//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: Clipped Wings // by Desrium //------------------------------// Chapter Five Nothing ventured; nothing gained. Falcon Wing and Alana walked away from the ponies with long fur, the two of them each having a thick, burly coat draped over their backs. "Leave it Steiner to plan ahead in getting more coats delivered," commented Falcon Wing as they walked back the long way to the two stallions' homes. In his and her saddlebags -- supplied by Klaxon -- were an assortment of gathered necessities for the trip to the frozen north. "Almost as if he expected us to tag along," the red pegasus added. "Almost as if he expected us to drop by for a visit after hearing him on the radio. Maybe that's the only reason he agreed to be on DJ Pon3 in the first place," Alana replied offhoofedly, moving alongside Falcon Wing with a swaying stride, eyes pointed to the sky in a ditzy kind of way. Falcon Wing looked at her, raising a brow as he went over her words again. "... That... makes sense. Goody. I see Steiner hasn't lost his touch." "Almost as if he expected you not to miss it this time," Alana continued to say. "Geez, stop it will you? You're starting to freak me out a bit. First he teleports to Baltimare then he develops precognition? Steiner sounds more like a myth than anything else by now, Alana. Like Bighoof and Sea Ponies," Falcon Wing said, feigning a frightful shudder afterwards. Alana turned her emerald sights towards him and with a bright smile said "Sea Ponies aren't a myth, silly!" Falcon Wing gave her an odd look but left that subject alone. He loved her and her bubbly disposition, but there was no denying it. The mare was weird. In her own charming way though. When they got back to the garage, a lot of progress had been made on the pony-less carriage operated by ponies. Falcon Wing opened the large door for his lady friend and stepped inside after she had entered. He laid eyes on Klaxon inside the wagon, which had been partially gutted at the front leaving a hollow metal frame. It was there the peddle assembly had been set up, the large chain linked up to a large gear housing which in turn supplied power to an axle equally impressive in size; which ran underneath the wagon to the rear wheels. There was brown wooden paneling and black metal braces installed there as well, which stored spell matrix terminals at the front of the vehicle. Over this was a driver's cabin, a boxy looking frame of metal with a rounded off top, a screen of repurposed glass running across the front. There was a door to Klaxon's left and another door off to his far right. Providing steering were handlebars. Klaxon was testing the steering assembly, his underbelly resting on the elongated pony seat of the recycled pink flying contraption, forelegs positioned comfortably on the handlebars while his rear hooves were on the pedals. Beside him on a cushioned seat was Steiner. Klaxon twisted the steering column left and right, the front wheels turning by means of sliders and unpowered pistons perfectly according to the designs he had laid out. "Okay then, time to see how the wheels handle. Steiner, I need you to give us a lift," said the bronze pony, to which the blue one replied, "Telekinesis is hardly my specialty... for something this big, my hold may last just under a minute. Perhaps a little longer." "Because you went your entire life out of practice! Better late than never, now lift!" Klaxon retorted. Without a point to counter with, Steiner nodded and his horn began to glimmer, then glow bright red. The magical field enveloped the whole contraption, lifting it just a little under a foot off the ground. Klaxon peddled lazily, the four wheels turning in unison at a speed that would outpace a pony at a fast trotting pace and continued like this until Steiner set the machine down gently on the floor. The bronze earth pony yanked on the chord hanging a few feet over his head, a subdued metallic squeal being the sound of the brakes. Klaxon for one looked quite satisfied with himself. He opened the door on his side of the carriage and hopped out of the driver's seat, his hooves clopping against the floor. Steiner's exit was much more graceful, a gentle leap and a soft landing. "How did he caravan ponies treat you?" Klaxon asked. "They were expecting us," Alana replied, her tone becoming a sing-song when she said expecting. "They gave us no hassle," Falcon added, playfully nudging Alana in the side and wary of her retaliation that never came. "Excellent. Then my arrangements were all in order and everything is going according to schedule," Steiner said, as if he was reporting something. Of course he was -- he was Steiner. "Not bad for two days of work, huh friend?" Klaxon said, looking back at his rusty, modified wagon with a strange kind of pride. There was a light air around him as Falcon noted. An air of happiness, actual happiness opposed to the stallion's previous pretenses and utterly biting humor. It was as if he were a completely different pony! "It needs a lot of work but... yes. I am quite satisfied with the turnout. It should handle the tundra terrain nicely," Steiner agreed with a nod. In response, Alana slid the white fluffy coat off of her back and removed her packed saddlebags, slipping into the coat thereafter. A small portion of her face poked through a snugly fitting hood that had stringy white furs dangling in front of her eyes. The coat extended far back over her body, stopping just over her upper thighs. "Cozy!" she chimed. "You look good in that. Like one of those things ponies use to eat back in the day... marshmallows I think they were called," Falcon Wing said, getting a broad smile from the caramel mare. "You next!" she said while bouncing on her hooves. Falcon shook his head, "Fine, fine. Just don't melt while you're wearing that, I'm a bit fond of you being... not a puddle," he said as he proceeded to put the coat on, finding that he needed to take his cloak off in order to fit into it comfortably. Like Alana's his was very form fitting, barely leaving enough space in the hood for his Pipeye. "You two look like you want to tackle the ice!" Klaxon said. "Which is good because we probably will be..." "I assure you it will be worth it. Starswirl the Bearded's original records and tomes... first edition... ancient knowledge. If they are truly out there, it would be a major step in reclaiming the Equestria our ancestors knew..." said Steiner.