My Little Pony: Third Gear

Chapter 3: Inheritance

The Crystal Heart’s aurora effect was visible throughout Equestria for a full week. According to Luna’s telepathic communications, curious ponies continued to stream steadily into Crystal City for the week that followed, before finally beginning to taper off. The sisters themselves took turns, so one of them was always covering their royal duties in Canterlot, while the other surveyed the ancient empire, to see what it needed as a newly-returned city-state.

Sombra had not been one for standard infrastructure, caring only for the mines and a standing army. The library was the one thing that the evil king had insisted on keeping that the princesses could approve of, as it was a storehouse of knowledge, magical and otherwise. Naturally the mines were still important to the empire, and to Equestria and the wider world, however there was more to consider. There were government service offices, schools, homes, and shops to build. The Crystal Ponies pitched in with a will, eager to cast off the shadow of the previous regime, and claim their freedom.

At Princess Celestia’s suggestion, Armour was recruiting for the Guards Corps from throughout Equestria. Soldiers who still wanted to serve in the armed services would have to be retrained to achieve the same standards as the Canterlot Royal Guards, so they would not thoughtlessly throw their lives away. New recruits would be trained up completely from the basics. Armour was building a single corps responsible for guarding the city and himself and his wife, and he wanted his brothers-in-arms to believe that they could stand side-by-side with Equestria’s best. That was why Armour would be resuming the mantle of ‘Captain,’ alongside his new rank as a prince.

One of the other things the princesses had stopped to inspect was the Alicorn Array, of which Jewelled Lattice’s build team had become experts, even teaching Armour and Cadence how to operate it.

There were some doubts as to the efficacy of the Array since Sombra had already been inside the shield when it finally became operational, however Gearhead himself cleared that up by remotely removing Luna from the exceptions list for five minutes. She was promptly captured by particle tendrils and flung from the city, but without getting hurt. When she flew back, she could not get through the shield, and she even had to retreat beyond sensor range so Gearhead could add her back to the list.

Things would quickly become busier for Gearhead, as Princess Celestia and Luna wanted him to install arrays in several cities and towns, from Hoofington in the west to Canterlot to Manehattan in the east. They even wanted him to come up with a way to be able to install the Array on cloud matter, so he could deploy it in Cloudsdale and Los Pegasus.

The past fortnight had already been busy for Gearhead: he operated the shop for half a day every day in order to keep up with normal business. He spent the other half-day either gathering resources or going over data from the whole Crystal Empire affair in order to modify his equipment, the way he always did after working out the kinks of a first run. One thing that Gearhead knew absolutely was that he never wanted the Wind’s shields to become overwhelmed, the way they had on the run in to the Crystal Empire, especially on the upcoming flight into the Crystal Mountains.

Given a choice, Gearhead would not risk having to give Snowbelle up. It was certainly a choice Fluttershy would not have made, not because she was not strong enough to let the young Dragoness go, but because she loved her so deeply. Understanding this, Gearhead encouraged the two of them to spend as much time together as possible. When you got down to it, however, Snowbelle also understood that this might be her last chance to fly with Dash, prank with Pinkie, or read with Twilight and Spike for some time. The result was that she spent the weeks with more than just one of her close pony friends, and Gearhead was happy to see that.

When it came to the decision of whether to go, Gearhead felt it was imperative that he fulfill the promise he had made to Snowbelle’s mother as soon as possible, especially when her sacrifice and final wishes were still so fresh and clear in his and Snowbelle’s minds.

Normally a child Snowbelle’s age would not be mature enough to have a say in such a matter, however she had a good share of Gearhead’s knowledge, so she was mature far beyond her months of experience. The Dragoness understood everything that was going on, and the choice before her. While she had discovered something of being a Dragon when she accompanied Spike on his journey, this was still an excellent opportunity for her to interact with her birth clan. Snowbelle decided to go.

