Wonderful Mechanical: Keen Eye and the Wonderbolt Saboteur.

by Monocrome_Monogatari

Zeroes and Hurricane Fleetfoot.

I didn’t even have time to adjust the neck-strap my guest pass hung from before Rivet started dragging me out, or at least attempting to, for what his stature was worth.

“Geez, hold up man, this isn’t like you!”

In fact, there were a lot of things Rivet did recently that were unlike him. His brisk letter that left more questions than answers, his carelessness in not double checking that my arrival was expected, his thoughtlessness in not giving me a specified time and place to arrive, his overall more-tense-than-normal demeanor…

“Just what exactly is going on anyway? Why did you need my help again?”

“Um…” He nervously glanced around “Can it wait until we get to my lab? I… don’t want to talk about the specifics out here.” He said, glancing to the ponies that were walking up and down the hall.

“Can I at least get a general version?”

“Nnn…” he bit his lip anxiously, and contemplated before motioning for me to lower my head to his level.

“For one, my future employment here might be in danger.”

What.

THE rivet? Most-likely-to-succeed Rivet? 100% Rivet? All-Nighter Rivet? Resume Rivet? Egghead Rivet? Weekend Worker Rivet? Teacher’s Pet Rivet? Four-eyes Rivet? Shortstop Rivet? Walking Talking Tumbler Rivet? Cry-me-a-Rivet?

…Wait, I think I lost track of what I was going for when listing his old nicknames.

It’s not MY fault that he was really easy to make nicknames for!

Still, THAT Rivet? Possibly getting fired?!

“What?!” I gasped as my thoughts finally caught up to my throat, loudly enough that Rivet was startled and slipped backwards.

…Yep, still Walking Talking Tumbler Rivet

“Did you finally knock up one of your admirers?!”

In an uncharacteristic display of reflexes, he leaped to my eye level and painfully clamped my jaw shut.

“One: Shhhhhhhhhhh, Two: no!”

I could help but giggle at this, despite the fact that my tongue is probably bleeding. Seems like Rivet grew up a bit since last time I saw him, or at least, the situation is abnormal enough that it’s growing him a spine. That sort of teasing used to send him sputtering to a stop.

“Ugh…” He dropped back down to the floor. “This is exactly why I wanted to wait until we got to my offi—“

“RIVET!”

Around the corner came 4 ponies: a massive blue bruiser with a short brown mane and a soft look in his eyes, a tan stallion who looked like he lost a fight with a pair of scissors and brags about it, a light blue mare with a tricolor mane, and a dark blue stallion with a short black mane, one who somehow lacked presence, as if he melded in the background even if he’s the only one in the shot.

The mare scooped him up as the other three surrounded him “Rivet are you okay? We rushed over as soon as we heard you were called up to spitfire’s office! Were you in trouble again?”

“Ah, well, d-don’t worry. Everything was cleared up I guess…” said rivet, impulsively looking away. Looks like he hasn’t grown up that much after all. I couldn’t help but snicker a bit.

Maybe he’s just finally immune to me?

“Who’s this joker?”

The dark blue nobody was casting a suspicious eye as he pointed me out. The atmosphere shifted as the spotlight drifted from the fan favorite to the new character.

“You first. I AM a guest after all.” I said, flashing my pass. “I don’t remember Rivet mentioning anyone like you in his letters. Since you’re hanging around him, I’m guessing you’re all part of some secret new super soldier program or something?”

Their jaws dropped simultaneously.

“Why do you know that?!” the mare said.

…

“Um…that was a joke.”

Embarrassment was etched across all our faces as an awkward silence filled the space where the casual atmosphere had been a moment ago.

“Oh… um, our reaction was too!” she responded.

“Oh…”

“…”

I tried to cut through the rapidly frosting ice. “So…introductions?”

Scarface took the lead. “I’m Playblitz” He turned to the mare “This firecracker is our captain, Shine Struck” She seemed to shrink a bit at that, in a manner that suggested the exact opposite of a firecracker, “This walking contradiction is Calm Wind” He gave a shallow wave, not entirely sure what to make of the situation, “and this cool customer is Swift Justice”

Ugh, why do ponies name their kids after vague ideals like ‘Justice’? They know they’ll never reach them, right? It’s a complex waiting to happen!

He continued. “We’re friends of Rivet. How do you know him?”

“Wait. Rivet? Having friends? Hold on, it appears I have a bet I need to pay out” I tossed a 5 bit piece Rivet’s way. He tried to fling it away, but he missed, and it bounced off his head.

“Grr…”

“You know…” Calm Wind casually threw a foreleg around my shoulder, and leaned his weight on me, his tone and his smile betraying the intimidating tension he was sending my way. “You’re not exactly making good first impressions right now.”

“I’ve never been good at those. Just take how Rivet and I met years back. There was a group project in chemistry, and I notice Rivet in the corner acing everything! So I walk up to him, bow my head low, and begged and pleaded to him:

‘I know about the Nightmare Night incident, and if you won’t help me then your face and your costume will be plastered across the school paper for all to see.’

