My Little Pony: Third Gear

Chapter 5: Delivering Hope

Although he was busy, it took the barest slice of a second for Gearhead to direct his attention to where he felt Snowbelle’s presence. Sensing him reaching out to her, his daughter reached back, and for just that long, they embraced through their psychic link, never knowing whether or not the other Dragons knew about this.

At first Gearhead had wondered whether Snowbelle would begin to feel homesick, however she seemed to be content and curious, and willing to learn almost anything and everything the Dragons of the Frost threw at her. She was not willing to consume meat, however that was her only limit. It was not Gearhead’s place to probe further into the culture and magic she was learning, so he let it go at that, happy that his daughter was doing so well.

And he was busy with other things: he had to continue to supply Gearhead’s Gadgets as more beings, Pony and otherwise, came to Ponyville having heard about his wares. Princess Celestia was also keeping him busy with the logistics of deploying Alicorn Arrays to as many of the other towns and cities as possible. Despite the fact that they had not been tested in actual battle, or siege conditions, both princesses insisted on having them operational as soon as possible.

One problem with which Gearhead was wrestling was adapting Pegasus magic to allow him to deploy the Array to cities like Cloudsdale and Los Pegasus. Splitting a turbine might allow him to build it in halves which sat above and below a cloud, however he saw such an arrangement as being needlessly complicated, where he wanted to keep things as simple as possible. Besides that, there was no guarantee that a cloud he selected as the build site would be thinner than a turbine, or even that it would stay that way, since cloud matter tended to shift if it was not maintained for a specific purpose. Gearhead wanted the Array’s arrangement to be as light on maintenance as possible, but if the situation left him without any other choice, so be it.

He intended on getting around the problem by using the same miniaturization processes on the cloud-bound Arrays as he used on the cores he put on his own back. He would then double up the cores, with one facing down and the other side facing up. Thanks to his automated fabrication robots, Gearhead was almost ready to take a test unit to Cloudsdale to see if his theory could work.

Another problem was one inherent in mobilizing so many resources so quickly: the budget. To be honest, the Principality of Equestria could not afford to deploy Alicorn Arrays to every settlement it contained, especially if the Defence Alliance supplied most of the gemstones Gearhead used to build its parts. According to the terms specified in the defence contract to which Princess Celestia and Luna had agreed, they could defray some of the cost by providing a share of the materiel, however most towns did not have enough mined and ready for their contributions to make a significant dent. The Houses from which the D.A. was comprised was considering buying Arrays for the cities and towns in Western Equestria outright. This made sense, since the Alliance had always been the organization primarily responsible for defence and supply of the region. The only issue was getting all three Houses to agree to the plan when they each had a different budget from which to operate.

Finances should not be so limiting for the Houses, considering how big a deal the defence contract with the Crown was turning out to be: not only did the princesses have to cover the cost of the gemstones Gearhead used, but the other building materials and a small fee for the guards. After that, there was a minimum monthly fee for them to pay just for having the Arrays present and operational. Gearhead was mulling only having that fee rise if there was a heavy attack.

After installing Alicorn Arrays in Crystal City, Canterlot, Ponyville, Neighagra-on-the-Lake, Hollow Shades, Manehattan, and Fillydelphia Gearhead came to realize that he was dealing in a far larger sum of money than he had previously thought – so much so that he did not know what he could possibly do with a quarter of the profits as specified in his own contract with the D.A. This would bear further discussion with Father, and the other House leaders in Western Equestria.

Gearhead was doing some fine tuning in the Workshop when the shop bell rang. He had closed up for the rest of the day, so he wondered who was calling and for what purpose. It would however, be extremely bad business to keep a potential client waiting – and even worse, if a friend had come to check in on him, it would be just plain rude to stall. He was both relieved and surprised to find that his caller was Spike, Twilight’s faithful Dragon assistant.

“You’ve gotta come to the library right away,” Spike said as soon as Gearhead opened the door. “You may want to bring your Alicorn Engine.”

“Is there trouble?”

“No, just a certain somepony decided to drop by for a visit with you.” Something in the Dragon’s tone, as well as the situation, told Gearhead that Spike was understating things. He did as he was asked and locked up.

“Shall we fly?”

“I think that’d be the wisest course,” Spike said, and he mounted up between the cores. Despite the situation, whatever it was, Gearhead’s young friend seemed very eager for the new flying experience. As soon as he knew his passenger was secure, Gearhead took off and looped around toward the center of Ponyville.

* * *

“Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!” Rainbow Dash gushed, having evidently failed at containing her enthusiasm. Fluttershy’s attempts were not being at all fruitful either. “I can’t believe you’re actually here, Spitfire.”

“You know, Rainbow Dash, you’ve done plenty worthy of recognition yourself,” Spitfire said. She had skipped the Wonderbolts flight suit, but she was wearing a pair of goggles which were pushed up against her forehead.

“But you’re the Captain of the Wonderbolts!”

“Yes I am, Miss Best Young Flyer, Ponyville Weather Manager, and Top-Five Fastest Flyer.”

The other Pegasus could only blush, while the others wondered, and worried, whether ‘Friendly Neighbourhood Rainbow Dash’ would make a reappearance. That was when Gearhead cleared his throat, making his presence known, Spike having dismounted outside.

“Oh good, you’re finally here,” Spitfire said. “I have a mission for you, Gearhead.”

“Why not me?” Dash asked, and it was obvious she had asked this question before.

“Because I need a pony with a specific connection,” Spitfire said, pointing to an envelope she had placed on a table earlier.

Gearhead only had to glance at it to see the addressee’s name. “So is it because we were childhood friends, or because you noticed that she has a knack for following me around?”

“Look, I know you’re not the type to give anypony the run-around, so I’m just gonna tell you what I’d like you to do.”

