Chapter 8: Scholastic Specials

For him, ‘school’ was his own living space or a library, filled with books. It was halls and rooms steeped in traditions where he learned from the best and brightest the neighbouring Conclave had to offer. It was apprenticing to the best blacksmiths and carpenters and other craftsponies in Hoofington with connections to Herd Verdant. It was also studying magic under the tutelage of three princesses and the Captain of the Royal Guard. To have to go to a schoolhouse and study more mundane matters? That was simply embarrassing, so in a way, it was a good thing his face was already yellow.

As though to complicate matters, he had to keep all his tension out of his voice and face, and even control his body language as much as possible. He hoped his new peers would misinterpret him keeping his wings tight against his flanks as a simple case of nerves. Indeed, he could not simply relax. He understood the need to act more like a colt his physical age in order to maintain his cover (once it was properly established), but that did not mean he had to like it.

“Class, I’d like to introduce you to a new friend today,” Cheerilee said from beside him at the front of the classroom. Everypony stopped what they were doing and stared straight at him. Now that he had their attention, he would have to play his role as well as he could, or the whole thing would fall apart. He knew this was not ‘being sent back to magic kindergarten,’ which was what Twilight Sparkle had feared, but it was definitely real. He tossed his head to reset his short braid. Rarity had done that for him because his hair was too long otherwise, and yet she was unwilling to cut it. He took a deep breath.

“Good morning. I’d like you all to treat me the same as anypony else, so we can be good classmates – so you can just call me ‘Dusty.’” The name upon which Princess Celestia and Gearhead had agreed upon was ‘Stardust,’ but Gearhead had decided that this was an Alicorn who would be fed up with being treated differently just because he was related to royalty. He would want to be as normal as possible, and to him, that would start with an ordinary-sounding nickname. It would also start with something else. “I’m very very distantly related to some VIPs in Canterlot, but again, I don’t want to be treated any differently from anypony else, so no titles. It’s just ‘Dusty,’ another pony without a cutie mark, just like some of you.”

“You’re a Blank Flank?” That was Diamond Tiara. Gearhead knew that she and Silver Spoon antagonized the Crusaders on a normal basis. In other words, they were bullies.

“That’s right,” Gearhead said without missing a beat. “My destined path is undecided.”

“But! – just look at you: you know you’ll end up raising the sun.”

“Oh, but I don’t know,” Gearhead said with a sly grin. “Not only does Princess Celestia’s long lifespan mean that she may not become fatigued enough to require a successor in our lifetime, but there’s no way of knowing whether raising and lowering the sun is something that I will see as being cutie mark-worthy. I haven’t decided yet.”

The class gasped.

“’Dusty’ is right about one thing, class, and that’s that ponies without cutie marks simply haven’t had things decided yet. It’s when a pony does what she or he truly enjoys that they get their cutie marks.” Cheerilee gave Gearhead a warning glance. “Please take a seat,” she said, with some of the lightness in her voice gone.

Gearhead nodded respectfully, and then made his way to the back left corner of the class where a new desk had been added for his benefit. The stallion-turned-colt copied the others in where their school-saddles were attached to their desks, then he took a seat himself.

While class began, some pony or other kept turning to glance or stare at Gearhead. Naturally, Alicorns were something of an oddity since most ponies here would only be aware of the Princess Sisters. A male Alicorn was entirely unique, and Gearhead would be fortunate if nopony called him a freak, even if only behind his back, by the end of the day.

But such a moniker would not bother Gearhead at all, considering it as an acknowledgement that there was nopony else around who was like him (which, as far as he knew, was entirely true). He had also been called worse, like ‘Lord’ Vines calling him a walking disaster. Which, at face value, had been true anyway. Nothing these foals could call ‘Dusty’ could hurt Gearhead’s self-esteem. Although for appearance’s sake, he might have to respond to a choice barb as though it did hurt, just because it would be an appropriate reaction.