In order to prepare for the journey, Gearhead was going over the Silver Wind from prow to tail-fins to repair and seal any possible weak points, and to modify what needed modifying. He thought about removing the wings even though they gave the ship its name, but could not come up with another place to put the turbine-type verniers. In the end he only had to beef up the buffering in the turret blisters, and he added another condenser so the ship could still power the shields even after purging most of its stored particles into the blade. Gearhead also ensured they would have enough provisions to last a month – at which point the perishables would spoil anyway.

Fluttershy wanted to come so she could give Snowbelle a last goodbye before they parted, however Gearhead did not believe that would be a good idea: they would be flying into a Dragon’s nest in unknown, possibly hostile territory. While Fluttershy had once been able to reduce a drake to tears by lecturing him, this would be a whole group of Dragons, in their own home. In an environment that could probably freeze blood solid if one was to try to walk out unprotected. Gearhead had his Twin Engines, and if necessary, the accompanying stabilizer. While Gearhead was working on an all-weather, full-cover jacket, it was not yet ready. Besides, they could not predict how things might turn out if they became overly emotional in front of the other Dragons. Fluttershy reluctantly agreed, holding Snowbelle close and nuzzling her all the while.

That was why, when it came time to pick Snowbelle up, Gearhead brought some reinforcements. “I don’t understand why she absolutely has to go,” Fluttershy said, near tears. “You don’t have to take her away and keep that promise!”

“This is not just for the promise to her mother,” Gearhead said, already struggling to keep his calm. He hated that his actions were upsetting Fluttershy, and that he might be coming across as uncaring. All the same, he knew that if he did not do this now, it could only get worse as she became more attached to Snowbelle as her surrogate mother. “This is also Snowbelle’s choice.”

The Dragon in question nipped at one of Fluttershy’s ears playfully, then put one icy blue paw on the Pegasus’s chest. “She is choosing to go,” Gearhead said, “to explore her roots and find out more about what it means to be an Arctic Dragon.”

“But she went with Spike that time!”

“Yeah, but that didn’t help either of us find out what our families were like,” Spike said. “It just showed me that teenage dragons are jerks, and I’d prefer to be with you as my family. But Snowbelle knows where her family is. If I had this opportunity, I’d take it.”

Twilight put a leg around Spike’s small shoulders. The purple and green land dragon was not just her Number One Assistant, but a part of her family, too, standing somewhere between a son and a little brother. That said, Gearhead could only see Spike’s crush on Rarity as being strange – not so much because they were of different species, but because Spike was closer in age to Sweetie Belle than he was to Rarity.

“What if you get lost? Or frozen? Or lost and frozen?!”

“Hey, this is starting to sound like one of your meltdowns,” Spike said, perking up. Twilight nudged him, but gently.

“Snowbelle’s mother showed her exactly how to get to the nest, and she showed me. As for freezing, it is the climate that Snowbelle was supposed to be born into. And as for me, I can rely upon the particles’ protection, with a little help from Snowbelle.”

“And it’s not as if they’ll be hoofing it,” Spike said. “I sorta wish I hadn’t had to either.”

“Indeed,” Gearhead nodded. “Once the reconditioning on the Silver Wind is complete, we will be able to launch on a journey. The way in may take is up to four days. Depending on the Dragons’ culture, negotiations could be measured or decisive.”

“So maybe give it a couple more days, just to be on the safe side,” Twilight said.

“And then it’s back to Ponyville in four days again,” Spike said.

“What if the Dragons decide to eat you?”

“The Dragons I have met have not yet decided to do so,” Gearhead said. “I would also like to think that my status as a Dragonfriend provides me with the protection I would need. And as for Snowbelle, why would she need any such protection, when she is one of their own? But if things did go sideways, I am certain we could outrun a couple dozen Dragons by moving quickly enough. I am certain, however, that it shall not come to that, because Snowbelle and I will negotiate with the Dragons for her to study with them. Between Shadow Wright and Snowbelle’s mother, I believe that the Arctic Dragons will appreciate an attitude of readiness to learn.”

“But do you have to go now?”

