Gears Within The Soul ~ Memories of Solid Gear

Chapters

Memories of Solid Gear; Chapter 1: Fitting of a Gear
Chapter 2: Start of a New Leg
Chapter 3: New Friendships...in Bed?
Chapter 4: Old Visits, New Damages
Chapter 5: Flash of A Friendship
Chapter 6: Discoveries and Mysteries of Magic
Chapter 7: Grinds Mah Gears

Memories of Solid Gear; Chapter 1: Fitting of a Gear

“Do you think she'll be okay with us just leaving her at the hospital?”

“Dear, she wanted us to go back to the shop as soon as we left the place. Do you honestly think she didn't want us to go? That brave little face, ushering us to go do our job for everypony who's anypony in Manehatten...bless her so much for all this, I swear we should send bits back to Ponyville so her treatment goes as smoothly as possible...and so she has some leftover bits to build herself something while here. So much spare time, she's bound to make something amazing, right?”

This is what the young filly known as Little Gear saw from her hospital window, two older earth ponies, a dark brown coated stallion with a light red mane talking aside to a slightly younger-looking mare with a more tan coat and mousey brown mane. They were arguing just why going back to work in Manehatten's prestigious clock shop was worth leaving their only foal behind in Ponyville to recover from a rather traumatic experience in having lost a leg, namely the front right leg.

“...You have a good point, Winding Gear. So just how do we send her these bits? Surely the mail system around Ponyville reaches to Manehatten?” the stallion asks of the mare, who just smiles lightly.

“Funny you should ask that, Silver Gear, darling. I have just the idea in mind. I spied the local mailmare making rounds earlier today, so we could go talk to her about finding a courier for this. I'm sure she could suggest somepony to do the task of carrying the few hundred or so bits we'd need to send...” Winding states, giving a glance back to the window and nearly freezing in her steps right then and there. She shudders a little, before carefully steeling her gaze back at Little Gear.

'I know what that gaze means. She wants me to be strong for us. I know its tearing up every last bit of her resolve to keep heading home now....time to look away from them and busy myself at the hospital...' Little Gear thinks to herself, finally pulling her forlorn gaze from the window to look at the wall ahead. 'Maybe if I....' a yawn interrupts her thoughts, pulling attention back to her still tired body. 'Nevermind...sleep is important. I must sleep well if I am to get better so I can walk again. My parents need me to recover as quickly as equestrianly possible.' she then notices the nurse tending to her bed was still there, setting up an IV to her left hoof.

It hurt a little, but Little Gear was thankful for the fact they were using new technology for this. Before, she'd heard they were going to use the old methods of magic mixed with syringes. But once again, thanks to her folks in researching the latest stuff out in healthcare, they paid a larger sum of bits to push for this IV thing that was a persistant syringe hooked in that attached to provide the same benefits the old methods had.

“It doesn't hurt so much now...” she finds herself muttering to the nurse, who is slightly taken aback, as Little Gear had been on the verge of falling asleep. The nurse smiles lightly to her, grinning brightly to be as cheery as possible.

“Well, you're lucky to have parents who will pay for this. In fact, they overpaid it a little....rather generous I might add. I mentioned it to the doctor, and he said to put it straight towards finding a less costly way to duplicate this for other patients.” Little Gear couldn't help but to stare at the Nurse lightly, who just shrugs it off and turns away after setting up the IV properly. “Well, I have other patients to go see. You'll be just fine here, won't you?” she asks, Little Gear simply nodding her head before sighing and slowly closing her eyes.

'So tired....this will make a great story to tell the others when I...return home.' Little Gear thought to herself, thinking of all those friends she'd left in Manehatten Public School. It wasn't long however, that her mind drifted lazily into the past....

“Hey, Gear. HEY. GEAR!!”

“Whu...uhm...what's up?”

“How many hooves am I holding up?”

“I...I don't know...? Don't most of us only ever have one hoof to hold up?”

“Good to see your sarcasm isn't broken...listen, can you stand?”

“I...uhn....stand? Why do I need to stand? Can't I just lie down like this?”

“No.....you kinda need to stand. Your other leg kinda....looks funny. Its kinda just...danglin' there...going the other way.”

This was the first Little Gear remembered suddenly going into a full adrenaline rush, quickly sitting up on her haunches with her one good hoof placed squarely in front of her body to steady itself easily. Eyes wide open, she gazes in shock at the leg on her right, just simply....being there. It doesn't move, no matter how much she wills it to twitch or do anything.

“I...I can't feel....my leg...” she sobs quietly, at first, “I CAN'T FEEL MY LEG!!” she howls louder, crying openly and vainly trying to grab her hoof in the other, only to end up falling over once again. Luckily, just onto her barrel and not on any highly vital part of her hurt leg. The second time getting up she was mildly aware of a pegasus nearby, gently using her short wingspan to help balance Little Gear to sit upright.

“Snow Glider....thanks...” Little Gear mutters to the nearly all-white pegasus, whose mane and tail were white tinged softly with blue, while her coat was a brilliantly blinding white. Snow simply huddles close to her best friend, who she was deathly worried about now. Her older brother, Whiteout, wasn't around to jeer at the two for looking like a couple, but she felt his gaze all the same. Wordlessly, she started to pick up Little Gear, intending to bring her to the nearest clinic...but all she got was a few steps before another foal cried out to them.

“OHMYGAWD!!! LOOK OVER THERE!!! LITTLE GEAR'S LOST HER LEG!!!” If Snow wasn't worried at being crowded before....she certainly was now that all attention was on her. She keeps close to Gear's side, whispering to her best friend that all she needs to do is take a nap. Little Gear simply complies by suddenly toppling over into Snow's embrace, the pegasus looking around as Faculty come around to help dissipate the scene.

'...that was two years ago...' Little Gear thinks to herself, blinking as she'd startled awake at feeling what she thought was her leg again. 'Phantom limb syndrome...the Doctor told me and my parents that it would happen when I first had my leg parted from my body. They didn't say it would persist as long as it has now...' she slowly gazes around the room, noting she'd barely been asleep an hour before waking.

