Brace for impact [Pony_Sage and Bann]

[Bannhammer]

Martel Von Starkhuf trudged along the small path, battered by rain and limping heavily as his usually trusty leg brace strained and squeaked under the effort. He had just finished his last contract, and while the job itself was a milk run, he found himself running into a few problems afterwards.

His brace, the thing that allowed him to walk, had been damaged, and now even simple waking was strenuous. He had to do all the work with his front legs, barely able to move his rump. Martel snorted and pushed on, knowing that he couldn't give up.

As a foal with a stunted leg, he was unable to walk, or even stand, for long periods of time. Martel had to build himself a brace for his leg out of steel springs, sponges, and a steel block. It had served him well, but it, and he, was on its last legs.

Of course, I had to take a risk... I just had to be taking another job.

His pelt was matted and his burgundy mane stuck to his head and face and he took a moment to catch his breath. Martel's long and thin tail dragged behind him on the ground as he stood in place. He closed his eyes and reminded himself why he was doing this, and that he really couldn't turn back. So now, with no other options, he climbed up the rocky path that lead to a secluded lighthouse. Hoping to find the pony that would be able to fix his brace.

Some of his friends and contacts heard about his problem, and they were quick to give him a list of names. Each name was well known, and qualified, but his eyes fell on the last name on the list and he decided then and there where to go. Whoever Rivet was, they had better be worth it

Martel needed the help, he had a new contract starting soon, and he couldn't serve on an airship with a bad leg. Hopefully he had found the right pony.

Why did I have to be picking the one in the middle of nowhere?

The path grew steeper, and the large, dark purple stallion grunted as he literally dragged his lower body up closer to his destination. Every now and then he would lose his grip and stumble, but he willed himself onward.

Eventually, soaked and out of breath, he found himself at the entrance to the light house. Martel raised a large hoof and brought it down on the large door, hoping to be loud enough to be heard over the storm. When the door finally opened, the large, soaked, frustrated, pained, and overall imposing stallion growled, "Is this Rivet's place?"

[Pony_Sage]

Rainy days were not Rivet's favorite of all days. During these times the light-house needed extra care to be kept running properly. The fog horn, which oddly she liked, would sound every few minutes to help ships navigate. The problems arose when the wind blew, as it was this day, and battered the salt spray on the inner workings of the light-house, especially the lamp house. Not only did the salt spray from the ocean corrode some of the metal pieces, which would then have to be meticulously replaced, but it also occasionally put out the oil lamp that provided the light for ponies to navigate by. Since she was charged with keeping the light-house operational it fell to her and her alone to make sure that the lamp never dimmed. This meant some rather sleepless nights curled up in the lens room making sure that the wind didn't put out her light.

This is how Rivet was spending this day, up and down the stairs, in and out of the tower, checking and rechecking the lamp and the inner workings of her machines. She would have much rather been spending this time working on her inventions, specifically the 'Halo Engines' as they were called. After that trip to Stalliongrad she had gained a new fervor and started improving the engines even further. Alas today was a day dedicated to the light-house, sometimes she wished that she could have a helper on these occasions, someone to at least talk to while whiling away the hours.

WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP

'What in Equestria was that?!' Rivet thought as her ears perked up to the odd noise.

WHUMP WHUMP

'It isn't the shutters, I closed all of them up. Maybe something broke down in the engine room? No, it would be more regular and less … purposeful?'

WHUMP

As Rivet trotted about her house trying to find the source of the noise it finally dawned on her, somepony was knocking on her front door. 'Oh come now, you can optimize steam engine efficiency in your sleep but you cant figure out that somepony is knocking at your door? You'd loose your head if it wasn't attached.' The young mare scolded herself. She was covered head to hoof in her usual grime, supplemented with some lamp oil here and there. Her tail was a mess and her mane in its usual braid. She was not one for dressing up for company, and she hoped that her guest didn't mind.

The smile on her face was quickly shattered and replaced with a look of confusion with a hint of fear as she opened her rather large front door. Before her lay a drenched, filthy, hurt looking, monster of a purple stallion.

“Is this Rivet's place?” His voice growled at her.

Being who she was Rivet immediately shrunk back into her home. If she had not been mute, a “Meep!” could have been heard. Cowering in fear behind her kitchen table, hundreds of scenarios danced through her little noggin. Most of these contained some link to a 'Pony Crime Syndicate that was stationed out of Stalliongrad, and had come to steal her inventions.' Whether or not this syndicate actually even existed was completely unknown, most likely it was a figment of her overactive imagination. When you don't get out much, your mind tends to make up interesting ideas, and those hard boiled crime novels that she had recently picked up from that goofy Zebra Monty hadn't helped at all.

The odd thing was, this pony was unaccompanied and not pushing his way into her home. He was just sitting there as a lump on the ground. 'Maybe he isn't a bad guy?' She mused as she peaked out over the top of her table. The stallion was rather impressive in stature and build, well he would have been if he had not been crumpled up in a ball on the ground. Rivet's curiosity got the best of her as she slowly edged towards the purple lump. She poked his shoulder with a dirty but still off white hoof, which she quickly retracted in fear of reprisal. Nothing happened. She poked again, this time rocking his shoulders. She had a perplexed look on her face as the stallion's grey eyes met her lively green ones. There was a look of helplessness in this otherwise strong stallion's gaze.