“Since then we were inseparable pals, two idiots too smart for their own good, glued together by the magic of blackmail!” “

Calm Wind’s facial expression and grip was tightening with every word.

“I’m Keen Eye by the way.”

Getting hard to breathe.

“I’m a painter. Ack…”

Rivet sighed, rubbing his temples. “Just… let him go Calm. I called him here.”

“Rivet…” Star Shine looked at him with concern “Ponies normally call this sort of relationship Stockholm Syndrome.”

“That’s…ack…what I keep telling him.” Turning blue…

Rivet scuffed the floor. “Er… He’s kind of fun to talk to… once you get to know him, he just kind of doesn’t have a filter…or tact…”

Calm shrugged and let me go. I immediately crumpled to the floor and desperately gasped for breath.

Swift Justice poked my prone form, “Listen, I don’t know why you’re here, but we’re watching you. If you mess with Rivet, we’ll know.”

“You guys are being too quick to judge. After all, I kept my end of the bargain! I burned the negatives after we were done. It takes some serious integrity to do that!”

“…” They were still glaring at me.

“I mean, yeah I was kind of a bully to him, but I was a bully to a lot of the other bullies as well, so I kept him from being a target. I have to say, our little arrangement might have been one of the best things that happened to him! Me being with him sent a message to the other instigators: ’This one is MINE! Don’t you THINK about touching him!’ Ah it takes me back… kind of romantic don’t you think?”

“…”

“…”

“…um” Calm wind hesitated.

“No, no it’s not romantic at all.” Playblitz broke in.

“Stop giving them ideas!” panicked Rivet. He turned to his friends with a pleading look “Please get him to my lab before he makes more of a scene. He’s here to figure out who’s been messing with my machines.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Wait a minute. Rivet, the big emergency you sent an S.O.S. for, the one that send me all the way from Manhattan, straining both my wallet on an overnight train and my wings getting up here, was ‘who’s touching my stuff?’”

“There’s more to it than that! It’s—“ His ears perked up and his eyes went wide. “Darn it! Hide me!” He harshly whispered as he dove behind Calm.

Around the corner, a lithe, light blue mare with silvery hair was humming to herself. I didn’t keep up with Wonderbolt related things, but even I could recognize one of the members of the lead squad. I couldn’t remember her name though… and why was Rivet hiding from her?

“Hey guys! Any of you see Rivet anywhere?”

Started with an F…

“N-no…” Calm looked away and started blushing.

Fast-something? Free-something?

“Are you suuuuuure?” She dragged it out as she leaned up against Calm.

Flow-something? Far-something? Fleet-something? That sounds kind of right I think…

“Hmm? Hey who are you? I didn’t know we were expecting visitors.” She noticed me as I zoned out. “Why’re you staring? See something you like?” she smirked flirtatiously.

Fleet…flight? Fleet…fight? No that isn’t right at all… Wait did she say she’s looking for Rivet?

“Ah! I know you!”

“Yep! Fleetfoot at your service! You want an autograph?”

“Rivet wrote about you!”

“Oh? You’re a friend of Rivet’s?”

“You’re that blue she-demon he complains about!”

“…What?”

“Yeah! The monster-molester! The mare with no modesty! It took me a while to connect you to the pony that keeps heartlessly interrupting his work! Man do the Wonderbolts have any code of conduct?”

She seemed downcast at that, ears and eyes drooping. “…Did he really say that about me?”

“No I did not!” Rivet popped up on top of Calm, unable to take the farce any longer “I didn’t write that! Don’t put words in my mouth!” His voice wavered between panic, a comforting tone for fleet, and an accusation for me, and was more strained than a poorly tuned guitar as a result. Ah, it’s fun to get this reaction out of him…

“You DIDN’T say anything about it, that’s EXACTLY how I know!”

“YOU DON’T GET TO USE THAT LINE TWICE!”

“RIVET!” Fleetfoot dove for him, missing Calm by a razor’s edge and squeezing him like a teddy bear “There you are!”

“Gah!” He struggled fruitlessly in her embrace

Despite Rivet being the victim, the scene was surreal enough that the squad behind me couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Um… a little help maybe…please?” Rivet reached out to us

“Nuh uh.” Fleetfoot said. “You said mean things about me. Now you have to give me extra cuddling time”

“But I never di—“

“Shhhhhhhh” She put her hoof on his mouth.

I cleared my throat. “So, since it looks like Rivet’s going to be busy for a while, mind showing me the way to his lab?”

“What? Wait! No!” Rivet futilely tried to reach toward us as Fleetfoot lazily floated in the opposite direction.

Comments

[Kestrel]

Cry me a Rivet... That's great! XD

[Azure_Shadow]

Ugh, why do ponies name their kids after vague ideals like ‘Justice’?

Maybe his parents thought it sounded cool?...Or perhaps it's the family name, in which he came from a long line of Justices.