“The sooner the better, for various reasons. One of those reasons is that the sooner we go, the sooner I will be able to go to get her back, at which point you should be able to mother her all you want – unless she becomes a moody teen by then.”

Snowbelle chuffed a laugh, but Fluttershy looked utterly horrified at the prospect. “Do not worry,” Snowbelle said. “I will be back, just like Father says.”

“How is her first word a complete sentence?” Spike asked Twilight.

“I don’t know,” Twilight said, clearly shocked.

“Oh, Snowbelle’s been able to speak for some time,” Fluttershy said. “Remember, she had some time to pick up some things from Gearhead through their link, so she’s smarter and more mature than she would be normally.”

“Smarter than me, you mean,” Spike said. “But don’t ya think that’s another perfect reason to let her go learn to be a Dragon from her own folks?”

“I suppose so,” Fluttershy said, and her hold on the little Dragon loosened. “But that still doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“No, I suppose not,” Gearhead said, “but this still is not the last time we will be seeing her.”

“I want to come with,”

“Into a Dragon’s nest? Through a storm?”

Fluttershy’s expression became cloudy, as a stormy conflict raged within her.

* * *

“[Supply loading complete. Now closing Cargo Bay doors.]”

“Final pre-launch system check, please.”

“[Confirmed: Starting final system check...]” When Gearhead did not countermand the announcement, the computer proceeded. Gearhead himself could see that the ship’s outline and fill were both in blue on the status boards, but he wanted to ensure every possible aspect was checked thoroughly before take-off. It would be far too late to affect repairs once they were in the mountains.

“[Cargo Bay doors closed and secured. Airlocks engaged and secured.]”

“Check seals, please.”

“[Confirmed: Checking seals...]” Gearhead glanced at Snowbelle, who was sitting at a smaller co-pilot station that he had added to the cockpit for this purpose. As a result of this addition, the pilot station was more to the left of the room, while the co-pilot’s chair was more to the right. Snowbelle chirped readiness.

“[Seals optimal. All boards blue. All systems standing by.]”

“Engage shutter system, please.”

“[Confirmed: Engaging shutter system...]”

All at once, the construction robots began to retract toward the Hangar’s walls. Metal shutters slid down to seal them in against any fallout from any malfunction that might occur. The floor under the Wind tilted, in order to angle it as much as possible in the massive, but still restricted space. A panel in the ceiling slid open, revealing a long tunnel, and behind the ship a floor panel shifted into place with a THUNK!

“[Shutter system engaged. Launch timing has been transferred to MEV-P01.]”

“Thirdson Gearhead has the con. MEV-One, Silver Wind, is launching.” Gearhead rested his hooves lightly on the glowing controls, and gently pressed down on the pedals with his rear hooves. The Wind’s Dual Core whined a little higher, propelling it and its passengers into the tunnel. Behind them, the ship’s cradle immediately began to lower back into place.

Gearhead pushed the throttles forward a little more, and the ship responded instantly be increasing its speed just that much more. The Hangar’s panel slid shut, and then the surface panel popped open, with less than a second before the Wind hit the same space, and then it was climbing beside the winding river that bordered the Everfree Forest. Gearhead set the ship circling as it climbed, making three complete circuits of Ponyville before heading north at full speed: there was not any point in delaying their departure. He knew Fluttershy would be disappointed to see them leaving, but he had reminded her, hopefully with success, that Snowbelle would be returning to Ponyville after she had learned what she could.

Gearhead and Snowbelle took turns flying the ship and entering different parts of their course into the auto-pilot. Soon Canterlot became visible. “Do you want to make a salute?”

Snowbelle chirped, and Gearhead transferred control back to her station. As Silver Wind’s starboard side became visible to the city and the palace at its center, the little Dragon rotated the ship nearly ninety degrees. The sun flashed off the full length of the hull, and then the ship left the city behind with only overlapping particle trails to remember it by. Snowbelle righted the ship, and exchanged a grin with her father. They did not even know which princess was home, but it did not matter.

