A slight breeze stirred the unicorns' mane and tail as he sat staring at the contraption propped up against the workbench. The motley collection of cogs, wheels, and straps were held within an odd wooden body shell shaped like one of the mythical creatures mentioned in Twilight Sparkle's prized books. Apparently this creature was called a human. They walked upright on two of their legs while the other two were much higher up on the torso and used for manipulating everyday objects. It was perplexing to say the least, but the design had stirred a strange curiosity within the unicorn. This curiosity had spawned an idea and the ramshackle contrivance balanced precariously in front of him was the result.
The unicorn heard a noise that sounded faintly like his name, but chose to ignore the call. Unfortunately, the source of the noise whizzed into the open workshop on two gossamer wings, the sunlight reflecting off of the polished metal body. Delicate gold filigree decorated the small bird sized bodywork of the hovering object. It flitted around the workshop, never staying still for longer than a minute. Sighing, the unicorn glanced at the irritating object.
"What do you want Glitch?"
"Sprocket Master. A message arrived from Dash Rainbow. Your presence requested is," squawked the small mechanical object.
Sprocket sighed inwardly. He had yet to figure out how to fix the vocal glitch in the sound box. Somehow the instructions on sentence structure were mixed up and now the mechanical assistant switched the last two words around. This error caused a number of headaches for Sprocket, but nothing serious yet. Although it had proved to be inspiration for the device's name: Glitch.
"Tell her I'll be over as soon as I'm finished here."
"But Sprocket, it urgent sounded."
Rolling his eyes, Sprocket stood up. Muscles complained as he stretched his legs. Sitting in the same position for hours on end was not ideal. If it were not for the small device having been one of his first creations, it would have been scrapped for parts years ago. As it was, it had turned into a useful assistant once the proper instructions were loaded into the crystal matrix that served as the mechanical creatures' brain. Reading off the schedule for the day it fluttered around Sprocket as he left the workshop. Glowing faintly, Sprocket waved his horn in the air closing the door to the workshop. A faint click was heard as the intricate locking system slide into place.
Sprocket and Glitch headed up the beaten dirt track toward Ponyville. Rainbow Dash was probably having problems with the mechanical apparatus that helped her friend Tank join her in the skies above Equestria. It was a complicated piece of machinery that required careful calibrations. One little mishap could knock it out of phase, requiring Sprocket to reset and fix the problem. Knowing Rainbow Dash, she had probably convinced Tank to join her in a harebrained excursion to Ghastly Gorge or Everfree Forest. Sighing heavily Sprocket glanced at the flittering silver ball.
"Glitch, did Rainbow Dash happen to mention what she needed?"
"Sorry Sprocket, she did not. But there was a note of urgency in voice her."
"Alright. We should pick up the pace then."
The house shook on its foundations as the sound of a muffled thump came from the basement. Looking at each other, the two ponies on the couch realized another one of their sons' experiments had ended badly. He was an inquisitive colt, always messing with something or other in the basement of the small one story home. He seemed to have an instinctive understanding of the mechanical world that inspired the name Sprocket. This aptitude led to a number of questionable experiments, but his parents indulged his rabid curiosity. The latest craze involved mixing different elements in a bid to find some sort of fuel to power the contraptions occupying virtually every nook and cranny in the basement.
Clopping could be heard as the young colt swiftly climbed the stairs. Smashing through the door, he careened through the kitchen, hooves sliding across the smooth wood. Once more the two ponies on couch looked at each other, silently wondering what their excitable little colt was getting his hooves into this time. Scrambling through the backdoor Sprocket tore off across the well maintained yard. The goal of his headlong flight was the ramshackle shed leaning against a large tree near the edge of the forest that bordered the expansive lawn.
It was here, in this dubious looking construction, that some of the more volatile chemicals were kept. His parents had insisted they be placed here to minimize the risk to the house. This did not deter some of the more risky experiments, but it did cut down on the amount of soot and smoke that would end up circulating through the house due to said experiments. Skidding to a stop on the slightly damp grass Sprocket's horn produced a slight glow and the door swung open. He bounded into the small shack looking around. There! Hidden behind a motley collection of canisters sat a small inconspicuous box. Once more his horn glowed with an azure light. The box slide from its hiding place and floated to a stop in front of Sprocket.
"Found it!" the young colt exclaimed happily.
Turning he dashed once more across the damp lawn, leaving muddy hoof prints on the kitchen floor as he flew across to the basement. His parents sighed once more as he clattered through in his rush to get back to whatever experiment was being conducted in the basement.
"You know, he's going to blow the whole house up one day," his mother casually remarked.
His father snorted in agreement focusing on the paper between his hooves.
"Honey, he may be smart but these chemicals are dangerous."
