Chapter 22: A Well-Read Life

<That looks promising,> Gearhead said as he watched Snowbelle turn a gentle glide into a pinwheel beside him.

<Not that you can tell me much more than ‘looks,>’ Snowbelle said.

<True, I am not a natural flyer like you or a Pegasus, but I can do what I can do.> Indeed, when he practised flying with Snowbelle, Gearhead only wore the Alicorn Engine as back-up insurance. He used his Wind Magic to form wings that allowed him to fly, and the different sort of effort that took kept him from getting too far ahead of the young dragon.

<Even flight as a Pegasus, or more accurately as an Alicorn, is different from flight as a dragon, or so your thoughts tell me,> Snowbelle said without missing a beat.

<You can say that because you scanned some of my memories from when I was Dusty. I concluded then, that because I connected to Unicorn and Alicorn magic differently,the same could be said for Pegasus and Alicorn flight magic. And if that could be said about members of the same species who are of different tribes, then what of different species?>

<Like Ponies and Dragons, but then you do not even have to think in such extreme terms, because while you are an Earth Pony, you have Pegasus and Unicorn magic instead. The entirety of what you do is different, and unlike anything you are supposed to be able to do. So who could possibly follow your example?>

<Perhaps only those as strange as myself, including Dragons who live with Ponies.>

<Spike does have a talent that is unusual for a Dragon,> Snowbelle allowed: who would ever have heard of a Dragon igniting paper on fire without burning it, let alone sending it to a waiting recipient? Sending was clearly not the type of magic a Fire Dragon would naturally use or learn. It had to be something that Princess Celestia had taught Spike, or that she had had Twilight teach him. That meant that it might be Pony magic, and it also meant that Dragons and other such intelligent creatures could learn Pony magic, so maybe the inverse was also true. That might explain why the telepathic link between stallion and Dragon worked. But then, given the apparent randomness of anything even remotely linked to Discord, maybe it did not.

These thoughts passed between Gearhead and Snowbelle between eye-blinks. It was one of the unique games they could play, trying to see how many thoughts they could communicate fully to each other in a given moment. They had to be careful with these instant conversations, however, because they happened too quickly to loop others in on them, if anypony else was about. Getting them caught up then became a ridiculous endeavour, since the conversation kept moving at the speed of thought, but Gearhead could only verbalize it at the speed of words.

Thinking thoughts and thinking actions were completely different matters: you could think thoughts very quickly, as long as you did not focus on them long enough to translate them into words like you were narrating your life. Actions could only be done at one’s body’s physical speed. When Gearhead strained his leg muscles thinking about three different actions at the speed of thought without preventing his body from doing them, he and Snowbelle had both discovered the dangers of trying to act at thought-speed without somehow enhancing their physical speed to match. They no longer did that, or more accurately, they no longer thought about doing it.

Another game that Snowbelle liked to play was continuing to pretend that she could not speak Common. She especially liked to use it to tease Spike, pretending to misunderstand him and then pulling a prank on him. Because Snowbelle only spoke to Gearhead, and they normally did not call attention to this fact, other ponies constantly underestimated Snowbelle and what she thought of ponies and gossip. What she could bring home to Gearhead after a girls’ night out was especially juicy.

Snowbelle went from her pinwheel to a flip, and then she beat her wings rapidly to climb before rolling into a powerdive. The whole point of these exercises was to increase her strength and endurance so she could fly for much longer than she could currently. It was her idea that she had to be able to move completely independently of Gearhead, just in case a situation demanded it of her – such as fleeing from a dangerous situation that was too tough for her, or delivering a message when Spike was unavailable. Snowbelle simply had to be able to fly well. She pulled out of her dive and turned sharply to her left.

And nearly collided with an even faster Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus was flying too quickly while trying to execute one of her many tricks. She went spinning end-over-end, completely out of control. Now both of the other airbourne individuals could hear Pinkie Pie calling out in astonishment. Everypony grimaced when Dash hit the ground.

“Oh, not so amazing,” Twilight said.

“Are you alright, Darling?”

