Chapter 1: First Meetings

How very ironic, to get into further trouble while trying to be helpful to somepony else: Just that morning her little sister had been trying to help her at Carousel Boutique. Sweetie Belle’s efforts had only resulted in a chain reaction that created a huge mess for her to clean up before she could return to work on the ten special cloaks. Now, having pulled over to allow the other wagon to pass, Rarity found herself stuck. At this rate, she’d be late delivering her special order to Trottingham, and no worse off than if she’d looked after the Cutie Mark Crusaders herself!

Part of it was her own fault, for getting distracted. But part of it was also the distraction’s fault: Rarity had never seen a wagon where one did not need to pull it with a harness, yet here was one where the pony in control was sitting in a seat near the front, as though a team was already pulling it. With her attention drifting, it was no wonder she’d gotten herself stuck watching the strange vehicle pass!

Rarity knew she was well and truly stuck, too. She was not the strongest of ponies, but she’d tried pulling forward and pushing backward, and even rocking back and forth to try to work the wheels free. It seemed to her that she’d only managed to wedge herself even further into whatever rut it was that had caught her wheels. The result was that she was stuck wondering about possible solutions, while she worried about how late she was going to be on her delivery, and how much her reputation as the owner of Carousel Boutique would suffer as a result.

Rarity’s reputation had only risen a few weeks ago, as a result of the success she’d found during her first fashion show. Oh, it was not without its pitfalls: the second-run ‘dresses’ she’d created at her friends’ requests had been the most horrid things she’d ever created, and fashion mogul Hoity Toity agreed. That alone nearly ruined Carousel Boutique forever, however Rarity’s friends went the extra mile to let her show Hoity Toity what Rarity was really about. Rarity had had to make a huge effort to fill the stallion’s order after that, but it was worth it to have become ‘one to watch’ in the fashion world.

Unfortunately, all of that would change if Rarity was unable to deliver this order on time, so her reminiscence about the recent past would have to come to an end. It was a shame, too, because Fluttershy had offered to watch the Cutie Mark Crusaders at her cottage. If Rarity could not make Trottingham in time, the gold-coated Pegasus may as well not have offered.

I could return to Ponyville and get Applejack or Big McIntosh to help me get unstuck, but besides disturbing them so late when they already get up so early, I really don’t want to leave my wagon unattended. And if I stay here, I depend on the random chance of encountering someone strong and kind enough to pull me out of this mess. Oh, what a conundrum!

Suffice it to say, the white-coated Unicorn and fashionista was not off to a good end to a long day, and while most Unicorn magic included some level of telekinesis, Rarity’s was not powerful enough to lift her whole wagon. But she wouldn’t get out of her situation by standing around and whining about it in her own head. She’d just wear a rut into her mind by going over and over the problem.

Rarity unhitched herself from her wagon and walked around the side. She lowered herself as close to the ground as she could, without letting more than her hooves touch the muck in the road, so she could get a look at whatever it was that had caught her wheels. Unfortunately, this was not very low.

“May I be of assistance?”

Rarity very nearly hit her head on the side of the wagon she was so startled by the soft voice coming from nearby. She turned, heart in her throat, and stared, for the pony who had spoken was undoubtedly the strangest stallion she’d ever encountered, and behind him, pulled to the side of the road so as not to be in the way, was the self-propelled wagon that had been a factor in Rarity’s problem!

The stallion himself was only a little larger than Twilight Sparkle, a purple Unicorn who spent much of her time in studies, and was therefore small for her age, and not terribly strong, physically. Whereas Twilight could make that up with her extremely potent magic, this was an earth-toned Earth Pony, and if one was not as strange as Pinkie Pie, all an Earth Pony had was her strength and her innate ability to grow crops. Given his size, Rarity doubted he could get her out of her rut. On the other hoof, nopony else was around to help! “You’re certainly welcome to try,” Rarity said, keeping her doubt out of her voice only through her experience in sales.

Even in the dark, Rarity could make out the stallion's a brown coat and a red-brown mane, which he’d let grow out slightly longer than was usual for a male. His eyes were dark green, and sparkled with intelligence, which also reminded Rarity of Twilight. He wore a well-maintained short goatee in the same red as his mane, and there were thin stripes of lighter brown under both eyes and on his legs. His horseshoes were exceedingly strange, since their thick black and green material ran up each leg about four inches. He wore a dark green vest of many pockets, a pair of riding goggles which were currently around his neck, and a near-black bowler hat with an exceedingly thick brim, which had two interlocking gears on the left side. The whole pony, as he stood before Rarity covered in the dirt of the road.

“My apologies for startling you, Miss,” the stallion said in that soft voice.