“Well...no better time than now to ask if I could borrow a crutch to walk on or something...” she grumbles to herself. Hitting the call button, she waits for the Nurse to show up. Sure enough, she shows up with a slightly strained but still there smile.

“What can I help you with, Little Gear?”

“...I want to try walking again...” Gear mutters, her tone icily cold and stubborn. The Nurse blinks a bit, rather worried about what she means.

“Walking...? In your condition? You were just moved here from Manehatten...surely you wouldn't want some-”

“I want to walk....helps to clear out the memories...you know, the ones where I USED to have a leg?” Little Gear grates out, her tone so hard and uncaring that it just wears that smile on the Nurse's face right out. She sighs and turns around, leaving the room for a half hour. Little Gear sighs, smirking a little to herself. 'Lets see how they handle THAT.'

To her credit, Little Gear did cause a bit of trouble in the Hospital with her demand...however, the doctor being as creative as ever decided to test out a new harness designed to put a crutch at the control of a ponies' body.

“Its a prototype. Not even field tested, especially not for a young filly like yourself. However, your insistence has brought it to this...Please take care to not break it?” the Doctor said to Gear, whom just scoffed a little, wincing slightly at the oddly tight set of belts looped around her front shoulders and carefully positioned to move with her body. She slowly gets off to a very slow hobble, the crutch feeling like a really heavy weight. As she gets moving a bit more, it stops feeling so heavy and gets a bit lighter.

“Not bad...well, this'll do. Thanks. Do I need anypony to watch me as I move around?” Little Gear asks, as the Doctor just shakes his head with a wistful grin. She heads over and gives the Doctor a quick nuzzle, just to thank him, before heading off on her own. Hobbling at a decent, if slow, pace around the hospital being just what she wanted. “...well, 'new leg'...if this turns out to be as nice of a day as it seems, you'll be with me a lot longer than just these few hours...” she states, grinning and heading out into the bright sunlight of day.

Chapter 2: Start of a New Leg

Several months had passed since Little Gear had last seen the previous strict Nurse who'd taken care of her in the section of the hospital she'd originally been put in. It was close to the Emergency Ward, so she got a lot of careful attention to her health due to that. She was grateful for the attention at first, but after these several months of being watched even WHILE EATING...yeah, it didn't set well with her.

“As much as I enjoyed being somewhere that felt like I was capable of being unable to hurt myself, it also felt pretty...restrictive.” Little Gear states to the nurse helping her move the IV with her to the new location in the Hospital. None other than Nurse Redheart was helping her, somepony that she'd heard was an up-coming and really great mare with a knack for patients.

“Miss Gear, I am just glad you realized that at such a young age. Even other ponies your age in that place love to be the center of attention, so I must ask...are you certain about moving to a more busy section of the Hospital?” Nurse Redheart gazes levelly at Little Gear, the filly stopping for a moment and prompting the older mare to pause as well. She brushes out a lock of mane from her face, fixing the nurse with her oddly-toned double-iris eyes.

“Yes. I would prefer a spot where I can occasionally be on my own. Even in school, teachers were surprised that I would do things on my own. To them, I was a set of wheels, an axle with twin cogs that keeps the clock moving at a steady pace.” Nurse Redheart was mildly impressed with Little Gear's analogy, something of which she felt was more mature than such a filly should be capable of.

“So to you, it is preferable to be somewhere that would stabilize your current location?” Little Gear took a mild glance to Redheart, before sighing and looking forward before continuing to walk. She'd finally gotten used to walking with the crutch and could move at a decent pace. It still sounded heavy with the thump of the rubber end, so each third step had a mild 'thump' to it.

“To me...yes. I do not like to hold up other ponies for something as simple as my situation.” she states, sounding rather...cold and aloof, too aloof for Redheart's liking as she takes another glance to the half-sulking filly.

“So you want to go into the place of the Hospital the most filled with other patients who are going to be around shorter than you ever will?” the question cut deep through Little Gear's mild apathy, causing her to look aside to Redheart.

“Yes. I would prefer to know that others are going on with their lives. Its a....reassuring thought, a reminder that progress continues even without my input.” Little Gear grumbles, once again Nurse Redheart getting even more curious about this little filly's life. She fights down the urge to ask about what her life was like before the accident, smiling to try and lift the mood of the conversation.

“Being so realistic in the way you look at the world...is it really so healthy for a filly your age?”

“If I wasn't, who would be?” Little Gear snaps immediately, blinking before blushing and carefully keeping her gaze focused ahead once more. Nurse Redheart smiles faintly, glad to finally have hit what seems to be the biggest nagging issue for her.

“That's what us older mares and stallions are for, hon. You shouldn't be troubling yourself with such problems. Its often better to let a wiser and older pony to assess what is going on, especially since you won't have all the answers.” Nurse Redheart states, Little Gear giving a derisive sigh.

“...yeah, I guess so. Look, don't expect me to spill my emotions all over the place. I'm not a touchy-feely filly, I don't like sharing my feelings with somepony I hardly know.” she continues to grumble, the moment totally being ruined with her reaction.

“I see...” Nurse Redheart trails off, letting the topic drop as dead as a broken tree limb does.

It was five days later that Little Gear was enjoying watching other patients get checked out of the hospital, and occasionally a few going in for various injuries. It was this fateful day she saw...oddly enough, another Earth Pony arrive who had the same issue as she did, only his missing limb was the rear left leg. They exchanged a significant gaze, Little Gear noticing that his was filled with more wisdom than hers.

Some hours later after he'd been brought in, Little Gear was informed by Nurse Redheart that she'd have a new friend in the room. She'd been used to this, it was the usual thing since she'd requested to have a room that was two beds for patients instead of a single patient room.

It was to her utter surprise then, that the Stallion she'd seen enter earlier was her new roommate. She looks at him curiously, as he simply takes off a hat she hadn't noticed him to be wearing earlier. The fedora was a simple tanned brown, his cutie mark a curious gem with yellow stripes and catlike in design.

“Hello there. I've been told your name is Little Gear. I'm Cats Eye, used to do quarry work for a gemstone mining company before....well, you can probably guess.” he states, giving a soft grin at her shocked expression.