“I would appreciate that,”

“The straight case is that more than just her crush on you is evident to anyone with the right skills at observation. In my line of work, one of the things I have to know is how to spot a flyer who could be one of the elite. The Azure has a distinguished history of training, instructing, and serving with the ‘Bolts, and this seems to be a situation where we could be looking at one of this generation’s best and brightest missing the biggest chance of her career.”

“What about me?”

“I said ‘one of,’ Rainbow Dash. Also, this is for a special assignment with the Academy.”

“I don’t qualify?” Dash looked crestfallen.

“Frankly, very few qualify for this special program, and they’re all in the Azure. They’re the only ones who grow up in a paramilitary family and learn formation-level teamwork from foalhood. And speaking of teams, it would be worse in this case because if Prism doesn’t fly with us, it’s not just her career she’d be stalling out, but also those of her Flight-mates.

“Gearhead, your mission is to find out what it is that’s holding Prism Azure back from joining the program, and to help her make her decision. I want to be able to expect Prism Flight in my office at the Academy within nine days. Can you do it?”

“The choice is really Prism’s, but I could speak with her. But then you knew that, and you also seem to already know that I am one, if not the only, reason she would hold back.”

“Okay, I’ll admit that’s one reason I want to send you. But this’d also be an excellent opportunity to test your latest theory on Array tech. You could probably even put one down in Hoofington if you wanted to.”

“I do have some business with my parents and their friends to which I would like to attend.”

“Surely he doesn’t have to go alone,” Fluttershy said.

“As long as you don’t slow him down, I don’t see why you couldn’t go for moral support, or whatever,” Spitfire said.

“If I am taking supplies for an Array experiment, I would be taking the Silver Wind anyway. It can carry an extra Pegasus easily enough.”

“What about me?” Dash said. “I’d like to check out Hoofington too!”

“Gearhead?”

“It will not be a problem,”

“Then I don’t see why the three of you can’t all go, but that’s all. Besides, you won’t be going to Hoofington, at least not right away.”

“So where to?” Dash asked.

“Los Pegasus. Prism Flight is in Los Pegasus.”

“Never been there before,” Dash grinned.

“Now I get why nopony else would be going,” Spike said. “It’s a cloud city.”

* * *

While Dash and Fluttershy went to quickly pack a few things, Gearhead hot-hoofed it to the Hangar so he could launch Silver Wind without having to worry about either of them tailing him. All of Ponyville was still unaware of the buildings buried deep underground, and while Gearhead might let a hint drop if asked about it, he did not intend on telling anyone else about the secure structures. Only he and Snowbelle had ever had access to the Laboratory and Hangar, which was why he had set up a display terminal in the Workshop.

Ten minutes later, while Dash hopped anxiously from hoof to hoof at the bottom of the extended ramp, Fluttershy emerged from her cottage to join the small group. Gearhead double-checked that he had the envelope. He would have led the way aboard, but Dash zipped ahead of him as soon as Fluttershy made her friend's old position.

As Gearhead raised the ramp, Fluttershy looked aft, toward the hold. “Pardon my asking, but are you expecting trouble?” She asked, looking at the Stabilizer, where it sat, ready to launch at a moment’s need.

“No, but I am prepared for it,” Gearhead said, patting her on the shoulder. “Are you ready?”

The yellow Pegasus smiled and nodded. Gearhead led the way to the cockpit, where Dash was swaying side-to-side in the portside forward station. Fluttershy joined her, and Gearhead took the pilot’s seat. He switched the communicator’s frequency so he would be talking to the Central Condenser in Canterlot.

“Canterlot, this is Silver Wind now departing for Los Pegasus from Ponyville.”

There was a pause, probably as the message was relayed to Princess Celestia. Captain Spitfire had told Gearhead that she had informed the princesses of the mission, and that they should have a clear flight path all the way to their destination. Naturally most of that was because of the higher altitude at which they would be cruising, however it was much nicer to be certain that there would not be any incidents involving other flyers.

“Silver Wind,” Luna’s voice came back, loud and clear. “Cleared for departure. May the winds be with you.” Gearhead exchanged startled glances with the others, knowing that this was not Luna’s usual time to be guarding the principality. But it was still comforting to know that one of the princesses had the overwatch covered.

“Thank you, Canterlot. Wind out.” Gearhead closed the channel, and then focused on his vertical take-off. Seconds later, he was climbing for altitude while Dash whooped and Fluttershy wrapped her wings around the seat rests, despite being firmly strapped in. Finally Gearhead straightened out his course and pushed the throttles forward. They remained climbing for another minute, but by then Ponyville was out of sight, far behind them. They were well on their way to Los Pegasus.

* * *

Considering how perilous the first flight to the Crystal Empire, and the later journey to Frost Dragonhome had been, Gearhead was glad to be able to put an uneventful flight under his belt. Here, finally, was a pleasant experience where he could let the auto-pilot do most of the flying, and enjoy the view and the company he was keeping instead.

While Fluttershy seemed to be focused on ensuring Gearhead had as little alone time as possible, Dash was eager to learn the function of each of the cockpit’s station. She was especially excited when Gearhead showed her how the flight controls worked, and he agreed to do so because there could be times when he would not be able to rely on the computer to guide the ship -- such as the flight through the Killing Cold, when an advanced artificial intelligence would not have been able to detect some of the subtleties in the wind, or intuit the proximity of a mountain slope or crag. There were simply some things a computer could not do.

Fluttershy was also happy when the Wind approached Los Pegasus without incident. Gearhead slowed the ship to a more normal velocity, and descended for the approach. A squadron quickly appeared to guide them in. “Who are these guys?” Dash asked, looking at their flight suits. Where the Wonderbolts used a mid-grade blue and a yellow, these ones were light blue on the outside, and black on the inside.