Against her instincts to run and hide, Rivet tried as hard as she could to drag the poor wretch inside of the rather warm and humid light-house proper. A few tendrils of her pale green magic, and a healthy dose of pushing on his flank finally got him inside of the house. Closing the door Rivet ran off into another room, only to return with some towels. Clean as they might be, they were still stained from years of grease and grime. She piled them next to the stallion and pushed them gingerly forward with her muzzle. She stepped back afterward, tilted her head to the side, and puzzled at the stallion, one of her ears out to the side and the other straight up in the air.

[Bannhammer]

A prod to Martel's shoulder grabbed his attention, but he was still unable to respond. A grunt was the only thing that could escape his lips, and it was a weak one at that. The Germane mercenary opened his eyes, and found himself face to face with a rather unimposing mare. He didn't know Rivet was a mare, but that mattered little at this point, he was merely glad that somepony was there to help him. She had a concerned look on her face, and Martel replied with a rather pathetic and pleading look of his own.

Exhausted, Martel was unable to provide much of an explanation for himself. Hopefully she wasn't too scared or suspicious, but he hadn't been stabbed or otherwise attacked by her, so that was a good sign. His mind raced as he felt a magical grip on his shoulders, accompanied with a few pushes on his flank.

Don't panic, Martel, you're just being dragged into a place you have never been before by a pony you don't know in the middle of a rainstorm and nopony knows where you went.

He didn't have much time to worry, however, as the journey was a very short one. The large stallion was finally inside the lighthouse, and the sights and sounds were lost on him as just the smell struck him. He breathed raggedly, gulping down the thick air that stunk of machinery and smoke that suddenly overwhelmed him.

At least I am out of that damned rain.

She seemed to understand, and just as soon as the purple stallion felt like he would receive help, she did the one thing he didn't want.

She left.

Ach, she's leaving me? Martel mentally reprimanded himself, wishing that he could have managed to at least introduce himself before this all happened. Before his panic had much time to set in, he heard her hoofsteps as she returned, and the gentle sound of cloth piling up next to him drew his attention. Martel shifted on the ground, trying to look at the mare and what she had brought him.

Towels? How nice... He felt a weak smile grace his lips as he looked up at the mare. Reaching out with a hoof, the large stallion grabbed all of the towels and wiped down his face and shoulders while still on the ground. Sure, the grease on the towels dirtied him up, but he was more concerned with being dry than being clean. After using each and every towel to dry only a small part of his upper body he tossed them aside and struggled to stand, obviously having trouble with his rear left hoof.

Taking a few more deep breaths, Martel looked around and tried to get back into a comfortable rhythm. "Danke... Frau."

He closed his eyes and took another breath, his right hoof clutching his chest, before continuing. "Your hospitality is... welcomed, and I am glad to be arriving here."

"My name is Martel Von Starkhuf. I am needing somepony to fix my leg, and I was told by some associates that you are the pony to be seeing. You are a mechanic, Ja?"

Shaking a bit, still trying to recover from the grueling journey, he looked at Rivet. She was small, but something about her impressed Martel. Apparently she lived alone, in a light house, with a bunch of machines, and was brave enough to let a complete stranger into her home. He tried to smile, hoping to calm down the frightened mare. He waited for her to answer his question.

She does not speak? Maybe she is silent type... I will keep talking then.

The purple mercenary lifts his left rear leg, showing to Rivet his practically destroyed brace that dangled off of his stunted leg. "This is why I was arriving here in such a state, my brace broke and I had to drag myself up here."

With another pleading gaze, Martel looked down at the smaller pony. "Will you be helping me, Frau Rivet?"

She didn't really answer for a moment or two, and Martel tilted his head, returning her confused look. "Can you be speaking?"

[Pony_Sage]

The large purple pony that Rivet had dragged inside of her home was now standing not more than two feet in front of her, speaking very loudly in a rather heavy accent. ‘What accent is that?’ She wondered to herself. ‘It sounds similar to a Stalliongrad accent, but it’s heavier and muddier.’ Rivet was lost in thought as the pony introduced himself, she was so caught up trying to place his accent that she missed him introducing himself. What caught her attention was his movement. She shuffled away at first, for fear of him clobbering her and trying to make off with her inventions. As she cowered with both her ears out to the side and a scared expression upon her muzzle, the glint of metal caught her eye. Her nose scrunched up, her ears went out at odd angles, and then she realized something, ‘This stallion can’t walk!’ She blurted to herself. ‘And he uses a brace to compensate for that. Ohhh it looks all smashed up.’ As she confidently strode over to the stallion’s rear leg, almost paying no mind to him, a green tendril of aetheric energy reached out and picked up first her glasses, and then her banged up, trusty, red, pressed steel toolbox. The tools jangled and clanged together as she walked over to his hind quarters, hopefully the stallion didn't mind that she hadn't said a word to him since his arrival.