Looking up from his paper, Sprocket's father noted the concern on his wife's face.
"It'll be fine. I'm sure it's only a phase and soon he'll be back to building strange contraptions that are supposed to help make things easier."
Another muffled thump echoed up from the basement followed by a ragged cheer. Shortly thereafter a slight whirring could be heard through the floorboards. The sound got louder and quieter before finally settling into a steady tone. His parents were startled and shot questioning looks at each other. Had one of Sprockets crazy ideas actually borne fruit? Moments later he emerged, the tip of his tail blackened and splotches of soot covering his flanks. The whirring sound was also getting louder. Suddenly a small object shot out of the basement stairwell and whizzed about the room. Sprocket's parents had difficulty seeing this contraption as it careened about the living room.
Standing in the doorway Sprocket proudly watched his first successful creation explore its new environment. His parents warily watched the thing circle their heads, a slightly stupefied expression on their faces.
"Dad, mom, let me introduce..."
He was cut off as the little flyer suddenly smashed into a wall, falling to the floor. It spun in a circle as the one working wing continued to try and lift the crippled machine into the air. Gasping, Sprocket rushed over to the stricken contraption. The other wing had snapped in half and was only barely hanging onto the silvery body. Horn glowing bright green Sprocket lifted the incapacitated flyer off the floor and rushed back downstairs. Concern written on her face, his mother followed in Sprockets' wake.
"Sprocket, honey, is everything okay?"
"Fine mom! Just gotta fix..." he called up, voice fading to a mumble as he focused on the task at hand.
Only a few short weeks later the little flying machine was completed. Sprocket had made it a bit larger in order to strengthen the outer shell and the wings. He would continue working on the machine over the years eventually adding the sound box. It became his constant companion and proved to his parents that their faith in the inventiveness and curiosity of their son was well founded.
Sunlight flooded through the windows of the workshop glinting off the dust motes floating languidly in the air. Slowly the beams moved across the floor picking out the scratches and dents. There was a slight movement in the back of the workshop. In an area still ensconced in the shadows not dispelled by the sunlight. Wheels squealed in protest as they were forcibly stirred into motion. The scaffolding holding up the odd shaped apparatus moved into the center of the workshop. Occupying the large empty space Sprocket used to assemble the various contraptions his over active imagination created.
An arm twitched, straining against the strap holding it to the scaffolding. One of the legs strained against the straps holding it against the wooden backing. The eye sockets began to glow, faint at first but progressively becoming brighter. Soon the red light coming from the eye sockets lit up the small area of the workshop it occupied. The newly animated contraption surveyed its surroundings. Gradually, the realization that it was strapped to the scaffolding sunk into the crystal memory core held within the torso of the machine.
Pulling hard against the straps the machine tore free. A few shaky steps later and it stood firm, having calculated the optimum balance needed. Wooden cogwheels creaked as it tested the full range of motion granted by its metal and wooden body. Turning, it attempted to ascertain its exact location as well as the nearest exit. It noticed a vicious hook tool hanging on the far wall. The red light coming from its eyes seemed to take on a malicious tint as it strode forward, pulling the tool off the wall. Moving toward the large door leading to the outside world the machine took one last look around the semi-dark workshop. Raising the hook high, it brutally tore into the large wooden door. Soon there was a hole large enough to crawl through.
Emerging into the waning sunlight it stopped short, struck by the beauty of the outside world. The only place it had ever known was the semi-darkness of the unlit workshop. Bird song could be heard in the distance as they prepared to settle in for the night. A squirrel scampered across the road, stopping to stare in bewilderment at the cog-work machine basking in the deepening twilight. Suddenly it lunged toward the small mammal the hook glinting cruelly in the fading light. Emitting a small screech the squirrel tore across the lawn toward the nearest tree. Twenty feet in the air, safe from the brutal hook, it turned and began chattering angrily at the inhuman machine.
It could not form a grin, but the light in the eye sockets seemed to sport an evil glint. A vicious shriek came from its grill startling the angry squirrel. Retrieving a rock from the ground it tossed the hard object toward the now thoroughly frightened creature. The rock barely missed the squirrels' twitching tail. Directing one last angry outburst at the machine the squirrel darted into a hole in the tree trunk. Done with the brief torture of the squirrel, the glowing contraption of wood and metal turned to survey the road.
Running north to south the road passed directly in front of Sprockets' house. Mountains could be seen to the south low on the horizon and masked by cloud cover. To the north the road disappeared over the horizon riding the flat ground smoothly for miles. Instinctively, the malign machine knew that it could wreak more mischief and havoc to the north as a town of some significance lay in that direction. A light flashed in the deepening darkness illuminating the area surrounding Sprockets' home. This light revealed a small worn track heading southwest toward a forest.