“Lemme see,” Dash got up and flexed her wings. “Ow!”

“Time to take you to the hospital,” Twilight said.

“Wait! Couldn’t one of you just heal me up?”

“We would need to know what to heal first,” Twilight said.

“Besides, magic is not always as effective as the non-magical equivalent,” Gearhead said. “You are better off healing naturally. The doctor will take excellent care of you, so do not worry.”

“But what if I have to stay off my wing? What if I can’t fly?”

“Then you will listen, so you can fly sooner.” Gearhead led the way to Ponyville General Care, while Snowbelle flitted above his head.

“Now that’s not fair at all,” Dash said.

“You’re lucky, it’s a clean break,” the doctor said.

“That means I’m fine, right?” Dash had hope in her eyes as she lay in the hospital bed, surrounded by her friends.

“It means you need to rest your wing, Rainbow Dash. It will only heal if you give it the chance it needs to mend properly.”

“What about magic?”

“Shortcuts like that aren’t always worth it, especially if you want to push your limits like we all knew you usually do. That means taking the proper amount of time, during which you should be completely off your wing.”

“How much time?”

“One week,”

“A whole week?! That may as well be a whole month, or years, for a flyer like me!”

“Well, you can be a ‘flyer like you’ once your wing has healed, properly. Until then, take it easy and stay off that wing, otherwise it’ll just take even longer to heal. We would like to keep you overnight for observation, too.”

“Ugh! First you tell me I can’t fly, and then you tell me I have to stay here? I’ll die of boredom.”

The doctor rolled his eyes. “I can assure you that being bored is better for you than aggravating an injury, or an actual illness. And in no way is it terminal. Just try to relax and let your wing heal up, and you’ll be right as rain in no time.”

“Rain! What about the weather?”

“The rest of your team will handle it, I’m sure. The only thing you need to do is rest.” The doctor left the room.

“How can I rest when there’s nothing to do?”

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash, we’ll come and visit you,” Rarity said.

“That’s right, and make your hospital stay into a party!” Pinkie made it rain confetti, Nurse Redheart came out of nowhere to collect all the falling paper and shush her.

“What do I do until then?”

Twilight, who had been looking around, gasped with a bright idea. Gearhead watched her go outside the room to where an orderly was pushing a book cart. The Unicorn did not even have to search to find the book she wanted, instantly lifting it from the cart and bringing it in with her. Dash had turned onto her side, wrapping herself in the bedding, so Twilight tapped her with the book. “I think you’ll appreciate this series, Rainbow Dash. It’s full of adventure and excitement. This is the first book, chronologically. I own all of them.” She smiled.

“Reading? Really, Twilight? Only an egghead like you would do that,” Dash said. Everything from chuckles to chortles to giggles went around the room.

“Oh, I like reading,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, who doesn’t like a bang-up tale every now-and-again?” Applejack asked.

“Books are a great source of inspiration,” Rarity said.

“And you never know what you’re gonna find until you find it,” Pinkie piped up.

“Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but no thanks,” Dash said.

“Alright, visiting hours are up. Time to let Rainbow Dash get some rest,” Nurse Redheart said, ushering everypony else out of the room. They shrugged, and went along.

“You may want to give that book a try,” Twilight said as she got to the door. “Daring Do is a lot like you, and undeniably, unquestionably unstoppable.” Twilight and Gearhead caught Dash’s skeptical expression, but then the door closed. There was nothing else they could do for her until tomorrow.

Gearhead was in full agreement with Rarity about books being a great source of inspiration, in his case for gadgets that he could make: he could look at a situation that the author wrote about and ask ‘what if this character had an item that could help her or him here?’ He could then imagine what such a device would look like, and exactly what it would do.

Gearhead also agreed with Applejack, that it was nice to simply enjoy a piece of writing for its entertainment value. Provided a work was written well enough, with an interesting plot and the characters to support it (or vice versa), he could usually become immersed in that world and its denizens for the duration of the book or series. And that was why series like Daring Do were so good: you could enjoy the same characters across several books, and get to know them and their world on a deeper level than with a single novel.