Rarity saw his left ear twitching under his hat, and she wondered whether he was suppressing some laughter at her expense. If so, that wasn’t very nice! But even as she watched, she saw the gears on his hat begin to turn, and the brim became wider and thinner. “An adjustable brim? My, how clever! It’s almost worth being startled to see such a thing,” she said, putting on the charm.

The stallion gave her a salespony’s smile. “My own design,” he offered. “The mechanism, I mean.” Having deployed the brim widely enough to cover his head, he lowered himself to take a look, and even crawled partway under Rarity’s wagon to get a closer look. He went so far that Rarity found that she was looking only at the Earth Pony’s back as his tail swished slightly back and forth. If he cleaned up, it’d be long enough for him to be mistaken for a mare, she thought in wonder.

Rarity felt a slight stirring in the air at leg level. “Ah, here is your problem,” the stallion said. “It would appear that there was a slight build-up of earth beside some rocks, and that pinched around your wheels. Please allow me a moment to pack it down with my hooves, and you can be back on your way to your delivery.”

“I never mentioned I was on a delivery,” Rarity raised an eyebrow, although the stallion would not be able to see it.

“This late at night, what other possible reason could a young mare such as yourself have for travelling the roads alone with a wagon? Plus, your concern was most evident. There.” The stallion backed his way out from under the wagon and regained his full, although far from impressive, height, causing Rarity to also back up to get out of his way. The stallion removed his hat and used the heel of one hoof to dust it off. “Do you want to give it a go?”

“Ah, yes.” The stallion helped Rarity back into her harness, and then made his way to the rear of the wagon so he could push if she needed some help. Rarity braced herself, and then surged forward. The wagon rolled forward without a hitch. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief, and looked over her shoulder to see the stallion waving.

“May good fortune smile upon you,” he called.

“Thank you – and you too!” Rarity shouted back. At this rate, making her delivery would not be a problem after all. Maybe, if she encountered the stallion again, she’d even get to apologize to him for underestimating him just because he was a small pony.

The following morning, Rarity found Twilight at Fluttershy’s cottage, where Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom were running about the yard, giggling and having fun as only fillies can. From Fluttershy’s smile, Rarity guessed that things had gone well, despite her own earlier misgivings about the trouble the girls might cause: Fluttershy was far from the most assertive of ponies, but she’d expressed her confidence in her ability to look after the fillies – and it seemed that that confidence was not without cause, as when Fluttershy quietly called out, the three troublemakers immediately fell into line! “I guess I’m just as good with kids as I am with small animals,” Fluttershy said simply. Rarity was certain there was more to it than that, but she let it go.

She just wished her fussy cat, Opalescence, would let go of her flank. Fortunately, Fluttershy was able to communicate with all animals on a deeper level, and Opal was very affectionate toward her.

Everything sorted out, and with the girls having gathered their saddlebags, Rarity turned to go. And spotted a curl of chimney smoke rising from alongside the river. “Was there another cottage nearby?” She asked aloud.

“Not that I can remember,” Fluttershy said, frowning.

“Somepony new to town?” Twilight asked. “I guess this means we’ll be having another of Pinkie Pie’s parties.” The purple pony paused. “I hope it’s not at the library again,” she said deadpan.

“I hope we never have to deal with anypony like Nightmare Moon again,” Fluttershy said.

Rarity glanced at Fluttershy. She’d forgotten that it wasn’t all that long ago that Twilight Sparkle had first come to Ponyville. Pinkie had indeed thrown a welcome party for Twilight, which had led into the Summer Sun Celebration, which in turn had led to the six friends coming together to put an end to the threat of Nightmare Moon – bringing back Princess Celestia so she could raise the sun, and inadvertently revealing that Nightmare Moon was really Princess Luna, who had become corrupted by a great darkness. The entire event had led to the six friends uncovering the six Elements of Harmony when they befriended Twilight – and she, them. “I’m sure that was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. But it may be a good idea to check this out.”

“And warn this pony about Pinkie,” Twilight said, grinning.

“First, though, I’ll take the girls home.”

“Aww, we wanna go too!” Apple Bloom said.

“I really ought to take you home to your families,” Rarity said.

“Does that mean I can come with you?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Mother and Father will be worrying about you too, if I don’t bring you home on time.”

“Aww,” all three moaned.

“Maybe another time. Besides, a new arrival to Ponyville may not want to be crowded right away. Assuming it is someone new,” Rarity said.

“Aww, okay.”

“Are you certain this wasn’t here before?” Rarity asked Fluttershy. The two had met on the path to the house, both visually tracking the chimney smoke.

“Yes. Are you?”