Nodding, as if answering some unspoken demand, the machine moved off down the small track. Only a fait glimmer of orange and amber betrayed the lingering presence of the sun. The sparkling stars in the night sky cast a faint radiance on the semi-hidden track as the machine vanished into the tall grass with only a slight reddish glow revealing its existence. Soon, even that glow was gone, leaving nothing to show that anyone, or anything, had been there.
Rainbow Dash circled the sky anxiously, awaiting the arrival of Sprocket. The fun little jaunt into the Froggy Bottom Bog had taken a turn for the worse when Tank smashed into a tree branch while following Rainbow Dash in a daring slalom course. Tank had scrabbled for purchase on the branch as the little device attempted to keep him aloft. Unable to get a grip he had fallen to the forest floor. Flying quickly to his side Rainbow Dash attempted to carry both the intrepid tortoise and the damaged flying apparatus to safety. But the bundle was too heavy for the Pegasus, despite her being the best flyer in all of Equestria.
Ensuring Tank's safety was Rainbow Dashs' highest priority. She managed to carry him out of the bog with great effort only returning to retrieve the broken device after confirming Tank had no injuries. Being a tortoise, or turtle if you prefer, his hard shell had protected him from both the wayward tree branch and the impact with the ground. But without the flying apparatus it took much longer for the two of them to return to Ponyville than it did to get out to the bog. It was arduous for Rainbow Dash to be moving so sluggishly, but she was unwilling to leave Tank behind. He was her loyal companion and they would stick with each other.
Shortly after lunch time they returned to the meadow beneath Rainbow Dashs' cloud home. Crawling through a hole in one of the trees Tank settled comfortably onto the ground and began munching on leaf. Clearly, the morning's activities had not fazed him in the slightest. Making sure her friend was at ease; Rainbow Dash flew swiftly to the library. Paying no attention to her surroundings she collided with a group of ponies just leaving the library. Extracting herself from the pile Rainbow Dash hurried inside searching frantically for Spike.
"Spike! SPIKE!" she called out.
"Dangnabit! Where is that little dragon?"
Hearing the faint calls Spike looked up from counting the various jars and bottles stored in the basement. Twilight Sparkle was probably looking for him. Sighing heavily he set down the parchment. The task had already taken longer than expected so he was happy for the break from the tediousness of keeping the inventory up-to-date. He stretched out the kinks in his back and tail as he stood; doing some quick bends in the anticipation that he would be doing another menial task. As Spike trundled up the stairs the clamor got louder. It sounded as if there was a brass band playing in the middle of the library. Pushing through the door he was surprised to discover the source of the racket was a very agitated Rainbow Dash. She was flying in circles bellowing Spike's name as loudly as possible.
"Rainbow Dash!" he yelled up at her.
She continued flying in circles squawking unintelligibly. The once discernible name had turned into a mish-mash of discordant words prompting the ponies left in the library to cover their ears. Spike watched as she started into a figure eight weaving between the columns supporting the upper floors. Spike spotted a small ball that one of the younger ponies had left lying around and threw it at the whirling Pegasus. Rainbow Dashes' eyes widened when she spotted the source of the errant object.
"SPIKE!" she bellowed.
Diving toward the startled dragon she crashed into him and the two of them ended up in a crumbled heap at the bottom of the nearest bookcase. All of the shouting and noise had drawn a crowd, as well as the ire of Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle glared daggers at the sky blue Pegasus as she stood imperiously at the balcony overlooking the main floor of the library. Disentangling themselves from each other Rainbow Dash looked sheepishly at the floor while Spike glanced up at Twilight Sparkle.
"Rainbow Dash…" she began, but was immediately interrupted by the hysterical Pegasus.
"OhmygoshTwilight! Tanksflyingcontraptionisbrokenandhecantjoinmeintheskyand…"
Rolling her eyes Twilight Sparkle waited for Rainbow Dash to take a breath; knowing that her friend could not keep up the pace for long. Finally, Rainbow Dash paused to take a deep breath.
"Rainbow Dash. Stop talking!" Twilight Sparkle quickly barked.
Looking up at her friend, Rainbow Dash's' eyes began to grow big and took on a faint shimmer as tears started to gather. Twilight Sparkle realized then that the Pegasus was very distraught over Tank's inability to join her in the sky as well as the broken flying harness. She probably felt responsible for the accident and the subsequent breaking of the machine.
"Rainbow Dash, come upstairs and join me in the solarium. We can talk about it and what needs to be done. Spike, you come along as well."
Rainbow Dash's face lit up as she scampered up the stairs, not even bothering to fly. Spike followed slowly in Pegasus' wake checking to make sure nothing was broken from the impact. Twilight Sparkle moved some of the books off the floor with a brief wave of her horn clearing a space for everyone to sit.