Reading was a nice way to spend what downtime he got, and even though Gearhead kept himself very busy with just his training and keeping the shop stocked and running, he still found the time in which to enjoy a good book. Once he had read a book, he could usually recall its details fairly well, and given the mental link, he could share whatever details he wanted to share with Snowbelle.

Of course, there were some things he read that would be inappropriate for a reader of her age, so he put those in the part of his mind that Luna was teaching him to secure against any intrusion. Other than that one mental level, Snowbelle could access any information or memory from him practically whenever she wanted.

After seeing Dash crash, neither Snowbelle nor Gearhead wanted to finish the practice flight session. Uncle Windwalker might not approve, but it just did not seem appropriate for them to return to that activity when Dash could not do so, even when they had already made a decent amount of progress. Gearhead decided to open the shop for business.

While there was a steady stream of customers, Gearhead could serve most of them with very little conscious effort. Thinking again of memories, he wondered if Snowbelle had any deep cultural memories from her people buried somewhere, like an instinct or collective conscious of what Arctic Dragons were supposed to do, and how they were supposed to behave. <I> He asked.

<Does it really matter, since you cannot take me there anyway?> Snowbelle was thinking about her ancestral arctic home, to which she had never been.

<We will go there eventually, and the more we know about its denizens, your birth people, the more likely it will be that we can convince them to give you a chance, especially if they prove to be proud and isolationist.>

<I suppose that is true. Okay, but do not be surprised if most of what I know, I know from you.>

<’Most?’ Oh yes, there are times when you go exploring on your own. In any case, the most important thing is to try.>

Still continuing to tend to the customers before him, while also keeping part of his mind open for situations requiring his full attention, Gearhead dove into Snowbelle’s consciousness. This was the first time he had done such a thing, partly because he was still exploring what their link could do, and partly because Luna was teaching him a number of techniques related to using the link and protecting both his mind and Snowbelle’s.

Gearhead encountered Snowbelle’s surface thoughts first. They were what were happening now, as well as the past as far as a dozen seconds ago. She was concerned about what they might find in her mind. He would have to go much deeper if he was going to find some connection to the Arctic Dragons’ culture and mythos.

Gearhead dove. He went through memories and information. It was true that most of the information was things he already knew, and some of it was even unchanged within Snowbelle’s mind, however other bits had already been altered to fit Snowbelle’s perspective, or things she had heard or seen in private moments with Ponyville’s other residents. The stallion went blind to these minor, changed details in respect to both his daughter and the ponies they concerned.

Memories closer to the surface continued to prove to be more recent ones, and they mingled with dreams, the mind’s method of organizing and processing memories, according to Luna – and who would know better than the dreamwalking Night Mare?

Gearhead crossed a silvery membrane that was the border for his daughter’s public self, Snowbelle, and entered the deeper core of her being, Fleury. He knew he was able to enter this part of her mind because they were linked as parent and child, but also because she was letting him in. Since he would not ask Luna to teach him the more invasive diving techniques, Gearhead could not so much as stay in this part of the Dragon’s mind if she did not want him there.

Fleury was steeped in her furthest memories, and in deep emotions. Here there were less words and information, and more impressions, like the ones she had first used to communicate with Gearhead. The most prevalent of emotions and impressions was loneliness.

While it was true that Fleury had Gearhead to act as her father and raise her, and that she was surrounded by pony friends, including Spike, as much as they might like to, none of them could truly treat her as one of them. Most of them were herbivorous ponies, whose cultures and magicks were different from hers on a very basic level. And Fleury would grow into a much larger creature, capable of so much destruction. If she so much as threw a tantrum, as foals often did, neither she nor Gearhead could predict the damage she might do.

While it was true that Fleury was different from Ponies, she was still a resident of Ponyville. As she lived with everypony, they would get to know each other more intimately. Do you think Miss Twilight or I fit in when we first arrived, each in our own time? You know that this was not the case, and only our places of origin and personalities were different from everypony else, just like everypony else here in Ponyville. It is a town of differences. Still, it would not hurt to make all the effort he could to help Fleury feel more like a part of the town and its culture, regardless of how temporary her stay would prove to be.

