There was a new fashion accessory on the mares, all of them. Sunset ran a hoof over the studded collar around her neck. "Not exactly my style..." And yet, she had been given it, and told to put it on. It'd let the brothers know if they left the casino. A 'safety' device, they called it.

Apple Bloom fidgeted with hers. "This don't look right on a young mare." She stuck out her tongue, but still got to getting food ready. Hungry customers didn't want to hear her complaining.

GamerLuna just looked defeated. "I did this…" It was at least partially her fault that all the others had to wear that stupid collar. "I hate games with perma-nerfs!" She thumped the floor and stormed off in search of a patron to beat the pants off of. That'd help!

Octavia peered at herself in the mirror with a cool disdain. "They could have.. Hm." A little smile. She reached for her bow, plucking it free of the band it rested in. Soon she had it fixed on the collar, returning her look. "That's better."

Celestia could not put the collar on. It wasn't that she didn't want to go ahead, but her magic refused to bring it down over her head. Internally, she could hear Lauren angrily shouting at the idea. She refused to be collared.

"It is not that bad," gentle soothed Celestia. "Just a trinket."

But Lauren was adamant on that. She would not be collared, and neither should Celestia be happy about it!

Applejack looked around. "Hey, you too?" She wandered up towards Fleur. "Did they just give everypony one of these?" She pointed at the new collar about her neck. "Doesn't really match the country image ah got goin' on, ya know?"

Fleur let out a slow and long sigh. "Oui. In this, we are in agreement. I have heard of uniforms… But I was not aware this was part." She raised a hoof to her collar. "A poor look for us."

"It's not so bad." Tempest didn't look displeased at all. She already wore metal collars. Swapping the brand of collar she wore didn't change all that much. "At least they didn't go for a cheap one. That would have annoyed me so much."

Fleur smirked softly. "Perhaps, but if we are all wearing collars, does that not, as they say, diminish your specialty?" She raised a brow at Tempest. "You are no longer 'the one' with the collar, mon ami."

Tempest slammed down a hoof on the card table. "Blast it! You're right! That's my thing and you're copying it." Her teeth set in sudden annoyance. "What are those brothers thinking!?"

During the lunch rush, Apple Bloom slipped off her collar. Making food and serving it up to a bunch of hungry ponies was hard work, and she didn't need anything around her neck at that time as she labored to keep up with it all.

"Apple Bloom." There was Flim. "After this order, put your collar back on."

"Ah can't breathe!" Not technically true, but that was how it felt. "Ah'll put it on after the rush." With angry grumbles, she got back to work.

Flam grumbled in the office, eyeing Flim as he came back. "This is more work than I expected it to be."

"If you want the big money, you have to play it big." Flim nodded with certainty. "We are raking in the bits right now. We just have to keep those mares in line."

"The bits are nice." Flam tapped his hooves together. "Will they stop complaining? It's just a collar."

"We both have one of those," agreed Flim, tapping at the band that held his bow in place. "Octavia and Tempest have the right attitude."

A loud clopping came from the door.

Flim wheeled back on the door. "Ugh. Who is it?"

"Tempest." The door glowed as it flew open, revealing her. "We need to talk."

Flim smiled brightly. "We were just mentioning you."

"A model employee," joined Flam without cue. "What can we do for you?"

Tempest stepped forward, slowly and with confidence. She rarely moved in other ways. "You two." She pointed at her collar. "This is my thing. Ponies come to see Tempest, and know she will put them in place. They describe me as 'the one with the collar.' How can I be that 'one' if we're all wearing collars!" She stomped the floor, glowering at them.

Flam sat up in his chair. "The others can't even hope--"

"--Dream," added Flim. "of competing with your commanding presence."

"I can't even imagine it." Flam shook his head firmly. "That is your position, and a little uniform change isn't going to displace you."

Tempest shoved Flim aside. "You could have talked to me," she growled at Flam. "Gonna bet these came in more models than this." She was tapping at the new collar. "It didn't have to be like this, but it is! And I'm annoyed!"

Flam raised a hoof wardingly. "I can see that well. But let's approach this like grown ponies."

"Which we are." Flim slipped around to be with Flam. "We don't want you to be upset, Tempest."

"Perish the thought!" The brothers shook their head in unison.

"Great." Tempest tapped at her collar. "Get them something besides collars then. That's it. That's all I need. You can do that?"

Flim gave a soft hm.

"We'll look into it," allowed Flam without promising a thing. "Uniform changes are surprisingly tricky."

"To say nothing of supplies." Flim pointed at Tempest's collar. "Those aren't cheap."

"Then you should have thought about that before you bought them!" She stormed off, the door slapping shut behind her.

Flim and Flam both sagged with weary sighs.

"Always a catch…"

"They can't tell me what to wear!" Apple Bloom thumper her chair, frowning at the other mares. "It gets hot workin' over a stove!"

