Criminals. That's what they labeled ponies like her.

They were criminals. Breakers of the law, ne'er-do-wells, miscreants, thugs, hooligans, and in general: an opposition to progress. The Princesses were fools to trust an AI that exhibited their tendencies. They were fools to trust the judgment of what required physical intervention -- help them see and understand things their way. It didn't have to be like this.

"Harmony at all costs."

It was the AI's creed. It was the AI's rule. It was the AI's guiding sentiments. Harmony at all costs, no matter what.

Standing with her back to the wall, Latch bounced on the toes of her boots as she stared at the almost transparent hard light wall ahead of her. The heavy stomping of boots drew closer. They always processed the repeat offenders such as herself immediately after a certain point. She opposed harmony. She opposed peace. She opposed order. They couldn't let her spend another day with free will.

Ponies converged out from the visible corners. Clad in black armor and padding, and insignia, a combination of both the sun and moon, was emblazoned upon their shoulders. Wearing helmets that masked their identity, not even their tails were given a slight trace of visibility. Four of them stared back at her from behind tinted visors. One operated the terminal on the wall against the corner, two brandished riot shield and stun sticks, and another trained a tazer at Latch.

"Come on, open it. See what happens," Latch taunted. She furrowed her brow and put up her fists. She had no weapons, nor any means of fighting back. She even had little to work with save for the walls, and the floor. She wasn’t even given the decency of toiletries, or a bed.

"Ready?" The guard operating the terminal asked.

The three standing by to subdue Latch looked between one another. They nodded and sounded off.

"Ready."

"Yeah, open it."

"Ready."

Latch grit her teeth and tightened up her muscles. She started to actively bounce in place on her toes. The moment the hard light wall dropped, Latch let out a warcry. She rushed forward and threw out a single punch at the hard plastic of the riot shield, instantly grimacing as pain shot up her arm and the pony holding it stumbled back. A rod was jammed into her side, and electricity immediately coursed through her.

She shouted, feeling every muscle inside of her tighten. She fought back as hard as she could through the pain. Standing and almost managing to reach out towards the one shocking her, a sharp twinge of pain then came from her shoulder. Electricity came from the site of the pain instantly, and Latch went down as a strong current was established. She cried out in pain as she hit the floor, convulsing briefly until the stun rod was pulled away from her.

The pain, and shocking sensation from her shoulder continued, going on for what felt like an eternity. Then, it ceased. She fell limp, and heaved against the floor, weak, and uneasy from all the shocking she'd just felt. The world was out of focus from all the pain that she'd just felt. Her thoughts were jumbled, and her limbs didn't coordinate in the slightest to her commands.

Arms went underneath her pits, and she was hoisted up, shouldered by two of the guards. Unable to stand upright, she was dragged along the floor. Hardlight cells went by, and they'd passed through a series of doors before they came to the connecting facility of the holding cells. She'd regained much of her coherency, and her limbs started to follow on her commands anew... but it was too late to fight back.

She was thrust forward onto a platform, having been let go from the ponies that held her aloft. She nearly stumbled over herself, but she found her footing. Just barely.

"Prisoner L-796, otherwise known as Latch... you've quite a lengthy rap sheet, you know that?" A voice from an intercom spoke. "Vandalism, theft, aggravated assault, and treason, slander, and breaking curfew... my my, so many ticks on so many of them. Do you not realizing what the purpose of Harmony is?"

"Spare me the cookie cutter monologue, I know what the purpose is," Latch spat back. Looking around her, the guards herded her to a spot designated for her to stand. She remained wary of the another shot of a stun gun being discharged, and the rods poised around her. She couldn't go anywhere else but on it.

"Then why are you fighting it?" The voice rebuked in seeing Latch get herded to her new fate.

Latch scoffed. Her hands went up again in front of herself, showing she was ready for another bout, despite what'd already happened. "I actually value my freedom of speech, and not being oppressed."