The loneliness went deeper, as Fleury recalled her mother through the various references to her in conversations between different ponies. She had given Fleury to Gearhead as an egg not because she did not want her, but because she wanted her to be able to live, survive, and be happy. Gearhead did not know how much longer the older dragoness would survive in those caves, but she had told him that she did not want her sole surviving daughter to see her diminished, ill, and dying, or worse, dead. She loved Fleury so deeply, even though she had not yet hatched, that she had expended a great deal of energy to preserve her in the hopes of finding a way to release her into the world. Fleury’s mother had not known whether Fleury would be able to survive in the warm world, but there was no doubt at all in Gearhead’s mind that she wanted to give her the opportunity to try.

And while Fleury had convinced herself that she did not know her own mother, Gearhead told her otherwise: there was the incubation period during which her mother had carried and surrounded her, and there was the time, after being layed, when her mother had protected her until Gearhead could come and take her from the caverns. She might have been an egg, with a long time to go until she hatched due to recovering from all that heat, but her mother had still been with her, imprinting her indelible presence onto Fleury’s being. This meant that while Fleury had this mental connection with Gearhead, she was still connected to her kind, and to her mother.

Soothed somewhat, Fleury guided Gearhead deeper into her sub-conscious. Here he found primal emotions and impressions: hunger and anger, desire and greed, pride and honour, duty and family. There were other, deeper things he could not identify, but when he hit a wall and could not push forward Gearhead realized that he could not easily go any deeper than this. It was possible he might be able to push into the collective consciousness and memory with an invasive technique, but he had no wish to do that. Gearhead turned around, and slowly resurfaced.

When Gearhead resurfaced completely, he felt like he had spent hours inside Fleury’s mind, but by the customer browsing his shop, he knew he had only been away for a matter of minutes. Moving at the speed of thought, and with few barriers between him and his accessible goals, Gearhead had been very efficient. Such dives would not, however, be an effective way to pass time. If that was how Snowbelle learned from Gearhead, then it was no wonder she had become as smart as she was so quickly.

Gearhead quickly reviewed what he had learned: Arctic Dragons were proud and honourable, and they placed high value on family and duty. They also had the usual greed and desire often attributed to Dragons, but Gearhead had high hopes that when he did bring Snowbelle to the mountains, her family there would accept her readily, and teach her what she needed to know. Snowbelle was also lonely, so it was in her best interests to do his best to dispel that, with the help of his friends.

After lunch, Gearhead took Snowbelle to the Golden Oak Library. “This is an unexpected but welcome surprise,” Twilight said when she saw the two of them come through the door. Snowbelle was flying to get in some extra practice. Gearhead had left the Alicorn Engine back at the shop, figuring he would not need it for a little reading. As always, though, he did carry his daggers.

“Your earlier actions inspired me,” Gearhead said. “I think this is an excellent opportunity to introduce Snowbelle to the wonderful world of reading.”

“Can’t she just get some of it from you?”

“She can, and has,” Gearhead said, while Snowbelle bobbed her head and chirped. “But she should be allowed to establish her own tastes, independent of mine – even though I have probably already influenced her choices somewhat.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Twilight said. Since she was a librarian it was perfectly understandable that she would be enthusiastic about others getting into reading.

“So you do not have any objections to letting her loose in the stacks?”

“Not that I can think of, but first maybe I should give her a little tour, so she knows where to find material of specific genres, subjects, and levels.”

“A fantastic idea,” Gearhead said. He made eye contact with Snowbelle, and then nodded Twilight’s way. The little Dragon winged over and gently landed on Twilight’s head.

“Oh, I keep forgetting how cool your scales and feet are,” Twilight said. Snowbelle gave a startled chirp, and made as though to take off again. “No, it’s not uncomfortable. I was just startled, but I’m fine. Lets start the tour.”

As Twilight walked around the library, constantly talking to Snowbelle about what was where, Gearhead wandered behind them, occasionally going into the shelves to investigate something that peaked his interest. Sometimes he came back carrying a volume on his head, which Spike gamely carried to the central table for him.