Rivet scrutinized the hunk of metal for a few moments, poking at it here, prodding there. ‘Crude but effective, I’ll give whoever made this that.’ She made a clicking noise with her tongue, one of the few noises that she could actually make, as she levitated a small spanner out of the toolbox and began to disassemble the brace off of the hind leg. Once she was complete it fell to the floor with a cacophonous noise. Intent upon this rather crude device Rivet levitated it onto the workbench that was her kitchen table and looked it over further. Rivet finally realized that she had forgotten something, ‘RIVET!! You have forgotten to introduce yourself, you've left an injured and probably very tired pony standing in your kitchen, and haven't even said a word to him! Where are your manners!?!? Go make him more comfortable!’

Rivet wore an embarrassed look upon her face as she slunk back to the stallion and looked at him. She smiled her best smile and reached out for her typewriter that she usually kept at her side, alas it wasn't with her. She hadn't had it with her due to the fact that she was working alone all day. ‘Rivet, what is wrong with you today. First the door knocking, then the pony, now your typewriter. This storm has put you all out of sorts hasn't it.’ She scolded herself. Rivet lifted a hoof up in a, ‘Please wait one moment.’ gesture and trotted off again to find her mechanical voice.

Upon finding her voice she quickly trotted back to the purple pony with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, name is Rivet. Not used to company. You okay, need anything? Food, chair, more towels? Sorry again. What’s name?” A small slip of paper flew in front of Martel accompanied by another overly friendly smile.

“Do you need fix leg brace? Not that complex, rather easy. Could build it better if want.” The second piece of paper queued up under the first, floating in place allowing Martel to read them comfortably.

[Bannhammer]

Martel watched, perplexed, as the silent mare continued to look him over. Would she help him? Did she even speak Equestrian?

"Ah... Verstehen Sie?"

Instead of responding, or even acknowledging his words, the mare went to his hind leg. He flinched, instinctively trying to protect his deformed limb. His reaction worsened even more as magic surrounded his leg. Martel gave a weak protest, but became far more occupied with keeping his balance.

As she removed the steel hoof, Rivet would notice that in place of a healthy hind leg, there was a deformed stump. With the weight lifted from his leg, the stallion quickly toppled over, shouting in surprise and embarrassment.

He must appear so weak and helpless! The idea pained him. Despite her good intentions, he couldn’t help but feel that coming here was a mistake.

When Rivet pulled out a toolbox, he tried to see what she was doing, but he couldn’t see much from his position on the floor. Eventually she returned, and it almost seemed like she was reaching out to her side, into empty air.

”Sie ist verrückt?

A momentary panic overtook the stallion as he realized that he lay helpless on the floor of a remote building at the mercy of a possibly insane mare.Those fears didn’t last long, as she lifted a hoof as if to say ‘hold on a moment’.

”Ich werde hier bleiben...” he muttered, half joking. Rivet returned quickly, with some strange device accompanying her. Again Martel opened his mouth to speak, but the typewriter sprung to life, and he silenced himself.

When she finished, the mercenary sighed happily, offering the best smile he could muster under the circumstances.

”I am Martel Von Starkhuf.... I am dry, I am alive, I need nothing else. Danke.” He tried his best not to complain, already feeling weak enough sans brace without complaining about being on the floor. Sure he was a bit cold, and still fairly wet... But this mare had already been kind enough, and he didn’t feel like asking for anything more than a fixed brace.

”I am needing brace fixed, Ja. If you are wanting to make it better, I have many bits. Enough to pay for anything you can think of. I only ask that you have it done within 3 days.”

[Pony_Sage]

‘Martel Von Starkhuf, that’s a Germane name! GERMANE! That’s the accent.’ Rivet exclaimed to herself, as a look of recognition came across her face. She looked over the stallion again, he was in peak physical condition despite his rather ragged appearance. Well developed and defined muscles under a well kept royal purple pelt shone through the remnants of mud and dirt, and a well defined jaw with a stern yet honest face topped off the package. Rivet felt the ever so familiar heat on the bridge of her snout return. ‘Buck it Rivet, don’t blush! Stop thinking about how the wet stallion on your floor looks like Trots Boulder from the S-Files novels.’ Rivet’s ears went out to the side and the bridge of her nose became hotter. ‘BUCK IT!’ She quietly raged in her head, before thinking of optimizing steam pressure on a unit that was superheated. As the blush subsided, she smiled apologetically again whilst typing.

“I have a couch, by the fireplace. Come, sit, get warm. Welcome to stay as long as needed. Once comfy, then talk fixing / bits.”The slight mare made an earnest face as she reached out with her magic to help stabilize and compensate for his rear leg. He may have been a solid stallion but next to some pieces of machinery he wasn’t that cumbersome to lift and move. The trip through the first story of her house was short but convoluted. They wove their way through shelving units piled high with pieces of equipment ranging from simple spanners to items that only Rivet knew what did. There were piles of parts, junk, good junk, general junk, dirty junk, broken parts, dirty parts, gears, valves, and many more things. While the scene looked like chaos, Rivet had her own system and knew exactly where every piece and part was. Pipes ran across the ceiling and down the walls, there were dials and valves throughout the maze of pipes. For anypony who didn’t have formal training in steam engineering, the place would have looked like something out of a work of fiction, the perfect embodiment of an engineer’s paradise. After the convoluted and interesting trip, they arrived at an antique loveseat. It was no more than a hoof length off of the ground with high sides and a high back. The arms were rolled over with ornate scrollwork and along with the claw and ball feet, deep red upholstery with golden fleur-de-lis embroidery, it looked wholly out of place where it sat. While it may have been well used, looking as though Rivet had slept on it many a time, the well worn sofa offered a very comfortable place to sit for Martel.

