The Apple's Engineerby Christs DiscipleChaptersArrival (edited)A Day on the Farm pt.1(edited)A Day on the Farm, pt. 2TimberwolvesA Visit to the WoodsFiller. That's all this really is.Arrival (edited)Celestia's sun began to slowly peek over the horizon, pouring its brilliant, golden light over the town of Ponyville as it slowly stirred to life. With yawns, smacking lips, and sleepy steps, the inhabitants left their homes and trotted onto still dew-covered grass and cobblestone. The mouth watering scents from the many restaurants and a few still occupied houses flooded into the streets as many began their breakfast, and the streets themselves were bustling with energy, many greetings passing between those traveling to either get to work or to the market. In Golden Oaks Library, it was much quieter. Twilight was sitting at her podium, reading a book on advanced magical spells as Spike was sweeping the main room. Suddenly, Spike’s stomach grumbled something fierce and he burped out a letter with the royal seal engraved on it. Twilight quickly turned her attention to Spike and asked, "Ooo! A letter from Princess Celestia! What does it say?" Spike cleared his throat before removing the seal and unfurling the parchment, which still had a lingering smell of smoke. Eyes scanning over the ink written words arrayed before him, he said, "My dearest Twilight Sparkle, I have an urgent task for you and your friends. I have been feeling a strange source of power originating in the Everfree Forest for a few hours now. I would like for you to check out this phenomenon as soon as possible. Sincerely, Princess Celestia." Spike looked up and towards his caretaker. "I'll make sure to watch the library while you're out." "Thanks, Spike. I'll try to be back as soon as possible." She ran out and began gathering her friends for whatever could face them in the dreaded, dark, and dank woods. Half an hour of trotting by all six of them through the Everfree later, Fluttershy's eyes darted around the foreboding, monster-infested forest, filled with the scent of mud and impending doom. "S-s-so.... what are we looking for… ummm… exactly?" "I'm not sure. Anything that may be putting out an odd energy signal." "So, what? Are we supposed to just wander around until we find something stranger than usual in here?" "Well, that's all we really can do, right now, Rainbow," Twilight said, leading the group with her horn alight with an illumination spell. Rainbow Dash sighed in annoyance. After a whole hour of walking in the swamp-like ground had passed, Pinkie pointed suddenly to the left and asked, "Would that count as being stranger than normal?" Each of them attempted to look at what she was pointing at, but before they could get a good look, there was an explosion of sorts, sending all of them flying back a few feet. After some delayed and rather ear-splitting screams, the slightly dazed ponies all calmed down enough via hyperventilating a storm to get up and cautiously approach the bush. As they peered over it, they spotted a chocolate-brown earth pony with a messy (probably from the explosion) blonde mane with a branch sticking out of it. His cutie mark was two gears touching one another with one of the gears possessing a wrench superimposed over it. He had a pair of saddlebags on his back and he was mumbling something with an annoyed expression on his face as he laid on the ground. An angry roar took all of their attention from him to a manticore further ahead that had stepped into the clearing without their notice till now. Subconsciously, the six of them walked back slowly and quietly, putting as much distance between themselves, the bush, the beast, and the stallion beyond the bush and between themselves and the beast as they could. Said stallion said, looking towards the manticore, "Well, that’s unexpected. Guess I really should have listened to him." The pony got up on his hooves, reached into his saddlebag, and pulled out a strange looking piece of metal. He looked at it for a little bit before saying, "Really?" He sighed and threw it aside before widening his stance and pawing at the ground ahead of him as he prepared to fight the monster. All the eyes of Twilight and her friends widened. "Is… is he really planning on taking on that… that beast on his own?" Rarity asked. Her question remained unanswered as they watched the two would be combatants circle one another… right before beginning their bout in earnest. The manticore lunged at the earth pony, who simply leapt over the creature, making sure to give it a kick to its head as he soared past. Both fighters turned to face one another again. The manticore snarled and bared its teeth. The earth pony then said with a smirk, "Just like fighting lions… only a much uglier lion." The manticore lunged again. This time, the earth pony simply stepped out of the way, which caused the manticore to crash through the log he had strategically placed his back against moments earlier. The manticore turned, slightly dazed, to face the pony again, only to get a pair of hind hooves to the face that sent it on a one way trip to Terra Firma. The six spectating ponies cringed at the crunch they heard. The mystery stallion said, "Hmmm… wonder if that’s enough to keep it down?" He had no such luck, as the manticore seemed even angrier as it got up off the ground and did its best to shake itself clean of the dirt caking its fur. "Man! Lady Luck does not like me today!" He paused as he looked off towards the side a little and said, "I’m joking much more than usual." The manticore swatted at the distracted pony with the back of one of its gigantic paws, sending him flying upside-down into a tree. After rebounding off the willow in the question, he landed, head-first, onto the ground. "Okay. Worry about ugly mutant thing now. Worry about joking later." He stood back on all fours and glared into the eyes of the manticore, who glared back. They charged at the same moment. The chocolate colored stallion slid under the manticore, which tried turning, but its momentum caused it to slide into the tree it had just knocked its pony prey into. The stallion then ran up to the beast and gave it a heavy kick to its gut. The manticore fell to the ground, all the air knocked out of it. The pony then gave it another kick to the head, strong enough to cause the manticore’s cranium to bounce off the tree behind it, sending the manticore into the realm of the night princess. The pony gave a heavy sigh as he wiped some of the mud from his chin. He then removed the branch from his mane and smoothed the hair there out a little. "Good. Now I can think of my next course of action." But, he didn't have much time to think. Rainbow Dash flew over the bush and practically screamed, "That was awesome!" This startled the pony, causing him to give out a small yelp and jump slightly. The others all climbed over the bush after her. "That was so cool how you were able to take on that manticore all by yourself! It was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen! Almost as cool as me, though, just missing the mark by about twenty percent there." The stallion looked at the manticore and simply said, "So that's what it's called. Interesting." He then turned to the group and asked, "Do you mind telling me where I am? Not familiar with these… woods..." Twilight replied, "You’re in the Everfree forest, one of the most dangerous places in all Equestria. What in the hay are you doing here of all places and how could you not know you were entering it when you did?" The stallion's face fell slightly as he replied, "I'm traveling around. I just sort of… wandered here." Suddenly, something in Twilight’s head clicked about the explosion from earlier, and she said, "It looked to me more like you teleported here. But… but… how!? That’s impossible! You're an earth pony, not a unicorn! How did you that!? How did you do that!? How did you--" “Uhhh… Twi, sugarcube? You’re getting all…” “Compulsively obsessively crazy?” Rarity suggested. The eyes of all her friends were on her in a moment. Rarity grimaced. “Well, it is true. Please do desist with the evil eye, please.” The stallion replied, taking away some much unwanted attention from Rarity, "Well, I'd rather not talk about how it's possible. Or why I'm travelling. In fact, I'm not sure we’re properly introduced yet." Twilight's eyes widened and after shaking her head, she said, fighting back the embarrassed flush on her face, "Oh! Well, I'm Twilight Sparkle and these are my closest friends: Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack." She pointed to each of the respective ponies as she spoke. The stallion nodded to each of them with a warm smile. They all looked at him in anticipation. His eyes suddenly widened in realization and after shaking his own head and likely fighting back his own embarassed blush, he said, "Oh! Well... my name's... uh," he suddenly broke into a coughing fit and turned his head. He looked back and said, "Sorry. Lungs not a fan of all this humidity. Anyways, uh, my name's Sprocket." They all nodded happily. Pinkie suddenly gasped, jumping three feet into the air and staying there for a few seconds, which gained a raised eyebrow from Sprocket. When she landed, she was mere inches from his face the next microsecond (despite being more than five feet away before). "You're going to be a new pony in Ponyville, aren't you!?" Sprocket's eyes darted back and forth as he took a step back, only for Pinkie to stay right in his face, despite the fact she didn’t step forward. "Um, ahem, well, if that’s a town where I can find someplace to rest my head for a bit, then… yes? Cou--" Before he could ask for personal space, Pinkie began hopping around excitedly. "I need to start planning your welcome party! It'll be sosososomuch fun! Wecanhavecake,andcupcakes,andpunchandgoodiesandbecelebraitngbothyoucomingtoPonyvilleandushavinganewauthorandit'llbethebestpartysofarthisweek! Come on! The sooner we get to Ponyville, the sooner we can throw it!" Before anypony could respond, she dashed off, leaving a pink dust cloud shaped exactly like her to slowly dissipate in her wake. Sprocket blinked, confusion evident in his features. "Ummm... has she had too much sugar? Or does she have ADHD? Or is it some combination?" "That’s just Pinkie being Pinkie,” Twilight said with sigh. “She’s always been very… energetic." Sprocket gave an unsure nod. "Very well. And, ummm... what was that about a party?" The group started walking in the direction Pinkie had dashed towards as Twilight explained, "She always throws a party for anypony that’s new to Ponyville. She has a talent for that sort of thing." Sprocket nodded. Twilight continued, "So… mind telling me what exactly you did before you started traveling? And please, do feel free to be as exact, precise, and as technical… as possible." Sprocket shrugged as best he could while walking and replied, "I was an inventor and helped to improve technology. I’ve worked with everything from stuff as simple as carts to as complex as computers and beyond and repaired and improved it all." "Really now?” Applejack chimed in. “Maybe you can help with the carts at Sweet Apple Acres. The wheels keep comin' off." Sprocket nodded. "Sure. I could do that. You know, I used to work at an apple orchard myself when I was but a wee munchkin." Applejack smiled at that. "Well, shoot! We could always use an extra set’a hooves 'round the farm." Sprocket nodded as he thought about that. "That’d be nice. May take me a little bit to get back into the rhythm of the work, but I’d be more than willing to do it." Applejack beamed and replied, "Well, alright. Seems ya have yerself a job." Sprocket smiled back. "Great! Oh! Small thing I gotta ask about first if you’ll let me.” “What?” “Do you think you could also give me a place to stay, as I am new to town?" "Well, o’course!” Applejack exclaimed. “We’ve got a spare room." "Thanks. I appreciate it. Now, what did you say the name of the town was?" Twilight replied, "Ponyville. It's a nice, peaceful town." "Sounds ni--" Applejack chimed in, "’Cept for the occasional attack by timberwolves." "Oh.” Sprocket said simply. “Well, it can't be that ba--" Twilight continued, "And the occasional beasts from Tartarus that come out." "I'm sur--" Rainbow butted in, "And the fact it borders the Everfree, with so many weird and unbelievably dangerous things living in it." "Ahuh…” Sprocket said numbly. After a few moments of silence, he added, “Maybe... I should look to live somewhere... else." Twilight and her friends turned to see Sprocket's eyes had shrunken into pinpricks and were darting around. His body was also visibly shaking. Twilight coughed and blushed slightly as she replied, "W-w-well, it’s still relatively peaceful." Sprocket gave her as a level stare. "How, in the name of all that is good, is that considered 'RELATIVELY' peaceful!?" Twilight didn't have an answer, but Applejack offered, "Easy, partner. 