It took a full fifteen minutes for Twilight to explain where things were to Snowbelle, a process complicated by the apparent need for Twilight to be able to interpret the tones Snowbelle used to indicate interest and curiosity, confusion, or surprise. After awhile they did get used to communicating with each other this way.

Once Twilight had covered the entire layout, Snowbelle took off again, gravitating toward the shelves that had material dealing with the things she was most interested in, like magic, flight, and Dragon lore. Unfortunately, Gearhead already knew that the library did not contain more than a paragraph or two across all its volumes, and that almost entirely on Fire and Smoke Dragons. Fortunately, Snowbelle’s interest in magic and flight theory would carry her through many hours, and she even found some fictional titles that seemed of interest, and what was more, they ranged in difficulty from the sorts of books foals might read, to those of young mares and stallions. Understanding her father’s intentions on the matter, Snowbelle steered clear of all adult material.

Soon father and daughter sat at (or on) the central table, reading contentedly away. While Snowbelle had some stories about knights, witches, and Dragons, Gearhead had chosen two novels that belonged in a genre called ‘magi-science fiction,’ or ‘massy-fi.’ It was these kinds of novels that had the most imaginative gadgetry, although a common thread seemed to be ponies battling and exploring as they sailed among the stars. If such a thing was possible, Gearhead thought that it must be the ultimate adventure.

Twilight sidled up beside Gearhead and waited until he looked up at her so she was able to avoid interrupting his reading. “I haven’t been able to understand why there are ponies who like this genre. Could you explain its appeal to me?”

“I cannot speak for anyone else, but the appeal to me is the variety of possibilities expressed, not only through the different technologies, but also through the variety of worlds one may be able to reach out there, in the wider universe. Not all authors express it well, but that is true of works in any genre. What complicates the depiction further is that none of the authors know for certain what it is like to travel among the stars.”

“I suppose we could ask Princess Luna,”

“Yes, we could,” Gearhead chuckled.

“So how does what you’ve read relate to what you’ve made?”

Gearhead thought about that for a few moments. Twilight watched, but did not interrupt him. “Being able to connect with various authors through their imaginations as they write has probably let me streamline and refine some of my designs further than I would have gone naturally. They would not have been quite as bad as the Cider Squeezy, but they would not have been as compact or straightforward as they are.

“It is also possible that I would have taken much longer to think of energy generation as possible. I doubt a wooden ship could actually fly between the stars, but doing so will probably require enormous refining and reinforcement, and who in Equestria could do that? These novels are definitely partially responsible for my coming up with plasma and particle engines.”

“Plasma,” Twilight said. As there was only one time period during which Gearhead had been able to use them, she could only be thinking of one thing.

“I do not have the power to do it myself, but then I do not need to, when the Alicorn Engine is at my disposal and so much more efficient.”

“Speaking of, how are you coming on that second prototype – the one you needed my help with all those months ago?”

“I have almost all the material I need, and then I can put it into trials.”

“Even after all this time, and after you repaired the first prototype?”

“The various goings-on have delayed me somewhat, but I am still on track for trials. I want it to be as perfect as it can be before I actually use it.”

“So it won’t overload on you?”

Gearhead chuckled again. “Given the circumstances and the choices around them, maybe that overload was more fortunate than not.”

“It turned you back into a stallion and revealed more of those particles’ properties.”

“Yes, it provided insight I would not have gained otherwise, or at least not that quickly. Possibility, that is what I believe it all comes down to. Possibility and how one is able to use it.”

“Is that why you seem so chipper, even when you’re thinking about something that should probably sadden you?”

“If you mean my not being able to farm, and my earlier social isolation, there are reasons behind them and knowing them does make it easier for me to move on. I have been given so much, by my family and by you, my friends.” Snowbelle cooed, and Gearhead stroked her mane with a free hoof. “In my opinion it would be awfully ungrateful of me to hold the ‘bad’ things against all the ‘good’ things in my life. I do not believe that there is any being out there who does not want the best for those they support, and I am going about that in my own way.”