The flight to Crystal City airspace was uneventful, and managed entirely by the auto-pilot while the ship’s only two occupants (and yes, they had scanned for stowaways before take-off, even though it should have been impossible for a Crusader or Fluttershy to reach the Hangar) watched and played some games to pass the time.

From the looks of things, the efforts to build up Crystal City’s infrastructure was making great strides, as a number of new buildings were already up. At higher magnification, Gearhead spotted a schoolhouse and some training centers, which would be useful for those still stuck in a slave mentality. Most importantly, at least in Gearhead’s opinion, the city was not under attack of any kind that he could see from the air, and the Array was in Passive Mode, ready to fully deploy the shield in moments. The Wind stayed long enough to complete its scan, and then it flew through the clear skies toward the foothills.

In the howling wind and driven snow, Silver Wind’s wings would have become more a detriment to its flight than a help without the particle field to protect it. The auto-pilot had long since become useless, since it could not compensate for turbulence the way a living pilot could. Now Gearhead was glad that he had had the foresight to install the second pilot station, because it was taking considerable strength, endurance, and focus to navigate the higher crags and passes. Without being able to instantly switch out with Snowbelle, Gearhead would have had to find a place to land so he could rest for awhile, before continuing onward.

Soon conditions were so fierce that to call it a blizzard would have been the grossest of understatements. Gearhead deployed another layer of particle lining using the turbine-type verniers, and then he retracted the wings completely into the fuselage. Reducing drag and air resistance even a little became crucial, as father and daughter drove their ship deeper into the Crystal Mountains.

In these conditions, visual detection was impossible. Even the sensors’ effectiveness was greatly reduced, so the only ways to tell what was around them became to either expand a wide particle field with a high enough control so the particles would not get blown away, or to rely on Snowbelle’s senses. Using a particle field would have been slow and hazardous, should the field give out, since it was the only shielding they had against the elements, impact, and attacks all at the same time. Fortunately, as they flew the ship further into the deep passes, Snowbelle said she ‘remembered’ more of where to go. If this had been knowledge that her mother had passed to her before passing on, Gearhead would have gained it as well. Instead, this seemed more like ancestral memory. It was either that, or someone else, preferably another Arctic Dragon from the same tribe as Snowbelle, was piggybacking on her psychic link and guiding her in. Either way, when Gearhead flew he had to follow Snowbelle’s guidance, and while he rested he did not have any choice but to rely on whatever agency kept them from crashing.

Surrounded by screaming wind and streaming snow and ice pellets, the only way Gearhead had to mark time’s passage was the ship’s chronometer, showing steadily in his console’s corner. The only sense left of anything existing outside the ship was the steady pelting of the elements against the shields, and very infrequently, against the hull.

And then, with disorienting suddenness, Snowbelle was rapidly decelerating to avoid hitting walls or Dragons: they had found the entrance to the cave network that housed the nest. Gearhead vaulted into his seat and extended the landing struts. He extended the wings to expose the verniers again, just in case they needed the extra manoeuvrability or protection, and then put the Wind into Standby Mode.

“Are you ready?”

“I... I think so,” Snowbelle said, swallowing uncertainly.

“It is okay: this is also your family. If nothing else, I am certain they will honour the deal.”

<You aboard the metal beast,> a new voice rang out in Gearhead’s mind, and he knew instantly that Snowbelle had indeed been guided here. <Come out now.> The stern tone implied a threat, although even with more than one Dragon, Gearhead wondered what damage they could do to his tough little ship. It was not designed for battle, but it could certainly hold its own. <You dare to challenge the Tribe, little pony?>

<Nevertheless,> Gearhead thought with a genuine smile, <there is purpose behind our journey here, and so we will indeed disembark.>

“I am ready,” Snowbelle said, and Gearhead could see the determination on her face.

“Then let us go meet your Tribe.”

