The next day had both Drill and Comet pranced through New Canterlot streets.

It was an unusually sunny day which only brightened Drill’s typical sour mood. But even without all that, there was something so endearing about having Comet ride his back to work. He’d dare say it but he felt a fulfilling joy taking care of the colt, seeing him smile, tucking him in, helping him eat breakfast without either his wings.

Put simply, it felt special.

As he stepped to the side to dodge the morning Automaton, his moment of patience allowed him to see the twinkle in Comet’s eye, his jaw-dropping as he watched the metal strider walk by them with awe.

Drill had to suppress a chuckle, it wasn’t that long ago he too was humbled by the machines. On one hoof he longed for being able to experience that childlike wonder again, but on the other he was already experiencing something new, something fresh and fulfilling.

“Is this what it feels like to have a kid?” He thought, sharing Comet’s grin. “I think I could get used to fatherhood.”

Not long after they arrived within the agricultural district, a whole section of the city dedicated to feeding its populace. With the predominant buildings surrounding them being the life sustaining Hot Houses.

All around them the duo were flanked by large steel frames fitting thick, specially treated glass that didn’t frost over. Greenhouses warm enough that the duo could see ponies walk around in only light clothing, and with enchanted magical crystals to act as sunlamp bulbs.

There were some of the only places ponies could go that weren’t freezing and somewhat a reminder of how the world used to be.

The buildings were lined up in rows with ponies pushing sealed carts to and fro. Containing seeds, fertiliser, spare parts, freshly picked veggies, and many more Drill couldn’t list.

“Mr. Drill Bit, is this where we’re going to work?”

“In one of them yes, number…thirty-four if I remember correctly? Keep an eye out Comet.”

“Sure thing!” Comet then got up and spread his wing.

In a moment Drill braced and managed to catch Comet as he jumped off and nearly face planted to the ground, instead being gently set down.

Comet groaned as reality kicked in. “I hate not being able to fly.”

“I know Comet, I know. Let’s just try to get through today as best we can, you’ll see, being on the ground isn’t so bad.”

“How do you know that when you’ve never been in the air before?” Comet said unamused.

Drill leaned back in surprise and began rubbing his neck. “Well uh…at least you're not at the Ore Plant anymore, are you?”

Comet paused for a moment, “N-No, no I’m not.” Before looking up to him with a smile. Drill shared in that and the two went off again, this time without any more issues as they soon found the Hothouse.

Drill led them through the foyer and punched their cards, already feeling warm air being blown into the reception via a vent. He had to suppress another bout of laughter as Comet’s mane blew around without direction, something the colt seemed to notice and take joy in.

When the two actually entered the Hothouse proper it felt like walking into a spa.

The air was pleasingly hot (as expected) and humid, with no shortage of light from the overhead lamps. Rows and rows of vertically stacked grow beds lined the walls and mid-section of the greenhouse, stretching until they reached the opposite end of the building.

Already the earthy smells of soil, vapour and compost greeted their senses and Drill felt as though he was breathing fresh air again. Nevermind the metallic tinge nor shifting machinery audible from the other rooms, this felt good, it felt natural.

It felt like home.

The two waited a while and soon somepony came over, having heard the entrance cycle. She was an earth pony easily in her twenties, featuring a pale yellow coat and apple red mane with a little bow in the back. Tall enough for Comet to tell she’d overtake Drill in a top shelf reaching contest every time, which prompted a quiet grin.

Not only that but her denim overalls, while well kept, were caked in soft grime and muck while the mare herself offered a welcoming smile.

If the word farming were a pony, it would be her.

“Howdy Fellas! I’m Applebloom, ah take it yall are ma’ new greenhooves?”

“Ah yes, good morning! I’m Drill Bit and this is my adopted son, Comet Trail.” Drill smiled as best he could, but he still had to force himself to say it. He knew he’d get used to calling him son in due time, but the initial feeling of awkwardness had to be overcome.

“You seem surprisingly young for a Forepony.” He added, noting again that she barely looked into her twenties.