“So you’re not letting the little bad things get you down. What about the big bad things?”

“I will address those when I come to them, probably with you and Snowbelle and all of our Ponyville friends beside us.”

“Speaking of friends, you have some back in Hoofington, right? Why did you seem so lonely when you got here?”

“I did?”

“Uh-huh,”

Gearhead pondered that. “I suppose it is because I had been on my own for so long. Yes, I have friends from the Hoofington area, but they could not come with me when I left to pursue sales and knowledge elsewhere. I never connected with anypony else in the other towns and cities where I set up shop and researched, because within a week or two I knew that that place did not have the answers I was looking for, and I would be moving on. It does not make sense to make friends in places you are about to leave, does it?”

“I think Pinkie would do it anyway,”

“Yes, but that is Pinkie, and most of the time it is extraordinarily easy for her to make friends. For me that is another matter. After I left Verdant Fields the next time I saw any of my Hoofington friends was briefly at the Grand Galloping Gala, and then only a few of them showed up.”

“Tell me about them?”

“Okay. My first friend is Prism, whom you saw me racing with for a time on that crystal. She was the one who approached and spoke to me back when I first started studying at the Azure Library, so I suppose she is the curious type, on top of being quite adventurous. I think she gets all that from her father. I do not need to tell you how great a flyer she is. Rook is the solid supporter-type, who always stands up for his friends. Contrail is even more daring than Prism. He tries to be the first one in, but Prism has always been the faster flyer, from what I saw. They make up Prism Flight.”

“They’re very impressive,”

“From what I saw during the crystal recording, they may be the best their generation of Azure Wing has to offer. It would be a shame if they could not train with the Wonderbolts, however the Azure has its own version. I do not see them ever holding back.”

“Sounds like Rainbow Dash has some competition.”

“Yes, and if she does not let her wing heal fully, she will have to struggle to keep up.”

“Who else can you tell me about?”

“Maybe the Unicorns, the siblings Dusk and Dawn Shadow.”

“’Dusk’ and ‘Dawn?’”

“Hey Twilight, you could be related!”

“Too bad it doesn’t work that way, Spike. Please continue, Gearhead.”

“Dusk is a big Unicorn, but still much smaller than Big McIntosh. He is a nice fellow, and from his physique he must have gotten more serious about his training regimen. I have not gotten much of a chance to see what his magic is like now, but when I left he was learning Shadow and Ice Magic, two of the Conclave’s specialties. Dawn is the unusual one, although one might more accurately call her a ‘white sheep’ instead of my own title: her coat and mane are so bright that in the right light she will seem to glow, Likewise, she was having trouble with the Conclave’s usual magic when I left.”

“Maybe she relates to you because you also have had trouble with your magic.”

“Maybe, but I did not read any awkwardness or nerves when I was talking to her and her big brother.”

“So is Dusk heir to the Conclave?”

“I do not know. That was one of the things they would not tell me, not that I would have understood a matter of succession at that age.”

“What about in the Azure?”

“Prism is the oldest, and since succession is based more on merit than on bloodlines, she should get the chance to prove herself, provided she is interested. From what I know of the way foals in the Azure are raised, the majority have the most amount of interest in sticking with their flight-mates. Romantic couples even form within them.”

“Oh? Do you have any opinions on who might be better suited for Prism?”

“Sorry, but after all these years I do not know them as well as I used to. Contrail might push her past her limits, and he has a very useful magic. On the other hoof, Rook is very stable and will never let any being harm anypony within his range, especially Prism and Contrail. They both seem like great stallions, but if you ask me who the ideal match would be for the mare who was my first friend, I do not know.”

“And I guess any stallion interested in Dawn has to get past Big Brother.”

“Just like with you,”

“You’ve met Shining Armour? Eh, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised with the number of times you’ve been to Canterlot. Isn’t he great?”

“Yes, and he makes a great instructor.”

“Oh, wow! I thought Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were teaching you magic, but this makes a lot more sense, what with their royal duties.”

“Well, sometimes. It depends on who is available.”

