The Diary of Crankshaft and his Mechanical Misadventures

by BLT185

Chapter 6: Euphoria

I do not own Hasbro nor do I own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Chapter 6: Euphoria

The leather and canvas had arrived in the mail that morning, say what you will about Ms. Derpy Hooves, she is fast. I hurriedly ate my breakfast and went into the workshop. The Goggles were assembled in minutes, they looked quite splendid. I put one pair on my head, the bridge resting on my horn, and the other on a hook in the workshop, they were designated for something other than work.

I went into the forge to get the metal components I had been working on before breakfast. I had finished them just before Ms. Derpy brought the mail. I dragged them into the workshop to begin construction on the Icarus. I built the engine first seeing as how everything else was going to be attached to it in some way. The runes on all sides of the machine were sleek and smooth without any rough edges or corners, they had to be, otherwise the gem reactor wouldn’t work with it. I integrated the gem reactor into the top to make inserting and removing before flight easy and efficient.

Next, I attached the wing mounts. The wings themselves were made of two parts, the skeletal supports (which would keep the wing’s shape, and connect the motors of the propellers to the craft) and the canvas covering (which would enable the wings to catch thermals and grant me better control) The sewing was a long and arduous process I had to be careful not to cover any of the, but eventually the canvas was pulled taut as the wings were mounted on the craft. The tail fins were made using the same process.

Next I had to attach the tail to the main body. I hade to make sure all the connections would line up properly. If the connection was even slightly off, the propellers in the tail would malfunction. I had to double check with no goggles on and third time with a magnifying glass. Everything was coming together; the finished Icarus was about twice the length of Macintosh Apple with a wingspan four times as wide. I only needed to add the harness and it would be ready to fly. The Harness I made was a fairly simple structure. Several straps would wrap around my torso with two handles in front to allow my hooves to direct the craft, control acceleration and to activate (or deactivate) the engine. It wasn’t easy to do but I managed to securely fasten it to the Icarus.

I needed to do two more things before I tested the Icarus. I needed to build some hoof braces and enchant the flight goggles. Two of the braces would go on my back legs and allow me to land the craft, with two different braces going on my front hooves. The ones on my front hooves were little more than the braces used for sprains. My back legs needed something more, they would be taking the brunt of the force upon landing. The straps went just above my hooves and went about halfway up my legs. There was a metal structure near the top of each brace that extended from the brace went under my hoof to absorb the shock of the landing. They looked ridiculous, but I was fairly certain I would look silly anyway because the Icarus would soon be strapped to my back.

The flight goggles needed to be enchanted to detect problems with the Icarus. I studied the enchantment books I had gotten from the library and believed I had the proper spell. But first I had to activate the engine to ensure everything was working. I inserted a sapphire into the gem reactor, the moment of truth. The runes on the gem reactor and engine began to glow. I used my magic to run a diagnostic on the Icarus, everything was running smoothly. I enchanted the goggles and could now test the machine.

It was beginning to grow dark as I reached the plateau that was the mountain’s peak. The setting sun was bathing the world in a golden light, no clouds in the sky for miles, perfect for flying. I took the Icarus out of the cart I was carrying it in. I strapped myself into the harness and pulled the goggles down over my eyes. There was a cliff facing Ponyville, the ground before it would act as my runway.

I started at a fast trot and quickly gathered speed; I activated the engine as the cliff drew nearer. The engine was sparked to life and produced a low hum. I needed to go much faster if I was to have an enough thrust to fly. The propellers were spinning and my speed began to increase even faster. The edge of the cliff loomed ahead. The Icarus was beginning to outpace my hooves and soon I couldn’t feel the ground under them, I put my front hooves on the control handles. The nose of the craft was beginning to point down towards the ground. Oh no, I was too heavy! I closed my eyes tight as I went over the edge. Certain my life had come to an inevitable.

I didn’t know what to expect when I hit the ground, my life flashing before my eyes, the snapping of bone, a dull thud. I certainly wasn’t expecting nothing to happen. When I opened my eyes and observed my surroundings. Above me I saw a deep navy blue sky with glistening stars and an absolutely radiant moon. Below me were trees in the small forest between my home and Ponyville rushing by, the lights of the village flickering in the distance, all was calm. The wind was rushing through hair, the Icarus’ engine was humming and I was utterly awestruck by the sights my eyes beheld, then the realization hit me. I was flying! The Icarus was working, I wasn’t dead. I whooped and shouted in my bliss, all seemed right with the world.

As I flew over Ponyville I realized that I would need a place to land. The park was getting closer. That open space would clearly be the best place to attempt a landing. I cut power to the engine and began my descent, the ground and trees began to get larger. My back hooves nearly hit the fountain. I pulled them in at the last second, barely clearing it.
I planted my back hooves in the dirt and skidded for a few feet as I put my front hooves down. “All things considered it wasn’t that bad for a first landing” I thought as I pulled my goggles over my horn.

After I got over the euphoria I felt from the flight I realized I was freezing. I took everything into account except for the temperatures I would face at such high altitudes. I rationalized that it could be easily remedied by wearing a coat and scarf during future flights. On my way home I was planning to fly again the next day.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading! As always critique and suggestions are encouraged.