“Not completely,” Rarity exchanged a look with Fluttershy. She thought her confusion was perfectly reasonable, given the state of the structure around which they had already walked: from the visible foundation to halfway up the first floor was perfectly-fitted stonework. From there, wood construction took over, ending on the second story in a peaked, wooden roof. The chimney was a long concrete tube that joined the house near the wall closest to the river. A waterwheel turned in near-silence from the same side of the house. A windmill stood above the opposite side of the roof, where it could turn 360 degrees without impacting anything. The house itself stood nearly as large as one of Applejack’s barns. The front door featured a sign. The sign only showed a picture of a pony’s head, only the face was a gear, and it was wearing a tall, brimmed hat.

“How long would you say it would take to build something like this?”

“Four months to two years, probably, depending on the crew.”

“What if Unicorns did it?”

“Even if you had a crew of twenty as strong in magic as Twilight, there’s no way it could be put up in the few hours I’ve been gone,” Rarity said.

“What if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna did it?”

“I can’t say what they can and can’t do. But why build this?”

“Sorry. That was a stretch.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out how and why this house is here.”

“Knock once and come back later?”

“We’re going to go in and ask!”

“Oh.” It was incredible, in Rarity’s opinion, how small Fluttershy could make herself seem when she was afraid. And she was afraid so often, and of so many things, that Rarity had to remind herself that Fluttershy had scolded a red smokedrake to tears, and she had even faced a manticore without any fear at all.

“Come on,” Rarity said, leading Fluttershy back around to the front door. With the pink-maned Pegasus hiding around her flank, Rarity raised a hoof and knocked. And was surprised when the door nudged open a bit at her touch, only to swing closed again. It wasn’t locked! Shaking off the shock, Rarity pushed her way inside.

“Oh, wait for me!” Fluttershy called, and rushed in after the Unicorn.

The inside was well-lit, the open space set up with rows of display cases. Just like any shop anywhere in Equestria, it had a counter and partition that also separated the store front and floor area from the back, where the shopkeeper obviously went about the business of her trade. This, too, was a familiar sight to Rarity, although the items on display in the cases, and in catalogues bound as books set on the counters, were both strange and wonderful. Everywhere were devices of somewhat familiar purpose. Rarity opened one of the catalogues and, flipping through, found a dozen items Applejack might find useful at Sweet Apple Acres.

“Welcome to Gearhead’s Gadgets,” came the soft yet clear (and strikingly familiar) voice. “I am not completely set up yet, however please do feel free to have a look around.” The stallion from the road came through the door to the back area. Other than having doffed his hat, he looked pretty much the same. He had gotten rid of the dust from the road, and was wiping some ash and dirt from his face and hooves with a thick blue cloth. “Well met again, Miss,” he said, clearly recognizing Rarity. “Welcome, also, to my shop, Miss Pegasus.”

Fluttershy immediately became very bashful, looking at the floor and pawing at the straw nervously. She might have squeaked her name, however even standing right in front of her, Rarity couldn’t hear her friend. Mentally, Rarity rolled her eyes. “I’m Rarity, the owner of Carousel Boutique. This is one of my friends, Fluttershy.”

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances, Miss Rarity and Miss Fluttershy. My name is Gearhead. If there is any sort of device you would like me to craft for you, please let me know. It can take some time for me to make, thus the inventory from my previous stops.” Here Gearhead’s polite smile turned into a wide grin. “It is what I do best, if I may boast just a bit.”

“Yes, I can see that you have some very interesting items.”

“One does what one can. Speaking of which, were you able to make your delivery?”

“Yes, thanks in no small part to you, and also to Fluttershy, who was looking after my little sister and her friends.”

“You two know each other?” Fluttershy piped in.

“We met briefly on the road. Gearhead helped to get my wagon unstuck. And speaking of wagons, he has a most interesting one, without a harness!”

“It uses a system of chains, wheels, and gears for propulsion. A single pony, sitting in the driver’s seat, can move the wagon by turning the peddles.” Gearhead reared, and slowly spun his front legs to demonstrate the theory. As he came back down, Rarity noticed that he was still wearing the same shoes as before.

“Another of your gadgets?” Rarity guessed, nodding.

“Indeed so. My horseshoes, though, were a collaborative effort with my father. He wanted to ensure I could find my potential, and so I have. Mostly.”

“Mostly?” Fluttershy asked.

Gearhead nodded. “I am travelling to gain a further understanding of my knack, which is fairly unusual for Earth Ponies. I am thus stopping in most towns and cities through which I travel, although I usually stay longer in those that have libraries, to conduct research.”

“Ponyville does have the Golden Oak Library,” Fluttershy said quietly.

“And, it would seem, it is home to those who successfully brought an end to the night-bound terror of Nightmare Moon. I am hopeful that they might also help me to learn something.”

“Really?” Rarity raised an eyebrow. He’s interested in us?

“Really,” Gearhead said, smiling. “I have the intuition that if anything can help me to understand a most unusual knack, it would be those who can wield a highly unusual power. Naturally, I would be thankful for any and all information leading to a greater understanding.”

