Tinker Farmer Fluttershyby CptDemosChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Notice of things to comeChapter 1It was a warm, sunny day in Ponyville and all the ponies were going about their daily business. In the town square you could see Rose selling her flowers; Lyra and Bon Bon arguing over something inconsequential; Derpy trying her hardest to fly through the side of a building; and Fluttershy meekly tip-toeing through the crowd. She was coming back from doing her bi-weekly errand trip to the market. Having gotten all that she needed, she was returning home. But suddenly her calm reverie was destroyed by a seemingly earth-shattering call of:“HI FLUTTERSHY!” Startled by the titanic greeting of the hyper-kinetic bubblegum pink pony that had just popped out of her saddlebags; Fluttershy dropped to the ground and covered her head with her hooves. Then, realizing who it had come from, she slowly rose from her crouching spot, returning the greeting. “Um, he-hello Pinkie. How are you today?” “I’m great! No, better than great, I’m grand! No, that word still doesn't fully capture the essence of how I feel. Then how about super-duper splendiferous?!!” “Wow, Pinkie, its good to hear that you're doing so well. Um, but why were you in my saddlebag?" “That's not something you need to worry about. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my day," the party pony said, before sinking back into her friend's bag. "Oh, um... Ok, then. Have a good day Pinkie.” From deep, in the bag, came the call of: “Okie-dokie-loki!” Shaking her head, she once again started the trek back to her cottage. And once again she was stopped by a strange sight. What appeared to be a dust cloud was quickly making its way toward the town. And it was being ridden by a familiar shape. "Oh no," she thought. Fluttershy had to warn the town. So, summoning all of her courage,she yelled out, with all her might, “DRAGON!” ~*~ He had gone by many names throughout his life, but he knew that his current name, was his favorite. And one other thing he knew was that, no matter where he went, whether it be Phillydelphia or Manehatten, there was always a commotion when he first rolled into a town. "Or my name isn't (currently) Cloque Worque T. Tinker," he mumbled to himself, chuckling at his little joke. As if on cue, from the small town that he was heading towards, a cry of "DRAGON!" rang out in the morning air. He sighed inwardly, because, while he understood, and even was expecting the ruckus, it still pained him to see it. "But," he thought, "down to business." As he collected his emotions and placed them in the background of his mind, the dragon readied himself for the onslaught of hostility that always accompanied his appearance. "I wonder how they will greet me," he mused aloud. " Will it be the normal exchange of forced niceties? Will it be an angry mob, ready to protect their lives and homes from the ferocious dragon? Or will it be an outright fear, one that was probably instilled in them by some idiot relative of mine." Almost hesitantly, he entered Ponyville. Expecting the worst, and hoping for the best. ~*~ When Fluttershy first screamed everypony just stood there, dumbfounded; then, as she expected, utter chaos reigned. Ponies ran in all directions, tripping over themselves, and others, in their panic. Several carts were overturned in the mad scramble to get to a place of safety. Screams of fear sounded from every corner, of the town, as the news spread. Mothers ushered their children indoors, husbands rushing to their family's sides. A few brave ponies stayed in the center of town, hoping to buy their friends and loved ones a little time, at least. Fluttershy was scared, as well. But she knew that, when it came down to it, the town relied on her and her friends to protect them from such dangers. So, trembling the entire time, she readied herself for the oncoming storm. ~*~ "Celestia give me patience," Cloque Worque thought as he entered the pure insanity that was Ponyville. "I almost would've preferred the mob." But in the middle of all of it, there was one pony who caught his eye: a bright yellow mare who had a pink mane obscuring a large part of her face. He had to do a double take to make sure that he was seeing her correctly, because he was sure that she made his heart skip a beat. "Maybe two," Cloque Worque said, to himself, " definitely no more than nine." "She's gorgeous!" he thought. "Absolutely stunning! I've never seen a mare like her in all of my travels." He stopped his motorized cart and stepped down, but as he got closer to the pony, he could tell that she was quite upset over something. "I wonder what that might- Oh. Duh." "Oh no," he thought, "I'm almost to where she is, and I have absolutely nothing to say. Wonderful. I should say something." "Good morning," he said brightly. The yellow pegasus replied to his greeting with an suspicious glare. Feeling the tension building, he grabbed the closest thought, in hopes to break the silence. "You're pretty!" he blurted out, a statement that she seemed taken aback by. "I-i'm sorry, what did you just say?" "STUPID-STUPID-STUPID-STUPID", he mentally cursed the fact that he was born with the ability to voice his thoughts. "Uh...um...I said, 'It's pretty loud.'" "Calm down, Idiot, you've done this a hundred times before," he thought. "Just because there is an, admittedly,very pretty pegasus in your way, don't let that trip you up. Just go with what you always say." "Oh," she said. "Yes, I suppose it is." "Please allow me to say, before anything else happens, that I assure you, Miss, that I intend to do no harm to you, your friends, or anyone else, in this pleasant, little town," he said, flashing her a winning smile. "I have only come to sell my wares. I'm interested in the ponies here only as potential customers." "Uh huh," she said, with a look that all but shouted "pull the other one." "You sound unconvinced." "No. Really. I believe you." Her voice all but oozed sarcasm. "Great. Off to a excellent start with the pony of your dreams," he thought to himself. ~*~ Fluttershy was not convinced. She could not exactly put her hoof on it, but she could tell that the dragon was not being entirely honest. However, since she couldn't tell what it was that he was being dishonest about, she decided to ask Applejack about it, later. "On that note," she thought, "where are they? I could really use their help." Realizing that, for now, she was on her own, she did her best to converse with the dragon. "What reason do I have to trust you?" she asked. "Well, for starters, look at me." And with that he held his arms out and turned himself around, slowly, giving her a chance to look at him. He wasn't big by dragon standards, that was for sure. He was a little shorter than Big Macintosh, and had forest green scales and a brown stomach. What she had first assumed to be a cape, turned out to be, in fact, his wings. And he had two small horns sticking out of the top of his head. All in all, he didn't seem that ferocious. "Ok," she said, "lets say that I'm a little convinced. Why else should I believe you aren't here to destroy the village?" "Well," he said, with a smile,"it's bad for business." ~*~ A/N Thanks to all you bronies and pegasisters that have read this. Please leave your feedback below. Hopefully I'll be able to make these chapters a little longer and a little more coherent in the future. Thanks again, CptDemos Chapter 2"Step right up mares and gentle-colts! Cloque Worque's Wagon of Wonderments is now open!" It had been a little over two hours since Cloque Worque had rolled into Ponyville and had to assuage the fears of the easily-frightened residents. This meant answering an amount of questions that would have put the Spanish Inquisition to shame. These questions ranged from being simple enough, like "who are you?" and "what do you want with us," to more interesting and hard-to-answer questions, like "why aren't you breathing fire and terrorizing us?" and one very odd question from a pink pony, "why aren't you orange?" Then there was the beautiful pale yellow pegasus. Things were not as simple with her. The entire time that Cloque Worque had been answering questions, she just hung back and glared suspiciously at the dragon. She had not listened to any of his words. She had made it obvious that she believed that his words were false and just made to put the ponies into a false sense of security. Cloque Worque sighed. "I'll just have to figure out what to do about her later," he mumbled to himself. ~*~ Fluttershy didn't believe the dragon, whatsoever. She was sure that he was just saying whatever he needed to, to lull everypony into a false sense of security. She just didn't know how to prove it. Now, more than ever, she wished that Applejack were here. She looked up to catch him staring at her. Once he noticed that she saw him, he quickly looked away. "He knows that I don't trust him," she thought, "He's probably thinking of ways to get rid of me. I should stay on my hooves." But then again, he didn't look that terrifying or ready to destroy everything around them. "I can't understand him," she mused to herself, "Like a threat, wrapped in a conundrum, encased in a scaly shell. Just because he looks like a miniature dragon, doesn't mean that he isn't dangerous. You can be both menacing and adora-" She shook her head, as her natural love for animals warred with her mistrust. "Where the hay did that come from?" she said. "Where did what come from?" asked a voice. Surprised, Fluttershy looked up to find that the dragon was standing almost uncomfortably close to her. Jumping back a few feet, she landed and asked him, "What do you think that you are doing?" With a look that would have made even the most novice poker player face-hoof, he answered,"Nothing." "Well then, would you mind taking a few steps back then?" Not wanting to anger her anymore, the dragon complied. "Now then, do you think that you could do what you came to do, and then move on?" "Sure," the dragon answered. ~*~ "Sure," he said. Sensing that the other ponies had stopped their panicking and had all quieted down to hear the discussion between him and the gorgeous yellow pegasus. Becoming unusually anxious about being the center of attention, he quickly ran back to his cart and pulled a lever on the side of it, causing loud clanking noises to come from the inside of the cart. "You might want to stand back," he said, turning to his audience, with a smile. And with that, the cart exploded into a mix of mechanical motion; bright, colorful arrays of lights; and a pleasant, yet haunting cacophony of music and noise. The cart seemed to expand from the inside, panels moving all around making room for other panels, which seemed to come from absolutely nowhere. Some arranged themselves into a makeshift stage, while others made a canopy to cover it. All the while, this festive organ music was being piped out of thin air it seemed. The inside, however, was the most interesting piece of the whole transformation. Pedestals rose out of the floor like mutant flowers. And on each of these pedestals was a different...thing. All weird angles and brass bits and gears. "WELCOME," the dragon shouted, "To Cloque Worque's Wagon of Wonderments!" "But, why is it called a wagon, if it's a cart?" asked a small orange pegasus. "And what is your name, little one?" the dragon asked, the poster dragon of niceties, his voice honeyed. "Scootaloo," she answered. "Well then, Scootaloo, it's called a wagon because shut up." Cloque Worque said sweetly. "Ugh," scoffed Scootaloo, making her two friends giggle. "Anyway," he said, "Step right up mares and gentlecolts! There is something here to entertain any one of you, and if there isn't, well, place an order and I will make it. You see, I am a Tinker. A dying breed who lives to bring smiles to the faces of all those around them. You, uh... Scootaloo, what do you like to do?" "I like to scooter," she answers simply. "Well then, may I see your scooter?" "Um, ok I guess," the filly said suspiciously. Taking the scooter, Cloque Worque says, "give me one moment." Turning around and walking into the back of his cart, the ponies can hear him rummaging through his things, muttering himself the whole time. "No. No. NO. No. No. Absolutely not. Hay's bales, where is that blasted accelarate-o-matic?! Oh. Here it is." Walking back onto the stage, he holds up the scooter and what appears to be a miniature barrel. Setting both down, he kneels and places two of his claws together. A few seconds later, the ponies see a bolt of lightning jump from one claw to the other. He then place the barrel onto the scooter, and touches the lightning to certain points of both. Then, pulling a bunch of wires out from a compartment, in the wagon, he starts connecting them to a button that he then places on the scooter's handle, and connecting the other end of the wiring to the small barrel. "Finished!!!" he cried, triumphantly. "Here kid, take it for a test run." Handing the scooter back to the filly, he stands back as he says, "Oh, you should probably wear a hel-" But it's too late, Scootaloo's hoof has already found its way to the button and goes blasting off, tearing around the town about half as fast as a certain technicolor pony on her best day. The gathered crowd gasps in amazement, and turns back to the dragon, who is laughing like a maniac, as his creation is being thoroughly enjoyed by the small pegasus. One pony steps up and asks, "Sir, what else can you make?" Looking at the pony, Cloque Worque just smiles and answers,"Anything." Chapter 3"All in all, it could have gone worse." Or, at least, that's what Cloque Worque told himself after waking up in the hospital. He had a splitting headache, it hurt whenever he inhaled, and you do not want to get him started on the absolute agony that enveloped his wings. He mentally cursed himself for letting his guard down in a strange new town. "What had happened anyway?" he thought. "Was there a mob? No, I've been beaten by mobs before, and this felt more like the time I got hit by that runaway train. That must be it," he thought. "There was a train station in town. Another train must have jumped the tracks and run into me. Why does that seem to always happen?" he wondered aloud. "Oh, you're finally awake I see." Cloque Worque looked up to see a relatively short pony, with a very frog-like face, walk into the room. He had a light gray coat and an even lighter gray mane. One that seemed to thin as it got closer to his head, leading up to a dome of shining skin. "What do you mean 'finally'?" Cloque Worque asked. "You were asleep for something close to two weeks," the frog-faced doctor pony said. "Oh alright the- WAIT. WHAT THE BUCK DO YOU MEAN TWO WEEKS?" Cloque Worque practically screamed. "Heh heh, yes. Some of us weren't entirely sure that you would wake up," the doctor