One Degree Off: Part I
“Today is the day!” PAL declared joyously as he stomped his way down the halls of the fortress he called home, “I bet master Techorse is just thrilled to be finally receiving his degree...”
Techorse had been spending hours and hours of his spare time studying and building prototypes to become a certified Engineer through a prestigious program in Canterlot. The well-known program, dubbed the Canterlot League of Engineers, was opened only to the most elite in his field, and required sponsorship from a senior member within the school. Naturally, Twilight Sparkle had known a mare in the school, and with a little ‘convincing’, managed to get her coltfriend into the program. Despite his many robotic tools and near-magic level of already invented machines, the time and dedication necessary to complete the degree’s multitude of requirements had been a serious challenge. Nearly two years of tests, practical projects, and night classes had led up to today: the day when Techorse would defend his capstone project and thesis in Canterlot.
PAL held in his arms the invention his master had created for the thesis, a fan-like device consisting of interlocking, bladed materials controlled by a small gray robotics housing at the base. The entire assembly fit in a shoe box, and seemed to weigh almost nothing in the robot’s arms. An entire six months of planning and effort had gone into this device, and this afternoon it would finally be demonstrated in front of the panel. Not all of his friends would be able to attend, but some of them were able to make it. He appreciated any support he could get.
“It’s hard to believe,” PAL said cheerfully as he entered the dining room, “but you’ve finally made it to the end, master! Feel excited?”
To the robot’s chagrin, Techorse was slumped over on his long oaken dining room table, clearly irritated about something. His ears were horizontal to the surface of the table, a scowl on his face, and his blue eyes pointed forward off into space. He hadn’t even touched his breakfast yet, a rapidly sogging bowl of cornflakes topped with a ribbon of fresh honey. The saddle on his back remained closed, robotic arms and hands stowed away, no interest was there to pick up the required cereal spoon in front of him.
“Are you well?” asked his robot, placing the box containing the magnum opus on the table.
“I’m fine,” he muttered, “not sick.”
“Then what’s wrong?” asked the machine, putting his hands at his sides and raising an electronic eyebrow, “You’re pouting like miss Sparkle does.”
“That guy,” Techorse answered, tilting his head to point at something.
PAL looked at the other side of the table, and saw their house guests enjoying some fresh cups of mint tea and toast with plum jam. Mix-Up and Spanners Buildsbetter were goofing around with a new design idea for the interior of Techorse’s fortress, a hobby their host really wished they’d give up on. Spanners was of course, indentured to Ponyville still after nearly getting Techorse and his friends ripped apart by a beast, and Mix-Up had been kicked cleanly out of Cloudsdale for… being himself.
PAL knew the two were taking full advantage of Techorse’s hospitality and demanded an explanation as to what their latest stunt was, “Oh.… I see. Mr. Mix-Up, would you care to explain what you and Buildsbetter have done to put master Techorse in a mood? He needs to be in good spirits for his thesis today!”
“I know, I know,” Spanners answered nervously, the plumber trying to defend himself, “it looks bad, but we didn’t mean to flood the lab with paint!”
“WHAT?!” shouted the machine, slamming his hands on the table, Mix-Up recoiling a bit in shock.
The earth pony sweated under the collar, adjusting his toolbelt with a hoof as a habit, “W… well, Techie said he was interested in having spray paint available for his machines since he wanted to get into painting and details for his gadgets and, well… I’m good with pipes so...”
“Oh let me explain this,” Mix-Up interrupted, the patchy coated pegasus unperturbed by PAL’s anger, “Buildsbetter and I collaborated on a brilliant idea to build a pipeline from the supply room to the laboratory, which would compress liquid spray paint and provide it on demand! It would have been glorious… had it succeeded.”
“So what happened?” PAL inquired.
“We uh… got as far as putting the pressurized tanks of paint inside the supply room, but I sort of forgot to tighten the smaller pipes inside the laboratory, just above the workbench,” admitted Spanners sheepishly, “so the paint shot out of the nozzles you’re supposed to connect a sprayer to.”
“All of my blueprints were lost,” Techorse sighed, “I was lucky my final project wasn’t on that table.”
PAL suddenly realized that wasn’t quite the case. He had found the box containing the final project on the floor outside the lab. The two culprits of the disaster had moved it on purpose knowing he was going to look for it. Had the robot opened that laboratory door, the sight would have probably made him blow a fuse, either metaphorically or literally.
If the servant machine could turn red, he would have, “Oh, well… I don’t mean to make matters worse, but...”
