//------------------------------// // A normal day // Story: The Life of an Engineer - The unwanted Adventures // by Hoppa_21 //------------------------------// Did you ever regret something? I did, a lot of times, and I doubted myself probably more often, than most of the other ponies. I did not fit in, or at least, that's what I thought. But one day, everything changed. Not that I liked the change that happened. It was a hell of an experience that left me more than once on the edge of breaking down. But we should probably start at the beginning. First of all let's get to the introduction. Hi, I’m Steam Gear and I’m a unicorn engineer. I live in Ironburg, a small town at the border of Equestria, which is guarded by Equestrian military. The border is next to the wasteland of Queen Chrysalis, a changeling queen, who tried to take over Equestria several times. So you could say that protection is really needed around here. You never know, when she tries to strike again. But let's forget about that for now. The sun was rising at the horizon. Its warmth reached through the window and reached my cheek. I rolled over to the other side of the bed. I knew, that I had to get up, but I still struggled a little. After five more minutes I sat up and moved slowly out of the bed. Yesterday was hard. A lot of jobs to do and I still haven't finished them all. I was glad, that I had an employee. Doing this job alone would let me little to no free time at all. But I needed to get going. There was no time. I had breakfast and then got ready. I looked at the mirror. I had a green coat with a brown mane and wore a white shirt with a brown jacket. Only my top hat was missing. I grabbed it fast and put it on my head. Now I was all set to go and moved to my small shop. I enjoyed the walk. Ironburg has a lot to see. The nice rustic metallic and wooden buildings along with a small river, which flows through the town make a great atmosphere. Then I finally reached the shop I sighed. I still needed to get a new label for my shop. The old one was so rusty, that you almost couldn’t read the name of the shop. It probably wouldn’t attract many customers anymore. I’m just glad, I had some regulars around. This helped the shop a lot. I levitated the key and opened the old shop. I sure was glad, that I took it over from my former boss. It wasn’t much, but it was my own little shop. Not everypony could brag about having a shop. On the other hoof, when did I ever brag? Soon I heard the doorbell rang and greeted my employee, Screw Driver. He was an Earth Pony with a cream-coloured coat and a brown, ruffled mane. Despite him being an earth pony, he could manage the tasks I gave him surprisingly well. I know, that I couldn’t beat him at it without my magic. I don’t want to think about, how bad I would fail at being an earth pony! I’m just too clumsy with my hooves! We both got to work quickly. There were still enough jobs we had to deal with. Now that I think about it… It seems like the guards are more active lately, since most of the jobs were for them. They had a lot of devices and weapons, which needed a repair or a complete makeover. “Mr. Gear, Sir. The delivery is here,” said Screw Driver, as he came back from the small delivery entrance. I actually liked the way he addressed me. With so much respect and awe. I didn’t think that highly of myself. But let’s forget about that and first check on the delivery. “Hm…” I mused. “Not bad. This is the new technology I heard about? I need to know, how it works, so that I can reproduce and repair it in the future.” I turned around to Screw Driver. “Could you take care of the counter, while I inspect the goods?” He nodded. “Of course, Sir.” And by inspect I of course meant to dissemble one of these! I just needed to know how they work! I mean, how could I call myself an engineer if I couldn’t keep up with new technology? Hours passed like seconds and soon it was noon. Not bad that I could manage a rhyme, but back to the topic. I was finally done, at least with the understanding part. I could now imagine how it worked. To put it back together would still take some time. But I could do that still later. I should take over the counter for now. As I entered the sales room, I could see Screw Driver working on one of those jobs for the guards. I was so fascinated with the new technology, that I totally forgot about them! “Sir, would you like to take over the counter?” he asked, while I stood there dumbstruck. After a while I muttered, “Yeah…sure…” I’m really not that well organized. I should really do something about it or else it could harm the customer satisfaction and with that my reputation. Mental notes are simply not enough. Screw driver went back to the working room, by the time I was finished with my thoughts. And then suddenly the doorbell rang and a cyan pegasus pony dashed into my shop. She wasn’t hard to recognize with her rainbow mane. Compared to other ponies, she was really sticking out. “Welcome to Steam Punk Engineering. What can I do for you today, Rainbow Dash?” I greeted and waited for her answer. I didn’t have to wait long. She grunted, “Call me RD! That sounds 20 % cooler, G!” G, a strange nickname if you ask me, but I would never defy a customers wish. I flinched at her little outburst and avoided her glare. “Sorry… I forgot…” She sighed. “You should really stop the whole ‘getting depressed at everything’ thing. Seriously, how do you plan on binding your