said with an smile on his face. "Hey Doc, anypony ever tell you that your bedside manner needs improvement?" the injured dragon asked, sarcastically. The doctor just chuckled and said, "That doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that you heal up." "Alright, I can accept a that. But can you tell me why I'm here?" He chuckled again, something that was quickly starting to get on Cloque Worque's nerves, and said "Really? You don't remember? Well, how about we let your visitor tell you." Cloque Worque looked to the door, wondering who it would turn out to be, hoping deep down that it was that pretty yellow pegasus mare. Sadly, he couldn't have been more wrong. "Ah, hay's bales!" Cloque Worque shouted, all of the repressed memories returning to him in a rush, "GET HIM THE BUCK OUT OF HERE!" ~*~ *Two weeks and some change earlier* "Anything," Cloque Worque said. "Anything your heart could desire." "I am highly certain that you being able to create whatever we want is not entirely plausible," said a lavender unicorn. "I'd even say," she continued, "that it is scientifically improbable." "And while Ah'm not entirely sure what she jus' said, ah am certain that ah agree with her," said an orange earth pony. Cloque Worque only sighed. Having there be neigh-sayers where ever he went was practically a part of the job. And it wasn't exactly the first time that he had faced a mare of science. But just because he had experience with them, didn't mean that he had to necessarily enjoy running into them. In the end, he decided that since he had already created such a ruckus in town, starting an argument with what appears to the town brainiac wouldn't be the best idea he could have. "And I don't really want to piss off that pegasus anymore than I already have," he thought. "Miss, you seem like a rational young mare, and so I assure you that there is nothing here that cannot be scientifically explained, given time and an open mind. But before we get to that, I wish to apologize for any undue stress that my appearance might have caused. I wish to make it known that my reasons for being here are completely benevolent." He punctuated this impromptu speech with a winning smile. One that was slightly detracted from by the fact that his mouth was full of razor sharp teeth. ~*~ Applejack nudged Twilight and whispered, "Twi, now ah don' think that he's fibbin', but all the same, ah get a weird feelin' about this guy." The two ponies look back to Cloque Worque to see that he is still holding his toothy grin, seeming lost in his own thoughts. "Ah'm not entirely sure what it is about him, but it sets mah mane on edge." "I know what you mean AJ," Twilight responded. "There is a weird tingling feeling all over my body. It's like he's putting an aura of magic out around him." "Actually it isn't magic," CW said, making the two mares jump halfway out of their skin from the sudden interruption. "It's lightning. I naturally generate a large amount of lightning." "That doesn't sound very natural," Twilight said. "Dragon powers," Cloque Worque replied cryptically, waggling his claws at them. "Ah've never heard of dragons bein' able ta make lightning. Heck, pegasi can' even do that." "Applejack is right. In all that I've studied about dragons, I have never come across any example of that," Twilight stated. "And anyway, 'dragon powers' isn't a very scientific answer." "Well, I could give you the scientific answer, but (1) you wouldn't believe me; and (2) it is a very long story. And I would prefer not to have to remember that particular part of my life." Both ponies seemed a bit taken back by this, but they recovered quickly. Twilight was the first to respond. "Be that as it may, there are plenty of other things that need explaining. Take your cart-" "Wagon." "But it's a cart." "Humor me?" "...." "What?" "Nothing. Anyway, as I was saying, your "wagon" moves on its own, plays music, and can apparently change its shape. How do you explain that?" Twilight asked. "Oh, that?" Cloque Worque said, nonplussed. "I have two unicorns chained up in the back." Twilight's eyes grew wide with fear. "Actually, I recently lost a unicorn, so there is an opening, if you are interested." Twilight started shaking and slowly backing away. Cloque Worque burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Sorry...I..I couldn't help it." he said, clutching at his stomach. "But y-you should have seen your face! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Twilight only glared at him, switching her glare to AJ when she tried to stifle a chuckle. After hearing a familiar laugh from somewhere behind her, she turned around to growl "Shut up, Pinkie." Slightly miffed that the dragon had been able to trick her like that, she turned back around, with a slight blush, and quickly asked, "well if that isn't the answer, then what is?" "OK, I might as well tell you. I owe you that much. So to make a very long explanation short, this cart-" He paused in annoyance. "SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO?! Ahem. Sorry for the outburst. Anywho, I built this wagon myself. As a tinker, I have an intimate knowledge of all things mechanical. Once I got all the pieces together, the assembly itself was quite easy. The hard part was powering the thing." At this, he gained an excited glint to his eye. "I betcha wanna know how I did it?" Twilight, quite interested now, just nodded her head. "Here. It'll be easier if I show you," with that, CW walked into the back of the wagon, and with a series of whirs, clicks, and the sound of gears turning, he walked back out, wearing gloves, and holding a dragon-egg sized metal container. The container had small rectangles of glass, through which, what looked like swirling lightning could be seen. The thing hummed audibly, and gave off a glow that could easily be seen, even in the light of day. "This is the generator that I created to power my cart. I based it off a design from my Mentor. I call it the Tempest's Eye. What it does is absorbs any energy source that I select, captures it, and through a process that I like to call 'momentium duplification,' it can easily double, triple, or even quadruple said power source." "Hmm. That is quite interesting. Oh. What he means AJ, is that-" "Ah could understand him jus' fine. Hmph. You could learn a thing or two from him Twi," Applejack said grumpily. The two mares glared at each other for a second, but the tension evaporated just as quickly as it had popped up. "Ah'm sorry Twi, I should know by now that you just mean to help." "It's fine. I could have been a little gentler with how I said it." "Wow. Just wow. If that had been my family, there would have been a lot more screaming. And more things flying towards each other's head," CW said, gently setting the Eye on a pedestal behind him. Applejack just shook her head. "By the way, mister...uh.." "Please, just call me Cloque Worque." "OK. Well, uh, Cloque Worque, why d'you need to use those gloves to hold your dohickey?" "That is an excellent question. The reasoning behind that is that, since the Eye can absorb energy, if it comes into contact with my scales, it will absorb a very large portion of that lightning that I was telling you about earlier. And that is definitely not a good thing." "Oh, uh, OK." ~*~ "Well, Mister Cloque Worque, I think that this has been a very informative talk. To be honest, the reason we came was to make sure that you weren't here to... um..." "What? Raze the village? Plunder, destroy, and generally cause chaos?" "Well...yes." "Don't worry about it. You are not the first to doubt my motives. By now, I've gotten used to it." "Iff'n you don't mind, ah'm a bit curious as to why you're not so..." "What?" Cloque Worque asked. "Rampage-y?" Applejack chuckled weakly. "That's one way t'put it, if a little blunt." "It's fine." Cloque Worque smiled. "Actually, Mister...er, sorry. Actually," Twilight said, "Cloque Worque I'm a little curious myself." "This is another long, painful story. But I'll give you the abridged version. My Mentor, the one I mentioned before, was a tinker, as well. Over time he showed me that I was living my life in completely the wrong way. He went on to teach me everything he knew about Tinkering. He was a good pony." Cloque Worque got a look on his face that Applejack knew well. It was a mixture of happiness, gratitude, sadness, and nostalgic longing that came from losing a loved one. "He died, though. But what he taught me keeps me going." "Well ah'm mighty sorry to hear that Mister Cloque Worque. He seems like a right nice stallion." "Thank you," Cloque Worque said. "He really was." He sniffed a little, and wiped something out of his eye, muttering something about "allergies." "Anyway, I get that you just wanted to make sure that your town is safe. I understand that I look like a big scary monster," Cloque Worque said mildly. Both AJ and Twilight snickered. "What? You don't think I'm scary-looking? How about now?" With that, Cloque Worque raised himself up to his full height, flared his wings, and growled lightly. "So girls, what do you thi-" Cloque Worque was forced to stop when he got hit by what he was sure was a train. A red, growling, obviously angry train, but a train nonetheless. CW was thrown backward onto the pedestal that held the Tempest's Eye. There was an audible crunch. "Macintosh Apple! The hay is wrong with you?" AJ shouted. "Um..." was all the large stallion could manage to say before a loud cry of "OH BUCK ME!" interrupted him. All three ponies looked at the dragon who held the Eye in his claws, as he just stared at the growing crack in the small generator, and the blue-white sparks which were jumping out of and off the thing, like they were sailors abandoning ship. "Oh no," CW said, looking like he had aged several years in a few seconds. His scales were a darker green, and he gave off the look of being on the verge of losing consciousness. Surprise clearly showing on their faces, the ponies looked to the pained dragon. "Remember when I said that it would be bad if it absorbed my energy?" The two mares nodded. "Well, it did, and it is. Chances are, this thing is going to create significantly more energy than the original housing's design was made to sustain. The mares just stared at the dragon. Cloque Worque sighed. "It's going to explode. We need to get rid of it. Unfortunately, I'm currently drained, so one of you will have to." Stepping up to the challenge, Big Macintosh replies with an easy "eeyup." Turning around, the large, red stallion reared up onto his front legs, and with all of his considerable might, knocked the Eye high into the sky. Unfortunately, he did so by launching the dragon holding it. "Wait! Why didn't you just buck the-" BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!! A enormous explosion rocks Ponyville, knocking nearby ponies to the ground, reducing most windows to piles of glass shards, and sending a certain dragon careening into the ground at dangerous speeds. Big Mac gets up to see his sister glaring at him. "Um...oops?" ~*~ "You must really have it out for me," CW said, rotating his shoulder, eliciting a fresh wave of pain. Wincing, he mumbled, "that was some kick." "If it makes you feel any better, my sister chewed me out somethin' fierce for knocking you into the air like that." Cloque Worque just laughed. "Don't worry about it. Lemme guess, you saw me, figured that I was attacking your sister and her friend, and flipped out?" Big Mac blushed, turning his head away. "Yeah, somethin' like that." CW chuckled, and started pulling tubes and wires off of his body. "Uh...are you sure that you should be doin' that?" "Yeah, the docs here did a good job and all, but what I really need is a nice hard cider." Big Macintosh just smiled. "Ah may be able to help with that." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A/N : If anyone can think of anyway to make this story better, feel free to let me know in the comments section below. Also, I'm looking for some beta-readers and an editor to help me catch myself from having too many spelling/grammatical mistakes and to make sure that the story flows properly. So if you think that you are up to the job, shoot me a pm. Thanks, CptDemos Chapter 4Cloque Worque and Big Macintosh climbed out of the hospital window, into the cool night air. Cloque Worque, almost immediately, turned and started walking towards the center of town. "Where ya goin'?" asked Big Macintosh asked. "I need to go to my wagon, to get a few things, before we get started," Cloque Worque replied, amiably. "Well, then you're headed th' wrong way. We moved your car-" "Wagon!" "Fine, wagon. We moved your wagon to the outskirts of town three days after your accident. We, th' townsfolk Ah mean, felt that since we din't know if you were gon' wake up, or even what th' heck was in your wagon, it'd be best if we din't have it in the middle o' town." Turning to face Big Mac, CW asked "don't you know that it isn't right to touch other pony's- er, dragon's stuff without asking them first?" "You were in a coma. Ya weren't real talkative." Cloque Worque stopped and just studied Big Mac, for a minute. He had seen boulders that looked less sturdy. He was about one and a half times the size of a normal pony. The stallion's musculature was toned, but not emphasized. He figured it came from some sort of manual labor, which would explain the yoke that he wore around his neck. His coat was bright red, with a dirty blond mane and tail. He had a green apple which had been halved for a cutie mark. He seemed much smarter than you would think, just by looking at him. Not necessarily educated, just intelligent. His IQ was probably similar to his stature: larger than the average pony's. He obviously cared for his sister as well. A family stallion. He didn't beat about the bush with things either. If he wanted to say something, he would. He was definitely an interesting pony. "You're right," Cloque Worque admitted. "There are things in that wagon that could potentially hurt somepony. You made the right choice. And I shouldn't have expected you to keep it in the same place for two weeks. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so short with you." "It's fine. Don't worry about it, Mister..." "Cloque Worque. Cloque Worque T. Tinker." "What's tha 'T' stand for?" "The," came the reply, from the smirking dragon. The large red stallion started chuckling. "Clever. Obviously not your real name, but everyone is entitled to their secrets." "That's very gracious. And you are?" "Macintosh Apple. Folks 'round here just call me Big Mac, though." "Hm. Fitting. Did you say Apple?" "Eyup." A smile spread across the dragon's face. "You wouldn't happen to know a pony named Braeburn, would you? He lives out in..." "AAAAAPPAALLOOOSSSAAA! Heh. Yeah, I know him. We're cousins." "Ha ha ha. He's a good guy," Cloque Worque said. "Met him a few months ago. He actually helped the townsponies realize that I wasn't there to burn everything down. However, he did manage to get tangled up in an automatic pie crust maker I was displaying." "He's a good kid, but he can be a little dim at times, bless his soul." "So if you're an Apple, I guess that talk of a cider has a pretty good chance of happening. I had some of your family's brew out in Manehattan. The best I've tasted in a long time." "Thank you kindly. But you haven't had our cider until you have a mug of it on tapping day. For now, you'll have to settle for the normal stuff that's sold at Berry's." "Gladly. Let me just grab a few things from my wagon, first." ~*~ "Ahh. Much better. Glad I kept those wing wraps," Cloque Worque said. He had his wings wrapped closer to his body than they normally lay. He was also wearing a black t-shirt that had an image of a white claw grasping a white wrench on it. On top of his head, he had a baseball cap sitting backwards, to hide his horns. "Alright, Sir Apple," the dragon said, turning to his guide. "You know your way about town. I shall leave the navigation of the way to this 'Berry's,' up to you." "Heh. OK. Just follow me then." ~*~ As the two of them made their way through the town, Mac would point out certain buildings, and tell Cloque Worque who lived there, what they did, the basic who's who of the town. Many ponies would start to say hello to Mac, but they'd falter a bit when they saw Cloque Worque. Macintosh tried to apologize for the treatment, but CW told him that it was to be expected. Eventually, they got to Berry Punch's tavern. ~*~ The tavern had a healthy number of patrons, sitting at the bar, or in booths, in groups of two's and three's. The atmosphere was lively, but not rowdy. Music was playing from some corner, but it was hard to tell from which. There was enough ambient noise that it didn't drown out the music, but not so little that the music seemed overbearing. The scent of cider had wafted throughout the entire building for so long, the wood tables seemed to hold that fragrance. The lamps, strategically placed throughout the tavern, gave off enough light that the place seemed lit, but not bright. The whole place had a very "comfortable" feel to it. "Wow. This is how a bar should feel," Cloque Worque said. "And I've been in some good one's." "Eyup." "Where do you want to sit?" "I have a favorite booth. Follow me." As the two of them made their way towards Big Mac's favorite booth, he was, once again, met with a bevy of greetings. This time, however, no one seemed to be startled at the fact that there was a dragon following him. Some even greeted Cloque Worque. Whether this was due to the cider, or to the overall atmosphere of the tavern, it was hard to say. Not long after the two had sat down, a light plum colored mare, with a grape colored mane, came up to the table. "Heya Mac," the plum mare called. "How've ya been?" "Fine ah suppose," Mac replied. "And yourself, Berry? How's the bar?" "Good, thanks for asking. Same as always. The drinks keep flowin'. The ponies keep smilin'," she said, a smile of her own growing. "Who's your friend?" "Always good to hear. This is Cloque Worque." "Oh, yeah," Berry said, recognition showing on her face. "You're that dragon from a few weeks ago. Finally woke up, eh?" "Heh heh. Yeah. I figured that, at the very least, that deserved a celebratory cider, and Macintosh said that this was the best place in town. So here I am." "Well, he wasn't lyin'. This is the best tavern in all of Ponyville. It's also the ONLY tavern in Ponyville. But thank you for the compliment Mac. So what'll you boys have?" "Two ciders, Berry. Thanks." "Sure thing. Be right back." A moment later, Berry Punch came back to the table with two large frothy mugs of cider. "Thank you," said Cloque Worque. "Thank's a lot, Berry." "Not a problem. It's always a pleasure havin' you here Mac," she said as she went back to the bar. Cloque Worque looked a little thoughtful for a second, before saying "Say, Mac. Was it just me, or was she extra friendly with you?" Covering a small smile with his mug, Macintosh said "I haven't the faintest idea." "Uh huh," the dragon said, the gears in his head turning. "Actually, MOST of the mares we passed on the street seemed to be just a little bit more friendly than is normal. But I'm just an outsider. What do I know about how the ladies of this town greet others." Mac just chuckled. "Tell me, are..uh...you and Berry....uh..." "Naw, we're not like that." "What about any of the other girls we saw?" "Nope." "Seriously?" he asked, a look of astonishment on his face. Macintosh sighed. "It's not for the lack of them trying." "Wow," the dragon said. "You, my Crimson Compatriot, are a lucky pony. But, in all honesty, none of them?" Big Mac just shook his head. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. You have a choice of all those mares and you're not with any of them? What's up with that?" Cloque Worque asked, shaking his head. "Do you just not....hey, Equestria to Macintosh. You in there?" Mac, however, hadn't heard a single word that the dragon had said. Instead, he was staring towards the door, with a look on his face that said that most of his mental capabilities had checked out for the day. "Hey, whatcha starin' at, bud?" Cloque Worque asked, turning around to look in the same direction. He didn't see anything out of place. Just a few paintings, a plant, and a group of mares. He recognized the two standing closest to the big red stallion's line of sight. One was his sister, and the other was.... "Ahh... I see how it is," Cloque Worque said, a slightly mischievous smile splitting his face. "You're sweet on that purple unicorn, aren'tcha?" Big Mac just shrank into himself, and made a noise that would have made more sense coming from a mouse. "Well, have you told her how you feel?" A minuscule shake of the head, and another squeak. "What?!" he cried, gesturing at Mac with his mug. "A big, strapping, young stallion like yourself can't tell little old her? Why not?" Another shrink, and, to Cloque Worque's surprise, a blush that showed through his red coat. The whole situation was just a bit too funny for him. He couldn't help it. He started laughing. A loud, belly laugh rolled out of his throat. One that caught the attention of a certain group of mares. "Oh boy," he said, a wicked twinkle in his eye. "Here they come, champ. You ready for this?" Mac fixed his draconian guest with a glare. "You're havin' way too much fun with this." "Hey, I was asleep for two weeks. Cut me some slack." Mac just gave off a noncommittal grunt, and took a hurried sip of his cider. ~*~ To look at Macintosh's face, you'd think that the world was ending. However, it was just a group of mares coming over to their booth. Cloque Worque, however, was thoroughly enjoying himself, just watching the stallion's reactions. He noted the four mares, the two from the accident, a pink earth pony, and a white unicorn, as they made their way over. He wondered if he was going to have to be the first to talk. Fortunately, someone else had different ideas. "Macintosh Apple!" Applejack called across the bar. "What in the hay are you doin' here? I sent you to check on Mister Cloque Worque, and not only are you not at the hospital, you brought him to a bar?! What's wrong with you? You trade your brains for apples? You shoulda known better." Shrinking even more, Macintosh just mumbled "Sorry, Sis." CW tried to mask his snickers by taking a drink. "And you!" The snickers stopped immediately. "You should know better, as well! You were a vegetable yesterday! You should be restin'! And now here you are carousin' with mah idiot of a brother. Just because you ain't mah kin don't mean I can't scold you as well!" It was Big Mac's turn to hide his laughter. "A pleasure to see you, as well, Miss," the dragon said with a smile. "I don't think that I got your names the last time we spoke." The tan mare sighed. "Mah name's Applejack. This here's Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity." "How do you do, Miss Sparkle." "Hello, again." Cloque Worque nodded to the other two mares. "Miss Pie, Miss Rarity. "Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie!" "Charmed, I'm sure," said Rarity, dropping into a graceful bow. "Come! Sit!" said the dragon, glancing at Mac with a look that was maybe forty percent well-meaning, and sixty percent mischief. "This is a celebration of my 'awake-ness'. Have a cider! Relax a while!" Cloque Worque forced himself to ignore the volcanic glare Macintosh flashed at him. "Oh, I don't know," said Twilight. "We're meeting a couple of friends soon, and I don't want to be late. What do you think, girls?" As the mares talked among themselves, CW leaned over to Mac, and whispered "Hey, here's your chance man. Ask her to sit!" Unfortunately, before the red stallion could make up his mind, the choice was made for him. "I don't think we can, tonight. We've had these plans for a while now, and we've really been looking forward to it. You understand, right?" Macintosh looked like he wanted to say something, but all that came out was "Eyup." Cloque Worque just shook his head, sighing to himself. "Well then, I guess we'll see you later," Twilight said. Mac looked like someone just kicked his puppy. "Take care," Cloque Worque said, taking a sip of his drink. "Oh hey," said Pinkie Pie, "here are our friends." Cloque Worque looked up, and almost spit out the cider he had just drank. A cyan pegasus was making her way towards the group. Followed by the pretty, yellow pegasus from the town's square. "Hey you guys," the cyan pegasus called, "we've been lookin' all over for you." As the two came closer, Macintosh noticed that CW was trying his hardest to become a part of the bench, that he sat on. "Oh, hey Mac. Huh. So this is the dragon? I thought he'd be bigger." The cyan pegasus sniffed. "Pleased ta meetcha. The name's Rainbow Dash. You might've heard of me." "Hello Miss Dash, it's nice to meet you." Cloque Worque turned to the other pegasus. "G-good to see you again, Miss. I- uh...I don't believe tha-that I caught your name." The yellow pegasus just kind of glared at Cloque Worque. "Fluttershy," came the terse reply. "T-that's a very lovely name." Fluttershy didn't respond. "Fluttershy, what is the matter with you?" asked Applejack. Fluttershy just continued to glare at the dragon. "I don't trust him," she said, through gritted teeth. "Well," Rainbow dash said. "This just got awkward, so I think it's time for us to get goin'. Glad to see you up and about Mister Cloque Worque." Then, they all, with the exception of Fluttershy, exchanged good-byes. She just glared at him. After the mares had left, both CW and Macintosh visibly crumpled. They looked like they had just seen a long, brutal battle. Cloque Worque took his mug in claw, raised his head, said "Mares, man," and downed it all. Big Mac just Eyup'd, and drained his, as well. ~*~ The next morning, Macintosh woke up on his family's sofa with a killer headache. He couldn't remember the last time he had a hangover this bad. Heck, he couldn't remember how he got home. Or much at all, for that matter. He got up at the smell of flapjacks, and made his way to the kitchen. There he found his grandmother, Granny Smith, cooking the previously mentioned flapjacks, and his youngest sister, Applebloom, poking a lump that looked suspiciously like a dragon. "Ugghhh... Mah head is killin' me. Hey, Cloque Worque, you alive?" "Barely," came the almost inaudible response from the lump. "Well, Macintosh, you jus' sit yerself right on down," said Granny Smith. "These'll be dun' in a minute. Don't try to talk much before you eat anythin'." Mac gladly sat down and shut up. ~*~ After breakfast, and a healthy amount of painkillers, Macintosh walked out onto the porch, where Cloque Worque was sitting. They just sat there for a while, not saying anything. "This is nice," Cloque Worque said, breaking the silence. "Eyup." "I'm glad it's so pleasant here." "Why?" "Well, since I no longer have a way to power my wagon, I have to stay in town for a while." "Oh?" "Yeah. It was nice of your grandmother to give me the spare room." "Eyu-WHAT?!" ~*~ Chapter 5Big Macintosh was visibly frustrated. He felt that he had been asking the same question for several minutes now. "I understand that. What I don't understand, Granny, is why is he stayin' here?" "He mentioned that he'd have ta stay in town a while, and I figgur'd that he could have tha spare room," the old green mare said. "You two seemed ta be fairly chummy last night. I din't think that you'd have a problem with it. Land sakes, Boy! Ya said that you two were brothers!" "Wha-" Big Mac shook his head in consternation. "Seriously? Brothers?" "Yup," Applebloom said, nodding. She scrunched her face up, trying to remember what he had said. "Somethin' like 'brothers on the battlefield of love,' or somethin'." Macintosh facehooved, and started to swear to never drink again, before all of what his sister had said registered in his brain. "Oh fer.... Did you say 'love?'" "Yup." At this, Macintosh dashed out of the kitchen, looking like he'd just seen a ghost. Turning to Granny Smith, Applebloom asked, "What's up with Mac?" "Oh him? He's just the same as always," she replied, shaking her head. "He's just usually better at hidin' it." ~*~ Cloque Worque had decided to go for a short walk around the farm, to get to know the area. He had been entranced by the seemingly endless rows of apple trees. Watching as the trees seemed to march forward, as if they were soldiers, calmed him. He was able to just lose himself in his thoughts, in ways that he hadn't had a chance to in quite a while. This was all shattered when Big Mac came out of nowhere, and tackled him to the ground. "What d'you remember about last night?!" the stallion all but screamed at him. "Uff," Cloque Worque said, as he pushed Mac off of him. "We've got to stop meeting this way. Mostly nothing. It's all hazy." He sat up, dusting himself off, and looked over at Macintosh grumpily. He had been in a coma, this time yesterday. He'd been in an accident before that. He had drunk WAY too much last night. And while the painkillers given by the Apple family had helped, they hadn't helped much. Needless to say, he was already a very sore dragon. Having the large workhorse run into him again didn't help that. Big Mac let out a sigh of relief. Feeling a large weight lift, from his shoulders, Mac said, "well, that's a blessin' ah guess." "Yeah," CW said. "It would've been really embarrassing if I remembered that you are head over hooves in love with that purple unicorn. SO much so, that her presence reduced you to a mumbling foal." Macintosh looked at Cloque Worque with murder in his eyes. Cloque Worque just shot him a predatory smile. "Oh, yes. She was rather pretty. Oh, just what was her name again? Ah. I