//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two - "Wait, can we arrest him for that?" 
// Story: Guard Duty 
// by UniqueSKD 
//------------------------------//

"How the hell are you doing that!?", Shield exclaimed in amazement, hoof pointing at the anthro pegasus. "How are you not casting a shadow? That is so cool and so weird and unnerving at the same time!"

The winged stallion gazed down at the floor. "Um, I don't know. I mean, I'm pretty sure I had a shadow an hour ago. Maybe it's just bad light or something?", he said with a shrug.

Shield rubbed his chin in thought. "But it's high noon almost. The sun is practically above us all. Even from that angle you'd still have to have a shadow projected. So how it is scientifically possible that you don't have a shadow when we do is bizarre." Shield looked down and shook his head. "Geez, Twilight would have a field day with this one, I tell ya..."

Spear scoffed. "Oh come on, Shield. Don't play dumb. Everypony knows that it's impossible for anypony to not have a shadow."

"Well, OBVIOUSLY it's possible, Spear!", Shield dejected, pointing at the winged stallion who looked back at them both with a look of confusion. "See? He's doing it right now! Just look down!"

Spear scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, there is that one exception, I guess."

Shield nodded, and then spun around to face the pegasus. "So, how is it you're not casting a shadow then, huh? You some kind of Changeling or something?". A second after he said that, Shield quickly stepped back from the pegasus, raising a foreleg defensively. "Woah, hang on. ARE you a Changeling? Is it why you have no shadow?".

The pegasus' eyes widened. "What? Do I look like some kind of chitinous bug to you?", he exclaimed gesturing to himself.

Shield grabbed his spear and pointed the sharp tip towards the pegasus, who immediately threw his arms up in the air. "I don't know. Maybe you are a Changeling. It'd be a good explanation why you're walking on two legs instead of four! It's not normal, and you STILL aren't casting a shadow! Yeah, I think you are a Changeling!" 

Spear waved a hoof dismissively. "No, no, no, Shield. Changeling's still cast a shadow even if they disguise themselves. And contrary to popular belief Changelings can't actually change their appearance entirely, at least not to the extent that most ponies believe."

Shield looked away from the pegasus to his friend, an eyebrow raised. "What do you mean?", he asked.

"Well, Changelings can only change the way they look, but they can't change their physical design as most ponies mistakenly assume. They can make themselves look like stallions or mares, but they can't make themselves look like, say, a Manticore or a Minotaur for example as it would mean altering their original body and structure, a trait that does not compliment their illusion-based disguises. That was why they didn't send an ordinary Drone to masquerade as Cadence during the Changeling Invasion; because a normal Drone isn't as tall as an Alicorn, and since Queen Chrysalis is the only Changeling who is as tall as one, it makes sense she would pose as her. A Changeling can't alter their size to accommodate their disguise, which was why they never adopt the appearance of the Princesses or any other tall ponies. Since our friend here is walking on two legs as if it were natural, I think it is safe to assume that he can't be a Changeling."

Both the pegasus and Shield stared at Spear, eyes widened, jaws hanging open, faces expressing surprise and awe.

Spear glanced from one to the other. "What?", he asked shrugging a foreleg. " I can know stuff. Did you also know Changelings can only adopt the appearances of ponies of the same gender as themselves? Also, even when a Changeling is wearing its disguise, you can tell it apart from a real pony by feeling it's back. A disguised Changeling's back will feel like gossamer fabric. You know, like light gauze material."

The other two stallions stared at him for a while longer before both shook their heads. "Okay, I'll take your word for it," Shield replied, lowering his spear away from the pegasus. "So what other reason could there be to explain why you haven't got a shadow then?"

"Look officers, I'm sure this whole thing about me not having a shadow is fascinating to you both and all," the pegasus spoke up, slowly walking past the two guards, "but I really got someplace else to be, so if I could just be on my way that'd be gre-URK!"

The pegasus barely got five steps past the guards before Shield grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "Oh no, you're not going anywhere until we figure out what the hell's going on here, pal!", Shield growled.

"Oh! What if he's not casting a shadow because he's actually just a magically conjured illusion?", Spear exclaimed. Maybe some unicorn is messing with us and this guys not really real!"