"Clothes come off by your hand, or ours. Take your pick," one of the guards warned. He made it a point to step closer with his stun rod.

Behind her, another rod was pushed forward and it briefly connected with Latch's spine. She groaned, tensing up and almost falling over from another current of electricity. There was dying, and there were fates worse than death...

"Not like I have a choice, right?" Latch mirthlessly chuckled. She groaned thereafter, stabilizing herself anew

"Clothes. Off. Now." The same guard warned, emphasizing each word.

Latch sighed started with her jacket. Down went the zipper, and her arms slipped out of her sleeves.

"Ponies are unpredictable, and Harmony itself will make sure the populace stays in line. They will fight if they have to, and they will serve the crown in any fashion Harmony decrees."

Latch laughed, forced to pause as her shirt was half ways off her head. "Then it really isn't a monarchy any longer, isn't it? It's a dictatorship!"

With a threatening stance of one of the guards coming closer again, Latch pulled her shirt off. Unbuckling her belt, her pants, and shoes were next. "You're taking orders from a machine -- a machine that not only subjugated Princess Celestia, but Luna as well! Didn't you all see what it did to them!?" Latch shouted as she forcefully pulled down her pants.

"They're mindless, and they behave like machines."

"Just like you will be soon, L-796. Toss your clothing aside once it's all off. Your underwear and bra included," the voice on the intercom mocked.

"You know, I'm definitely not going to be the last. Pretty soon even the law-abiding ponies will be here, even these guards. They'll be forced into my position... and they'll be made into one of those mindless husks walking out there. It's going to happen, and you're all too delusional to stop it."

A rod was pressed against her back again, and remained against her for several seconds. Arcs of electricity flowed through her, forcing her to her knees as she cried out anew. As it stopped, Latch heaved, feeling her arms and legs shake. "You know I'm right- you know it..."

One of the guards ripped at her bra and underwear, stretching, then tearing them off with little issue. She felt the cool air against her privates, and she shuddered. "Fucking perverts..." She mumbled.

Forcing herself around and onto her bottom... as quick as she could, she undid the laces of her shoes, then slipped them off with her pants. Kicking those aside, she got up, and put her arms up with an exasperated sigh.

"Into the white ring," one of the female guards ordered.

Latch shuffled over, and then promptly put an arm across her breasts, hiding her nipples, and another between her legs. Her tail was tucked in, and she frowned as she felt the smooth texture of the surface with it. "Yeah-yeah... why does the inside of this ring feel so smooth?"

"I'm sure you have an idea of what happens next, don’t you?" The voice in the intercom spoke.

A mechanical arm descended from the ceiling, a matching white to the ring around the earth pony’s feet. It whirred as it approached, attaching itself to the ring with a pneumatic hiss, and a couple of clicks. The ring then rose, as did the smooth surface of it. It wrapped tightly around her feet, pulling them up slightly, and putting her briefly off balance.

Moving beyond, and above her ankles, she felt the weight rest back down upon it... only it was on heels, and not her feet. It was tight, and cool around her, as though she'd been given a form-fitting boots to wear. "What the hell...?"

The ring worked fast, going high and higher. It caught her tail, forcing it into a sack, and even managing to force its way into both of her holes. She whined, instinctively reaching towards where the latex filled her. It felt so... wrong; so uncomfortable, and so strange.

Her hands met immediate resistance from the ring, but were promptly forced through it. Gloves wrapped around her digits and limbs, going higher and higher, stopping just beyond the elbow. The ring covered her breasts in the shiny material, and went higher.

She shuddered as it came to her neck, and she gasped as it went over her mouth and head. She felt little holes form for her nostrils, as well as a hole she couldn't breath from in her mouth. It forced it open into a small o-shape, but she was at least capable of breathing... despite not being able to see.

A small 'snap' was heard over head as the material cut itself loose from the ring. She was encased seamlessly from head to toe.

"Take her into processing and prepare a pod for her. Don't spare any seconds gawking at her as she'll try and fight back the first chance she gets..."