To Gearhead, most of what Cheerilee taught sounded like fairy tales for foals. Much of what he had learned and retained, including in the fields of agriculture and pony lore, had practical applications for his work, or would lead to practical applications. In his case, since he could not farm, he used his knowledge to figure out ways to make farming easier for those who could. Similarly, knowledge in other fields allowed him to design gadgets for other ponies. His gadgets allowed others to cut down on their efforts without cutting corners or compromising their work quality. That said, Gearhead was certain that some of the things Cheerilee taught could help him when he returned to normal, so he kept his ears open even as he doodled other designs, and took the odd note.

Nopony did anything in particular to bother Gearhead until free time early in the afternoon. Half the school had a recess from school activities where they could play outside, while the other half was given time to eat lunch. Halfway through the free period, they would switch. Gearhead had joined a class that had lunch scheduled first.

Right at the signal for lunch, quite a few colts and fillies ran off to line up for the school-provided meal. Figuring that it would be more trouble than it was worth to line up, Gearhead had aimed to prepare his own meal. It turned out, however, that his reduced size made him more prone to accidents without having any magic to compensate for his loss of dexterity. He had, therefore, had to ask for some help preparing his meal – and Fluttershy had been only too happy to assist him.

This, however, had led to some unplanned embellishments to Gearhead’s planned meal. He usually ate basic meals, with all of the nutrition his body would require and little in the way of seasoning for flavour. Fluttershy not only used more seasoning, but she also put in more colourful fruits and vegetables. As Gearhead took his first tentative taste, a sweetness he wasn’t used to spiked through his tongue, and he made a face without realizing it.

“Well, look who’s got a cat’s tongue,” Diamond Tiara said. She and Silver Spoon peered into his lunch box from both sides of Gearhead’s desk, where he had decided to eat.

“It would be a shame to waste any of your mommy’s carefully-prepared love,” Spoon said.

“As they say, ‘waste not,’” Gearhead said, rolling with it and taking another bite. “I’ll admit it takes some getting used to.”

The two bullies exchanged a glance, then Tiara ‘accidentally’ bumped the bottom of the desk with her rump. Gearhead moved swiftly, having expected something similar, and caught the box in both forehooves, nearly planting his face in the desk in the process.

Spoon bumped the desk next, but her target was already leaning back, box balanced over his head. He turned around in his seat and hastily devoured the rest, then smiled at the fillies through the crumbs.

Tiara and Spoon were about to turn away, completely foiled, when a funny look came over Gearhead’s face. Curious, they watched closely as he belched right in their faces. “Pardon me,” he said, putting the empty box down. “Seems I ate too quickly.”

Tiara and Spoon waved a hoof in front of their noses, and making disgusted noises, moved away. “That was awesome,” Scootaloo said as she and her friends approached.

“Disgusting, but brilliant,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Those two wouldn’t be the first bullies to try something like that, nor the first to fail at it,” Gearhead said.

“Mind if we join you?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“As long as you don’t mind the occasional burp,” Gearhead said.

“Oh, we don’t,” Apple Bloom said, then she belched to demonstrate. Hers was louder than Gearhead’s had been, and brought a disapproving look from Cheerilee. The filly smiled and waved apologetically, which made Cheerilee shake her head with a wry smile. “I’m Apple Bloom,”

“Scootaloo,”

“I’m Sweetie Belle,”

“And we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” the three fillies said in unison.

Ah, I was wondering when the pitch would come, Gearhead thought. “It’s nice to formally meet you. As you heard in my public introduction, I’m Dusty.”

“I wouldn’t think that’d be a name for an Alicorn from Canterlot,” Apple Bloom said. “That’s more like a name I’d expect from a farmpony, like my family. In fact, we might even have a ‘Dusty’ of our own!”

“It’s a nickname,” Gearhead said, “and all anyone really needs to call me. But what’s this about ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders?’”

“We’re so glad you asked,” Scootaloo said, and it was obvious that she really was pleased to be explaining their group.

“We’re a group of like-minded young ponies,” Apple Bloom started.

“And we’re also friends,” Sweetie Belle said. “Since none of us have our cutie marks yet…”

“We’re working together in order to earn our cutie marks all at the same time,” Scootaloo said.

“Is it an all-filly group?” Gearhead asked.

“I guess we did start that way,” Apple Bloom said, “but not necessarily.”

