The blaring sunlight pouring through his living room window was the first thing to greet him as Steele Bolt weakly opened his tired eyes. How long had he slept? Judging from the fatigue he felt, he assumed it couldn't have been for a more than a few hours. His body felt heavy, and didn't aid in any attempt at waking himself up. But just as he was about to give in and drift off to sleep once more, the reason he had awaken in the first place caught his attention again. A soft knock came from his front door, quite different from the brash knocking of Rainbow Dash. Bolt's tired mind couldn't figure out who might be behind it at first, resulting in him going over every pony he knew that might fit the bill. This wouldn't have been a very long list normally, but after the events of yesterday his list of acquaintances had doubled. That was when it dawned on him. He had agreed to see Twilight Sparkle today.
He couldn't keep a Princess waiting any longer; even a shut-in like Bolt knew that. So with a grunt, he forced his body to move, allowing him to crawl off of his sofa and towards the front door. His mouth opened wide as he let out a yawn, one hoof raising to wipe sleep from his eyes, which held heavy bags beneath them. It was quite clear just by looking at him that he hadn't slept well last night. There were no regrets though. Not after experiencing such an incredible event; with the Princess of the Night no less.
Quiet voices could be heard from the other side of his front door once he reached it, peaking Bolt's interest. He leaned closer, pressing his ear up against the wooden surface so that he could try to hear his visitor more clearly. It quickly became apparent that there wasn't one visitor, but two. That's right... Twilight had said she would bring Spike along so he could meet the dragon.
"Are you sure he's here, Twilight?"
"I would think so... Maybe he's sleeping?"
"But it's morning already..."
The conversation was amusing enough. Bolt couldn't find it within himself to feel self-conscious about his sleeping habits. In the end, he was enjoying life in his own way, so why would he care if other ponies didn't approve of his decisions? Never the less, it was time to stop eavesdropping and actually make himself known to his visitors. He couldn't stop the small smile that crept onto his lips as he opened the door, witnessing the surprised expression of the Princess and her dragon assistant; whom had continued to chat amongst themselves until his interruption. His appearance had certainly been abrupt.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." He spoke with a rough voice, yet another testament to the fact that he had just woken up. The stallion hastily cleared his throat to rectify that though.
"I just woke up." He continued, offering an apologetic smile toward Twilight before turning his attention to the small purple dragon by her side. It was a curious thing, to see such a tame dragon. The raised eyebrow upon Spike's face spoke volumes. Bolt's sleeping habits really came as a surprise to him, apparently.
"I told you so." Twilight spoke with a soft giggle, nudging Spike with her hoof before tredding forwards, moving past Bolt after he had stepped aside to invite them into his humble home. The little dragon seemed mildly bemused after his initial shock wore off, offering the stallion a quizzical look as he approached and looked up at him.
"You don't look like you sleep much..."
"You're not wrong..." Bolt half-heartedly chuckled, seemingly unaffected by Spike's honest opinion. He could only imagine how he looked right now, with his typical messy mane and the dark rings around his eyes. It had become a part of his identity, in a way. Why sleep when there was work he could be doing? It was strange though. The look on Spike's face almost gave Bolt the impression that he had seen that kind of behaviour before...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bolt didn't offer much in the way of a tour of his home. The furthest his guests got to see was his living room, before they delved into the depths of his basement; where his laboratory resided. Neither of them brought up the rest of his house, so Bolt could only assume the interest wasn't there. That suited him just fine. He didn't feel close enough to Twilight or Spike to warrant showing them, and that wasn't why they were visiting anyway.
The stallion stepped into his workshop first, the light still on after he had neglected to turn it off before spending the night with Luna. He had intended to return after all. That didn't matter now though. His interest was in his guests, and their reaction to his underground lair. His head turned to watch them as they stepped inside after him, both sets of eyes dancing about to look at their surroundings. There was certainly interest in Twilight's eyes, but he got the impression that she felt slightly overwhelmed by it all. His workshop was far from tidy, and he was unaware of her complex regarding that. Spike on the other-hoof, seemed immersed in the mixture of junk and gadgets that surrounded them. The little dragon wandered over to the closest thing; which happened to be the toaster that Rainbow Dash had been interested in on her first visit.
"What's this?" Spike asked, carefully lifting the contraption to get a better look at it. The toaster looked the part, but Bolt assumed that the dragon's imagination was running wild, coming up with some surprising purpose for it. The Earth pony almost felt bad about crushing those hopes...