“Given you are not from the area, I realize you have a very good reason for not recognizing them. So may I present a flying squadron of the Azure Wing’s elite flyers, the Bolts from the Blue.”

“So these are the guys that’re like the Wonderbolts?”

“It is the other way around, Dash,” Gearhead grinned.

“What?!”

“The Skybolts predate the Wonderbolts by at least a thousand years.”

“That’s...”

“Amazing?” Fluttershy supplied.

“Lets go with that.”

* * *

Gearhead had expected Prism to meet them, and perhaps even for her to tackle him as he got off the ship. Instead a young stallion with a faded blue coat was just landing at the end of the ramp. His mane was navy blue with mauve stripes, held in a style similar to that of Vinyl Scratch. His eyes were slightly darker than his coat, and he had freckles on his cheeks. The young mare who followed him had a faded purple coat and a deep blue mane. Her tail was long and slightly wave, but her mane itself was cropped to fall to where her neck met her head. She had bright green eyes.

“You sure know how to make an entry,” the stallion said.

“But you sure you’ll be okay on the clouds?” The mare asked.

“I will keep aloft,” Gearhead promised. He did intend on using the Twin Engines to stay in the air, and although it was effectively parked, the Wind was performing similarly, although in its case the auto-plot was holding it in a single position relative to the cloud beneath it. “Can I assume you know who I am?”

“We’ve seen you before, although I guess you wouldn’t remember us,” the mare said. “I always see you coming, though this time you were bigger than normal. Obviously because of this,” she nodded to the Wind.

“Yeah yeah,” the stallion waved one hoof. “You’re Thirdson Gearhead of the Verdant, and you’re probably looking for my big sister, right?”

“Correct,”

“And you want to take these two with you?”

“Of course. These are Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who accompanied me from Ponyville.”

“The Rainbow Dash?” Gearhead was set back to see both Pegasi with their eyes shining. “The Best Young Flyer and one of the defenders during the Changeling Invasion?”

“The very same,” Dash said. “But hey, you can just call me ‘Rainbow Dash’ if you want. I’m not picky.”

“It’s an honour to meet you!”

“Really it is,” the mare added.

“And who, exactly, am I meeting?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Spring Azure, and this is one of my Flight-mates,”

“Radar Blue at your service,” the mare performed a quick bow.

“So you must be Con’s sister,” Dash said. “Pleased to meet you both.”

Radar blushed, while Spring rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Forgive the interruption, but can I assume that Uncle Windwalker chose to send the two of you out to meet us?” Gearhead asked.

“Right! Dad – I mean the Wing Commander says he might send us as representatives to help you out at your shop. So he decided that the sooner we got to meet you, the better.” Spring said.

“Sorry Torrent’s not here yet,” Radar said. “He just sort or ran off to look something up at the last minute.”

“I’m sure he had to look for something really important,” Dash said, “but the reason we’re here..?”

“Oh right, we’ll take you to see Sis now,” Spring said. “Follow us!” The two younger Pegasi turned and took flight, and the others had to hurry to follow, Gearhead securing the ship’s hatch at the last moment.

Like Cloudsdale, Los Pegasus was a city made of cloud matter, with some more solid parts mixed in for when Pegasi would not have to worry about using their magic to stay in or on the city. Nearly all the architecture in Los Pegasus was grand and showy in a more modern way, whereas Cloudsdale had a very classical look to it, with arches, pillars, and a coliseum. Los Pegasus had more squared and angular buildings, and even a couple pyramids. Spring and Radar led Gearhead, Dash, and Fluttershy toward the largest pyramid, which stood near the city’s center.

As they entered through a high gateway, the three new arrivals read a sign in large, stylized text that proclaimed the building as ‘Azure Wing Central Base.’ A pair of guards were posted outside, and while they were wearing much of their full armour, the more uncomfortable parts, including the helm, lay within easy reach. If an actual emergency arose, the guards could reattach their plating and don their helmets in under thirty seconds without compromising their comfort. The guards watched the small procession with keen interest, but recognized the newcomers’ escort instantly.

The hallways were done in dark blue here, with warm lights lining the top and bottom corners, so that no matter the time of day or night, it would be well-lit. Spring and Radar led the way unerringly through the maze of corridors. The colour used in the hallway changed through robin egg blue and a slightly darker shade, and then into forest green. “The colours indicate zones,” Spring said. “This zone houses the quarters, recreation areas, and the library.”

“Is the library here like the Azure Library?” Gearhead asked

“Sorry to say that while you were there,” Spring half-turned to grin at Gearhead, all while he continued to fly down the corridor, “the Landed Library’s got nothing on the Airborne.”

“And I am sorry to say that I expected as much,” Gearhead said. “Of course you would want to keep the best resources close to home.”

“I’m not sure any of it would have helped you any more than what you got,” Radar said. “You had to have looked into the Hidden Library for anything useful.”

“I did,”

“And?”

“Not in the traditional sense, although Dusk and Dawn helped me to gain a better general understanding of magic.”

“Clearly you’ve made progress, though.”

“Recently, yes,” Gearhead said, glancing at his two companions.

“Then that’s good,” Spring said. “We’re here.”

The library was done up to provide a relaxing environment, thus the forest green. But not so relaxing that everypony who visited it simply fell asleep: the green was shot through here and there with vibrant blues and whites.

Radar took the lead, weaving between tables and down aisles as they strode into the deeper parts of the library. Fluttershy looked around with moderate interest, but Dash went from shelf to shelf, reading random titles off of a book’s spine here or there. It was not Daring Do, but flight tactics, history, and techniques that these volumes contained. Although Dash had dropped out of Flight Camp, she was a natural flyer, and skilled and intuitive enough to have earned her place as Ponyville’s Weather Manager.