customers like that? You should be lucky, that I’m the most loyal pony around here.” She stuck her chest out. “Let’s get back to the topic on hoof here. What have you got for me this time?” I put on a reassuring smile. Now I was in my element. “You will like this. Look at this glove!” I pointed at a glove. “So? What about it?” I grinned. “It is a new technology, which allows you to use the magic within you and fire a small ball of magic towards your enemies! It is a nice addition to the wing blades I made for you! It will make your fighting skills at least 20 % cooler and you will also be able to knock enemies out at least 20 % faster!” “Sounds good, but I’m more of a physical fighter. Do you have anything for a hoof fight?” My grin widened. “Of course there is also a version of this glove, which is perfect for physical combat.” I showed her another glove, which looked slightly different than the other. “It will strengthen the blow, that your hoof delivers and most certainly send your enemy flying. They won’t know, what hit them! I’m sure that you can take down a lot more enemies with the strength that this glove enables. Like the previous Item, it will make your fighting still 20 % cooler and will ensure you a victory in 10 seconds flat!” At this point, I should mention how easy it is to satisfy Rainbow Dashes needs. Just use the words 20 % cooler or 10 seconds flat and she would buy it. Of course I wouldn’t abuse this power to sell her junk. Actually I would be too afraid to sell her junk. She is strong and I don’t want to take the risk to have her as an enemy. That’s for sure. Rainbow Dash smiled at me. “That’s what I wanted to hear, G! It is just as awesome as me! I will take it. And adjust it for me, so that it fits my armor better. I hope you prepare the yard for some weapon testing later.” She said motivated. I grinned. "Sure. I will set it up for the afternoon. I wouldn't want to test a new weapon without my most loyal customer." “You got that right!" Then suddenly her demeanor changed to a less cheerful level, which alarmed me. I already knew, what was about to come. "Oh and about your payment… Let’s just write it down to the other debts. I’m kind of broke at the moment,” she said sheepishly, which caused my grin to disappear. Right… I shouldn’t expect her to pay immediately. I mean, she doesn’t do it normally, so why should she pay now? She will probably pay it at the end of the month, when she gets her salary, but… It is hard for me to wait for the payment always at least a month. I mean, I have to run a business! Why can’t she just manage her money better? Not that I could complain. She is the most loyal customer I have. Maybe I should say something… Better not. I don’t want to upset her. You are pathetic. No, I’m not! Stupid voice in my head, leave me alone! You should just demand that she pays her purchases in advance! Where’s your problem? I… I just don’t want to rush her. Please, we both know, that this is not the real reason “I will take a look around for other stuff.”, she said and then walked to one of the shelves. She used her wings as hooves and looked through the mechanical devices, which laid there. How beautiful… I let out a dreamy sigh. Look at them. Those wings are the things what haunt my dreams. They are so feathery and soft. I just wished I could…measure them. Measure? Not this again. Stop this nonsense at once! But…that nonsense is technically my job… Your Job? Don’t make me laugh! Engineering is not defined by measuring wings! You only have to measure wings, if you build or adapt something for a customer, nothing more! What is so fascinating about them anyway? They are so useful. I mean, they are technically a second pair of hooves, only that they are a lot more useful, with the tips, that could act like fingers! They are so soft and feathery and flexible and strong and… I could measure them all day. The things I would do to those wings… Not only measure. I would experiment with them to gain knowledge about their flexibility and strength and… Why can’t she order another pair of wing blades? When I could just pretend, that her wings have grown or that I have lost her measurements and so I could measure them again! I let out another dreamy sigh. “Uh… you are drooling,” said Rainbow Dash. This pulled me immediately out of my thoughts. I needed to say something to distract her from this or a good explanation or any smart words! “Uh…really?” was all I could utter. Thanks brain. You did well! I really am pathetic… “Uh…yeah…” she said sounding a little unsure. “Whatever, I have to get back to work. The guards need me to keep this place safe. ” She shrugged. “You know, they can’t keep this place safe without somepony as awesome as me.” “Yes... I can imagine...” I said a little dumbstruck. She then took off and left the shop. Guards, hm? I thought. I could bet that she is taking a nap like usual. I’m not the type of pony that leaves the house often, but when I do I see her more sleeping than flying or doing her work. Most of the times I’m disappointed by it. I mean, I would really love to watch her flying all the time! It is far more exciting to see what those wings of her can do. And I know for a fact, that she is a really good flyer. I saw her competing against other guards, they didn’t stand a chance! Come to think of it, I haven’t made an important delivery to a customer yet. Another mental note that I completely forgot. I should better get