Techorse lifted his head off the table, and pulled the box towards him, opening it carefully with his hoof as if he were defusing a mine. When he looked inside, the stallion’s face twisted a bit in sadness.
“I can’t demo this,” he said, despairing, “they won’t be able to take it seriously!”
“I think it’s a great improvement,” Mix-Up huffed, “although I can’t say so much for the laboratory. We did clean up a bit and placed your project outside the lab all nice and boxed up though, so you could at least thank us for that.”
Unwilling to yell at the artist for his comment, Techorse instead got up from the table, and his saddle opened up. The robotic arms inside grabbing the box containing his now ‘improved’ masterpiece. Whether he wanted to or not, it was time for him to leave for Canterlot, as failing to show up guaranteed being declined for the title.
“Well, I’ll do my best,” he said miserably, “not that it’ll help. Twilight’s going to look so stupid for having recommended me to the Dean for this program, only for a tie-dyed mess to hit her desk!”
Techorse wandered out of the room, looking as if about to cry. PAL heard the large wooden doors to the home open and close with the grinding of latches and gears. Now that his master was out of the house, he had a little bit more freedom to act how he desired.
“Excuse me,” he grunted, an electrical noise coming from his voice box, “I’d like you two to look at me.”
The two stallions left at the table suddenly felt as if the temperature in the room had plunged a good twenty degrees. Their mane hairs were beginning to stand on end as they slowly looked over at PAL, the machine’s orange eyes drilling holes into their faces.
“Let me make something clear to both of you morons. You are here because my much-loved and respected creator believes he has no choice but to host you. In reality, he’s very kind to let you stay while you get back on your hooves. However, if it were up to me... I’d have kicked you out of here so hard your PARENTS would have felt my metallic footpad on your backsides!”
Spanners trembled in his seat, “P.. PAL, I’m sorry! It was an accident!”
“Is threatening us with violence and eviction really necessary, robot?” questioned Mix-Up, rolling his eyes, “Techorse is required to keep track of us, remember?”
“Good point! That being said, it’ll be quite easy to keep track of you if you’re locked up downstairs!” the robot answered, pointing at them with a judging metal finger, “There were no terms of hospitality in your legal sentences, after all.”
“Wh… what??!” yelped Spanners, turning pale.
PAL smirked, “If that lab isn’t spotless by the time Techorse returns, I’m moving you both to the boiler room. You’re not even going to get so much as a blanket down there.”
“Cool your motors,” Mix-Up grunted, getting out of his seat, “honestly that aggression of yours needs working on. Besides, your threats are meaningless. Techorse would make you let us out anyways, right?”
“Would you like to take that gamble?” PAL asked rhetorically, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms confidently, “The way Techorse was staring at you, and I know him very well… he was thinking some very grisly things about you.”
Spanners and Mix-Up looked at each other and thought about how intensely Techorse was staring at them just a few minutes ago. Deciding to play it safe, the two shuffled of to go clean up their mess and hopefully install the pipeline correctly this time, avoiding PAL’s watchful gaze.
After a very long and uneventful train ride to Canterlot, it being necessitated due to the size of the box containing his final project forbidding flight or teleportation, Techorse arrived at the station closest to the Canterlot League of Engineers. Twilight was waiting for him eagerly on the busy platform, a place decorated with electric lights and tile flooring.
“Thanks for taking the train,” she said, grabbing hold of the box with her magic, “I’ve been busy helping Princess Celestia with documentation covering our diplomatic progress with the Yaks! Got a nice suit waiting for you at the school, though, as promised.”
“Perfect,” he answered, breathing a tired sigh, “let’s get going.”
“Is something wrong? You didn’t forget anything, did you!?” she asked, worrying about his demeanor.
“Oh, no… sorry, just... thinking about something,” Techorse continued, clearly irritated.
Twilight wrinkled her muzzle, “Are those two guys making your life hard again? Techie, we talked about this! Spanners and Mix-Up don’t have to live in your castle if you don’t want them to, especially if they’re messing up your academics! What’d they do this time?“
“They kind of flooded my lab with paint,” he answered honestly, starting to walk for the exit so they wouldn’t waste time, “and of course, it got all over the project.”
Twilight Sparkle gritted her teeth and looked into the box floating in front of her, “Oh, oh dear! What are we gonna do?! We have to present NOW! Miss Ampere is gonna freak out when she sees this!”
Miss Ampere was the current head of the Engineering school, having been appointed by her peers as the dean due to her research into a modern fuse box system meant for Equestria’s newest line of steam ships. Unfortunately, she had a low tolerance for artistic “improvements” over any kind of serious engineering work, and Techorse’s project was certain to be perceived as a threat to her concept of how the field should be approached. She also happened to hold the final decision on Techorse’s accredited status in her hooves, despite the other faculty members who would be in attendance of the thesis and demonstration.