By the time they had arrived, Rivet’s blush was all but vanished and she looked a little tired. Moving the stallion through the maze was a little tricky, as the corridors were not made with such a large pony in mind. ‘I should clean up a little, I mean, what happens if I ever have company such as Martel here! The place looks a mess!’ Rivet scolded herself as she helped Martel onto the couch. That being done she looked at him with a big smile and cocked her head to the right while she typed again.

“There, hope comfy, not too small for you. I’ll get blanket and pillows, be back in a jiff!”

After the slip of paper levitated in front of Martel for just long enough for the normal pony to read it, Rivet took off again. She hurried up stairs, as her hoofbeats could be heard through the high ceiling of the first story. She trotted about up stairs for a short while before returning to Martel with three pillows and two blankets in tow. She smiled and arranged them as best that she could for him, although the blankets would have been a little much seeing as the house was quite a bit warmer than outside and the fireplace threw off a good amount of heat by itself. The little mare trotted off again and returned again, this time with a small low table, and a teapot with some sooty looking cups in tow. She set up the table within Martel's reach, set down the teapot and the cups, blew the soot off as best she could, and poured a warm cup of sassafras tea for both of them.Rivet plopped her flank down on the rough hewn pine floorboards. She took a sip of the tea, and began to type something out again with a rather unique smile.

“First visitor in long time, sorry about your brace, will fix it, make it better for you. Are you okay though? Need anything? Hurt at all? Not used to taking care of ponies, only machines.”

[Bannhammer]

Martel sniffed, the cold and wetness combining to give him a rather queasy feeling. He watched with baited breath as the mare looked him over, with a few blinks he noticed her blush. The mercenary smiled warmly, doing his best to try and present a non-threatening image and keep things calm.

The last thing he wanted was the only pony capable of helping him find a reason not to.

Another note floated in front of the purple pony, and he read it quickly. Apparently she found it within herself to be even kinder to him. Nodding gratefully, he accepted her offer. He struggled to his hooves, swatting at the magic that helped him. Such things embarrassed him.

”Please, no magic...” he grunted.

On the way, he marveled at the sheer amount of machinery surrounding him. How a pony could live in such a small space astounded him. Pipes everywhere, piles of junk scattered about, it all seemed unreal.

He simply tried his best to trot on three hooves, leaning so as to try and keep his balance. Martel moved slowly, almost at a snail’s pace, but he eventually made it, collapsing upon the offered couch. It was barely big enough to fit him, the end of his good hind leg dangling slightly over the edge.

He had no complaints though, especially not when she was being so kind. The stallion nodded at her note, grateful for her generosity in this respect. Already he felt warmer, more invigorated. Martel wanted to say something, some sort of thanks, but he had barely any time to think before pillows, blankets, and even tea appeared before him!

”Danke, Frau Rivet, you are a very kind soul.”

Martel sipped the hot tea, and let out a contented sigh, his large frame sagging as he relaxed. He read her note, chuckling softly to himself before taking another sip.

”Oh? I was thinking this was bed and breakfast, not workshop!” he joked, letting out a deep, warm bellow from deep within his gut.

He was in a hurry to have his brace fixed, but he felt himself fascinated with this mare, and didn’t wish to be rude to her. No, he would take his time, and they would do business at her pace.

”If you wish to ask me questions, I believe I am owing you answers.”

[Pony_Sage]

Rivet smiled at the content looking stallion as he relaxed on her sofa. She even saw his musculature seem to relax as he sunk into the high back and arms of the couch whilst sipping his tea. The grimy mare inhaled a deep waft of the sassafras steam and held it in her chest for a bit before letting it curl out through her nose. She liked the tingling feeling of the warm moist air depositing small droplets of water all throughout her nose.. She finally took a sip of the very hot water and enjoyed the flavour even more so than the vapor.

The purple stallion let out a resounding laugh from within, after he had made a joke about how hospitable Rivet was being. For some reason, the joke just struck the mare as hilarious and she couldn’t help herself. She began to laugh. Although being mute, no noise was ever uttered, which must have made the whole ordeal look rather awkward for the stallion and most likely sounded like she was wheezing and choking on something. The stallion’s laugh filled and reverberated through her abode; it was contagious. She couldn’t help herself, she was having a giggle fit. This rarely happened to the mare, usually only when something especially funny in an engeneering manual caught her attention.

‘Those things are packed with hilarity, if you know where to look.’ managed to think while she was giggling up a storm.

Then it happened, the most embarrassing moment of any laugh, the snort. Rivet snorted as she laughed, causing her to laugh and giggle more at how awkward she must have looked and what the stallion was thinking.

Finally she managed to calm herself down without too many relapses into giggle fits. The stallion then asked her if she had any questions.

‘Questions? Why would I have questions? I mean, I assume he just got my name from someone … well yea, who did he get my name from, and why the trek here? He looks so worn out and beat up. Other than that, I thought that I was just going to fix his brace.’ Rivet pondered the question about questions for a moment before a slender tendril of aetheric energy began to type on her typewriter. A small slip levitated in front of Martel.

