The next day was warm for winter. The snow would be here any day now and there were hundreds of ponies looking to have their heating systems looked at. Silver had sent out Fixette to handle the look over and if it wasn't something she could do on her own, she'd come and get either Silver of Autumn. Thankfully, most everypony's heating systems were working well and only needed some minor electrical repairs. She only had to get Autumn Spark once to replace a few heating ducts.

Minutes after they came back from that job, Tiber walked in through the front doors with his saddle bags. Fixette was sitting at the desk when he came in.

"Tiber!" the quiet girl said happily. "What're you doing here? I thought you had to go home."

"I quit. And Silver was nice enough to give me a job here!" Tiber said equally as ecstatic.

Silver heard the commotion and came out of the shop to see what was going on. "Oh thank Faust, you're here. Fixette, we've got a problem on the metal lathe. Go back there and see what's up with it."

"Okay. See you in a bit Tiber."

"You, make yourself comfortable at the desk and I'll go get the paper work from my office. We have some orders that need to be organized and a few taxes that need paying."

"Happy to help. And thanks again for the job."

"N-no problem." she said trying to find something other than his eyes to look at. "Just get to work."

"Yes mama." Tiber said with a smile taking a seat at the front desk.

Silver Bit sighed as she walked through the workshop. The island in the middle of the shop was covered in random assortments of mechanical components waiting to be put together. On her right a rack of Silver Bit Muskets sat waiting to be shipped where ever they were needed and next to them a few machines she used to make them. On the left machines and four forges sat ready to work. Two forges were already blazing while Fixette and Autumn tried to fix the Leigh.

Silver's office was at the far end of the shop. A big glass window let her see everything in the shop. The office was actually more like a second work station with a private forge, work bench and anvil. Her forging smock and boots sat next to the door next to the filing cabinet on the right.

As Silver Bit opened the filing cabinet in the back, a pony walked into through the front door as Tiber put his pictures and little knit knacks across the desk. He looked up and got a good look at the pony. The unicorn stallion was dark cobalt across most of his body. His chest and back were covered by two metal plates and his legs were robotic. Tiber was astonished at what he was seeing. And that wasn't the strangest thing; he had mechanical wings as well.

Aside from the mechanical oddities, he was normal. Medium, somewhat shaggy, black mane and dark blue eyes. His cutie mark looked to be a crescent moon with wings and a horn going through the middle of the moon along with a star floating in-between the arms of the moon. He carried black saddlebags and had an eye patch over his right eye.

"Uh, can I help you sir? Tiber asked still unsure of what he was looking at.

"Yes." The stallion replied, his voice was loud and resident but carried a calm tone to it. "I'm looking for Silver Bit."

"Well, she's in the back. I'd be happy to-"

"I need to speak to her personally." the stallion said losing some of the calm in his voice as he walked past the desk and towards the shop.

"Um, you can't go back there!"

"I know what I'm doing."

"Hold up!"

Silver was half way across the shop when the door opened and the stallion walked in. It took her less than two seconds to realize who he was.

"Oh my gosh! You're Lunarus!" Silver said dropping the files she was carrying. "You're the Lunarus Nexus!"

"Lunarus?" Tiber asked. On the other side of the shop, Fixette and Autumn spark had to look up from the lathe to see if what they were hearing was true.

"Lunarus Nexus. CEO and majority shareholder in Lunarus Crop. He's the greatest inventor of this day and age. What are you doing here?"

"Well believe it or not I'm here to give you something." Nexus said.

"Why?" Tiber asked still skeptical.

"My friend has said great things about this place and I've got something that might be helpful around here. They’re still in Beta, but they're one hundred percent safe."

"What is it?" Fixette asked moving up to the island where Nexus was standing.

"These," his horn glowed and something that looked like a brass wagon hitch with legs. "are going to make things a lot easier in your line of work."

"What are they?"

"These don't have a name yet. They're mechanical arms that work off of the nervous system like the Iron Icarus I built a long time ago."

"The second thing you ever built." Silver said.

"Somepony does their research. Anyways. These work just like the wings, but they just have claws to grasp things."

"Does it hurt?"

"Just a small shock. It feels like a static shock. Nothing at all. Give it a try."

Silver moved forward and started getting her way into the brass ring. "Now be warned, the learning curve on these things is fairly sharp. Just imagine they're wings and start from there."

To Silver Bit's relief, Nexus was telling the truth. Once she clasped it onto her midsection, there was a small electric jolt. Nothing stronger than a static shock. The metallic arms jolted and started twitching.

"Now just try moving them up."

"How?"

"Like I said, think that they're wings and try to move the muscles that are just beneath them."

Silver had always wondered what having wings would be like. She tried as hard as she could but they didn't move. Then she realized she wasn't using the muscles. She started stretching her shoulder blades. The signals that were being sent to the blades were copied and translated into the arms and they lifted up into the air like a skeleton of a pegasus. The claws themselves were wide open as they hung in the air.

"Wow."

