Arriving at the Gala / Family obligations [Open]

[Gears]

"The things I do for my family." said the young stallion to himself as he stood before the intricately carved stone doors of the main hall.

Gears was never a pony for formal events, in fact he out right hated them. He had better things to do this evening then to spend it with a bunch of stuck up ponies. He did not mind having to dress up and follow formal protocol (if only for one evening) but the worst thing about the gala was having dealing with snobbish nobles that looked down on every pony. As a colt he was dragged away from his books by his mother and father to attend these types of functions with hopes that he would make some friends with the other children. The three legged Gears often felt uncomfortable by the stares he would receive because of his deformity, that and his inherent lack of social graces made him feel like an outcast.

For the past eight years he always managed some how to get out of going to the Gala, but this year he found himself stuck going. A few days after he went from Active Duty to the Reserves in Royal Engineering Corps he received a letter from his mother at his new home outside of Appleloosa. He initially was excited to receive some correspondence, but cringed when he saw the letter had a wax seal with his family's symbol. That seal was only affixed to official correspondence from his family, so this letter had to be important.

It seems that his family was unable to attend the Gala this year due to commitments in Manehatten, so they "requested" that Gears attend in their stead. Unable to ignore such a "request" he swallowed his pride and made preparations for the Gala.

There he now stood outside the main gate wearing the dress uniform of a Royal Engineer, a deep scarlet jacket adorned with silver buttons and a high black collar. On either side of the collar were two buttons consisting a brass wrench crossed with a hammer in front of a silver crescent moon; the symbol of the Royal Engineers. The left sleeve was worn long and had a large black cuff two-thirds of the way down with a single silver stripe. The sleeve also had the rating insignia of an Construction Mechanic Second Class, a white gear with two chevrons underneath on a black background. The right sleeve was neatly removed from the jacket, showing off a polished mechanical leg that whirred and clicked with each step. Finishing off the uniform were three shiny black boots that slipped over his left front and both black hooves. He wore a black Shako ordained with a scarlet plume and the symbol of the Royal Engineers.

Over his uniform was white sash that hung from his left shoulder to just before his right flank. The sash had a small jeweled star made of rubies and silver thread. In the center of his star was gold disc with a profile engraving of an earth pony's head with ornate helmet. This sash was not part of his uniform but was required wear for members of his family on formal occasions.

Gears closed his eyes briefly and let out a deep breath, letting whatever hesitation he had leave his body. Here we go. He thought to himself as he slowly trotted into the hall.