“So...they couldn't do anything for you either with Unicorn magic?” she asks, rather hopeful. He simply nods, prompting Little Gear to speak more, “Well, that's a relief, I thought I was the only pony in the world who had that happen...” He moves over to his bed, sitting down on it and positioning himself to watch her.

“There's more than just me. Ponies in hard lines of work run the highest risk of it, really. Not uncommon, but it isn't something Princess Celestia would want to hide from the public. After all, she's been demanding somepony in the sciences to develop an idea that would work. Replacement legs and wings? Maybe even replacement horns, for the Unicorns who are unfortunate enough to have it broken? Would be a grand thing to create, y'know? So many ponies given help, especially in a way that gives the Princess some relief.” Little Gear just stares at this strange pony, who somehow just spilled all that as if it was common knowledge.

'Well, it kinda is...I'd read as much in the news from Canterlot lately...' she thinks to herself, looking away, “W-well...why did you bring that up to me? I'm just a little filly, how could I be of any help to such a major problem?” there's a chuckle from the stallion as she finishes that sentence, startling Little Gear a little more. All of her usual firewalling to avoid enjoying the conversation had gone unnoticed.

“Why? You're still young, Miss Gear. Besides...with that name of yours, something tells me your family knows a thing or two about stability. Clock makers who have a daughter that lost a limb from an accident that has never been talked about? I may not be a private detective, but even I know that sounds fishy.” he nudges, pushing the topic in ways that Little Gear couldn't help but feel disturbed with.

'Why does he know about the swingset accident that day? I didn't tell Snow Glider to let anypony know I got stuck on the chains and tumbled off it, breaking my shoulder completely at the joint. What is he hiding....?' she thinks to herself, watching Cats Eye carefully set himself into the bed and hanging up his hat.

“Miss Gear, do you mind if I ask why you lost your leg?” he asks, gazing earnestly at her.

'...I can't say 'no' to that face. He looks honestly curious, not to mention that voice is just so gentle...he can't be a bad stallion, right?' Little Gear nods, “Sure. Well, you seem to know it was an accident, so that much I can say is true. As for what happened?” she pauses, letting the air sit quiet before continuing, “I goofed up on jumping off a swing set in the playground. My leg wound up curled around a chain, got stuck and because of momentum I just...snapped my entire shoulder joint out. Clean break, doctors said it couldn't be repaired with magic.” she states, curiously eying Cats Eye.

“Mmmm...I see. Well then, all the more reason for you to try figuring it out for yourself. I have a few books for light reading here, if you want?” he asks, pulling out a few large tomes. They looked big to Little Gear, something of a dangerous weight given her light frame...even for an Earth Pony she wasn't as solidly built as usual.

“Uhm....maybe later. Why are you so interested in anatomy and mechanical designs?” Little Gear asks, having noted the titles of the books.

“Isn't it obvious? I plan on making a prosthetic for myself.”

“Prosthe-wha? What is that?”

“Pros-the-tic.” he draws the word out for her, letting Little Gear hear the word in full, “Its what you call a fake limb designed to mimic the original. I figure if nopony's gonna try making it for me, I'll do it myself.” Little Gear grins, already liking how this stallion thinks.

“So...you plan on doing it yourself, with no knowledge of how it should work?” she queries, mildly amused. Cats Eye shrugs, not put off by her smugness.

“Yeah? So what, does it matter that much?”

“Well...yes. You need to know how counterweights and basic movement work, what the gears within the prosthetic itself would do. Not to mention you'll need a way to power it, which would be really difficult if you do an external power source. If internalized, you'd need to know how magic works...”

“Well then...why not make a leg for yourself? That crutch can only work for so long, hm? It breaks down just like anything else.”

“But just like anything else, it can be....improved upon....” she blinks, before giving a bright heart-warming smile to Cats Eye, “Thanks, Mister Eye...I think I know what to do in my spare time now...” she says, getting up and strapping on the crutch to head out. Cats Eye smiles softly, watching Little Gear leave the room.

“Now there's a filly with grand ideas just waiting to be explored. Maybe...I can give her some funny stories later to retell to other patients. If I'm not to stay here forever, I should pass on what I can.” He mutters to himself, sighing and settling down in the bed to relax for the rest of the day, being careful to not bother Little Gear as she sets to work in designing her own personal prosthetic.

Chapter 3: New Friendships...in Bed?

It was about mid-morning when thunder and lightning crackled overhead, making the suddenly normal Ponyville sky overhead darken considerably. Clouds swept in from the Everfree, blanketing the usually peaceful village in nearly instantaneous rain. It quickly sped up as the winds start to howl, the oddly powerful winds picking the rain apart and turning the once peaceful morning into a torrential downpour. The Pegasi in the sky immediately grounded themselves to keep from causing unintentional disturbances to the weather, as even just a few pegasi being airborne could cause it to whip up even faster and stronger with their wing-beats.

“Its too rainy to go outside...but I'm glad its out there instead of in here.” Little Gear states, looking out at the strange mid-summer watery storm happening outside. Everypony stuck outside was quickly rushing in, the streets of Ponyville eerily deserted once everypony was safe. The rain just kept beating down, soaking all the ground and the streets with its wetness. Cats Eye smirks as he watches Little Gear, having had his fill of similarly stormy weather from working in a quarry for most of his life.

“It ain't that bad, kiddo. I've seen plenty of worse storms where I lived.” he states, Little Gear turning to look at him curiously, then slowly ambling away from the window to lie down on the floor to work on her prosthetic design.

“Where did you live before now?”

“Manehatten. The Gem quarry there was my favorite place to be, though the weather was unpredictable at best because of the pegasi who'd work there. They were so lazy, I couldn't believe we'd ever have a sunny day sometimes.” he grumbles, before laughing lightly, “Funny thing is...I have a story about one pegasi. He was a hard worker, oddly enough for the group that's there. Want to hear it?”