Techorse answered his marefriend’s question with a hung head, “Nothing. We can’t do anything. That paint has probably soaked into the porous materials on the surface, so magic removal would damage it. I’m just going to have to hope I don’t fail.”
Whereas Techorse tended to mope when in social trouble, Twilight freaked out and catastrophized, her eyes bugging out as she mentally flailed, “Hope you don’t fail? But if you do, these past two years will be for nothing! They’ll kick you out of the League! Princess Celestia will be forced to take away your tinkering permits, it’s going to ruin your life!"
"WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!"
Her coltfriend stopped her by planting a soft kiss on her cheek, “I’m upset too, Twi. The only thing we can really do now is get this over with. You’ll still care about me if I don’t walk out of there with my degree, right?”
The unicorn felt her anxiety turn into a bit of guilt, “Well… yes. I mean… sorry. I just know it’s your big day, and I wanted it to be perfect. This is as far from perfect as it could get.”
“I’ll get by, I’ve got you!” he answered, smiling sweetly and running a hoof through her familiar striped mane, “I don’t need perfect.”
“Says the stallion who knows how one imperfect piece can cause yet another explosion,” she joked, holding his hoof in hers.
“Hey, at least I don’t accidentally turn others into radios,” he answered, embracing her in a quick hug.
Twilight set the box down and scolded him playfully, “Pinkie Pie volunteered for that lesson and was perfectly fine when it wore off.”
“Remember how she could still pick up and hear the Hoofball commentators for three weeks after she turned back?” he said, “She jumped up in the middle of Sugarcube Corner last time I visited and screamed ‘BAD CALL, REF! BAD CALL!’”
They shared a hearty laugh together, remembering that incident all too well. Now that Twilight was calmed down and smiling again, she picked up the box telekinetically and finally returned Tech’s kiss, planting one quickly on his lips. This had been the first time she’d kissed him in two or so months. They’d seen each other several times, but as he had approached this day, the project work had gotten harder and harder. Twilight was getting progressively more anxious about the final paper and project, showing up every day to his lab and giving a ton of… rather unsolicited advice. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate the help, especially from his marefriend, it’s just that their relationship had consisted of fewer fun dates, and more worry sessions for Twilight!
He set aside the thoughts when Twilight spoke to him again, “At least we know how to fail in interesting ways. We need to start writing all of these moments down!”
“Whatever happens at this thesis defense will be worth writing about,” answered Techorse, resuming their trot, “even if I can’t pass, it’ll be nice to see what they think about my idea otherwise.”
“Definitely,” Twilight added, “and I may also need to spend some time thinking about your situation with the guys. This could be great material for my friendship studies...”
The League’s campus was located off to the west of the city, consisting mostly of tall alabaster and gold buildings built in close proximity with ornate steam funnels and instruments coming off of every roof. Bright sidewalks in perfect 90 degree angles created intersecting paths between all of the structures, but each and every one of the pathways led to Quandary Hall, where the original founder of the school, Concept Quandary put down the first classroom to teach engineering and technology to Canterlot’s eager students, back when steam engines were brand new! Almost two hundred years later, and despite the advances in electricity and engines, the glory of steam power was still very much alive on campus.
Techorse couldn’t help but feel butterflies in his stomach as they walked up to the entrance to Quandary Hall. A tall, domed building with a set of brass hatches that made up its front doorway, it was shaped like a giant observatory, two massive steam chimneys at its back sending billows of fluffy steam into the sky. The stairs leading up were marble, carved with equations that students at the school had solved after years of being deemed “impossible”. Twilight had planned with a couple of their friends to meet them in front of the building. Fluttershy and Shadow Breeze had shown up and were all smiles, Rainbow Dash was present physically but was distracted otherwise by the architecture, and Rarity stood nearby, going through a number of pamphlets about machines invented on campus that might help her mass-produce her wares.
“We’re here!” Twilight announced, slightly winded from the number of stairs it took to reach the entrance, “With just enough time for you to change, Tech.”
“Great. Take care of the project for me,” he answered, mechanical arms from his saddle passing the box over to Twilight’s magical aura carefully, “where did you leave the suit?”
“It’s right here, darling!” Rarity announced, bringing out a fresh black suitcase containing the threads, “Head inside and take a left, and you’ll find the locker room. I do hope your measurements have stayed the same, Techorse, it’s been a while!”