"A toaster." He replied honestly after approaching the dragon and his fascination, causing his pair of large green, serpentine eyes to look up at Bolt with a mixture of disappointment and surprise. There was a brief pause as the two individuals stared at each other, as if Spike were expecting Bolt to suddenly laugh and say he was joking. But that never came, and the dragon let out a defeated sigh upon realising his hopes were futile. The most ambitious thing Bolt had created was his Jetpack; he didn't know what Spike had expected to find down here, but he wasn't going to find any spy gadgets or the like.
"So you're a dragon, huh..." The stallion inquired as he squinted his eyes, peering closely at Spike as he put the toaster back where he had found it. The purple dragon raised an eyebrow at the pony, before putting his little hands on his hips and smiling broadly. The slightly smugness in his attitude wasn't lost on Bolt; apparently Spike was quite proud of his heritage.
"Duh, of course!" The little dragon responded confidently, puffing out his chest a little as he put on his act of bravedo. Bolt wondered if Spike ever got a moment to shine. That would probably explain why he was acting like this; taking whatever he could get to boost his ego...
"I've never seen one before... Can you breath fire too?" Steele Bolt tilted his head slightly as he continued both his observation and inquiry into Spike, who seemed to bask in the attention he was getting.
"Yup! Wanna' see?" A look of excitement crossed Spike's features as he stared up at Bolt, maybe a little too eager to show off his abilities. It would certainly be an interesting sight to behold, but the stallion couldn't shake the feeling that letting the little dragon do such a thing inside his home was probably a bad idea.
"Uh, I'm fine, thanks." Bolt quickly shot down Spike's proposal, shaking his head softly to further put the point across. Spike certainly seemed disappointed by that response, but he didn't argue. It was likely he realised the risks of breathing fire inside a building as well. But just as the two were ready to move on; a thought suddenly crossed Bolt's mind, causing his gaze to shift away from the purple dragon and over to the carcass of his Jetpack. The chassis needed to be welded back together. A task that Bolt was more than capable of doing, but a more interesting way of achieving the goal had suddenly presented itself to him...
"On second thought..."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Alright, so you understand what you need to do, right?" Steele Bolt asked for clarity, a serious look upon his face. His hooves were on either side of the fractured chassis of his Jetpack, holding the pieces together as Spike stood on the opposite side, staring down at the chunks of metal before looking up at Bolt and nodding his head.
"Yeah. I breath fire along the line, right?" The little dragon responded with a little uncertainty, which didn't fill Bolt with confidence. His tiny claw pointed towards the crack down the chassis that indictated the seperation of the two pieces. A nod from the engineer confirmed his question, causing him to turn his attention back to the metal in front of him. The look of hesitation on Spike's face told Bolt that he had never attempted something like this before, but he felt there was no turning back now. He had asked for the demonstration, and he wondered upon the negative effects that changing his mind might have on the dragon...
After taking a deep breathe, Spike exhaled a spurt of flame from his mouth, though it was not controlled and poured out everywhere. Bolt yelped in surprise and hastily pulled his hooves back, narrowly avoiding being harshly burned by the blaze. Realising his mistake, Spike quickly put a stop to the fire, holding his claws over his mouth for a second as he stared at the Earth pony with a look of concern and guilt in his eyes.
"A-Are you okay?" The little dragon asked hastily, quickly stepping around the workbench to find out with his own eyes. Other than some singing on his coat, Bolt was completely fine. But even if he had been burned by the fire, that sadly wouldn't have been the worst injury he had ever attained from this line of work.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry." While troubled by the event, Bolt summoned the most comforting smile he could manage as he nodded his head softly; showing off his hooves to make it clear to Spike that no harm had been done. While relieved to see that, it was quite clear on his face that guilt remained for his lack of control over his own fire, resulting in the little dragon looking down at the floor timidly. A distant comparison to the confidence he had shown earlier.
"Sorry... I messed up..." Bolt let out a soft sigh upon hearing this, his ears drifting back as he looked around uncertainly. He wasn't sure how to react to this situation. It wasn't like he had to comfort somepony on a regular basis. He inhaled deeply as he tried to set his thoughts straight, settling on something to say that could hopefully defuse the self-pitying atmosphere that was building around Spike. His hoof came to rest on the dragon's shoulder, which drew his downward gaze upward.
