Of Hooves and History

Climbing and Sailing

The warm glow of the afternoon beamed across the ocean as I opened my toolkit to begin disassembling the bike. It was basic wrench-work, but Sunny was fascinated.

"Why are there so many different screw styles?"

"How does the metal clamp not bend enough to break?"

"Love the intricacy of these gears!"

I had to hold my smile; she was just so cute being all inquisitive about machinery. "Different screw styles – 'heads' is what they're called – for different purposes. I'll just be taking off the handlebars and seat so this fits through the portal. If not, I'll simply have to remove the front wheel."

Sunny kept all the bolts and pieces in a neat pile while I hopped onto the sub's hull, pulled out my key, and unlocked the hatch. With a hard push of the external seal lever, it sprung open. I lifted the lid and slid the bike through the portal, only for the top of the fork to clip the edge.

"Bugger. Maybe if I adjust the suspension..."

I rested the bike on the hull, told Sunny to watch over it, and quickly descended down the ladder into the sub. In a cabinet, I pulled out a shock pump and carefully climbed back up as the sub rocked about ever so slightly in the waves.

Carrying bike and pump back to shore, I stood over the bike and applied adequate pressure, then re-calibrated the fork sag to the lowest possible setting. I lifted the hatch, raised the bike, and eased it into the portal. With a bit of wiggling, it slid through to the bottom.

"Awesome!" Sunny clapped.

I put the tools and parts back into their bag, then lowered my backpack, the skateboard, then the suitcase, down into the sub.

"Wait here," I told Sunny as she excitedly hopped up onto the rocks. "I need to check on things."In the sub, I put the bike, suitcase, and backpack in their storage areas, out of harm's way, before plopping down in the pilot's seat and throwing a few switches. The engine hummed and grumbled awake, startling Sunny. The instrument panel gradually it up, and the screens blinked on. But my candle of joy was blown out a second later as I took note of the power readings: 60% fuel. I really needed to preserve this for any critical emergency usage in the future.

Yet the battery reading showed a level of 100%.

"What the – that's impossible! It was barely half upon arrival!" I sputtered in shock, before shrugging. No complaints about more power.

"You can come down, Sunny!" I called up.

The hatch opened, and the eager orange pony stepped through. I guided her hooves to the ladder and she gradually descended down into the main chamber. The moment her hooves touched the floor, she curiously peered at literally everything in sight.

"Is this what it feels like to be a school chaperone, or a father?" was a question burning through the back of my skull as I gave her a brief tour of everything in the sub – the hammock, the storage compartments, and the control panel.