Snowbelle had never felt so nervous, not knowing what to expect, or even quite frankly whether they would leave the cave alive: although the other Dragons had guided her here, this was a sacred place that had never, in living memory (and Dragons lived a long, long time) been violated by outsiders. Not even the Ponies’ eternal princesses had dared to come here.

But, as Father says, we have a purpose here. One that cannot be fulfilled elsewhere. Snowbelle glided down the Wind’s ramp at her father’s side. There were other beings lining the walls, hidden mostly in shadow, and a passage that led deeper into the cavern system. Protected from the cold by Snowbelle, as well as by a thin particle field, Father intrepidly took the lead, two paces ahead of Snowbelle. Feeling ashamed for her trepidation, Snowbelle flapped her wings harder to catch up.

No being moved until Father and Snowbelle were near the middle of the next room, a vast open chamber with a floor as smooth as mirrorglass, sheer ice-blue walls, and strong pillars that had stood for millennia. This was Dragonhome.

Snowbelle had only ever seen a similar gathering of unique and powerful beings during the Dragon Migration. Here, too, there were all kinds of Dragons, all specializing in a different method of surviving the harshest cold in the world: some were sleek flyers like her (or she like them), while others had wings that were thin and knife-like with multiple projections. Still others sported flukes and fins for swimming, and some were massive land-dwellers like Spike. They also came in a variety of colours, from snow-white to grey to blue to black.

“We see a pony and a pony who looks like a dragon,” a large White Flyer said. “You would hardly make for a light snack for just a couple of our young. Tell us why we should not do so anyway.”

Father opened his mouth to speak.

“Do not speak,” the White said, and the assembled Dragons assaulted Father with their Dragonfear. Snowbelle had never considered herself able to protect Father from anything but extreme heat or cold, but now she realized that she had a dampening effect on Dragonfear. She, meanwhile, was completely immune to it, being a Dragon herself.

Father was far from immune from the fear. His legs wobbled as he fought against his ‘fight or flight’ instincts, as well as the urge to simply fall. His tail twitched toward his sheathed Geargem Dagger, but through their link, Snowbelle knew that he realized that the Dragons would use the slightest excuse to eat him, including any ‘threatening’ gesture he might make. Besides, contrary to his previous confidence about surviving a fight here, he now knew that these Dragons could kill him in seconds, with their power and numbers. He twitched his tail away from his weapons and, taking a slow, deep breath, regained his composure by pitting all of his discipline against the fear he felt. Resolve shone in his heart and in his eyes.

As his daughter, she could do no less. “I am Snowbelle. This is—“

“What need have we to name our snacks?”

“This is Thirdson Gearhead of Herd Verdant,” Snowbelle continued. “My mother gave me to him as an egg to ensure that while I alone survived from among all my siblings, I would have a chance to return to Dragonhome. For getting me this far, he is my father, regardless of any other factors.”

“Indeed, you did survive the Killing Cold. But tread softly upon that thin ice, for to call one such as him your father is to sully our kin. Continue, but be wary: you are inches from being eaten.”

“Chief among the reasons for coming here,” Snowbelle said, undeterred, “is to learn the wisdom of my kin, and what it means to be a Dragon.”

“To brave the Killing Cold for knowledge and wisdom alone would be foolish. Your other reason?”

“Father brought me here to honour the promise he made with Mother. He has brought me here, to Dragonhome, and therefore he has completely honoured that promise. Is he not worthy, then, of some consideration?”

“An honourable snack, then?” The White grinned, and several others boomed as they chuckled. “Let us see how honourable a pony can be!” He drew back, and three Dragons the size of Father’s head darted toward him. Snowbelle did not know how to react, but she thought for certain that Father would draw his weapons then. Instead, he breathed deeply and waited while the Dragons flitted about him, sniffing and prodding. Finally, they returned to the White. Now that she was looking, Snowbelle could see where they, and others of their kind, were perched all about the chamber. “An honourable Pony indeed. Very well, we will acknowledge the heart of this Dragonfriend who stands before us.” Snowbelle sighed in relief. “But we are unconvinced regarding teaching you, Dragon-Pony. Why should we honour the memory and spawn of a fool who allowed herself to get trapped?”

