member of the cleaning staff, Silver had taken to her new role with gusto. Sure, it was a lot of hard work, but there was a certain relaxing rhythm to it that made her want to do her best. After all, the princess had encouraged her to take this as a learning experience, and she had certainly learned a lot. Satisfied that the windows were now clean, Silver Gleam was prepared to start in the row in the nearby hallway. However, she was suddenly stopped by a wing blocking her path, squeaking in fear at the commanding voice of the guard shouting, “Hold it!” “Is… is something wrong?” She stuttered, glancing up at the guard. Auburn smiled devilishly as he looked down at the mare. “You tell me… Silver Gleam.” Silver’s face fell at the sound of her name. So far she had managed to avoid being identified by her former guards, but it seemed her luck had finally run out. “Uh… I… I…” “Oh, don’t act dumb. We all heard about the guard who got ‘demoted’ the other day, even if we weren’t sure what that meant. Now it all makes sense.” Auburn laughed as he looked over the trembling mare in front of him. “Got to say, your new uniform looks ridiculous!” Silver blushed, holding a hoof against her uniform front. “I… I kind of like it...” That only prompted Auburn to laugh even harder. “Ha! I always knew you were a big wuss, now you’ve got the clothes to match it. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something like that!” Silver looked away in shame as Auburn only continued to laugh at her, making her feel even smaller than she already was. As luck would have it, Celestia had been walking through the halls of the castle when she heard the sound of laughter from nearby. Curious, she walked over to find one of her guards antagonizing her newest maid, arriving just in time to hear him say, “I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something like that!” She frowned, having half a mind to go reprimand the guard pony for bullying the poor mare, when an mischievous little idea suddenly popped into her head. Smirking, she lit her horn as she began to cast a spell. “Uh… Auburn?” Star Victory attempted to warn the pegasus as he spotted a swirl of sun-yellow magic begin to wrap around his fellow guard pony, but Auburn was too busy laughing to notice. Silver Gleam had, however, and her face scrunched up as she watching the pegasus begin to shrink as his armor began to transform. Within moments, the pegasus was now no taller than Silver Gleam, their armour quickly transforming into a matching black lace maid’s uniform. Within a matter of seconds, the transformation was complete, but Auburn still hadn’t noticed. “Auburn!” Star shouted, finally getting Auburn Gust’s attention. “What?!” Auburn froze at the sound of his, or rather her, voice, placing a hoof against her throat as she realized that voice had come from her. “Wha…what?” Looking herself over, Auburn was horrified to find herself wearing a maid’s uniform in place of her golden armor. “Wha… what… happened to–“ “Good morning, my little ponies,” Celestia greeted as she walked by them, making sure to meet Auburn’s eyes. “I thought I heard somepony insulting the uniforms for the cleaning staff. Perhaps some time spent wearing it will help you better appreciate the uniform more.” Looking to Star Victory, she asked, “Do you have anything to say about the uniforms?” Star Victory quickly snapped into a salute, sweat dripping down his face as he hastily replied, “N-No, ma’am!” “Good. Silver Gleam, would you please escort Miss Auburn Gust to the maid quarters so she can receive her assignment?” Still trying to hold back her laughter, Silver just nodded her head in response. As Celestia walked away, all Auburn Gust could do was mutter, “…What?”