“Thanks Rarity,” he answered, taking the case from her with his still present gadgets, “hopefully this helps my case.”
The stallion walked up to the metal hatches, each of which was four times his height. The one closest to him opened up with the hiss of relaxing steam valves, and he trotted inside. After the brass colored tube which acted as a sensor for the doorway noted that the visitor was indoors, the hatch swung closed again, and the locking mechanism spun shut.
“What was wrong with Tech?” asked Shadow Breeze, “He seemed a little bit down today.”
Twilight sighed, “It’s his ‘guests’, they got a little destructive this morning, and according to Tech, ruined the project. I sure hope everything will be okay.“
“Somehow I get the feeling he’ll be fine,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, “you and Techie tend to make everything all doom and gloomy!”
“Well either way, we should go to the auditorium and support our friend,” Rarity concluded, raising her chin, “Arbiter and Limpwing are here as well, they’re talking to Headmaster Ampere. Shall we?”
“Let’s shall!” answered Fluttershy.
Having prepared for over two years for this very moment, Techorse entered the main auditorium with his heart in his throat and the collared shirt around his neck feeling rather constricting, although perhaps it was the excessively strong knot in his royal purple tie he’d done out of anxiety. Normally he wouldn’t be so nervous, he was his friend group’s inventor after all, but he couldn’t help but think the headmaster would not be impressed by what he had to offer now that it had been ruined with paint.
“Well, at least this will be a small audience,” he said to himself as he walked onto the stage.
The room was tall, taking on the rounded shape of the building but stopping in a half circle, rows upon rows of cloth covered folding chairs facing the stage where Techorse now stood. To his shock, each and every one of the chairs had been filled with the residents of Canterlot and the surrounding area, over a hundred ponies stared at him from their seats. The stage lighting above was pointed down near the front of the auditorium, making it rather hot in his suit. To his right, on the table, was the box containing his thesis creation. Limpwing and Captain Arbiter had taken a pair of metal folding chairs and seated themselves comfortably on the other side of the table. Techorse made eye contact with Limpwing, who winked at him playfully.
“Uh oh,” said Rainbow Dash, seated in the front row with her friends, “did we remember to tell Techie that there was gonna be a full house?”
“You were the one who made this an open showing!” criticized Twilight from the seat over, clearly annoyed, “Why didn’t you tell him?”
“Poor Tech, he looks scared out of his mind,” Fluttershy said dolefully.
Techorse noticed the microphone on a stand near him, and grabbed the boom of the mic and brought it closer to him. Part of the crowd vocalized their intrigue at his device, and the other hand moved out from underneath the clothing to wave.
“Heh, sorry folks,” he said dryly, “thank you all for coming to my thesis, wasn’t expecting this much attention!”
The front of the stage opened up with a hiss of steam, and up from the fog rose a hidden platform, where three faculty members sat in leather chairs behind what looked like an ancient workbench, wooden and full of scratches. Techorse recognized the figure in the center right away, a cream colored unicorn mare with frizzled blue hair and electric stripes, purple eyes that could burn a hole through a wall if focused, and an unknown cutie mark concealed by a pair of work jeans. Despite her lack of formal clothing, headmaster Ampere took her job very seriously.
“Mr. Techorse,” she said with a west coast accent, reaching into her leather jacket, “my colleagues Resistor and Patent Pending sit here today behind the bench owned by our founder, Concept Quandary. As you have taken almost all of your credit hours and project classes remotely in Ponyville, we’ve never formally met. Now you stand before us to have your thesis judged, your machine tested, and your skill critiqued.”
Techorse took a look at Resistor and Patent Pending. Both also older mares with piercing eyes, one with a yellow coat and the other turquoise, they stared back at him as if they would pounce upon him should he show weakness.
“Now, no unfair advantages are given in this school,” continued the leader, “I may have been given the idea to admit you to this school by somepony I know...”
Twilight looked around to make sure no one was staring at her when she said that. Last thing she wanted was for Ampere to name and shame her for “nepotism”.
“...but I’m unimpressed by household creations and I especially do not like weapons of war,” she continued sternly, knowing very well what his Battle Saddle could do from word of mouth, “so you’d better have a thesis today that is both neither of those things and still demonstrates that you can build the things it takes to move Equestria forward.”
After a short pause, Resistor explained the rules, “You have five minutes now to speak about your creation and give a short demonstration. Begin.”
Techorse stood frozen for a few seconds, took a deep breath to provide ample oxygen to his panicking mind. He finally managed to pull his thoughts together on exactly what he wanted to say… and then he began with a friendly speech to hook his audience.