"It's fine, really. You just need to learn to control your fire. That's all." Even with his best efforts, Bolt's words didn't seem to give Spike much solace. Thankfully, he wasn't quite done with his little speech. He had an idea that might help the little dragon reign in his ability. "Why don't you try limiting how much you open your mouth? That should funnel the flames." With that suggestion, the stallion placed his hooves on either side of the broken chassis again, holding the pieces together like he had before. While his words seemed to give Spike something to think about, the dragon's expression made it obvious that he didn't quite understand what Bolt was implying. So he gave an example; pouting his lips as if he were about to deliver a kiss to somepony.
"Like this."
His words came off muffled as a result of his pouted lips, making the sentence sound odd and almost un-intelligable. That just seemed to amuse Spike though, who let out a quiet snort, his tension seemingly lifting after witnessing Bolt's little display. A smile crossed the stallion's lips, Spike's enjoyment over his act filling him with an alien sense of glee. He had never known that bringing laughter to somepony could feel so good. He had finally defused the situation - completely by accident.
"Alright! Lets try this again!" Steele Bolt announced with renewed determination, which seemed infectious for Spike. With a firm nod, the dragon stared down at the metal once more. He mimicked the stallion and pouted his lips, before taking in a deep breathe and letting fire pour from his mouth again. This time, as Bolt had predicted, the blaze was unleashed in a far more controlled manner, spewing out in a neat line that followed the shape created by Spike's barely parted lips. A look of surprise and glee covered the dragon's face upon this discovery, though he didn't lose his concentration. Slowly, Spike dragged his fire upwards from the very bottom of the crack in the chassis, to the top; welding the metal together neatly.
"See, I knew that you could do it." Bolt spoke words of encouragement as Spike closed his mouth, a small puff of smoke spouting from his nostrils as the fire came to an end. The pleased grin on the little dragon's face spoke volumes, and coaxed Bolt to return the smile. He had honestly done that as an experiment. He had wanted to see if a dragon's fire was hot enough to weld steel. That had certainly proved that hypothesis, but it seemed that Spike would even be able to take something from this experience as well. Overall, a win-win on both sides.
"Wow, did you do that, Spike?" A feminine voice caught the attention of both males, their attention falling on Twilight as she stepped closer to them, inspecting the neatly welded metal. She certainly looked impressed as she examined it, before glancing towards her assistant, whose smile broadened as he nodded. She returned his smile, and pat him softly on the head with her hoof, but that got Bolt to thinking... What had she been doing this whole time? He and Spike had been interacting for the last half an hour at least, and he didn't recall her saying anything during that time. It wasn't until he considered this that he noticed the faint glow of her horn, suggesting that she was using her magic for something. His gaze shifted, his eyes widening slightly as he looked upon his lab. It looked a lot neater all of a sudden...
"Uh..." Bolt murmured, unsure of what to say in this situation. The noise was enough to catch the attention of both Twilight and Spike, whom looked Bolt's way, and then followed his gaze curiously. A sheepish smile quickly crossed the Princess's face, her ears pinning back like a foal that had been caught doing something bad.
"Oh... Your workshop was so messy... So I did a bit of tidying..." Twilight admitted, an awkward chuckle following her words. A distinctive thwack echoed around the room as Spike's claw met with his face, an appropriate reaction to such a lack of consideration for consequence.
"You can't do that, Twilight! This isn't your workshop!" The little dragon insisted, his firm tone bringing both ponies to look his way. Bolt was quite surprised to see Spike speak to Twilight that way, since it wouldn't be inaccurate to consider her his mother. She had raised him, after all. His mother would have smacked him upside the head if he'd used that tone in his youth...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been rather interesting; watching Spike scold Twilight. Steele Bolt wasn't quite sure how to react to that, or the significant change to a good half of his workshop. While it had definitely been messy, it had been his mess. He had known where everything was in that organised mess, so it was a little disheartening to find that over half of it was now not where he thought it was. Nothing could be done about it now though. While Twilight Sparkle did offer her apologies, Bolt insisted that it was alright. It would no doubt return to the messy state it had started in before the week was up anyway...
"So this is your Jetpack!" Their attention had settled on the remains of his Jetpack; a welded chassis with many different parts laying across the workbench in a seemingly random order, each with varying levels of quality. Both Twilight and Spike peered with interest at the pile of junk, while Bolt shrunk away a little. It wasn't in a state that he was happy to show off, especially to somepony like Twilight. A Princess.