believe it was-" "Fluttershy," Mac said, cutting him off. Cloque Worque shut his mouth immediately. It was his turn to glare at his comrade. Mac wore the exact same smile that CW had. Which is impressive, since his teeth were significantly less sharp. Exchanging glares for a moment, Cloque Worque finally broke the silence with: "Fine. We both know something about the other. Something that we would never want to get out. Now. We're at a fork in the road. One path we could take leads us to a long battle of blackmail, denials, and other trickery. The other, we both take what we know to the grave, and head our own ways." "Or," Big Mac countered, "we could use the knowledge of our similar plights to strengthen our friendship." Cloque Worque looked skeptical. Sensing his hesitation, Macintosh held out his hoof. CW raised an eyebrow at this. He seemed to retreat into his head, for a second, to consider how this would work. Hesitantly, he held out his claw. "It's been quite a while since I've had an actual friend," he said. Seeing that Cloque Worque was still unsure, Mac moved his hoof closer. CW backed off a little, but settled himself. He made a fist with his claw, and bumped it against Macintosh's hoof, smirking. "There, see?" Macintosh said. "Easy as pie." Cloque Worque just raised his eyebrow again. Macintosh realized what he had said, and facehoofed. "Ah din't mean...It's just a phrase...Ah..Ah.. Ugh." CW gave off a low chuckle. "I know what you meant. I just wanted to mess with you." "Clever." "Thank you. I thought that it was." Big Mac sighed. "Well, if you're goin' to be stayin in town for a while, might as well introduce you to the townsponies." "I don't remember much," Cloque Worque started, "but didn't we do that last night?" "Naw," Mac said. "I'm talkin' a proper introduction. Don't worry. The ponies here are good, quality folk." "Alright then. Lead the way." ~*~ Macintosh took Cloque Worque throughout the entire town. Taking him into shops, and up to vendors in the marketplace, all so that he had a chance to talk with them. He found that Mac was telling the truth about the townsponies. Even though most of them had some apprehension when talking to him, it all had disappeared by the time he left them. Ponies here were genuinely friendly. He felt that he knew many of them, even though he had spoken to them for only five minutes or so. During their tour of the town, Big Mac took CW to a small cafe for lunch. As they were leaving, he told Cloque Worque his plan for the rest of the day. "Ah figure that it's about time for you to meet them," Macintosh said. "Them?" Cloque Worque asked, confused by the vagueness. "Who's them?" "Those six mares you met last night." Mac sighed. "They're kind of celebrities around here." Cloque Worque slammed on the brakes. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't you think that I met them enough last night? I mean, I met your sister and Twilight already. Anyway, I don't think that they'd even want to meet some random dragon. They're probably very busy if they're celebrities." Macintosh just kept walking. "Look, ah know where you're comin' from. Ah'm in the exact same boat. This ain't no picnic for me either. How's about this: we visit Fluttershy last? That sound good?" Cloque Worque sighed. "Admittedly not as good as 'Let's just skip her altogether,' but I'll take what I can get." "Good. Now buckle up. This'll likely get interestin'." ~*~ "Are you sure that this place is structurally secure," Cloque Worque asked. "Cuz' I'm fairly certain that icing is not a good building material." Ignoring the other's jokes, Macintosh just kept walking. "Shut up, and come on. Best to get this one done with first." "What? Why is- YAHH!!!" Cloque Worque screamed as a pink pony burst out of mailbox that he was walking past. Sighing, Mac just gave a pleasant "Hello, Pinkie." "Hiya Big Mac! How have you been? It feels like it's been forEVER since we talked, but we saw each other just last night. Isn't that weird?! But, enough about us, what are you doing in my neck of the metaphorical woods?" "Cloque Worque here is gonna be in town for a while, and ah figured that ah should take'm around, so that he could get a feel for the town, and meet all the townsponies." CW, having settled his heart rate, decided that he should probably join in the conversation. "Yeah, he showed me around last night, but, if I'm honest, I don't remember a lot of that." Holding his hat, in one claw, he added, "anyway, it is good to see you again, Miss Pie." "Psh," Pinkie said. "Miss Pie was my mom. Or some other mare who has my name, but isn't as fun as I am." Thrown for a bit of a loop, Cloque Worque only manages to get out "I...I guess that's right." "Yup. If you're staying, though, it's good that I already threw you a 'Welcome To Town' party." "Seriously?" asked Cloque Worque. "Did I really get so tanked, that I forgot a whole party?" "No, silly. I threw the party about a week ago. You should know," she said, as if it made all the sense in the world. "You were there." Leaning towards the large stallion, CW asked, under his breath, "hey, I didn't wake up for a bit, did I?" Macintosh just shook his head. Trying to wrap his head around the concept, Cloque Worque asked again, just to make sure, "So you threw a party a week ago?" "Yep," Pinkie said simply. "In my hospital room?" "Yep." "While I was in a coma?" "Yep." "I..I don't know what to say." "Don't worry about it. Parties are my thing. Speaking of which, I need to plan your 'Woke Up From A Coma' party. So I need to go. It was good talking to you, again!" She then disappeared back into the mailbox. Cloque Worque just stared at the mailbox for a minute. He massaged the bridge of his nose, and said, "I think I need another drink." "Eyup." ~*~ The pair walked out of Berry's tavern, with only a slight stagger to their step. Cloque Worque breathed a contented sigh, and looked to his companion. "Where to next? Somewhere less insanity-inducing, I hope." After some thought, Mac started walking, calling over his shoulder, "Less random, sure. However, unless you are calmed by manic mood swings, ah don' think that things will get more sane." "Have I mentioned how good of a guide you are?" "Shut up." "Just wanted to make it known." "Noted." ~*~ "Rraagh," Cloque Worque groaned. "First a cupcake, now a carousel? Why are these places so different than ninety percent of the town?! It's like they're marketing something." Big Mac just eyed the dragon, and kept walking. This time, they got inside before they were greeted. The elegant looking white mare, from the night before, was hovering around a mannequin draped in fabrics, using her magic to levitate enough cloth, pins, and thread to make several more dresses. She wore a pair of glasses, perched upon her nose. Looking up, almost absent-mindedly, she took stock of her two visitors, for the first time, a smile coming to her face. "Oh, Macintosh, Darling! It is oh so good to see you? You don't seem to get off the farm very often, and, well, I wouldn't want to dirty my hooves, and so we just live out our little lives. Tragic, truly tragic. You've caught me in the middle of working out the design for a commissioned dress. The lady who ordered it gave me artistic license, to do as I please. All she asked was that 'it wasn't 'frumpy.'" As if I would ever make anything that was..." a shudder of disgust shook her frame, "Frumpy! But enough about me. Have you finally come to let me use you as a model for a stallion's line? Although, I would have to scale the size up a bit, I suppose." Letting a small breath out, the large work horse put on a smile, and said, with a tone that implied he had said it many times before, "Ah appreciate the offer, Miss Rarity, but ah just don' have that much time, in ma schedule." The fashionista sighed, and replied, "that's truly a shame. C'est la vie. One of these days, though. Anyway, where are my manners? I've completely ignored my other guest! Terribly sorry, Mister... Cloque Worque, was it?" Taking off his hat, CW replied, smiling easily, "Yes, Miss. A pleasure to see you again." "Oh, my. A gentlecolt. What a rare sight, these days." "I'm far from a gentlecolt, Miss," Cloque Worque said. "I've just picked up some manners during my travels." "Don' believe it for a second, Miss Rarity," Mac said, a smile breaking out, across his face. "He's irascible, and a cad, at that!" Cloque Worque, wearing a smile, as well, jumped back, feigning insult. "Balderdash! I shan't have you slandering my name, any longer! Swords at dawn, you overdeveloped, scarlet cur!" The unicorn's laughter brought the pair's production to an end, smiles all around. "Thank you both, for that," she said. "It was quite entertaining. You two seem to have gotten quite close, since last I saw you. Now, I hate to be rude, but I really need to finish this dress." The duo bent into over-exaggerated bows, each offering words of encouragement, as well as their good-byes. They were still chuckling, when the got to the main street. CW wiped at his eyes, saying, "irascible cad. Heh." "Heh heh. Scarlet cur." "Artless clod." "Bawdy ragamuffin." "Tottering ninny!" "Wheat-witted buffoon!" "Craven, rough-hewn dewberry!" "Impertinent, tickle-brained flap-dragon!" Growling, Cloque Worque tackled Macintosh off the path. ~*~ Scuffed up and sore, but sporting huge grins, the two walked on. "So," Cloque Worque noted. "We've met three, including your sister. We're almost to the end!" The smiles left their faces immediately. CW sighed. "Alright, who's next?" "Ah figured Rainbow Dash," Mac drawled. "She's usually napping on a cloud, right about now." The dragon cast a look at the cloudy sky. "Well, that makes this easy. Maybe if we call her name. RAINBOW DA-" The sky blue pegasus appeared in a rainbow blur. "You called?" she asked. Cloque Worque looked at his crimson companion, and muttered, "I didn't think that would actually work." Big Mac just grunted. "Hey," Dash said, recognition spreading across her face. "You're that dragon, from last night. You come back for an autograph?" The dragon gasped, and asked, in an awed voice, "you'd do that for me?!" Mac raised a hoof to help in hiding his snickers. "Heh. Sure. Gotta stay in touch with the fans. Oh, hey. I don't have any parchment, though." In the same tone, Cloque Worque said, "that's ok. Just talking to you is more than enough." Macintosh was suddenly taken by a coughing fit. "Yeah, well, you got good taste. I gotta fly. It's almost time for my nap. Good seein' you, Mac." Between coughs, Big Mac managed to get a "likewise" out. She was gone in another technicolor blur. The two were left, rolling on the ground, in laughter. ~*~ Macintosh looked nervous. "Y-you know, Cloque Worque, it's getting kinda late. Maybe we should j-just head back to the f-f-farm." Very nervous. "C'mon, Big Guy, we're almost done," Cloque Worque said. "We've come this far, we can't give up now. Wan't me to take point, on the next one?" The large stallion sighed. "Yes." "Alright," the dragon said, looking around. "Where're we headed?" "The library." "Please, tell me it's not-" "It is." Cloque Worque put his head in his claws. "Why is it a TREE?! WHY-Y-Y?" ~*~ Author's Note So, originally, I was going to have them meet the entire Mane Six, in one chapter. However, due to the fact that there was a significant delay between writing sessions, I got to look over some of the things that I had written, with a different light. I'm not really happy with how I wrote the two of them interacting with their respective love interests. So I'm moving that to an entirely new chapter. And since it's almost eight in the morning, I'm going to get some sleep, before doing rewrites and revisions. Now, since I want to get at least two more chapters out, before 2014, I'm going to ask that you guys, if chapter six isn't out in the next five days, pm me, telling me to get my act together. Alright. I'm gonna go sleep. Hope this was a good chapter. (Seriously. Just yell at me. It'll help.) Demos Notice of things to comeHi. I'm the guy who is really bad about keeping my promises to update the story more than twice a year. When I started this story, I had an overall idea for the entirety of it, and I generally tried to write chapters so that they would hopefully fit. Looking at the idea, as well as what I've written so far, almost two years later, it's helped me realize something. It's bad. But that is a good thing. Kinda. See, it's made me realize that what I wanted from the story, and how I was writing it, were two vastly different things. I wanted this moderately serious story of friendship and awesome, with large overarching plot points, but I was coming up with the chapters as I was writing them. And that was part of the reason that I was so inconsistent with updates. I honestly didn't know where I was going. So I took the time to figure out what I wanted to do with the story. Because, contrary to what my actions might have said, I DO want to keep writing. However, I came to understand that what I want to do NOW, isn't the exact same as what I wanted to do when I created the story. As such, I'm going to be revamping some of the earlier chapters so that they can fit more with the story direction that I have for it now. Since it's not a total rewrite, it won't take that long, but I wanted to just give a heads up before I started changing things. Now that that is out of the way, I want to briefly talk about what the story will be. My plan for the story is for it to be slightly episodic. And by that, I mean that the story is going to be comprised of mini-arcs. These mini-arcs are going to be two chapters each, roughly taking up a half of the arc each. Doing this will allow me to be able to come up with story ideas, and be able to flesh them out, without having to worry about a giant overarching story. So hopefully, that will mean that I will be able to put out chapters more often. However, this doesn't mean that the arcs are going to be completely separate from each other. The arc's will dictate the story, not the story dictating the arc. Now, that being said, the first six (yes, I know there are only currently five) chapters of the story don't follow that rule. Basically, I'm using the first six chapters as the basis for the story. Think of them as a super long pilot episode. So once the first six are done, the mini-arcs will begin. Now, I know that I haven't gone into a lot of detail here, but that's just because I want to get moving on revamping the chapters, as well as finishing chapter six. Once that is done, I will go into more detail about the future of the story, in another one of these little notices. On that topic, once I finish writing the first six chapters, I will move this notice to my author's page, and just leave a link in the description. So, thank you for reading this, and if you have any questions just pop them in the comments, or message me. Thanks for the patience, CptDemos