“Ladies and Gentlecolts, despite the strong role magic plays in our society, today’s Equestria is still full of needs that would require constant attendance if solved by spells. Engineering helps to fill these minute-to-minute needs we have in our everyday lives! The refrigerator, the radio, and the steam engine are things we take for granted when we use them or benefit from them, but they are complex systems that were engineered by talented ponies.”
Ampere continued to remain very unimpressed, the leather jacket-clad unicorn picked up a pen from the ancient desk with a quick spell and started jotting down notes. Twilight felt her heart rate begin to slowly elevate, despite how enthralled the high-class audience was, the panel was not thrilled!
“While it’s normal to take inventions such as what I’ve listed for granted, since they’re just things we can go and buy at the store, there are some things in life that we really should be thankful for,” Techorse continued, motioning with his hoof, “I can see we have many pegasus ponies here today. Could you imagine a world where you suddenly lost your wings? A friend of mine, a doctor, says that a pegasus who loses her wings… loses her will to live.”
“This is really, really depressing,” Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight, “what’s he thinking?!”
“You’ll see, just watch!”
Techorse motioned to Limpwing, “I have here my good friend, Limpwing. She’s been born with a condition that has left her with a stunted wing, making her flight very difficult.”
“No points for pity, Techorse,” thought Ampere, flicking her pen against her cheek.
Limpwing stood up and moved next to Techorse, smiling at the audience and displaying her malformed appendage before flapping and displaying her hobbled flight pattern to those present. She couldn’t even hover without dips in her movement. Arbiter could see how uncomfortable the pegasus ponies in the audience were getting, even Patent Pending, who blatantly checked her own wings out of subconscious worry.
“Today I am going to introduce to you a form of Neural Control technology that will revolutionize helping pegasus ponies trapped in such a nightmare,” declared Techorse, putting on a confident smile that was totally fake, “you see, even when a victim gets used to a damaged or missing limb, the brain still sends out waves and signals when they attempt to use it, a so-called ‘phantom limb’ effect.”
Ampere quit chewing on her pen long enough to take an interest in this concept, she made it a point to avoid reading the paperwork portion of the thesis until after the demo, but for the first time in a while, felt as if the demo was starting to get good!
Techorse felt a massive boost of morale from seeing the mare relax and focus, “Here is where my thesis and creation come into play. It is possible for a machine to ‘listen’ for the brain’s activity locally. A special chip listens for intentional commands from the brain, thus making the machine operate at will. The mechanics on my back are an example of intentionally moving objects through space this way, they obey my deliberate commands.”
He then moved over to the box and began to open the flaps, “This is where things get complicated. A new gadget or appendage that a pony doesn’t have is easy enough to build a Neural Control for. But today, I bring you a much more sophisticated piece of equipment. Introducing… my thesis.”
“Okay, here goes nothing,” thought Techorse as he opened the box and brought the contents out into the light of the stage, “at least maybe they’ll get a laugh out of this…”
Twilight covered her eyes as he brought the gadget out of hiding, knowing it would be a disaster.
“Ohhh!” was the general reaction of the crowd, in voices of legitimate interest.
“Oh, my, what is that thing?” Ampere asked, her mouth slightly agape.
What Techorse had brought out and placed standing up on the table was a rainbow-colored piece of lightweight machinery that looked exactly like a real pegasus wing. It was molded to the exact dimensions of a typical wing, and was made of a lightweight steel and carbon alloy that gave way to the touch like a real feather, but held strong as metal under force. The paint job inadvertently applied by Mix-up and Spanners had colored each of the major feathers differently, turning it into a tie-dye work of art, rather than the plain gunmetal Techorse had originally intended. At the base of the prosthetic was a small processor core the size of a postage stamp, and a suction ring that attached to the body.
Techorse could tell from the panel that they were shocked, but he decided to go through with his presentation anyways, “I’d like to call this the… the Chromawing”
“He made that up just now, didn’t he?” giggled Rainbow Dash, “Poor guy.”
“It’s not so bad at all,” Rarity said, trying to be nice, “a bit colorful for a false limb, but there must surely be ponies out there who’d love to have a second chance nonetheless.”
Twilight opened one eye and unclenched her teeth, watching as Techorse was affixing the artificial limb to Limpwing. The prosthetic slipped over her deformity perfectly, and the suction ring automatically clung onto her barrel, leaving the colorful piece of robotics flopping out over to the side.
Techorse explained, “Now that I’ve placed the Chromawing on Limpwing’s body, we need to calibrate the processor to pick up her nervous system. Please show them as we practiced, Limpwing!”