"Take her into processing and prepare a pod for her. Don't spare any seconds gawking at her as she'll try and fight back the first chance she gets..."[/i]

Latch clawed at the latex around her head. She didn’t register the words from the intercom. There were far more important things to deal with such as getting this latex off of herself. She dug into it with her fingers, pulling, and stretching the rubbery material. She grunted in exertion as she began to thrash about. The latex had no give to it.

She spun, she pulled, and she thrashed. Eventually, she tripped over herself and fell onto her hands and knees. She huffed in a panic, and sat back on her calves. She pulled at the latex again, shaking her head violently.

“Get her up and moving before she seriously injures herself!” One male guards ordered.

A quick bit of plodding was heard, and Latch felt the presence of the guards encircling her. She continued to pull at the latex fruitlessly. “Gnnhh!” She forced out through her o-shaped mouth.

Hands quickly latched onto her wrists, and squeezed tightly. She was pulled onto her feet once again, but this time, she was capable of struggling. She pulled against them, and in turn, they pulled against her. A hand was pressed against her back, and it shoved her forward.

“Walk,” a female voice ordered. A threat loomed overhead as one of the stun rods tapped against her sides.

While she couldn’t be shocked, Latch prefered being capable of walking on her own.

Frustration and panic stuck with the pony as she was pulled, and pushed along. She’d fallen a few times amidst the walk, needing a moment to get back onto her feat, but the guards did little to help her orient. She was pulled and pushed along, blindly, to her next destination. An ominous feeling hung in her gut, telling her that it would be her very last stop.

Soon enough, they stopped. Their grip was maintained around her wrists, and they met every pull of hers with their own, or a push from behind.

“You know, I’m kinda worried she might be right someday,” the female guard behind her spoke.

“She’s saying that to scare you. She’s not going to be right, not in the slightest,” one of the male guards responded, scoffing. “Harmony wouldn’t do that to ponies who follow the rules and laws of Equestria. We handle problems like this one here, and we obey the rules. We’re far from being treated like her.”

“Yeah… yeah, I guess,” the female muttered, sounding uncertain.

Another tug led Latch forward a couple steps. Her hands were guided out, and against plates of something… rigid that opened up before her. She was even let go, but she could still feel the presence of the guards around her. They weren’t stupid enough to leave her alone.

Her fingers held one side of the rigid material, while her thumb loosely wrapped around to the other side. She didn’t have much time to get a feel for it until a hand went against her back once again. Given a more gentler push this time around, the rod tapped against her side again. “Shuffle yourself forward, and watch your step as you get in,” she was advised.

Latch reluctantly obeyed. She shuffled forward cautiously until her shins bumped against what felt like a convex bit of metal that bent outwards. Noting how spaced apart her arms were, and giving a tentative feeling to the gap in front of her… she realized what she’d holding on wasn’t really big.

“Last warning: get in, or we’ll help you get in.”

Latch paused briefly, looking about blindly in uncertainty. One leg went up, then in. A soft ‘clack’ of a metal platform welcomed her, and gave her balance. Another leg went up, then in. Her arms slid off the sides as she snaked them in with her. She reached out… and instantly met a concave wall.

She felt along it slowly. Discoveries were made one by one as outside, and the guards were starting to talk amongst themselves. She tuned them out, opting to figure out where she was first and foremost. She felt padding against the wall before her, and… slots in a few eerily positioned locations, and eventually, she made it all the way around and back to the entrance.

There was only one way in, and one way out. It was large enough for one pony, but nothing more. The padding against the back of this confining space and the slots… she was in a processing pod.

There was a sharp hiss, and a door quickly shut before her. She reached out, only to be met with a hard, clear plastic bumping against her knuckles. She pressed against it, and felt to the edges of where it met the rigid metal. She tucked her arms up and in, and began banging against the door.