“Oh,”

“That’s… nice,” Fluttershy said.

“Well, it seems best I not press you. You may have a look around the store while I finish my set-up below. You can ring the bell on the counter if you see anything you like, or have any questions.”

“I have a question,” Rarity said, deciding to make a slide lead-in before asking the question that had brought her and Fluttershy here. Gearhead turned back around, sat down, and cocked his head, indicating silently for Rarity to proceed. “Where are you from?”

“I hail from Hoofington,” Gearhead nodded.

“Then have you heard of a travelling magician pony named Trixie?”

“Indeed so, although one should not always believe what one hears,” he winked.

“Like Hoofington having trouble with an Ursa Major?”

“Or Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and indeed even Ponyville. That last only worked before this year’s Summer Sun Celebration.”

“I see,” Rarity said.

“Is that it for now?” Gearhead was speaking to Rarity, but he was looking at Fluttershy, who was, again, trying to make herself very small.

"There is a small matter of some curiosity,"

Again, that head-tilt.

"Fluttershy lives nearby, and neither of us can recall this shop being here. If it's not too forward or impolite to ask, how did this building get constructed so quickly?"

"It is not so much a matter of manners, as it is a difficulty in explaining what my knack is. I am embarrassed to admit I do not fully understand its nature at this time, which is part of the reason I am conducting research while  do business. I hope it will suffice, at least for now, to leave it as being a part of my abilities.

“Yes. Oh! There was one more thing. Not for you to do for us, but for us to do for you.” Again, that tilted head. “One of our other friends is very much into making new friends and throwing parties, so while it might be nice to show some surprise, it wouldn’t do to be off your guard where she’s concerned. She’s a very unusual Earth Pony.”

“Her name is Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy said helpfully.

“Is she pink?”

“Yes,”

“Then I shall, indeed, be guardedly surprised. Thank you very much for the warning, Miss Rarity and Miss Fluttershy. I shall be below.”

Rarity and Fluttershy were completely silent until the clopping of Gearhead’s hooves had faded into the background noises of the shop. “He seems nice,” Fluttershy said.

“I wouldn’t mind it if he spoke less formally, though. I think he could also clean up nicely, if he wasn’t a workaholic.”

“Really?”

“I can tell that about ponies,” Rarity said. She then started looking around in earnest. Farming equipment made her fairly clueless, however the textile and culinary arts were her kind of arts – and anything that could help her in those areas was more than simply ‘interesting gadgetry.’

The Golden Oak Library was built into a great oak in Ponyville. The oak itself was enchanted to prevent most kinds of damage from occurring to the books, and especially to the few older scrolls that the library had in its collection. The main stacks lined the curving outer walls of the library, while the center showcased a life-sized statue of a Unicorn’s head. There were reading carols all around the statue, especially for those who wanted to use the extensive reference collection, since those could not be removed from the library. Where the main floor housed the public collection, the upper floor held Twilight Sparkle’s and Spike’s living quarters, and the basement – deep beneath the ground to shield the collection from potential explosions – held a laboratory.

Twilight Sparkle was industriously penning some notes even as Spike was climbing a ladder to retrieve some additional material for her. Although he was a dragon, Spike was quite tame: Twilight had hatched him from an egg, and raised him to be an excellent assistant. He did not have wings, but he was extremely useful to have around, being the only creature around to have claws with which to write dextrously (although sometimes his knowledge of spelling left something to be desired), and his magical fire could send and receive missives to and from Princess Celestia (although when Spike wasn’t focused on his Sending magic, he simply ended up burning things).

Princess Celestia was the Winged Unicorn, or Alicorn, who had ruled Equestria, raising and lowering the sun and moon, for the past 1,000 years. The depths of her magical mastery, her general strength and knowledge, and even her true age were all mysteries to lesser ponies like Twilight – and somehow, the Princess had seen great potential in Twilight, opting to enrol the latter in her special School for Gifted Unicorns. As the Princess’s personal protégé, no less! Twilight was honoured not only because the Princess took her seriously and trusted her implicitly, but also because in the summer, she and her five friends had helped restore Princess Luna to Princess Celestia’s side. In so doing, they also restored the six Elements of Harmony to the Princesses’ possession. And the Princesses continued to send Twilight and her friends on important missions for the Kingdom of Canterlot.

When the door opened and closed, Twilight did not immediately look up. Since the library was open to the public, she needed to be aware in case a patron needed help finding material. On the other hoof, Twilight didn’t want to seem nosy by butting in and immediately ask if she could help. At Rarity’s suggestion, Twilight was waiting for the patron to ask for help, all the while being aware of the pony’s activities, just in case.