“Well, just one. Maybe two. Where get my name? & From Germaney, why come all way here?” The slip read, as the mare put on her best inquisitive face.

‘I mean, I know ponies from around here pop in every once in a blue moon with something broken and aske me to fix it. But I didn’t think that my name had gotten as far as Germeney. I wonder who gave it to him, and how it got all the way out there!’ Rivet’s mind raced as she tried to figure out why the stallion had come from so far away to get a simple lighthouse mechanic to fix his leg brace.

Rivet sipped her tea and looked over her glasses at the stallion awaiting his reply. ‘It’s nice to talk to people every once in awhile.’ The normally marginally shy mare thought to herself.

‘I guess it depends on the pony. OH, and crowds. Those are what get me. One on one, I can deal with but all those bodies pressed up against mine … BLECH.’ Her mind wandered to other problems.

[Bannhammer]

The sofa sagged under his weight, but it did of good job of holding him up. Thankfully, Martel seemed just below the recommended weight limit. His laughing didn’t help, the bellow causing him to shake and roll his large frame. But he couldn’t help it, the mare’s laughs and snorts simply adding fuel to the giggling fire.

It had been a good long time since he had laughed honestly and earnestly. Too many times he had to offer a wry chuckle, or toss out a half hearted guffaw. Rarely in his line of work was there time to have a nice, simple, laugh.

Eventually, the pair of them simmered down. Martel returned his attention to the steaming tea, and he took another sip. He watched with curious eyes as she pondered his question. Once the paper floated into view, he nodded slowly. Very good questions...

”Ever since I built this brace, ponies have been telling me to get it replaced. Something professionally made, they said. I did not want to spend bits on something I could be making myself, of course, so i refused. Now... I do not have a choice.”

He took another sip, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the tea.

”I heard many names, the best and brightest engineers and tinkerers in Equestria, Stalliongrad, and Germaney. I got your name from a pony here, she recommended the mare ‘who is locking herself in lighthouse’.”

The large stallion laughed loudly, placing the tea cup down on the nearest surface. ”So I am here! In lighthouse with tiny genius! I am sure nopony even knows what part of the world I am in!.”

Martel grinned, shaking his head slowly. While he had his doubts and suspicions, meeting Rivet in person dispelled any images of a shut in tinkerer.

”I could have gone to any of the others, but you fit my criteria. Neither of us have heard of eachother. We have no history, no past, and there is no chance that either of us have earned the other’s ire. A tinkerer or blacksmith who is famous has been visited by a Von Starkhuf at one point or another. You don’t know who I am, and I am not knowing you. That is how I prefer things. Last time I went to a big name pony for something, they were quick to sell my location to a high bidder because they knew a Von Starkhuf fetched a high price....”

Again he sipped, though the smile faded for a moment. He used his tail to pull his large hammer towards himself protectively.

”There are ponies who are not liking me so much. If they knew that I was in no position to fight back, and they knew where I was...”

Martel softened his smile, offering a warm grin to the tiny mare. He had to be fair about all this. If his words had frightened the mare in any way, or had led her to feel unsafe, he had a responsibility to take notice.

” I have been taking great care to get here in secret. I used the storm to hide me, among other things. I would never want to lead trouble to your door, Frau Rivet. You may turn me out, if you think I was not thorough enough. If you think there is even the slightest threat to yourself, I will leave.”

[Pony_Sage]

Rivet shook her head with a slight smile after the laughing fit. She understood the feeling of not wanting to buy something that you could make. Rivet always tried her hardest to be self sufficient and build anything that she needed rather than spending bits to buy it. 'A list of the best and brightest engineers and tinkerers in Equestria and he picked me a Genius? How in Celestia's name did I get on a list like that?' Rivet thought to herself as a puzzled look came across her muzzle. The little mare never thought much of herself or her inventions. She knew that she was competent but she just never thought that she would be on a list of the best and the brightest. Being that she was so young in comparison to other tinkerers and engineers she always felt that there was somepony better than her somewhere out there.

Rivet listened to the stallion recount how that his family had been, 'sold out' before by other more well known tinkerers and blacksmiths. 'Apparently his family is well known, or infamous even. I hope that other unscrupulous ponies don't start showing up, or I get a bad reputation for working with this stallion. Although that might be interesting. Me, a Badflank, now that’s funny' She thought as her mind began to wander on the idea of her being an outlaw vigilante that solves the world’s problems with a swift kick in the flank and her gadgets.

As Martel was lost in thought he absent mindedly pulled his massive hammer closer to himself. Rivet cowered slightly, her ears going out to the sides. Despite this when the stallion spoke of the precautions that he had taken she felt slightly relieved, although still a little apprehensive.

'Well, if he says that he went through all these precautions just to insure my safety, I'm sure that I will not be bothered by other bad ponies. And when he is missing a rear leg, I’m fairly sure that I can out maneuver him if he tries any funny business. I would never turn a pony in need out! Boy, the ponies where he comes from must be rather cold to turn another out in such a condition.’ Her typewriter sprang to life and shortly afterward a small slip of paper floated in front of Martel.