They found Prism Flight seated at a corner table. Rook had volumes stacked high to his left, and was reading one with interest. Contrail was napping, his head nestled between his forelegs. Prism was staring deeply into a book, her nose nearly touching the page. She was emitting a low growl of focus: “Mu-mu-mu-mu-mu... I don’t get it!” She hissed, flattening the book into the table in front of her. Then she blinked, instantly registering their visitors.

“Gearhead!” The white coated, blue maned mare launched herself into the air and aimed herself directly at the Earth Pony. In response, he took the envelope he had been carrying out of his saddlebag with his magic, and thrust it directly in front of Prism’s nose. “What’s this?” Prism put on the airbrakes and ground to a stop in the air, which was a pretty interesting grammatical trick.

“It’s not a love letter,” Contrail said, having woken up. He had his head tilted to read the other side of the envelope.

“Another message from the Wonderbolts?” Rook asked. Gearhead nodded to him, but Prism did not miss the gesture.

Prism tossed the letter onto the table beside her discarded book. “This is ridiculous,” she said. “It’s not the first time Captain Spitfire’s written me about the Academy since we helped defeat the Changelings.” She looked up at Gearhead. “And now she’s sending you in after me. Why’d you ever agree to this?”

“It was an opportunity,”

“What kind?” Prism asked, eyebrow raised.

“To see Los Pegasus and maybe to race,” Dash said.

“To see a new city and new ponies and flora and fauna?” Fluttershy said.

“To test theories and get some answers,” Gearhead said.

“What theories?”

“Have you heard of the Alicorn Array?”

“Everypony’s heard of that crazy thing,” Contrail said.

“Does it work?” Rook asked.

“I have not found any reasons why it should not,” Gearhead said. “But it is a little difficult to deploy it to the Pegasus cities.”

“But you think you have an idea as to how to do it,” Prism said.

“Yes. Do you want to help?”

“Only if it doesn’t get me conscripted,”

“I promise it will not do so. I would like some help with the models I made. ‘Peg-assistance,’ as Pinkie Pie would put it.”

“Okay, but about Spitfire’s letter..?”

“Would it be okay to talk about this in your home?”

Prism looked around, at the glances they were getting from the odd Pegasus who had chosen to get some studying in. They varied from foals to the elderly.

“Good idea,” Rook said, while Prism blushed a bit.

“This guy seems to be full of them,” Dash said.

* * *

“So,” Windwalker, Wing Commander for all of Azure Wing said from his position at the round table, “can I assume you’ve come all the way out here for more than one reason?” He was a burly Pegasus with a silver coat. His mane was swept-back, with a light blue near the roots and purple on the half closer to the tips. Gearhead knew him as ‘Uncle Windwalker,’ the Pegasus patriarch who was always willing to help, and always ready with a smile or a belly-laugh. Today, however, he might be in a bit of a foul mood because Gearhead had insisted on bothering his wife with attending this impromptu meeting. Or maybe it was because the Azures were looking forward to seeing Snowbelle again, and were disappointed that Gearhead had not swung in their direction on the way to Dragonhome.

Aerial Azure had a tan coat and a purple wavy mane with light pink highlights. She wore a blue cloak through which she sometimes slipped her left wing, but she was careful to always keep her injured right wing hidden. Despite having perfect vision, she also wore tinted glasses, their round lenses keeping the constant pain in her eyes from being visible to those who did not look closely. Gearhead was one of those who could see that she did not have the light of joy in her eyes, and she had not had it for as long as he had known her. Even the reassuring smile she habitually wore conveyed some of her pain, if you knew how to look, as Windwalker and the others close to her did.

“Yes, I have multiple purposes here. First, I am conducting an experiment that will hopefully allow me to deploy the Alicorn Array in Pegasus cities like this one.”

“That might take some of the strain away from the defensive squadrons,” Aerial said, nodding.

“Not that we’d train any less vigorously,” Windwalker said, nodding for Gearhead to continue.

“Second, to deliver a message from Captain Spitfire to Prism.”

“And you’ve done that, although I still wonder why you’d agree to be used like this,” Prism said sourly. “Even taking your experiment into consideration, couldn’t you have conducted that at Cloudsdale, it being much closer to Ponyville than us?”

“Location is an issue that is germane to reason number three: the opportunity to install Alicorn Arrays in Hoofington and possibly at Verdant Fields.”

“Ah, that’d be why there’re escort groups already mobilizing,” Windwalker said.

“They will meet me in Hoofington once we are finished here,” Gearhead said. “But we will not be for awhile, because I am a naturally curious pony, and something that Spitfire said has me very curious indeed.”

Fluttershy and Dash looked surprised. “We didn’t notice anything particularly curious,” Fluttershy said.

“You need to think like Gearhead to know what’ll peak his interest,” Prism said.

“And you can do that? That’s incredible!”

“Actually, even I can’t. Remember: we knew each other for a very short time, but we got to know each other because we’re both liable to give in to our curiosity.”

“The matter of interest at hoof,” Gearhead said, bringing their attention back, “is whether you think I am holding back. I am particularly interested in your thoughts, Prism.”

“I think a little perspective’s in order,” Windwalker said. “What do you ladies think of our young friend.”

“It’s hard to think he’s holding back,” Dash said while Fluttershy thought it over. “He’s running a million-bit business, is constantly tinkering and improving his inventions, and he’s awesome in battle. I’d speak to his magic, but I don’t have the knowledge.”

“I can’t say I’ve seen much of it either,” Prism said. “But I’d definitely say he holds back in battle, almost like he’s afraid of delivering the coup de grace.”

“Really? He looked pretty vicious fighting Chrysalis, and you didn’t see him lay into Sombra.”

“I agree with Prism,” Fluttershy said. “It might even be unconscious, but I think he’s constantly holding back from finishing any major fights so we can do it.” She turned to Gearhead. “Do you somehow sense how the battle will flow and end?”