Below her, something cold started to pool out from beneath the floor. It felt viscous, and it gave her visible issue for movement through it as she raised her legs as high as she could, one by one. She leaned back, and she felt her neck, as well as her wrists find themselves go into the slots. Something hard clasped around her neck, keeping her still, but surprisingly comfortable.

Around her wrists, the same process repeated until they too were secured. She couldn’t move her upper body any longer. Keeping her legs away from the wall then, to her dismay, a bit of whirring was heard, and thereafter, the cuffs clasped around her ankles. Pulled back, she was left standing against the wall with her arms to her side, and her body straight within the concave confines.

At least the padding of the cuffs, and what was behind her back were comfortable though…

Pulling taut against her bindings, Latch grunted softly as the gel rose higher, and higher. Soon enough, it slowed as it went above her abdomen. A few clicks were heard above in her pod, something she couldn’t see, or detect other than the sound. With her own huffing, she could sense the some manner of tendrils circling her… for what purpose, she couldn’t immediately surmise.

Feeling one position itself behind her head, Latch braced herself for… whatever was going to happen. At the base of her neck, something then pierced through rubber and flesh. She cried out mutedly in pain. Something snaked in, and it went deeper. She shuddered and pulled strongly against her bindings to no avail.

Then… she felt cold. Her veins and arteries felt icy, and she felt her once racing heart slow. She breathed in slowly, and quietly. She was becoming eerily calm.

She huffed softly, and bowed her head forwards. Her eyes felt like they were glazing over beneath the latex. She felt dazed, like something was… something was getting inside of her head, controlling her nerves and emotions.

“The spinal cord...”The words formed slowly within her mind. Her senses were being intentionally dulled… likely for a good reason for the intense and discomforting pain she was experiencing.

Raising her head sluggishly, the alien sensation within Latch’s head continued. Thoughts were being swept aside, muddled with illegible numbers and words that weren’t her own. It made her head hurt just a little, but whatever they did to her, they really made it hurt a whole lot less…

So many numbers. So much static. So much noise. It was almost impossible to think…

Latch-... she had to focus. That was her name. She was-... she was locked up for defying Harmony. She was skilled at- at something… the grip was leather and metal, the handle was ornate, the rest was… what even was it? Was it metal? Plastic? Latex?

“Establishing Neural Link...”

She was stripped a while ago… how long ago was that? What were the guards even saying during the walk? She was- she was locked up by them. The ring she stood in… it made her not see. It made her feel so tight.

“Connection established. Overriding motor controls…”

To her, it might as well have felt like it was an eternity she was left in that. The gel had risen to her neck, and only went higher as the seconds went by. Another bit of whirring was heard faintly. Something was slipped over her head that felt a bit heavy. Something felt weird about it…

Her ears poked out through it, as did her mane as the seconds ticked by. Something from within the hood went directly into her mouth, filling it with some manner of phallic device that went to the back of her throat. It opened up, allowing her to breath through what sounded like a filter. She wheezed tiredly.

Another series of whirs, and she felt some hoses connect themselves to the what went around her head. She could only vaguely guess it was some manner of helmet she was now wearing, and even then she wasn’t so sure above the noise that was filling her mind.

“Motor function seized from Unit L-796. Reformatting…”

She felt so fuzzy in the head now. That static was just a cloud within her thoughts. Everything was hazy, and unclear. What was going on? Who was she? Why did she feel so aloof?

“Reformatting… 17%.”

She felt so calm in this place, wherever it was.

“Reformatting… 29%.”

She wanted to stay like this. She wanted to stay floating in this neverending peace she felt within her.

“Reformatting… 53%.”

The static inside her mind was so calming.

“Reformatting… 71%.”

And yet… why did it make her feel so scared?

“Reformatting… 89%.”

...

“Reformatting… 96%.”

…

“Reformatting… 100%. Inserting Command Protocol… ”

“Downloading Default Drone Package; Designation Unit L-796...”

Author's Note

New story. The reason for its delay? Life, Monster Hunter World, and Nier.

Inspired by images I commissioned from Xorza.