“Well when ya big sister’s the Element of Honesty, ya tend to draw favours.”

“Wait, you’re sisters with Applejack?!” Drill exclaimed, mind again drawn back to the time before the Frost.

“Yep! Been farmin’ with her since ah was a filly! Fun fact, didja know she helped Princess Twilight design the Hothouses?” Bloom raised an eyebrow.

Drill recoiled and almost fumbled his words. “Uh-no! No I did not!”

“Ha, well now ya do! Have fun with that lil’ insight.”

He looked around the room anxiously, already feeling somewhat shy being around just an element barer’s sister. Was this what it was like seeing a micro celebrity? Either way Comet was barely containing himself seeing Drill fumble so much.

“Is she here? Applejack I mean.”

“Fraid’ not partner, ain’t seen her since the Great Storm.” Bloom’s smile waned and her voice dropped, now tinged with grief. “Shame really, was hopin she could join me…”

Drill knew that look, it was one he had himself at one point. With newfound sympathy “There’s a pony I wished could’ve joined me as well, but the best we can do is move on.”

“Yeah…yeah! She wouldn’t have wanted me ta moop ‘bout her all day long. Now let’s see about gettin’ you two-” Applebloom’s otherwise cheery smiled quickly vanished into shock when she saw the casted stump where Comet’s wing should’ve been. “-Oh you poor thing!”

Applebloom snapped back to Drill Bit. “What the hay happened?”

“Let’s just say I used to be an Ore Plant Forepony and leave it at that.”

The farmer stared at him for several seconds before connecting the dots, and turned back to Comet who now seemed somewhat frightened of her. Without missing a moment she stepped forward faster than the colt could react and enveloped him in a tight hug.

Now it was Drill’s turn to grin as Comet was caught up in a vice that was just a little too tight for him.

It was still heartwarming to witness though as Comet sheepishly tried to return the love, despite his cheeks being the size of tennis balls.

“There, now why don’t ya help me spread some fertiliser ‘round? Drill? Can I trust ya to keep the carrot section fed? Just top off the plant feeders and sprinkle in some magic, I'll check in soon.”

Drill Bit nodded and headed off…

Only to realise he had no idea where he was going.

“Uh, Ms. Bloom? Do you know where-”

“Just look fer signs!”

Drill mentally smacked himself in the head at such an obvious answer.

“Signs, got it, this place has those.”

He wandered around for a bit taking in the sights and smells, he’d honestly almost forgotten what fresh plant matter smelled like and took his time, indulging a little. At some point whatsoever was he tempted to take a bite, not at all! Absolutely none!...

“I’m going to enjoy having my full ration after this, dear Celestia I need it.”

After passing by a dozen or so other workers he found the carrot section and by the sun it wasn’t small. A whole section of the Hothouse was lined with darkly painted grow beds full of green and brown, occasionally broken up by specks of orange.

Each grow bed was pushed forward slightly more than the one above it so they could all catch some sunlight, forming a steep staircase of vegetables.

He counted each grow bed rack to have about ten beds, with up to ten racks from one wall to the other and there being about five rows in his section alone.

“Five hundred racks…welp, just because it’s safe work doesn’t mean it’s easy. Best get started.”

Hours ticked by as Drill went to work trying to keep them all topped off. Thankfully each rack had a control panel which he could use to have them shift positions in case he couldn’t reach the taller ones. Mixing the plant feed was easy enough and using Earth Pony magic was something he’d learned in elementary.

But it all took time, a lot of time. He knew with practice he’d speed up and find shortcuts but he wasn’t even halfway done when he was shaken by a scream. A shrill, young scream he was uncomfortably familiar with.

“Buck not again!”

Drill set aside a jerrycan of plant feed and dashed off towards the scene, rushing around other workers and through different sections.

What was it this time? A giant carnivorous plant? A swarm of insects? Maybe a strangleweed somepony mistook when swapping seeds around?

Why did his mind immediately go to such horrible scenarios?

