The next morning I awake to warmth, the crackle of a fire, and the soft welcoming smell of cooking vegetables. I am not fully awake but, I still had not eaten anything except those cocktails since the attack. My eyes cream open to reveal the Mechanist in the center of his little cave. He had collected supplies while I was out and began readying a meal. Smoke was not an issue for him in this cave as he had created some kind of spell that corrected the air though how it functioned was lost to me.
He notices my stirring and looks to me, still looking pretty sickly. "Morning for the second time. Now that your life is no longer in danger I figure we could get a proper introduction with breakfast." He had some primitive plates that had been carved from stone very similar to the walls of our shelter. He could definitely do better but, perhaps he is a pony of simple tastes.
I stand, a bit shakily, on my brand new legs. They are different. It is hard to really figure out what exactly felt off but, right at this moment, I am too hungry to really focus on that right now. I rush over to sit near the fire with him awaiting my first meal in a good while.
He glares at me. At first, I am not sure why but, I notice he is primarily focused on my new legs. Perhaps, he is not fully convinced they are working up to his standard yet. He interrupts my thoughts with a barrage of questions. "Does it hurt? What can you feel? How easily can you move your new limbs? Is there anything else you have noticed that you would like to tell me?"
He sounds like my doctor. I conclude that for now at least, he sort of is. I brush it off because there is no alarming issue that would cause me to worry besides needing new legs in the first place. I will need more experience before I can truly say I know something is wrong for sure. "No, it doesn't hurt and it moves easily enough. When can I eat?" I try to snag a plate but, he pulls it back with his magic with a look of disdain.
His look improves but, he asks one of the previous questions a second time. "What can you feel? Your new legs should have a sense of touch. Is that working correctly or not?" He motions at my metal 'hooves' sitting on the stone. I ponder the idea for a moment before I focus on it.
The stone beneath my rear metallic hooves is smooth and cold. It is very hard and there is a distinct slickness to it. My front hooves seem to stay planted just fine but, the metal hooves tend to slide slightly on the stone. I find it alarming that I can feel and wonder just what insane magic must be at work here. It is almost as if I never lost my legs at all. I touch the top of one of my new hooves and sure enough, I can feel the pressure. It is fairly precise, if, a bit different now especially considering there are now large sections of empty space in my 'legs'.
"Well?" The Mechanist injects my thoughts once more. I just realized he had been waiting on me this whole time. I nod with a mixture of confirmation and amazement. That seems to work for him as he loosens up. Shortly after he slides my plate to me he continues. "That's good... I am glad that everything seems functional. I would hate to have to repeat that." He seems lost in thought now.
I shudder at the thought. It no longer hurt because the magic had healed me so quickly. It did not need to, however, as the memories of yesterday's agony were still fresh in my mind. It was as if I had my own piece of Tartarus in this realm. I put it behind me because this was all in the past. No need to dwell on such things now.
I cannot tell what the food is. It seems to be various scavenged plants from the forest. If his skill with medicine is any indication he likely is also good at finding food in the wilderness. I am too starved to be picky anyway. I devour the entire meal unceremoniously as he begins to speak. He is obviously dumbing the magic talk down to my level which could at best be described as that of a unicorn foal. I am, after all, an earth pony. Magic was never something I bothered to understand as I never had use of it. Now it was suddenly an invading and integral part of my life.
The Mechanist takes an almost educational tone before droning on. "There are a few things you need to know about the magic. Basic rules if you will. Avoid any powerful magical fields as they will react unpredictably with the manadite crystals. Never damage any of the runes. Avoid water because these legs are iron and unfortunately, applying an anti-rust enchantment would damage the compatibility of the other spells. Either that or take very good care after exposure to water because rust will ruin the spells. Your legs should prove fairly durable to physical abuse but, do not test that intentionally. Lastly, your legs have a finite magical source. The manadite can absorb ambient magic from the world slowly but, without a unicorn fueling them it could take days to fuel both empty crystals fully."
I looked over my legs. They were very... makeshift... even after all we had been through all I have are eight rods combined with some odd gear mechanism that serves as the joint and a flat vaguely hoof-shaped metal plate. The "manadite", as he called it, glowed and floated by itself in the center of the rods in the lower leg with runes lining each rod and glowing faintly as well. Each time I did something with my leg different runes flared furiously displaying the impressively complex system of spells in operation now. There were several anchor points on the rods that hinted that something may still be missing. I shook most of this from my mind noting I should be grateful to have been healed by such a powerful mage.
Acknowledging that he is done I return us to 'proper introductions' instead of all this focusing on my injury. I feel acutely aware of the absence of my old legs even with the presence of the new ones. A change of conversation helps ease my mind off of it. "Perhaps, it is time for introductions now. I am Blaze Comet though you can just call me Comet. How about you? Do you have a real name?"