"Now, Rainbow Dash, tell me what the problem is," she began.
Breathing in deep the Pegasus prepared to launch into another rocket fire tirade.
"Slowly!" Twilight Sparkle quickly interjected.
"Well, we were out flying around Froggy Bottom Bog having fun when, BAM!" smacking her hooves together Rainbow Dash simulated the collision. "A tree branch came out of nowhere and smashed into Tank."
Sitting back on her haunches Rainbow Dash sighed heavily.
"I managed to get him back to Ponyville without any problems, cause I'm awesome, and then went back for the smashed flying thingy."
Looking out the window Rainbow Dash watched the clouds flitting across the blue sky. Twilight Sparkle studied her friend. It obvious she was very dismayed by the incident and that Tank would not be able to join her in the sky for the foreseeable future. But Twilight Sparkle knew just the pony to fix this problem. He would be able to get the flying machine fixed quickly so that Rainbow Dash and Tank could get back to their adventures in the sky.
"Rainbow Dash, I know just the pony to fix this problem."
"Really?! Oh that'd be so amazing Twilight Sparkle! We'd be able to get back into the air and everything!" gushed Rainbow Dash.
Twilight Sparkle glanced over at Spike. He was dozing in the chair waiting for the ponies to finish their conversation. Loudly clearing her throat she startled the small dragon awake. Rapidly spinning around in his chair Spike attempted to pretend as if he had been diligently paying attention. Once he realized that Twilight Sparkle was not fooled he guiltily bowed his head.
"Yes Twilight Sparkle?" Spike queried.
"I would like you to contact the unicorn Sprocket. He lives south of town, out along the road heading down toward Hoofington. Please ask him to come take a look at Tank's flying contraption."
Nodding Spike disappeared down the stairs. In moments the message would be flying toward the intended recipient and hopefully convincing him to arrive promptly. Being early afternoon there was no doubt the dark blue unicorn would be fastidiously working on something in his workshop guaranteeing quick receipt of the missive. Twilight Sparkle turned back to her hysterical friend and settled Rainbow Dash onto some of the cushions spread around the solarium. A tea tray floated over to the two ponies as they settled in to await the arrival of Sprocket.
Late afternoon saw Sprocket and Glitch rapidly approaching the growing town of Ponyville. He was unsure of where Rainbow Dash might be located, as the message had predictable come from Spike, but it was a good bet she would be in the vicinity of the library. Repairing Tank's mechanical device is the only reason that the summons would be so urgent. Rainbow Dash was a loyal friend, and brave, but she certainly lacked the common sense other ponies seemed to naturally possess. Although, in one circumstance related to Sprocket after the fact, it seemed that this lack of common sense helped save not only Ponyville, but all of Equestria.
The device that Tank used to cavort about the skies with Rainbow Dash was a complicated piece of machinery. While Sprocket had not been involved in its creation, not many even knew how it came to be, it was up to him to keep it working. A tall order when Rainbow Dash is involved yet, somehow, Sprocket was able to keep everything operational. Normally Rainbow Dash and Tank would visit the solitary unicorn at his workshop, but as this was an emergency, Sprocket was willing to travel into town. The tools needed to fix the apparatus were contained in the two bags strapped across his back.
Leisurely floating above Sprockets head during the trek into town Glitch was keeping quiet while its master brooded. As the houses lining the track became more numerous Glitch knew that it was time to alert Sprocket to their imminent arrival in Ponyville proper. Flitting about the unicorn's head, it succeeded in capturing Sprocket's wayward attention.
"What is it Glitch?"
"Master, we are rapidly approaching the center town," the flying machine answered.
"Excellent. Glitch, can you fly ahead and find out where Rainbow Dash is located."
"Master certainly," responded Glitch as he quickly disappeared toward the center of Ponyville.
Slowly trotting toward to the center of town the branches of the library appeared over the tops of the houses in front of him. The old tree in which the library was located grew larger and larger as Sprocket moved toward his final destination. Waning sunlight flashed as Glitch swiftly sped back toward his master. Obviously Rainbow Dash was at the library, probably in the company of Twilight Sparkle. Taking a deep breath, Sprocket pushed on hoping he would be able to hold it together long enough to help out Rainbow Dash.
Finally, panting slightly, he stood before the entrance to the library. Slowly he reached out a hoof to knock on the door, but before he had come close it swung open. Staring out at him were the sparkling deep purple eyes of Twilight Sparkle.
"Sprocket! Welcome! Come on in and sit down. Thank you for coming so quickly," Twilight Sparkle beckoned him in with a hoof.
Gulping, Sprocket stepped inside…