“Would you look at the time? Fluttershy and I are going to go pay Rainbow a visit. Want to come along?”

Gearhead looked at Snowbelle, and then shook his head: she had her beak deep in a book, and did not seem likely to want to remove it. “Sorry,”

“No need to apologize. Okay, just ask Spike if you want to check out any books before I get back.” Twilight used her magic to grab a nearby board game. “Spike, are you okay looking after the library?”

“Of course you can count on me!”

“Okay. I’ll see all of you later,” Twilight said, and then left. Gearhead turned back to his book to continue reading, thinking they would keep going for another hour at most. Snowbelle’s face right in his nearly spooked him: he had not realized she had moved, so apparently she was learning how to shield her thought from him too. Gearhead raised an eyebrow.

<And who is going to make an ideal match for Twilight Sparkle?>

<I have no idea,>

<You think it is you,>

<Even if I did, the Black Sheep Clause also prevents me from actually courting any mare. And that means Twilight is safe from marrying me, even if she saw me that way, or I her.>

<But you have thought about it.>

<I am alive, so of course I have, if only fleetingly.>

<And?>

<I respect her.>

<You like her, at least as a friend. That could complicate things.>

<I am fairly certain my life is fairly complex already. If I could date, what would that extra complication amount to, in your mind?>

<I do not know yet.>

<Relax, please. I am not ever going to try to find a replacement for your mother.>

<I will believe it when I see it,>

<How? You cannot see what is not there.>

<When I continue to see that you are not getting romantic with Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, or Fluttershy.>

<Is that how you see them?>

<I see them as friends, just as you do. But it is not how we see them that concerns me. It is how they may soon come to see you, Father.>

<I doubt these mares will ever put me in a position where I have to hold them off,>

<And what about Prism and Dawn? You obviously think of them as more than friends.>

<It has been a long time, and things have changed. They have changed.>

<Yes, they have.>

<Pardon?> But Snowbelle turned back to her book, and Gearhead could not get anything more from her.

While Snowbelle napped on his bed, Gearhead went down to to the laboratory to look things over.

Thanks to periodic support from Ponyville, together with his own trips to mine resources, his stores were in good shape to support the shop’s continuing operations for the foreseeable future. He was only short a bin or two of the gemstones he would need to complete the twin-core prototype.

With the level of insight and technique he had, the single-core prototype was unlikely to become any more powerful or versatile than it already was. The leggings and hood also matched well with the level, and although Gearhead had thought about adding armour for tougher opponents, he did not like the idea of having to haul it around everywhere he went – especially since he could not tell when he would not need it.

The stabilizer would be able to cover some of that concern over a limited range, if he enlarged the engine assembly and added a condenser or two, along with the armour. That would complicate things.

He could try adding a cockpit so Snowbelle could fly the stabilizer to him, but that came with its own issues, not only about where to put the cockpit, but mainly about taking a child into what would most likely be a combat situation. Even once Snowbelle was old, wise, and mature enough to decide for herself whether she wanted to fight beside him, it would go against his private oath not to allow her to come to harm. But would even that do her any good in the long run? Gearhead had promised her mother that he would take Snowbelle to her ancestral home. If she decided to stay, he could no longer take care of her. But that was in the future. An awkward redesign of the stabilizer was more immediate.

Gearhead turned toward the duel-core prototype, almost ready for the complete assembly stage. Once it was complete he could build its stabilizer unit to fit it perfectly. Whether or not he added an armour module was a matter to consider seriously, and at length.

If Snowbelle stayed with Gearhead, and if he decided to take her into battle after all, fitting a cockpit to a unit whose design was not yet complete would be much simpler. The duel-core’s stabilizer already abandoned the ring-shaped docking system for pylons that would plug directly into both cores. This made a central cockpit much easier to add. As Gearhead reexamined the current design, he could see the possibility already there. He could also see where he could add folded armour panels, and how he might increase its power to compensate, but each compensation brought on another, until the unit was two and a half times its original size. Maybe adding armour was not worth it --

unless the armour and stabilizer started out two or three times Gearhead’s own original size! When docked with the Alicorn Engine, that would make the entire unit far less of a suit and more of a mechanized armour unit. Assuming he ever needed that much power, even the image of an oversized warrior might be just what he would need to tip the scales of battle.