“But we will have to change the pledge a bit,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Huh?” Apple Bloom whispered in Scootaloo’s ear. “Oh, that part.”

“It’s not a problem,” Apple Bloom said, smiling.

“Would you be interested in joining?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Oh, I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying in Ponyville.”

“That’s alright,” Scootaloo said. “You can always start a new chapter when you go home to Canterlot.”

“How great would that be: Cutie Mark Crusaders in the kingdom’s capital?” Apple Bloom said.

“That’d be so exciting!” Sweetie Belle jumped a bit, and sparks bounced from her horn. Apparently she really was excited about the prospect, which was interesting on its own. But that feeling of excitement had also come closer to breaking through whatever was preventing Sweetie Belle from casting spells than anything she had tried while practicing with Gearhead. Interesting, he thought.

“As long as it’s okay with your parents for you to have a colt around, it’s fine with me,” he said. Not that he’d try any funny business with any filly anyway.

“Applejack and Big McIntosh won’t have a problem with it,”

“You’re nice, so Rarity shouldn’t have any issues either.”

“No problems here either. Shouldn’t you ask your parents though?” Scootaloo asked.

“No need: I shall be the perfect gentlecolt,” Gearhead raised a hoof as though swearing an oath. While this evoked some laughter, it did bring up a serious matter: while Gearhead was pretending to be Stardust, there was no way he could stay in the shop. At the same time, having anypony stand in as his make-believe parents would be to invite questions, and with them, trouble. It had therefore been determined that Gearhead would stay with a member of the Elemental Six. But they had yet to determine which one.

Applejack and Sweet Apple Acres was not an option because Gearhead could not predict how his geomancy would react at any time. He preferred to stay away from the farm until he knew for certain. Also, living with Apple Bloom could produce some problems.

Although Fluttershy had provided Gearhead with his lunch, he did not feel like staying at her cottage: It would take a long time for him to walk to school. He felt like living alone with the mare he was supposedly courting in his adult form would lead rather easily to more questions. Also, she was the one who was most likely to smother him.

Pinkie Pie was out because Gearhead’s presence would get in the way of her lifestyle, and because it would gather too much attention. Too many ponies walked into and out of Sugar Cube Corner as it was.

Carousel Boutique was out for reasons that resembled those of all the others combined: Rarity had a wide range of customers, any of whom could see Gearhead and start asking uncomfortable questions. Besides, if Gearhead lived with Rarity, she’d probably be merciless in teasing him, the way she did. Cohabitating with Sweetie Belle would also be a bad idea, especially since she was the closest to Gearhead out of the three fillies. The more time Gearhead spent with them, the more risk there was of them finding similarities between ‘Dusty’ and Gearhead. At the same time, he did not believe he could avoid the Crusaders altogether. He figured it might be better to face them head-on.

Rainbow Dash’s cloud castle was not an option because Dash would not always be there to ferry Gearhead back and forth, and since he could not fly yet, somepony would have to be able to do it. And Dash was usually away, even when she was just napping.

That left the Golden Oak Library. While it, too, had customers, it was neither a candy shop nor a clothing store so the volume was not the same, and Gearhead could be much more discreet about his movements. He respected Twilight too fully as a fellow-scholar to really think about courting her, nor was he attracted to her in that way. And she and Spike shared his secret, that he was really the Earth Pony Gearhead. As long as Twilight did not plan on pacing in the loft while he and Spike tried to sleep, Gearhead did not see any problems with staying at the library.

Of course, this left other measures to take care of. First, they had closed Gearhead’s Gadgets, posting an ‘away on business’ notice on the main entrance. Next, Fluttershy had promised to be very discreet in checking in on the dragon egg. Finally, extra supplies and resources would go directly into the forge room in the basement for use when Gearhead returned to normal. That activity would be performed by various ponies, and in the open, so it would have the appearance that all was well.

“Great,” Scootaloo said, bringing Gearhead out of his reverie. “We can show you the clubhouse after school!”