She remained silent, and brought her muzzle down into a preening position to hit a small switch on the processor with her nose. A small green light flashed on the device for a few seconds, and then, with a soft mechanical hum, the artificial wing moved into the resting position at her side, the same as her good wing!
Ampere began to furiously jot down more notes, watching with careful intent. The other two ponies on the panel looked at each other, and then began to take notes of their own as well. Twilight felt a lot more comfortable seeing the faculty members and the rest of the audience around her whisper and focus every ounce of their attention on Limpwing.
“Heh, keep staring,” she said, finally unable to remain silent, “it’s not just for show, folks. I can actually fly with this thing, too!”
Jumping up into the air, Limpwing did a backflip and spread her wings wide, maintaining a perfect hover, which sent the audience into a positive uproar that lifted Tech’s spirits. She did a few tight laps in the air of the auditorium, the rainbow appendage flapping, tilting, and pitching in perfect harmony with her natural wing.
“Limpwing’s brain is controlling the Chromawing just as if it were flesh and blood,” Techorse explained again, “I believe with this technology, we can revolutionize rehabilitation, and more!”
Applause burst forth from the audience, unable to contain their excitement any longer. Limpwing landed next to Techorse and took a cheeky bow, removing the colorful wing shortly thereafter and placing it back in the box.
Once things had died down, Ampere put her pen back in its well and announced, “Mr. Techorse, the other panelists and I are going downstairs to come to our final decision. Please meet us there in fifteen minutes, thank you.”
The platform descended back underneath the stage again, the paneling sealing back up behind them as they vanished to discuss Techorse’s work. His friends ran up onto the stage to either give him a hug or a well-earned compliment.
“That was brilliant!” Rarity said, wanting to tell a joke, “Such a colorful, useful machine, Techorse. Do you think you can make them in orange for autumn?”
Techorse laughed to humor her, “Well, maybe. I sure hope Ampere liked it.”
“I’d say you’re gonna get that degree,” Rainbow Dash answered, “that wing let Limpy do everything a normal pegasus can!”
“Heeeeeey!” Limpwing complained, giving Rainbow Dash a dirty look, “What do you mean, normal?!”
She seemed to get that she’d been too blunt, “Oh, uh… I mean, you did really good Limpwing!”
“Hey, thanks for being the test subject, Limpwing,” Techorse said, “and thanks for coming to support us, Arbiter.”
The one-eyed stallion gave a stoic “Mhm” in response.
“We need to get downstairs and see what the panelists thought,” Twilight said, reminding them why they were there, “the audience went crazy, but I didn’t see Ampere smile even once!”
“Aw I don’t know,” Shadow Breeze countered, “the last time you told us about Ampere, you said she was a really nice mare. I bet she has to do that to all the ponies defending their thesis.”
“She is very nice, but also has very high expectations!” warned the lavender unicorn, “It’s too early to celebrate now!”
“Oops, tell that to Pinkie. She told me she’s already planned your Master Engineer Title-Winning party,” Rainbow Dash chuckled, “I’d really hate to burst her bubble, so you’d better have gotten this, Techorse!”
Looking at all of his supportive friends, and his uneasy marefriend, Techorse agreed, “Let’s go find out.”
Ampere’s main office had a rather nondescript doorway despite being the dean of the school, preferring to avoid as much attention as possible. When Techorse led his friends inside though, the plain wood door with a glass pane and name plate gave way to a very large, open room. Benches with incomplete inventions Ampere had been working on were alongside the walls of the beige office turned workshop, and bright lights shown down from overhead, illuminating all the parts and components gathering dust. The only thing that remotely made the place resemble an office was the large maple desk and soft green chair, where its owner begrudgingly did the paperwork necessary to keep the school intact. There she sat, smiling at Techorse, and to his surprise, Princesses Celestia and Luna at her sides!
“Welcome, Techorse and friends! Please come in,” said Ampere, “the princesses requested that they be here for this special moment!”
“Oh wow,” Twilight Sparkle said to her leaders, a bright look on her face, “thank you so much for coming!”
“We wouldn’t have missed it for anything!” Princess Luna declared, “Achieving the rank of Master Engineer is a high honor in Equestria, very few ponies are able to enter the program each year, and most drop out halfway through!”
“There were some very, very long nights,” admitted Techorse, happy to see the princesses but still nervous, “a project every two weeks is tough.”
“But you made it,” Celestia continued, “and we are all very proud of you, Techorse. I am glad this honor and degree will be yours. Ever since I met PAL, I knew that anypony capable of creating such a gentle individual would become a pioneer in engineering.”