'Cause we're able to handle it all." Sprocket turned his stare to her and replied, "Even if you were able to handle a being of pure chaos, that still wouldn't make it 'relatively peaceful'." They all started to chuckle at his remark, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "What?" Applejack replied, "Well, Ah'm guessin' that from yer travelin' ya didn't hear about when we beat a bein'a pure chaos named Discord." "Okay… I guess that explains why you're all chuckling now." He turned his attention forwards and noticed some buildings appearing through the claw-like branches of the Everfree. "Is that Ponyville up ahead?" They all turned to where he was facing. Twilight replied, "Yes it is." Sprocket immediately galloped to get out of the horrid forest as fast as he could, the rest of the group following close behind. He slowed only once he actually got into town as he didn't want to get lost on his first day there. The others soon caught up and began leading Sprocket around the cheerful, little berg, pointing out different places of business and various local and personal landmarks and telling a story or two associated with them. The last place they arrived at was one that resembled a gingerbread house and had the familiar scent of baked sweets wafting out from the doors, causing Sprocket’s mouth to water slightly. Twilight said, "And this is Sugarcube Corner. This is where Pinkie works and lives. Come on." Sprocket followed, but noticed that the room was pitch black, causing him to pause slightly. "Ummm… the lights aren't on." "We know.” Twilight said. “It’s okay,” Rainbow added. “We promise no big, scary monster is gonna jump out and get you, Mr. Scaredy Cat." Rainbow’s answer caused him to raise an eyebrow and huff in annoyance, but he went in anyways, although, much to his Rainbow Dash induced chagrin, much more cautiously than before. When he entered, his terrible nerves weren’t helped when he looked back only to realize that the other five were nowhere to be seen. He tensed up, and all of his stored fear was suddenly released by one word and about five dozen other voices. "SURPRISE!" Sprocket jumped higher than one would have thought possible give his stature and fell out the door and onto his back after he landed. Pinkie stuck her head out and chuckled at his prone form. "It seems that really got you, huh?" "You could say that." He stood up and walked back in and was greeted with the sight of a veritable crowd of other ponies aside from the six he had met in the forest, and worse still, a chuckling Rainbow and smirking Applejack. He rolled his eyes and said, "Of course. Ponies around these parts always laugh at somepony else's misfortune, huh?" Rainbow chuckled out, "Well someone’s really jumpy, huh?" Sprocket gave her a blank stare. "What you call jumpy, I call my reflexes that have been honed to try to keep me alive." "Sure,” Applejack shrugged. “Whatever ya say, partner." She slapped him on the back with the comment good naturedly. Sprocket rolled his eyes with a sigh before mingling with the others Pinkie had somehow managed to organize on the shortest of notices at the impromptu party. Later that night The party finally came to an end after the last pony, a mint green unicorn he had learned was named ‘Lyra,’ who seemed pleasant (if a bit too focussed on hands and humans and humans with hands), left. After saying her goodbyes for the night to her friends, Applejack lead him to her family’s orchard, the full moon’s ascent having caused a silent peace to descend upon Ponyville that, after the fifteenth or so conga line with loud music playing in the background, Sprocket found a welcome reprieve in. Soon enough, they came upon a long dirt road and he smiled slightly up at the umbral sky as they came upon it. However, as Ponyville’s innumerable thatched roofs were gradually replaced by apple tree after apple tree as they entered Applejack’s home, he was quickly brought back down to earth from the wondrous tapestry of the night when Applejack stopped and turned to him, causing him to stop in turn. "Uh, yeah?" he asked. Applejack simply stared him in the eyes for a few moments. Finally, she said, "You were lyin' in the Everfree with some’a what ya said. I wanted ta confront ya alone, in case it was cause a somethin' personal. So... what's yer real name?" Sprocket whistled. "Wow. You’re the second person I've ever met that can cut through my poker face like that.” "Now don't ya be goin’ and tryin’ ta change the subject now, ya hear?" she said, her voice and expression leaving no room for argumentation or defiance. Sprocket's face fell and he and Applejack remained silent for a good short while. Breaking the pregnant pause, he said, "Well, my real name doesn't really matter. Let’s just say... it’s part of a whole life I'm wanting to leave behind and trying to get past. And, I want to leave it and get past it behind because I'm trying to keep from being caught by somepony who wants me dead over an accident." The size of royal guard shields couldn’t compare to how big Applejack’s eyes got at that. "Are ya sure?" Sprocket only nodded solemnly. "Do… do ya wanna talk about it?" "Maybe later." That was all the answer he gave and his expression showed he really didn't want to talk about it any more. "Alright." She gave him a sympathetic smile, "I won't push ya." The two continued on, the scent of apples from the surrounding trees growing ever stronger. When they got to the house, Applejack gave him a quick introduction to the family. Soon after, they headed off to bed, Applejack showing him to his room. "Well, here's where ya’ll be sleepin'. Try ta get up at sunrise." It was now Sprocket's eyes’ turn to go wide as saucers. "That early?!" "Well, considerin' that ya said that ya would need some time ta get use ta gettin' up that early, I decided ta let ya sleep in for a little bit. ‘Least ‘till ya got inta the swing a things." Sprocket's eyes widened a little more. "Well, night, sugarcube." As Applejack left him to soak in the horror of his predicament, Sprocket climbed into the bed and stared at the ceiling for a bit. "Wow. They get up real early for work over here.” He shook his head. “Maybe she's just pulling my leg. Yeah. I'm sure that's it." He let out a yawn before quickly falling into a dreamless sleep. Author's Note Well, here's the first chapter of my first story on this site. Give me your honest opinion of this. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. Also, this takes place before "Keep Calm and Flutter On". Edit: The chapter has been edited. And, when I was editing the first chapter, I thought of the son "Rebirthing" by Skillet. Edit 2: The chapter has been re-edited. I'd like to give thanks to VunderGuy for his help in the endeavor. You should see this story revitalized and continued thanks to him. I will heap praise on him because he deserves it. A Day on the Farm pt.1(edited)The sun rose over the horizon and the light poured into Sprocket’s room from the window. He found this annoying and murmured in his snoozing as he tried to shield his eyes from the obtrusive rays by shielding them with his pillow, but a few minutes later, Applejack barged in and shouted, "Git on up! The sun's in the sky!" Sprocket let out a yelp of fear and fell off his bed into an unceremonious heap on the floor. He stood up slowly and gave a small glare to Applejack, who was trying to hold in her giggles. "Well, now that we have scaring me half to death done for the day, let's get this over with. What's first on the agenda?" "Breakfast. Now, git on up an’ come on down fer some grub." Applejack left Sprocket as he slowly got off the floor, stretching out some cramps, before heading to the stairs for breakfast. When he got down, he stopped and stared once he laid his eyes on a mountain of pancakes nearly thrice his height. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he managed to choke out, "What's with that stack of pancakes?!" Applejack looked at it with a sigh and replied, "We were runnin' low on pancake mix." Sprocket's jaw nearly dropped through the floor. "Stack's 'bout three quarters the normal size." "How do you eat that many pancakes!?" "It's an Apple family thing." Sprocket shook himself out of his self-induced trance once the rest of Applejack’s immediate kin began to come in from the early morning work. No sooner than when they had seated themselves did they proceed to devour the stack like manticores on a fresh kill. It was a fearsome sight to behold as syrup and specks of vittle splattered around their mouths as they mercilessly attacked their fluffy prey. Despite his fear and awe at this sight, Sprocket did manage to break out of his stupor enough to eat a few pancakes himself. While he didn't eat very many compared to the others, he had to admit, they were some of the best pancakes he ever had. After they finished and everyone else had already headed out of the room, Applejack handed Sprocket a note. "This here is a list a things we need ya ta fix. On the back is a list a materials we need ya ta git from town. Some is whatcha need fer fixin’ that we don’t have on hoof here on the farm an’ some is fer resupplyin’ what we need more of." Sprocket read all of the items on both sides of the note. He nodded. "Alright. Quick question, though.” “Shoot.” “If I find that I need something else to get something fixed up, is it okay if I add it to the list on the back." “Sure. Just… make sure you don’t go overboard. Bits are kinda tight ‘round here. Hay, they’re always tight, just that recently, they’ve gotten a bit tighter than usual, ya know?” “I hear ya.” Sprocket folded up the piece of paper and stuck it behind his ear. He grabbed a pencil and stuck it with the list. "I'll start by taking a look at that cart you mentioned yesterday." Applejack nodded and said, “A’right. It’s over by the barn.” Applejack then headed into the fields while Sprocket headed towards the barn. later At about ten in the morning, Sprocket was running towards Applejack, who was in the middle of apple-bucking. "Applejack!" After giving a kick to the tree she had been working on for the past five minutes, Applejack turned to Sprocket, wiped some sweat from her forehead, and asked, "Whatcha need, partner?" He came to a stop in front of her and paused as he heaved. When he had caught his breath, he replied, "I was wondering where you kept paper. Your grannie is sleeping, Applebloom is off playing with her friends, and I have no idea where Big Mac is." Applejack raised her eyebrow and asked, "Why do ya need more paper?" "I ran out of room to write more things that needed to be picked up." He showed her the piece of paper, revealing he had indeed used up all the room he could. She read some of the items that he had written down and gave him a questioning look. "Are ya sure ya need all this stuff? Some of it can only be gotten through orderin' it." Sprocket nodded. "Yeah. I'm positive. Some of it can be held off on getting till later, as I can give a temporary fix on some of the things with what I'm given, but everything I added is as necessary as breathing is for a long lasting life." Applejack considered this as she placed a hoof to her chin and kept it there before saying, "Tell ya what: if ya’ll can convince me that it would be in the best interest of the farm to get all this stuff, Ah'll give ya my blessin’s." Sprocket smirked. "Of course. I love when somepony gives me that sort of challenge." The two headed back to the barn, where most of the stuff (that is, that stuff that didn’t need to be ordered) was. He headed first to the cart, which was turned upside down. When Applejack came up, he began the presentation. "Now, I'd like to first point out the wheels." "They're hoofmade by mah pa." "Yes. They’re some pretty spiffy, well-made, wooden wheels if I do say so myself. Especially since they were made by planks of wood and not round chunks. It's a marvel anypony was ever able to do such a thing. I doubt even I could have done such a good jo--" Applejack cut him off with a cough and a look to tell him to get on with it. He blushed slightly. "Sorry. I tend to ramble when I see something as expertly made as these wheels. Anyways, they are showing signs of cracking on this wheel here and there’s also some rotting starting here." He pointed to the two different spots of said wheel. "The rotting would be an easy fix if it wasn't for the crack. If that weren’t there, I would just keep it from rotting and put some stuff to keep the metal bars on it from rusting anymore along with the rust you can see there around some of the nuts. So, yeah, that’s why I put in the thing about getting metal wheels and some coating to protect them from rust. But the coating would actually have more use than that. If you'd look at the axle--" He motioned to it, and Applejack took a close look, seeing it was also rusting slightly. "My guess is that you store it upside down in the barn during winter. That is a good idea, but you still want to throw something over it to keep it from getting all red and flaky like that. Just as extra precaution. Now, the metal used was a decent choice, especially since with how long you’ve said bits have been tight around here, you guys probably couldn’t afford to get a better metal to use or a coating for it. I'd be guessing this has been on here for ten years, at the most." "Actually, it's been on there ever since my pa was just a little colt. He told me and Mac how he helped to put it on there and about how he put tree sap on it to protect it, but made sure not to put any on around where it's connected ta the wagon." Sprocket was surprised. "Huh. Now