Upon their return to the workshop, Caleb ran through the basics of other tasks carried out in the welding shop: when pre-heating a piece is advisable, removing rust and slag with grinders and pneumatic needle scalers, methods of aligning and securing tools and equipment, checking dimensions and tolerances with mathematics and instruments such as Vernier calipers, and machine maintenance including cleaning and lubrication.
At that point, Nikos raised a hand. “I appreciate that those can all be just as important as the fun stuff, but when can we get back to playing?”
Caleb laughed. “Fine, fine! All work and no play, I take it?”
Coiled chimed in. “Nope! All work is fun. Just some more’n the rest!”
Caleb turned to Willow. “How about you?”
The earth pony smiled. “So long as I’m assigned to keep you out of trouble, I might as well learn something.”
The man grinned. “Something useful?”
“Hmmm.” Willow turned her head to the side and tapped her chin with a hoof before looking back at him. “I’ll let you know.” That drew a laugh out of Caleb.
Willow, Nikos, and Coiled were all practicing with stick electrodes when Vectrix announced that he was going to fetch lunch for everyone.
Caleb raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were interested in everything I do?”
“I am,” the changeling replied, “but I don’t plan on making a career out of welding. Instead, I think you’re going to need me for another role.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“This may be your trade school, but you’re going to be mostly concerned with the teaching aspect. You’ll need somepony for the administrative side of things. Somepony who knows every facet of what is needed to run it. Princess Twilight started the School of Friendship, but even she needed a headmare to run it because of all her other obligations.”
Caleb nodded. “I see. So, by learning what’s involved in welding, you will understand all of the school’s technical requirements.” The man chuckled. “Still trying to push that indispensable Companion agenda of yours, are you?”
“Yep. Is it working?” Vectrix replied with a grin.
“Seeing as you know when to feed me, I’d say it’s possible.”
“Anything, in particular, you’d like?”
“Let’s see if you’re beginning to know me well enough. Surprise me.”
The changeling chuckled. “Okay. How about you, Willow?”
“I’ll go with whatever Caleb gets as long as it’s suitable for a pony.”
Nikos and Coiled indicated that they had brought food, so Vectrix headed off.
Everyone continued their welding practice until the changeling returned and they all stopped for lunch. Caleb was given a tuna sub with lettuce, cheese, tomato, and olives. Willow got a salad sub with extra pickles and sweet onion sauce.
“How’d you know I like pickles?” the mare asked between bites.
“A good Companion observes not only their partner but also those close to them. I saw your dinner preferences.”
The mare grinned and turned to Caleb. “He’s a keeper.”
The man just rolled his eyes. That caused his gaze to land on Coiled Spring and specifically, her choice of cuisine. Nikos eyed the earth mare dubiously as she nibbled on what could only be spicy chicken wings. Caleb shrugged. To each their own.
After lunch, Caleb messed with the settings of the MIG machines to test his students’ knowledge of what they had learned. Nikos corrected his properly but Coiled Steel and Willow needed a bit more coaching. Then the man showed them how to identify problems that were related to incorrect wire feed speed, gas flow, or amperage.
“A good solid earth ground is also a must, but while we can attach the clamp directly to the work, it can be simpler if we have a suitable workbench upon which to place the materials. The grounding clamp can then be permanently in place and out of the way. Therefore, your first real project will be to make some basic workbenches. While they will all serve the same function, I want them of various sizes to suit the needs of different species. In other words, everything from minotaur size to small pony size. I am assuming that will cover our needs. While I don’t expect your welds to be perfect yet, it won’t matter for these although I require you all to do your best.”
Caleb drew a rough sketch of what would be required that included measurements. He got them to make scaled up or down versions which he double-checked before giving them the go-ahead. After the three determined what they needed, they set about fetching and cutting materials before starting the actual welding process. The human watched their progress and made corrections to their welding technique. By late afternoon, they had three workbenches completed.
Caleb nodded in satisfaction. “Great work for your first day, everyone. Now you all know how I plan to start the curriculum. So far, you’ve been working with mild steel. We’ll get into welding other materials like stainless steel and aluminum later in the course. Speaking of which, does anyone know when we’re officially starting?”
Vectrix said, “The first group of students will be here Monday morning at eight.”
Caleb realized he didn’t have a clue what day of the week it was here in Equestria. “When’s that?” he asked with some embarrassment.
“Today’s Friday,” Willow informed him. “You’ve got the weekend to relax and get ready.”
“What the hell? That soon? I can draw up a class schedule for the first week but there’s no way I can get all the regulation steps done in time.”
Vectrix said, “I can offload you of those, but we’ll need to get together for a couple of hours on Sunday to review and finalize.”
“OK, thanks. I also need to see Prince Mark before then.” Caleb turned to his assistants. “I’ll let you go now and I’ll see you here on Monday at, let’s say, seven-thirty.”
The smith agreed but the foremare just grunted and nodded.
Caleb headed for the exit, looking back over his shoulder at Willow and Vectrix. “Come on – I want to catch the Prince before he quits work for the day.”