“Don't worry, won't turn out. You seem nice, I trust you. I can make brace for you, much better. Tell me what you want. Strong and slow, light and fast, in between? Springy, solid, armoured, clockwork? I can make more than one for you. It all depends on what needed. Pleasure to help ponies in need.” Rivet put on an earnest smile. She really did like helping other ponies, especially if they were in need. It was just that no one really ever visited her. She might not have liked crowds and she may have taken a while to warm up to other ponies but she did enjoy the company. It got a little lonely at times all alone in that big lighthouse.

She held up a hoof in a ‘One moment please,’ manner and trotted quickly off to the other side of the room. Rustling could be heard before she returned with a sketch pad and a set of mechanical pencils. She awaited Martel’s description of how he wanted his brace to turn out.

[Bannhammer]

Martel took a deep breath, inhaling the vapor of his tea. The scent and warmth made him feel a bit better, and along with the blankets and couch he felt as comfy as he ever had before. This mare had gone out of her way to make him comfortable, and her willingness to help him would not go unrewarded.

He already knew what he wanted from her in terms of craftsmareship, and he had no doubts that she was capable. The only concern he had would be whether or not he could have it all done soon enough for him to move on within the next few days.

She seemed to be pondering his words, and he took the moment of silence to look her over. Rivet was certainly cute, and her mannerisms made it that much more obvious. The mare seemed capable, and as she typed out her note, he took another sip. Again she made it clear that she would help him, and he nodded in relief. Thank the gods he found a pony willing to assist him on such short notice, there was no way he could’ve afforded to wait any longer.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she quickly held up her hoof. Martel smiled at her and took the moment to again sip his tea. When she returned, he was finally able to make his suggestions and requirements made known. She was a technical mare, and hopefully she would understand his words. While he had built his braces, he had no formal engineering knowledge, and his ideas might be a tiny bit difficult to translate.

“Danke, Frau. I am needed something strong, /very/ strong. My old brace, as you’ve seen, was crude. A hunk of steel, some springs, and something soft to prevent chafing and blisters where it attaches to my leg. The brace needs to be heavy enough to balance me out when i am using my hammer. I would like, if you are able, to have a lighter one as well. Perhaps with some sort of lighter metal, for use indoors or when I’m not fighting. I hate to dent floors and scratch tiles when I am not on the job.”

[Pony_Sage]

As the stallion spoke Rivet’s imagination began to swirl and whirl. He wanted something strong to balance his weight and provide for combat, and also he wanted a lighter more everyday brace. A very vibrant gleam could be seen in the mare’s eyes and an inquisitive look upon her face. She began to sketch, sketch anything and everything that came to her mind, no matter how implausible. This is how Rivet’s mind worked, she let her creativity flow out onto the page, no matter how obscure and unlikely the designs were. What this helped her do was to visualize different mechanisms and ways of connecting pieces from different designs. Unless somepony was exceedingly brilliant, they almost never came up with the correct design on the first go.

The mare had learned this lesson the hard way. Her mind began to wander as her pen kept scribbling out designs upon the paper, her look now vacant. She remembered back to the last chance visitors that she had in her home. How everything was going fine until suddenly her outbuilding that she used as an entrance to the boiler room exploded and ripped part of the lighthouse proper up. At the time she did not know why the explosion had happened, but through further investigation during the very long rebuilding process, she found that a spoon had jammed her brine intake mechanism. This would not have been a major problem if it was not for the fact that she had modified the safety check valves so that she could run her Mk. 1 Halo Engine off of the main boiler system. This being done, the MK. 1 had ripped itself apart when the pressure exceeded the safety margin and wreaked havoc in her basement. That was a serious design flaw, she didn’t want her engines to fly apart when they were pressed hard, that would have been very bad for business.

She found herself looking directly into Martel’s eyes with a dull expression on her face when her mind came back to her current reality. Her pen was now scratching would be designs on her floorboards. Rivet blushed behind her tiny square glasses and darted her vision down to her sketchpad with an embarrassed look.

‘You shouldn’t let your mind wander like that, especially when there is company.’ She mentally scolded herself with a look of self disappointment.

She looked over her sketches so far. Three pages had been filled up with designs from the simple to the extraordinary, one was even a mechanized steam driven metal frame that Martel would sit in and be armoured on all sides from attack, while four hammers similar to the one that he owned would flail about to ward off any would be attackers. Sometimes Rivet had an overactive imagination.

With a smile she levitated the sketchpad over to Martel, in hopes that he would like some of her designs and maybe find some of them humorous. The little mare walked over next to the arm of the couch where the stallion’s head was, reading over his shoulder as it were, and pointed out some of the designs and how they would attach to him. She liked two in particular. One was a very simple design, a J shaped flat piece of a new alloy that Coal Brightfire had given her a sample of with a comfortable sucket for his missing leg, and a rubberized grip. The prosthesis attached posterior to the socket, and would be very flexible and springy, yet rigid enough for him to use it every day and have it support his weight. There was a down side however, it was not articulated. Meaning that he would have to learn a new walking motion for his new prosthesis. As she pointed to it she typed out,

“Simple design, light, fast, agile, strong. Everyday use. Rubberized sole stops slipping, weighted similarly to your missing leg. Balances your out. Bad part, no articulation, need to learn new walking motion. Like peg leg. Good part: Have new alloy in house, sample from Coal Brightfire, gift for being good customer. Can bend into shape, machine socket, assemble, in maybe 12 hours?” The note read out.