Chapter 1It was a warm, sunny day in Ponyville and all the ponies were going about their daily business. In the town square you could see Rose selling her flowers; Lyra and Bon Bon arguing over something inconsequential; Derpy trying her hardest to fly through the side of a building; and Fluttershy meekly tip-toeing through the crowd. She was coming back from doing her bi-weekly errand trip to the market. Having gotten all that she needed, she was returning home. But suddenly her calm reverie was destroyed by a seemingly earth-shattering call of:“HI FLUTTERSHY!” Startled by the titanic greeting of the hyper-kinetic bubblegum pink pony that had just popped out of her saddlebags; Fluttershy dropped to the ground and covered her head with her hooves. Then, realizing who it had come from, she slowly rose from her crouching spot, returning the greeting. “Um, he-hello Pinkie. How are you today?” “I’m great! No, better than great, I’m grand! No, that word still doesn't fully capture the essence of how I feel. Then how about super-duper splendiferous?!!” “Wow, Pinkie, its good to hear that you're doing so well. Um, but why were you in my saddlebag?" “That's not something you need to worry about. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my day," the party pony said, before sinking back into her friend's bag. "Oh, um... Ok, then. Have a good day Pinkie.” From deep, in the bag, came the call of: “Okie-dokie-loki!” Shaking her head, she once again started the trek back to her cottage. And once again she was stopped by a strange sight. What appeared to be a dust cloud was quickly making its way toward the town. And it was being ridden by a familiar shape. "Oh no," she thought. Fluttershy had to warn the town. So, summoning all of her courage,she yelled out, with all her might, “DRAGON!” ~*~ He had gone by many names throughout his life, but he knew that his current name, was his favorite. And one other thing he knew was that, no matter where he went, whether it be Phillydelphia or Manehatten, there was always a commotion when he first rolled into a town. "Or my name isn't (currently) Cloque Worque T. Tinker," he mumbled to himself, chuckling at his little joke. As if on cue, from the small town that he was heading towards, a cry of "DRAGON!" rang out in the morning air. He sighed inwardly, because, while he understood, and even was expecting the ruckus, it still pained him to see it. "But," he thought, "down to business." As he collected his emotions and placed them in the background of his mind, the dragon readied himself for the onslaught of hostility that always accompanied his appearance. "I wonder how they will greet me," he mused aloud. " Will it be the normal exchange of forced niceties? Will it be an angry mob, ready to protect their lives and homes from the ferocious dragon? Or will it be an outright fear, one that was probably instilled in them by some idiot relative of mine." Almost hesitantly, he entered Ponyville. Expecting the worst, and hoping for the best. ~*~ When Fluttershy first screamed everypony just stood there, dumbfounded; then, as she expected, utter chaos reigned. Ponies ran in all directions, tripping over themselves, and others, in their panic. Several carts were overturned in the mad scramble to get to a place of safety. Screams of fear sounded from every corner, of the town, as the news spread. Mothers ushered their children indoors, husbands rushing to their family's sides. A few brave ponies stayed in the center of town, hoping to buy their friends and loved ones a little time, at least. Fluttershy was scared, as well. But she knew that, when it came down to it, the town relied on her and her friends to protect them from such dangers. So, trembling the entire time, she readied herself for the oncoming storm. ~*~ "Celestia give me patience," Cloque Worque thought as he entered the pure insanity that was Ponyville. "I almost would've preferred the mob." But in the middle of all of it, there was one pony who caught his eye: a bright yellow mare who had a pink mane obscuring a large part of her face. He had to do a double take to make sure that he was seeing her correctly, because he was sure that she made his heart skip a beat. "Maybe two," Cloque Worque said, to himself, " definitely no more than nine." "She's gorgeous!" he thought. "Absolutely stunning! I've never seen a mare like her in all of my travels." He stopped his motorized cart and stepped down, but as he got closer to the pony, he could tell that she was quite upset over something. "I wonder what that might- Oh. Duh." "Oh no," he thought, "I'm almost to where she is, and I have absolutely nothing to say. Wonderful. I should say something." "Good morning," he said brightly. The yellow pegasus replied to his greeting with an suspicious glare. Feeling the tension building, he grabbed the closest thought, in hopes to break the silence. "You're pretty!" he blurted out, a statement that she seemed taken aback by. "I-i'm sorry, what did you just say?" "STUPID-STUPID-STUPID-STUPID", he mentally cursed the fact that he was born with the ability to voice his thoughts. "Uh...um...I said, 'It's pretty loud.'" "Calm down, Idiot, you've done this a hundred times before," he thought. "Just because there is an, admittedly,very pretty pegasus in your way, don't let that trip you up. Just go with what you always say." "Oh," she said. "Yes, I suppose it is." "Please allow me to say, before anything else happens, that I assure you, Miss, that I intend to do no harm to you, your friends, or anyone else, in this pleasant, little town," he said, flashing her a winning smile. "I have only come to sell my wares. I'm interested in the ponies here only as potential customers." "Uh huh," she said, with a look that all but shouted "pull the other one." "You sound unconvinced." "No. Really. I believe you." Her voice all but oozed sarcasm. "Great. Off to a excellent start with the pony of your dreams," he thought to himself. ~*~ Fluttershy was not convinced. She could not exactly put her hoof on it, but she could tell that the dragon was not being entirely honest. However, since she couldn't tell what it was that he was being dishonest about, she decided to ask Applejack about it, later. "On that note," she thought, "where are they? I could really use their help." Realizing that, for now, she was on her own, she did her best to converse with the dragon. "What reason do I have to trust you?" she asked. "Well, for starters, look at me." And with that he held his arms out and turned himself around, slowly, giving her a chance to look at him. He wasn't big by dragon standards, that was for sure. He was a little shorter than Big Macintosh, and had forest green scales and a brown stomach. What she had first assumed to be a cape, turned out to be, in fact, his wings. And he had two small horns sticking out of the top of his head. All in all, he didn't seem that ferocious. "Ok," she said, "lets say that I'm a little convinced. Why else should I believe you aren't here to destroy the village?" "Well," he said, with a smile,"it's bad for business." ~*~ A/N Thanks to all you bronies and pegasisters that have read this. Please leave your feedback below. Hopefully I'll be able to make these chapters a little longer and a little more coherent in the future. Thanks again, CptDemos
Chapter 2"Step right up mares and gentle-colts! Cloque Worque's Wagon of Wonderments is now open!" It had been a little over two hours since Cloque Worque had rolled into Ponyville and had to assuage the fears of the easily-frightened residents. This meant answering an amount of questions that would have put the Spanish Inquisition to shame. These questions ranged from being simple enough, like "who are you?" and "what do you want with us," to more interesting and hard-to-answer questions, like "why aren't you breathing fire and terrorizing us?" and one very odd question from a pink pony, "why aren't you orange?" Then there was the beautiful pale yellow pegasus. Things were not as simple with her. The entire time that Cloque Worque had been answering questions, she just hung back and glared suspiciously at the dragon. She had not listened to any of his words. She had made it obvious that she believed that his words were false and just made to put the ponies into a false sense of security. Cloque Worque sighed. "I'll just have to figure out what to do about her later," he mumbled to himself. ~*~ Fluttershy didn't believe the dragon, whatsoever. She was sure that he was just saying whatever he needed to, to lull everypony into a false sense of security. She just didn't know how to prove it. Now, more than ever, she wished that Applejack were here. She looked up to catch him staring at her. Once he noticed that she saw him, he quickly looked away. "He knows that I don't trust him," she thought, "He's probably thinking of ways to get rid of me. I should stay on my hooves." But then again, he didn't look that terrifying or ready to destroy everything around them. "I can't understand him," she mused to herself, "Like a threat, wrapped in a conundrum, encased in a scaly shell. Just because he looks like a miniature dragon, doesn't mean that he isn't dangerous. You can be both menacing and adora-" She shook her head, as her natural love for animals warred with her mistrust. "Where the hay did that come from?" she said. "Where did what come from?" asked a voice. Surprised, Fluttershy looked up to find that the dragon was standing almost uncomfortably close to her. Jumping back a few feet, she landed and asked him, "What do you think that you are doing?" With a look that would have made even the most novice poker player face-hoof, he answered,"Nothing." "Well then, would you mind taking a few steps back then?" Not wanting to anger her anymore, the dragon complied. "Now then, do you think that you could do what you came to do, and then move on?" "Sure," the dragon answered. ~*~ "Sure," he said. Sensing that the other ponies had stopped their panicking and had all quieted down to hear the discussion between him and the gorgeous yellow pegasus. Becoming unusually anxious about being the center of attention, he quickly ran back to his cart and pulled a lever on the side of it, causing loud clanking noises to come from the inside of the cart. "You might want to stand back," he said, turning to his audience, with a smile. And with that, the cart exploded into a mix of mechanical motion; bright, colorful arrays of lights; and a pleasant, yet haunting cacophony of music and noise. The cart seemed to expand from the inside, panels moving all around making room for other panels, which seemed to come from absolutely nowhere. Some arranged themselves into a makeshift stage, while others made a canopy to cover it. All the while, this festive organ music was being piped out of thin air it seemed. The inside, however, was the most interesting piece of the whole transformation. Pedestals rose out of the floor like mutant flowers. And on each of these pedestals was a different...thing. All weird angles and brass bits and gears. "WELCOME," the dragon shouted, "To Cloque Worque's Wagon of Wonderments!" "But, why is it called a wagon, if it's a cart?" asked a small orange pegasus. "And what is your name, little one?" the dragon asked, the poster dragon of niceties, his voice honeyed. "Scootaloo," she answered. "Well then, Scootaloo, it's called a wagon because shut up." Cloque Worque said sweetly. "Ugh," scoffed Scootaloo, making her two friends giggle. "Anyway," he said, "Step right up mares and gentlecolts! There is something here to entertain any one of you, and if there isn't, well, place an order and I will make it. You see, I am a Tinker. A dying breed who lives to bring smiles to the faces of all those around them. You, uh... Scootaloo, what do you like to do?" "I like to scooter," she answers simply. "Well then, may I see your scooter?" "Um, ok I guess," the filly said suspiciously. Taking the scooter, Cloque Worque says, "give me one moment." Turning around and walking into the back of his cart, the ponies can hear him rummaging through his things, muttering himself the whole time. "No. No. NO. No. No. Absolutely not. Hay's bales, where is that blasted accelarate-o-matic?! Oh. Here it is." Walking back onto the stage, he holds up the scooter and what appears to be a miniature barrel. Setting both down, he kneels and places two of his claws together. A few seconds later, the ponies see a bolt of lightning jump from one claw to the other. He then place the barrel onto the scooter, and touches the lightning to certain points of both. Then, pulling a bunch of wires out from a compartment, in the wagon, he starts connecting them to a button that he then places on the scooter's handle, and connecting the other end of the wiring to the small barrel. "Finished!!!" he cried, triumphantly. "Here kid, take it for a test run." Handing the scooter back to the filly, he stands back as he says, "Oh, you should probably wear a hel-" But it's too late, Scootaloo's hoof has already found its way to the button and goes blasting off, tearing around the town about half as fast as a certain technicolor pony on her best day. The gathered crowd gasps in amazement, and turns back to the dragon, who is laughing like a maniac, as his creation is being thoroughly enjoyed by the small pegasus. One pony steps up and asks, "Sir, what else can you make?" Looking at the pony, Cloque Worque just smiles and answers,"Anything."