“...sure, I guess. There's not much better to do right now other than stories and work on my little project.” Little Gear mumbles, though Cats Eye had an ear perked up carefully so he could hear her. He'd learned that she mumbles a lot, especially while not wanting to chat much. It also happens she'd mumble around the quill she uses too, oftentimes while working on that prosthetic project of hers. He launches straight into the story, reciting it as memory calls up old images from his days of work.

“Well, it all begins about as stormy as this day, actually. Skies darkened so much that you'd swear somepony had broken one of the drill machines into scrap. It wasn't nearly so bad with the rain though, since it had turned to hail. I know that sounds worse, but its easier since it just bounces off the hardhats we wear...along with some of the protective coats we got. Only issue is it melts straight into the stone, some areas getting flooded with the little icy balls of water and melting into a puddle.

“But yeah, there's this pegasus who loves the weather at the time, he's messing around with a few of the clouds despite being warned not to. He's the one hard worker, so nopony dares to give him a reason to slack off. Just so happens that he accidentally blasts out a lightning bolt at a rock formation on the far side of the quarry, settin' it off like dynamite. Now, here's where the funny bit comes. He sees this, and it had totally vaporized the rock, eh? All just turned it to nothin' but rubble and pebbles. So he gets this bright idea to just set it off several more times, blastin' away at random rocks in the place. He didn't aim to hit anypony, but his shots were deadly accurate. Blew away half the quarry in a shower of pebble and rubble so small that all we'd have to do is sift through and see what all gems were in there.

“Thing is, the boss-pony finds out about this a few hours later after seeing the wreckage and noting we're all cleaning it up right quick-like. He stomps over to under where the pegasus was, yelling up at 'im to come down for his tongue-thrashing for being so incompetent at controlling the storm. Problem is, the boss doesn't realize that because of what he did, it weakened the storm so much that the rest of the lazy group of pegasi could clean it up in minutes. So the boss is chewing him out about the storm and the lightning bolts and all the mess it left behind.

“It was hardly an hour later of all this that we'd finished up for the day, so the boss tells him he's fired for the foreseeable future. Made us all right angry, it did. But the real kicker? The pegasus responsible just smirked and gave our boss one last word.

'I'm sorry for doing my job, sir. I'll make sure to be lazy next time instead of cleaning up the skies...'

'Well you better, or I'll fire you.'

'So, that means I still work here, sir?'

'Yeah, now get your lazy plot in gear and go help the other pegasi.'

“That's how the exchange went, as our boss hadn't realized he'd ALREADY fired the pegasus before he'd started his little tirade. Once he realizes that, our group comes in for the check out procedures, mainly to distract him further. We'd distracted him so badly, that he'd forgotten all about what happened for the day, because we hauled in the first mother-lode of gems he's seen all week long.” Cats Eye finishes the tale, Little Gear having stopped working to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. It was appreciable, because to her it represented a lot of the workforce in Manehatten, where all you got from those in power was yelling and anger...usually over little details like protocol and such.

“Well, that's a pretty funny tale. Got any more?” Little Gear asks, wiping away a tear of mirth from laughing so hard. Cats Eye grins as he shakes his head.

“Nah, the rest of my jokes are just puns. Like 'What kind of rock do you use to make a door? Agate.' and 'What do you call a red stalactite? Hematite.' silly things like those...” he jokes, watching as Little Gear just laughs uproariously at the silliness, having rolled onto her back. It takes a few minutes for her to recover, Cats Eye blinking a little as he looks at Little Gear.

“Those are pretty good...is it okay if I pen a few jokes myself?” she asks, getting to her hooves and staring at him. He shrugs, grinning a little.

“Well, sure. Nopony's gonna stop you from trying. Just remember, comedy has to have a beginning, a middle and an end.” he instructs, Little Gear nodding as she carefully heads back to work on her prosthetic.

Chapter 4: Old Visits, New Damages

Several months later saw Cats Eye discharged from the hospital with a crutch-leg custom designed with help from Little Gear's designs by the Doctor known as Dr. Stable. This was to be the first of a full line of crutches designed personally for ponies who have lost legs from injuries related to work or otherwise, including accidental encounters from the Everfree Forest. However, during this time where Little Gear was working cautiously on her leg design...

“Hey, I finally found ya...you wouldn't believe how long it took me to get a straight answer from your folks, along with getting an earful of--” Snow Glider blinks as she was suddenly being hugged by Little Gear, the young pegasus mildly surprised at the immediate reaction. It was several awkward minutes, as Little Gear realizes she'd forgotten to put on the crutch-leg she has. Fortunately, Snow decides to break the silence.

“So...it was true. You DID have your leg taken off...” she mutters, sounding mildly upset. Little Gear blushes a little, knowing she shouldn't be embarrassed and yet completely ashamed at this.

“Y-yeah...do you...do you mind helping me back over? I kinda...need to put on my 'replacement'.” she mumbles, Snow giving Gear a smirk before helping the earth pony walk over to the crutch-leg. She watches as Little Gear slips on the harness and secures it on, mildly amazed that she can manage with just one foreleg to hold things.

“...is this how you've been spending your years? Gear, what are you doing that needs so much movement? Last I heard they were forbidding you from even getting out of the bed.” Snow states, glancing around at the room and then spying the blueprints Little Gear was working with. She canters over to it, keeping her wings furled at her sides since flying was forbidden in the hospital during visiting hours.

“Yeah, well...here in Ponyville the doctors understand if somepony needs fresh air. Though I'm not surprised, since the air in Manehatten wasn't all that great...you should know, Snow. Your brother used to complain about it all the time...” Little Gear grumbles, looking at Snow Glider challengingly...something Snow herself had never seen before in her best friend. In fact, she was hoping it'd be easier to come back and pick up their friendship where it left off, with her helping Little Gear to walk. The fact she was walking on her own, long before getting any help from Snow was shocking...and mildly insulting.

“So...you just decided to abandon what I promised you? That I'd be there to help you walk? You know it took you two years to just get well enough to be moved out of the hospital, right? How could you do this without me?! Didn't I tell you to wait for me?!” Snow starts to yell at Little Gear at the end, starting to go into her own histrionics of drama. Little Gear's ears flop down, her expression quickly souring at this whining from Snow.

