There was Comet, half grappled onto the Generator’s frame, featuring two wings with only one fully open. While from a distance it certainly looked like he had both wings, that couldn’t be right, Drill had seen him lose it first hoof. He’d…

He’d felt the blood, the bone splintering in half as it was devoured whole, muscle and tendons cracking and snapping like wood-

Drill shaked his head and looked up in disbelief. “What in Equestria is he doing up there?!”

One of the ponies from the herd turned to him. “Your guess is as good as mine pal, I dunno why he won’t open his other wing.”

And that was when it clicked.

“That’s because it’s a false wing! He lost it during an accident a week ago!”

All five ponies in the group snapped to Drill Bit and collectively grimaced as the air around them suddenly changed. Their eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as a couple turned back to the endangered colt.

“Is anypony here a Pegasus?!” Drill exclaimed.

A young yellow mare held her hoof up and shortly after flew up. Drill felt a sigh of relief seeing her race toward Comet who by now seemed to struggle in his climb.

His relief was short lived however as one of the hundreds of pieces of the Generator came to life, a hatch blew open and a gust of superheated steam blasted the Pegasus not even half-way up. A shrill scream woke up the passersby and she tumbled to the ground, groaning in pain as a couple of ponies tended to her.

Drill snapped towards a pony at random. “What was that?!”

“A pressure release hatch I guess? Dispels excess steam to help manage the thing.”

He looked back and once Drill saw one he couldn’t unsee them all, several more release hatches dotted the piping hidden under frame, all circling around where Comet had climbed. The scream elicited the colt’s attention and where was once a naive smile quickly descended into sheer horror.

“Just how in Equestria had he managed to get up that high anyway? That must be at least forty metres!”

Several ponies broke out into a gallop and ran off into the streets, likely to catch a guard patrol and get help. All the while Drill stood helpless as Comet clung to the steel frame, high enough the fall would surely crush the boy.

A few more pegasi took off in hopes they could reach him, but the geysers of pure pain provided ample resistance. Going off seemingly at random and with one example already, they were in no rush to gamble against gravity.

“Mr. Drill Bit!?” Comet called out, trying to avoid looking down. “What do I do?”

A few ponies suddenly turned to him and from there the number quickly escalated. Dozens of eyes fell upon Drill and he felt the weight of a world on his back. His heart raced but he remained calm as the crowd expected an answer.

“Uh, can you try climbing down?!”

Comet tried searching for a spot to place a back leg, but one glance at the ground quickly changed his mind. “I…I-I can’t, I can’t!”

Several ponies looked back at Drill unamused. “Thought I’d try the obvious one first.” He shrugged.

Drill then turned around and began pacing in circles, rubbing his temple in an effort to stimulate his brain. “Come Drill Bit think! There has to be something that can help!”

He looked up at the Generator with its many release hatches constantly spitting steam. A few engineers had met the Generator’s staff and were likely talking about shutting them off, but Drill didn’t want to count on that. The Generator was a large and incredibly complex machine, so doing anything on short notice was unlikely at best. And even if it was possible, it’d likely be too late before it was shut off.

“Pegasi can’t get close to grab him, and even if they do, they'll have to run the gauntlet again without dropping him.”

Drill gazed at the ground where he was most likely to land if he fell. It was hard pavement made from cobblestone with a foundational layer of concrete underneath, at least.

“Do we have something to cushion his fall?”

There wasn’t much around the Generator that could do that, not unless everypony collectively threw their clothes into a pile on the ground which was unreasonable. He saw the coal crew feeding the Generator’s fiery belly, the engineers trying to go about inspecting it for maintenance, the little depot with all its spare parts and extra fuel…

But then Drill beyond to the buildings around him and before long settled upon the many, many chimneys lining the rooftops and houses. “Eureka!”

“Hang in there Comet! Help is coming!”

Comet Trail clung onto the exterior frame as best he could, his limbs screaming in protest as his muscles grew tired. A mixture of adrenaline and primal will kept them in place but that could only go so far.

