Those Whom You Can Depend On
When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed by personality overshadowing character.
Bubbling liquids of various colors moved through the intricate winding glass into the beakers heated by magical flame. Strange fumes flowed up from the spiraling spouts, the complex assembly supported on spidery struts mounted on the long table against the yellowed wall. A long line of various scientific instruments were organized in neat groups. A few of them would glow red as they conceded to the blue unicorn's telekinetic call. He hummed thoughtfully as he held the vials of colorful fluids to his eyes, staring at them intently and then finally adding a few drops to the much more complicated setup simmering on top of the energetic scarlet fire.
"Five CCs of Femora Herbinite, Falcon Wing," Steiner reported professionally. Falcon Wing sat on a stool a few feet behind the unicorn, his note-taking terminal propped up on a small round table. In spite of being the assistant of a mage and scientist, he still wore his black hood and vest, as opposed to the clean white coat Steiner had taken to in recent times.
"And... noted," Falcon said after tapping away at the terminal's keys, the green light reflecting off of his Pipeye's lenses.
The room the two were in was crammed full of bookshelves of salvaged tomes, various pieces of scientific equipment on racks and various herbs and mixing apparatuses indicative of the practice of alchemy. There was only one window and it was relatively small and high up on the wall over the winding vapor fixture. The light of the day streamed in at diagonals.
A series of resounding knocks at the door thudded through the room and without being given permission to enter, the offender opened it and descended down the short flight of stairs beyond it. "Sorry to barge in on the whole 'basement lab' scene you two have got going on here," Klaxon said offhoofedly as he went on his way, looking high on the shelves and low in cupboards in search of something of his interest. "I leave for a few weeks and I come back to this in the friggin basement!" he muttered as he pored through the many nooks and crannies of Steiner's lab.
"I dunno, Klaxon. You made your garage in record time yourself!" Falcon Wing said to the distant stallion, snickering a bit when his head shot up and his ears twitched.
"Oi, that was a garage. Might as well be an empty barn full of tools. You don't see me boiling... whatever the hell that is... in there!"
"Certainly not," Steiner said evenly without looking away from his work. "you only work on that contraption of yours..."
"Damn right!" Klaxon said, practically gliding around the lab in pursuit of whatever it was that eluded him.
"Uh, Klax? What are you looking for, anyway?" Falcon Wing asked, raising his Pipeye to reveal his arched brows.
Klaxon looked up from the metal crate he was rummaging through. "Turns out I need your freaky magic after all," the bronze pony said. "I just finished the designs for a bit of an upgrade for the wagon!"
"And I don't suppose it crossed your mind to... ask?" said Steiner, finally looking away from his simmering concoction.
Klaxon waved a hoof towards him. "Didn't want to intrude on your little science project," he said flatly. Falcon stifled a bit of laughter.
"A bit late for that, huh?"
"What is it that you need, exactly?" Steiner questioned, raising a brow of his own.
"Something that can hold a magical charge."
"Like gemstones?" Falcon Wing inquired.
"Yeah, but a lot more powerful," Klaxon replied.
"... Like the Magimus' anchors?"
"Not that powerful, but yeah you're on the right train of thought."
Steiner rubbed his chin. "I might be able to devise something...but first you have to tell me what it will be used for."
"Aw come on! I wanted it to be a surprise!"
"Klaxon, I know for a fact that at one time in your life you wanted to make a weapon that turned the excess of your scavenging into ammunition. I have since learned not to act solely on your assurances that you will not abuse your gifts," Steiner said with his classic level, logical tone.
"... Fine. But you two have to come see it for yourself!" Klaxon said stubbornly. Steiner sighed.
"I suppose you have garnered my attention, so I agree. And you, Falcon?"
"What about the healing potion research?" the pegasus asked, cocking his head.
"We won't lose any progress helping Klaxon with his own pursuits. Would I be correct in assuming your notes hold up to proper scientific standards?" Steiner responded.
"You didn't have me keep a journal for nothing, bud," Falcon Wing said with a smirk. He turned the terminal's screen towards Steiner, the minty green lines of text recording their procedure in meticulous detail. Steiner nodded in approval.
"Excellent work," he said simply.
***
The trio left Steiner's lab, climbing up the short flight of stairs, past the door and through the hallway on the other side. They stepped out of the back entrance of their home and went around to Klaxon's workshop. They walked through its large door and walked to the center of the expansive garage, tools and spare parts decorating the walls. There, the pedal-wagon was back on its supports, the gear assembly completely reworked. No longer did the wagon have its pedals, and the reclaimed machinery that it was built around was completely encased in a metal housing.
"Can you guess? Huh, can you?" Klaxon said, jabbing Steiner in the side a few times.
"Yes... I can but..."
"What's the matter? We strapped on some metal wings on Falcon and he's doing just fine, right?"
Falcon forced a cough. "I think there's a lot more to them than just 'metal you strapped on to me', Klax..."
"Oh, you know what I mean!" the bronze stallion said dismissively with a wave of a hoof.
"Falcon Wing's enchantment was sim- well... not simple but... practical enough," Steiner began to say. "You...want your wagon to move without being pulled or pedaled..."
"Well yeah. Reasoning is, you two could use it without needing me or Alana to put hoof to pedal. Would be a good way to get your potion stuff to the NCR outposts without having to teleport everywhere, y'know?" Klaxon said.
"That is... surprisingly thoughtful of you, Klaxon," Steiner said. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Actually, go ahead and thank me again, you blue bastard! You thought I was up to no good!"
"I did not say that," Steiner stated. "I was being reasonably cautious."
"Right." Klaxon snorted. "Anyway, as you can see I redesigned the gear mechanisms and added a new housing to keep everything together-"
A loud, echoing squeal revealed Alana's presence to the others. From the flatbed of the wagon, she sprung high into the air and came over in an arc, tackling Falcon onto his back and pinning him down to the floor, the red pegasus grunting from the forceful impact.
"And I helped!" she proclaimed with a wide grin. Klaxon chuckled while Steiner shook his head.
"Oh, hey Alana..." Falcon Wing said somewhat breathlessly. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd turn up..." That made the caramel mare smile even wider. "Small question," the pegasus began. "why would you do that?"
"Dunno, really. Thought it'd surprise you. Were you surprised?" she asked eagerly.
"I was... something. Happy to see you... doesn't change the fact you are still standing on me." Falcon Wing replied hoarsely.
Alana cocked her head and looked down, seeing that she had one hoof pressing down on Falcon's abdomen.
"Oh! Sorry!" she said quickly and hastily helped the pegasus back onto his hooves.
"Eh, it's nothing. I've been through worse, hmm?"
"Yes. Yes you have," Klaxon said. "So much shit..."
A fair distance away, at the side of the worn road stood the pale unicorn in his heavy coat, unaffected by the sun shining down directly upon him. He had his shades on and his SMG was holstered at his side. "Damn. Talk about things you wish you saw while drunk," he murmured to himself before digging into his saddlebags and pulling out a green tinted bottle. He bit off the cork and downed a good mouthful. "Mm. Better," he said as he started to walk away with a three-legged gait.
End