Trial and Error

by Kiernan

Chapter 14: Old Friend Turned Foe Turned Friend

Chapter 14: Old Friend Turned Foe Turned Friend

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True to his word, Akaitora finished the notes session quickly. He only had a few more to take, before he would be ready to attach the contraptions to his back, allowing him to fly as freely as the Pegasi. It was after sundown, though, so he decided to leave her to rest and prepare a second room for Usutora to stay in, at least for the night.

The castle had numerous empty rooms, he had cleared them out instead of leaving them in disarray. most of what he had found had been reused early on, the wood being torn apart to make his torches that littered the walls, and the metal melted down to scrap and stored in other rooms, as well as what cloth was salvageable.

It didn't take long to set up a room, he simply brought in some cushions and blankets, and the walls were already littered with torches, and he hadn't set foot in here in a while, so the power sources should be adequate. It was time to show Usutora to his room, whether he accepted or not.

He walked back up to the main floor of the castle, with most of the walls consisting of pillars, the windows topped with pointed arches, some still holding bits of stained glass. He had to admit that the stone masons were some of the best artists in the world, especially with them being few and far between.

Usutora was sitting at one of these windows, a contented look in his eyes as he gazed out over the western landscape. Canterlot was only just visible on the cliffside it sat on, as the lights from the capitol dimmed in some places, while brightening in others.

"I've always enjoyed the night air," said Usutora, as he heard hoofsteps approaching. "The chill of the wind, the crisp feeling, and the higher humidity were always things I looked forward to."

"I simply enjoy the darkness night brings. It encompasses the world in a softer view of ones surroundings."

"Indeed. That's one of the reasons I could never get a day job."

"The other being your criminal past?"

"That too." They shared a short chuckle. "You've really grown up since you left us. I was a bit worried, myself."

"Well, when you live alone, and no one's ever there to help you with anything, your only options are either learn to take care of yourself, or rot in a gutter. Guess which one I chose?"

"I'm sorry Bloodstain never showed up to take you under his wing. No pun intended."

"Well, now that I've met him, I think I'm glad he never showed up. I might have become a petty thief under his supervision."

"Can't argue with you on that point."

They both stared out the windows for another few minutes before either of them spoke.

"So how did you manage to find me?" asked Akaitora, still curious. "You just showed up this morning out f nowhere."

"Well, in truth, I've been wandering about out here for months now. I've been living under the alias 'Turnkey,' as a freelance locksmith. Living in a tent somewhere between Hoofington and Ponyville, I've been switching back and forth between the two. I saw you in town the other day, leaving Fluttershy's cottage. I was aout to head off for the night, but I decided that the pony I saw might be you. So I followed you in here. I lost you about two hundred yards from here, so I decided to start looking around. Last night I found this roo, and decided to stay here. Fluttershy found me about two minutes before you did."

"Had you spent any time with her before that? While you were in Ponyville, I mean?"

"Once. I installed a lock on her door a few months ago."

"Ah. I saw the one you mention. You might have told her it's only good if she sets it to the 'locked' position."

Another brief silence ensued. a few minutes passed, followed by a ball of green fire shot through the air in front of them, coming from Ponyville on it's way to Canterlot. Though their interpretations of it varied, they both knew it was casual, and weren't concerned much either way about it. A few more minutes passed.

"Your room is ready, by the way." mentioned Akaitora. The sudden speech caught Usutora off-guard, and pulled him out of his thoughts.

"What? What'd you say?" was all he could muster, being distracted from his thoughts.

"I said I've prepared a room for you. You may stay in it tonight, if you wish. Would you like me to show you now, or after I make my adjustments?"

"Adjustments?"

"To my life's work? The wing's I've been dreaming of having since I was a colt? I've almost finished them. Now I just need to attach them and test them."

"Oh, right, those. Have you given some thought as to how you're going to attach them?"

"I've been going over that recently. With Fluttershy's help, I've managed to get my notes back for attaching them to the living tissue in the back of the subjuct, as well as the proper placement."

"You sound like Twilight during one of her sessions of explaining magic to the younger unicorns who fall behind in school. I wonder if she knows that half of what she says goes right over their heads?"

"You might find this a little hard to swallow, but I actually managed to amaze her with some of my more minor spells."

"Really? And here I thought that she was the most well-learned unicorn in this section of Equestria."

"Well, I have my past to back me up in that. You know how I loved to experiment. But we're getting off subject. Would you like to go to your room now?"

"Oh, yes, please."

"Follow me, then." Akaitora walked off, his trust in Usutora restored. Usutora followed, glad that his younger brother had almost finished what he had spent the better part of fifteen years, he assumed. Though neither said it, they were glad to be back on good terms with one another.

"Here we are. I hope it's to your liking."

Usutora stepped into the room. It was simple, nothing too fancy, but, they were underground. Not a whole lot you could do with the place. A hoofful of tapestries hung from the walls, most of them tattered, due to time, but it was barely noticeable. Two very large cushions lay splayed out in the middle of the floor, one slightly overlapping the other. At one end, leading about halfway up, there was a pale copper blanket, tucking in under the sides. the torches were lit dimly, giving a cool, peaceful light to the room,

"Looks comfortable. So I'll see you in the morning then?"

"Most likely not. I'm going to go take care of Fluttershy's animals tomorrow, and I'm leaving early. Before sunrise, even."

"Well, I commend you for doing her job while she's out here. I might even show up to give you a hoof."

"Fine, but if anyone asks, we're not related. The story I told everyone is that I have no siblings, and I live with my father, who is Fluttershy's Uncle. Our pet is ill."

"Clever. What do I call you?"

"My name didn't change in the story. You can still call me Akaitora. But not Kai. No nicknames, we only just met tomorrow. Right, Turnkey?"

"Alright. Keep past a secret from all but Fluttershy. Got it."

"Good. I"ll be in my Workshop for the rest of the night, if you need anything." And Akaitora left the room, closing the door. It wasn't five minutes before the hallway was permeated with the muffled snores coming from behind the closed door at the end of the hall.

Comments

[Kiernan]

96804 This is about puting wings on, not taking them off