Looking past her bangs over her book, Twilight saw the patron look around to orient himself. It was a new pony, an earth-tone Earth Pony who wore a green vest and high horseshoes. Twilight carefully took a closer look and saw that he had a scar under each eye, and also on his forelegs, like he’d reached for something without being overly careful. The stallion’s cutie mark, seen just past his vest, was… a telescope! That perked up Twilight’s interest, and she turned her full attention to him as he stepped into one of the aisles. Twilight returned to her work, somewhat disappointed that she had lost an opportunity to ask someone who was also scientifically-minded how he’d gotten such a mark – even though her own mark was the symbol for magic, and indeed she seemed capable of performing any kind of magic, as long as she saw how it was done.

As Twilight had returned to her work, most of her attention was on that and she did not know how much time passed while the newcomer was in the stacks, looking for material. She did know that when he came out, balancing books on his head and back, Spike had brought two more books to Twilight’s desk. The stallion brought his material over to one of the reading carols, and seeing that nopony was using any of them, he set the books down and began to flip through them. He was still reading when Twilight completed her assignment. She called Spike over to ask him to put the books away, then made her way over to the carols.

Not wanting to disturb a patron, Twilight made her way around the room so the stallion could see her, somewhat to the side and in front of him, and waited. She watched him dextrously flip through a set of pages with his nose, scan a passage, and then flip some more. Finally, having repeated this a few more times, he closed the book and looked up. The whole sequence had taken no more than five minutes. “Well met, Miss Librarian,” the stallion said in a surprisingly soft voice.

“Uh, hi! I’m Twilight Sparkle. Other than you, I’m the newest one to Ponyville.”

“Ah, so I have two reasons for which to refer to you. My name is Gearhead.”

“Well then, Gearhead, welcome to Ponyville and the Golden Oak Library. Um… have you met Pinkie Pie yet?”

“Not as yet, however Miss Rarity and Miss Fluttershy came by my shop to inform me about her and her parties.”

“You mean they warned you about her,”

“Yes. But I am in sales, so I am used to saying things less plainly.”

“So what do you sell? Those books don’t look like they’d help with any merchandise I know of,” Twilight said.

“I am the proprietor of Gearhead’s Gadgets, thus I invent and innovate on devices to make ponies’ lives easier. Miss Rarity found a sewing machine and a set of dispensers interesting enough for purchase. Likewise, Miss Fluttershy was looking at feed dispensers for woodland animals.”

“Well, Rarity is a great seamstress, and Fluttershy does love animals. All kinds. But you tinker?”

“In a word, yes. It is unusual for an Earth Pony, so I am traveling to research my knack while I sell my wares. That is what I am doing here, today.”

“What kind of… ‘knack?’”

Gearhead’s expression turned thoughtful. “I change the things I touch with my hooves, and I can see ways in which different objects may fit together. Once I see these possible connections, I can also facilitate their occurrence, such that my merchandise is extremely durable and long-lasting. Miss Rarity’s sewing machine, for example, can take significant accidental abuse from her little sister and her friends without breaking.”

“That may be more useful than you know,” Twilight said wryly. “Unfortunately, I’ve never heard of any ability like you’re describing in an Earth Pony.”

“Yes, it is difficult to discover such an account,” Gearhead said. “It is quite dissimilar from the standard Earth Pony set of abilities.”

“Most Earth Ponies can make almost any plant grow almost anywhere, plus they’re excellent harvesters. Mechanics is outside of your traditional media. Similarly, Pegasi directly touch the water vapour in clouds to manipulate the weather, and since they’re not the most aerodynamic of creatures, even their flying could be said to be an innate type of magic – and yet Fluttershy not only loves animals, but she lives in a cottage on the ground.”

“Ah, then hers is the cottage near the river, where my shop is.”

“I think I’ll have to see it myself, later on.”

“I would welcome such a visit.”

“Then there are Unicorns, of course. We’re the ponies with the most overt types of magic, like telekinesis, teleportation, and transmutation. What you describe as your ‘knack’ reminds me of one of the basic requirements for performing transmutation, and in particular, since you make gadgets, geomancy.”

“I would agree, however Earth Ponies, like me, do not have access to Unicorn magic. That is explicitly obvious from the fact that we lack the horns that allow Unicorns to cast your spells. Your horn is what makes you a Unicorn. It is even made of material that does not occur elsewhere in nature.”

“You’ve certainly done your research, Gearhead.” Twilight thought a moment. “What if there was a Unicorn or two in your bloodline? An ancestor in Equestria’s earliest days, for example.”

Gearhead shook his head. “Mine has always been a family of Earth Ponies. We do respect the other pony tribes, we simply never mixed in mating. It… keeps my family’s abilities to grow crops strong. Except in me, and that is why I travel. I wish to contribute as much as possible to my family’s successes in my own way. I must understand my own abilities, and find my place in the world, to do so.”

