XAVIER POV
OUTSIDE FRONT DOOR OF HOME
I rushed out the door and quickly locked it in a heartbeat, but just as I was about to reach for my car keys, I hesitated for a moment and thought back to the new occupants of the little basement of my mom and I. The look on all of their faces as they were enjoying using the keyboard was a joy to behold, and for once I actually felt happy to be taking care of somebody else besides my mom. As strange as they may be to others in this world, they couldn’t hide forever. They had to prove that they weren’t a threat nor a science lab’s herd of guinea pigs.
All of a sudden, I felt a pang of guilt, and opened the basement door.
“Who wants to come with me to do some serious machinery work?” I hollered down the steps.
“I will!”
“Count me in!”
“I’d be down.”
“I’d love to learn more about cars!”
“Me too!”
“Um, if you’re okay with it, I’ll be happy to help.”
“I can’t leave you all alone, can I?”
I sighed and smiled solemnly. “Grab some rags and three towels. All aboard the Friendship Integra!”
Tempest sat in the front, while Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rainbow Dash, and the others all squeezed in the back. I stuffed all the shipping boxes in the trunk. At my insistence, Skystar stayed behind, along with Pinkie, who wasn’t going to let her best friend be left behind either. I warned them not to damage anything, and let them have free reign of the chess set, keyboard, drum pad, and laptop.
“It’s amazing how many people can fit into such a small space!” Twilight exclaimed, looking out the window at all the people on the sidewalk. “Everyone’s different in some way, yet a couple seem to dress alike.”
“One of the ways life’s all the more interesting, cuz,” I remarked, giving Tempest a loving wink. “Especially when you have amazing friends to share all the awesome amazing experiences in it with.”
“So, how do cars work?” Twilight asked.
“Basically you’ve got an engine connected to axles, and they turn the axles in turn turning the wheels, thus moving the whole thing forward...or backward. The engine is started up and turned off through an electrical system through a key - called an ignition, and a set of pedals controls the engine.”
“How does the engine work in relation to the axles, ignition, and pedals?” Twilight then inquired.
I sighed. This would take hours to explain, and we’d be at the shop in only about ten more minutes. At a stoplight, I unbuckled my seatbelt and reached over to the glovebox, and pulled out two books.
“Here,” I coaxed, reaching behind. “Give these a quick read. They’ve got all the info you need.”
Twilight took the books in her magic and started eagerly flipping through them as I drove on. Finally, at 12:10, we arrived at our destination.
“Here we are,” I announced rather excitedly, pulling into a small parking lot next to large warehouse-like building. I parked right at the front, where we’d have easy access to the exit if I needed to zip off for any reason. Tempest stepped out, then the others - Rainbow Dash, then Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike. Last to exit was Twilight, who was so wrapped up in the Honda B-series engine service manual I had to practically drag her out and confiscate the books.
“This is it, girls,” I declared as we stepped inside the building through an open garage door. “Welcome to Maverick and Rodney’s Restoration and Mod Shop.”
Almost immediately, a rather short but well-built man looked up from the hood of a Ford Gran Torino Sport. I’d known him ever since the day I worked here. He knew everything about car bodies - from the metallic alloy density of chassis to the right way to smoothly roll a fender.
Right away, he recognized the little ponies by my side.
“What are those?” he barked angrily. Fluttershy hid behind me, letting out a little whimper. “You know the policy - no animals on the work site! How did you find such odd pets anyway?”
“Ah-hem!” I cleared my throat loudly. “Good afternoon, Mr. Maverick. These are my new pony friends. I found them in a rather… critical situation yesterday, alone on the streets. I couldn’t just leave them cooped up at home, so… I figured I’d bring them here.”
“We’re only here to help out,” Applejack added defiantly. “And we won’t cause any trouble.”
“WHAT THE -” Maverick spat out, almost tripping backward.
“Yes, they do talk,” I mouthed distastefully.