Luna added,“While magic may be more prevalent in Equestria, I’ve always had a special interest in those who’d rather pick up the wrench over the spellbook. You’ve proven yourself most interesting to me ever since we met!”
“Thank you!” Techorse said, blushing, “So did I pass then, Doctor Ampere?”
The dean burst out laughing, “DID HE PASS? Aw, look at you, so unsure! Tech, that wing will be a life changer for so many ponies out there that I was restraining myself during the entire presentation. You’ve definitely earned your spot among the Master Engineers of Equestria!”
“Awwww yeah! Techies’ our guy!” Rainbow Dash cheered, doing a backflip and grabbing him around the side playfully.
“Congratulations, lad,” Arbiter said proudly, “you’ve worked very hard for your title!”
“All I’ll need to do is mark the thesis as accepted on your requirements document and I’ll have your graduation ceremony planned for next week,” Ampere said, opening one of the drawers on her desk and bringing out a golden piece of parchment, “let’s see here, thesis checkbox is at the bottom, aaaand...”
She stopped, cocking her head curiously, which made everyone else in the room rather nervous.
“Huh, that’s strange...”
“Wh… what’s strange?!” yelped Twilight Sparkle, feeling her heart rate spike.
“It’s odd, I’m sure it’s a mistake,” chuckled Ampere as the princesses turned their necks to look at the sheet, “all the classes and projects are checked off, but there’s something missing here. Looks like Techorse’s 90 hours of community service aren’t marked! That’s probably just an error, right?”
Techorse thought his pulse had stopped, “Community service?”
Twilight Sparkle buried her face in her hooves and nearly started crying, “Oh no, I forgot!”
All the eyes in the room were now on him, and he quickly realized just how badly he’d messed up. He had never heard of the 90 hours of community service until this very moment, the moment he was supposed to graduate!
“Oh dear,” Princess Celestia said, mortified, “Luna! We all forgot to tell Techorse!”
“WE!?” Luna snapped, “I thought YOU told him!”
Ampere took her goggles off and set them slowly on her desk, “Ohhhh, Techorse. I guess since you weren’t always a resident of Equestria… we never told you. We always assume students would know since, well… they’ve lived here!”
“W… what?” Techorse said dolefully, a lump forming in his throat.
“Techorse, every degree above the standard academic level in Equestria requires 90 hours of community service as a way to keep the well-educated in touch with others,” Princess Celestia explained, approaching the upset stallion, “I’m really sorry, but none of us told you.”
“Think of us forgetting as a testament to how well you’re doing living as an Equestrian!” Limpwing laughed, regretting it when she saw how hurt Techorse looked in response to her comment.
“So he… fails the whole degree?” Fluttershy said, about to cry herself, “Please say no!”
“Oh, sweet Celestia no!” scoffed Ampere, rolling her eyes sputtering her lips, “Techorse has just gotta complete the service hours and then it’s his! Easy fix, sweetheart.”
“Hey,” said the princess who had been called out by name.
“Oh! Sorry, your Majesty,” Ampere chuckled, “things slip out!”
“Well what an opportunity!” chuckled Captain Arbiter, stepping forward and throwing a wing around Techorse, “I have just the place for you in the Equestrian military, lad. I think you’ll enjoy it.”
Techorse knew his friend Midnight Blaze wanted nothing to do with the military, and he wasn’t about to join either! Sure it was great for some ponies, but he hated the idea of having to go into boot camp just to complete this degree.
“No way!” he shouted, throwing the wing off of his side with his hoof, “I’m not doing a military project! You know how I feel about that, Arbiter.”
The one-eyed pegasus was a bit taken aback, “Okay, okay... easy, Techorse. I know this is very upsetting to you, but you haven’t even let me tell you what I had in mind, yet!”
“I do not think a stint with the military is a good idea either, Captain,” warned Luna sternly, “let’s find him something where he will shine instead of pushing him into something he’ll hate! You’re always looking to stir up trouble for Techorse, Captain Arbiter.”
“Hey, it’s not Arbiter’s fault you forgot to tell Techorse what was going to happen,” Limpwing argued, raising an accusatory hoof, “you want to come up with something better for him, go ahead!”