"What's left of it anyway..." He murmured as he looked over every piece that lay upon the table, spotting one part that was in a state of disrepair, one that he must have missed before. With a sigh, he shoved it from the table with one hoof, the metal making a loud sound as it collided with the floor. His mood seemed to effect his company, a troubled look crossing their faces as they looked at one another.
"I heard what happened from Rainbow. At least you're alright though!" Twilight spoke up, trying to put a positive spin on things. It didn't seem to bolster Bolt's spirits much though, a crestfallen look governing his face as he stared down at his wrecked invention. It was difficult not to feel saddened at times, not to wonder if he was working towards an impossible goal. With the amount of failures he had seen...
"What needs to be done to repair it?" Bolt blinked, his gaze shifting from the disaster on his workbench to the Princess sitting next to him. He gained a strange sense of reassurance from looking into Twilight's violet eyes; for some reason he could tell she was dependable just by looking at her. He turned his gaze back to the remains of his Jetpack.
"A lot of parts were badly damaged in the fall. They'll need replacing."
"Then lets get to it! How can we help?" Twilight responded a lot faster than Bolt had expected, his eyes widening slightly as his ears perked up, his gaze not lingering on his invention for long before turning to the adamant Princess. The look of determination she gave him made it difficult for him to sit around and mope over his failures. She reminded him of his drive; to prove all the ponies that had doubted him that they were wrong. But one thing baffled Bolt.
"You'll help me?" He asked, uncertainty reflecting in his eyes as he tilted his head a little and raised an eyebrow. What could they possibly gain from helping him with his project? He didn't understand at all, which just seemed to amuse Twilight and Spike. He was definitely missing something here.
"Of course! What are friends for?" Spike interjected with a grin, stepping up to pat Bolt on the side - as if he were trying to repay the stallion for his help earlier. He looked down to the dragon in surprise. They considered him a friend? But they hardly knew each other... He looked to Twilight, expecting to find that she didn't share Spike's sentiment, but his assumptions were crushed by the smile upon her face. This left him with a warm feeling inside; one he wasn't very familiar with. After moving out of his parent's home so many moons ago, he hadn't been able to rely on anypony. He had forgotten how pleasant it was to have companionship.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bolt prepared a list for them to use as reference, as well as familiarizing both Twilight and Spike with the particular parts that he needed replacing. Once they were all confidently on the same page, the stallion led the mare and dragon from the depths of his workshop, the three of them finally emerging up into the light for the first time in a couple of hours. There was a junkyard on the outskirts of Ponyville; which was well known by the residents. If there was something that somepony wanted rid of, it typically went there. That held true for electric appliances as well. Thus, Twilight and Spike naturally assumed that would be their destination. So when Bolt drifted away from the main road almost immediately, and began heading for the back of his home, his company was naturally surprised.
Once they caught up to him, they found a rather distressing sight. Junk lay everywhere; crushing any signs of plant life that might have once thrived behind the stallion's home. Bolt didn't seem particularly fazed by this revelation though, and began to sieve through the abundance of scrap that lay about his garden. It wasn't until he noticed Twilight and Spike standing at the edge of his property, gawking at the sight, that he turned his attention back to them.
"Bolt... What is all this?" Twilight finally asked, her purple orbs darting about as her surroundings finally began to sink in. There was so much here that it looked like his garden was being used as a secondary junkyard. All sorts of rubbish was dumped here, from general waste to the aforementioned electrical appliances; which mostly demanded Bolt's attention.
"Hm? Other ponies have been dumping their stuff here for a while now... They leave things outside the front of my home too. I have to move it back here." The stallion spoke with a half-hearted chuckle, trying to seem unaffected even though Twilight's suspicions had been accurate. Sure, he could scavenge parts from what was being left here, but that didn't change the fact that the ponies of Ponyville were using his property as a dumping ground.
Twilight had heard rumor of the stallion long before meeting him; whom had aptly been named the 'Mad Scientist' by the other residents of Ponyville. She had heard of the damage his invention had caused to the town on a few occasions as well; which no doubt had given him a bad name. She hadn't been able to find it within herself to hold it against him though, since she resonated with what she had heard about him in more ways than one. That just made it all the more painful to see that he was being abused like this. She found it difficult to tell whether he was blissfully unaware of this mistreatment, or simply choosing to ignore it though.
