The Sparx of Friendship

by CaptainSparx

Accident Prone

Tinker finished tying off the ropes to secure the airship in place behind the science building. The professor asked her to bring it in so the other students could see what could be done with the knowledge learned in class. It was hard enough to get it onto the school grounds. With all the campus police giving her a hard time even with the note her professor had given her. That and the normal authorities didn’t take too kindly to an airship flying so low in the city. She had to agree with them. Navigating the streets was hard enough on hoof, try doing it in a thirty foot flying boat.

“Hurry up Tink we’re going to be late!” Flo zipped around from the stern with the final rope to be secured. She was quickly getting the hang of this flying business. As soon as she was no longer getting sick from flying it just started to come naturally. She just hoped it wouldn’t wear off anytime soon.

“What do you think I’m doing!?!” Tinker growled through her teeth, pulling her rope tight.

“I’m just saying.” Flo looped her rope over the railing, wrapping it a few more times to be sure.

“Okay, all done. Let’s hurry up and get to class.”

“Race you!” Flo blasted by her on her flyby.

“Oh it’s on!!” Tinker galloped the opposite direction, towards the classroom.

Tinker slammed up against the door to the classroom, sending it flying open. A blur of red and blue blasted by her though the door, coming to a skidding halt.

“Beat you!”

“Sshh!” Almost every student turned around to see what all the commotion was. The teacher waited for the two ponies to take their seats and then continued on with yet another boring lecture on something that nopony really cared about. When the lecture was finally over everyone filled out and headed off to their next classes. Tinker and Flo meet up with a few of the other engineering students. They didn’t have lab toady so they were going to do a little studying and then put in some time at the campus workshop. Most all the science majors could be found at the workshop from time to time. There would be all sorts of extra lessons that ponies could attend. Or if you wanted you could pick up one of the project sheets and do what they said. Those were Tinker’s favorite. Often times she would find herself spending hours on fixing up something that would be sold or raffled off to raise money for numerous school programs. She could care less about the programs, she just enjoyed having access to all the latest and greatest tools a pony could get her hoof on. She put in a good hour studying with her fellow students before parting ways for the rest of the afternoon.

“Hey Tink, I’ll catch you later.”

“I will, Oh can you tell Soap Thistle I won’t be able to make it? I think I’m going to put in a little extra time in the workshop tonight.”

“Sure I’ll let her know. It’s not like she ever expects you to come, you’re so caught up making new things all the time. She just invites you so you don’t feel left out.”

“I know, and I promise I’ll make one of those parties one day.” She smiled and waved as Flo took to the air, carefully balancing her books in her hooves. “We really need to get her some saddle bags,” she said to herself before turning around and trotting off. “I wonder what I’ll come up with today.”

“Oh don’t get your tail in a knot.” She argued back to one of the student safety officers overseeing the workshop that day. Tinker flipped her goggles down and touched her horn to the already glowing metal. Several of the other ponies had gathered around to watch her at work. Hoping to be the first to guess just what she was making. The long metal strips, the intricate cog work, springs and pulleys. It was a beyond any pony what the unicorn could possibly be working on. She also didn’t have any instructions, going off of whatever strange device she had imagined in her head.

“What’s she making?” “What do you think that does?” “Why do you think she used that piece?” The other ponies whispered to each other as they watched. Intently observing how she took care to adjust every little detail just so as the device started to come together.

“Hay, anypony got some leather straps I could use?” She asked the small crowd that had gathered around. One of the ponies ran over to one of the other work tables and grabbed a hoof full of various pieces of leather. “You know you won’t be getting these back.” The other student nodded in agreement and hoofed them over. Tinker punched a few holes along the end of one decent sized strip, then fastened it to a metal frame.

“Um excuse me?” Tinker pushed back a pony that had gotten a little too close and was infringing on her personal workspace.

“Oh sorry…” The other student stepped back to join the others as they watched. Eventually the crowd waned and those that still remained went back to their own projects. Whatever the crazy inventor pony was making, she sure was taking her time.
Tinker aligned several of the long metal strips next to each other and fastened them each to a separate cog on one end, then placed them together in a gear box with some wires running out if it. “Well here’s hoping this works.” She put on hoof on the gear box to hold it in place. She then took up one of the wires in her mouth and gave a sharp pull. The gears worked flawlessly as the strips of metal glided over each other and spread into a fan pattern. She pulled the other wire and they snapped closed just as easily as they had opened. She quickly assembled a second device much like the first only a mirror image of its counterpart. Tinker set the fan-like devices to the side and started working on another set of cogs and a gear box, putting the parts together as best she could in the tight space.

It was starting to get late as she finished up for the evening. She packed a few of the gear boxes into her saddle bag and then strapped the fan-like devices to the side. She picked her books off the table, levitating them as she made her way to the door.
“Hey Tinker! You almost forgot this!” One of the other workshop ponies shouted after her. She turned around, seeing the book she had forgotten about. She made her way over, not noticing the wire that dragged from her saddle bag as it trailed along the floor.
“Thanks for reminding me.” Tinker turned to leave, eager to get home.

“No problem.” She picked her hoof up to wave bye and then set it down, not seeing the cable that was now trapped under her hoof. The resulting accident was beyond anyponies imagination. A bright flash of light was reflected off the spinning metal blades as they flew open, sending the saddle bag crashing to the ground and spilling its contents all over the floor. Cogs and springs scattered everywhere, several ponies tripping and sliding on some of the parts as pieces of equipment fell crashing to the floor. Vials holding chemical mixtures and numerous solutions shattered as they were knocked off tables to the floor. Tinker slipped on a wet tool on the ground and stumbled back into one of the many workshop tables, knocking over someponies solution, some of it splashing on her horn and face. She cringed as more ponies crashed to the ground. She felt herself get knocked over, ending up face to face with the other still recoiled device she had worked so hard on. Things felt as if they were happening in slow motion as she caught a pony slip off to the side of her vision. She watched as the pony fell and slid across the floor, snagging one of the cables to her creation. She heard the click as loud as a pin drop in a silent room. She closed her eyes in fear as she felt the blade-like strips of metal slice through her mane. After what seemed like hours she opened her eyes, the blades inches form her face. She pushed the device away, leaving it unwound and stood up. She felt a little light headed, it must be all the adrenaline. Now she just had to pick up this explosion of a mess that she had caused. She might as well start by picking up her books and setting them off to the side. But the books wouldn’t budge. She concentrated as hard as her headache would allow, but still nothing. “That’s odd?” She put a hoof to her head to ease the pain. As she did so she looked down, a cone shaped object lying on the floor covered in a blue goo. “Oh no…” She kicked the cone over, revealing the white spiraling pattern that she had seen so many times in the mirror. “NO!!!”