“I cannot claim that I do, however it is an interesting thought.”

“We also all know that you send most of your profits to your family, and even then you must have a small fortune by now, yet you not only live by modest means, but you also save on further costs by building almost everything yourself. Or... am I wrong?”

“I got that impression as well, when we visited around Hearts and Hooves Day,” Windwalker said. “Speaking of, if you don’t mind me asking, how’s it going between the two of you?”

Fluttershy blushed, and tried to hide her face behind her forehooves, which she had on the table.

“Fluttershy helped me with Snowbelle, and now we are dating again,” Gearhead said. Prism looked crestfallen, but quickly regained her determination.

“We both held back for a long time, afraid of hurting each other. We realized that we were hurting each other, and Snowbelle, anyway. Even with her there, he held back from getting close with me. But we have gotten closer since.”

“As for inventions,” Aerial said, “I wouldn’t be surprised to learn there were things you were avoiding building.”

“That would include things designed to harm others, I would guess,” Windwalker said. “I think it’s pretty representative that your first Alicorn Engine doesn’t have a weapon of its own, and I’ve no idea how careful you were in designing and calculating things so the energy it makes wouldn’t be harmful.”

“I specifically locked out the configurations that produce red and purple particles, so your guess is right on,” Gearhead said.

“So you’re saying that whenever you’ve got to make a weapon, you wait almost until it’s needed?” Dash asked.

“Subconsciously, perhaps. Just as Fluttershy said, I hesitate on the delivery. Or at least, that seems to be a strong possibility.”

“That means you hold back in your professional and personal life, as well as in combat, invention, and innovation – all of the areas that Rainbow Dash mentioned,” Windwalker said, ticking the points off on the feathers of his left wing. “I’m sure none of us realized it until you brought it up, though.”

“Given all that,” Gearhead said, turning to Prism, “what do you think of somepony who holds back?”

“It depends on the situation, but in battle it means you’ve got to have somepony else who’s willing to make the last blow. Professionally, you might not push as far as you could. And, speaking as another mare with her heart on the line, if you think holding back can make us happy, you’re dead wrong.” Prism paused. “You could end up hurting more than helping, and who knows how many of your goals you end up accomplishing.”

“That said, do you think you are holding back from accomplishing the best you possibly can, Prism Azure?”

“Well, I have one too many choices right now, but I feel like leaving would be a big mistake right now as well,” Prism glanced across the table, and Aerial gave her another reassuring smile, letting her know it was okay for her to continue. Gearhead did not miss either gesture. “I know Dad already decided to send Spring Flight to help you, but I want to have that option open as well, if I can.”

“We talked about this,” Windwalker put some steel in his voice. “Your best chance for advancement is to go to Wonderbolts Academy, and you’re even being offered an early spot. Not just you, either, but Rook and Contrail as well. Spring Flight will have Gearhead’s Gadgets covered, and at the same time they can gain important experience too, despite being too young to attend the Academy.”

“I still don’t like the idea of burning this bridge,” Prism said.

“Sometimes one has to make a difficult decision, fortunately I believe I can be of some service here,” Gearhead said. “I believe one of the things holding you back is your concern for your mother and her condition. You are right to be concerned, however I believe I can alleviate it somewhat, with permission from all of you, of course.”

“We already tried every type of medical and magical treatment under the moon and sun. What can you do that hasn’t already been tried?” Windwalker asked.

“My magic is of a different type, so it may work where the others failed. If you will let me make the attempts, that is.” Gearhead looked directly at Aerial. “If you will let me help you to overcome the trauma of your past, Auntie Aerial, I would be more than happy to do so.”

* * *

Aerial View was a Los Pegasus filly, however there had never been any question of her natural flying ability. When Lightning Strike, the then-Captain of the Wonderbolts, approached her with an offer to train, and the opportunity to become a Wonderbolt herself, Lightning Strike had admitted that it was because her fluid, graceful style conveyed zero hesitation, meaning she was a fearless flyer.

Being vetted by Lightning Strike and her twin brother, Thunder Strike, was merely Aerial’s ‘in’ for approaching the Wonderbolts. She trained hard at Wonderbolts Academy. And it seemed as though she was only moments away from getting her first taste of command when *he arrived.*

Windwalker had been muscular even then, but he flew with a grace and speed that defied all that bulk. More importantly, he had been training to fly and serve practically from foalhood. Being from Los Pegasus, Aerial knew that Windwalker had a reputation as a proven flyer and leader, making him an easy choice for the next Wing Commander. As it turned out, this gave him extra consideration after Basic Training.

Once the Top Twelve were solidly established within the training squad, Lightning Strike and Thunder Strike performed a thorough analysis of their abilities, including how well they worked within a team. They then formed Sun Squadron and appointed Windwalker as Lead. As for Aerial, she was designated Sun Five. This infuriated her, until she realized that Windwalker organized the squadron into Flights of four, so there were three Flights in all, all composed of two Leader-Mate pairs. As Sun Five, Aerial would also be Two Flight Lead, so she was still being given a chance to prove herself.

Windwalker trained his squadron hard, but did not ask anything of them that he did not do himself, proving that he was a tough but fair commander. He was also daring in his planning and not afraid of hearing out his subordinates’ suggestions, which become more and more useful as Sun Squadron wargamed scenarios with and against the Captain’s Blitz Squadron and his twin’s Storm Squadron.

Windwalker taught everypony else every manoeuvre he could, tailoring his lessons to each Flight’s and each Duo’s capabilities as much as he could. As Aerial trained more with him, they both became more aware of each other’s strengths. The mare quickly learned that even though he had been born into Azure Wing, Windwalker had only become so capable through his hard work and constant effort. By contrast, Aerial had only received formal training after the twins recruited her into the Wonderbolts.