The two started arguing with Luna that he hadn’t gotten a fair chance, which dragged Rarity and Rainbow Dash into the argument quickly as they tried to take sides. Twilight was still half-panicking on the ground, Fluttershy and Shadow were trying their best not to cry, and Limpwing just sat there enjoying the chaos with a crap-eating grin on her face. Celestia couldn’t do much but look around in disbelief at the now out-of-hoof situation. Techorse stood motionless, taking in the scene, and wished that the floor would just open up underneath him and make him disappear. It was bad enough that he was going to have to figure out some kind of service project in order to graduate, he didn't need his friends fighting each other over who’s fault it was he was in such a mess.
Interrupting all of the commotion came a loud, sharp noise. Ampere had blown into a small training whistle she kept around her neck for certain technical demos, but it came in handy for breaking up a fight once in a while. Once she was sure she had everyone’s attention, including full focus from Twilight, she leaned back in her chair and threw her hind legs up onto her desk, crossing them.
“While everypony was busy tearing into each other, I took the liberty to go through my notes for the month, and I’ve got something. Interested in hearing?”
“All right Lady Ampere, please tell us your concept,” Princess Luna agreed, “this arguing is getting us nowhere.”
“I’ve got a friend who teaches engineering over in the Trottingham Community College,” explained the dean, smirking, “she’s kind of overworked... the class is a bit of a hooful. Could use a nice long vacation, if you understand what I mean, Mr. Techorse.”
“You’d like me to teach a class at a college?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, “I’m not qualified to teach! I think I might need some time to...”
“Teaching? Teaching is great!” Twilight Sparkle gasped in joy at the thought of educating others, jumping up from her curled-up state of anxiety, “When can he start?”
“Well I knew you’d be eager, Twilight Sparkle, you’ve been begging me for a chance to give a lecture here ever since we started doing lunch on odd weekends,” giggled Ampere as she put a hoof to her mouth, “and I’m sure you and Techorse make all kinds of decisions together as special someponies. Buuuut I still have to hear it from him!”
“Say yes, please!!!” begged Twilight, holding him tightly and giving him the biggest puppy dog eyes, “I’ve always wanted to teach a class, and now you’ve got a golden opportunity to do it! You’ll love it, I promise!”
“Um, Twilight, maybe Tech isn’t very comfortable teaching the way you are,” Fluttershy said softly, discovering quickly Twilight’s willingness to ignore her as she got talked over immediately.
“I’ll teach you how to teach! It’ll be the biggest academic project I’ve ever accomplished!”
He complained, “But it’s not your...”
Techorse cut himself off and knew how much getting to help him would mean to Twilight. He didn’t feel comfortable trying to manage a group of college students by himself, given that he wasn’t that much older than said college students. However, he knew Twilight was only playing to her anxieties and preferences, believing that her favorite service project idea would be the best for him since they cared about each other. The stallion sighed and resigned himself to going through with it. Anything was survivable for a few months.
“Oh, never mind. I’ll do it,” he sighed, looking at Ampere, “what do I do now?”
He was interrupted by Twilight pulling him into a quick warm kiss on the lips. It felt like bribery.
“I knew I picked the right stallion. Thank you so much!” she said, pulling him back into a strong hug.
“Heh heh, you got that right, Miss Sparkle,” said Ampere, going back to a normal position in her chair, “now, the class starts Monday of next week. I’ll have an apartment rented out for both of you near the campus, and send some instructions over. The professor, Mrs. Hotwire, will be dropping by the day before with the curriculum. Just teach from the book and enjoy yourself, when the course ends in twelve weeks, you’ll have your 90 hours plus some change. Then we’ll have your ceremony!”
Techorse nodded, “Perfect, thank you!”
“A wonderful resolution,” Rarity said softly, “they get to teach a pleasant little class!”
“Thank you for coming up with the idea on such short notice, Dean Ampere,” Princess Celestia commended, “I will be happy to help you arrange those accommodations, if you wish.”
“Let’s hash something out today,” agreed Ampere, “I expect things will go swimmingly, after a demo as impressive as that. Techorse should have no trouble teaching a class.”
Techorse was not so sure. After the conversation had died down and he walked out of the building, Twilight skipping merrily beside him, he was starting to wonder if he had done the right thing. Out of panic, Twilight had basically forced him into this situation, and knowing her well, she had some kind of a convoluted plan to make this “easy” on him. This wasn’t the first time that Twilight’s anxiety had interfered with his ability to complete work for his degree. In the past few months in particular as he approached graduation, she had gotten more and more anxious and involved to the point where he couldn’t work without her by his side, listening carefully to her suggestions to make his work ‘perfect’.
“Twilight’s been doing this a lot lately, trying to make choices for me and even making me pick the service project she wanted,” he thought, “I know she’s anxious, but… I’m really starting to hate it.”
He hoped that it would be a passing feeling.