‘Oh I hope that is quick enough for him. I don’t think I could make one that’s still of good quality any faster than that. Plus the combat model will take much longer to assemble.’ The mare thought to herself.

Rivet then quickly moved on to her next idea, glossing over some of the more outlandish ones. She settled on a design that was rugged yet reliable, and exceedingly strong to boot. Without a trained eye, the design might have looked like a pile of gobbledygook, but to rivet it made perfect sense. This prosthesis was designed for one purpose, to be almost indestructible. There was an outer shell, made to look similar to a pony’s leg, made of high carbon steel that covered all the internal workings. There were two points of lateral articulation, and a single point of rotational articulation. Of course there were also embellishments of Rivet’s own imagination in the design. She pointed to it and leaned a little closer to the stallions shoulders as she typed up her next message.

“Combat model, high carbon steel outer layer. Two lateral articulation points, femur and tibia, and tibia and cannon bone. Rotational articulation around middle and distal phalanx joint. Locking articulation mechanism, works almost identically to real leg. Internal mechanism, clockwork, springs, assist with motion and walking. Leg very heavy, heavier than other legs. Shoe textured with knurling for grip on all surfaces. High impact, full range of motion, different speeds. Not good for full out sprint, use other one for that. Special part. When articulation locks, hoof stomp activates stabilizer spikes. Two inch long steel points, drive into ground to lock hoof in place. Can then rotate around in full circles on rear hoof. Good for hammer, protecting flank.” The note was long but hopefully Martel could understand all that she was saying. She pointed to each structure in turn and drew small articulation diagrams for him as well.

“Bad news, lots of parts needed, measurements needed, complicated crafting, long assembly and tuning time. Take 2 weeks total? Probably. Need to order core skeletal alloy from Coal, crafting and shipping takes time. Sorry, best I can do. Hope you like.” The second note read as Rivet turned to the now close at hoof Martel with an apologetic smile and her ears out to the side as though she had done something wrong.

‘Oh I hope he likes the designs. I hope they fit his needs!’ She anxiously thought as she awaited his replies.

[Bannhammer]

Martel blinked, tail slinking towards his hammer. The mare seemed to have spaced out, rather badly in fact. While most ponies saw fit to write on paper, it would appear that Rivet had transcended the need for pulp based writing materials and was scratching things into the floor.

Odd, to say the least. Probably a little unsettling too.

She seemed to come around, offering an apologetic look to Martel, who simply smiled and nodded his head. He didn’t want her to feel bad about being passionate. The mercenary had a tendency to get lost in thought sometimes, though it never involved engineering. He did admire the small mare for her determination, even if she may get a little... odd, while in the process of creating.

Eventually she passed him some of her sketches, and he looked them over with an appreciative gaze. Some of them bordered on ludicrous, like the giant, hammer swinging machine. Despite it’s outlandishness, and overall lack of use, he admired the approach. Part of him was glad to have come to her, such originality could lead to truly great things for the pair of them.

Martel felt a presence over his shoulder, and he flinched slightly, again drawing his hammer towards himself. A mere moment later he calmed himself, blushing madly. “S-sorry, Frau... I am not used to ponies being so... close.”

Once he had calmed down, he started to look more closely at the designs she pointed out. The one shaped like a J seemed interesting, though he wondered how it would stand up to any vigorous activities. Her words immediately answered his question, and Martel nodded in understanding.

He liked the idea, especially with the light weight and rubberized bottom. It would certainly make it easier for him to travel around, and even with the change in gait, he would stand out less. Most ponies didn’t like his metal hoof smashing their tiles or scraping their wooden floors.

”Wunderbar! If that can be done in 12 hours, then let it be so... I do not mind learning to walk again, I have already done it twice!” he joked, tone of voice faltering slightly, as if he didn’t know why he was joking about such a thing.

His eyes widened considerably upon seeing the next design. A pile of metal... with what? He couldn’t tell. Martel had built his first brace, but he didn’t know nearly enough about metalworking to know what was going on. Again she approached he shoulder, and Martel could barely contain another flinch.

Quickly, his focus shifted from her movements to her typed words. He scanned her sentences, seemingly growing more and more enthralled with every line. What she proposed seemed so... amazing! Surely this was another fanciful design, this could /never/ be built!

”Frau... Mein Gott..2 weeks for /that/?” Unfortunately, his incredulous tone came across as disappointed. That misunderstanding would eventually be cleared up with his next sentence, following a few tense moments later. ”It would be a miracle! You can actually be building all of that? I... I...”

Again he lost his words, eyes wide as he looked around the room with his mouth open. Eventually he faced her, with a very serious look on his eye. Whatever he was going to say next would obviously be of vital importanace.

”Can it be painted Purple?”

[Pony_Sage]

Rivet winced when Martel flinched as she approached his shoulder, but she gave a reassuring smile when he explained his actions. ‘Poor stallion. I wonder why no one wants to be his friend. He seems nice enough to me!’ She thought as she went over the schematics one last time in her head. Martel seemed surprised to say the least when she told him the timeframe on the two braces. ‘Well I aim to please! I’m just glad that the timeframe is acceptable to him. I was worried that it would be too slow.’ Rivet mused to herself as she smiled at Martel. His next question made her chuckle.

”Can it be painted Purple?”