No one was seated at the assistant’s desk in the outer office, but Caleb could see Chrysalis and Prince Mark discussing some plans that were lying on his desk. The man knocked on the open door to get their attention. Chrysalis shot a glance at Caleb before quickly closing the file in front of her. She then stepped out of the office silently but not without a hard stare at Vectrix who flinched under her gaze.
Caleb looked back to the alicorn and asked, “Am I interrupting something?”
Mark smiled. “No – just some boring business stuff. How can I help you, Caleb?”
“I’ve just spent the day with Coiled Steel and Nikos getting them up to speed with what I’ll be doing next week. You’ve done a great job of fitting us out but there are still some materials and tools we need if you wish to do everything properly.”
“No problem. We want the trade school one hundred percent capable of teaching every aspect of welding. Give the list to Chrysalis and she’ll see to it that it all gets supplied. You won’t need it all immediately, I hope?”
“Nope. I have everything I require for the beginning classes. Speaking of which, I hadn’t realized we’d be starting so soon. It’s been rather a crash course for me as well as my assistants.”
“We’d be starting tomorrow if it wasn’t for the weekend and several of the students have to come from distant places. Monday was the soonest I could get them all together.”
Vectrix said, “Plus that gives Caleb and me enough time to jump through the EBE’s hoops.”
Caleb acknowledged his partner’s help with a nod then turned back to the prince. “You’re that eager to get the school off the ground?”
“We’ve been stuck without an instructor for a while. We’re not ready to open up to Earth yet, so when you appeared, the project was fast-tracked. As soon as we were sure you would sign up for the job, we submitted the forms to the Equestrian Board of Education and informed the prospective students. You’ll find that they will be equally eager to learn as they have been waiting so long for the trade school to open.”
“Nothing like jumping in the deep end,” Caleb muttered.
“Sorry about that.” When the man looked at him with surprise at being heard, the alicorn pointed at his ears. “Ponies have great hearing. Anyway, anything else you needed to talk about?”
“As a matter of fact, you mentioned visiting Earth so that I can pick up some personal stuff I can’t get here. I understand from Twilight that the time of day and day of the week are synchronized between worlds. So, since it’s the weekend, perhaps we can do that tomorrow?”
Mark shook his head. “Sorry, but I’m committed to family activities for both days. However, I can have a word with Phil to see if he can accompany you.”
“That would be appreciated.”
Vectrix said, “Would it be okay if I go with Caleb, Your Highness?”
The alicorn raised an eyebrow. “Is there any particular reason why you want to do that?”
“I’d like to get more familiar with humans and their culture. It would help me relate to Caleb better.”
Mark considered it for a moment before nodding. “Alright, but you will need to strictly follow any instructions that Phil and/or Rosa give you. Let Chrysalis know and she will put you in touch with her chief Earth operative who will provide you with a temporary human identity.” He then looked at Willow. “Are you going to ask to go too?”
“Me?!” squeaked the mare. “What would I do there? And wouldn’t a pony like me stand out?”
The alicorn smiled. “We have ways around that. Just ask Caleb later. Anyway, if that’s everything, I’ve got a bit more paperwork to finish before dinner. I’ll send word to you tonight to confirm that tomorrow’s trip is on. Oh! We’re having a poker night on Saturday at Twilight’s place if you’re interested.”
The man grinned. “I’ll be there.”
“Great! Now shoo! An alicorn prince’s work is never done.”
The trio headed back to Twilight’s castle for dinner although they had to wait for her to arrive. They chatted with Thorax in the meantime. The purple alicorn came almost immediately after her afternoon session of Day Court was done, apologizing for keeping them waiting. Their meal had just finished when she inquired about their plans for the evening.
Caleb replied, “Vectrix is going to take us to his favorite bar in Ponyville.”
“I see. I suppose you can still do that after I’ve had my chance to run some tests on you in my laboratory.”
Caleb froze. “Say what?”
“Oh, I’ve been dying to do scans and a reasonable number of medical procedures on you since you arrived in Equestria. It’s not often that I have access to a true human. I’m afraid a changeling imitating one just doesn’t work.”
The man frowned. “Pardon me, but are you a licensed physician? A doctor of medicine?”
“No, although I have heavily studied many aspects of the biology of various Equestrian species.”
“Then I decline,” Caleb said with finality.
This time it was Twilight’s turn to blink in shock. “What? But why?”
“I’m under no obligation to be your guinea pig. If you want details of my biology, ask Doctor Bellows. He gave me a very thorough examination. He might share that data with you.”
The alicorn gaped at him. “But… but… nopony has ever said ‘no’ before. I always run tests on anything new.”
Caleb pushed back his chair and got to his feet. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a pony. Now, my friends and I are going to have some beers and socialize with the natives. Good night, Princess.” He headed out of the door while Willow and Vectrix hastily said their farewells and followed.
Twilight turned to her husband and pouted. “But he owes me! What about all the time I invested presenting An Introduction to Equestria and the World of Equus?”
The changeling king put a comforting hoof around her shoulders. “Sorry, love, but Caleb’s right.”
Spike chuckled. “Face it, Twilight – it had to happen eventually.”
The mare’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe I can get Mark to persuade Caleb to cooperate? Or I could revise the EBE guidelines to include an ultra-thorough physical?”
Both males sighed in exasperation.
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