Chapter five: weirdness in a state of C
The basement.
So far Gear hadn't invited anyone down here, of course unbeknownst to him, Sun had already visited the place, and made a few discoveries. But for the first intentional time, somepony other than Gear himself, was visiting his lab.
should I feel violated or excited? he thought to himself, tapping his chin.
He decided to go with the latter.
"Dude, this place is sick."
Shadow was excited beyond belief. He had picked up a broken prototype from the garbage bin, it had small wings on either side. It was designed as an automatic Gardner, but unfortunately Gear couldn't get it to work.
If Shadow was excited, then Fleetfeather was in ecstasy. He was clumsily looking through prototypes, the garbage bin, everything that didn't seem off limits.
"Now if both of you could come here for a second then I have some instructions for you." Gear said.
Fleetfeather was there immediately, it seemed uncanny, almost like he had warped through time and space. Shadow was much more relaxed, yet he still retained that glee when you are introduced to something new and exciting.
"Good," Gear said as he coughed a little, "I'm gonna need Shadow," he paused to point at the black stallion, "to find some copper plates."
Shadow nodded, and headed in the direction of the materials. A small shelf with an assortment of boxes, ranging from small, to big, to just downright huge.
"Fleetfeather, you're gonna go and look in the garbage bin for a robotic eye about the size of a hoof," he said, stretching his own hoof out so his student could see what size he was referring to.
"On it," Fleetfeather said, saluting in a very serious manner, which was ruined by the giddy smile that had torn his face completely in two.
Gear himself needed to find the most important component, which was located in a small metal case on the material shelf. He needed to handle one of these himself. He held great trust in his students, but he didn't want them to get hurt.
The item in question was a small gem, it had five flat surfaces and was incredibly light.
He went to his work table, placing the gem off to the side. A few seconds later both of his students arrived with the materials he had been asking for. Shadow had a few plates in his mouth, even though he looked terribly uncomfortable while holding them. Fleetfeather had the robot eye in his hoof, it was slightly smaller than he could've wished for, but it would have to do.
"Just dump it here fellas." He said, indicating a hoof at the table.
They dropped their precious cargo, the plates landing with and audible clang, and the eye merrily rolling around before spinning slightly and laying still.
Gear was putting his goggles on, they were clear glass with some crystal outlines, just to make them a bit more sturdy. The weird gloves than sun had seen earlier was looming overhead, he placed one hoof in each, hearing the satisfying click as they caught onto his nerve system.
"Now guys, you may want to step back slightly."
"What's tha deal with you and Gear?"
Sun had been caught slightly off guard by Appleyards question. She and Vinnie had been in the middle of a conversation. So Appleyards question had literally come out of nowhere.
"I don't think I really understand?" She said, doing her best to look confused rather than startled.
"Oh please miss sun-"
"Sun is fine Ay, no need to call me miss outside of school." Sun said, smiling gently.
The earth pony smiled back before continuing, "it's clear as day that you like him, and don't tell me no, cause I know it ain't true."
If Sun had been startled before then now she was absolutely bewildered. What was Appleyards saying? She couldn't 'like' Gear, they were colleagues for ponies sake! Colleagues couldn't form relationships.
Right?
"I- I don't know what you're talking about Appleyard. Gear is just a friend." Sun said, smiling awkwardly.
"Look here Sun, It may not seem like it, but I've seen plenty of relationships go by in my time, some of em my own, some of em not." Ay paused slightly for dramatic effect, and to catch her breath. The cider she had been drinker had taken it toll, and she was slightly red headed, as well as sounding incredibly exhausted.
"So I can recognize a mare in love when I see one."
Sun had to take some time to let that sink in. Ay really thought that she loved Gear. Did she?
no, no, he-he's just a colleague she thought to herself, seeking to dismiss that annoying voice inside of her head
then why did you help him? Why did you stay at his house while he was recovering?
I couldn't just leave him there. He was hurt! she told herself again
you do realize that the medical team would've helped him even if you didn't right, he would've been perfectly fine.
but, he's my friend!
The voice of Vinnie thankfully broke her inner discussion.
"Whenever I'm in love," she said, looking dreamingly out of one of the few windows, "I always think about it too much, in stead of doing something about it."
Ay nodded sage like, "it's clear for both of us that you like him, but you need to realize that yourself too."
Sun nodded weakly, she looked down at the floor.
She needed something to drink.
"Why do we need to 'step back?" Fleetfeather asked disappointed
Shadow looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "you of all people should know how dangerous engineering is, especially when you aren't a unicorn."
Fleetfeather looked down, not wishing to remembering that burn mark.