"You're really alright with that...?" The Princess asked with a pained expression, scanning Bolt's expression for any kind of insight into how he was feeling. The stallion looked away from the peering eyes, his gaze falling to the littered ground below him. Truth be told, it did bother him. It felt like a deliberate attack on him. He knew he had inconvenienced the town with his actions in the past, but he wondered if that alone was enough for him to deserve such treatment. He hadn't meant any harm, and he had apologised after every instance. Or was he treated this way for his incredibly ambitious dream? He had always been looked at strangely for refusing to fit the norm the way he did. Maybe both factors played a part. Regardless, Bolt always tried to make a brave face over the matter. It wasn't like he didn't benefit from the situation at all. Sometimes he found valuable parts in the things dumped in his garden. If he didn't complain, then hopefully things wouldn't get worse.
His head finally began to rise so that he could return Twilight's glance, before offering her a simple nod in response. His distress wasn't particularly well hidden, but the Alicorn couldn't go against his wishes. If he didn't want things to change, she couldn't force him to act. So with a defeated sigh, she nodded as well. A sign to show the end of the discussion. She nudged Spike softly with her hoof before treading into the mess that Bolt was knee deep in, offering her aid in the search for the parts needed. She still didn't like it though. She didn't know Bolt very well, but nopony deserved such abuse.
The three of them searched in silence for a while; an awkward atmosphere having surrounded them after the previous discussion. The occasional question was asked, pertaining to the task at hoof. But these didn't lead to any form of conversation and were quickly, as well as rather bluntly, answered. At the moment, it was clear that Steele Bolt wasn't in the mood for small talk. Neither Twilight nor Spike tried to force him to talk, so this silence continued as they slowly checked off the list. Eventually it became apparent that they wouldn't be able to complete the checklist from Bolt's personal junkyard alone. They would have to head toward Ponyville's official junkyard in the hopes of getting the last few items.
"Ah. Give me a moment." Bolt suddenly interjected after the three of them made their way around to the front of his home. The Alicorn and dragon looked at each other as they watched the stallion disappear into his home, genuinely curious as this had been the first time he had properly spoken up in a few hours. He didn't keep them waiting long. He returned with a trailer in tow, bringing a quizzical expression to both Twilight and her assistant. With assumptions alone, she inquired about the trailer.
"Are you bringing that to help carry the parts back from the junkyard?" Bolt shook his head softly as he turned to head toward the back of his home once more, dragging the trailer along with him. His company followed after him, increasing their pace to catch up to him before matching his own.
"Then what...?" Twilight continued, her words drifting off as her trot came to a halt a little before reaching Bolt's littered back garden. The stallion didn't stop though, and continued until he had reached the mess before letting go of the trailer. He began to gather what seemed to be random junk, and briskly dumped it into the back of the trailer.
"I take what I don't need to the junkyard. So it doesn't get out of hoof back here." He explained to them as he worked, his words giving meaning to the specific items he was dumping into the back of the trailer. None of it was electrical, and thus wouldn't serve any purpose for him. It made sense. Satisfied with that answer, Twilight nodded - her horn lighting up as she aided the stallion with her magic. This sped up the process drastically, especially as Spike hastily led a claw as well; the trailer was filled to the brim in no time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bolt could feel eyes on them as they wandered through Ponyville. No surprise there, since the Princess of Friendship was walking alongside him. Twilight had insisted on helping him push the load, and so both of them were sharing the cramped harness at the front of the trailer while Spike rode atop it. He could only imagine that the onlookers were thinking; wondering why Twilight would be spending time with him. First Rainbow Dash, and now her? He hoped they weren't coming up with outlandish ideas about him brainwashing them with some invention or something... Bolt shook his head firmly. Now he was just being paranoid.
So lost in his self-conscious thoughts; Bolt hadn't noticed their pace was quickly coming to a halt, almost resulting in him toppling forwards over the harness. His head turned to question Twilight, only to find that her attention was elsewhere. His gaze followed hers, eager to learn what was distracting her so much, to find an orange filly fiddling with what appeared to be a scooter. Normally he wouldn't concern himself in such things. The stallion would deal with his task and then return home as soon as possible. Sadly, he had company this time, and couldn't do that.