“I understand, and I’ll gladly help any way I can. But for now, you may want to be careful of Pinkie while you head home: I have to close up the library and put Spike to bed. He is, after all, only a baby dragon.”

“Thank you, and sleep well, Spike the Dragon and Twilight Sparkle,” Gearhead said with a smile.

After ensuring Spike was fast asleep, Twilight decided to go to Sweet Apple Acres to have a short talk with Applejack. She was a light brown (very close to tan or orange) coated, blonde Earth Pony, and the strongest of the six friends. Despite her youth, Applejack weighed in evenly with Granny Smith and Big McIntosh on decisions affecting the Apple family’s apple farm. While Big Mac’s, Applejack’s, and Apple Bloom’s parents had never been mentioned in front of Twilight, she knew the family was quite expansive: when she had first come to Ponyville, the Apple family reunion had been on in full force, so introductions had sounded like a long list of apple types and treats.

Twilight’s stomach had agreed with that assessment.

Twilight noted the full fields and the trees that had already been harvested for the day when she arrived, and headed toward the main barn. There, she saw Applejack putting full buckets and carts of apples away. “Hello, Applejack,” she said.

“Twilight! What brings ya out this way this eve’ning?” Applejack asked in her familiar Southern accent. It seemed lighter on Apple Bloom, and you couldn’t tell with Granny Smith if she had one. The hardest read of all was Big Mac because most of what he said was either ‘eiyup’ and ‘nope.’ It wasn’t that the Apples were anti-social or anything: they were nice ponies and excellent friends. Big Mac and Applejack were especially dependable, and if there was one thing on which one could expect from Applejack, it was honesty, the Element of Harmony she represented.

“I was helping a patron with his research, and I was wondering if you’d ever heard of an Earth Pony who was especially good with rock, minerals, and mechanics.”

“You mean like the way Rarity’s good with gemstones?” Indeed, Rarity had a talent for finding gem deposits. Along with telekinesis and a deep fashion sense, it was her special talent, and probably the reason for her triple-diamond cutie mark. “I can’t say that I can ever remember hearin’ about such a thing. Most Earth Ponies farm, and the Apple family’s no exception.”

“Thanks anyway, Applejack.”

“Maybe you could come back tomorrow and ask Granny Smith if she remembers anything like that. She’s already asleep, but if anyone remembers hearin’ about mechanically-inclined Earth Ponies, it’d be her.” In her good moments, both of them thought, but neither said.

“I’ll do that. Thanks again, Applejack.”

“Any time, Twi.”

While Granny Smith could remember the days in which her family had helped to found Ponyville, she proved to have no memory of having even heard of an Earth Pony mechanic. “We’re meant to farm!” She said. “Leave such things to the Unicorns, as they’re the best at it. Wouldn’t trust a machine an Earth Pony would build anyway.” So much for that lead.

Twilight was opening the library when Pinkie Pie burst in. “Hey, did you hear about the new pony? Huh? Huh? Huh?” Pinkie Pie was an Earth Pony with a light pink coat, deeper pink curly hair, and three balloons for her cutie mark. Because her eyes were blue where Rainbow Dash’s eyes were pink, when the two of them were together they looked like their colours had been inverted for each other – apart from Dash’s rainbow-coloured mane. Pinkie was not only the most energetic of the six friends, she was also the least predictable, being able to pop up from anywhere – even places too small for her to actually fit being inside.

“Yes, Pinkie. We’ve met.”

Pinkie gasped. “Before the welcome party? That won’t stand!” She stomped a hoof. “Where’s he live?”

“Pinkie Pie, before you go tearing off trying to set up a surprise welcome party in a place he may not appreciate, maybe there’s someplace else he might appreciate the party being set up?”

“Really?”

“Just as an example, do you think Rarity would appreciate it if you threw a party at Carousel Boutique?” Pinkie’s parties were loads of fun, but they tended to get a little out of control. Rarity’s displays would undoubtedly end up getting messed up.

“She’d hate it if any cake or punch got onto any of her dresses!” Pinkie said.

Or holes in the walls, Twilight thought. “Exactly,”

Pinkie’s face lit back up with the candle of an idea. “I know: we can hold it at Sugar Cube Corner! Mister and Missus Cake never mind parties, and they’re great for business.”

“Great idea, Pinkie. When will you ask them if it’s okay?”

“Right now!” And Pinkie Pie zipped out of the library. Twilight shook her head and turned around to face Spike. “Oh, and Twilight?”

“Yes, Pinkie?”

“Could you make sure the new pony gets to the party, since you know where he lives?”

“Yes, Pinkie.” While Twilight hadn’t visited Gearhead’s Gadgets yet, she figured it wouldn’t be very hard to find, being on the river near Fluttershy’s cottage. That meant it would be close to the Everfree Forest, too.