that’s some resourcefulness. It's impressive he was able to get this to last as long as it has. I’d have half expected it to have been fully rusted by now. But, still, that metal I’m talking about would be better for the axle, as it’s less prone to rust, stronger, and creates less friction, making it easier to pull. Same for those that connect it to the wagon." "A'right, a’right,” Applejack said, sighing and throwing his hooves up into the air. “You've convinced me. What else do ya have in mind?" "Follow me." He led her over to the plow. "Now, how in the wide world a Equestria could ya find a way to help with this?" "Well, I can help with reducing the wear and tear on the back and neck when this is pulled by making some minor adjustments to it. If this piece here is raised just slightly, it’ll reduce the strain put on the user. Also, these straps are slightly worn and I was planning on getting new straps, though to be fair, they’ll still last for another three to five years. I just wanted to get it done and over with. Next on the lineup, I was planning on adding some smaller blades onto it. I know this kind of runs counterintuitive to whole decreasing wear and tear thing, but it’ll more thoroughly plow the field, creating less work in the long run." "Alright. I'll letcha git whatcha need fer slashin' the work… but not the straps. Not yet." "Fair enough. Now, the next thing I want to do is just a side project from the rest to help with collecting the eggs." "No. That's part a Applebloom's personal chores. That lazy little filly needs something to keep her busy and gettin’ a halfway decent work ethic do at least till she’s able ta help more ‘round the farm." "Alright. I'll just cross off the stuff for that." He took the pencil and paper and began crossing off said stuff. "Okay. Now onto the gutter." "What's wrong with that?" "Well, let's get on up, and I'll show you." The two climbed a stack of crates until they were able to get a good look at the gutter. "You see, the screws are fine for this, but I can tell they haven't been replaced for a while, and it’ll only be a matter of time, sooner rather than later, before they’ll need to be replaced anyways. Also, the gutter is getting some cracks in it, so, why not replace the whole thing while we're at it?" "Huh. Ah never noticed those cracks before." "Well, I'd say they’re fairly recent. Almost like it was taken off, unprofessionally, and then put back up by the same ones that took it off, attempting to make it look like nothing happened." "Hmmm…” Applejack said, before muttering under her breath in what she thought was a voice low enough that she thought Sprocket couldn’t hear but he ended up hearing anyways, “No… it couldn’t be…” Then, in her normal volume of voice, she said, “Alright. Ah'll allow ya the new gutter. Anything else?" "Only one, and that’s in the barn." They went into the barn and he led her to a pillar. "Well, what's wrong?" Sprocket gently touched it, and it had a piece fall off and it swayed slightly. "Oh. That's what." "I'm guessing I convinced you completely on that one too?" "Yes, ya did. Alright. Well, off ta town with ya, then." Sprocket nodded before beginning the trek out. "Meanwhile, Ah gotta talk ta mah sister, and maybe her friends too, about a certain gutter..." Author's Note Welp. Thank you again, VunderGuy. He has been doing a wonderful job of editing this mess. He does not get paid enough for what he's done. His only payment is a thanks and me giving him praise. So, make sure to send him some love if you like what you're seeing in the editing. Give me the hate if you don't. A Day on the Farm, pt. 2Sprocket walked into town with the list ready, but upon getting there, he came to the sudden realization he hadn’t the foggiest idea of where to go. Luckily, he spotted Pinkie Pie hopping about through town, so, he ran up to her, hoping she could direct him. "Pinkie!" She stopped in mid-air, defying physical law for what must have been the bajillionth time on that day alone. When she saw Sprocket, she immediately dropped back to the ground. "Oh! Hiya Sprocket! How's your first day of work going?" Sprocket stared for a few seconds because of her staying airborne without any requisite force helping her do so. He shook his head and replied, "Well, Applejack sent me into town to pick up a few things, but I'm not sure where to go." "Oh! That's easy! Just go to Sugarcube Corner." Sprocket blinked. "I'm not hankering for several days’ worth of sugar, Pinkie, I'm wanting some materials for fixing up things around the farm." Pinkie waved her hoof. "I know that. But, why can't you get a nice, delicious, delectable, scrumptious, totally healthy and in no way going straight to your thighs treat as well?" "Applejack gave me only enough coin for the materials." "Still doesn't mean you can't get one." She then hoofed him one without warning. "See?" Sprocket blinked, wondering just where she had gotten it from. "Where in the hay did that come from?" "I had it with me." Sprocket just continued to stare at her. "How were you able to carry it?" Pinkie pulled down a screen from the heavens above, then pulled up a couple of theater seats and pushed Sprocket, who was too confused to resist, into one. A slideshow began to project onto the screen. Sprocket looked around for the source, but didn't find it. Pinkie then answered his question. "Well, ya see, I was working, and I made a special cupcake just for you. However, since I had no way of carrying it while walking, I asked the author to have me just bring it out of nowhere when you came by." The next thing that happened surprised him more than the fact the pictures had nothing to do with what she was saying and seemed to just be images of Pinkie and a baby alligator playing various games in various locales. The screen then fell into her mane when she suddenly popped up from behind it saying, "And that's how we defeated Nightmare Moon!" Pinkie just grinned as Sprocket tried to comprehend what just happened, sitting there thinking as hard as he could, yet still completely and utterly dumbfounded at Pinkie's randomness. He shook his head, deciding to ask somepony else about what was up with Pinkie. "Well, uh, thanks for that, uh… educational moment." "You're welcome." She obviously didn't see he wasn't serious about it. "Maybe they'll let me make a presentation at the school." Sprocket said under his breath, "Yeah... if they want to turn the students minds to mush." He then cleared his throat. "I'll get to going now to get these materials. Do you know how to get to the stores?" "Of course. Just go to Sugarcube Corner, and they’ll be all up and down that street." "Thank you." Sprocket then ran away from the crazy pony as fast as possible, only stopping when she was no longer in sight. When that happened, he slowed to a trot, gasping for breath as he tried (and failed) to figure out the pink pony. However, as he wracked his oxygen starved cranium (which would have had a difficult time trying to solve the riddle wrapped around an enigma placed inside a conundrum that was the ‘Why’ of ‘Pie’), he wasn't watching where he was going and collided into somepony hard enough that he landed squarely (and painfully) on his rump. "Owww!” Looking up, he saw that it had been Twilight who he had, most literally, bumped into. "Hehehe… sorry… I, uh, wasn't watching where I was going." "It's alright,” Twilight sighed. “I wasn't either. But anyways, how's your day going?" "Well, after I ran into Pinkie, it certainly got a lot more confusing." Twilight chuckled. "Yeah, she can do that to people. You just have to remember two things. One: it's Pinkie Pie. Don't question it. Two: don't try spying on her to figure things out about her. It always turns out bad. Trust me." Sprocket snorted. "Let me guess: you found out the hard way?" Twilight nodded as she got back up. “Unfortunately… yes. She also doesn't seem to understand not everypony can break the fourth wall." Sprocket groaned. "I don't believe it. Even here, there are those under the delusion we are in some story." He let out a sigh and walked past her to get back to the task at hoof. "Anyways, I gotta go and get some stuff for the farm. I'll see you later." "Bye! And good luck!” Twilight called after him. Soon, Sprocket made it to the stores with the directions Pinkie had given him, and about an hour after he had reached the street, he was walking back with a cart full of equipment, chuckling at how many bits he had left: just enough for a cupcake. "Isn't that irony, for ya." He continued on his way, arriving at the farm--after taking a wrong turn, ending at a dead end, and being aggressively attacked by a mother goose and her chicks he had unintentionally cornered in that dead end--a couple hours later. Walking straight up to the barn, he saw Big Mac waiting for him. Sprocket smiled slightly. "Are you here to help me with what I'm going to be doing?" "Eeyup." He had learned early that Big Mac usually only spoke in one word sentences. "Alright. Well, I'll need your help in replacing the gutter to start with, then we'll fix that beam in the barn. After that, we'll get started on the wagon. We'll probably be able to finish everything with enough daylight left to get in about three hours of applebucking. Sound good?" "Eeyup." The two got right to work. The gutter was replaced in no time, the wooden pillar took only a little longer, and the wagon really took some time as some of the pieces didn't want to move, but all in all, they managed to finish that up in time to head on over to the plow. This project in particular was taking much longer than Sprocket had anticipated, and he and Mac were in a tangled mess, tied up with the straps and fidgeting around helplessly, right as Applejack came in. She smirked at them. "Are ya’ll havin' some troubles now?" Sprocket just sighed and replied, "Eeyup. And we’re barely even started." Big Mac looked at him and said, "That's mah line." The three gave a light chuckle. "Here. Let me help." Unfortunately, her help wasn 't very helpful, and she somehow managed to end up being tied up with them. Sprocket shook his head. "Well this is a pickle, ain’t it?" "Howdja git inta this consarned situation ta start with?" Applejack asked. "I got new straps." "Ah thought Ah said no new straps!" "Well, they were free and the perfect kind for using on a plow, so… yeah." Applejack sighed. "What kind didja get? Ya know: brand wise?" Sprocket shrugged. "Not sure. I got ‘em off a traveling salespony. He was selling another product, I think it was the anti-rust coating, and said he'd throw in the straps for free." "Well, whoever the maker is, these stupid things sure ain't comin' off easy." Applejack continued to fidget right along with the other two, when she noticed an ax sitting next to the barn. "Looks like we're gonna have ta cut 'em and buy some new ones later." "As long as we get out, I don’t have no problems with that.” Sprocket said. “Eeyup,” Big Mac said in that typical manner of his. “Problem though,” Sprocket continued. “How are we gonna get over yonder to that axe?" Applejack was able to get one hoof onto the ground and managed to get them all to roll a little towards it. Big Mac was then able to keep the roll going with one of his much stronger hooves, and both he and AJ continued this process until they got to the ax. That's when they ran into their next problem: the ax head was not in the prime position for cutting their bonds. All Big Mac managed to do was get the handle to fall over. Sprocket sighed. "Well ain’t this just peachy keen? How are we gonna get this cut with it flat against the ground?" At that moment, Apple Bloom happened to be coming back from crusading and noticed the position they were all in. "What're ya’ll doin'?" "Well, Big Mac and I had trouble with the straps for the plow and we got tied up. Applejack tried helping, but you can see how that turned out. We're currently trying to get these cut, but we're having troubles using this ax." Apple Bloom beamed. "Ah can do it fer ya!" Applejack and Big Mac's eyes widened in horror. "Ah-ah don't think that's the best idea!” said the former. "Nope!" said the latter. Sprocket tried looking at them. "Well, what's the worst she can do? She's just gotta hold the ax carefully next to the straps and slowly move the blade back and forth till they’re cut. Let her try at least." Before Applejack or Big Mac could rightly object, Applebloom ran to the ax and lifted it up the straps, making bother of her older siblings sweat out bullets. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FAMILY FREERS, YAY!" After a few minutes of struggling, though, she was able to cut through them without much fuss… except for the scream of pain Sprocket let out on account of the ax going a little too far and nicking his flank. Still, AJ, Mac, and Sprocket were free, at least. Applebloom looked to her flank for her cutie mark but didn't see any. "Darn it! Ah was sure that was gonna get me mah cutie mark!" She set the ax down next to the barn and trudged along inside the house like she had a chip the size of a dragon on her shoulder, leaving Sprocket to rub his flank. Applejack sighed. "Well, I will say that it wasn't as bad as Ah thought… especially since nothin’ happened to me." Sprocket rubbed his flank more. "Yeah, well, I'd certainly hate to see what you imagined Ms. Consolement.” He looked at his flank and saw it was bleeding a bit more than he had expected. "Well, I'm gonna need to get that looked at. Also, what in the hay was she screaming about before she freed us?" "Oh, that's just her and her friends’ thing they got goin’ on. They formed a group, since they were all blank flanks, about tryin' ta find their special talents so they can earn their cutie marks." Sprocket nodded. "I hear ya. Say, think you can take care of my cut? It ain’t too bad, but it still needs some sort of attention." "Sure thing, sugarcube. Let's git ta the house and Ah'll have it taken care of lickity split." Sprocket raised a brow. “Lickety Split? Doesn’t she run an ice cream shop at the market?” LATER THAT NIGHT After supper was over, Sprocket decided to just watch the ebon sky for a while. He breathed in the cool night air and let out a content sigh. He looked up to the stars, trying to find constellations, but his attention was stolen when he heard hoofsteps approaching. Applejack was walking up to him . "Howdy." "Hey." He turned to the sky again. "That is one of the most beautiful sights I ever did see." Applejack layed down next to him, nodding in agreement. "Yep. Sure is." "Ya know, when I lived in the city, a lot of times, when I had no work the next day, I’d head on out and look at the stars for hours. It was the only thing I missed not being able to see from my front porch. Luckily, I was near the edge of the city in question, so I didn't have to travel too far to get a good look at them there stars." "Ya seem ta really like 'em." He nodded. "I do. Loved looking at them as far back as I can recall. I've always seen them as some sort of guide for me. Hay, it may sound all kinds of corny, cheesy, and downright nutty, but I also always thought of them as a silent guard for me, even." He smiled a small smile. Applejack sat in silence a few minutes, thinking about what he had said while he just enjoyed the silence. After a while, Applejack finally said, "That's an interestin' way of lookin' at them stars." Sproket just shrugged. "Guess it's just the way I am." He turned towards her, and smiled at how the moon's light reflected off other features. He looked away the moment he realized he had been staring, a light blush finding firm purchase on his face. After a few more minutes of silence, Applejack stood up. "Well, it's probably about time we hit the hay. We still gotta get up early, ya know." Sprocket got up and walked beside her. "Also, make sure if ya start starin' again, Big Mac ain't anywhere near." Sprocket blush grew more intense at the realization she had caught him staring. She just laughed lightly. Author's Note Thank VunderGuy for being on fire with his wicked editing skills. TimberwolvesAfter a week of working on the farm, Sprocket had gotten a little used to waking up at the crack of dawn… though he still found the herculean effort of getting out of bed like somepony had strapped a couple of buildings to his back. Still, the important thing was that he was waking on time, at least, and the morning in question proved no exception. “YAAAAHHHH!” he yawned with a stretch of his forelegs and as much of himself as he could. “My oh my how I wish my folks named me ‘Early Bird’ instead. Way too dang early to do anything but dream--” He stopped himself midsentence, tired, bloodshot eyes going wide in shocked epiphany as he remembered what last night’s dream had been. After slapping himself silly for such silly inner thoughts, he said, “Never mind,” and went to the bathroom to wash the sleepiness out of his eyes with some hot water before heading down to the kitchen for some breakfast. The rest of the family came in soon after he did, and he and the younglins of the Apple clan sat at the table in relative silence till Granny Smith was done fixin’ up those scrumptious pancakes of hers and set down everypony’s plate of them on the table. Applejack smiled and thanked her Granny kindly before she remarked Sprocket’s way, "Well, look who's up and about at this hour, fer once." He let out a yawn as he replied, "Yeah, well, what can I say? Ya’lls’ crazy work ethic is finally rubbing off on me… even if I feel like that old, moldy, coldy apple cobbler granny thought was a fresh one she had made we all got sick from. Speaking of which, good morning, granny. That bubbly mail pony finally come and bring your new contacts yet?" “Son, you done best sleep with one eye open,” Granny Smith chuckled humorously right before taking a sip of her warm mug of apple juice that had ‘World’s #1 Granny’ written on it,’ as was her custom this early in the day, with one hoof before setting it down on the table for a little bit so that she could place his stack (all of the stack were resting on her back, ya see) right in front of him. Sprocket placed his forehooves against his head and began massaging it like he was kneading dough. “Yeah, well, to tell ya the truth, I’d eat a million of them bad cobblers if it meant I’d learn the secret as to how you all could be such extreme, no nonsense early risers.” After thankin’ granny himself, he grabbed his fork and began to slowly, mechanically, dig into his pancakes, eyes shutting in and out of consciousness as readily and predictably as the ticking of a clock. Applejack smiled a bit wider and said, "Well ain’t that just the bee’s knees you're so eager to wanna know how to be all punctual like for work… cause yer gonna have ta get used to wakin’ up even earlier.” Sprocket’s eyes now as wide as the pancakes laid out before him, he saw Applejack barely able to contain her smirk as she whistled a jaunty little tune like nothing was the matter as she poured a heaping helping of apple syrup on her own delicious morning vittles. "Uhhh… AJ, can I call you AJ, or are we not on those kind of speakin’ terms yet?” “We sure as sugar are, surgarcube” she said before taking a big slice out of her stack and chowing down. “Mmmm… sugar…” “Okay…” Sprocket said, eyes blinking owlishly as they moved back and forth from side to side like a metronome. “Please tell me you're joking." Big Mac took that moment to answer for her. "Nope." Sprocket's head promptly fell into his stack of pancakes. Applejack smiled comfortingly. "Now dontchya be goin’ and worryin’ up a fuss, now. We'll just be gettin' ya up fifteen minutes earlier at a time… for the first few weeks, anyways. Enough time ta help us out with a few early mornin' chores." “First few weeks!?” Sprockets somehow drudged up the energy to shout into his pancakes “Well yes,” Applejack said calmly. “Then in the second few weeks, we’ll wake you up fifteen minutes earlier than that so that you’re awake thirty minutes earlier than you usually are now, and we’ll keep doing that so on and so forth until we can work ya up to waking up a grand spankin’ total of two hours earlier than usual. Now doesn’t that sound like a hoot?” Sprocket lifted his head out from his stack and groaned out, "FIIIIIIIIIINNNEEEE!” He then let out a sigh and asked, “Well, we got anything else for breakfast? Being honest, while these here apple pancakes are amazing, too much of a good thing can get pretty tiresome after awhile." "Well, all we have left is some oatmeal. Some rats've gotten inta all the other food we got in the pantry, so Fluttershy's comin' by later ta take care a those varmints." Sprocket raised a brow. “If that’s the case, how in the hay did ya get the mix, apples, and apple syrup for these pancakes?” “Simple. Me an’ mah kin always keep rations of all that stuff and more. In case of apple emergencies ya see,” Applejack said, grinning. "O...kay…” Sprocket replied slowly. “So, what are we even gonna do on the work side of things so early today?" "You’n Big Mac'll be workin' over on the east field today. Ah'll be sellin' apples in town." "Got it." Sprocket let out another yawn. Then he got hit by a splash of warm water, drenching his entire body and warming it up by several degrees farenheit. He yelped, "What the--!?" He looked towards the other end of the table, seeing Apple Bloom with an empty bucket and a totally-not-guilty wide grin. "Ah figured it might help ya wake up and stay up." Sprocket deadpanned. "Thanks. I’m sure that’ll help until I’m done.” “Yer welcome!” Apple Bloom said, beaming and seemingly completely unaware of the ten ton chunk of sarcasm Sprocket had hurled her way. After breakfast (and lots of heavy sighing on Sprocket’s part), they all headed off to work. Sprocket was still having trouble summoning the strength or finesse (maybe both) needed to kick the trees assigned to him hard enough to knock down all the apples. He was still stuck on the first tree and the only thing he managed to free (aside from some leaves and a few sticks) was a single apple that promptly fell on his head. He rubbed his aching noggin and glared at the tree in question. "I'm positive these trees hate me now. Everytime I try getting them dang apples, they drop one right on my head, and that’s the only one they give me!" Big Mac, a piece of straw hangin’ from his lips, calmly replied, "Just takes some practice." Sprocket looked at Big Mac with a cocked head like he had an alien growing out of it. "Ya know, that’s probably the most I've ever heard you say in a single sentence." "Eeyup." Sprocket chuckled as he kicked the tree again, finally getting a few more off, none of them hitting his head this time. He gave it a third kick, getting the rest off. "This is probably the hardest work my rear legs have ever had." "That's parta yer problem." Sprocket raised an eyebrow. "What?" "Ya need ta use yer front legs as much as yer back ones. Like this." Big Mac demonstrated on a nearby tree, empty tree, the one he had just been working on. "See? It takes yer full body ta do it right." Sprocket nodded. "Alright." He reared up and leaned forward on his front hooves slightly, before using the strength in both his front and back legs, and he got all but one of the apples off the tree. "Hmmm... looks as though the only one not off the tree was the one above me." Just as he looked back down and was about to try kicking yon apple down again, the red delicious fell down and hit his head. Big mac had a small amused grin on his face. Sprocket gave him a mock glare. "Shut up." The two continued working for a few more hours, until they saw Apple Bloom and her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, running towards them like their tails were on fire because their eyes had laid witness to a ghost. As they passed, Sprocket and Mac looked to where the fillies had came from and saw wolves made of wood… headed straight for ‘em. Sprocket's eyes widened and his pupils shrank and he shrieked out, "Are those wooden wolves comin’ over here!?" "Eeyup,” Big Mac said calmly before spittin’ out the strand of straw in his mouth. “They’re called timberwolves, fer good reason." Sprocket nodded as he replied, "Well I sure as sunup can see that. So… we gonna run?" Big Mac replied, "Nope. Why should we? They're just like hitting trees." "Except with teeth!" "Eeyup." Big Mac took off in a gallop whose sudden swiftness left Sprocket even more wide eyed. After some panting, Sprocket sighed and followed after. Big Mac, in the meanwhile, quickly turned and kicked the first wolf, shattering it into nothing but a hundred pieces of split wood. Despite the fear holding his heart in a vice, Sprocket smiled at seeing how, apparently, these things were easy to break apart… and their bark truly was worse than their bite, pardon the pun. Courage breaking fear’s grip, Sprocket’s half-hearted cantle turned into a proper gallop and he leapt onto Big Mac's back then launched himself off, kicking through two more wolves. He then kicked another, but as soon as he did that, he saw the wood of all the wolves they had taken down give off an eerie green glow before forming into a bigger, meaner-looking, wooden wolf. His eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Now that just ain't fair!" "Nope." "Now can we run?" "Eeyup." Now it was their turn to run like their tails were on fire because their eyes had just laid upon a ghost. "How in the hay can you guys live all the way out here in the boonies knowin’ these things are right next door!?" "They usually keep put in the forest." The two continued running, until Sprocket noticed a pile of junk that he had made his first day on the farm. He smiled as a proverbial lightbulb went off in his head. "Hey, Big Mac! I think I got a plan! Since I'm smaller and weaker, it'll follow me! I'll lead it into the barn! You go and grab the old axle and get its attention! When it opens its mouth, throw it in there! That might kill it!" Big Mac nodded and they split off. What Sprocket quickly realized, though, was that since he had taken out more wolves, they chose to chase down Big Mac. He slid to a halt. "That is not the plan! BIG MAC! LEAD THEM TO THE BARN!" Big Mac ran into the barn. Sprocket ran to the pile of junk. After a quick look, he grabbed a smaller piece of metal (as he was not strong enough to throw the axle) and ran in. The wolf had Big Mac in a corner at the back wall of the barn, but there was a hole there and Big Mac managed to escape right out. The biggest wolf tried scratching at the wall to get