//------------------------------// // Memories of Solid Gear; Chapter 1: Fitting of a Gear // Story: Gears Within The Soul ~ Memories of Solid Gear // by Solid 6GEAR //------------------------------// “Do you think she'll be okay with us just leaving her at the hospital?” “Dear, she wanted us to go back to the shop as soon as we left the place. Do you honestly think she didn't want us to go? That brave little face, ushering us to go do our job for everypony who's anypony in Manehatten...bless her so much for all this, I swear we should send bits back to Ponyville so her treatment goes as smoothly as possible...and so she has some leftover bits to build herself something while here. So much spare time, she's bound to make something amazing, right?” This is what the young filly known as Little Gear saw from her hospital window, two older earth ponies, a dark brown coated stallion with a light red mane talking aside to a slightly younger-looking mare with a more tan coat and mousey brown mane. They were arguing just why going back to work in Manehatten's prestigious clock shop was worth leaving their only foal behind in Ponyville to recover from a rather traumatic experience in having lost a leg, namely the front right leg. “...You have a good point, Winding Gear. So just how do we send her these bits? Surely the mail system around Ponyville reaches to Manehatten?” the stallion asks of the mare, who just smiles lightly. “Funny you should ask that, Silver Gear, darling. I have just the idea in mind. I spied the local mailmare making rounds earlier today, so we could go talk to her about finding a courier for this. I'm sure she could suggest somepony to do the task of carrying the few hundred or so bits we'd need to send...” Winding states, giving a glance back to the window and nearly freezing in her steps right then and there. She shudders a little, before carefully steeling her gaze back at Little Gear. 'I know what that gaze means. She wants me to be strong for us. I know its tearing up every last bit of her resolve to keep heading home now....time to look away from them and busy myself at the hospital...' Little Gear thinks to herself, finally pulling her forlorn gaze from the window to look at the wall ahead. 'Maybe if I....' a yawn interrupts her thoughts, pulling attention back to her still tired body. 'Nevermind...sleep is important. I must sleep well if I am to get better so I can walk again. My parents need me to recover as quickly as equestrianly possible.' she then notices the nurse tending to her bed was still there, setting up an IV to her left hoof. It hurt a little, but Little Gear was thankful for the fact they were using new technology for this. Before, she'd heard they were going to use the old methods of magic mixed with syringes. But once again, thanks to her folks in researching the latest stuff out in healthcare, they paid a larger sum of bits to push for this IV thing that was a persistant syringe hooked in that attached to provide the same benefits the old methods had. “It doesn't hurt so much now...” she finds herself muttering to the nurse, who is slightly taken aback, as Little Gear had been on the verge of falling asleep. The nurse smiles lightly to her, grinning brightly to be as cheery as possible. “Well, you're lucky to have parents who will pay for this. In fact, they overpaid it a little....rather generous I might add. I mentioned it to the doctor, and he said to put it straight towards finding a less costly way to duplicate this for other patients.” Little Gear couldn't help but to stare at the Nurse lightly, who just shrugs it off and turns away after setting up the IV properly. “Well, I have other patients to go see. You'll be just fine here, won't you?” she asks, Little Gear simply nodding her head before sighing and slowly closing her eyes. 'So tired....this will make a great story to tell the others when I...return home.' Little Gear thought to herself, thinking of all those friends she'd left in Manehatten Public School. It wasn't long however, that her mind drifted lazily into the past.... “Hey, Gear. HEY. GEAR!!” “Whu...uhm...what's up?” “How many hooves am I holding up?” “I...I don't know...? Don't most of us only ever have one hoof to hold up?” “Good to see your sarcasm isn't broken...listen, can you stand?” “I...uhn....stand? Why do I need to stand? Can't I just lie down like this?” “No.....you kinda need to stand. Your other leg kinda....looks funny. Its kinda just...danglin' there...going the other way.” This was the first Little Gear remembered suddenly going into a full adrenaline rush, quickly sitting up on her haunches with her one good hoof placed squarely in front of her body to steady itself easily. Eyes wide open, she gazes in shock at the leg on her right, just simply....being there. It doesn't move, no matter how much she wills it to twitch or do anything. “I...I can't feel....my leg...” she sobs quietly, at first, “I CAN'T FEEL MY LEG!!” she howls louder, crying openly and vainly trying to grab her hoof in the other, only to end up falling over once again. Luckily, just onto her barrel and not on any highly vital part of her hurt leg. The second time getting up she was mildly aware of a pegasus nearby, gently using her short wingspan to help balance Little Gear to sit upright. “Snow Glider....thanks...” Little Gear mutters to the nearly all-white pegasus, whose mane and tail were white tinged softly with blue, while her coat was a brilliantly blinding white. Snow simply huddles close to her best friend, who she was deathly worried about now. Her older brother, Whiteout, wasn't around to jeer at the two for looking like a couple, but she felt his gaze all the same. Wordlessly, she started to pick up Little Gear, intending to bring her to the nearest clinic...but all she got was a few steps before another foal cried out to them. “OHMYGAWD!!! LOOK OVER THERE!!! LITTLE GEAR'S LOST HER LEG!!!” If Snow wasn't worried at being crowded before....she certainly was now that all attention was on her. She keeps close to Gear's side, whispering to her best friend that all she needs to do is take a nap. Little Gear simply complies by suddenly toppling over into Snow's embrace, the pegasus looking around as Faculty come around to help dissipate the scene. '...that was two years ago...' Little Gear thinks to herself, blinking as she'd startled awake at feeling what she thought was her leg again. 'Phantom limb syndrome...the Doctor told me and my parents that it would happen when I first had my leg parted from my body. They didn't say it would persist as long as it has now...' she slowly gazes around the room, noting she'd barely been asleep an hour before waking. “Well...no better time than now to ask if I could borrow a crutch to walk on or something...” she grumbles to herself. Hitting the call button, she waits for the Nurse to show up. Sure enough, she shows up with a slightly strained but still there smile. “What can I help you with, Little Gear?” “...I want to try walking again...” Gear mutters, her tone icily cold and stubborn. The Nurse blinks a bit, rather worried about what she means. “Walking...? In your condition? You were just moved here from Manehatten...surely you wouldn't want some-” “I want to walk....helps to clear out the memories...you know, the ones where I USED to have a leg?” Little Gear grates out, her tone so hard and uncaring that it just wears that smile on the Nurse's face right out. She sighs and turns around, leaving the room for a half hour. Little Gear sighs, smirking a little to herself. 'Lets see how they handle THAT.' To her credit, Little Gear did cause a bit of trouble in the Hospital with her demand...however, the doctor being as creative as ever decided to test out a new harness designed to put a crutch at the control of a ponies' body. “Its a prototype. Not even field tested, especially not for a young filly like yourself. However, your insistence has brought it to this...Please take care to not break it?” the Doctor said to Gear, whom just scoffed a little, wincing slightly at the oddly tight set of belts looped around her front shoulders and carefully positioned to move with her body. She slowly gets off to a very slow hobble, the crutch feeling like a really heavy weight. As she gets moving a bit more, it stops feeling so heavy and gets a bit lighter. “Not bad...well, this'll do. Thanks. Do I need anypony to watch me as I move around?” Little Gear asks, as the Doctor just shakes his head with a wistful grin. She heads over and gives the Doctor a quick nuzzle, just to thank him, before heading off on her own. Hobbling at a decent, if slow, pace around the hospital being just what she wanted. “...well, 'new leg'...if this turns out to be as nice of a day as it seems, you'll be with me a lot longer than just these few hours...” she states, grinning and heading out into the bright sunlight of day.