“Thanks!” And Pinkie Pie was gone again.

“Hey, Twilight! What brings you this way?” The voice and question came from Rainbow Dash, the near-fearless and loyal blue Pegasus of the group. Despite her young age and somewhat haphazard flying record, she was the manager of the Ponyville Weather Team. Rainbow and Applejack were always competing with each other, pitting strength against speed. Twilight estimated that they were about even, so their friendly competition would continue for many years, helping them to continuously improve. Case and point: Rainbow had very recently won the Best Young Flyers Competition in Cloudsdale.

Sure, Rainbow had probably only managed to pull off the Sonic Rainboom that won the contest because she was desperate to save Rarity, however she would never have been able to push herself hard enough without Applejack’s strength always being behind her. Rainbow said she’d pulled it off as a filly, but with her smaller weight back then, it had no doubt been easier to break the sound barrier. Rainbow had needed the correct altitude and speed to pull it off as a mare, and conditions had come together perfectly for it to happen at the contest – luckily for Rarity, who had pushed her gossamer and morning dew butterfly wings beyond their limit.

Just as important to Rainbow as winning the competition, her flying had earned her accolades from Princess Celestia, and some time with the elite flyers of Equestria, the Wonderbolts. Rainbow idolized the group to an extreme point, and now she had a great reputation with no less than the Captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire.

“I’m heading over to the new shop. I’ve got a few questions for the owner, plus Pinkie wanted me to tell him where to be for his welcome party.” Twilight watched as Rainbow flipped and corkscrewed toward her. The Pegasus very rarely came to rest on the ground, in direct contrast with Fluttershy, who spent most of her time on the ground and very rarely flew very high or fast. That might make the friendship between the two Pegasi seem strange, but it came off as very natural, in Twilight’s opinion.

“Any reason for a Pinkie Pie party is a good reason,” Rainbow said. “I’ll come with you, if only to see this guy before he gets his first impression on Pinkie.”

“That will be something to see,” Twilight said. Her own first impression of Pinkie had not been a positive one: Pinkie had been the first Ponyville pony Twilight and Spike met upon their arrival. When Twilight introduced herself, Pinkie simply gasped and ran away – to plan Twilight’s welcome party. Twilight herself hadn’t known this, or that the party would be at the library, something she hadn’t appreciated at all. Since then, however, Twilight had accepted Pinkie and all her unusual foibles, including Pinkie Sense.

When Twilight and Rainbow Dash arrived at Gearhead’s Gadgets they had to pause and look at the building for a minute.

“I don’t remember anything like this being here, and I would,” Rainbow said, glancing toward the tall chimney.

“Agreed. I’d like to see what the waterwheel and windmill are powering, though.”

“That’s what’s got you interested?” Twilight, glancing over, saw Rainbow’s raised eyebrow. “It’s a large stone and wood building that’s been knocked up practically overnight. How, and by who?”

Rainbow was right, but Twilight couldn’t tell her what Gearhead had told her about his ‘knack.’ Not only had they not confirmed what it was just yet, but Twilight hadn’t seen it in action with her own eyes. But if Gearhead’s ability let him build such a large structure in such a short time, his power could put him very close to Twilight’s own. Such power would make other ponies very fearful, on first contact. And the Princesses very interested.

Twilight led the way inside. Gearhead was not in the shop area, but the array of gadgets on display immediately captured both ponies’ attention. Twilight didn’t even notice when the Earth Pony arrived, as he let them continue to browse while he stayed behind the counter. Twilight only noticed because she became aware of the feeling of being watched. “Good morning, Gearhead.”

“Good morning to you as well, Miss Twilight and Miss Pegasus.”

“Name’s Rainbow Dash. You’ve got some shop here. How’d you build it so fast?”

“The same way I have so many gadgets to look at, which is, unfortunately, a trade secret. Even, as Miss Twilight would know, from me.”

“Huh?”

“Gearhead came to the library to research his special talent,” Twilight said, glad for the opportunity to explain, as well as for the confirmation that he’d used his ‘knack’ to put up the shop. “Having seen some of your items for myself, I certainly can’t blame Fluttershy and Rarity for buying from you. These are amazing!”

“The larger ones are catalogued,” Gearhead nodded toward the nearest book. Twilight noticed that it was tied to the display case so it could not be removed, but it would take Applejack’s strength or a Unicorn’s magic to lift it anyway. Fortunately all one had to do to look was flip through it.

“Speaking of larger devices, I noticed that your cutie mark’s a telescope. Have you built any?”

“Indeed so, as itemised on pages seven though nine in the catalogue to your right, Miss Twilight.”

She went over to look. “These are amazing!”

“I can deliver one if you’d like,” Gearhead said.

“On what?” Rainbow asked. “You both look about as capable of carrying large weight as each other.”