'This wasn't what I want to hear from Snow Glider...I just want to hear how home is doing, whether my parents are doing well. The shop was always faster when I'm helping out, so somepony has to have started helping out there....if not, then I need to go home soon.' Little Gear thinks to herself, mildly blotting out the continued hysterics of Snow Glider's drama. She tunes in just in time to hear, “--and what are your parents going to do about this?! They can't be at all that agreeable on letting you return! Its going to hurt sales and better yet, nopony of the upper class would want to let you work on their clocks! It'd be a disaster! You hear me? DE SAS TER~!”

Little Gear narrows her eyes at this, now quite angry as Snow Glider had just insulted her family's honor and capabilities should she return, “...shut it.”

“...wut.” Snow Glider states, her drama cut much shorter now as she notices Little Gear's hardened expression.

“I said...shut ya mouth. I can't beleev I called ya a friend befo' dis. I waited two years fo' ya to return, so ya finally appear afta' two more yeah's? What makes ya so wellcum ta do so? I thought ya remembah'd how most of my life had been spent in 'ard wurk and back-breakin' labor movin' tha 'eavier piles of gears and metuls for my fam'ly, 'ours an' years spent bein' a good helpa and doin' tha hardest part'a tha job?” Little Gear stomps the crutch-leg, which causes a reverberating 'thoomp' on the ground, Gear herself moving closer towards Snow.

“I...I-I...uhm...” Snow barely tries to talk, Little Gear immediately stopping her.

“Dun't talk! Ya dun't deserve ta keep me as a friend any more with all'a dis! As far as I'm concerned, this friendship is OVER!”

“But...I...”

“OVER!” Little Gear snarls the word out, Snow Glider flinching at it and recoiling away, nearly tumbling over her rear legs as she steps back. Little Gear wasn't aware of the extremely hardened and angry gaze she was giving Snow, though she could see a slight reflection in Snow's eyes.

“I....” Snow sniffles, the fact of their friendship being over having fully hit her...having hit both of them, in fact as Little Gear realizes she'd just shoved away the last pony she knew as family. Snow quickly turned and galloped out of the hospital, paying no heed to the nurses warning her to trot instead, tears burning in her eyes as she goes out and flies off into the sky. Little Gear had tried to follow her, but could only do so at a trot because of her crutch-leg. She keeps her gaze skyward, tears straying at the edges of her face on a friendship lost.

“I...I'm sorry, Snow Glider. Pahaps 'tis betta widout ya.” Little Gear mutters, carefully sitting down and watching on as Snow disappears completely into the clouds overhead. She slowly thinks through everything, 'I'm....I will speak normal from here on out....until such a time that things are fixed.'

Author's Note

And here's the dynamic of what used to be Little Gear and her best friend Snow Glider. The reference of Snow Glider's brother 'Whiteout' is a nod to a friend of mine, whom I was in a MLP-style RP IRC chatroom for a while. If anyone is expecting me to have Whiteout appear....don't bother, its all up to the owner of that OC as to whether they appear in this story or not.

Chapter 5: Flash of A Friendship

It had been a month of sadness and tears for Little Gear following the parting of ways from her and Snow Glider. The two were inseparable as younger fillies, always playing together and oftentimes Little Gear would encourage Snow Glider to try to fly. This attributed to Snow's first flight, years earlier than even her older brother Whiteout's own first flight. This was but one achievement that made the two close friends, their friendship a strong bond that they knew would take a strenuous situation to break.

A situation like what had happened when Little Gear saw Snow Glider visiting her at Ponyville Medical Clinic, whereupon the two were away from each other previously four years. It hurt both of them to see the other, Snow Glider couldn't believe how relaxed and imprisoned Little Gear seemed, just content to have her small space out back to walk in and this miniature world she'd gotten in a hospital. Little Gear was appalled at how much Snow Glider was losing her carefree attitude and becoming concerned about the upper class and status, forgetting her own humble start and entertaining thoughts of becoming rich.

“...I could never go back and fix all of that. Four years apart with friends like Snow and I used to be...you just do not fix something like that when it breaks.” Little Gear was talking to a blue pony lying in their own bed in a separate room, a pony which was a young colt at roughly her own age. His mane and tail were a clean white, though it had faded a little in color due to the fact he was stuck in the bed for most of his time.

“...that's harsh. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that with me and Dasher any time soon.”

“You were lucky to have a friend who still lives in the general area the hospital is in. I do not have anypony but my parents to return to now.” Little Gear sighs, looking away and to the window. It was a bright day outside, and she'd come earlier so she could catch Lightning Shaker before he'd head out. Oddly enough, he'd asked if she had friends before recently, which is why she'd recapped her entire friendship with Snow Glider.

“I wouldn't say that...if she was as hurt as you were by all that, I'm sure if a chance was given you two could become friends again...especially since you seem to have a thing for her.” Lightning chuckles, nudging Little Gear's good shoulder amusedly. She blinks, giving a light gasp and shaking her head rapidly enough that it rattled her mind a little.

“Nonononononono....nothing like that! I mean...well, it was a really close friendship, just all platonic. There was no underlying suggestiveness or anything! We just loved hanging out with each other is all....” Little Gear states, wondering just why Lightning was teasing her on this. After another round of laughter from him, she realizes he's just doing this to get her riled up. Promptly turning her defenses on again, making her shirk back from him a little.

“Heeey, don't get so touchy on it. I bet you'd say the same about me and Dream Dasher if you saw how we act all the time...”

“Hmm? But I thought you two were like brothers? I thought me and Snow Glider technically are the same thing in a way?” Little Gear's appeal to logic immediately pushed aside Lightning's jokes, making them look rather laughably ridiculous now.

“....yeah, I guess so. Huh, didn't think I'd meet anypony else with extra family, I guess. Well, just goes to show that nothing is always the same.”

“Yeah...” Little Gear adds at the end, gazing out the window again. Lightning laughs and slowly gets out of the bed, Little Gear moving to assist him despite the fact she could wind up tripping again. The few weeks previously were something she'd been surprised at, ever since Lightning had arrived she'd seen friends and family of his come to visit and one even helped her up after a rather tame trip-up one day. It went without saying that she envied him a little, but not enough to completely turn green with envy.