Snowbelle’s involvement in future battles would be a subject they would have to discuss. While she was a child under his protection, that was something he could not condone, even with her permission. But when she got older, perhaps Gearhead would allow the situation to be a factor in the decision. In the meantime, he stood in front of the design console and made his modifications.

Hours later, loud barking tore Gearhead and Snowbelle from sleep’s comfort. Gearhead quickly grabbed his dagger and donned the Alicorn Engine, and flew outside together with Snowbelle, always one thought away from flying between her and any threat.

The barking seemed to be travelling through Ponyville. Ponies, similarly awakened from their sleep, quickly flicked their lights on and went to windows or doors to investigate.

Finally the commotion stopped in front of the library, where Twilight and Spike came out to investigate. Gearhead and Snowbelle saw Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity all converge on a point before the door.

Which was when Gearhead noticed Rainbow Dash crouched on the ground in a black catsuit. Now knowing that there was not a threat to life and limb, he landed nearby. Snowbelle perched on his head.

“I’m sorry,” Dash was saying, “I just really needed to find out how the story ended!” The hospital staff, which had chased Dash all over Ponyville, left to return to the hospital, pursuing a barking Pony Gearhead did not recognize. He did recognize that bark, though.

“You mean this is all about Daring Do and the Sapphire Statue? Wow! I knew the book was good, but I didn’t know it could drive ponies to petty theft!”

“That is bad,” Gearhead said.

“You were right, Twilight,” Dash said, pointedly ignoring Gearhead. “Daring Do is absolutely unstoppable and un-put-down-able. But I couldn’t let anypony know that I was... an egghead.”

“Rainbow, reading isn’t just for studious ponies like me and Gearhead. Anypony can do it, and nopony can say you’re any less of an athlete for enjoying the occasional read.”

“Yeah, RD. It’s no cause to be causing a ruckas,” Applejack said.

“Frakkas!” Pinkie said. “Also what she said.”

“Indeed,” Rarity said.

“If you wanted to finish the book, you didn’t have to steal it,” Twilight said, leading the others inside the library. “Like I said before, I own all of the volumes that A.K. Yearling published so far. You can borrow them anytime you like.”

“Good, because I really need to find out how it ends,” Dash said.

“And I need my beauty sleep,” Rarity said, leaving.

Twilight rolled her eyes, and then gave the book to Dash. “Um... do you mind if I borrow all of them?” The Pegasus asked.

“Alright,” Twilight giggled. “Just don’t stay up too late reading them, okay? I know you still can’t fly on that wing for awhile, but surely you don’t want to miss being able to supervise your team tomorrow morning.”

“Good point. Yeah, I definitely want to see for myself that they don’t mess up. Thanks, Twilight.”

“I need to get myself and this one back to bed,” Gearhead said, nodding up at the dragon who was still there, “but first I want to thank you for your inspiration.”

“Me? What did I do?”

“It is in part because we spoke earlier that I was thinking of possible improvements to the system, and that put me on a real roll. So thank you, Twilight.”

“You’re welcome.”

Snowbelle flopped down fully into a lying position on Gearhead’s head and neck. “Okay, we are gone,” he said. “Good night, Twilight.”

“Good night, Gearhead. Snowbelle.”

The dragon blew out a low note, startling Twilight. Spike laughed. “What?”

“It’s a dragon joke. You wouldn’t get it,” Spike said.

“What I get is that it’s bedtime, Spike.”

“Alright, I’m going.”

As Gearhead went out the door, that was the last he heard of Twilight and Spike for the night. Fluttershy, who had been waiting patiently outside the door, softly patted Snowbelle on the head, whispered ‘good night’ so softly Gearhead could hardly hear her, and then took off. After adjusting Snowbelle so she would not fall, Gearhead also lifted off, for home again. Next Chapter: 23. Visible Hearts Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 40 Minutes