"Just stand back." Gear said, clamping the fingers of his robotic gloves onto the small crystal. The tip of the pointer finger opened up, almost like a lid, revealing another small crystal, similar to the one on the table.
A small beam shot out, hitting the crystal on the table, searing into the delicate stone and charring where the beam hit. Gear moved the beam carefully above the surface of the gem, inscribing one of the sides with a small letter.
"What exactly are you doing?" Fleetfeather asked
Gear stopped the beam, leaving half an inscription on the surface of the gem. "I'm inscribing a griffin crystal." He said, seemingly he deemed this to be enough information.
"What in Luna's name is that?" Shadow asked, apparently taken aback.
Gear rolled his eyes, when he had first decided to invite them into his laboratory it was not so they could ask questions for him to answer.
"A griffin gem is, as the name would imply, a gem imported from the griffin kingdom. It's only unique use is its usefulness in programming, by inscribing certain 'words' into one of its surfaces. The more sides it has, the pricier it is." He said, ending the explanation by pointing at the gem.
"Oh," Shadow replied, "carry on then."
Gear nodded and turned the laser back on, occasionally looking at an opened book to his right which was labelled 'Equestrian to griffin.'
"Fleetfeather," Gear said, seeking to get the attention of the awed pegasus, Fleetfeather immediately snapped out of his trance and looked expectantly at his teacher.
"I need you to find the word cute in the guide." He said, nodding towards the book.
Fleetfeather was obviously disappointed, he had hoped for some sort of cool assignment, nothing particular, just something exciting. Nevertheless he complied, and started flipping through the huge book until he found the word 'cute.'
"Thank you," Gear said, now breathing heavily, he started searing the new letter into a new side of the gem.
This continued on for a while, once a letter was done Gear would ask either one of his students to flip to the next word.
"Okay, now for the last one," at this point, gears body was heavily shaking. An empty shell made of copper plates with a small robotic eye in the middle and rotor blades on top was lying next to the gem. All that Gear needed to do was inscribe his own name, and he would be done.
So on the top of the gem, he inscribed a small circle, with a wavery x in the middle.
His griffin name.
He carefully inserted the gem into the robotic eye, he heard the soft woom as the crystal clicked into place. He put the glass lid on, hearing it clicking he smiled satisfyingly.
"It's done." He said, his hooves detaching from the gloves. They were incredibly red, as if all his blood had been gathered there.
The eye of the small robot began blinking, the rotor blades on the top began spinning madly, and not long after that, the small contraption came flying towards its creator, eyeing him expectantly before moving in and nuzzling his metallic exterior against his chest.
"He's so cool!" Fleetfeather and Shadow said in unison, although shadow asked the next question on his own, "what should we call him?"
The inventor started tapping his chin and looking around the room. He found that robot names should always be named after objects, specifically those that dealt with scientific engineering. Finally his eye caught sight of a particular part, one that was located in quite a few steampunk robots, but actually hadn't been necessary to make this one.
"How about," Gear said, pausing for effect, "Gizmo?"
Appleyard and Vinnie had jumped from their seats as the stallions came back up from the cellar, a small metal ball curled up in Shadows magic aura.
"Is that what ah think it is?" Appleyard said, smiling at her teacher.
"It sure is," Fleetfeather answered before Gear could get a word out.
Gear grabbed the small metallic construct. Shadow got the message and his magic aura retreated from gizmo. The ball dropped lightly into the calm hoof of the inventor. He pressed his nose against a small button on the top, the two mares could hear spinning and whirring as the rotor blades on the top started churning.
Gizmos single red eye started flashing. He took flight, immediately noticing unknown ponies in front of him. His eyes started glowing an orange color as a scanner beam passed over them. As it found nothing of threat, the eye returned to its previous red state.
"This, is Gizmo," Gear said, the small robot currently making strange noises as he ruffled around in Vinnies mane.
"He's adorable!" Vinnie squealed, she was trying her best to control her fit of giggles.
"I've gotta admit mr. Gear, that's mighty impressive." Appleyard said, trying her best not to laugh at her friends giddiness.
Gear smiled lightly. They all liked it, everypony had seen it.
Except one.
"Where's sun?" Gear asked, if there was one pony who had to see it, it was her.
"She went to the bathroom half an hour ago." Vinnie said, looking slightly disgusted.
Now, Gear was many things, confused, easily distracted, slightly maniacal. But there was one thing he knew like his own hooves.
No pony could be in a bathroom for 30 minutes, not even a mare.
He ran quickly out to the door leading to his bathroom, the door wasn't locked so he opened up, and just as he had expected, it was empty.