“You know...helping me stand isn't exactly something you have to do....I'm not totally helpless with my wings back in full use.” Lightning mutters to Little Gear, whom just blushes a little.

“I felt it necessary...I owe it to you for considering me family.”

“You owe me nothing, and that's final. Just be happy and don't get depressed over everything, okay? There are too many other ponies to worry about if you take that approach to life.” Lightning admonishes, lightly shoving Little Gear along. She stumbles forward a little, then sighs and continues onwards.

“I still think you are too trusting of other ponies...but I am glad you trust me.”

“I trust you because something tells me that you're a worthy pony to trust. I think its that solid attitude you have, always so grounded and logical. Nothing at all like the others. And besides, you act like a little sister to me...I could always use one of those...” Lightning reasons, Little Gear staring at him like his head would float off or something.

'I swear, this colt just doesn't know what he's saying, or he's really good at charming the ladies...whatever it is, I'll be sure to keep an eye on him until I have to leave.' Little Gear thinks to herself, before continuing towards the outside to go find a place to sit and chat for a while.

The rest of the day was spent with the two talking about various things, eventually Little Gear putting the finishing touches to her prosthetic so it could be built. She was finally close enough to leaving for home, capable of helping her family once again and able to do something about it all...now if only she could forget this feeling of sadness and anxiety at leaving behind Lightning and Dasher...

Chapter 6: Discoveries and Mysteries of Magic

It was a clear and bright day, perfect for anypony who wanted a picnic to take advantage of the weather. In fact, Little Gear was amused by the fact she'd already thought to head out in the early morning, having accidentally run into Dream Dasher heading to the Hospital.

“Funny how they say you're not supposed to be this far away from the Hospital, Gear. You sure they won't know you're gone?” Dasher asks, mildly amused with the rather sheepish filly.

“...yes, they will not suspect a single thing. It is hard to keep me cooped up for long, as I like to walk alone for hours at a time.” she mutters, still trying to warm up to the Earth colt who to her was a literal jerk a day ago. 'Well, not really all that much of a jerk, but he certainly didn't think anything through at all. That little magical orb inside that lantern has gotta be some potent magic or something. It glows brightly and yet only sheds a soft light when we're around it. There HAS to be some way I can harness that into the prosthetic to get it to move at the speed I'd need it to....though I could just use the original clockworks I'd designed too...maybe wait until some time later in my life to make a magical power source.' she thinks to herself, not noticing that Dasher had been busy talking about something.

“...and that's it, really. I thought it was strange that Lightning even survived those burns from the Nightmares.” Little Gear blinks, as she'd caught what she supposed was the tail end of Dream Dasher griping about their altercation in dealing with the Nightmares. Little Gear stays silent, thinking on this a little bit before grinning brightly. “...what's that look for? You can't seriously be thinking about what I just said...”

“No, but its an amusing story I think you could enjoy listening to.” Little Gear states, coughing just a little to clear her throat before giving a hearty drawl, “Yarrrrr, so this be tha strong Dream Dasher, arr? I bet ye can't even buck a goat in tha eyes while tanglin' with a Sea Serpent, matey!” This prompted Dasher to stare at her for a while, mildly confused for a bit. Little Gear smirks and continues on, deciding to keep up the impromptu act, “C'mon, matey...ya seem a little worse for wear in that saddle o' yours, tell us tha straight an' narrow 'bout yer tale. What was it really like ta fight a monstrosity bigger than yerself? Come now, don't be shy and perhaps I'll only smack ya once with mah sword!”

Little Gear grins lightly, half-standing up on her hind legs and detaching the crutch from the holster to swing it like a sword. This got Dasher to laughing, whereupon Little Gear just kept going on, “Seriously, mate, ya sound like a bawlin' filly with that laughter. Ya gotta put more heart inta it. Like this! Yarrr harr harr harr arrrrrrrrrrr.” Little Gear chuckles, still keeping up the pirate impersonation rather perfectly. This just got Dasher to laugh even more, sinking to his haunches and starting to look a little pained before he gets enough of a break to take a breath.

“Wow...that's pretty good...you got any more?” Dream Dasher grins, looking at Little Gear expectantly. She smirks and lightly closes one eye to act like she's got an eyepatch.

“Yarrr, kiddo, that barely even has me started. Ye think I'm all but done now? Ye'll have another thing comin' for that swindling of meh honor!” She growls out, the practiced accent now flowing so smoothly that it felt normal. Dasher just laughs more, even harder than before and nearly knocking himself to the ground.

“Arrr...perhaps ye be wantin' a taste of meh blade? I can tell ye that I've had this thing dipped in salt water for days just ta get the rust just right. Ye can't rush perfection, I'm told, but I managed to get this so crusty and barnacle'd that it hurts just to look at!” Little Gear states, standing and swinging the crutch around again, “Took me only seventeen days! And that ain't even tha start of it all!”

Dream Dasher was on the ground, rolling in laughter as he gasps out, “Stop, stop, I can't take it!”

Fortunately for Dasher, that was about when Little Gear noticed that Lightning was about to try testing out his wings. She goes silent, quickly replacing her crutch-leg back and standing back on all four hooves, carefully paying attention to Lightning's flight pattern. To her it looked mildly awkward and unsteady, a cautious pegasus regaining his memories. The rest of the day went uneventfully and soon enough Little Gear had proposed an idea to Dream Dasher.

“So...that orb of light you got from the ruins. I know you don't read much into magic, 'cuz frankly who as an Earth pony would care about it...but I wanted to have a chance to get a closer look at it? The one time you showed it before, all I could think about was how wrong it felt to suddenly have a magical artifact being bandied about like a toy...” she states, still sounding disapproving of how Dream Dasher had originally shown off the light source.

“Sure. I've no idea what you'd use it for, but I guess that's what this would be about...” Dasher mutters, mildly worried about the artifact breaking.

“Yeah, so...meet up tomorrow and discuss it in the early morning?” she asks, grinning lightly. Dasher nods, starting to trot off before stopping short in his tracks.