He looked displeased with my last question. He still responds though. "I do have a real name. You will have to earn the right to know it or, perhaps meet one of the few living ponies who knew me before my exile. You might not have realized it yet but, Equestria thinks I am a powerful dark magic-user. To some extent that is correct. My uses just differ greatly from the occasional raving mad-pony. For example, I used death magic to channel my own life-force into you. Your legs can be considered a form of conjuration but, they do not directly stem from that school of magic. Either way, nobody would accept my work. To the world what I have done here would be considered an abomination." There is a pain in his voice and I get the feeling he is speaking from experience. "After I invented my craft I was prosecuted for the lives I saved. I knew nobody would see the truth so I fled. I have been in exile ever since studying all forms of magic no matter how dark it may be." He finishes watching me. His stare seems calculated as if he is gauging my response.
I am not sure what to think but, I am not upset with him for using forbidden magic. He saved my life after all and, deserves at least a second chance. I try to be as sincere as I can. "That sounds horrible. I am sorry that you were falsely accused and, it may not mean much but I believe you. Though, why do you use evil magic?"
"Magic is not inherently good or evil, Comet. It is simply a tool to manipulate the forces all around us. It is a science to be understood and is the flow of energy within all things. Ponies and other creatures, however, can use magic for foul purposes if they choose. That does not taint the magic because magic cannot do anything without a wielder. It is that same wielder who should saddle the blame for the crime of misusing magic for evil. My use of a magic school normally associated with darkness does not mean I cannot wield it with light. Equestria never really understood this after so many chose to taint the magical arts with their destruction." By the time he finishes he looks crestfallen by the gloomy subject.
Things felt dark and sorrowful so I decide to once again change the subject. "How about your cutie mark? What is it and what exactly is your talent. From where I sit it feels like it is all magic right?"
He chuckles at this perhaps because of the absurdity of your talent covering all magic. Surely such a thing is impossible. "You won't ever see it. I lost it to a backfired spell years ago. My talent is not even magic but, Is actually the ability to easily comprehend magical languages. I gained great knowledge by raiding libraries of past eons and learning from the books of masters who pre-date Star Swirl himself. How about your cutie mark? I am afraid I will never see it so at least you could tell me about it."
I glance look back at my flank to double-check what was stated. I had not really had time to take inventory of what I had lost of my body but, sure enough I no longer had a cutie mark. Unaffected, I respond. "It does not matter. My talent never interested me and, it was bland and boring anyway. Part of why I started my business was to go out into the world and find myself out there in the wonders of our world. Besides, being a walking magic experiment adds to my character. I'm sure a gruff stallion with two metal legs would get all the attention at parties." I finish with perhaps too big a smile on my face. I really could not help myself with the insinuation I had just made.
"Assuming you are allowed into parties." he interjects and pauses briefly for me to absorb this before continuing. "Keep in mind you are just as much an exile as me now. Until you can at least clear your name anyone who sees those legs are going to assume you are an undead thrall within my magical grasp. I can't really say for sure how ponies will react when they see it but, I can promise it won't be good if they recognize the magic."
His statement has me feeling a bit down. This would definitely mean the end of my business and, perhaps even any hopes of traveling. He must have seen how I feel because he lifts my muzzle to look at him once more.
"Don't worry. I still have an extra cloak lying around. As long as you are careful nobody should see. Besides, I have an errand for you to run. I would do it myself but, I have found myself far too weak to cast a powerful illusion spell today. Do this for me and we can call it even." As he finishes he shoots me a knowing glance because we both know why his magic is drained today.
I ponder the idea but, I conclude I should help. It is the least I can do after everything he has done. "What is it you need?"
He looks rather pleased and pulls out various scrolls. He unrolls them revealing the schematics for various things that appear to be made of metal. "These. Take these to the local blacksmith if they have one. Tell him to follow the instructions carefully."
Noting that blacksmiths can be expensive I ask "What about bits? I don't have any of mine and, I cannot just walk up to the banker and withdraw bits if I am a dead pony. Everypony would freak out."
"A valid observation." he pauses in thought. "I do at least have two solutions." He passes me an amulet and, then casts a spell making bits appear from thin air. He gathers them into a pouch and passes me those as well before continuing. "The amulet absorbs magical frequencies that are nearby. After your done with the blacksmith try withdrawing bits from the banker. The amulet will pick up the spell frequency and, I should be able to copy it to access your wealth of bits anywhere. The bits I gave you are fake. I give it about a day before they disintegrate. It should be enough to fool a blacksmith though."
I stare at him in agitation. "So you want me to cheat a blacksmith and break the pocket dimension spell that the banks use for security? Are you insane! We are trying to clear our name but, this will only get us into more trouble!" I'm not ready to do such things yet even if I am already an exile.
understanding my intentions he tries to work with me a bit. "You don't have to cheat the blacksmith but, you must go to him first. When you go to the banker you are inevitably going to be discovered by somepony. Once you get the spell we can always mail bits anonymously to the blacksmith to make up for today. Remember, we are only doing what we must to get by."
When he puts it that way it doesn't seem as bad. I still do not like it but, I will do what I must. As long as we eventually repay the blacksmith I decide I can go through with this no matter how deceptive it is.
I hold out my hoof before speaking. "It is settled then. I will do this for you and we are even."
He shakes my hoof and nods.
My day is going to get really interesting now.