to Big Mac, but turned its head back and growled the moment it heard Sprocket whistle at to get its attention. "Come and get me, bingo!" The mega wolf opened its mouth to howl, but Sprocket threw the metal in his hoof like a spear, and it went right clean out the back of the lupine lignum’s throat. "Hmmm... I'm better at throwing a spear than I thought.” The wolf then fell over, dead. The other wolves, however, which had followed right on the heels (or at least less than a few feet away) of their now deceased, bigger kin, looked towards the now shaking pony with a serious case of tunnel vision that was able to take down said fido giganto down a peg. They growled. They growled a lot. "Oh boy." He tried turning back for the exit, but another of the timberwolves he had missed was right there behind him. He tried turning back to the hole Big Mac had escaped through, but, again, he remembered that the little entourage that had followed the mega wolf was there and slowly making their way while growling up a storm as well. So, Sprocket backed up into one of the few places he could, into one of the side walls as they all closed in on him. He gulped. He gulped a lot. Then suddenly, an old axle went through the wolves, who had more or less been lined up straight enough. killing them. Sprocket turned to see Big Mac standing by the barn entrance and casually waving a hoof his way. Sprocket nodded. He nodded a lot. "Thanks." "Eeyup." Sprocket then turned back to the wolves. "So what we gonna do with them?" Big Mac thought for a moment. "Firewood." Sprocket chuckled. "Ironic. They tried to make us lunch, so as due punishment, they'll be helping us to make lunch." He chuckled a bit before catching himself and saying, "Huh. First time I ever made an attempt at a joke." Big Mac smirked. "Just don't quit yer day job." "Why? So you'll have somepony to help you around the farm when Applejack is selling apples?" "Nope. So somepony'll be able ta pull yer flank outta the flames… errr… sharp, wooden teeth, in this case." Sprocket raised an eyebrow. "Yeah… who saved who from a giant timberwolf again there, big fella?" "Who saved who from that pack of firewood over there?" "Touche." The two walked out and headed into the house for lunch. When they entered, they saw Apple Bloom and her friends huddled inside with kitchen utensils as weapons and armor. Sprocket asked them, "So, why were those timberwolves following you?" Apple Bloom and her friends quickly shed their armor and weapons. Apple Bloom exclaimed, "You two seem hungry! Do ya want us ta cook ya a meal?" Sprocket thought for a moment and nodded as he replied, "It’d be a nice gesture, sure. And, while you're at it, you can tell us all about why them timberwolves were following you like I asked." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle immediately pointed to Scootaloo and said, in stereo "It was all her idea!" "What!?" Sprocket just kept his stare and replied, "Now I don't rightly care whose idea it was. Just please answer my question." His tone had become slightly more forceful and left no room for arguing. Apple Bloom's head fell, as did her ears. "We was tryin' ta get our cutie marks in timberwolf wranglin'." Sprocket blinked a couple times and rubbed the inside of one of his ears, hopping he heard wrong. "I'm sorry now, but: did you say 'timberwolf wrangling'?" Apple Bloom nodded. "Now what in hay were you three thinking!? Were you even thinkin’!? Even a little!?" "Well, we figured that since we hadn't tried that yet, it might be a way to get our cutie marks for sure," Sweetie Belle said. Sprocket was at a loss for words. When he finally found his voice, he said, "Have you tried getting your cutie marks in something a little less dangerous? Like say tea making, or maybe corn cob doll making, or wood carving?" Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Boring!" She then though for a moment. "Maybe we can get them in tree scultpering!" Sprocket's eyes widened. "NO! That is way too dangerous! And it’s sculpting, not sculptering! Either way, now that I think about it, hay, just wood carving may be too dangerous!" Apple Bloom pleaded, "Oh please, oh please, oh PLEASE let us try tree carving!" "No." The three crusaders then began to pout, tears filling the corners of their quickly enlarging, large, eyes. In short, they looked so cute they could give an elderly pony a cuteness-induced heart attack. "Ummm..." They then asked, in their cutest possible voices, "Please?" Somewhere, someway, Sprocket could swear he heard multiple kittens die out of envy. Sprocket was sweating bullets and the word no was unable to come out. So, he turned to his partner in timberwolf taking down and said, "Uh, Big Mac? Little help here?" Big Mac turned to the fillies with closed eyes and said in regards to their pleas, "Nope. Now, git yerselves cleaned up fer lunch and set to be grounded for a long, LONG time after this little, stupid, insanely dangerous stunt of yours." The three sighed and went to go do as they were told. Sprocket sighed in relief. "Thanks." "No problem. Applejack'll be comin' in soon fer lunch. Go n' help her bring in the wagon n' tell her what happened." "Got it." He trotted out the door and it wasn’t too long before he saw Applejack coming in. He walked up to her and asked, "Do you want me to take the wagon for you?" "Nah, I got it. Anything interestin’ happen while Ah was gone?" Sprocket nodded. "Yep. We got some firewood." When he saw Applejack raise an eyebrow, he explained, "Apple Bloom and her friends thought they could get their cutie marks in timberwolf wrangling." Applejack shook her head and cleared out her ear before asking, "Ah’m sorry, but did you just say, 'timberwolf wranglin'’?" Sprocket chuckled. "Heh, that’s exactly what I did when I heard it the first time too. Big Mac and I told the girls they were grounded for a long, long time… after we took down the timberwolves running after ‘em and turned them into lots and lots of kindlin.’ So, yeah. We got some firewood alright.” Applejack shook her head as she unhitched herself from the cart. "What am Ah gonna do with that filly? I swear, one of these days, heck, maybe tomorrah after what you just told me, I’m gonna put her in a cell she can’t get out of for her own safety till she learns that doing stupidly dangerous nonsense not only ain’t gonna get her mark, but it’s liable to get her hurt or… or worse!” "That… actually may not be such a bad idea… especially if all that unnecessary risk taking is as chronic for her as you make it out to be.” He sighed and put a chin to his hoof. “But where in the hay are we gonna build something like that? I have a few ideas on how to build it, but where are we going to get the materials for something like that? So many questions… ah!” After shaking his head a bit, he looked at a staring Applejack before coughing into a hoof to regain his composure. “Sorry. I’ll uh… I’ll have some more concrete plans for stuff drafted up in a couple days if that’s what you want me to do and you weren’t totally serious and exaggerating even a teeny, tiny bit.” Applejack deadpanned at him and replied, “While it would be much safer fer her, Ah’d prefer not makin’ mah little sis an actual prisoner in her own home.” “Ah, but who said it had to be in the home?” Sprocket said, smirking. Applejack smirked. “While that’s mighty considerate of you, yes, I was exaggerating… a lot, though, not by as much as you’d think. Believe me, when she’s through with the grounding she’s gonna go through, she’ll feel pretty darn close to a prisoner in her own home. Speakin’ ah which… would you mind running along down Sweetie’s and Scootaloos’ place and telling their parents about what everything? I reckon they’ll have about as many words to say to them as I do for Apple Bloom.” Sprocket nodded and was about to speak when his stomach startled grumbling something fierce. Applejack chuckled. “Alright, alright, Sprocket. It can wait till lunch. So, the sooner we get to it, the sooner you can get to what you gotta do.” She walked past Sprocket into the house, and he followed after, rubbing his still undulating tummy. Author's Note Took a bit longer this time, but here it is. Hey, still better than waiting a few years for an update, am I right? Welp, leave a review and maybe give this a like? Gotta get started on the next chapter now. A Visit to the WoodsOn the evening two days after the timberwolf attack, Sprocket lay belly down in a patch of grass, far enough away from the house that the light would land on it but close enough that anypony lookin’ out a window pointed his way could spot him easy enough. Of course, he was looking up at the stars and getting his eyeful of the night sky. "Enjoyin' yerself?" Sprocket let out a sigh. Apparently somepony did spot him through a window pointed his way. "Why yes I am." "Mind if I join ya?" "Free country… though, considering it's a monarchy, not quite sure how..." Applejack laid down next to him and fixed her eyes upwards as well. After a few minutes of silence, she asked, "So, whatcha thinkin' about?" Sprocket let out another sigh, brow furrowed in thought. His response was slow and measured, not daring to say the wrong word. "Nothing major.” He sighed. “Just… just my life before coming here is all." Applejack turned her head towards him and asked, "Anything out of all that in particular?" Sprocket closed his eyes, again giving a measured response. "Yeah, I suppose. My previous job’s the thing specifically on my mind. Ya see, I ended up in the Everfree because of an invention that had recently been… put out on the market, so to speak. I used it to escape a rather hairy situation, that one I told you about when we first met and that I still rather not get into, sorry, and to keep any others from following, I had said device set to self-destruct. That was the whole catalyst for that big, loud fireball of doom you and your friends saw when ya’ll found me." "Ah see,” Applejack said, blinking owlishly. “But if you’d rather not get into it, why tell me even that little bit there that ya just did? I mean, sure, it leaves a lot to the ol’ noodle, but I’d say it kind of those paint enough of a picture all by its lonesome even so." Sprocket sighed. "Because… I was thinking about telling you--and your friends--the whole story.” He let out a cough and was glad the night concealed his blush as he continued, “I mean, you do deserve to know after all you’ve done for me.” He looked down and sighed some more before continuing, “But, I'm still not too sure about it. Too many variables involved. So, please, don't tell nopony else about this. Please." Applejack patted him on the back. "Now don’t ya be worryin’ now, Sprocket. Ya have mah word. Though, fair warnin’: if anypony else asks me if you told me more, while I won’t say nuthin exact about what you said… I kinda can’t help myself but tell them you told me somethin’ in the first place. Element of Honesty and all that, ya know?" Sprocket smiled and nodded his understanding. "Thanks." Suddenly, they heard a single, long howl, and Sprocket just as suddenly squealed like a little filly before Applejack managed to calm him back down. "Hehehe… sorry. Seems like them no good timberwolves are still around." "And probably none too happy,” Applejack added. They both stood up and turned their attention towards the woods. "The upside is, ah think they're just stayin' put in them there woods tonight." “And what about in the mornin’? Or hay, later tonight?” Sprocket said, shivering in fright. “Well then, I guess you and Mac will just have to show ‘em what for and turn ‘em into even more kindlin’.” “And what are you gonna be doin’? Watchin’ from the sideline in a lawnchair with a bag of popcorn?” “Nope,” Applejack said, turning right around and casually trotting back to the house. “Apple slices. Duh.” Sprocket watched her go with as much nonplus as was physically possible to plaster over his face with. It immediately withered and became fear once again, though, when he heard the wooden wolves howl some more, and faster than a jackrabbit on a pogostick, he tucked tail and ran after Applejack and back into the house. And he didn’t notice the pair of eyes pointed his way and gleaming from inside the orchard... THE NEXT MORNING Sprocket fell onto the hardwood floor (as was becoming an increasingly annoying and frequent custom), waking himself up some. He went straight to the sink and splashed cold water on his face, and then hot water afterwards when the cold water just made him feel even more drowsy and lethargic. Finished with the process of waking up (or as close to it as he could possibly be considering he wanted nothing more than to be chained to his bed from now until the end of time because of the hour he was up and prepping for work at), he then dragged his hooves heavily down the stairs, shambling through the kitchen just as Applejack walked in from the living room. "Well I’ll be. Ah was comin' in ta getcha up, yet here ya already up and at ‘em fer once! Good on ya, Sprocket.” He sniffled and shifted unsteadily in place. “I miss my bed.” “Well tough crabapples, sugarcube, cuz we got a job fer ya before any of us even get breakfast." Sprocket hung his head low towards the ground. “Yay.” After being dragged by Applejack outside, Sprocket