"That's what I thought when these worked for the first time. Now, relax your shoulders a bit and move them forwards."

Silver followed the instruction and the arms lowered themselves to shoulder height and the claws closed. She then moved her shoulders forward slightly and the arms followed with a bit more movement then she wanted.

"They're a bit sensitive." Silver Bit told him.

"They take some getting used to. They have to translate more than the wings have to. They do need some tweaking in that area and I'm still working on it. I just haven't had a chance to test it in a forge. Go ahead, give it a shot."

Silver ran back to her office and as quickly threw on her forging gear. The thick boots were covered in black alligator leather and tipped with steal. Her smock was thick, compressed wool and shielded her from the heat. She ran back out into the shop hopping she hadn't made Nexus wait too long. Anxiously, she walked closer to the forge she left running when the Leigh broke. Sitting next to the closest anvil, a pair of hoof clams sat waiting to pull whatever was in the white hot forge.

Out of reflex she grabbed on arm of the clamps with her teeth. Then she remembered she had the claws. She moved her right shoulder slightly and the arm followed her movement. The claw opened and moved forward to grab the other arm of the clamps. She looked into the forge next to her and saw a spear head sitting around the burning embers. She could feel the heat curl her eyelashes as she inched closer.

Even with the smock and leg high boots on, she could feel the intense heat on her skin. Sweat started to bead on her forehead; both from the heat and the nervousness of being watched by one of her hero's. The head of the clamps moved into the fire and inched closer. The heat was getting stronger and stronger as she maneuvered the clamps under the spear head. She moved her right shoulder and the right arm moved with it and closed the clamp around the spear head. She lifted the piece of soon to be sharpened steal out of the embers and slowly moved back with it.

The heat started to get subside but the sweat didn't. The spear head glowed a bright orange as she set it in a bucket of water next to the anvil. The spots of black spread across the spear head as the water hissed in protest to the hot object. Silver set the clamps onto the anvil again and looked back to Nexus. He was now standing next to her. She hadn't even noticed him move.

"Well?" Nexus asked with a small smile on his face.

"It's definitely nice not to have to put my hoof in the fire. They are going to take some getting used to but I'll be happy to help out in any way I can." Silver said unhooking the claws.

There was another small shock as the brass ring left her body.

"I'm happy to hear, because there is a small catch to this offer."

"What?" Autumn asked with a suspicious tone.

"I have a little project of my own that needs a little tune up. I've tried to figure out what's wrong with it but I'm good at drawling the plans, not making it. Now, normally I'd send this to my partner in White Tail, but he's busy at the moment with an order from the Princess'."

"What is it?"

"I'll show you."

Nexus opened his saddle bags again and pulled a metal gauntlet out. The only thing odd about it was that a one foot long blade was sticking out of the bottom of it.

"This normally responds to the electrical commands that move my leg to move the blade. There's a manual that shoots the blade from the gauntlet but for some reason neither work. I think it's a broken gear, but I don't have the tools in Canterlot to find out. If you wouldn't mind taking a look at it and seeing if you can fix it for me I'll let you keep the claws free of charge after testing is done. I'll even throw in two more for your partners here."

"Wow. You want me to help you?" Silver asked hoping this wasn't some kind of new prank show she was on.

"Really. And if you have any improvements you want to make to it then I'd be happy to hear them. Do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal."

"Great. Here's my card. Mail me if you have any questions or to update me on your progress. Take your time. I don't need this back right away." Nexus said placing the gauntlet on the table along with a small calling business card.

"Okay. Thanks again for coming Lunarus."

"Call me Lunar. There's only two ponies in all of Equestria that can call me by my full name."

"Sorry, Lunar. Thanks again for stopping by."

"Don't disappoint me Silver Bit."

Nexus turned and lead himself out, leaving the four of them alone with their thoughts.

"Can you believe what just happened!?" Silver shouted in glee.

"So what? A famous inventor comes in and asks for help. Big whop." Tiber said with some amount to resentment towards the robo-pony.

"Ooooooo. Somepony's jealous." Autumn said mockingly.

"Am not."

"Don't be ashamed. So what if he's got money and can get anypony he wants. I'm sure you're secure in the girlfriend department."

"Silver's not my girlfriend."

"And he's not my boyfriend." Silver added.

Fixette was keeping as quiet as usual. She was afraid that she'd say something wrong and that her lover was right.

"Stop it you two." Silver continued. "You and Fixette have a lathe to fix and you have paperwork to file. Get to it. Chop chop!"

Everypony took the orders and quickly dispersed. Silver looked down at the work bench and stared at the gauntlet for a moment before taking it into her office to give it a quick run over. But unknown to anypony watched them quietly from inside of the shop. Something was lurking in the rafters; listening, observing, waiting for the right time to leave its position. Its flat blue eyes were hardly visible in the dim, orange light of the work shop. It watch Silver Bit carefully as she entered her office and began work on the gauntlet.

Author's Notes:

Well views are rising. I'm liking this. If you ask where Nexus is. Well he's busy in the chapter.