going. Yeah, move! That voice is a real charmer. I put on my saddlebag with the delivery from my working room and left. I told Screw Driver to take care of the shop and he happily obliged. When I left the shop I sighed. This was really the worst thing that could have happened today. I mean, drooling? She probably thinks I’m a creep and I couldn’t really blame her. Now I will never get a chance to measure those wings again… Snap out of it! You won’t bind any customers with such a strange behavior. Well, technically I am strange. I’m probably the only one, who has problems to fit in with other ponies. The only pony I do not behave strange around is Screw Driver. I just act without thinking too much. Probably because I have warmed up to him over the last years and that’s only because we work together. It probably helped too that the shop isn’t crowded like other places. I hate places with many ponies. I can’t handle them. They just make me nervous and I always want to leave immediately. Things can’t always go on like this. Yeah…probably not. I sighed again. I made my way to the other side of town. It was a nice neighborhood with a park and great sight of the town, since this place lay higher than the rest. I looked at the note with the address and searched for the house in question. After a while I could see it. It was cream-coloured with wooden frames and seemed really warm and inviting. I rang the bell and waited. It didn't take long until a pegasus, with a blue coat and a black mane, opened the door. His name was Rain Cloud. I remembered the first time I saw him. I admired his wings and almost spaced out. I could luckily pull myself together and take on his order. “Good day. I'm glad you could make it.” “Hello,” was all I said. I didn't know what else to say at this moment. “Please, come in,” said the pegasus pony, “my daughter is in the living room. Follow me.” I followed, though I was nervous. It was always hard for me to meet new people or go to new places. I instantly grew more nervous. I liked things that never changed. It gives me a feeling of safety, of stability. I soon entered the living room and saw the little filly Star Gazer, with her blue coat and white mane. On her hind legs were some poorly made constructions to help her with the walking. Hospital sometimes only provides the things that are necessary and who said that they would have a good quality? I remembered then he told me about the accident, what his daughter had gone through and that she would never be able to walk on her own again. At least not without the right ressources. There was a time when I doubted my decision, my whole life, but it all vanishes, when I see somepony, who I can help, with what I'm doing. “Hi there,” I said, as I knelt down, “I'm done with the construction and you could now try it on, if you want.” She nodded. Everypony could see that she was slightly nervous. I levitated my saddlebags to the ground and levitated two leg splints out of them. With the numerous ornaments, they looked more like armor, than something that supports the walking and that was important. The filly didn't want to look handicapped and I understood that. She just wanted to be seen like any other filly. Her eyes widened. “They are beautiful!” she exclaimed. I smiled. “I'm glad you like them. Let's try them on, shall we?” She nodded frantically. I removed her leg splints and put the others on. While I did this, I explained her and her father how to put them on. “Do they fit good? Not too tight and not too sloppy?” I asked. The filly shook her head, smiling. “They fit perfectly.” “Then try to walk a few steps with them.” She did as I said and her smile widened. “They are perfect!” she cheered and then hugged me. I wasn't into hugs, but to see that kid happy really warmed my heart. “Thanks,” said Rain Cloud, who was standing behind me, “They are even better than I imagined them.” “I do that I can and I'm glad you both like them.” At that moment, the door opened and soon a white unicorn mare entered the living room. She looked at Star Gazer, who immediately hugged her. “Mom, I can walk without any problems now!” “I can see that.” She smiled down at me. “Hello, you must be Steam Gear. I'm Heaven Ward. Pleased to meet you.” “Yeah...Nice to meet you,” I said a little nervous though this change of situation. She seemed to have noticed it. “No need to be nervous around here. You are our guest and you did so much for us, when you build that leg splinters,” she said, as she moved closer. I stood up tensed. “Why don't you stay for lunch?” she said cheerfully, “It is the least we can offer you for such a great job.” Staying with ponies I barely now, and that in a new location. It is probably not necessary to mention, that I tensed even more at this invitation. I doubt, that I'm up to this new situation. “Sorry, but I still have a lot of work to do,” I said nervously. The mare nodded. “I understand. We can still catch up on this later.” I nodded silently and then said my goodbyes. I was glad, once I left their home. The street felt a lot more familiar. You can't always avoid other ponies, said the voice in my head. I know, but I can try, right? Stop fooling around. Yeah. I know you are right this time. It's just easier said than done. I kept on arguing with myself as I walked down the road, back to my shop. All in all it was a normal day until then. I never would have guessed that this day marked the end of my normal, peaceful life.