After lunch, the Crusaders led Gearhead outside to play in the yard. Almost immediately, Tiara and Spoon took up blocking positions. “Hello, Blank Flanks.” The Crusaders cringed, so obviously they had not gotten used to being called that yet. Gearhead would have preferred that the fillies find a way to resolve their conflict with their bullies on their own, but as things stood they would not make any progress anytime soon.

“You say ‘Blank Flanks’ like it’s supposed to be an insult.”

“It is,” Spoon said.

“If you don’t have a cutie mark, it means you’re not special and don’t know what you’re gonna do,” Tiara said.

“We’re young; there’s plenty of time for us to figure out what to do with ourselves. In the meantime, none of us are locked in with any one special talent. That means more than one potential vocation – that’s job and lifestyle.”

“Don’t kid yourself: you’re an Alicorn, and that means your power will be to raise and lower the sun or the moon, but like you pointed out yourself, you’ll never get to do it because Princess Celestia will be around for longer than you will be,” Tiara said.

“I certainly hope she will be: she’s very good at her vocation. And that leaves me free to explore other possibilities.”

“Oh? Like what? Are you going to go into apple farming?”

“That’s a possibility,”

“Chimney sweeping?”

“Also possible,”

“Magic knight!” Scootaloo said.

“I suppose if I had the knack, I could join the Royal Guard,” Gearhead said. “The question is, do I want to protect Princess Celestia or Princess Luna? So many possibilities!”

“Ugh! You’re no fun,” Tiara said, and led Spoon in storming off.

“’Apple picking?’” Apple Bloom asked, once the two fillies were gone. “I wish I could come up with something to just make them stop,” she said.

“It’ll only get worse if you react to their prodding: that’s exactly what they want. It’s better to just deflect their verbal attacks aside, leaving them nothing to use as a follow-up. Even counter-attacking is a reaction that they’d prefer to simple acceptance,” Gearhead said.

“I’m not sure that’d work for us,” Sweetie Belle said.

“It will if you want it to work,” Gearhead said. “You can shut them down by boring them.”

“It’s a good idea in your head, but in reality..?” Scootaloo was sceptical.

“I think it’s worth a try,” Apple Bloom said.

“Then you’ll all have to go for it,” Gearhead said. “They’ll go for any gap they see, so the three of you will have to stand together.”

“Four, including you,” Apple Bloom said.

“I won’t always be here. You’ll have to be able to deal with them without me, then.”

“Will you really have to go back to Canterlot?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Eventually, yes. When that happens, you’ll have to be ready for your bullies.” None of the fillies knew what to say to that. “And on that note, what do you do for fun around here?” The Crusaders immediately brightened.

“Four Square!”

“Jump Rope!”

“Ball games!” They set off together to complete the Herculean task of showing Gearhead everything they could do before recess came to an end. Games and sports were generally not Gearhead’s thing. Certainly he had played simple games with Big Sister Ivy, but nothing like these games. He paid careful attention to the rules, so nopony would have to explain them to him twice.

Regardless, he was awkward to say the least. One reason was that he still was not used to his new size, so he found it hard to coordinate his movements. The other reason was because he had never played such games before, so everything was new to him. It takes time to learn anything new.

Because Gearhead focused well on his endeavours, he might have mastered each game by the third go-around. Unfortunately for him, they only played each game once or twice. With each new challenge, he got to look like a fool all over again. But, because he had taken Tiara’s and Spoon’s barbs so well, he had to take losing in stride as well. That was, until he lost the tenth game in a row. Then he acted sour, because he thought that was the way a colt might act after losing so much. Fortunately for all involved, recess soon came to an end.

When Cheerilee called on ‘Dusty’ for an answer in class, he could have easily answered each question correctly. In order to more realistically play the part of an ordinary student, however, he weighted his answers in order to get about two thirds correct, or to answer a multiple-part question mostly right. All of this effort was in order to look average, but Cheerilee certainly did not seem to appreciate it when his answers were off. “Is this the way a princess’s nephew studies?” she asked.

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to answer more correctly in the future,” Gearhead said, despite his intentions to act otherwise. He decided to be more subtle with his answers from then on.