“While you have a fair point regarding our sizes, Miss Rainbow, you do not take into account that the telescopes Miss Twilight is most likely to purchase are lighter than the ones previously made.”

“’Telescopes?’ More than one?”

“I would expect so, given they are of various strengths, and do the job to varying degrees. The adjustable ones do not do the job the same as fixed-lens specialty telescopes, after all. And spyglasses are more portable.”

“I see,”

“Anyone who looks through one of the scopes will. I have some sample pieces upstairs, if you would like to take a look.”

“That’d be delightful,” Twilight said.

“Now that you mention it, I’d like to see too,” Rainbow said.

As they made their way up the stairs behind the counter, Twilight remembered one of the other reasons she’d come to the shop. “Pinkie Pie wants to throw you a party at Sugar Cube Corner.”

“Isn’t that supposed to be a surprise?” Rainbow asked.

“I’m sure it still will be,” Twilight said. “As many parties as she throws, each one has something different.”

“Sugar Cube Corner is that sweets shop that looks like it was made from cake, correct?”

“That’s certainly one way of putting it,” Twilight said.

“Just from a marketing point of view, it is brilliant, given nopony would ever mistake it for anything else.”

“Pinkie Pie lives above the shop,” Rainbow said.

“Does she work there as well?”

“Not yet, but she’d like to.”

“Then I wish her good fortune,” Gearhead said. They came to the top of the stairs and turned a corner. They entered a room where a row of telescopes were set up in front of three windows, two scopes to a window. Twilight immediately cantered up and started looking through each, moving systematically from left to right. Rainbow merely looked through them in a seemingly random order. “Try lifting them to test their weight,” Gearhead suggested. Both ponies did, and were surprised by how easy it was to move them. Even the tripods had wheels with locks built into the legs so they could be pushed or dragged easily. The legs themselves were independently adjustable, which could also be useful.

“As cool as these are, I don’t know if I’d use them,” Rainbow said, after having looked through all six sample scopes. “On the other wing, a spyglass might really help with my work.”

“I can help you pick one out downstairs, Miss Rainbow.”

“Call me ‘Rainbow.’ Or ‘Dash.’ I’m not really a ‘miss’ type.”

“Very well, Rainbow.” Gearhead looked across at Twilight, who was watching him. “Have you found one or two you especially like, Miss Twilight?”

“Yes, Gearhead, and I’ll also take their tripods, if that’s okay.”

“Indeed it is,”

“And if you could deliver one of them to Sugar Cube Corner, that would give you a cover for the party.”

“Excellent thinking,” Gearhead said, and he led them back downstairs, where Rainbow could choose and buy her own spyglass. His second day in town, Twilight thought, and he’s already selling gadgets to us.

Gearhead turned out to be fairly good at expressing surprise. He came to Sugar Cube Corner wearing a clean vest, geared hat, and horseshoes. He had one of Twilight’s chosen telescopes tied, together with its tripod, to his back. Everypony who was waiting got to pop out and yell “surprise!” Gearhead jumped four feet in the air, making everypony burst our laughing, and then the party began in earnest.

“Hi! My name’s Pinkie Pie, and I welcome you to Ponyville.”

“Thank you, Miss Pinkie. I am Gearhead.”

“Gearhead, huh? That’s a very unusual name for an Earth Pony.”

“I am an unusual Earth Pony.” As are you, Twilight could practically hear Gearhead think.

“You make things, I’ve heard.”

“Yes,”

“Wanna be friends?”

“We barely know each other,” Gearhead said, widening his eyes in genuine surprise.

“We can get to know each other – as friends.”

“Are friends not ponies you know?”

“Friends are everywhere. Wanna be friends?”

“At least, we are not strangers, and I do indeed thank you for arranging this party for me.”

“Silly Gearhead, a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet. And we’ve met. Plus, I’d throw a party for you any time. All you have to do is ask. Friends?”

For a moment, Gearhead did not answer. This made Pinkie look nervous. Rather than gears simply turning, from the others’ perspectives something seemed to finally click for Gearhead. “Indeed so. Friends… Pinkie.”

“Yay!” Pinkie started to jump around. “I made a new friend.”

“Indeed,” Gearhead said. “It is good to have friends,” he added more quietly.

While Twilight could certainly appreciate the sentiment, she wondered if there was a deeper meaning to that comment, or whether she was just overanalysing, as she often did. Rarity and Applejack both took it at face value, however Fluttershy looked somewhat concerned. Rainbow didn’t even hear it, but seeing her enjoying the party as much as Pinkie was brought an obvious smile to Gearhead’s face, so the others relaxed. Everypony turned their efforts and attention to simply enjoying the party and all the party games. “You’ve truly outdone yourself, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said.

“Thanks!” Next Chapter: 2. One's Place Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 26 Minutes