Octavia inclined her head faintly. "I checked on that, on a lark. It is within an employer's right to set a uniform. If our uniform includes a decorational collar, then…"

Celestia snorted loud and angrily, as did not match her usual temperament. "But it's not decorational." She still didn't wear one. Woe unto the pony that tried to press the issue with the head of security that was also once princess of the land. "It informs them of where we are at any moment. It's a violation of privacy, and I will not stand for it!"

Fleur suddenly raised a hoof to her collar. "Then they know we are here, mon amis."

Tension flowed through the room. Their meeting was at least one step less private.

LunaClassic shook her head. "While valid, also meaningless. It's not as if they didn't know we were here. We weren't keeping that a secret, only the nature of our meetings."

GamerLuna laughed at that. "You want to bet they don't have other things in here?" She pawed at her collar. "Could be listening right now. How can you tell?"

The tension grew, silence with it, as if none of them dared talk with the collars potentially listening in on them.

"Enough," roared Celestia, rising to her hooves fully. "I will not tolerate this, and they can hear that all they please. We are free ponies. We will do as we wish. If they want us to appear a certain way, fine. A casino owner has that right. But to monitor us, without our leave, in such a way? No. No I say. Tell me you stand with me."

LunaClassic was on her hooves in an instant. "Of course, sister." Her ears pinned back. "Am I speaking to mine sister?"

Celestia rolled her eyes. "We are in agreement. We argued long and hard before coming to this meeting. This is a violation of the rights a pony is born to. And to not even ask! Some of us didn't even know what it was we were putting around our necks. That is not acceptable!" She clopped down a metal hoof. "You." She looked to Octavia. "Do you stand with me?"

Octavia flipped an ear back. "He suggests I stand." She was referring to the human bottled up inside her. "I, on the other hoof, have no specific problem. I go nowhere unusual, and do nothing unusual. He's wasting his bits, monitoring me. I have nothing to hide."

Fleur slid to her hooves. "The other day, I tasted something new and wonderful. I had a good time, with friends." She turned to look at the Lunas. "We had a most grand time. Wearing this, I am told I may never experience it again. I can't be happy about that." She raised a hoof suddenly. "We are in agreement."

GamerLuna hopped down next to Fleur. "Where do they get off telling us where to be?! If we get our job done, then they can talk a long walk off a bottomless pit because that's game over in my book." She crossed her arms with a mighty pout. "Work hard, play harder!"

Celestia nodded to those who had rose at her side. "I will contact the others when I can, and this time--"

"Hey wait!" Apple Bloom hopped down. "Not gonna leave me out, ah hope. Hate this thing." She sat down just to get her hind legs up under the collar and kick it free to land on the floor. "Ain't good for ponies workin' in a kitchen."

"Or for many others aside." Celestia nodded gently. "For sake of avoiding trouble, carry it, especially when on duty, for now. I will be the one that brings it up to them this time. You did well last time, Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom grinned proudly. "Aw shucks. With you on the job, Ah bet we can kiss the collars goodbye right now!"

LunaClassic smiled gently. "I have every confidence in mine sister, but will obey her words. We will hold onto the collar until we are given proper word that we can be rid of the infernal devices."

"Oui!" enthusiastically cried Fleur, removing her collar with a glowing horn but keeping it close to herself. "Viva la revolucion, as they say. Mon ami, you go with my fondest of thoughts."

Octavia slid to the floor. "We're not going to discuss anything important today, so I'm ducking out." None stopped her as she walked calmly to the door and departed with a final flick of her well-groomed tail.

"We are ponies, this gives us certain rights." Celestia nodded to each of the others. "But also means we don't always agree. Octavia should not be harassed for her opinion. She is not a bad pony for tolerating this, but neither are we for choosing not to do so." Cheers rose in solidarity. The decision was firmly made.

It did not take long after that for others to be asked how they felt. It was in this that those who didn't know the collar's true purpose learned of it. "I will end them." Tempest crashed her hooves together. "Safety collars? They'd better get a few dozen more if they think it'll protect them from me!"

Apple Bloom inclined her head even as she served up lunch to the irate unicorn. "What did they tell you it was for?"

"They just said it was a new collar. I thought they were just offering a new fashion at first. Then I learned everypony had one, and now I learn they're tracking us?!"

"Well don't go runnin' off." Apple Bloom gestured to a free seat to enjoy lunch. "Celestia's handlin' this one herself."

"Good." Tempest thumped down on the chair and began eating, angrily. "I'll be keeping an ear open on how she does. Stupid brothers…"

The atmosphere of the casino shifted quickly, tension growing in anticipation of the meeting. Hopefully, Celestia would meet with the brothers that the stupid collars would be thrown in the nearest trash, or so most of them hoped.

But there was no assurances to be made that'd happen.

Author's Note

Things are getting real up in here.

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