“Is it not my right as a survivor, to learn what it truly means to be an Arctic Dragon? To be a member of this Tribe? Should I not have the chance for which my mother forged this promise?”

“You, who stink of Ponies and summer believe you are worthy of this chance?”

“I know I am. Mother told me so before she passed, and Father has told me so every day since.”

“So we not only have to avenge your mother’s foolishness in getting trapped, but her death as well?”

“Vengeance has already been taken,”

“Indeed? Upon whom?”

“Upon Sombra, who trapped her, and Chrysalis, who delivered the killing blow.”

“What form has this soft pony vengeance taken?”

“Sombra is dead, ripped apart at the hooves of the Crystal Ponies whom he oppressed. Chrysalis and her Changeling Soldiers were exiled far from Equestria. And Father’s was the principle sword in both cases.”

“Oh? And what sword would that be?”

Father took that as an invitation, drawing the Geargem Dagger and expanding it to his full length, even causing it to open, but not drawing on any of the ambient mana. The assembled Dragons gasped or muttered in appreciation: no other class of being in the world could appreciate fine jewels quite as well as a Dragon. The Geargem Dagger was a single piece, despite being forged from several different gemstones. And, until recently, it had been in perfect condition. Now there was only a sliver of imperfection, where it had chipped during the battle against Sombra. Father had used another amber emerald to repair the sliver, but it did not fit exactly, and so the blemish remained despite the sword being stronger than it would have been without the patch. Still, the Dragons admired the blade.

“Father forged this sword with his own power, his own strength, and his own knowledge. He continues to use it to help others at need, and my mother and I are not the first Dragons he has helped. Nor will we probably be the last. Is it not preferable to have allies in the wider world?”

“And do you, as all true Dragonkin do, have a Soul Name?”

“I do,”

The White waited, but Snowbelle did not give it.

“Good, only those you trust completely should have it.”

“Father does,”

“Oh, how interesting,” the White said.

“Let us consider,” a Grey Windknife said.

“There’s nothing to consider,” a Blue Dragon-Shark said. “We should honour the promise.” The chamber echoed with agreement.

“Very well,” the White Flyer said. “We will honour the promise, and in its fulfilment, the shame of her name shall pass into myth.” He turned to face Snowbelle, and Gearhead behind her, even as he was returning his dagger to its scabbard. “We will teach you the wisdom and the ways of the Frost. We shall teach you what it means to be an Arctic Dragon as you wished for it – however! We shall only teach you what you are willing and able to learn. On the minute of the day when you cease being willing or able to learn anything new, we will use your link to contact the Dragonfriend. He will then have two days to come and collect you, otherwise we will do with you as we will. Do you have any objections?” The White looked between them.

“What if I am engaged in a crisis at the time?” Father dared to ask. “Do you expect me to be able to disengage and leave all those I would be protecting to deal with the remainder?”

“We will use the link to ascertain whether you are in crisis, and whether an extension is necessary. If it is, we will grant it.”

Father’s doubt vanished, and Snowbelle knew he would come for her, regardless of when she finished her education here. “We accept,” she said.

“Then let us solidify the agreement,” the White said. “Come forward, both of you.” When they were mere meters from the hulking Dragon, he said “do as I do, then touch them together.” He flicked a claw, and dug it into the fleshy part of his paw, drawing blood, before holding it out in front of him.

Father drew his dagger again, and cut a small slit in his left foreleg just above where his shoe ended, and held it out too. Snowbelle grimaced as she followed suit.

Red blood and blue-white blood ran together, coalescing into a pair of gemstones right in the middle of the small group. The White gathered both gems, breathed frost onto them, and then he set the red one into Snowbelle’s forehead, where it stuck. The other, he simply held out for Father to take. When the Earth Pony reached out, both Dragons saw that the small cut he had made had already healed, courtesy of his particles.