It was fun at first to feel the familiar wonder of ascension, but now things were going so horribly, horribly wrong. Dangerous steam blasted all around him, ponies numbering in the hundreds were gathering to lay their worried eyes upon him, and even his body trembled as butterflies swam around his belly.

“Stupid colt, stupid stupid stupid! You flew too close to the sun!” He berated himself, his face burning up as tears gathered in his eyes.

It was all too much too fast, he didn’t want to be here, every fibre of his being wanted to be anywhere but here. But he couldn’t escape reality as invisible hooves began prying him from the machine.

“I-I can’t hold on!” He screamed.

“It’s okay Comet, we’ll catch you!”

Several more ponies joined in and began shouting like minded things, but they conjoined into an incomprehensible noise that only assaulted his senses further. He dared not look down, if he did he’d fall for sure. It was taking every ounce of will to stay attached but it was a losing battle.

“Somepony help! I-I don’t wanna crash like an asteroid!”

Drill Bit’s voice pierced through the others like a liferaft in an ocean. “You’ll have to trust me, we will catch you!”

Comet hesitated, still trying to desperately hold on despite it all.

But soon even his racing heart and hagged breaths weren’t enough.

He braced himself one final time before he lost grip entirely, screaming as his body flew through into free fall.

Only mere seconds later did the world turn black, then bright, then black again. His body pushing through something soft yet warm and incredibly acrid, bits of dust more akin to rough sand caught onto his fur and mane yet he didn’t open his eyes, having been locked shut by fear.

Finally he landed on something large and plush, like an oversized bean bag chair before stopping entirely.

He stayed still, curled up into a ball as his breathing overtook all other sensation. Finally he opened his eyes and looked around. It took a moment before he realised what he’d landed on.

It was smoke, a cloud made entirely of sooty vapour acting as a catch net and by the look of things he’d fallen through a few of them during descent.

“It worked! I can’t believe it worked!” Drill shouted.

Comet struggled to stand, his limbs were like jelly and every breath made him fit to gag and cough. A pair of pegasi climbed inside and helped the colt to his hooves before leading him off the smoggy mass.

He was positively covered in soot, from head to hoof the boy looked like he’d just cleaned a chimney, but that didn’t stop Drill from rushing forward and offering a hug.

A hug Comet didn’t hesitate to take before crying his eyes out.

Drill could see it now, Comet’s false wing was some kind of homemade prosthetic held together with string, tape and blunted nails. Spare cloth made up the mainsail but there was no mechanical method for it to extend let alone actually function. It was little more than a piece of scrap all but tapped to his stump.

Did Comet think it’d work just by virtue of Pegasi magic?

By all means Drill could see the child-like logic he’d used, artificial limbs were commonplace for the disabled.

Wings on the other hoof? Not so much.

Where’d he get the paint or materials for it to convincingly pass off as a wing Drill couldn’t fathom, but as he sat there watching the boy cry, he felt no ill-will toward him.

“He lost something important and wanted it back, just like I did…”

Ponies all around were mumbling to themselves, some were cheering, exchanging looks or having private conversations. But none of that mattered right now, not even the ponies questioning him or addressing the newly arrived guard patrols.

All that mattered was Comet.

Twice now he’d evaded death by Drill’s intervention, and twice now Drill had proven himself. Once he knew what had to be done it was a simple matter of organisation and quick thinking, both skills a Forepony would have.

At least now he’s certain he’s amended whatever public reputation he had.

“Comet? I’m not angry with you but please, don’t do that again.” Drill looked down into the colt’s eyes as his well dried up. “Okay?”

The soot ridden colt looked up at him with tear streaks made visible by the black dust. “It’s not fair, it’s not fair! I wanna fly with the stars again!”

“I know it’s not fair, Comet, things rarely are.”

“I want my wing back, I want my wing back!” The poor colt was crying, his tears washing away some of the soot on his face.

Drill only held him tighter as he replied. “I’m sorry Comet, if I could give it back I would. But right now you need to promise me you won’t try that again, okay?”

Comet tried replying but felt the words die in his throat, instead hastily nodding.

“Good, now let’s go get you cleaned up, shall we?”