“I think it’s funny how you set Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon back so much, yet you couldn’t get the questions in class all right,” Scootaloo said. They had left school and were heading toward the clubhouse at Sweet Apple Acres.

“Nopony’s perfect,” Gearhead said.

“But you could have answered correctly,” Sweetie Belle said. “Why didn’t you?”

“I don’t want anypony thinking I was getting any favours just because of my connections in the capital. I just wanna be normal.”

“Is that why you don’t spread your wings?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I don’t use my wings because I can’t fly yet,” Gearhead said. “It’d be pointless to flap ‘em without ‘em doing anything. It’s the same with magic for me, so far. And,” he grinned, “that also makes me more normal.”

“So you don’t wanna fly?” Scootaloo asked.

“I suppose not,”

“And you don’t want to use magic?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“That could be useful, actually. But I haven’t learned how yet.”

“A stallion friend gave me some good tips,” Sweetie Belle said. “He said that you have to be able to feel the magic flow around you, and then be able to move it.”

She is talking about me. “So can you feel the flow yet?”

“Not yet, no.”

“Any good tips on flying?” Gearhead asked Scootaloo.

“Not really, no. Oh, but if you can’t fly, you can always try to find other ways to get around. I have my scooter, and I can really move when I flap my wings while I’m riding it.”

“Good to know,” Gearhead said. “I guess we all just have to keep at it until we find something that works.”

“That sounds about right,” Sweetie Belle said.

“I have to wait for my wings to grow in,” Scootaloo said.

“Very nice,” Gearhead said. Of course he had to say something when the fillies showed him the clubhouse for the first time. Gearhead had seen it before. He knew about the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their attempts to get their cutie marks by doing things, often dangerous, as quickly as possible. He had even facilitated some of those activities by providing them the gear with which to do them, while also making the activities themselves safer to attempt. Counter to all that, however, ‘Dusty’ had not known any of that, nor known the fillies, until that morning.

“My sister used to use it when she was our age, but then she stopped. She decided to give it to us,” Apple Bloom said.

“That was nice of her,”

“It was a dump,” Scootaloo said.

“We fixed it up.” Apple Bloom said, leading the others up the ramp.

“It was Apple Bloom, mostly,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Ah, so you’re skilled with tools,” Gearhead said.

“I guess,”

“And you’ve never explored getting your cutie mark through your skills in… carpentry? Painting? Renovation?”

“Not really,”

“We broke one of Fluttershy’s tables and then made it into ‘modern art.’ I’m pretty sure that means carpentry’s not our thing,” Scootaloo said.

“Ah, but nopony has to have the same talent,” Gearhead said. The inside was just as impressive as the outside – just as he remembered it. He made appreciative noises anyway.

“That’s why we’re doing all kinds of things,” Apple Bloom said, “and we’re doing it together!”

“Okay, how many different activities have you done so far?”

Sweetie Belle looked like she was actually trying to count. “A lot,” Scootaloo said.

“How many of those activities have been hazardous or inconvenient enough in their aftermaths to say you never wanted to do them again?”

“Most of them,” Scootaloo said.

“Okay, how many of the rest of the activities you’ve tried have you enjoyed doing?”

“Two?” Apple Bloom guessed.

“Three?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Not a lot,” Scootaloo said.

“So maybe it’s a good idea to focus on the stuff you like to do. After all, our cutie marks will help to determine what we’ll all be doing with the rest of our lives. We may as well try to enjoy it.”

“But if we don’t try everything, we might miss the one thing we’re supposed to be,” Apple Bloom said.

“And it would be worse if even one of us was left without a cutie mark because we missed,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Okay then, what have you tried so far?”

“We’ve tried carpentry, singing, and chicken herding…” Apple Bloom started counting them off.

“Pig farming, taffy making, and hairdressing…” Sweetie Belle continued.

“Mind reading, mountain climbing, and snorkling…” Scootaloo said.

“We even tried zip-lining, being librarians, arguing –“ Apple Bloom said.

“Arguing? I’ve no idea what that would look like, and I don’t want to know.”

“Right?” Sweetie Belle said.

“I wanted to try going for demolition, tight-rope walking, or tiger-taming,” Scootaloo said.