"I'll be right back." Twilight announced suddenly, sparing a passing glance in Bolt's direction as her horn began to flare up with a familiar glow. With help from her magic, she rose the harness up high enough for her to slip out from under it, before it came slamming back down in front of Bolt. His ears pinned back slightly as wood crashed against wood, causing a loud bang that drew more attention in his direction than he would have liked. His green eyes danced around at the ponies looking his way, offering them a sheepish smile. Their interest quickly began to wane and they drifted away after a moment, much to the stallion's relief. That didn't solve his issue though. His Princess companion had run off. With a begrudging sigh, he began to pull the trailer in the direction of Twilight as she trotted over to the filly. The thing was noticeably heavier without the mare's help...
"Scootaloo, what's wrong?" The Alicorn's voice caught the young filly's attention, drawing her gaze away from what it was she was doing to look up at the purple pony standing beside her. A somber smile crossed her features as she looked down at the scooter in front of her, drawing attention to the issue. From what Bolt could see from his angle, both of the back wheels had fallen off somehow.
"Ah, hey Twilight! My scooter broke..." The orange Pegasus pouted slightly as she explained the situation to her elder, holding up one of the small wheels that had broken off between her hooves. It would seem that she had been trying to fix it herself before they had turned up, with lackluster results. The Princess looked carefully at the wheel, and then at the scooter it had broken off from, trying to piece together what had gone wrong and how to fix it. Meanwhile, Bolt had already realised the issue. The rear bearing had snapped. While he was sure that Twilight would figure it out eventually, he figured he would save them all some time...
"Uh... The rear bearing... It's broken." The stallion spoke up, using his hoof to point towards the bar that typically held the two rear wheels in place. Both Twilight and Scootaloo's gaze followed to where he was pointing. Sure enough, it was snapped in various places. No doubt this scooter had seen a lot of use, and had slowly worn down as a result. This wasn't really his business... But Twilight and this filly clearly seemed to share a relationship of some sort, and if Twilight considered him a friend, then Bolt felt obligated to try and help Scootaloo.
He pushed the harness up so that he could slip out from under it and made his way to the back of the trailer. There had to be something in here that he could use as a replacement bearing, so the stallion began to search through the messy pile. The area around him quickly became cluttered as he sorted through everything, until finally he found a pole that would be a fitting replacement. Grabbing it with his mouth, he pulled it free and brought it towards the mare and filly, whom had been watching him curiously up until that point.
"Can you fix it, Bolt...?" Twilight asked as she watched him drop the pole to the floor, before raising her eyebrow at him. The pole was much too big for the scooter, that much was clear. But Bolt had a plan. With a nod, he turned his attention to Spike, whom hadn't budged from the trailer this entire time. Apparently the little dragon was quite comfortable.
"Lend me a hoof, Spike?" The stallion inquired as he nudged the pole on the floor with his hoof. Without hesitation, Spike began to climb down from the edge of the trailer he had been seated on and approached Bolt, looking at the stallion, and then down to the pole in-between them.
"Sure. What do you need?" With that question, Bolt placed both his hooves on the pole to keep it steady, before pointing towards a particular spot on it. So engrossed in his work, he hadn't noticed that heads were starting to turn in their direction again, no doubt curious about what was going on.
"Use your fire to heat up this bar right here." Steele Bolt explained carefully to the purple dragon, receiving a nod of understanding from his new friend. He pulled his head back a little as Spike concentrated on the pole he was holding down, since he really didn't want to get any backlash from the flames. After a moment, a thin stream of fire shot from Spike's mouth, beginning to briskly heat up the metal pole at the desired area until it glowed a bright orange.
"Enough!" Bolt called out, and Spike brought an abrupt end to his fire. Good thing too. Bolt was starting to sweat from the intense heat of Spike's fire breath. He could have sworn it was hotter than it had been when the little dragon had used it back in his lab. That would explain why it had taken significantly less time to complete this task than the last though. With the metal weakened from the heat, it wasn't difficult for Bolt to bend the pole at the heated point until it snapped completely, cutting it to the perfect length for the scooter. Not the most efficient way of doing so, but he was lacking the appropriate tools.
After removing the remains of the broken bearing, Bolt used the makeshift pole to replace it. Once it was in place, all that remained was to put the wheels back on. Not the easiest task without tools, but he would manage. He took one wheel and began to hammer it to the end of the pole with his hoof, letting out quiet grunts every time his hoof connected with the wheel. It was a gradual process, but eventually the wheel was firmly in place and he moved onto the second one. Once everything was in place, Bolt gave the wheels a testing spin. It was a relief to see them spin as intended.