“...well, there is a better idea...I could hide out at your room for the night instead and we can check it out the whole night?” he asks, thinking mainly that because she's so smart, she must have a dozen test to put it through and it'll take a long time regardless of how early he gets up in the morning.

“Hmmm...you sure you'd be okay with that? I'm a filly after all, won't that just unnerve you for the whole time?” she teases, giving an amused grin and wink. Dream Dasher stares at Little Gear for a whole few moments' time, completely lost on just what she's doing. After the pregnant pause, she facehoofs softly enough to not hurt herself, “Okay, okay, I get it...you don't care because I'm part of the family...let's just get going and see if I can't...”

“Ah, Little Gear, there you are. I was hoping you were outside.” a familiar motherly voice states, Little Gear and Dasher swiftly turning to the source and finding Nurse Redheart standing there and smiling.

“Uhm....h-hello.”

“You don't need to be shy around me, Little Gear. I heard what you're planning. Its all right, you're allowed constant visitors while the other half of the room's empty. Just don't make it a habit, okay?” Nurse Redheart smirks, before trotting off. The two younglings just stare after the older mare, blinking as if they'd heard wrong.

“...you heard that right, Dash?”

“Yeah, I did, Gear...”

“....you think we'll get caught doing this?”

“Maybe not. If anypony comes in like a doctor, I can just hide under the bed.” he states, Little Gear nodding and turning around to head back.

“Well then, let's get started.” she starts trotting back, at least for what she can do as a trot. Its still awkward to move fast with the crutch-leg but she's been managing it lately.

~~~~~Some time later in Little Gear's Room~~~~~

“So, this is what you do when you're getting ready to do tough work?” Little Gear huffs and groans, lowering her body as close to the ground as possible before using her legs to push back to stand up. She continues to work on her muscles like this, Dream Dasher nodding lightly.

“Yeah, Lightning always saw it as silly and pointless...but he's a pegasus, so for him its all about the wings. I can tell you really need this workout, so keep at it for as long as you can each day.” There's a soft knock on the door, getting them both to panic for a bit before Dasher opens it to reveal Lightning standing there and looking confused.

“Hey Dasher, Gear...what's up?” Lightning asks, wandering in as Little Gear straightens up, grinning lightly underneath the slight sweat she'd worked up with Dasher's workout suggestion. The two Earth ponies share a knowing glance before addressing the pegasus, smirking lightly as they confirmed that keeping her muscle recovery a secret wouldn't be all that hard to do.

Chapter 7: Grinds Mah Gears

It was a few days after the fateful meeting with Princess Celestia, and Little Gear was looking at all the metal parts she'd managed to get on order from Celestia herself. The chance to get the most expensive metals and kinds that would last a ponies' lifetime...and she only wanted the most basic of metals to work with, Iron. No copper-lined steel, or carbon fiber cores, not even the strongest of the precious metals would do for her. Little Gear wanted to be absolutely sure that by her hoof this was made, so she specified it to be a simple malleable iron.

“Dunno why you wanted it this way, but I believe all geniuses of their own caliber and measure deserve some leniency. This is merely just a hoof-full of bits worth, barely pocket change for some ponies. I believe you will find it just as useful as you imagine, Little Gear. Princess Celestia tasked me to find you this, so when I heard what it was...I scoffed at the idea. Its cheap, but considering your ideas and what they are to accomplish, I realized that you are a shrewd businesspony with a taste for the practical. I wish nothing but the best of luck to you, so that we may one day meet and I can give you a proper thanks for this most helpful of meetings.

Of Her Majesty's Special Services,

Cat's Eye

P.S. Yes, I was at the hospital due to an injury in the line of work for our Princess. That whole 'miner pony' thing was just a cover to see if you were indeed the pony she was looking to meet. I'm also told that a current Royal Guard was sent to Ponyville for a friend of yours. Lightning Shaker, is it? If so, give Snow Star my regards later...perhaps when you grow up, Little Gear. It is imperative that I not break code, since it is uncommon for a Non-Agent to receive thanks.

P.P.S. Oh, one final thing, Little Gear. Return to your family once you've gotten that hoof made. There's been news lately about their roaring success in making heart-based stimulators or whatever they're called. Pace-something's, some nonsense like that. I believe you may find help with your project back where you began, Good luck...future genius.”

Little Gear didn't know what to make of this letter that came with the literal crate of iron that was shipped to the hospital, though all she did know is that the amount of iron here was more than enough for her to make her own leg...for now. She did know it would take more iron later on, when she got older and her legs were longer. But for the moment, it was more than sufficient. Granted, this did give her plenty to work with to build up a repertoire and menu of sorts for other ponies.

“...perhaps I could make a leg for Cat's Eye. He did send me all of this and it would be rude to only make my own leg with it.” she mutters, looking at the frozen flame-like crystal curiously. She smirks and sets to work on creating magic-based capacitors, the most basic of building blocks for the power source.

~~~~~Several Hours Later~~~~~~

There was a knocking at the door, snapping Little Gear out of her reverie of metal beating and careful work to fashion a workable magic channeling conduit.

“..yes?”

“Little Gear, lunch has arrived.” Nurse Redheart sing-songs, trotting in with the usual cart and easily setting up the food on the tray that slips out and around to the side of the bed. Redheart was so into her lunch setup that she hadn't realized Little Gear was standing on her own, working on the heaps of metal all over the floor next to her bed....at least, not until she went to check for the glass of water, which caused the light from the window to bounce off a particularly shiny bit of metal and make her squint. Her reaction was to stare at Little Gear, dumbfounded at the filly's energetic work as half of the prosthetic she was building had been created so far.

“L-little Gear...you did all of that so far?” she asks, the filly smirking and nodding before abandoning her project to start eating. It was only a slightly messy affair, mainly due to Little Gear's ravenous appetite. Nurse Redheart just keeps watch of the filly, occasionally glancing towards the shaped iron pieces that were littering the floor around the other hospital bed. Once Little Gear finally finished her lunch, Redheart simply gave a small smile, “Well, if you can clean it up, I think we may be able to move in another patient with you later today...”