“Just ask us anything, sir, and we’ll do it,” Rarity proudly stated. “We won’t get in the way.”
“Hmmmph,” Maverick muttered, putting a hand to his chin. “How much do you all know about engines?”
“Always drain fluids before removing any major parts,” Twilight recited proudly.
“A clean part is more awesome than a dirty part,” Rainbow Dash added.
“Always torque all bolts with the same pressure. That way, the engine’s performance is balanced across the front to back,” Rarity chimed in.
I smiled smugly. “So all of you have been reading attentively.”
“Yo Rodney!” Maverick hollered out. “Gather up everyone. We’re having a quick meeting.”
In the meeting hall, we all sat down to discuss how the work day was going to go down. Twilight and her friends formally introduced themselves to the workmen. Maverick and Rodney had several important employees who were in charge of a certain department in the shop, whom they called chiefs. Garrett handled subframe assembly, body panel assembly, and basic engine rebuilds and repair, Kristen was the painter and upholstery designer, Marcus removed rust, replaced panels and did body conversions along with custom fabrications, while Brian took care of performance parts and precision tuning. Rodney was the older of the two brothers. Although nearing sixty, he was still in great shape and worked hard every day well into the evening.
Each chief had two employees who closely worked with them to ensure that each car went through all the necessary steps to be successfully restored and/or upgraded.
“So,” Rodney said, his voice deep and resonant throughout the room, “Who will help in which department? Yes, Xavier?”
“I think we should rank my friends according to their individual skills,” I proposed. “Rarity, what are you good at?”
“I could definitely sew upholstery and maybe paint, along with some bodywork.”
“Rainbow Dash, what are you best at here?”
“Honestly, flying and driving are two very different things. I think I’ll be a fetcher. You know, the pony who can obtain anything in the shop in ten seconds flat. But I’m also here to learn.”
“Fluttershy, what skills can you put to use here?”
“Um, could I clean the floor and help pour fluids?” she asked kindly, looking over at Maverick.
“Sure. And Applejack?”
“I can help lift things. Like manifolds and tires.”
I turned to face Twilight and Spike. “Now, how about you two?”
“I can help with positioning parts and engine management.”
“I can help Fluttershy clean, turn on engines after they’ve been rebuilt, and also operate machinery.”
“Then it’s settled who will work with whom?” Rodney declared.
“Yes,” everyone replied firmly.
“Good,” Maverick chimed in. “Now let’s eat a good meal before we get crackin’.”
“I’ll stand and keep watch, along with greeting those who arrive,” Tempest declared, standing by the doorway. “It’s… kinda what I do best.”
“Almost forgot you,” Rodney admitted. “I agree. You literally look like a bodyguard, but also have a slightly friendly demeanor, so why not put both to good use, right?”
Tempest nodded with a slight blush. “I think Xavier and I should go grab some food. How about some nice hot pizzas?”
“Sounds great,” Maverick replied. “Just make sure they’re all vegetarian.”
“Gotcha, Mav.” I flashed him a thumbs-up and headed out the door with Tempest.
“So, Tempest…” I began.
“Call me Fizzlepop,” she interjected, nuzzling against my arm. My eyes widened and i nearly blushed. I knew she was taking interest in me but I didn’t expect her to go that far.
I looked down at her, and she flashed an endearing smile, before letting out a little whisper.
“Only my dearest friends call me Fizzlepop, so take that as a note how -”
“You love me, don’t you?” I teased, playfully pulling her into a hug. Her body felt muscular yet somewhat soft, like a bodybuilder. I had dated in high school, but it hardly lasted more than a semester. Here the love felt deeper and stronger for some reason. It was like Fizzlepop had just fallen for me at first sight (given how I risked my physical lifting capabilities to save Skystar) and chosen to act like a bodyguard, while keeping her romantic body language at bay… until now.
We hopped into the Integra and drove off. Dundas was a very busy street, with streetcars and numerous small stores. It was midday, so I hoped everyone was still busy at work and the streets were clear. Wrong!