"Wow! You did it! That's so cool!" Scootaloo chirped, practically bouncing on the spot as the stallion rolled her scooter towards her. He watched as she hastily jumped onto it, her wings going into overdrive as she began to run circles around him, Twilight and the trailer, before coming to a skidding halt in front of Bolt. "It's better than ever! Thanks, uh..." She sure was full of energy...
"Steele Bolt. Glad I could help." Bolt introduced himself quietly, a little unsure on the attention he was getting. At least it wasn't bad attention, but he still wasn't used to it. The bright expression on the filly's face was enough to subside his doubts though. It felt nice to be able to help another. His skills were coming in use for somepony else, instead of just his own personal goal. Pinkie's party cannon had been the first time in a long time that he had done something like that, but the experience had been soured by all the misfortune that had come from the visit. Rainbow Dash seemed to be bad luck for him...
"Good to meet ya', Bolt. I'm Scootaloo." The Pegasus filly flapped her tiny wings as she introduced herself, bringing the stallion's attention to them. He wondered why she would be using a scooter if she had wings. It was unheard of for a Pegasus to use any other mode of transportation when they could fly. He wondered the reasoning, but was too afraid to ask. It could be a touchy subject, and it wasn't really any of his business anyway. He simply smiled and nodded.
"I'd better dash! Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are waiting! See ya' Bolt! See ya' Twilight!" Not even a moment after their hasty introduction, and Scootaloo was speeding off on her scooter, waving back to her elders before disappearing from sight in a matter of seconds. Her speed almost put Rainbow Dash to shame... Bolt was left blinking in her dust, while Twilight giggled softly and waved a hoof in farewell.
"What a bundle of energy..." The stallion murmured, turning back to his trailer with Twilight, both of them making their way to the back of the trailer to clean up the mess that Bolt had made earlier while looking for a replacement bearing. It wasn't difficult with a dab of magic, which taught Bolt a new found envy for Unicorns. His work would be so much easier if he had magic at his disposal...
"Aren't all foals like that though?" Twilight retorted with a cock of an eyebrow, her magic still engulfing the harness as she brought it up so they could slip under it, before bringing it softly back down in front of them. A stark contrast to the rushed manner she had operated it earlier.
"I suppose you're right..." Bolt replied, sparing the mare a glance before looking back at the road ahead. It only just occurred to him that it seemed busier around them all of a sudden, as if the spectacle that had just unfolded had been watched by passersby. A hint of self-conscious doubt lingered in the back of his head, wondering how they might use his honest actions against him somehow. But he brushed it aside, reaffirming his resolve. Who cared what other ponies thought. Unless those ponies were his new found friends, anyway...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The junkyard finally came into view as the duo of ponies reached the outskirts of Ponyville, while their dragon tag along napped soundly in the trailer. The sun was half way through it's journey across the sky at this point, indicating that it was midday. To think that he would usually be waking up around now... If he'd had a choice in the matter, Bolt certainly would be only waking up now. He stifled a yawn at the thought, his fatigue from a lackluster night's sleep slowly catching up on him. The sooner he finished this chore, the sooner he could return home, and hopefully take a nap. It wasn't that he disliked his company; Twilight and Spike were very easy to be around, but when a pony is tired...
First on the list of things to do was dump the junk from his garden, so the two of them hauled the trailer into the junkyard itself and began to unload it. This resulted in Spike's rude awakening, but he only gave a slight grumble before helping toss the rubbish away. Very little was said during this activity, though smiles were shared once it was complete. Next came collecting the parts that Bolt required for his Jetpack. A much larger job in the scheme of things, considering the vast size of the junkyard. But instead of beginning to search, Bolt guided Twilight and Spike towards a kiosk that sat towards the entrance of the junkyard, to which a scruffy looking stallion sat within.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my favourite customer." The stallion offered a smirk and straightened his posture upon noticing he had company, even going as far to straighten out his dirty looking cap. This one article of clothing fit the Earth pony pretty well, since his dark brown coat, and lighter brown mane followed a similar trend. It was hard to say if he neglected to wash, or had just become dirty from working at the junkyard over the course of the day though...
"Hey, Scrap Iron. I was wondering if you had any of these in stock." Bolt spoke surprisingly comfortably as he placed the list he had made on the counter of the kiosk for Scrap Iron to see, with the parts they had already found marked off. Twilight couldn't mask her shock at Bolt's confidence in interacting with the caretaker of the dump, though that likely hinted at how frequently he actually visited the place. Scrap Iron was likely the closest thing he'd had to a friend before being somewhat forced into their social circle.