Whatever the case, Drill didn’t put himself through a rock throwing competition with bucking Iron Might just to lose it all on the first day.

Only when Drill arrived did he see several things going on. Comet was being restrained by a worker, pulled away from a grow bed that had half its contents spilled onto the ground. Something long, blue and feathery was sticking from the bed half crumpled.

Drill’s stomach sunk to his hooves when he realised what it was.

“How in the buck did anything survive the crusher? Shouldn’t that be mincemeat!?”

“No! Let go! I want my wing back!” Comet protested, kicking and bucking as the larger earth pony tried to pin him to the ground. By the looks of it Comet was trying to dig the rotting limb out from the compost layer and in the process would’ve tore up an entire growbed of baby lettuces.

“Comet, please calm down!” Drill insisted, yet the grieving pegasus refused to listen and continued thrashing. The two ponies bounced around from one rack to the other until they neared a table, Comet’s free wing partially blinding the stumbling pony.

“Yeah what he said! Come on kid, before you hurt somepony!”

As if on cue, the two smacked into that table knocking its contents over to the ground, which included a still active chest mounted slow burner that flew through the air.

Drill watched in shock as it crashed against a metal frame, shattering its glass and spilling its fiery contents onto one of the freshly composted lower grow beds.

In an instant the whole bed exploded into a flurry of flames, causing a chain reaction that set off the one above it, and the next, and the one above. Soon the whole rack was gushing smoke and Drill scrambled away, seeing the horrified faces of both Comet and the worker with him.

“Okay that does it!” Drill raced towards a nearby fire box and pulled the door so hard it was nearly torn from its hinges, reaching for the shimmering blue cooling crystal inside. If he weren’t wearing boots his hoof would’ve went numb from exposure alone and in mere moments he returned to the blaze.

His eyes burned and he held his breath as the inferno raged, threatening to consume more of the nearby racks and potentially detonate the Hothouse itself.

But he’d have none of that as he cocked his hoof back and threw the crystal with great strength.

An explosion of vapour threw all parties prone and the tropical air cooled to a chill. Crystal like ice climbed up and engulfed the flames wherever they stretched, entombing the entire rack and then some. Even just the water droplets in the air glistened as Drill climbed to his hooves.

He didn't know how they worked, but the enchanted ice looked as though it had been flash frozen the fire itself.

“Comet. Trail!” Drill raised his voice, before immediately lowering it back to room volume. “Please come here.”

Shuddering from fear, the colt complied and slowly walked passed the solid block of ice that now held his wing. Until now he’d never seen Drill Bit angry and the hard glare he now casted made him feel tiny. Guilt weighed him down just as much when more ponies arrived to see what’d happened.

By the time he’d reached Drill Applebloom had pushed through the crowd she was positively red with rage.

“What in tarnation is goin’ on here?!”

Drill darted his eyes up at her and spoke plainly. “Comet found his wing…”

“Huh?” Drill would nod towards the ice block and after a moment, she’d see it. A frozen object stuck out of the melting glacier vaguely resembling such. She’d then look towards Comet who was quivering and tear-stricken.

At once she was racked with shock and confusion more so than anger. But then the worker who’d restrained Comet raised a hoof.

“Ms. Bloom? The kid was digging up a lettuce patch. If I didn’t do anything he’d have ruined it.”

“And who forgot to extinguish the slow burner on that table?” Drill retorted.

“Both of ya!”

Aside from the usual hums of machinery, the room went dead quiet as Applebloom stared angrily at the worker. “Had ya not wrestled the colt,” She spoke slowly, “we’d still have the damn rack.”

The worker immediately shrunk under her gaze, while Applebloom shifted attention back to Drill.

“Now did anypony get hurt?”

“No Ms. Bloom,” Drill answered, “but may I ask for five minutes with Comet? I need to talk to him.”