And then he heard a small burp.
The sound had clearly come from his kitchen, so he went there to find out who was there.
As expected, sun.
What wasn't expected however, was her being surrounded in bottles upon bottles of alcohol, most of them empty.
"Sun, what in the name of Celestias revered flank did you do?" Gear almost shouted, he restrained himself however, not wishing to draw the attention of his students.
That wish was broken when sun saw him, her face lit up in a drunken and slightly cocky smile, "hey there Gear, I found yer liquor cabinet."
"Oh really?" He said, trying not to sound pissed, "do you know how much this stuff costs? Most of it is imported from all over the world!"
She rolled her eyes, "oh please, as if money matters anything to a bit sexy stallion like you." She was inching closer and closer, dragging herself by the kitchen counter.
Gear had to blink twice. Or was it thrice? To not lose his calm, and still his drunken colleague inched closer.
"C'mere," she yelled as she let go of the counter and pounced him. Her legs caught around his neck, her hind legs apparently not working properly.
Gear was knocked down, he wasn't exactly the strongest stallion, so a full grown mare latching onto his neck was more than enough to drag him to the ground.
"What are you doing?!" Gear screamed loudly, not knowing how else to respond.
He got no answer.
In stead she just kissed him.
It lasted for all of five seconds, five horribly long and terrifying seconds. And just long enough for the others to walk in on it.
"Well well," Appleyard said, flashing a cocky smile, "look at the two lovebirds."
"Shut up Appleyard, she's drunk off her flank." Gear said, finally detaching his lips from Suns, "do any of you know where she lives?"
The four students shook their heads in unison, looking to each other for any ideas, and apparently Fleetfeather was the first to get one.
"Why doesn't she just sleep here?"
Everyone mentally facehoofed, except Sun, who greeted the idea with a seductive, "I'd love to," while making her best sexy face for the stunned inventor.
"Well, if there's no other options," gear said, pushing the drunk mare off of him, to her greatly vocal discouraging, "then I guess she'll have to sleep here."
He finally got back up, now it was his turn to lean against the counter, wiping his eyebrows he started thinking about the situation.
"Can you guys get her upstairs? The guest room is on the right when you reach the end of the stairs." Gear almost begged.
They all nodded at him again, Appleyard moving in and dragging the teacher to her hooves.
As his five friends finally walked upstairs, Gear went to bed, with one question plaguing his mind.
What about tomorrow?
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Haha.
That was a dramatic change.
Still both funny, and interesting.
I noticed some of these, though;
...Great thrusts?
Uuuh...
Anyway, story's still going great, and I'm looking forward to chapter... uh... which chapter are we on now? 5?
So chapter 6.
...I can finnaly stop playing the 'Waiting Game'... For now. Looking up for your next 'Twist'...
...Still watching you... From the shadows...
3632075
omg that misspell
Thank you, though, I remain vigilant and thrusting (did you see what I did there? *snicker*) in, what personally believe, to be my best story yet
3632150
I don't understand how you people didn't notice Sun as the romantic interest, I tried to make it as bleeding obvious as possible
3632184
I knew it from the very first moment they crossed their first 'drunken adventure', but i'm always...
"Playing the game of waiting".
...
! (I'm starting to think that i'm overusing the crazy pinkie...But she's just lovely... And mad...)
3632193
Is this where I need to break out "the old swittcheroo," meme?
3632204
...If you want, but i'll still use her, untill I find something better.
(This time, I skipped her use... Now I feel empty...
)
3632213
I have to ask, why do you always start a post with punctuations? I've got nothing against it, I've just been wondering why
3632225
...Because...
...I talk slowly...
...With little silences between my phrases... Mostly.
...Intrigued?
(And, because it's my personal way to starts posts. I dunno, it looks... 'Different'. At least, in my own opinion.)
3632241
That first part almost sounds (you can say that about written words right?) seductive
3632348
...Both. I do talk slow, because if not, i'm not understood if I talk.
...Seductive? Seems that I have a new power now...
3635685
You're the next Van helsing
3635733
...Well, iv'e got that crossbow, and vampires aren't my think...
...So you're right!
3635738
Then you're gonna like my next story
3635770
...I'm sure that I will, as so does everypony reading this
...If not, iv'e got a nice crossbow waiting...
3635777
I guess I'll have to look back over my shoulder from now on then?
3635970
...Indeed.
3636041
It's a sad state of affairs when the amount of comments on the story exceeds my view count
3636113
Well, then this'll be my last 'spamming' your comments. Welp, i'll wait till you keep this going. Untill then!
3635770
More stories, you say?
Ooooh.
...I'll be right back.