“Another new pony to meet? Is it anypony who has a lost limb?” Little Gear implores, curious as her eyes sparkle and shine with a brilliance of wanting to help another like herself. Nurse Redheart smiles lightly, putting a hoof to Little Gear's mane and softly rubbing it.

“No, but she's a pony who needed some help recovering from some wing trauma. I heard they moved her out from Manehatten to here on the same basis as your treatment, so fresh air is important.” she states, giving a soft nod to Little Gear. The young filly just sighs and shakes her head, moving over to her piles of shaped iron and slowly returns to work.

“So, who is it that I'm going to have for a roommate now?” Nurse Redheart checks the list of patient names, noticing that this pony was listed as requiring anonymity for her name.

“I can't really tell you, but she has her reasons for privacy. I'm sure you'll get along just fine...she's a filly about the same age as you, maybe one year older. A pegasus if you need to know what kind of pony. Please have the area around the bed cleaned up by supper tonight, Little Gear?” there was a muttering along the lines of an affirmation of some sort as the mechanically-minded filly continues her work.

~~~~~~Several Hours of Work and Cleanup Passes~~~~~~

“Little Gear? Company has arrived...” Nurse Redheart states, a little flatly and walks in ahead of the pony to join them. There's a pause as Little Gear waits with baited breath, then instantly takes a sharp inhale at seeing...

“H-hi, Gear....” Snow Glider was back, and her wings looked in terrible shape...drooping and even losing a few feathers from the looks of it. She's avoiding eye contact with Little Gear so much, that she doesn't even notice her stance is shifting far enough to lean her half onto the other bed. There's just this long silence as Little Gear half-squints at Snow Glider, wondering and mentally accusing the pegasus of purposefully hurting herself to get here JUST to see her.

“Well, you two fillies play nice. Wouldn't want one of you to get hurt even worse from anything, all right?” Nurse Redheart says confidently, the two fillies barely recognizing her words as the Nurse heads out, shutting the door silently behind.

It was another twenty minutes or more before Snow Glider broke the silence, “Yeah....wing trauma. They can't rightfully say I'm losing my wings due to a peculiar disease...” This got Little Gear curious as she slowly moves closer to look at Snow's wings.

“....so jest what is dis den?” she mutters, Snow giving a wry grin at hearing that familiar accent all over again.

“Wull...its jus' a condition that slowly removes all'a my feathers, then the wings themselves. They call it 'Wing Rot', some sorta ol' Pegasi version of what happened to yer tail.” Snow says, blushing lightly as Little Gear gives a slight grin from that.

“I'll have ya know that my tail didn't rot out....it just didn't exist ta begin wit'.” she snarks back, before sighing and looking at the wings of Snow Glider again. She noticed a peculiar dark molting to 'em, which she lightly touched with a hoof before finding it stung something fierce and pulled back.

“...wull...they did say I'd have a lot of blood loss...but so far all that's come out is that dark stuff. I think they might'a said its supposta be feathers....but they don' feel like feathers atall.” Snow Glider remarks, as Solid Gear prods and checks Snow's wings for a bit. She even moves the wings lightly, just to see if any new feathers fall out. A single, bright white feather falls out and lands by Little Gear's hoof, the curious Earth Pony examining it.

“Hey....this one's completely normal. What gives? I thought one of the darks would've fallen out.” Gear mutters, Snow mildly nervous at the switch in accent. Little Gear then moves back and puts it on her bed, turning to Snow Glider, “You sure you didn' jus' make up that disease? Seems awfully fishy...” she mutters, staring Snow straight in the face.

“Well....uhm....” Snow fidgets, her wings shuffling and she yelps lightly as one extends out fully to show off that....while she was losing feathers, she was growing in new ones....but at a faster rate than they fell out or could be preened out. Much like an Earth Ponies' teeth could get crooked from growing in too quickly, Snow Glider's more adolescent wings were coming in quite awkwardly enough to prevent proper flight capability. The wing was quickly retracted in, as Snow blushed crimson to avoid looking any more incriminating.

“That would keep you grounded for half'a month, Snow....but you'll be outta here before I am.” she says, smirking lightly and returning to her prosthetic works, moving all the still-in-process pieces around to the clear area where she works. Snow Glider watches this, sitting on her bed.

“Wull....at least I kin keep ya company while ya wurk.” she mutters, Little Gear nodding silkenly as she lets the pegasus talk some more about things. It eventually turns to memories of home, how things used to be and suddenly enough.

“....I'm sorry for bein' such an idiot, Gear....” Snow Glider was looking away and Little Gear heard the faintest of sniffles. She slowly looks up from her work, spying that her old friend who was obviously trying really hard to revive their friendship....crying.

“If there's anypony who would deserve to not have a secon' chance. Its you. I really shouldn't....but ya kinda...wull, let's jus' say ya Grind Mah Gears a good bit more than ya used ta.” Little Gear states, trying her best to be tactful despite her really wanting to be honest and level with Snow Glider. There's a dead silence as Little Gear does some more work on her prosthetic, Snow Glider frozen with fear and sadness from what she'd just heard.

'I...I 'grind her gears'? Is that some odd way of tellin' me that I should try to be more helpful or....what?' Snow Glider thinks to herself, confused and baffled on top of all her other emotions. This just kept prolonging the silence...until finally.

“Look, Snow....I'm not keen on givin' other ponies secon' chances, but if yer willin' to try and fix things up...I can't say anythin' agains' ya.”

“Wull...then can we start over....from where we...first met?” Snow Glider asks, looking mildly more hopeful than she should be. Little Gear looks up and eyes Snow cautiously, then moves over and offers out her left hoof.

“Sure....My name's Little Gear...yours?” Snow Glider offers out her own left hoof to touch Little Gear's completing the hoofshake.

“Snow Glider....nice to meet ya.”

Author's Note

Well...uhm...yah, sorry for this being so long in updating folks.

Not sure how many of you even read this stuff, but I'm finally back to writing for a while. At least this new Chapter will be more interesting and present a different light on Little Gear and Snow Glider.....or just fall flat as I try to think of more chapters about them...

Oh well, hopefully you all enjoyed it!