finally asked, doing his best (and failing) to stifle a yawn, “So, what I gotta do?” "We needja ta help Applebloom bring in the eggs. The chickens laid more than she can handle quickly by herself this time 'round." Sprocket nodded and trudged along to the chicken coop. He walked inside the little red and white house and saw Applebloom with a basket full of eggs in her mouth. "Good morning, Applebloom,” he said with another yawn and a stretch. “I hear you need some help gathering up all them extra eggs?" Applebloom nodded and said, as best she could, "Jesshh greb ya a bashkit n fill it wi sum." Sprocket raised an eyebrow in confusion. Applebloom rolled her eyes and set the basket down. "Ah said, just grab ya a basket and fill it with some." She pointed to where a stack of baskets were sitting. Sprocket nodded, grabbed one, and just followed her lead on gathering up the eggs. When they were done, they each headed in with one very filled basket. They set them next to the door to be taken care of and made presentable for the Ponyville marketplace after their pancake breakfast. To say Sprocket was a little less than enthused about said breakfast would be like saying he was feeling a wee bit sleepy eyed. His face fell into his food during the meal. It fell into his food a lot. THAT AFTERNOON Sprocket was working with Applejack in the field and Winona had decided to join them today, yipping and yapping happily between them as dogs were want to do. Upon finishing another of his trees, Sprocket gave Winona a little scratch behind the ear as he went up to his next one. Deciding he’d had enough of the relative peace and quiet and that it was time to shoot the breeze, he asked AJ, "So, what is this I hear about Zap Apples?" Applejack gave a kick to the tree she was working on before answering. "Ya see, we have these special trees that make a special kinda apple with a kick to it like being zapped lighting. Heck, lightning zaps are part of how they bloom, believe it or not! They're only produced fer a few days, but the jam we make outta ‘em are the second biggest money maker we got right after Cider Season." Sprocket nodded. "I see." Sprocket gave his tree a good buck. Seeing that all the remaining apples were knocked down, he made his way to another when Winona suddenly took off like a cannonbolt towards the Everfree, barking like the dickens. "Winona!" Applejack shouted. Applejack ran after her collie, and Sprocket ran after Applejack. In both cases, they just barely managed to keep up. Winona suddenly stopped in a clearing, growling at something neither of the two ponies could see. Wrapping one of her forelegs around her dog’s neck, Applejack asked, "Girl, what's gotten inta ya?" Sprocket looked around when something assaulted his nostrils and caused him to gag involuntarily. "P.U.! What in the hay smells like all those rotten eggs I found helping Apple Bloom this mornin’?" Applejack took a quick whiff, and her eyes widened in fear. “Timberwolves." Her fears were further confirmed when glowing, green eyes began to appear through the thick branches. Sprocket groaned out, "God, why do you hate me so much?" The two slowly backed away, only to turn and see more green eyes. "And they got us surrounded too. Ain’t that a bucket of creamcorn." One of the timberwolves growled at them, but before it had the chance to do anything else, Sprocket took the initiative and struck the side of its head, knocking it down… but the only lasting damage being to anger it further. Applejack gave him an incredulous stare. “Now, why in the hay didja go n’do that fer!?" "I just reflexed!” Sprocket yelled, panicking. “These things were surprisingly easy to bust up before, so I just… went!" The wolf at that moment decided to lunge at him. Sprocket, acting reflexively once more, swiftly grabbed the thing’s head before giving it a twist. The head popped off and the rest of the body fell to the ground, startling Sprocket and AJ both. Staring at the headless part, Applejack said, “Well dang. That there tactic of yers seemed ta work." A wolf decided the moment after was the opportune time to leap at Applejack, but she managed to jump over it with a shriek before Sprocket bucked it with all the force he could muster, sending some pieces at the other wolves lying in wait in the brush, who all snarled all the more. Backing up as close as he could to Applejack, who backed up as close as she could to him, Sprocket asked, “AJ?” “Yeah Sprocket?” "We ain’t gonna get out of this one, are we?” "Stow that talk! We ain't gonners yet!” Applejack said, more annoyed than completely out of her gourd terrified like Sprocket was. Suddenly, out of the top rightmost corners of his eyes, Sprocket noticed a rapidly approaching, rainbow blur over head. AJ must have seen it too, since she then said, "And we just got ourselves some reinforcements!" The blur rammed through some of the wolves, causing them to shatter, before flapping to a stop, hooves touching upon the ground right next to him. Rainbow Dash! Internally, Sprocket thought, “God, why do you love me so, so much!?” With her usual, prideful swagger, Rainbow Dash said, “Was in the neighborhood. Napping till I heard these things’ annoying as all get out howls. Saw you two. Looked like you needed my expert… uhhh… expertise. I was totally right, right?” Sprocket nodded. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! You’re awesome and you swooped down to save us in the nick of time! Please keep doing more of that and I swear I’ll marry you and pay all the way for the wedding!” Sprocket shrieked as he kicked a timberwolf he barely caught out of his peripheral vision coming from the side. Rainbow jumped out of the way of a timber wolf that had attempting to tackle her, causing it to crash right into a tree and subsequently right off into dreamland. “Uh, come again? Because it sounded like you said you’d--” “Less talkee, more helpee me survivee thisee!” “Sprockets right! We need ta take care a these things so we can git the heck outta Dodge, and fast! We can worry about other stuff later!” Rainbow saluted. “Challenge accepted!” She then promptly charged at a group of the timberwolves and barrelled through them with little effort. Though she had a grin that said, ‘I am awesome and you should be happy to bask in my awesomeness so that one day it might rub off on you,’ Sprocket chuckled nervously and said, “Ummm… last time we destroyed several at once they--” The sticks that formed the particular group of wolves started to glow an eerie green color and began to assemble themselves into an even larger, mega wolf. “They did that.” The mega wolf roared right in Dash’s direction, the sound waves so intense (just a tad greater than Sprocket’s girlish screams) that they slicked her hair, Sprocket’s, and AJ’s into three of the greatest cowlicks as far away from Manehatten as they were. Dash, stunned as she was, could only say one thing. “Huh.” When the thing finally charged, though, she was naturally feeling a little bit more chatty. “Turn tail and run for your lives!” Not needing to be told a second time, Sprocket and AJ (especially the former) did as they were commanded and made the busiest beeline for the farm house that they could. As they did, the mega wolf practically nipping at their heels, he turned back towards Rainbow, who was taking her own advice and joining him and AJ in their light afternoon sprint away from certain doom, and said, “I thought you said you were an expert on these things!” “I am!” RD shouted back. “Then why are we all running!?” “Because of the giant, wooden, wolfy monster thing! Duh! You don’t need to be a totally awesome expert like me to figure that one out!” The mega wolf, as though finding a sudden surge of speed from the animating and dark magic that kept it going, managed to get close enough with its strides that it almost sank its teeth in Rainbow Dash’s tail, and would have to if she wasn’t lucky enough to look behind her right as the beast’s jaws were entering the proverbial home stretch. Rainbow flapped her wings once, but powerfully enough that she soared ahead of the group. However, this proved to be less getting out of the fire and more entering the firing pan, as one of the regular timber wolves suddenly burst out from behind a tree she was passing too quick for her to react in time. Sprocket, however, had seen this little tricky maneuver coming from the wolf a mile away (after all, he did see what the critter was about to do and did try warning Rainbow) and had just enough time saved up for a counter of sorts. Like a meteor in reverse, he launched himself off the ground with his hind legs, strengthened from now countless hours bucking trees, and soared right on through the wolf, scattering its body as though it were some great, wooden bomb. Though Rainbow Dash managed to get off with a light shower of high velocity splinters that, at worse, poked her skin a little through her fur, Sprocket didn’t get off so light. After barreling through the wolf, he crashed head first into the three ahead of the one it had been positing itself behind before going after Dash, and before he could even yell, ‘OWWW!’ another of the smaller wolves leapt at him and tried its darndest to maul him, even managing to get its teeth to sink into one of his sides for a bit before Applejack charged and bucked the thing into pieces just as small and numerous as the bits from its comrade just a few seconds early currently dirtying up her coat Sprocket couldn’t do nuthin but let out a long delayed yell at the pain now wracking him and as Applejack placed him roughly on his back and just barely managed to get him out of the path of the mega wolf in time before it got him, the big monster instead crashing into the three Sprocket had, only with enough force that it actually managed to tip it over. “Ya’ll okay!?” Sprocket dimly heard Applejack ask through the haze clouding his, well, everything, especially vision. “WHAT DO YOU THINK!?” “Alright already, I get it! If you’re gonna yell somepony’s ear off, do it to the timberwolves!” Sprocket grumbled incoherently before saying, “Faust! If that big one just wasn’t on our tails, we’d be home free by now! Ahhh!” “No argument here!” Rainbow said from up ahead. Applejack frantically looked around, looking for anything and everything that could get them out of this proverbial pickle and have a shot of getting back to her family’s apple orchard, or, hay, anywhere else that was safe and not where they were. Like a bone falling from the sky before a famished pooch, she noticed something near enough to their path that would fit the bill quite nicely. “We need ta go over ta that pond!” Rainbow looked towards her, confused, and replied, “WHAT!? WHY!?” “‘Cause a the wood they’re made of!” “Desert ironwood!” Sprocket suddenly blurted out. “Exactly! That ain’t a type a wood ya wanna make a raft out of! The biggin’ll sink faster’n a brick!” Rainbow grinned, “Alright! Those vines hanging over should get you two across! I’ll fly ahead and get them ready just in case!” Applejack nodded as Rainbow flew towards the pond before the farm pony made a sharp right turn that way like her pegasus friend did. “Hold on Sprocket! Whatever you do!” “Holding!” When Applejack got close, true to her self appointed title as fastest flyer in equestria, Dash already had a couple of vines at the ready. Applejack then leapt with everything she had, the mega wolf mimicking her actions. Unfortunately for the beast, it didn’t have any vines to grab a hold of with nuthin, and even if it did, they’d probably snap under the weight. Even though Applejack had managed to land quite the distance away from the pond on its opposite side, the mega wolf’s splash was big enough that the water soaked her, Sprocket, and Rainbow Dash. However, they didn’t have so much as to let out a simple, ‘Wahoo!’ before they saw the rest of the pack circumventing the pond to avenge their sunken comrade. Sprocket groaned and said, “Back off to the races… why don’t they just give up already!?” Without answering, Applejack took off again, Rainbow quickly catching up and taking the lead, of course. Though Sprocket’s question was grim, soon enough, Applejack and Rainbow were able to begin outrunning the wooden canines, as their biggest, fastest, and most visible was too busy taking a permanent swim rather than serving as means for them to know where to go to try and outmaneuver and intercept their prey like they were fond of doing. It also helped that the two toughest ponies of the elements used branches to their advantage, pulling them and letting them swing back to hit the wolves made out of so many such branches (among other things). After about twenty minutes of only the third greatest cardio related workout of their lives, they came to a clearing. Since they didn’t see any wolves chasing them no more (for the time being, anyways), they decided to take a quick break and examine Sprocket’s side. Despite herself, Applejack winced. Despite herself, Rainbow whistled. “Wow… and ow… that looks like it really, really, REALLY hurts, dude,” Rainbow said with all the bluntness of a giant, golden frying pan. “Well gee whiz! How in the great wide WORLD of equis did ya’ll go and figure out that one, Rainbow!?” Sprocket shouted back. “Uh, because it looks bad? Duh,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. Applejack nudged Rainbow roughly once in the chest with one of her elbows. “Hey! What was that for!?” “Girl, I have half a mind to whoop yer flank ta the moon an’ back even worse than Sprocket’s right now,” Applejack said, surprisingly calmly for the seething anger drenching her voice. Rainbow backed up slightly with her hooves held up in defence. “Sorry, sorry. I guess I’ve just ended up in even direr straits than the poor guy here enough that I’m kind of… uhhh… what’s the word? Starts with the letter ‘b’? Right on the tip of my tongue? I think it rhymes with hooray?” Applejack quirked an eyebrow. “Ya’ll mean blase?” Rainbow’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! That’s the one… I think. I mean, yeah! I guess I’ve just ended up in a hospital bed worse off than Sprocket here enough times that I’m kind of blase about the whole getting hurt thing. I mean, you did see me after that one stunt I tried to pull off that one time I ended up at Ponyville General and had to read that first Daring Do book I did to keep me going crazy from boredom, right?” Applejack winced again. “Yeah, you were pretty banged up… but still! Buck up and show some decency, missy! Not everypony’s as tough as you, and in Sprocket’s case, he’s a lot less!” “I’m right here! And I helped Mac out with that first pack a few days ago!” Applejack turned slightly to him and replied, “Hush up, now. This don’t concern you.” She then turned back to Rainbow. Sprocket growled out in a rage before placing his head back against the ground and taking in some shallow breaths as he examined his wound (and ignored the bickering mares), which turned out to be not as bad as it could have been… though his body was acting like it was the complete end of the world. His closer inspection proved the bite marks to be surprisingly shallow, and they went from two inches past his ribs and stopped five inches before his cutie mark began. He sighed and said, “Ya’ll two can stop with the squabbling. I’ll live and live without too much complainin’ about my cuts here. They ain’t too bad, all things considered." His statement caught the two mares off guard, causing their conversation to come to an abrupt end. Applejack turned to him and asked, “And ya’ll’re sure ‘bout that?” Sprocket nodded as he stood with a grimace. “Yeah. ‘Sides, the bigger problem’s finding a way to take care of these things in the long term so that we ain’t gotta worry about heading into the orchard and meeting a pack a these things no more.” “Dude, I think finding a way to get out of these woods in one piece RIGHT NOW is little bit more important, what with you getting nommed on, don’t ya think?” Rainbow Dash said. "Well, once either of ya’ll find a way for either of those things, let me be the first to know, a'right?" Sprocket nodded and replied, "Sure thing. In fact, for the here and now, I think I got a sure fire way of getting us back to the farm all nice and safe like before we’re up to our necks in reinforcements.” “Oh yeah? And what’s that, genius?” Rainbow asked. Sprocket then took off running (or rather, lightly jogging, given how hurt he was) as fast he could, wincing all the way. “Running like your tail’s a’burnin’!” Applejack and Rainbow turned to each other, the former shrugging and saying, “Sounds like a mighty fine plan to me.” “No argument here.” The two then took off in the same direction as Sprocket at considerably faster paces, enough that Sprocket had to shout, ‘Wait up!’ after them and put his light jog into overdrive till it was a bonafide mild jog. ***** Once the trio reached the safety of the orchard (thankfully without any more timberwolf encounters) Applejack trotted back to put a hoof on Sprocket’s shoulder to stop him and asked, “Are ya sure you shoulda been runnin’ with a gash like that? Even a little bit like you were?” Sprocket looked at his cut before turning to Applejack and replying, “While I appreciate the concern there, AJ, there wasn’t another way to get the hay back fast enough. Besides, it wasn’t all that aggravated by the run and we’re now at the home stretch to the medicine cabinet.” Applejack held her grip firm, keeping Sprocket from continuing despite his very overt protests to the contrary. “Ah git thatcha want ta be some sorta macho stallion, but a run like that coulda turned a simple cut inta a major problem and then where would we a been?” “I’m not trying to be macho, Applejack,” Sprocket said, still trying (in vain) to trudge past her, but not gaining an inch. “It’s just this ain’t a life-threatening injury, is all, and there wasn’t and still ain’t a way for us to get back in a timely manner otherwise, which is what we needed and need to be concerned about, considering we were and still are escaping from a bunch of scary monsters.” Applejack sighed as she released her grip. As she opened her mouth to respond, they heard a growl and turned around to see a few pairs of glowing eyes on the edge of the Everfree just before they disappeared deeper into the forest. Sprocket gave a sigh of relief before remarking, "The last of them, I don’t think we’ve rightly seen." "You said it partner. Now, let’s git to the house, slowly and gently now, we can patch you up." Sprocket shook his head, “It’s nothing major. I can take care of it myself, ya know. Hay, last I checked, I’ve got about nine months over you.” Sprocket looked ahead of AJ’s scowling face to find something odd, or rather, a lack of something odd. Turning back to Applejack, he asked, “Stupid question, but, where’d Dash run off to?” Applejack huffed. “More like flew off to. The moment she thought we were all in the clear, she took off with the usual claptrap about how she’s behind on her weathermare duties and about Wonderbolt practice. Went away faster than I could ask her for help carrying you all the way back to the house.” Sprocket raised a brow. “You planned on carrying me all the way back to the house?” “Yes. I did. But since Dashie ain’t around to help lugging you around, and since ya’ll seem perfectly fine to limp on back, well then, I’ll leave you to it, I reckon.” With a firm slap to the back that left Sprocket more wobbly than he’d normally be if his leg wasn’t hurtin,’ she did an about turn and casually trotted back to the house. After grumbling something about pushy, apple crazed mares, Sprocket called to her, “Yeah, well… uhhh… I'm gonna to go take care of this, then head on to the library and see what it has on timberwolves. See if I can figure something out from that. Don't worry about making a meal for me if I'm not back in time for supper. I'll get something from a restaurant." "A'right. Ah'll finish up what we got here," she called back. Sprocket looked at her like she just admitted she was secretly a space princess from the planet zibowitz. “What? You’re goin’ back to work after all… that!? With those things still out and about!?” Applejack waved him off as she went. “That? That was no thing but a kale wing, sugarcube? Honestly, it’s like you don’t know what me and my friends have already have to handle at all!” After standing there for a bit longer with a stupefied look on his face, Sprocket managed to get out, “Well then… uhhh… see ya later… I guess,” and ran off as fast as possible to the house. On the way, he saw Applejack had stopped and was already hard at work bucking the trees she hadn’t gotten to before their little impromptu misadventure. When he was a distance away, he looked back at Applejack doing her thing behind him, watching so closely, and wondering how she still had such strength of mind and body considering recent events, that he ran right into a fence, sending him toppling over it. "Ow. That hurt." He shook his head and began running again. THAT EVENING Sprocket was out in the orchard, reading by the moonlight, back to an apple tree. "Ah see ya'll are interested in that book." Sprocket jumped higher than you’d think for a pony as big as him at that before trying in vain to regain his composure and dignity when he realized it was just Applejack. "Ahem, errr, yes. One of many that I'm gonna be perusin’ to see if any of them got a way of fending off them timberwolves." "Well, granny found an effective tactic is ta bang a spoon on a pot." "Well, if you see them soon enough, you can easily do that… but I'm looking for something that would be more easily carried on the fly, ya see.” Applejack nodded and scooched up next to him so that her eyes could dart over the pages in tandem to see if she could find something his couldn’t. After a few minutes passed in silence, Applejack sighed, her task fruitless, and stood up. "Ya can read more tomorra. All them big, fancy, schmancy words’ll keep. Right now, we should both head ta bed." Sprocket nodded and packed up the book. As he was about to walk in the direction back home, though, Applejack said, "Also, now that I think about it, in the future, I need ya need ta pay more attention ta where yer goin' than somepony workin'." Sprocket's face was covered in a blush in negative ten seconds flat. "How did you know about that?" "Big Mac saw ya trip over tha fence, so he assumed ya were lookin' at somethin' else. I assumed ya were watchin' behind ya. Seems Ah was right, with whatcha just said." Sprocket shook his head. "I'm never living these moments down, am I?" "Nope." Author's Note Okay. This chapter is a bit later than usual. I had some stuff going on and couldn't work on it as often as I had wished. But, here it is. Filler. That's all this really is.Loud as a speeding train, Applejack opened the door to Sprocket’s room open with a kick of a hind leg, turned around, walked in, and yelled, "Sprocket! Time ta git up!" "HUH!? Whu?!" Sprocket’s head shot up from the book he had unintentionally used as a pillow, and he frantically looked back and forth through bleary eyes. Applejack narrowed her own eyes at him as she asked, "Were ya readin' that book last night after we came in?" Sprocket looked down at the little tome, then back to Applejack with a nervous smile. "Uh… noooo… Not at at all. I just like using books as pillows." Applejack gave a small smile. "Nice try. Next time, go ta bed when we tell ya." Sprocket hung his head low before sighing. "Got it." "Now, breakfast is ready. Come on down." Sprocket nodded, hopped off his bed, and took five steps in that direction. He then promptly fell over with his eyes closed, snores following shortly after. Applejack grunted in annoyance. She left and returned a couple minutes later with a bucket of ice water right before chucking it on Sprocket, earning a yelp from him. "Good. Yer up. Gitcha some breakfast." Sprocket nodded and shook the water off before following her out and downstairs to the kitchen. Once there, he saw today's morning meal was another set of pancakes. However, the stacks Sprocket saw at present were bigger than the other ones he had seen since moving in by a mile. A country mile, fittingly enough. "H-h-holy cow! Th-th-that's A LOT of flapjacks!" "Nope. That right there’s about the normal amount. We were just now able ta git enough of the ingredients we usually get to make ‘em that size.” Sprocket almost fell over from shock. "Dontcha go fallin' asleep again. Ah don’t wanna have to waste anymore perfectly good cold water." "Yeah, but you'd probably get another kick outta hearing me yelp in surprise. Again." Applejack thought for a second. "Yer probably right." They shared a chuckle before sitting down to gorge themselves. Halfway through, Applejack said, "Sprocket, you’ll be workin' the apple stand in town today. Think ya can handle it?" "Sure. My former boss was great at salesponyship and taught us several mighty fine strategies for hockin’ our wares." Applejack raised an eyebrow. “I see. You used to work at a clothing store?” Sprocket stopped chewing on his food and looked at Applejack like she had just said the sun was made of toast. “What? No! How would you ever even--” “Ya said yer boss taught you strategies for hockin’ your wears, so explain to me how that doesn’t mean ya used to be in the clothing business.” Sprocket continued to stare at Applejack for several silence filled moments longer before cognition kicked in and he said, “Ohhh!” right before slapping himself in the face and letting out another, much less enthusiastic and more weary sounding, “Ohhh…” Upon putting his hoof down, he said, “No, Applejack. Not that kind of wear, and no, for the record, not the were as in werewolves, werelions, or werebears, either.” Now it was Applejack's turn to look at Sprocket like he had just said something weird here. “Uhhh… werelions? Werebears, sugarcube?” Sprocket threw his head up, sighed something fierce, and said, “Look, AJ, the kind of ware I’m talkin’ about is the same ware as in earthenware, hardware, and warehouse.” Applejack raised her other eyebrow. “So ya worked in a warehouse selling pottery and tools?” Sprocket face-hoofed and replied, “Yeah… let’s go with that.” Not feeling all too peckish anymore, Sprocket got up from his seat, put it back in its proper place beneath the table, and turned towards the living door. “Whatever gets me out of here from hurting myself anymore trying to explain things to you quicker.” Applejack huffed. “Well ain’t you in a hurry all of a sudden Mr. clay