“Of course, I’ll let you pick shade of purple on one condition. Golden filigree around edges. Look smashing while smashing!!” The typewriter chimed in as Rivet first smiled and then chuckled at her own horrible pun.

‘He is going to need somewhere to stay for the duration of the work, Rivet. Be a good host and offer him your bed to sleep in for as long as she needs. He is paying you for this job, it’s the least you can do.’ Rivet mentally scolded herself remembering her etiquette.

“You stay here for duration of work? Might help, need measurements and weights. Sleep in my bed, very comfy I assure you. Will hold your weight, very strong.” the typewriter offered as Rivet put on her most sincere smile. What the mare needed to learn was phrasing of sentences, hopefully Martel would understand what she meant without much trouble.

[Bannhammer]

Martel smiled weakly as Rivet went over the schematics again. He had no problem with the time frame, considering the sheer awesomeness of what would be the end product. The stallion’s smile warmed up as she addressed his question.

“Ja, gold sounds very good, Frau Rivet. I think it would be looking nice, do not want to lack style when I am doing job!”

He then paused as she offered him a place to stay while she worked.

“Oh, well, uh... sure? I would be happy to be staying here while you work. I can be helping you run light house? Otherwise I would not wish to be a big burden on you, Frau.”

[Pony_Sage]

Rivet smiled as she made up her bed for the stallion. With a courteous smile and a shake of her head the typewriter sprung to life, tapping out a message for Martel.

“No, no burden. Stay up all hours, tinker, make sure light stays on, stoke fires. Rarely sleep for more than 2 hours at a clip. Take rest, had long trip. I will start work on brace. Keeps me busy! Breakfast around 08:00, be hungry!” The note floated idly for Martel.

Rivet, although rather shy and not all that much for crowds, honestly enjoyed the company. It made her feel as though she was doing her job, even more so than usual. Most of the time, when she thought about her circumstances, she felt as though she was a very privileged mare. She had a cushy job in a nice location and could pursue her passions to their fullest extent. Sometimes she felt as though her public service job was less public service and more self service. Of course the lighthouse played a very important role in keeping the sea ponies safe, she knew that, but feelings can be capricious things. Having this stallion in her home, asking for her help, and taking refuge there for the time being made her feel that it was all worth it in the end.

As rivet finished making her bed, and folding the clothes that she sometimes left in a heap upon the bed, she remembered that she needed to tell Martel how to contact her if he needed help. ‘Rivet, I swear, sometimes I wonder if you’re a savant. You forget the silliest things but can remember the most complicated things.’ With a smile and a hoof held up in a one moment posture she began to type again.

“If you need help, want to talk, have a question, just talk into this horn. It is linked to tubes that transfer noise from all over the property. Lets me listen to the machines while I sleep, incase something happens. Like they blow up again. Works both ways though, just call, and I’ll come up and help.” Rivet pointed to the horn beside the bed, and silently giggled when she surmised that he would be reading the part about the machines exploding. ‘Hopefully the noise won’t keep him up all night, I’m used to it but to someone who hasn’t spent their entire life listening to machines, it might be cacophonous!’ The mare thought as she typed out a final message.

“Any questions? Need anything?” She offered the stallion a smile.

[Bannhammer]

Martel smiled awkwardly, still uncomfortable with being doted on. He opened his mouth to try and argue the point again, but quickly relented. Despite his own feelings, it would be rude to refuse such a kind offer from the mare.

As he read her note, he sighed in defeat. The offer was just too good, and how could he even think of refusing Rivet? Whether or not she knew it, this mare had a gift when it came to make cute faces.

He watched quietly as she made the sheets and folded some clothes up, taking an inquisitive glance at the system of pipes and tubes on the walls and ceiling. Eventually she seemed to remember his presence and typed up a note to fill him in on some more details.

Martel gulped audibly upon reading about the potential for explosions, and she seemed to catch on, giggling slightly. Another blush formed on his cheeks, and the stallion cleared his throat.

“No questions, Nein. But... do not be afraid to wake me if you are needing any help. I might not know machines, but I know heavy lifting.”

[Pony_Sage]

Rivet smiled and shook her head gently. ‘Such a nice pony.’ She thought to herself. She lifted a hoof as she turned to leave, waving it in a manner that suggested goodbye and sleep tight. The little mare had a lot of work to do this evening, she would not only have to take care of the lighthouse, but she would actually have to work on something that wasn’t a pet project. She had butterflies in her stomach, as she always did when undertaking a new project. Her mind was racing with thoughts and ideas of how to finish the items in a more timely manner. If she pushed herself, she could most likely finish the first, more simple, brace before Martel would awake the next morning. This is the goal that she set for herself, she wanted to surprise him in the morning with a brand new shiny brace.

After Rivet left the bedroom she giddily pranced about in a small circle before slipping off her typewriter and taking off to her workbench. Sure it would be a long sleepless night, but the look on Martel’s face would be entirely worth the sleep deprivation. Rivet set about her work, she began gathering the supplies that she would require, along with some that she might not need, often referring back to the schematics that she had drawn up earlier. Hopefully the sound of the engines churning, the water boiling, and the general cacophony of steam workings coupled with her tinkering wouldn't keep Martel up for too long; he had seemed very tired from his arduous trip.