The rivalry that developed between Aerial and Windwalker could easily have devolved into a war between hard-won skill and natural talent, but instead they drove each other to further heights and higher speeds than they would have achieved alone. Aerial pushed herself as hard as she dared in order to be capable of carrying out every move in Windwalker’s repertoire, and Windwalker trained to fly with greater intuitive fluidity and grace. Even considered against all the other members of the squadron, there were simply some techniques the stallion could only teach to Aerial.

Windwalker and Aerial were together so often, and for so long, that rumours spread through the Academy that they were courting even while they were on duty. At first Aerial did not let the rumours bother her, but when some of her friends, new recruits Hasty Hoof and Spitfire, started to tease her she started to take it more seriously. Aerial did start to wonder when Windwalker realized that their teamwork was great enough to move her to Sun Two, making her his direct Wingmare.

* * *

Sun Squadron had just returned from a mock battle against both Blitz and Storm Squadron, and Windwalker and Aerial were both still glowing from their victory, especially since they had both saved each other from situations that should have been irrecoverable.

Walking toward the mess hall together, Aerial simply blurted the question that had been on her mind for days. She recalled the glow of the moment suffusing her mind with good feelings, and the moment itself was something of a blur over which she felt she had little control. From the looks of things, Windwalker had been feeling similarly, and it did not help that he was a straightforward pony. As soon as he responded with exactly what was on his mind, all Aerial could remember was the heat rushing to her face, the too-loud thumping in her chest, and the sudden disbelief that that had just happened.

But it had, and in that moment, right in front of the rest of Sun Squadron, Windwalker and Aerial began their official courtship. For Aerial, no matter the hazard or boredom of a given mission, as long as they were together it was two months of bliss. Unfortunately, even such a good thing was not meant to last. Windwalker was following part of a long-held Azure tradition by training and flying with the Wonderbolts. Once his tour was over, he had to return to Los Pegasus to train with the Skybolts. It was then that Aerial realized that since the Wonderbolts and the Skybolts were responsible for two different sectors, as long as she was a Wonderbolt she would be unable to spend the time she wanted with her beau.

She hated that, but she did not know what to do about it. Not at first, anyway. Once again it was Hasty Hoof and Spitfire to the rescue. Although Aerial would have never given up in any case, their suggestion was to use her talent to build up her skill to such a degree that she would catch the Azure’s Wing Commander’s attention, the same way she had for Lightning and Thunder. If she did well enough, the Skybolts would be sure to accept her request for a transfer, even though she was not of the Azure. It was, after all, a family built on merit as much as on blood.

* * *

Two and a half weeks later, the Captain called all the Squadron and Flight Leads to the main briefing room: a massive hurricane supercell was heading straight for Cloudsdale, and the city would not be able to fully evacuate in time if nopony provided any assistance. A city could be rebuilt, but a life lost would last forever. Lightning Strike and Thunder Strike were ordering a full deployment of all battle-ready units in order to assist with the evacuation. They gave explicit orders not to engage the superstorm.

Aerial led Sun Squadron in its first real field deployment. Despite all the training they had been through, nothing could truly prepare them for the storm’s full ferocity, as the wind threatened to knock them out of the sky even as the twister itself was still miles away. With their orders clear and their options limited, Aerial pushed her squadron into Cloudsdale to expedite the evacuation as much as possible.

Unfortunately, the superstorm was bent on destroying lives, or so it seemed as it approached Cloudsdale far faster than had been calculated and allowed for back at the briefing room. Looking out at it as the citizens of Cloudsdale hurried and tried to keep as calm as possible, Aerial realized that no matter what else they did, at this rate the day would end with loss of life.

Just that thought was enough to push the young mare into the decision that would change her life forever after: there was an experimental technique that could severely blunt a storm’s rage. Using it might be enough to give Cloudsdale the time it needed. The only problem should have been that the technique could only be used by Pegasi who trusted each other fully, otherwise their coordination would be off and the technique would fail.

With the screaming wind and the muck and dust and debris being thrown around, it was little wonder that Aerial forgot that the one with whom she shared a close enough bond was not present. She did not remember until she was already launching into the *Storm Breaker, and she realized that she was doing it completely unaided. By that time it was already too late.*

Aerial made the first slightly-curving dive and then swung back up and around, climbing to her limits before swinging around again, on the same axis, to dive again. She repeated the motion over and over again, rotating on the opposite axis to the twister to create a system that would have an opposing rotation. After five passes, accelerating after each completed loop, Aerial created a weak purple and pink spiral that was the only thing standing between the superstorm and Cloudsdale. She hurried to strengthen it as much as possible, pushing herself beyond every one of her previously-known limits.

And then the superstorm tore her from her path, and everything was a confusion of sky, cloud, and ground. Darkness came.

* * *

When Aerial came to, she was staring up at a sterile white ceiling. She waited for her mind to catch up, and then started to try to move around. She realized then that she was in an extensive body cast, intravenous drips plugged in at various places. Despite the clarity of knowing that she had survived, and despite having been injured, she only felt slightly warm, sluggish, and fuzzy. It took a few hours before she was aware enough to ask what had happened.

Firstly, while her *Storm Breaker had not worked as designed, it had succeeded in lessening the superstorm’s strength somewhat. It had also pushed the hurricane onto a northern path. It was an open path, along which the storm spent its energy before finally tearing itself apart.*

Cloudsdale had not escaped completely unscathed, with whole sections of the city having been ripped away, but the city itself still floated in the sky. It would not take nearly as much time, effort, or money to restore it to its former glory. More importantly, no fatalities had been recorded.

Apart from some minor bruising that would go away on its own, Aerial was injured the worst, having been tossed around and bludgeoned against many of the objects within the hurricane’s grip. She was, frankly, lucky to be alive, especially after pulling a stunt like that.