But Shield shook his head. "I just grabbed him, Spear. He's real all right. Flesh and blood and skin." He narrowed his eyes at the pegasus. "No, he's just screwing us around, that's all he's doing." Shield raised his spear up at the pegasus again. "I don't like being posted at the gate for guard duty, but I don't like being screwed with even more," he snarled.

The white anthro pegasus threw his arms up in front of him and waved them wildly. "Wait a minute! I'm not trying to mess with you guys! I really don't know why I haven't got a shadow! I told you both, I had one earlier and now I just, well, don't! I mean, come on! Is it really that big of a deal if I have one or not? It's not like it's a crime or anything, right?"

Shield and Spear glanced at one another, and their eyes trailed back over to the pegasus. "I don't know," Shield said, giving the stallion a suspicious look. "We've never had to deal with this kind of thing before."

"Well, if he really has no control over whether he has a shadow or not, we can't blame him or fault him, Shield," Spear stated. "We can't arrest him for not having a shadow." Spear brought a hoof to his chin. "Wait, CAN we arrest him for that?", he wondered.

"NO!", the pegasus flailed his arms around in bewilderment. "You can't arrest me for not having a shadow! How does that even make sense!?"

"Says the pony who's walking on two legs that bend the wrong way, AND doesn't have a freaking shadow!", answered back Shield. He walked behind the pegasus and held the tip of his spear up against the pegasus' back. "Okay enough of this crap, I'm taking him in. On the plus side, he'll be a good excuse to get out of guard duty for a while at least."

The anthropomorphic pony tried to turn around, but a sharp prod in the rear made him squeak and jump. "Ow! Hey, you can't do this! You can't take me in without a proper charge!", he yelled. "This is ridiculous!"

"He's got a point, Shield," Spear said. "I mean, 'walking without a shadow' doesn't sound like much of a charge when you say it aloud."

Shield glared at his partner. "Come on, Spear! Don't take his side on this! You're the one who noticed he lacked a shadow in the first place!"

"I'm not taking sides, Shield, I'm just saying we should think of a better reason for bringing him in that the captain won't brush off as stupidity when we write up our report later," Spear replied.

Shield face-hoofed and brought the spear away from the pegasus' back. "Uuuuurgh, fine. Give me a minute I'll think of something." He closed his eyes and rubbed the undersides of his chin as he pondered. A few moments later, he opened his eyes as an idea came to him.

"Okay, what if we charge him with 'distracting an on-duty guard'? After all it's his fault we're not guarding the gate right now, right?", Shield suggested. The pegasus turned his head around to give Shield a deadpan expression. 

"But you just said it yourself that your friend brought the whole thing up to begin with," he reminded him. "I never mentioned anything about my shadow going missing."

Shield rolled his eyes. "Fine, then how about, um, 'blocking a public road'? You're standing in the middle of the road, you now. What if a cart carrying important medical supplies that could potentially save a little foals life came along? You'd be preventing it from getting into the city!"

The pegasus threw his arms in the air for the umpteenth time. "That wasn't a problem earlier! And you're both standing in the middle of the road yourselves! And we could simply step aside anyways!", he yelled. "Look, guys, I don't know if you're on some kind of medication and you simply forgot to take it this morning, but all I want to do is go into Canterlot. That's ALL I wanted to do, and you've kept me here all because of something I can't explain and have no control over! Are you both mad? Do you not see the ridiculousness of all of this?" His face turned a slight shade of red as his bottled frustration was vented out.

Shield and Spear looked to each other, and for a moment it appeared as though they were truly taking the anthro pegasus' words to heart and realizing how silly this entire ordeal had been. But then Shield returned his gaze back to the pegasus and lifted his spear up again.

"Well, I can charge you with 'making fun of an officer', so you're going to have to come with me now, buddy," Shield said with a smirk.

"Oh, come on!", the pegasus shouted, but Shield motioned for him to start moving, and with the spear tip pointed directly at him, the pegasus sighed and admitted defeat, turning around to begin marching off towards the gates.

Suddenly, Spear's eyes went wide with surprise, and he shot his hoof out to point at the pegasus' feet. "Hey, wait a minute! His shadow's come back!"