"Are you in lucky, Bolt, my boy! I have just what you're looking for." The messy stallion spoke with a grin, turning around momentarily to fetch a rather hefty looking box before slamming it down on the counter. After a quick rifle through, the objects of Bolt's desire were revealed and placed upon the counter. Each were in surprisingly good condition, hinting that Scrap Iron might have repaired them, or at least been incredibly lucky in finding them in such a state. "And, of course, you get the special repeat customer discount." He continued, wagging his eyebrows a little for added charisma. But that last sentence rubbed Twilight the wrong way.
"He has to pay?" The Princess spoke up, taking a step forward as her eyebrow cocked upwards. That seemed backwards to her. This was a place for everypony to dump unwanted or faulty belongings. It should be up for grabs for anypony. It seemed wrong for Scrap Iron to be allowed to snatch things up and then try to sell them when he would always get first dibs, especially when his prices were questionable. How could she know that they weren't acquireable for cheaper elsewhere and he was simply upping the prices to take advantage of the naive? She didn't like it. He didn't seem to like being questioned either.
"Everypony has to, Princess. These are my products, after all." Scrap Iron spoke with a false sense of professionalism, a frown crossing his features. This coaxed a frown on Twilight's face as well, since his tone had been somewhat condescending. She wouldn't let him take advantage of somepony like that. As a Princess, it was her duty to stand up for her subjects, even against swindlers like him.
"That's not right. Just because you work here, doesn't mean you can monopolize on what's dumped here!" The Alicorn insisted, pointing her hoof at Scrap Iron in an accusing fashion. The stallion's eyes narrowed at her. He was losing his temper with her, even if she was royalty. Naturally, it was a little refreshing for her to not be given any special treatment, though ideally she would have preferred it in a positive circumstance.
"Look, Princess. Everypony has to make a living. You know how much they pay me? Two bits. A day. I have mouths to feed. A little filly. Barely a year old." The testy stallion stated bluntly, a little venom in his voice as he spoke. This revelation caused Twilight to shrink back slightly. She didn't know what to do; whether to trust his word or not. If he were lying, then that was inexcusable, but if he wasn't... She couldn't blame him for trying to support his family as much as possible. She was at a loss. It was at that point that Bolt finally interjected, laying his hoof on Twilight's shoulder for reassurance. He had felt overwhelmed when the argument had started up, and thus hadn't gotten involved. Not until now, anyway.
"It's alright, Twilight. I don't mind paying." He spoke, trying to reassure the Alicorn Princess. With that said, he placed the right amount of bits on the counter, to which Scrap Iron counted them to make sure the amount was right. Once satisfied with his findings, he gave a nod and shoved the parts towards Bolt. The heavy atmosphere that had built up was unbearable for everypony present. Twilight made a quiet retreat back to the trailer as Bolt gathered up the parts he had purchased and followed in her wake, loading his haul into the back of the trailer with Spike's help. A moment later, and he found himself under the harness with Twilight.
"Thanks, Scrap. See ya'." The stallion called out to the worker behind the counter of the kiosk, whom simply offered him a half-hearted wave before staring into space. It was clear that things would be awkward for a while between them, but since the dispute hadn't been with Bolt, it was likely that things would heal with time. Twilight still seemed quite crestfallen though, as they made their way back towards Ponyville.
"I'm sorry about that..." She spoke up softly, her purple eyes aimed towards the ground as they took each step slowly. Bolt's ears slowly leaned back as he glanced her way, his mouth opening to speak, only for hesitation to grip him. He searched for the right words to say, something that would help the situation. He wasn't used to being in this kind of situation though. Comforting others wasn't his strong suit. His gaze slowly drifted away from her, following hers to the floor.
"I don't know if he has a family to feed or not... But I get that you were trying to protect me. I appreciate that. Thanks." Steele Bolt spoke with a soft, unsure voice. He was speaking his mind, when he wasn't really sure if the situation called for it. His green eyes darted about a little as he stared downward, before finally raising his gaze, finding that Twilight had already done the same to look his way. There was a soft smile on her face, though guilt and uncertainty was still plain to see in her eyes. He hadn't erased the pain, but he was given the sense that he had helped ease it at least.
"Thank you, Bolt." Were the last words spoken for the rest of the journey, the two ponies walking in silence, simply enjoying each other's company.