“Sounds deadly,” Gearhead said, completely deadpan.

“Yeah, Twilight and Cheerilee didn’t want us to do those either,” Apple Bloom said.

“What about juggling, magic tricks, or dancing?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“At least those aren’t liable to get anypony hurt,” Gearhead said, “or has your experience since suggested otherwise?”

“Not really,” Scootaloo said.

“Anything else?”

“We tried bowling, potion-making, and dentistry.”

“You didn’t actually..?”

“I thought they’d grow back!” Sweetie Belle said.

“Considering ponies study for over ten years before getting started, I think it’s safe to say you got ahead of yourself.”

“I know that now,”

“Right. So what d’you wanna do today? Keeping in mind that there’s not that much time left in the day.”

“So stuff we can do quickly?” Scootaloo asked.

“Exactly,”

“Lets try crocheting,” Sweetie Belle said.

“I’ll get the rackets,” Scootaloo said.

“No, that’s croquet,” Sweetie Belle said. “Fortunately I’ve got some needles and the other stuff right here.” She took the supplies out of a chest that was sitting against the wall and set herself up to start.

Scootaloo blinked. “Looks boring,”

“Maybe, but you said you wanted to try everything,” Gearhead said. He took a set and started to follow Sweetie Belle’s lead. Apple Bloom quickly joined in as well, so Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

“Fine. It’s just until we can tell whether or not we’ve gotten our cutie marks anyway,” she said.

Gearhead himself would have found this challenging without magic. He had some experience making clothes and other items using textiles, so he knew how to use his mouth and tail to grip the tools properly. He fumbled with them a bit and worked slowly, since ‘Dusty’ would not have much experience in anything like crocheting or knitting. Sweetie Belle outpaced him easily, but her patterns were loose. Apple Bloom worked more patiently, so hers looked right to Gearhead’s less experienced eyes. Scootaloo put forth an honest effort, but because she was trying to rush things her work always unravelled.

“I think we can call this one a failure,” Scootaloo said a few minutes later. And it was true that they did not have any marks for their efforts.

“You can choose the next thing,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Then how about juggling?”

“What should we juggle?” Apple Bloom said.

“Something that doesn’t hurt or make a mess when it falls,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo took out three soft balls just a little bit bigger than their hooves, and the four ponies took turns. Scootaloo herself was pretty good at juggling, but Sweetie Belle quickly lost control and ran for cover. Apple Bloom looked like she would be fair at it too, but she kept hitting the balls too hard with her hooves, sending them bouncing off the ceiling and walls. “Apple sauce,” she said. Gearhead dropped the balls almost as quickly as Sweetie Belle had lost control of them. He decided not to try a second time, so he would not improve his skills at juggling. “Another failure,” Apple Bloom said.

“At least nopony got hurt. I could get behind that,” Gearhead said.

“Okay,” Sweetie Belle said. “I think we’ve got enough time to try one more thing. Apple Bloom, it’s your choice.”

“Hmm… film-making?”

“Have you got a script written, then?” Gearhead asked.

“I’ve been working on something, but…”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s for three parts,”

“That’s okay: somepony has to be the camera crew.”

“Oh right. But I still have to finish the script.”

“Which means making an attempt as a writer as well,” Gearhead said.

“Nice catch,” Scootaloo said.

“But what should we try for right now?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Accounting?”

“What should we account for?” Gearhead asked.

“The wind!” Scootaloo said.

“Oh thank goodness you’re finally back,” Fluttershy said, hugging Gearhead in her relief. He gently eased out of her embrace (not that he actually minded it normally, but at the moment it was awkward), and assured the Pegasus that he was unharmed.

“You’re back later than you first expected,” Twilight said. “Did you have fun?”

“I admit there is some amusement to be had,” Gearhead said, “but pretending to be somepony you are not is tiring.” He had only gotten back to the library as the sun was setting, meaning that he had ended up spending a significant amount of time with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. “But rather than me making friends with them, the Crusaders made friends with me. I suppose I should have expected it.”

“Because they’re so open and friendly?”

“Perhaps, but I am also a Blank Flank in this form.”

