//------------------------------// // 3: The Seeds of Defiance // Story: A Clash of Magic and Steam // by law abiding pony //------------------------------// Over the following year, Twilight bounced back and forth in her tutelage between both of her parents' crafts with a few tutor lessons to round out her education.  Velvet helped with her math and history, and her father focused on language, and what little magic theory he could impart to her.  None of it could hold a candle to her desire to learn more about and repair the engine.  So much so that, what spare time she didn’t spend in the library, she was hard at work in her father’s laboratory.  It was a chilly winter afternoon, late into the month of Sapphire that Twilight and Pinkamena were busy in the lab.  As was more and more common, the two fillies were side by side, more or less.  At present, Pinkamena stood at the ready in a pink version of the laboratory outfit, one Twilight had pleaded for her father to commission.  Complete with chalk drawings of balloons on her flanks.   Twilight was waist deep inside of the damaged steam engine with a wrench strapped to her hoof. Even after a full year, replacement parts had been sluggish in coming in, but that didn't stop her from jumping to work as soon as a new piece came in. Thankfully, enough parts had come in to activate the engine once more, but only at minimal activity. Unfortunately, this latest part delivery wasn't living up to Twilight's standards. Such poor quality left her cursing up as much of a storm as a fresh noble teenager felt she could get away with in her efforts to install those very parts. Pinkamena had an array of tools on multiple belts along with a box of labeled spare parts Twilight had refurbished herself.  For the moment, Twilight was fitting replacement gears and belts that looked dubious at best. “Can the belts stop breaking every other day, please?!” Twilight yelled out with a crack in her voice.  “I keep telling daddy to use the same kind of rubber it started with!  How can we get proper tests like this anymore?” Pinkamena craned her head low to see Twilight pulling the snapped belt off the rollers.  “Begging your pardon, Mistress, but he did say Equestria simply doesn’t know how their stuff is made.  The alchemists say these belts should work well enough.” “Well, evidence dictates they don’t.  What part of make sure no magic is keeping the rubber intact’ is so difficult to grasp?”  Twilight groaned loudly with frustration and went limp on her roll cart.  “If we were able to steal this big ol’ thing off a ship, the least they could have done was capture a machine worker.”   “Maybe the alchemists can’t make the belts without magic.”  Pinkamena’s flat expression was no help.  “It could be that the soldiers didn’t know to do so?  Or the parts went to other labs? Could be they did but had to release them too.” Twilight threw the ruined belt to the side of her assistant and waved a hoof so she would help her.  Pinkamena grabbed Twilight’s back legs and rolled her out from under the machine.  “I doubt it.  Why would they send parts of this engine to different labs?”  Pinkamena shrugged helplessly.  She’s just trying to cheer me up.  She handed over the tools in anticipation for Pinkamena pulling over the next belt.  “No use yelling at them at this point.”  Not like they’d listen. Pinkamena gave a thin smile.  “I would grab you another belt, Mistress, but it is past noon.” “We don’t have time to eat,” Twilight said as she rolled over to stand up.  “Daddy needs the engine working better or he’ll have to postpone the next demonstration again, and the poor thing can barely reach the yellow line. Plus, I’m the only one small enough to reach the belt wheels.” “I could do it,” Pinkamena offered meekly.  “Those manuals you gave me don’t make a lot of sense, but if you showed me firsthoof…” Twilight’s eyes widened a bit as she scanned the room. Scandal was in the air.  It was one thing to have a servant clean up after you but quite another for one to work directly on machinery of any type. Not that she hasn’t already, with the new boiler design I want to create. Of her father’s staff, everyone was apparently at lunch, save for Green Field, who was the only guard visible from the engine.  Yet he was more interested in watching for outside intruders than the workshop itself.  A mischievous look wormed its way onto Twilight’s face and she tapped the other side of the roll cart.  “Come on, before somepony comes over with food again.”  The list of house rules Twilight would conceive of breaking could be counted on one wing, and what she was about to do was one of them. Pinkamena showed a touch of a genuinely happy smile and obeyed without hesitation.  Twilight glanced at the tools Pinkamena had laid out and grabbed a small vice and did a poor, but serviceable attempt to connect the broken belt back together.   With it, she laid back down on the roller with Pinkamena at her side as they kicked their way back under the broken section.  The engine reeked of lubricants and metal, and now that she was able to show her knowledge off, it helped that the smell had long become a welcome one over the years.  Twilight’s growing excitement at sharing her knowledge with Pinkamena caused her horn to discharge with increasing power. She pointed at the empty wheels and presented the belt.  It was already a tight squeeze with one pony and her tools, having both squishing their way in wasn't helping.  “Okay, so you see those two wheels?  The belt is supposed to be fitted here so the drive wheel can move power over to this wheel.  I can’t really fix the belt, but the vice should still hold it together long enough to show you how to put it on yourself.” “How utterly splillerific!”  Pinkamena cheered with hushed tones to avoid alerting Green Field. This was not the first time Twilight tried to show Pinkamena everything she knew, from what parts regularly broke to where lubricants needed to be applied.  Twilight quickly became engrossed in sharing her knowledge while Pinkamena spent half the time listening, and the other half stealing glances at Twilight’s face.  A sort of peace fell over the earth mare, which made listening much easier.  That is until an uncontrollable and particularly powerful bolt of lightning flew from Twilight’s horn, and struck the machine, jolting the hoof Pinkamena was using to hold the crude ratchet with.  She cried out, and made Twilight slip in putting a gear back into place.  The small gear fell, smacking Twilight in the snout and badly cutting her with its teeth before rolling away.  She yelled in pain and clutched her bleeding nose. Terror surged in Pinkamena at causing Twilight harm and the punishment sure to follow.  She grabbed the only rag they had left and presented it next to Twilight’s vision.  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Twilight hastily took the rag and pressed it against her nose.  Blood ran all over her face, but no bones shifted and no spikes of pain occurred when she clutched the rag in tight.  Twilight instinctively wanted to yell at Pinkamena, yet when she looked at the pink filly, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.  The look of horror an immeasurable regret in Pinkamena's eyes robbed Twilight of any desire to reprimand her, instead she gave a wincing smile.  “It’s my fault.  I didn’t think my magic would do anything under here.” Pinkamena was quick to accept the fact her master wasn’t angry at her, but was still in a hurry.  “Thank you, Mistress, but we should get Patchwork to take a look at you before—”   “There you are!” came a commanding voice that caused both of them to cry out in panic as Green Field grabbed a leg from each filly and yanked them out from under the engine, putting far more force on Pinkamena’s leg. The guard stepped aside so Night Light could close in and glower over Twilight in particular. His first denouncement was delayed by his daughter’s bloody nose. “What happened?” He bent down to inspect Twilight, only for her to turn aside to hide it.   “My horn zapped my wrench when I was putting a gear back in place,” Twilight half-lied, using her injury to mask her poor poker face.  “She was just trying to help me when I got hurt.” The mention of the young servant briefly drew Night Light’s hardened gaze upon her, making Pinkamena recoil.  “Twilight Sparkle.  Do you honestly expect me to believe you injured yourself, and Pinkamena just so happened to crawl under there instead of pulling you out?”  Twilight tried to speak up, but her father’s scowl was all he needed to keep her quiet.  “I can forgive not eating every so often, but what are the two things I’ve told you repeatedly?”  He glowered over Twilight, who shrunk away and couldn’t bring herself to respond.  “It’s already a stretch to let Pinkamena get so close to the engine, but I’ve told you repeatedly never to teach her anything about Lunarian technology!” Twilight wanted to protest, but Pinkamena beat her to it before she could think of another lie.   “Please forgive her, My Lord, it’s my fault, I asked her to teach me.” “Did you now?” Night Light’s sharp gaze never left his cowering daughter.  “Return to your quarters for the day, Pinkamena. Somepony will bring you lunch and dinner.” Pinkamena rolled off the cart and carefully dusted herself off so none of the filth would touch either noble. “Yes, My Lord,” she said meekly before scampering away.  Once the earth pony was out of ear shot, Night Light looked over to Green Fields.  “Fetch the nurse and Misty Scrub to get this mess cleaned up.”  Eyeing the guard just long enough to see him hastily depart, Night Light attempted to magically help Twilight stand up, only to wince in pain, forgetting how close he was to the engine. He quickly pulled her up by hoof before she could notice. He saw a couple other clean rags the fillies had pulled over and grabbed one to replace the bloody one Twilight was using. “We’ve talked about this, Twily. Pinkamena is a stripe.” Now that they were alone, Night Light adopted a softer tone, more worried over her injury than any disobedience. “And?  She’s my personal assistant isn’t she? How can she be that, if she can’t help me with work?” “Must I keep reminding you that she is also a Lunarian?  Those control stripes are the only things between you and a knife in the back.” “Pinkamena wouldn’t do that,” Twilight challenged, unwittingly spitting some of the blood that had leaked into her mouth. “She’s my friend.” “No striped servant is a friend,” Night Light shot back with every ounce of parental authority, purposely ignoring the small bits of splatter on his chin.  He got nose to nose with her, forcing her to meet his eyes.  “The feud between Equestria and Lunaria does not magically go away when war ends. It festers in all our hearts. It is the Queen’s mercy that grants them colors so that they can see beyond that feud, and so we Equestrians are safe from it. Equestria must reunite ponykind, and that can’t happen when half of our species loathes their rightful sovereign.” “Everypony is different, dad,” Twilight challenged with a know-it-all tone. “Pinkamena is no more Lunarian than I am!” “That is factually incorrect.”  Night Light sighed and shook his head. “If you won’t listen to my warnings, then perhaps more drastic action is required.”  He mulled over what to do for a long moment, leaving Twilight’s bluster to wane under the unknown punishment. He scanned the lab and saw the horn sheath she should have been wearing.  He levitated it over and forced it into her grip.  “For not wearing your grounding circlet, and trying to teach Pinkamena about machines, you are no longer welcome in the lab for the rest of the year.” “What?!” Twilight quickly became apologetic, and bowed low, dropping the silver and gold sheath to the floor. “Please, daddy, I promise to keep Pinkamena out of the labs from here on.” “Insufficient, young lady.” He stood up to tower over her. “I’m going to have a talk with your mother. You are too free-thinking with Pinkamena’s education. The lab is clearly not suitable anymore.  You are hereby banished until after Hearth’s Warming.  Don’t force me to make it permanent.” Why is he so scared?!  Pinkamena is my friend, I don’t care what he says.  Twilight couldn’t summon the courage to say that aloud.  Instead she looked away to blink a tear away so he couldn’t see it.  “It’s not fair.”   “That’s life.”  Night Light’s hard tone brooked no dispute.  “Now, I suggest you get with your mother and finish deciding how you’re going to present yourself at the Grand Gala in two days.” Normally, Twilight would have obeyed, but she was still fuming in an argumentative mood.  “Why do I need to go at all?  No pony wants to be my friend anyway, and once they see my Destiny, they’ll probably kick me out of the palace.” “Not with the weight my name carries they won’t,” Night Light gently rebutted with a sympathetic frown.  “With your brother in the service, you are the family heir, so it must be done.  Besides, you need to be introduced into high society regardless, and delaying it another year after receiving your Mark is a faux pas you can ill afford.  Not to mention it would look bad for the family after earning the queen‘s favor.” Knowing she never really had a chance to convince him otherwise, Twilight hung her head in defeat.  “Yes, papa.”