BridgeWorld

[994AB Day 058]
"You said what to her, sir!?" Alfalfa exclaimed. That got Lucius, who had been holding a malfunctioning bionic wing in his telekinesis, rolling on the floor, yipping with laughter, prompting young Buck to step forward and take the wing into his hooves to keep it from falling to the floor or impacting a table.

"I explained that we were using the household funds to finance the work that we're doing down here," Thomas repeated. "On that note, I'd like you to take the records to show her."

"Um—you do know that I only just got through doctoring those records?" Alfalfa nervously warned, rubbing at her mane.

"Then we'll see how well your alterations hold up," Thomas replied, grinning.

"Look at it this way, Alfalfa," Mareta spoke up. "You'll finally be able to get the finances in order here."

"But the Crown's auditors!? This will prompt them to come down here and take a look at all the work!" Alfalfa protested.

"Princess Celestia specifically said there would be reimbursements for work already done," Thomas countered. "It's a brand-new contract authorizing the research we've been doing, including additional teams of unicorns to help Lucius with analyzing what's going on with the enchantments so that we can perhaps provide new products to the Crown. We'll move the working wings and some of the mutant armor back to the workshop where Lucius can apply the better technology that we have there to help figure them out. And—we might still be able to do some advanced ideas here, like improvements into our research into unicorn horn prosthetics. Princess Celestia has hinted that she's wants to have somepony look into that, too. Since we've already been doing some work in that direction, this will give us a substantial jump ahead of our competitors."

"I definitely can use the help," Lucius said, picking himself up off the floor. "There, I can—" but a sudden humming noise interrupted him, and they all looked to stare at Buck Mane, still holding the bionic wing in his hooves, and was hovering a couple feet in the air.

Immediately, Buck let go of the wing and both he and it dropped. Lucius, however, was quick with flipping one of his tails and caught the wing in his telekinesis before it could land on the floor.

"Buck!? What did you do!? Are you okay!?" Mareta exclaimed, rushing over to hold him.

"I don't know!" the colt exclaimed. "I was just holding it and suddenly it was lifting me up!"

"Are you okay, son!?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, dad, mom, I'm okay," he replied. "It just surprised me, is all."

"That's 'all', you say!?" Lucius demanded. "You got it to work, Buck! I've been working on that thing for months and I couldn't get it to function once! What did you do!?"

"I didn't do anything! I was just holding it!" Buck protested. "Did I break it!?" he fearfully added.

"It was 'broke' already," Lucius grumbled. "What I'd like to know is how did you get it to work!?"

The four adults all looked at each other and silently, they agreed.

"Buck, please show us what you were doing when it activated," Lucius begged.

"I wasn't doing anything," Buck repeated. "I was just holding it."

"Then show us how you were holding it, please," he asked, using his telekinesis to give it to the young colt. At the reassuring nods from his parents, and even Alfalfa, Buck took the wing into his hooves.

"I—I was holding it like this," Buck explained, adjusting his hold. One hoof was cupped under to support the wing's weight, the other hoof was held against the part of the device that was meant to blend into the wing-shoulder joint of the potential pegasus meant to be its recipient. "Just like this," he repeated. Only nothing was happening.

"Anything else?" Thomas asked. "Were you moving your hoof over it?"

"Well, yes, dad," Buck admitted. "I was—well—admiring the feel of this part," he explained, moving his hoof to show them. "It's really smooth and easy on the hoof, Lucius. I'm sure that any pegasus who needed it would appreciate the sensation," he told him, to which the kitsune gave him a toothy smile. But still, nothing was happening, and his smile faded.

"But it's not working now," Lucius muttered, his left ear twitching. "You must have done something, Buck."

"Honestly, I don't know what I did," Buck replied. "I'm sorry."

"Are you sure?" Lucius asked. "Nothing like pushing your mana into it somehow?"

"I—I'm not even sure how to do that!" Buck protested. "All the teachers at school say that earth ponies can't do magic like pegasi or unicorns!"

"We do have magic, Buck," Thomas told him. "It's a different type of magic, however." Lucius snapped his jaws together and cocked his head at Thomas Mane. Then he looked sharply at Buck again.

"Were you thinking of something?" Lucius asked. "Or feeling something when you activated it?"

"Well—while I was looking at it, I was wondering what it would be like to fly like a pegasus—"

And Buck was floating a couple feet in the air….