As far as good deeds go, rescuing a cat from a giant metallic tree spitting out steam wasn’t one he expected today…

Comet Trail and Drill Bit stood outside the door to his apartment.

A day had passed since the incident with the Generator and Drill had every intention of making sure it would be the last Comet had to spend at the orphanage. He even went as far as to assist with the renovations himself, much to the protest of his aching muscles.

Drill produced his keys and turned to the young colt, who clutched his Luna plush under an arm. “Ready to see your new home?”

“Uh yeah! But are we going to sleep in the same bedroom?”

A smile graced Drill’s lips as he twisted the handle.

“Oh don’t worry, I won’t be far.”

The colt was timid for sure, but Drill could sense his optimism as he pushed the door open and revealed his newly renovated apartment.

Where as before it was just a living room and a bedroom, now there was an extra bedroom for Comet, if at the expense of the other two’s floor space. The result was each room was now only roughly five hooves wide and ten hooves long not accounting for furniture.

The door to Comet’s bedroom was right in front of him with Drill’s door on the far left and the bathroom on the right. The living room itself was now more of a multi-purpose as on one hoof it had its coat racks and a small chest for boots, but then it had a mini-kitchen and supply cabinet tucked right beside the bathroom door. So it was sort of up in the air what it should’ve been called.

Drill walked inside and held the door for Comet who slowly and cautiously entered, like a curious cat taking in a new environment. Looking around like an avian darting their sight, until Drill tapped on the door directly opposite the entrance.

“And that’s your new room, go ahead, have the honours.”

“My…room?” At once Comet was struck by equal parts excitement and wonder as he approached, with Drill all too happy to open the door for him.

Comet stepped inside and scanned all across the space.

There was a generously sized bed with a steel frame sat beside a curtained window, allowing some natural light into the room even if it was dusk at most. Additionally, a chest of drawers for clothes, some shelves with little knick-knacks, he even had his own little bookcase! Which Drill had partially filled for him.

Comet pranced inside giddily, panning around with stars in his eyes as he inspected…just about everything. Never did Drill think the simple act of opening and closing a draw, or jumping on top a bed would bring such joy to a colt, yet here he was happily neighing!

“I have my own room, I have my own room!”

Drill failed to suppress a hearty laugh as the colt celebrated.

“Fifty bits well spent, shame, I’m gonna miss having the bathroom all to myself.”

All things considered it was a worthy investment, living in a foreign environment would've been stressful enough for poor Comet. Heck, sleeping in the same room wouldn’t have been just uncomfortable, the thought of it felt…wrong.

Celestia forbid Drill didn’t want anypony getting the wrong idea about them.

“Ponies can be so paranoid nowadays.”

He considered himself lucky, not everypony in New Canterlot had the luxury he did. A ten hoof room might’ve been all some ponies had to come back to, assuming they weren’t sleeping in bunks or cell housing.

But seeing Comet roll around his bed hugging his Luna toy was precious, simply precious.

Drill walked in and sat down beside the bookcase, where he began flicking through the various volumes. He’d practically moved a third of his books over to fill this out, and that was on top of the few new ones he’d managed to snag from the surplus store.

It was still a decent collection, but there was one book in particular he was looking for.

“Gotcha, hey Comet!” The pegasus ceased his turbulent rolling and looked his way. “Fancy some bedtime reading?”

Drill then held up a book with a cover depicting a shooting star, proudly displaying Cosmology and Constellations for beginners.

If the little white freckles on his face could gleam they would’ve lit up so, and his smile grew so much one could’ve fit a crescent moon within. Comet sat up as Drill wandered over and took a seat, the night sky taking hold over the horizon with the Generator in view from the window.

Hopefully, It would be the first of many bedtime tuck-ins.

Author's Note

Weather teams work tirelessly to help combat the worst the Frostland's weather can throw at them, but they are by no means able to outright prevent harsh weather like they used to.

Living space is a luxury in New Canterlot as the majority of residential buildings are packed tightly around the Generator to gain the most benefit from it. It's not uncommon for a family of five to share the same bunkrooms.