At Iccy's Garage: The Morning after

"Clouds... What happens when a non pegasi goes through a cloud? Or a thundercloud, even?"

So many factors, so many factors for Intel to consider. This was very enjoyable.

"What happens when a machine passes through one?"

"A-About w-what you'd e-expect, u-unless i-it's e-enchanted." Icarus then whistled as he brought a hoof down, and made a SPLAT Noise.

Intel looked at Icarus over the rim of his glasses.

"Enchanted clouds? Seriously?"

At least normal clouds behaved...normally. So the AME wouldn't react unexpectedly to them at least. Of course, it would react to just about everything else under the sun (including the sun); that was how it worked. But even he shuddered to think what might happen if somepony actually applied magic to the thing. It would be certain- no, it would be uncertain death.

"N-No, n-not t-the clouds... T-The things o-on t-the clouds. T-The m-machine, o-or p-pony." He said, smiling.

Intel sighed in relief. "Thank Celestia, enchanted clouds would have been almost too much to bear."

He looked over the other designs. Some were even more impractical, others were simple gliders. Well, really well designed gliders.

Intel smirked. "Who's the unlucky pony that actually tests these things?"

Icarus Coughed, looking embarrassed. "W-Well... I-I do."

"...oh."

Intel looked back at the designs, and wondered, "How many times have you injured yourself doing this?"

At least with Intel's devices like the dampener, testing can be done at a very safe distance, and antireactants are very helpful in suppressing an out of control enchantment. But to actually put oneself inside a device and launching yourself off a great height to test its flying capability...

It was at this moment that Intel realized that Icarus was much, much, braver than he looked.

Icarus smiled weakly. "I-I've b-broken l-legs c-constantly... M-Most of t-the d-doctors a-at M-Manehattan G-General k-know m-my name b-by heart by n-now..." He said, Giving a chuckle.

Intel smiled a genuine smile. He liked this Icarus. Self-sacrifice for the betterment of ponykind. What's more he liked Ponyville. Yes, this is where he was going to live. And if he was going to live here...

"Do you mind...Can I work for you Mr Icarus? You see, much like your dreams of flight, the Ambient Magic Engine is my dream. You wish to give flight to everypony, I wish to give magic. You and I are very similar, and our ambitions moreso. However, both of us have our shortcomings in achieving our goals. But if we work together, I believe we can overcome our obstacles, and advance ponykind.

So, do you mind if I work for you?"

Icarus was plain shocked. Barely even a day in the 'Shop, and He already had someone ask to join him there.

"I-I... I-I'd b-be Honored! A-As P-Partners, T-Though, I-I'll h-have none o-of that 'W-Work for' b-business... W-What do you s-say? P-Partners?" He finally said after a pause, extending a hoof for a hoof-shake.

Intel raised his eyebrows. Wow, okay. That was even better.

Reciprocating the handshake, his response was just as firm. "Partners, then. Thank you, Icarus."

Right. Enough pleasantries. Time to work.

"Okay, then!" Intel exclaimed, "What's first?"

Icarus nodded, going to a small stack of papers. "N-Not a w-whole lot, s-since w-we started... W-We've g-got a b-buggy t-to fix... C-Couple t-tune-ups..."

Well, they can't all be amazing feats of science.

Intel looked at Icarus inquisitively. "What happened to the buggy?"

Icarus pulled up a piece of paper and read off it. "M-Main H-Harness snapped off, A-And t-the breaks g-gave out... W-Went o-out of c-control a-around t-that hill i-in t-town..." Icarus nodded, sighing softly. "W-Wouldn't t-take t-too much t-to put a f-fence o-or s-something..."

"Yeah, you can't rely on some wonderpony rescuing everyone in the nick of time," Intel commented dryly.

Remember, it's a simple repair job. No "modifications" or "improvements".

Not even the brakes?

...No.

Intel looked around. "So, what do we need?"

Do you even know how to fix vehicles?

Well, no, but who are you, anyway?

Common sense.

Well, shut up, and let me do the thinking. Fixing a vehicle is going to be simple once I see it and figure out it works. It's just a matter of simple mechanics, after all.

"...and are we going to build that fence? Somepony's got to do it, why not us?"

Icarus nodded and levitated some parts onto the table. [color=grey]"T-The o-originals a-are Shot, s-so We're g-gonna have to r-replace them... G-Got t-the Materials h-here, t-two sets of b-breaks, a-and a n-new h-harness.

"Right so where is this infamous buggy?" Intel asked. He looked at the parts. Yep, nothing too complex there. The buggy wasn't going to do anything special. Screwing about would only make the thing inefficient. Maybe after this small job, he could start looking for an actual house.

Icarus nodded, looking back at the Piece of paper. "C-Currently, It's H-Held over n-near t-town h-hall..." He said, heading out the door. "S-So glad it's j-just a-across t-the way..."

"Right," Intel replied following suit.

Something was bothering him though, and he didn't want to ask outright. It would be rude to the one who had just given you a job. He just wondered if his new 'partner' was always this jittery of speech. Maybe it had something to do with how he was this morning (he looked fine now), or maybe it was just a permanent stutter. Maybe he was just nervous, but nopony was that continually frightened, right?

Ah, that could wait. It was time for work.

But not without some conversation. "So, Icarus, have you been in Ponyville long?"

Icarus started pulling on the broken-buggy, leading it to the Shop. "J-Just g-got back l-last n-night..."

Ugh. Physical exertion.

Despite the thought, Intel helped pull the buggy. "-got back? As in, you originally lived here, and went away? Where did you go?"

Iccy gave a grunt, smiling weakly. "S-Sorry, Meant I j-just moved here y-yesterday..." Beyond that, the buggy rolled easily into the Garage.

"How many ponies moved here yesterday?" Intel exclaimed, more to himself.

No, seriously.

"Well, what a coincidence. I came here from Canterlot yesterday because of..." Intel paused. "Well, let's just say there was a conflict of interests. As of today, I've been looking for a job and a place of residence. Thanks to you, half of what I need to do is done."

There was a moment of silence as the buggy rolled into the garage. "So, where did you come from?"

Icarus smiled, grabbing a tool. "M-Manehattan, b-but I used t-to live in C-Canterlot... W-Worked u-under a m-mechanic t-there, t-too." He said, smiling.

Intel picked up a tool of his own and started removing the broken harness. "Really? Who was he if I may ask?"