“The agreement is made. Let us now keep it, lest the Cold take all of our blood.”

“Let us keep it, then,” Father said.

The Dragons nodded or grunted their agreement.

“Now go, and leave nothing else behind,” the White Flyer said. “Do not even look, until the day you return. If you return.”

“I will,” Father said, turning. He walked, but did not run, back to the Silver Wind, with all the Dragons watching, Snowbelle from afar. She watched him march up the ramp, and she watched the ramp rise into the secured position. Moments later, the Wind lifted gently off of the cavern floor. Even as Father began to back it up, he retracted the landing struts and adjusted the wings so that only the verniers were visible.

As soon as he had deployed a thick particle shield, Father pushed the ship that little bit further out of the cave. Several Dragons gasped or chuckled as the wind caught the Wind, spinning it quickly about. Snowbelle remained silent, calm in the knowledge that Father was using the wind to come about more quickly than normal.

And then, in twin turquoise rings, Silver Wind vanished into the blizzard, to traverse the pass known to Dragonkin as the Killing Cold once again. Is that how that looks? Snowbelle asked herself, tilting her head. Cool!

“And now we can begin, young one,” the White said.

“I look forward to working with you,’ Snowbelle, daughter of Blizzard and Gearhead, said.

* * *

Gearhead quickly wiped his tears away and returned his hoof to the steering ball to focus completely on making it out of the pass. He was glad the White Flyer had forced him to avoid looking back, otherwise he might have broken out in tears much earlier, marring Snowbelle’s opportunity, as well as a solemn, one-of-a-kind accord.

Not being able to see Snowbelle until the day he came to take her home was not as big a deal to Gearhead as it would be for Fluttershy, considering he was the one with the telepathic link. He could feel Snowbelle in the world, and her eagerness to learn. He might allow her to know when he missed her, but he should not show her sadness: They were both still alive.

Now that he was on his way out, the Crystal Mountains, and the Killing Cold in particular, seemed to get behind the Wind’s stern, pushing it out all the faster. The ship ran easily and quickly, without any of the difficulties Gearhead had noted on the way in. It made a twisted sort of sense, especially if the elements (or was it ‘Elements?)’ were arranged to protect the Tribe of Frost from outsiders. That would explain why Princess Celestia and Luna had never made it to Dragonhome, although they probably could have made it if they really wanted to.

Gearhead glanced for a moment at the now-empty co-pilot chair, and decided he would make an adjusting track, so it could be stowed aside, and his chair could be placed in the center again. Sure, he felt lonely without his daughter, but it was not like he would never get her back. With such a thought, he left the Killing Cold behind.

* * *

Gearhead did not think he could ever be so glad to see green grass, flourishing flowers, and streaming sunlight – nor to see Ponyville’s distinctive buildings as he approached. He backed out of supersonic speed, and savoured the approach. He took the Wind in low as he approached Gearhead’s Gadgets, and then sent the ship into a quick 180 degree spin, so the aft was facing the launch tunnels when it opened up. This was a delicate operation, since he could easily end up crashing into one of the tunnel walls if he was not careful and conscientious. But he always was.

Fluttershy was waiting for Gearhead when he stepped out of the shop entrance for a breath of fresh, warm Ponyville air. Gearhead worried that she might yell at him for taking Snowbelle away from her, or worse, that she might cry. Instead, she walked gingerly up to him and wrapped him in a warm hug, wings and all.

“It’s alright, you can miss her too,” the Pegasus said softly.

Gearhead surprised himself, breaking out into wracking sobs and crying silently while Fluttershy held him – not like a mother consoling her child, but like a peer who deeply understood the feelings he was trying to keep buried deep down, where they would not show.

Gearhead did not know how long it lasted, but when he finally stopped sobbing, he thought it strange at first to feel relieved, like he had been released of some form of stress about which he had not even been aware. “It is alright,” he told Fluttershy. “She will learn all she can, and then I will bring her back home.”

“You had better,” Fluttershy said, smiling through her tears.