“Oh, I see: They wanted to recruit you.”

“We shall see how long it lasts, together with this form. I should get my mark back when I revert to normal.”

“In the meantime, how about writing a letter to Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, but he should eat dinner first,” Fluttershy said.

“It is fine. I will write the letter first, and then eat,” Gearhead assured Fluttershy. “And then I will turn in, so you can return to your cottage for the night.”

“Oh, okay then.”

“After dinner,” Twilight said, and Gearhead nodded. Fluttershy might be worrying needlessly, but that was just the way she was, and he could accept that about her.

Despite starting to get used to moving normally, there was one very important aspect of being an Alicorn that Gearhead was not used to yet: sleeping. While trying to find a comfortable position in the smaller bed Twilight had provided for him on the far side of the loft, Gearhead discovered that if he slept on a wing, it was uncomfortable due to pinching, and also because cutting off the blood flow put him on pins and needles. He did not want to sleep on his stomach either, for fear of impaling his pillow or mattress with his short horn.

But he discovered that with a little tweaking, if he lay on his back with his wings folded tightly against his sides to start, when he relaxed his wings became rested on either side of him between his fore and rear legs. As long as he did not roll over, he would be able to sleep uninterrupted.

Or so he had thought, because his dreams became strange almost from the start: he would be in his normal form, armed with his daggers and core prototype and helping to fight the Diamond Dogs when he suddenly transformed into an Alicorn colt. The sudden transformation caused his friends to falter, and if not for Rarity’s skills at persuasion, they would have been captured.

Next he was trying to help the Buffalo and Appleusians solve their differences when he suddenly transformed again and got trampled for his troubles.

Then he was fighting Prince Blueblood for Rarity’s honour. He transformed into Stardust, and without his magic or superior strength Blueblood ran him through, and took Rarity for a maidservant.

And then he was battling the dark witch and her Dullihan. By now he was reluctant to take a central role, but recognized that he was the only one capable of incapacitating the Dullihan. Just as he was about to do exactly that, he transformed again. The Dullihan knocked him out of the fight, and a moment later the witch defeated Twilight, before defeating the others and capturing them.

Finally Gearhead was up against Discord, but he was alone, Ponyville and the surrounding areas having been ravaged by the witch and Gearhead’s corrupted friends. Discord turned Gearhead into his previous mare form, and mockingly gave him the Elements of Harmony. That was when he was also transformed into an Alicorn, but this time of the filly variation. Which made Discord laugh all the harder as he dumped Princess Celestia’s regalia on Gearhead’s head.

Gearhead had had enough of this foolishness by then. He knew this was all a dream, and dreams being different than reality, he also realized he could have abilities different than he had as he was lying in his bed. Like his true form’s abilities, or even better, ones about which he had only daydreamed.

Shining with his resolve and will, Gearhead transformed to normal. He was wielding his geargem dagger, and he even had a completed duel-core system. He turned up the power and unleashed his full strength on Discord.

And just as the Draconequus was being turned to stone, Gearhead awakened. Dawn (the time, not the pony) was approaching, and he remained ‘Stardust.’ He shook off the dreams, although he kept the feeling of returning to his full strength, determined to make it a reality.

Minutes later, still feeling restless, Gearhead decided to go out to the balcony. He sat down with his back solidly and comfortably against a wall and closed his eyes. He focused on his breath, and slowed it down. He focused on his heartbeat, and slowed that down too. He focused on his thoughts, and cleared his mind. He let his awareness expand, observing his own self, and the things that surrounded him, hoping to sense himself within the flow, just as he had taught Sweetie Belle to do. After a time he felt the  slightest tingling at the tips of his hooves, and he noted that it was not enough to do anything with it, so he just let it be, and existed within what he observed.

“Dusty, are you going to eat?” A voice asked. Gearhead pulled himself from the flow, opened his eyes the rest of the way, and turned around to face Twilight. Obviously she had used his cover nickname in case anypony might overhear.

“I could eat,” Gearhead said, walking back inside, having achieved a very limited success. Next Chapter: 9. The Four Crusaders Estimated time remaining: 11 Hours, 11 Minutes