Chapter 3"All in all, it could have gone worse." Or, at least, that's what Cloque Worque told himself after waking up in the hospital. He had a splitting headache, it hurt whenever he inhaled, and you do not want to get him started on the absolute agony that enveloped his wings. He mentally cursed himself for letting his guard down in a strange new town. "What had happened anyway?" he thought. "Was there a mob? No, I've been beaten by mobs before, and this felt more like the time I got hit by that runaway train. That must be it," he thought. "There was a train station in town. Another train must have jumped the tracks and run into me. Why does that seem to always happen?" he wondered aloud. "Oh, you're finally awake I see." Cloque Worque looked up to see a relatively short pony, with a very frog-like face, walk into the room. He had a light gray coat and an even lighter gray mane. One that seemed to thin as it got closer to his head, leading up to a dome of shining skin. "What do you mean 'finally'?" Cloque Worque asked. "You were asleep for something close to two weeks," the frog-faced doctor pony said. "Oh alright the- WAIT. WHAT THE BUCK DO YOU MEAN TWO WEEKS?" Cloque Worque practically screamed. "Heh heh, yes. Some of us weren't entirely sure that you would wake up," the doctor said with an smile on his face. "Hey Doc, anypony ever tell you that your bedside manner needs improvement?" the injured dragon asked, sarcastically. The doctor just chuckled and said, "That doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that you heal up." "Alright, I can accept a that. But can you tell me why I'm here?" He chuckled again, something that was quickly starting to get on Cloque Worque's nerves, and said "Really? You don't remember? Well, how about we let your visitor tell you." Cloque Worque looked to the door, wondering who it would turn out to be, hoping deep down that it was that pretty yellow pegasus mare. Sadly, he couldn't have been more wrong. "Ah, hay's bales!" Cloque Worque shouted, all of the repressed memories returning to him in a rush, "GET HIM THE BUCK OUT OF HERE!" ~*~ *Two weeks and some change earlier* "Anything," Cloque Worque said. "Anything your heart could desire." "I am highly certain that you being able to create whatever we want is not entirely plausible," said a lavender unicorn. "I'd even say," she continued, "that it is scientifically improbable." "And while Ah'm not entirely sure what she jus' said, ah am certain that ah agree with her," said an orange earth pony. Cloque Worque only sighed. Having there be neigh-sayers where ever he went was practically a part of the job. And it wasn't exactly the first time that he had faced a mare of science. But just because he had experience with them, didn't mean that he had to necessarily enjoy running into them. In the end, he decided that since he had already created such a ruckus in town, starting an argument with what appears to the town brainiac wouldn't be the best idea he could have. "And I don't really want to piss off that pegasus anymore than I already have," he thought. "Miss, you seem like a rational young mare, and so I assure you that there is nothing here that cannot be scientifically explained, given time and an open mind. But before we get to that, I wish to apologize for any undue stress that my appearance might have caused. I wish to make it known that my reasons for being here are completely benevolent." He punctuated this impromptu speech with a winning smile. One that was slightly detracted from by the fact that his mouth was full of razor sharp teeth. ~*~ Applejack nudged Twilight and whispered, "Twi, now ah don' think that he's fibbin', but all the same, ah get a weird feelin' about this guy." The two ponies look back to Cloque Worque to see that he is still holding his toothy grin, seeming lost in his own thoughts. "Ah'm not entirely sure what it is about him, but it sets mah mane on edge." "I know what you mean AJ," Twilight responded. "There is a weird tingling feeling all over my body. It's like he's putting an aura of magic out around him." "Actually it isn't magic," CW said, making the two mares jump halfway out of their skin from the sudden interruption. "It's lightning. I naturally generate a large amount of lightning." "That doesn't sound very natural," Twilight said. "Dragon powers," Cloque Worque replied cryptically, waggling his claws at them. "Ah've never heard of dragons bein' able ta make lightning. Heck, pegasi can' even do that." "Applejack is right. In all that I've studied about dragons, I have never come across any example of that," Twilight stated. "And anyway, 'dragon powers' isn't a very scientific answer." "Well, I could give you the scientific answer, but (1) you wouldn't believe me; and (2) it is a very long story. And I would prefer not to have to remember that particular part of my life." Both ponies seemed a bit taken back by this, but they recovered quickly. Twilight was the first to respond. "Be that as it may, there are plenty of other things that need explaining. Take your cart-" "Wagon." "But it's a cart." "Humor me?" "...." "What?" "Nothing. Anyway, as I was saying, your "wagon" moves on its own, plays music, and can apparently change its shape. How do you explain that?" Twilight asked. "Oh, that?" Cloque Worque said, nonplussed. "I have two unicorns chained up in the back." Twilight's eyes grew wide with fear. "Actually, I recently lost a unicorn, so there is an opening, if you are interested." Twilight started shaking and slowly backing away. Cloque Worque burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Sorry...I..I couldn't help it." he said, clutching at his stomach. "But y-you should have seen your face! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Twilight only glared at him, switching her glare to AJ when she tried to stifle a chuckle. After hearing a familiar laugh from somewhere behind her, she turned around to growl "Shut up, Pinkie." Slightly miffed that the dragon had been able to trick her like that, she turned back around, with a slight blush, and quickly asked, "well if that isn't the answer, then what is?" "OK, I might as well tell you. I owe you that much. So to make a very long explanation short, this cart-" He paused in annoyance. "SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO?! Ahem. Sorry for the outburst. Anywho, I built this wagon myself. As a tinker, I have an intimate knowledge of all things mechanical. Once I got all the pieces together, the assembly itself was quite easy. The hard part was powering the thing." At this, he gained an excited glint to his eye. "I betcha wanna know how I did it?" Twilight, quite interested now, just nodded her head. "Here. It'll be easier if I show you," with that, CW walked into the back of the wagon, and with a series of whirs, clicks, and the sound of gears turning, he walked back out, wearing gloves, and holding a dragon-egg sized metal container. The container had small rectangles of glass, through which, what looked like swirling lightning could be seen. The thing hummed audibly, and gave off a glow that could easily be seen, even in the light of day. "This is the generator that I created to power my cart. I based it off a design from my Mentor. I call it the Tempest's Eye. What it does is absorbs any energy source that I select, captures it, and through a process that I like to call 'momentium duplification,' it can easily double, triple, or even quadruple said power source." "Hmm. That is quite interesting. Oh. What he means AJ, is that-" "Ah could understand him jus' fine. Hmph. You could learn a thing or two from him Twi," Applejack said grumpily. The two mares glared at each other for a second, but the tension evaporated just as quickly as it had popped up. "Ah'm sorry Twi, I should know by now that you just mean to help." "It's fine. I could have been a little gentler with how I said it." "Wow. Just wow. If that had been my family, there would have been a lot more screaming. And more things flying towards each other's head," CW said, gently setting the Eye on a pedestal behind him. Applejack just shook her head. "By the way, mister...uh.." "Please, just call me Cloque Worque." "OK. Well, uh, Cloque Worque, why d'you need to use those gloves to hold your dohickey?" "That is an excellent question. The reasoning behind that is that, since the Eye can absorb energy, if it comes into contact with my scales, it will absorb a very large portion of that lightning that I was telling you about earlier. And that is definitely not a good thing." "Oh, uh, OK." ~*~ "Well, Mister Cloque Worque, I think that this has been a very informative talk. To be honest, the reason we came was to make sure that you weren't here to... um..." "What? Raze the village? Plunder, destroy, and generally cause chaos?" "Well...yes." "Don't worry about it. You are not the first to doubt my motives. By now, I've gotten used to it." "Iff'n you don't mind, ah'm a bit curious as to why you're not so..." "What?" Cloque Worque asked. "Rampage-y?" Applejack chuckled weakly. "That's one way t'put it, if a little blunt." "It's fine." Cloque Worque smiled. "Actually, Mister...er, sorry. Actually," Twilight said, "Cloque Worque I'm a little curious myself." "This is another long, painful story. But I'll give you the abridged version. My Mentor, the one I mentioned before, was a tinker, as well. Over time he showed me that I was living my life in completely the wrong way. He went on to teach me everything he knew about Tinkering. He was a good pony." Cloque Worque got a look on his face that Applejack knew well. It was a mixture of happiness, gratitude, sadness, and nostalgic longing that came from losing a loved one. "He died, though. But what he taught me keeps me going." "Well ah'm mighty sorry to hear that Mister Cloque Worque. He seems like a right nice stallion." "Thank you," Cloque Worque said. "He really was." He sniffed a little, and wiped something out of his eye, muttering something about "allergies." "Anyway, I get that you just wanted to make sure that your town is safe. I understand that I look like a big scary monster," Cloque Worque said mildly. Both AJ and Twilight snickered. "What? You don't think I'm scary-looking? How about now?" With that, Cloque Worque raised himself up to his full height, flared his wings, and growled lightly. "So girls, what do you thi-" Cloque Worque was forced to stop when he got hit by what he was sure was a train. A red, growling, obviously angry train, but a train nonetheless. CW was thrown backward onto the pedestal that held the Tempest's Eye. There was an audible crunch. "Macintosh Apple! The hay is wrong with you?" AJ shouted. "Um..." was all the large stallion could manage to say before a loud cry of "OH BUCK ME!" interrupted him. All three ponies looked at the dragon who held the Eye in his claws, as he just stared at the growing crack in the small generator, and the blue-white sparks which were jumping out of and off the thing, like they were sailors abandoning ship. "Oh no," CW said, looking like he had aged several years in a few seconds. His scales were a darker green, and he gave off the look of being on the verge of losing consciousness. Surprise clearly showing on their faces, the ponies looked to the pained dragon. "Remember when I said that it would be bad if it absorbed my energy?" The two mares nodded. "Well, it did, and it is. Chances are, this thing is going to create significantly more energy than the original housing's design was made to sustain. The mares just stared at the dragon. Cloque Worque sighed. "It's going to explode. We need to get rid of it. Unfortunately, I'm currently drained, so one of you will have to." Stepping up to the challenge, Big Macintosh replies with an easy "eeyup." Turning around, the large, red stallion reared up onto his front legs, and with all of his considerable might, knocked the Eye high into the sky. Unfortunately, he did so by launching the dragon holding it. "Wait! Why didn't you just buck the-" BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!! A enormous explosion rocks Ponyville, knocking nearby ponies to the ground, reducing most windows to piles of glass shards, and sending a certain dragon careening into the ground at dangerous speeds. Big Mac gets up to see his sister glaring at him. "Um...oops?" ~*~ "You must really have it out for me," CW said, rotating his shoulder, eliciting a fresh wave of pain. Wincing, he mumbled, "that was some kick." "If it makes you feel any better, my sister chewed me out somethin' fierce for knocking you into the air like that." Cloque Worque just laughed. "Don't worry about it. Lemme guess, you saw me, figured that I was attacking your sister and her friend, and flipped out?" Big Mac blushed, turning his head away. "Yeah, somethin' like that." CW chuckled, and started pulling tubes and wires off of his body. "Uh...are you sure that you should be doin' that?" "Yeah, the docs here did a good job and all, but what I really need is a nice hard cider." Big Macintosh just smiled. "Ah may be able to help with that." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A/N : If anyone can think of anyway to make this story better, feel free to let me know in the comments section below. Also, I'm looking for some beta-readers and an editor to help me catch myself from having too many spelling/grammatical mistakes and to make sure that the story flows properly. So if you think that you are up to the job, shoot me a pm. Thanks, CptDemos
Chapter 4Cloque Worque and Big Macintosh climbed out of the hospital window, into the cool night air. Cloque Worque, almost immediately, turned and started walking towards the center of town. "Where ya goin'?" asked Big Macintosh asked. "I need to go to my wagon, to get a few things, before we get started," Cloque Worque replied, amiably. "Well, then you're headed th' wrong way. We moved your car-" "Wagon!" "Fine, wagon. We moved your wagon to the outskirts of town three days after your accident. We, th' townsfolk Ah mean, felt that since we din't know if you were gon' wake up, or even what th' heck was in your wagon, it'd be best if we din't have it in the middle o' town." Turning to face Big Mac, CW asked "don't you know that it isn't right to touch other pony's- er, dragon's stuff without asking them first?" "You were in a coma. Ya weren't real talkative." Cloque Worque stopped and just studied Big Mac, for a minute. He had seen boulders that looked less sturdy. He was about one and a half times the size of a normal pony. The stallion's musculature was toned, but not emphasized. He figured it came from some sort of manual labor, which would explain the yoke that he wore around his neck. His coat was bright red, with a dirty blond mane and tail. He had a green apple which had been halved for a cutie mark. He seemed much smarter than you would think, just by looking at him. Not necessarily educated, just intelligent. His IQ was probably similar to his stature: larger than the average pony's. He obviously cared for his sister as well. A family stallion. He didn't beat about the bush with things either. If he wanted to say something, he would. He was definitely an interesting pony. "You're right," Cloque Worque admitted. "There are things in that wagon that could potentially hurt somepony. You made the right choice. And I shouldn't have expected you to keep it in the same place for two weeks. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so short with you." "It's fine. Don't worry about it, Mister..." "Cloque Worque. Cloque Worque T. Tinker." "What's tha 'T' stand for?" "The," came the reply, from the smirking dragon. The large red stallion started chuckling. "Clever. Obviously not your real name, but everyone is entitled to their secrets." "That's very gracious. And you are?" "Macintosh Apple. Folks 'round here just call me Big Mac, though." "Hm. Fitting. Did you say Apple?" "Eyup." A smile spread across the dragon's face. "You wouldn't happen to know a pony named Braeburn, would you? He lives out in..." "AAAAAPPAALLOOOSSSAAA! Heh. Yeah, I know him. We're cousins." "Ha ha ha. He's a good guy," Cloque Worque said. "Met him a few months ago. He actually helped the townsponies realize that I wasn't there to burn everything down. However, he did manage to get tangled up in an automatic pie crust maker I was displaying." "He's a good kid, but he can be a little dim at times, bless his soul." "So if you're an Apple, I guess that talk of a cider has a pretty good chance of happening. I had some of your family's brew out in Manehattan. The best I've tasted in a long time." "Thank you kindly. But you haven't had our cider until you have a mug of it on tapping day. For now, you'll have to settle for the normal stuff that's sold at Berry's." "Gladly. Let me just grab a few things from my wagon, first." ~*~ "Ahh. Much better. Glad I kept those wing wraps," Cloque Worque said. He had his wings wrapped closer to his body than they normally lay. He was also wearing a black t-shirt that had an image of a white claw grasping a white wrench on it. On top of his head, he had a baseball cap sitting backwards, to hide his horns. "Alright, Sir Apple," the dragon said, turning to his guide. "You know your way about town. I shall leave the navigation of the way to this 'Berry's,' up to you." "Heh. OK. Just follow me then." ~*~ As the two of them made their way through the town, Mac would point out certain buildings, and tell Cloque Worque who lived there, what they did, the basic who's who of the town. Many ponies would start to say hello to Mac, but they'd falter a bit when they saw Cloque Worque. Macintosh tried to apologize for the treatment, but CW told him that it was to be expected. Eventually, they got to Berry Punch's tavern. ~*~ The tavern had a healthy number of patrons, sitting at the bar, or in booths, in groups of two's and three's. The atmosphere was lively, but not rowdy. Music was playing from some corner, but it was hard to tell from which. There was enough ambient noise that it didn't drown out the music, but not so little that the music seemed overbearing. The scent of cider had wafted throughout the entire building for so long, the wood tables seemed to hold that fragrance. The lamps, strategically placed throughout the tavern, gave off enough light that the place seemed lit, but not bright. The whole place had a very "comfortable" feel to it. "Wow. This is how a bar should feel," Cloque Worque said. "And I've been in some good one's." "Eyup." "Where do you want to sit?" "I have a favorite booth. Follow me." As the two of them made their way towards Big Mac's favorite booth, he was, once again, met with a bevy of greetings. This time, however, no one seemed to be startled at the fact that there was a dragon following him. Some even greeted Cloque Worque. Whether this was due to the cider, or to the overall atmosphere of the tavern, it was hard to say. Not long after the two had sat down, a light plum colored mare, with a grape colored mane, came up to the table. "Heya Mac," the plum mare called. "How've ya been?" "Fine ah suppose," Mac replied. "And yourself, Berry? How's the bar?" "Good, thanks for asking. Same as always. The drinks keep flowin'. The ponies keep smilin'," she said, a smile of her own growing. "Who's your friend?" "Always good to hear. This is Cloque Worque." "Oh, yeah," Berry said, recognition showing on her face. "You're that dragon from a few weeks ago. Finally woke up, eh?" "Heh heh. Yeah. I figured that, at the very least, that deserved a celebratory cider, and Macintosh said that this was the best place in town. So here I am." "Well, he wasn't lyin'. This is the best tavern in all of Ponyville. It's also the ONLY tavern in Ponyville. But thank you for the compliment Mac. So what'll you boys have?" "Two ciders, Berry. Thanks." "Sure thing. Be right back." A moment later, Berry Punch came back to the table with two large frothy mugs of cider. "Thank you," said Cloque Worque. "Thank's a lot, Berry." "Not a problem. It's always a pleasure havin' you here Mac," she said as she went back to the bar. Cloque Worque looked a little thoughtful for a second, before saying "Say, Mac. Was it just me, or was she extra friendly with you?" Covering a small smile with his mug, Macintosh said "I haven't the faintest idea." "Uh huh," the dragon said, the gears in his head turning. "Actually, MOST of the mares we passed on the street seemed to be just a little bit more friendly than is normal. But I'm just an outsider. What do I know about how the ladies of this town greet others." Mac just chuckled. "Tell me, are..uh...you and Berry....uh..." "Naw, we're not like that." "What about any of the other girls we saw?" "Nope." "Seriously?" he asked, a look of astonishment on his face. Macintosh sighed. "It's not for the lack of them trying." "Wow," the dragon said. "You, my Crimson Compatriot, are a lucky pony. But, in all honesty, none of them?" Big Mac just shook his head. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. You have a choice of all those mares and you're not with any of them? What's up with that?" Cloque Worque asked, shaking his head. "Do you just not....hey, Equestria to Macintosh. You in there?" Mac, however, hadn't heard a single word that the dragon had said. Instead, he was staring towards the door, with a look on his face that said that most of his mental capabilities had checked out for the day. "Hey, whatcha starin' at, bud?" Cloque Worque asked, turning around to look in the same direction. He didn't see anything out of place. Just a few paintings, a plant, and a group of mares. He recognized the two standing closest to the big red stallion's line of sight. One was his sister, and the other was.... "Ahh... I see how it is," Cloque Worque said, a slightly mischievous smile splitting his face. "You're sweet on that purple unicorn, aren'tcha?" Big Mac just shrank into himself, and made a noise that would have made more sense coming from a mouse. "Well, have you told her how you feel?" A minuscule shake of the head, and another squeak. "What?!" he cried, gesturing at Mac with his mug. "A big, strapping, young stallion like yourself can't tell little old her? Why not?" Another shrink, and, to Cloque Worque's surprise, a blush that showed through his red coat. The whole situation was just a bit too funny for him. He couldn't help it. He started laughing. A loud, belly laugh rolled out of his throat. One that caught the attention of a certain group of mares. "Oh boy," he said, a wicked twinkle in his eye. "Here they come, champ. You ready for this?" Mac fixed his draconian guest with a glare. "You're havin' way too much fun with this." "Hey, I was asleep for two weeks. Cut me some slack." Mac just gave off a noncommittal grunt, and took a hurried sip of his cider. ~*~ To look at Macintosh's face, you'd think that the world was ending. However, it was just a group of mares coming over to their booth. Cloque Worque, however, was thoroughly enjoying himself, just watching the stallion's reactions. He noted the four mares, the two from the accident, a pink earth pony, and a white unicorn, as they made their way over. He wondered if he was going to have to be the first to talk. Fortunately, someone else had different ideas. "Macintosh Apple!" Applejack called across the bar. "What in the hay are you doin' here? I sent you to check on Mister Cloque Worque, and not only are you not at the hospital, you brought him to a bar?! What's wrong with you? You trade your brains for apples? You shoulda known better." Shrinking even more, Macintosh just mumbled "Sorry, Sis." CW tried to mask his snickers by taking a drink. "And you!" The snickers stopped immediately. "You should know better, as well! You were a vegetable yesterday! You should be restin'! And now here you are carousin' with mah idiot of a brother. Just because you ain't mah kin don't mean I can't scold you as well!" It was Big Mac's turn to hide his laughter. "A pleasure to see you, as well, Miss," the dragon said with a smile. "I don't think that I got your names the last time we spoke." The tan mare sighed. "Mah name's Applejack. This here's Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity." "How do you do, Miss Sparkle." "Hello, again." Cloque Worque nodded to the other two mares. "Miss Pie, Miss Rarity. "Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie!" "Charmed, I'm sure," said Rarity, dropping into a graceful bow. "Come! Sit!" said the dragon, glancing at Mac with a look that was maybe forty percent well-meaning, and sixty percent mischief. "This is a celebration of my 'awake-ness'. Have a cider! Relax a while!" Cloque Worque forced himself to ignore the volcanic glare Macintosh flashed at him. "Oh, I don't know," said Twilight. "We're meeting a couple of friends soon, and I don't want to be late. What do you think, girls?" As the mares talked among themselves, CW leaned over to Mac, and whispered "Hey, here's your chance man. Ask her to sit!" Unfortunately, before the red stallion could make up his mind, the choice was made for him. "I don't think we can, tonight. We've had these plans for a while now, and we've really been looking forward to it. You understand, right?" Macintosh looked like he wanted to say something, but all that came out was "Eyup." Cloque Worque just shook his head, sighing to himself. "Well then, I guess we'll see you later," Twilight said. Mac looked like someone just kicked his puppy. "Take care," Cloque Worque said, taking a sip of his drink. "Oh hey," said Pinkie Pie, "here are our friends." Cloque Worque looked up, and almost spit out the cider he had just drank. A cyan pegasus was making her way towards the group. Followed by the pretty, yellow pegasus from the town's square. "Hey you guys," the cyan pegasus called, "we've been lookin' all over for you." As the two came closer, Macintosh noticed that CW was trying his hardest to become a part of the bench, that he sat on. "Oh, hey Mac. Huh. So this is the dragon? I thought he'd be bigger." The cyan pegasus sniffed. "Pleased ta meetcha. The name's Rainbow Dash. You might've heard of me." "Hello Miss Dash, it's nice to meet you." Cloque Worque turned to the other pegasus. "G-good to see you again, Miss. I- uh...I don't believe tha-that I caught your name." The yellow pegasus just kind of glared at Cloque Worque. "Fluttershy," came the terse reply. "T-that's a very lovely name." Fluttershy didn't respond. "Fluttershy, what is the matter with you?" asked Applejack. Fluttershy just continued to glare at the dragon. "I don't trust him," she said, through gritted teeth. "Well," Rainbow dash said. "This just got awkward, so I think it's time for us to get goin'. Glad to see you up and about Mister Cloque Worque." Then, they all, with the exception of Fluttershy, exchanged good-byes. She just glared at him. After the mares had left, both CW and Macintosh visibly crumpled. They looked like they had just seen a long, brutal battle. Cloque Worque took his mug in claw, raised his head, said "Mares, man," and downed it all. Big Mac just Eyup'd, and drained his, as well. ~*~ The next morning, Macintosh woke up on his family's sofa with a killer headache. He couldn't remember the last time he had a hangover this bad. Heck, he couldn't remember how he got home. Or much at all, for that matter. He got up at the smell of flapjacks, and made his way to the kitchen. There he found his grandmother, Granny Smith, cooking the previously mentioned flapjacks, and his youngest sister, Applebloom, poking a lump that looked suspiciously like a dragon. "Ugghhh... Mah head is killin' me. Hey, Cloque Worque, you alive?" "Barely," came the almost inaudible response from the lump. "Well, Macintosh, you jus' sit yerself right on down," said Granny Smith. "These'll be dun' in a minute. Don't try to talk much before you eat anythin'." Mac gladly sat down and shut up. ~*~ After breakfast, and a healthy amount of painkillers, Macintosh walked out onto the porch, where Cloque Worque was sitting. They just sat there for a while, not saying anything. "This is nice," Cloque Worque said, breaking the silence. "Eyup." "I'm glad it's so pleasant here." "Why?" "Well, since I no longer have a way to power my wagon, I have to stay in town for a while." "Oh?" "Yeah. It was nice of your grandmother to give me the spare room." "Eyu-WHAT?!" ~*~
Chapter 5Big Macintosh was visibly frustrated. He felt that he had been asking the same question for several minutes now. "I understand that. What I don't understand, Granny, is why is he stayin' here?" "He mentioned that he'd have ta stay in town a while, and I figgur'd that he could have tha spare room," the old green mare said. "You two seemed ta be fairly chummy last night. I din't think that you'd have a problem with it. Land sakes, Boy! Ya said that you two were brothers!" "Wha-" Big Mac shook his head in consternation. "Seriously? Brothers?" "Yup," Applebloom said, nodding. She scrunched her face up, trying to remember what he had said. "Somethin' like 'brothers on the battlefield of love,' or somethin'." Macintosh facehooved, and started to swear to never drink again, before all of what his sister had said registered in his brain. "Oh fer.... Did you say 'love?'" "Yup." At this, Macintosh dashed out of the kitchen, looking like he'd just seen a ghost. Turning to Granny Smith, Applebloom asked, "What's up with Mac?" "Oh him? He's just the same as always," she replied, shaking her head. "He's just usually better at hidin' it." ~*~ Cloque Worque had decided to go for a short walk around the farm, to get to know the area. He had been entranced by the seemingly endless rows of apple trees. Watching as the trees seemed to march forward, as if they were soldiers, calmed him. He was able to just lose himself in his thoughts, in ways that he hadn't had a chance to in quite a while. This was all shattered when Big Mac came out of nowhere, and tackled him to the ground. "What d'you remember about last night?!" the stallion all but screamed at him. "Uff," Cloque Worque said, as he pushed Mac off of him. "We've got to stop meeting this way. Mostly nothing. It's all hazy." He sat up, dusting himself off, and looked over at Macintosh grumpily. He had been in a coma, this time yesterday. He'd been in an accident before that. He had drunk WAY too much last night. And while the painkillers given by the Apple family had helped, they hadn't helped much. Needless to say, he was already a very sore dragon. Having the large workhorse run into him again didn't help that. Big Mac let out a sigh of relief. Feeling a large weight lift, from his shoulders, Mac said, "well, that's a blessin' ah guess." "Yeah," CW said. "It would've been really embarrassing if I remembered that you are head over hooves in love with that purple unicorn. SO much so, that her presence reduced you to a mumbling foal." Macintosh looked at Cloque Worque with murder in his eyes. Cloque Worque just shot him a predatory smile. "Oh, yes. She was rather pretty. Oh, just what was her name again? Ah. I believe it was-" "Fluttershy," Mac said, cutting him