Hearing that, Aerial was afraid that Lightning Strike would court marshal her and either imprison her or have her ejected from the Wonderbolts altogether. She needn’t have worried, seeing as how her doctors, the finest in Equestria as assembled by Princess Celestia herself, said that her injuries were deep and extensive, especially to her right wing. Despite their best healers, and those of healing mages from across the kingdom, she would probably never fly again.

Painkillers could not dull the sheer despair that Aerial felt then, as she realized that what the doctors were saying was that she should forget about her dream of joining Windwalker: she would never fly again. Those words echoed in her mind until Windwalker came to Cloudsdale to take her back to Los Pegasus.

Aerial would have the marriage she wanted, and she would become an Azure and an honoured guest instructor at Wonderbolts Academy, but she was certain that, no matter how much she wanted it, she would never be able to become a Skybolt.

* * *

Aerial blinked rapidly, trying to erase the tears that had begun to stream down her face. “What? How did you do that?”

“What is this?” Windwalker growled.

“My apologies if anyone sees this as invasive. When Luna taught me how to shield my thoughts and knowledge from Snowbelle, she also taught me how to cast my awareness into others’ thoughts.”

“So you’re a telepath now too?” Prism scowled.

“Partly, I suppose, and entirely because of the psychic link between myself and Snowbelle. In all truthfulness, while I can always feel her presence I always want her back.” Gearhead turned back to Aerial. “I suppose it is the pain itself that has done it, however it still bears saying that I have never seen such formidable mental defences. The only way I thought I had a chance of getting through was if I directed your thoughts toward the incident in question, forcing those thoughts to the surface.”

“You manipulative little biter, you are turning into a politician,” Windwalker said in disgust.

“I would rather not, but this is not about what I want, Wing Commander. Aerial, I already believe I know it, but I would understand if you feel safe as you are, and do not want to take the risk of failure once again. But to be perfectly clear, I want to hear it from your own mouth: what is it you most want?”

Aerial glanced around the table, meeting the gaze of all those assembled. “The memories are so fresh now,” she said, closing her eyes. “I can feel and taste the wind and the sun on my wings and in my mane. I can feel the freedom,” she opened her eyes, and the fierce fire from within displaced the emptiness that had been there before. “I was so convinced that it’d been lost to me for good.” Tears streamed down her face, but now there was also a genuine smile as well. “Celestia help me, I want it so badly.”

“Can you do it? Really, I mean,” Windwalker said.

“I believe I can, but more important is whether she believes we can,” Gearhead said. “If you let me get my Stabilizer, we can get started."

* * *

It was not hard to find a suitable chamber to use, despite the pyramidal shape of the building. It had to be open to the sky and have curving walls, rather than having sharp corners. Uncle Windwalker and Aunt Aerial knew of one such room near the top, so they had Prism guide him up after he got the Stabilizer from the Wind. The couple themselves took the opportunity to go ahead and make their way up alone together. Fluttershy asked if she and Dash should wait below, but neither of the older Pegasi minded their presence.

Gearhead started by drawing an intricate magic circle on the floor with a piece of gold-coloured graphite. He heard a slight gasp from Windwalker and Aerial when he completed the eight-pointed star around which the rest of the magic runes centered, but neither interrupted his efforts: they were familiar enough with the workings of magic to know what the star meant, it seemed. He completed the circle by inscribing a much smaller circle where he would stand as the caster, placing it on the edge but still directly in the sun’s light.

Once he was done with the magic circle, Gearhead gestured for Aerial to sit with him outside it. “Regardless of anything else,” he said, “all you have to do for the spell to work is to relax as much as possible and breath normally.” Gearhead reared up gently and placed his forehooves lightly on Aerial’s shoulders. He was certain that nopony missed the faint turquoise glow as he tried to use Read to get some sort of sense for what was going on with the injury before he got started. It took a great deal of focus to pick anything out, because Gearhead’s Geomancy seemed only to work on inorganic and mineral matter. Still, he could see the way the bones in her wing and even her shoulder were cracked, and how they did not quite fit together. “Okay?”

“I’ll try,” Aerial nodded, determination plain on her face.

“Do it,” Windwalker said.

Gearhead showed Aerial where to stand, and then he took up his position in the caster’s circle. He had considered what he would require in order to maximize the chances of success here, and determined that using Config-4 was unnecessary. At the same time, keeping any other restrictions in play would be the height of foolishness. He drew the Geargem Dagger with his tail and expanded it to its full length, then checked to ensure the Twin Engines were running at optimum levels.

“One – The spark for limiter removal is released. Two – The needle that points true. Three – Application of vector and objective. Four – the moral compass comes forth. Five – the basics of magic ignited. Six – Will and Strength unite. Seven – the solidarity of union. Eight – Advanced connection established. Limiter successfully removed, and target set.” With each of the eight steps, another point and line illuminated with the star on the magic circle. When Gearhead reached ‘eight,’ the entire circle glowed faintly in silvery turquoise.

Now that the main limiter was lifted, Gearhead could release his magic power fully. “Cantus Bellax, plenum potestatem.” With a faint FUMP! A strong turquoise aura exploded around Gearhead for a moment, before fading from visibility. So far so good, he thought, checking all of his levels and then the Engines' readiness one more time.

“Quattuor Magnae Spiritus invoco. Zi̱tó̱ apó Diós, vasiliá tou ouranoú, na paracho̱rí̱sei megalýteri̱ ev̱logía tou páno̱ o̱chró sýntrofos. To dikó mou. Chorí̱gi̱si̱ epoúlo̱si̱s sas kai na epanaférete af̱tí̱n sti̱n pli̱résteri̱ dynatí̱ af̱tí̱n. Spáste af̱tí̱ pou esfalména spareí. Epidiórtho̱si̱ af̱tí̱ pou eínai spasména. Apalýnei af̱tó pou eínai flegmoní̱ kai erethisméno. Prosféro̱ ti̱ mía méros ti̱s athánati̱s psychí̱s. To dikó mou epáno̱ se af̱tí̱n ti̱n prosef̱chí̱, óti sýntrofós mou tha échei ópo̱s échei provleftheí ypó fo̱teinó ouranó sas. Kai ó̱ste na boró̱ epikalestheí Ev̱logíes to̱n Ouranó̱n.”

