Tinker Farmer Fluttershy

"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."