off. Cloque Worque shut his mouth immediately. It was his turn to glare at his comrade. Mac wore the exact same smile that CW had. Which is impressive, since his teeth were significantly less sharp. Exchanging glares for a moment, Cloque Worque finally broke the silence with: "Fine. We both know something about the other. Something that we would never want to get out. Now. We're at a fork in the road. One path we could take leads us to a long battle of blackmail, denials, and other trickery. The other, we both take what we know to the grave, and head our own ways." "Or," Big Mac countered, "we could use the knowledge of our similar plights to strengthen our friendship." Cloque Worque looked skeptical. Sensing his hesitation, Macintosh held out his hoof. CW raised an eyebrow at this. He seemed to retreat into his head, for a second, to consider how this would work. Hesitantly, he held out his claw. "It's been quite a while since I've had an actual friend," he said. Seeing that Cloque Worque was still unsure, Mac moved his hoof closer. CW backed off a little, but settled himself. He made a fist with his claw, and bumped it against Macintosh's hoof, smirking. "There, see?" Macintosh said. "Easy as pie." Cloque Worque just raised his eyebrow again. Macintosh realized what he had said, and facehoofed. "Ah din't mean...It's just a phrase...Ah..Ah.. Ugh." CW gave off a low chuckle. "I know what you meant. I just wanted to mess with you." "Clever." "Thank you. I thought that it was." Big Mac sighed. "Well, if you're goin' to be stayin in town for a while, might as well introduce you to the townsponies." "I don't remember much," Cloque Worque started, "but didn't we do that last night?" "Naw," Mac said. "I'm talkin' a proper introduction. Don't worry. The ponies here are good, quality folk." "Alright then. Lead the way." ~*~ Macintosh took Cloque Worque throughout the entire town. Taking him into shops, and up to vendors in the marketplace, all so that he had a chance to talk with them. He found that Mac was telling the truth about the townsponies. Even though most of them had some apprehension when talking to him, it all had disappeared by the time he left them. Ponies here were genuinely friendly. He felt that he knew many of them, even though he had spoken to them for only five minutes or so. During their tour of the town, Big Mac took CW to a small cafe for lunch. As they were leaving, he told Cloque Worque his plan for the rest of the day. "Ah figure that it's about time for you to meet them," Macintosh said. "Them?" Cloque Worque asked, confused by the vagueness. "Who's them?" "Those six mares you met last night." Mac sighed. "They're kind of celebrities around here." Cloque Worque slammed on the brakes. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't you think that I met them enough last night? I mean, I met your sister and Twilight already. Anyway, I don't think that they'd even want to meet some random dragon. They're probably very busy if they're celebrities." Macintosh just kept walking. "Look, ah know where you're comin' from. Ah'm in the exact same boat. This ain't no picnic for me either. How's about this: we visit Fluttershy last? That sound good?" Cloque Worque sighed. "Admittedly not as good as 'Let's just skip her altogether,' but I'll take what I can get." "Good. Now buckle up. This'll likely get interestin'." ~*~ "Are you sure that this place is structurally secure," Cloque Worque asked. "Cuz' I'm fairly certain that icing is not a good building material." Ignoring the other's jokes, Macintosh just kept walking. "Shut up, and come on. Best to get this one done with first." "What? Why is- YAHH!!!" Cloque Worque screamed as a pink pony burst out of mailbox that he was walking past. Sighing, Mac just gave a pleasant "Hello, Pinkie." "Hiya Big Mac! How have you been? It feels like it's been forEVER since we talked, but we saw each other just last night. Isn't that weird?! But, enough about us, what are you doing in my neck of the metaphorical woods?" "Cloque Worque here is gonna be in town for a while, and ah figured that ah should take'm around, so that he could get a feel for the town, and meet all the townsponies." CW, having settled his heart rate, decided that he should probably join in the conversation. "Yeah, he showed me around last night, but, if I'm honest, I don't remember a lot of that." Holding his hat, in one claw, he added, "anyway, it is good to see you again, Miss Pie." "Psh," Pinkie said. "Miss Pie was my mom. Or some other mare who has my name, but isn't as fun as I am." Thrown for a bit of a loop, Cloque Worque only manages to get out "I...I guess that's right." "Yup. If you're staying, though, it's good that I already threw you a 'Welcome To Town' party." "Seriously?" asked Cloque Worque. "Did I really get so tanked, that I forgot a whole party?" "No, silly. I threw the party about a week ago. You should know," she said, as if it made all the sense in the world. "You were there." Leaning towards the large stallion, CW asked, under his breath, "hey, I didn't wake up for a bit, did I?" Macintosh just shook his head. Trying to wrap his head around the concept, Cloque Worque asked again, just to make sure, "So you threw a party a week ago?" "Yep," Pinkie said simply. "In my hospital room?" "Yep." "While I was in a coma?" "Yep." "I..I don't know what to say." "Don't worry about it. Parties are my thing. Speaking of which, I need to plan your 'Woke Up From A Coma' party. So I need to go. It was good talking to you, again!" She then disappeared back into the mailbox. Cloque Worque just stared at the mailbox for a minute. He massaged the bridge of his nose, and said, "I think I need another drink." "Eyup." ~*~ The pair walked out of Berry's tavern, with only a slight stagger to their step. Cloque Worque breathed a contented sigh, and looked to his companion. "Where to next? Somewhere less insanity-inducing, I hope." After some thought, Mac started walking, calling over his shoulder, "Less random, sure. However, unless you are calmed by manic mood swings, ah don' think that things will get more sane." "Have I mentioned how good of a guide you are?" "Shut up." "Just wanted to make it known." "Noted." ~*~ "Rraagh," Cloque Worque groaned. "First a cupcake, now a carousel? Why are these places so different than ninety percent of the town?! It's like they're marketing something." Big Mac just eyed the dragon, and kept walking. This time, they got inside before they were greeted. The elegant looking white mare, from the night before, was hovering around a mannequin draped in fabrics, using her magic to levitate enough cloth, pins, and thread to make several more dresses. She wore a pair of glasses, perched upon her nose. Looking up, almost absent-mindedly, she took stock of her two visitors, for the first time, a smile coming to her face. "Oh, Macintosh, Darling! It is oh so good to see you? You don't seem to get off the farm very often, and, well, I wouldn't want to dirty my hooves, and so we just live out our little lives. Tragic, truly tragic. You've caught me in the middle of working out the design for a commissioned dress. The lady who ordered it gave me artistic license, to do as I please. All she asked was that 'it wasn't 'frumpy.'" As if I would ever make anything that was..." a shudder of disgust shook her frame, "Frumpy! But enough about me. Have you finally come to let me use you as a model for a stallion's line? Although, I would have to scale the size up a bit, I suppose." Letting a small breath out, the large work horse put on a smile, and said, with a tone that implied he had said it many times before, "Ah appreciate the offer, Miss Rarity, but ah just don' have that much time, in ma schedule." The fashionista sighed, and replied, "that's truly a shame. C'est la vie. One of these days, though. Anyway, where are my manners? I've completely ignored my other guest! Terribly sorry, Mister... Cloque Worque, was it?" Taking off his hat, CW replied, smiling easily, "Yes, Miss. A pleasure to see you again." "Oh, my. A gentlecolt. What a rare sight, these days." "I'm far from a gentlecolt, Miss," Cloque Worque said. "I've just picked up some manners during my travels." "Don' believe it for a second, Miss Rarity," Mac said, a smile breaking out, across his face. "He's irascible, and a cad, at that!" Cloque Worque, wearing a smile, as well, jumped back, feigning insult. "Balderdash! I shan't have you slandering my name, any longer! Swords at dawn, you overdeveloped, scarlet cur!" The unicorn's laughter brought the pair's production to an end, smiles all around. "Thank you both, for that," she said. "It was quite entertaining. You two seem to have gotten quite close, since last I saw you. Now, I hate to be rude, but I really need to finish this dress." The duo bent into over-exaggerated bows, each offering words of encouragement, as well as their good-byes. They were still chuckling, when the got to the main street. CW wiped at his eyes, saying, "irascible cad. Heh." "Heh heh. Scarlet cur." "Artless clod." "Bawdy ragamuffin." "Tottering ninny!" "Wheat-witted buffoon!" "Craven, rough-hewn dewberry!" "Impertinent, tickle-brained flap-dragon!" Growling, Cloque Worque tackled Macintosh off the path. ~*~ Scuffed up and sore, but sporting huge grins, the two walked on. "So," Cloque Worque noted. "We've met three, including your sister. We're almost to the end!" The smiles left their faces immediately. CW sighed. "Alright, who's next?" "Ah figured Rainbow Dash," Mac drawled. "She's usually napping on a cloud, right about now." The dragon cast a look at the cloudy sky. "Well, that makes this easy. Maybe if we call her name. RAINBOW DA-" The sky blue pegasus appeared in a rainbow blur. "You called?" she asked. Cloque Worque looked at his crimson companion, and muttered, "I didn't think that would actually work." Big Mac just grunted. "Hey," Dash said, recognition spreading across her face. "You're that dragon, from last night. You come back for an autograph?" The dragon gasped, and asked, in an awed voice, "you'd do that for me?!" Mac raised a hoof to help in hiding his snickers. "Heh. Sure. Gotta stay in touch with the fans. Oh, hey. I don't have any parchment, though." In the same tone, Cloque Worque said, "that's ok. Just talking to you is more than enough." Macintosh was suddenly taken by a coughing fit. "Yeah, well, you got good taste. I gotta fly. It's almost time for my nap. Good seein' you, Mac." Between coughs, Big Mac managed to get a "likewise" out. She was gone in another technicolor blur. The two were left, rolling on the ground, in laughter. ~*~ Macintosh looked nervous. "Y-you know, Cloque Worque, it's getting kinda late. Maybe we should j-just head back to the f-f-farm." Very nervous. "C'mon, Big Guy, we're almost done," Cloque Worque said. "We've come this far, we can't give up now. Wan't me to take point, on the next one?" The large stallion sighed. "Yes." "Alright," the dragon said, looking around. "Where're we headed?" "The library." "Please, tell me it's not-" "It is." Cloque Worque put his head in his claws. "Why is it a TREE?! WHY-Y-Y?" ~*~ Author's Note So, originally, I was going to have them meet the entire Mane Six, in one chapter. However, due to the fact that there was a significant delay between writing sessions, I got to look over some of the things that I had written, with a different light. I'm not really happy with how I wrote the two of them interacting with their respective love interests. So I'm moving that to an entirely new chapter. And since it's almost eight in the morning, I'm going to get some sleep, before doing rewrites and revisions. Now, since I want to get at least two more chapters out, before 2014, I'm going to ask that you guys, if chapter six isn't out in the next five days, pm me, telling me to get my act together. Alright. I'm gonna go sleep. Hope this was a good chapter. (Seriously. Just yell at me. It'll help.) Demos
Notice of things to comeHi. I'm the guy who is really bad about keeping my promises to update the story more than twice a year. When I started this story, I had an overall idea for the entirety of it, and I generally tried to write chapters so that they would hopefully fit. Looking at the idea, as well as what I've written so far, almost two years later, it's helped me realize something. It's bad. But that is a good thing. Kinda. See, it's made me realize that what I wanted from the story, and how I was writing it, were two vastly different things. I wanted this moderately serious story of friendship and awesome, with large overarching plot points, but I was coming up with the chapters as I was writing them. And that was part of the reason that I was so inconsistent with updates. I honestly didn't know where I was going. So I took the time to figure out what I wanted to do with the story. Because, contrary to what my actions might have said, I DO want to keep writing. However, I came to understand that what I want to do NOW, isn't the exact same as what I wanted to do when I created the story. As such, I'm going to be revamping some of the earlier chapters so that they can fit more with the story direction that I have for it now. Since it's not a total rewrite, it won't take that long, but I wanted to just give a heads up before I started changing things. Now that that is out of the way, I want to briefly talk about what the story will be. My plan for the story is for it to be slightly episodic. And by that, I mean that the story is going to be comprised of mini-arcs. These mini-arcs are going to be two chapters each, roughly taking up a half of the arc each. Doing this will allow me to be able to come up with story ideas, and be able to flesh them out, without having to worry about a giant overarching story. So hopefully, that will mean that I will be able to put out chapters more often. However, this doesn't mean that the arcs are going to be completely separate from each other. The arc's will dictate the story, not the story dictating the arc. Now, that being said, the first six (yes, I know there are only currently five) chapters of the story don't follow that rule. Basically, I'm using the first six chapters as the basis for the story. Think of them as a super long pilot episode. So once the first six are done, the mini-arcs will begin. Now, I know that I haven't gone into a lot of detail here, but that's just because I want to get moving on revamping the chapters, as well as finishing chapter six. Once that is done, I will go into more detail about the future of the story, in another one of these little notices. On that topic, once I finish writing the first six chapters, I will move this notice to my author's page, and just leave a link in the description. So, thank you for reading this, and if you have any questions just pop them in the comments, or message me. Thanks for the patience, CptDemos