The farmer cast her glare at Drill Bit, which for all of Iron Might’s abilities, couldn’t hold a candle to the mare’s own icy gaze. “Yall are damn lucky, that ma sister taught me to be so tolerant.” She breathed in. “Five minutes, once you’re back ah want this cleaned up like it didn’ happen. You’re on the clock.”

With that Drill wasted no time ushering Comet away from the area, trying to find somewhere low traffic with some modicum of privacy.

He didn’t have to get far and when he did he looked him dead in the eyes.

“Comet, I’m not saying I don’t understand, but what you just did wasn’t okay.”

Already barely holding together, those few words were more than enough and Comet broke down. Running up and hugging Drill’s leg he whaled a river of tears. “I want my wing back, I want my wing back, I want my wi-hing baaa-haaack!”

Drill sighed. “Why is he so obsessed with flying again? I mean I get it, but this is a lot, even for a colt.”

His mind went over all that had happened and struggled to piece things together, trying to find something to explain it all.

“Maybe…maybe this runs deeper than I thought it did?”

He knelt down and hugged the young colt, patting him on the back for good measure as his cries were muffled by Drill’s clothes. Asking immediately wasn’t the right call with him so upset, but they only had a few minutes so Drill would have to expedite things.

Still, giving him a chance to at least pour his stresses out was best.

And so Drill did just that, gently rocking from side to side enveloping him in a tight hug. It did make him wonder just what the odds were that he’d stumble upon his own dismembered wing being used as compost? He could imagine the graphic image Comet had just been exposed to, the rotting flesh and disfigured bones.

“Come to think of it, does New Canterlot have a Graveyard?” Drill looked towards one of the nearby racks as morbid curiosity set in. “How many bits and pieces of other ponies are in those things?...”

The thought and image quickly made him feel queasy.

“Maybe working at a Hothouse wasn’t such a good idea after all, a bit late now though.”

At last Comet’s flood dried up and his muffled wails returned to mere whimpers. His facial fur was damp and his eyes pink with emotional burn, but he was coherent.

Drill had to be quick, they didn’t have much time left.

“Comet? May I ask something personal?” The colt turned to him and meekly nodded. “Why do you like flying so much? I know you’re a Pegasus and all, but you seem quite attached to it.”

Comet hesitated, struggling to get the words together right after a breakdown. Drill worried he might not be able to say it in time and for that, he was becoming increasingly nervous. Thankfully though that didn’t stop Comet from trying.

“W-When Mo-Mommy a-and D-Daddy…l-left…I got really sad, s-so I started ff-flying, and it made me feel better.” But now I can’t fly anymore…” Comet’s lip trembled and his shut tight, “I c-can’t…”

“Oh Comet you poor colt, no friends, no toys, nopony to turn to. I should’ve known the moment Rose told me.”

Drill sat down and placed both hooves on his shoulders, keeping his voice low and sincere.

“I know Comet but this, this has to be the last straw. It was a miracle nopony was hurt, but if you keep clinging to the past it’ll ruin only your future.” Drill paused to wipe a tear from Comet’s eye.

“I lost somepony important to me once before and for a time I felt lost, tiny, like nothing mattered anymore. But it’s the memory of those you love that’s most important, not the void they create afterwards.”

“R-Really?” Comet’s eyes widened in surprise at the idea.

“Applebloom said it herself, her sister wouldn’t have wanted her to sulk all day because she’s gone. As long as you’re able to push past that, you’ll be unstoppable.”

Comet appeared to perk up at that, his ears rising and his tail unconsciously wagging around. Drill smiled, ready to continue. But just as he’d opened his mouth the clock ran out.

“Drill Bit! Comet!” Applebloom’s voice sounded through the building.

“Bucking damnit.”

Drill groaned, partially from the moment being ruined and partially because he wasn’t sure everything was ironed out yet…nothing he could do about that now sadly.

“Ugh, we’ll have to talk about this later.” Drill sighed. “But have I helped?”

“Uhm…yeah! I feel kinda better now.”

The stallion smiled at that and without further delay, they went back to work.

Author's Note

New Canterlot does not use cemeteries...