The traffic became congested at one intersection, due to an unusually high number of pedestrians. It seemed word had spread around and there was a line up of people with cellphones - all aimed at us.
“This is getting out of hand,” I grumbled, my voice stiff with frustration. “It’s like my life has turned into that of a celebrity of sorts since you ponies showed up.”
“Hey,” Fizzlepop snapped. “It’s not your fault. I need to talk. They have a right to know about me, and it’s unfair if I refuse to tell them.”
Before I could even reply, she pushed the door open and stepped onto the sidewalk. Immediately a group of people swarmed her from all sides, snapping photo after photo, and some fired out questions.
“No…” I sighed. This was not what I wanted to happen at all. But Fizzlepop was stubborn in her own right, and it seemed like she wanted to deal with these people her way. I rolled down the window to hear the frenzy more clearly.
Tempest seemed unfazed by the crowd around her, and simply pushed through them and walked across the street. Since the light was green for me, I slowly drove on ahead, watching her closely.
It seemed like Tempest would just keep walking - I had no idea exactly what her plan was. But then at the corner she stood firm, her back to the window of a store. The questioners fired away again, clearly unsatisfied with silence as an answer.
“I know you all have questions,” she began, her voice thick with seriousness and defiance. “Here’s the deal, humans. If you leave me and my friends alone after this, and promise to never, ever harass us or cause disruption to public services, I answer all your questions. Right here, right now. So, what’s it going to be?”
“Fine,” a woman with a mic muttered. “So, what’s your name?”
“Tempest Shadow. As you can tell, I am a unicorn, with part of a horn. It broke in an accident when I was a filly, and it cost me greatly. I fell for the lies of a great criminal afterward when he promised to repair it, but my new friends saved me and helped me to see the light. I defeated him and saved their land from destruction and corruption. They and I are from a distant land called Equestria. It is likely a realm beyond any understanding you can comprehend, and not from within this world either. For now my friends and I live under the care and protection of Xavier, our new human friend.”
She pointed to me in the car, and I couldn’t help but smile at her level of determination and humility.
“I’m no threat to anyone, and I don’t want to be thought of as such. My role is to care, love, and protect. I could tell more, but this will be it for now.”
Other people arrived, crowding the interaction even more as they continued with a barrage of questions. I revved the engine loudly in hopes of distracting them. It worked, and Tempest was able to slip out from the crowd.
“Let’s go,” she urged, jumping back into the car. I locked the door, rolled up the windows and we sped off. Not a moment too soon, I noticed police in the rearview, trying to control the crowd who was still crowding the intersection.
“Looks like a lot of word has gotten around,” Fizzlepop said, shaking her head. “I never imagined I’d become so popular among people who never even originally knew me.”
“You’re the most popular with me,” I replied with a smile, and she blushed hard.
We soon arrived at Albany’s. I ordered eight hot pies - three extra-large vegetarian, three extra-large Albanese-style, and two large Margherittas. Additionally, I got fifteen dipping sauces - eight ranch garlic and seven barbecue, fifteen bottles of fruit juice and eight bowls of salad. The wait became so long, I became rather restless. I called home, hoping to find out how Pinkie and Skystar were doing.
No answer. “Maybe they’re just sleeping,” I thought.
After a good forty minutes, everything was ready. I was about to pull my debit card out of my pocket when the waitress stopped me.
“It’s alright,” she reassured. “Maverick already sent in the money. Here’s the change. Also, tell your unicorn and her friends they’re welcome anytime.”
I slipped the bills and coins into the zippered pocket on my overalls and zipped it shut. “Really? Thanks very much.”
A stack of pizza boxes in hand, I headed outside into the parking lot, where Tempest was doing a couple exercises. I gently placed the boxes in the trunk, then reentered the restaurant and got the rest of the items. I shut the trunk and we drove off back to the shop.
Halfway there I tried calling home again. No answer. I shook my head anxiously. Something was wrong.