As Blessings of Heaven began to activate, Gearhead noticed the slight red glow on his upraised hooves, and suppressed his reaction to the slight pain as the spell took the small cost for the spell from him. Using an eye command as he looked into his lenses, he activated the Twin Engine’s ‘OverBoost,’ making its particles suffuse his whole form. Gearhead quickly redirected his cores to face Aerial directly, and collected and compressed the particles it was now emitting faster than it could generate them. As near as he could tell, both the particle bath and the spell would be ready in the same moment.

The spell was ready first, however even though it released first it also moved more slowly than Spiral Purification on OverBoost. The two energies, one deeply turquoise and the other gold, wrapped around each other before enveloping Aerial. The magic circle glowed so fiercely that everypony had to look away and close their eyes to avoid being blinded. Gearhead collapsed to a lying position the instant his casting was complete and panted to recover his breath. “Cancel OverBoost,” he muttered, and the Twin Engines went back to normal.

“Is it done?” Aerial asked as their vision cleared.

“Yes, it should be completed,” Gearhead said. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t know,” Aerial said, looking down at her hooves. She gasped, noticing that the magic circle had completely vanished.

“It was a one-time use circle,” Gearhead said. “In any case, if that failed we would need to try a different spell, and we would have to wait a couple hours.”

“The magic immunity again?” Windwalker asked.

“I did use my particles, after all.”

“How about it, Honey? Feel like spreading your wings?”

“Oh,” Aerial looked back as she used muscles that had remained neglected for nearly two decades, and yet they had been finely massaged back into fitness. As she spread her wings open fully, the older mare threw her cloak off her shoulders. “Oh my,” she said, while Fluttershy sat back and covered her mouth with her hooves. Prism looked like she was close to tears.

“That is not enough proof of success,” Gearhead said.

“It’s too early to be hard on yourself,” Aerial said.

“I think he means that he wants you to fly,” Dash said. “How ‘bout it?”

Aerial looked around the room, finally settling on Windwalker, who looked from the opening in the ceiling to his beloved wife. He blinked, and could not keep the grin from his face. “Do it,” he said. Aerial crouched and spread her wings high and wide, then she pumped them down hard even as she leaped into the air, leaving only a disturbed wind behind in her wake. Windwalker was only the first to take off after her.

As Prism cried out in happiness, Fluttershy helped Gearhead back up to his hooves. The remaining four friends exchanged glances. “What’re we waiting for?” Dash asked, and she took off too, attracted by Aerial’s delighted calls. Prism, Fluttershy, and Gearhead followed suit.

Above and ahead of them, Aerial and Windwalker were flying wild spirals and helixes as they continued to climb. They turned sharply, rolling into a back-to-back powerdive. Windwalker rolled out of his inverted position first and pulled easily out. Aerial waited an instant longer, and pulled up in time to trot across the ground below their cloud city. Then they were climbing back up.

Dash, Prism, Gearhead, and Fluttershy formed up into their own diamond as they flew on an intercept course for the two joyously-celebrating parents.

“Oh thank you,” Aerial said, still breathless as she hugged Gearhead. “Really, thank you so much for giving all this back to me!”

“I think you mean ‘to us,’” Windwalker said, giving Gearhead a fantastic imitation of a bear hug.

“You are quite welcome, Auntie. Uncle. I am extremely happy that it worked.”

“That’s right,” Aerial said. “I feel like I’m finally moving again, too, and it feels great!” As she flew off again, Gearhead realized that more than her cloak was missing: she had lost her glasses, and her hair was loose instead of being tightly tied.

“Is it true?” Spring asked as he flew up, accompanied by a whole crowd of other Pegasi. “She’s back?”

“She is!” Prism said, hugging her little brother.

“So, who’s up for a celebration race?” Contrail asked.

“Oh, you dare?” Rook asked.

“Of course!”

“Then lets do it,” Prism said.

“And no holding back,” Dash said.

Aerial and Windwalker looped back and hovered in front of their children, nieces, and nephews. “Yeah, no holding back,” Windwalker said.

“You don’t stand a chance against us otherwise,” Aerial said, winking.

* * *

The family lay, exhausted but satisfied, in a cloudy field in Los Pegasus. The race had gotten so confused and involved that nopony knew who had won, and it did not even matter, they had had so much fun. “That. Was. Awesome!” Dash said.

“Well, if you follow your dreams and train right you might be able to get half as good as me,” Aerial said, smiling from ear to ear. As Gearhead looked, he did not find a single trace of the dead-eyed, pained fatigue that had dogged the mare for so long.

“You’re on,” Dash said.

“Mind you, I’ve got a long way to go now too,” Aerial said, “or I do if I’m going to be a Skybolt after all.”

“You will,” Windwalker said, nuzzling her.

Prism rolled onto her stomach and looked around at her friends and family. “That’s what all this is about, isn’t it? I feel so stupid now. Of course I’ve been holding us all back. Sorry, guys,” she said to Contrail and Rook.

“Don’t worry about it,” Contrail said.

“You’re Lead, and we’re your friends. Mind you, we’ve always been aiming for more,” Rook said.

“But now you might actually get it,” Prism said, sighing. “Mom. Dad. We’re going to Wonderbolts Academy.”

“Congratulations,” Aerial said, wrapping all three of the Flight in a tight hug.

“Maybe we’ll see you there,” Windwalker said.

“We’ll look forward to it,” Rook said.