and spackle salespony.” Sprocket groaned in annoyance. He headed out and had Big Mac help him get hitched to the apple cart and trotted as fast as he could away from Sweet Apple Acres and a certain overbearing, overworking, cold water chucking, lariat twirling, stetson wearing farm filly. MIDDLE OF PONYVILLE, A FEW MINUTES LATER... Sprocket got to the usual spot that the apple cart sat. But then, he ran into a bit of a problem. Namely, that he couldn't un-hitch himself from the cart. He tried pushing his back hooves against it and then tried pulling himself out with his front hooves while pushing his back hooves against it went that didn’t work, but all he managed to succeed in accomplishing was rocking and moving the cart a bit. Luckily, Twilight eventually came by during his titanic struggle with the stupid bits of wood and steel bolts that kept him from freedom. "Um… Sprocket? What are you doing?" Sprocket looked over to where she was and blushed as he continued to frown because of his predicament. "Trying to get out of this consarned thing. I've never been hooked up to anything before." Twilight used her magic and undid the harness quicker than Rainbow Dash could clear the sky over the town (which would probably have made her jealous if she was there to witness things), making Sprocket fall in an unceremonious heap. "Thanks." He got up, went over to the side of the cart, opened it up with a pull of a lever, and smiled sheepishly Twilight’s way. "Wanna buy an apple?" Twilight chuckled. "Sure." She tossed him a few bits and levitated an apple out of one of the baskets. "How has work on the farm been?" "Tiring. Real tiring,” he said, getting up and going to his proper place behind the stall. “But, I always enjoy laying out in the field and looking up at the stars late at night after supper, so, that’s something. " "Really now? I’m not sure if any of the girls or anypony else told you this, but I’m quite the stargazer myself. Any interesting constellations you like looking for?" "Nah. I just enjoy seein’ them and getting lost in the majesty of the evenin’ sky. It’s all just so beautiful and mysterious." Twilight nodded. "Wish the others felt the same. On another hoof, how are the books?" Sprocket rubbed the back of his neck. "Good, good. But, I did get into a little bit of trouble for reading them not too long ago this morning." "Oh?" "Yeah. Let’s just say I may or may not have stayed up late reading one of them and had a hard time getting up this morning. Applejack may or may not have then drenched me with ice water to get me up and at ‘em." Twilight chuckled at his plight. "Really wish AJ hadn’t. I was just wanting to find a way to protect the farm from Timberwolves easily, is all." "Well, I definitely know what it's like to get sucked into a good book. Spike can testify to that." Twilight blushed and her ears folded down against her head in embarrassment. Suddenly, though, all traces of humiliation were gone and Twilight was back to be overtly excited given the subject matter at hoof. "Oh! Speaking of good books, have you read any of the Daring Do novels by A.K. Yearling?" “Can’t say that I have. They any good?" Twilight nodded and replied, "Yes. Very. In fact, I happen to have the first book in the series with me right now!" She levitated the book out of her saddlebag and towards Sprocket. "Reading it’d be a good chance to pass the time while working I’d take if I were you," she said in a playful, sing song voice. Sprocket raised an eyebrow and asked, “Okay… I’ll bite, but, uh… why’d you have it with you now?” “Nurse Redheart had checked it out earlier and I happened to run into her earlier and, since she was done with it, she just decided it’d be easier to hoof it over right then and there.” Sprocket nodded. "Alright. Well, thanks. I'll be sure to return it once I've gone through it.” Sprocket then out a hoof to his chin and said, “Come to think of it, I’m also finished with one of the books I got from you earlier. Shoot. Wish I knew I could just have given it back to you now before I headed out today." Twilight sighed and looked thoughtfully up at the side. “I know, right? Why does hindsight have to be so… 20/20? I’d probably still have Smarty Pants if I saw what I did to lose him that… one day we do not speak of ever…” Sprocket looked and felt like he had just stumbled onto some never before seen geode made out of some never before seen mineral that, for all he knew, could have been valuable… or extremely, incredibly, dangerous. Unsure as to how to proceed, he took one of the bits Twilight had given him for the apple, decided what the two possible outcomes of flipping it would be, quickly did so before Twilight looked back in his direction, caught it in one of his hooves, and looked down. Tails. Squelching down his curiosity (which was a lot easier than he had expected given the vehemence in her voice when she mentioned that one day we do not speak of ever), Sprocket just looked at Twilight, waiting for her to notice the awkward silence she had formed, stop the conversation, and go about her no doubt busy day leaving him with several burning questions left unanswered (that may have been best that way). After seeing that there were ponies forming up a small line behind her, Sprocket tried coughing into his hoof as gently and respectfully as he could to get her attention. When that didn’t work, he tried tapping his hoof impatiently against the tabletop. When that didn’t work, he was prepared to get her attention through speech when one of the ponies in the line, apparently, had the same idea, though it seemed like it had come to him a few moments earlier. “Hey lady! Would you hurry it up!? I’ve got places to go, ponies to see, and an empty stomach to fill here!” The others in the line apparently had the same idea. “Yeah!” “That’s right!” “Move it along already!” “Get on with it!” “I went to college! I deserve better, ya lousy whippersnapper!” Twilight soon went, “Huh?” at all the commotion, looked behind her, wilted from the words when she realized she was their intended targeted, and turned back towards Sprocket. Grinning sheepishly, she chuckled just as nervously and said, "Well, uh... just-return-it-when-you-get-the-chance-bye!" Sprocket nodded (having barely just caught all that). Twilight then took her cue to gallop away like the dickens. "Have a good day!" she called back to him. "You too!" Sprocket then placed his new book on the table before him and started getting to work, hoping that he could deal with everypony quickly enough to dive right into said novel after the high marks Twilight had given it. NOON In just a few short hours, Sprocket had not only dived into the book, but managed to do five cartwheels and cut through the proverbial water like a hot knife through apple butter. With a proud yawn, he slammed the finished book on the tabletop before stretching and smacking his lips loudly. It wasn’t that the book wasn’t a decent read (in fact, as adventure yarns go, it was good. Maybe a little editing to get rid of the more… well… been there, done that, bought the timeshare elements, but overall, fairly above average) but to Sprocket, reading required the kind of calm that, when coupled with his tiredness, made him wish he was cruisin’ on a cloud through dreamland, the cloud being a pillow and a bed. Unfortunately, in between perusing the novel’s pages and manning the stand, he had somehow managed to sell nearly half of his stock of apples and had the big burlap sack full of bits Applejack and everypony else at the farm would be mighty sore at him if he didn’t keep the proper tabs on to prove it. So, deciding it best not to take any chances, Sprocket made good use of the temporary lull in business he was currently experiencing to head back to the farm, hand the sack over to Granny, get a new one, and restock on his supply of delicious red fruit. He was about halfway getting himself tied back to the cart when the crusaders came a running in his direction, eyes wide like they had just seen a monster. "SPROCKET, SPROCKET, SPROCKET!” they yelled. "Huh!?" He turned to their panicked shouts just in time for them to come to a stop by bumping into him hard enough to unhitch him from what little connection to the cart he had and get him to fall over onto the ground about three feet away. Getting back up, Sprocket stammered out nonsense that certainly weren’t sentences much less words before he regained enough mental cohesion to ask, loudly, "What in tarnation is all the fuss about!?" "COME QUICK! TIMBERWOLVES! ON FARM! NOW!" they said with unison that some who was a stranger to them might have thought was rehearsed. Sprocket's eyes widened and his breath got all kinds of caught up in his throat. "Oh boy." He quickly dashed into the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, almost running or knocking the crusaders over in his path, but most certainly leaving the three fillies trailing in the newborn cloud of dust he left as he galloped full speed speed ahead. SWEET APPLE ACRES Sprocket came a running, looking for magically animated wood of a lupine shape and form. Instead, he spotted Applejack bucking an apple tree, and ran up to her. "Applejack!" “Gah!” Applejack yelled, so startled by his sudden appearance and screaming that she embedded his hind hooves into the trunk of the tree and had a hard time pulling them back out. “Applejack! Where are they!? Did you see ‘em yet!? We need to get out of here, now!” Sprocket continued. With a grunt, Applejack managed to extricate herself from the tree. Looking halfway peeved and confused at Sprocket’s alarmed self, she then said, "Whoa there, partner! Cool your jets now and tell me what's the big roundup." "The crusaders! Said! Timberwolves! Farm!" Applejack raised her eyebrow. "What? Timberwolves? Here? Can’t say I’ve seen ‘em ‘round these parts today.” "Club house! Near there! Maybe!?" "That’d be a big nope there, partner. Point of fact: Ah was there when Applebloom and her friends ran out ta start crusadin,' and they headed in the direction opposite the Everfree. Right towards town." After a lot more erratic panting, Sprocket paused to process what he had just heard before it hit him like he imagined a haymaker from Big Mac would feel like: he had been duped. "Those… those… little, raving rats! They done gone and lied to me! And about such a serious issue too!” Applejack frowned. “So that’s why you looked like you saw… well… a pack of timberwolves.” Grinning guiltily for a moment, she then put her frown back on her face and asked, “So, they really told ya that there were timberwolves on the farm?” Sprocket gave a frustrated sigh. “ Seems that way. I swear, I just don't understand why they’d lie to me, especially not like… like that!” Applejack looked thoughtful for a few brief moments before guessing, “Maybe they wanted ta getcha away from the cart.” “Why in the blue blazes would they up and do that?" "Ah don’t know, but we should probably hurry back. Knowing those three, they’re probably up to no good. The kind that mean I’ll have to dip into the savings account if we don’t hurry up and catch ‘em." With that, Applejack and Sprocket made a beeline to Ponyville proper. PONYVILLE The two came to where Sprocket had last left the stand, but it was nowhere to be found. "Oh, consarn it! Those fillies are in so much trouble next time I see ‘em!" Sprocket sighed. "Least you can’t say that you can build just about anything from a few pieces of metal, but that three fillies can easily pull the wool over your eye." Suddenly, before either could say another word, they heard a crash and their heads tilted in its direction. "I hope that isn’t what I think it was," Sprocket said. “With our luck today? Don’t count yer chickens,” Applejack replied. The two ran to where the noise sounded from and they saw apples, broken pieces of wood, some metal, and three dazed fillies, all lying in a dilapidated, chaotic mess. "Guys?” Applebloom asked. “Yeah?” came Sweetie Belle’s and Scootaloo’s dazed reactions. “Ah don't think we're meant ta be stunt ponies." "Ya’ll also aren't meant to be seeing the light of day for a while if I have my say," Applejack, well, said. The three fillies looked towards the approaching cowpony and newly hired help, neither looking too happy. The three nervously waved. "H-h-how are you two doing this fine… uhhh… dayie… day?" Sweetie Belle said with a nervous smile. Suffice to say, Applejack was not amused. "Sprocket: take Apple Bloom home. Straight ta her room. Ah'll be taking Sweetie Belle n' Scootaloo home and having a long hard talk with their folks." Sprocket nodded and took Applebloom with him as he was told, while Applejack took Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to their places, all three crusaders’ heads bowed down in shame. For a long while, the walk back to the farm was as quiet as Fluttershy trying to whisper. Sprocket, feeling all kinds of bad for Applebloom, finally decided to break the increasingly unbearable silence when the two of them were halfway down the road to the farmhouse. "Applebloom." He looked down at her, but she refused to look up. "Applebloom, look my way, please." She raised her head and looked at him with those big, adorable eyes she and her friends were infamous for. He stopped dead in his tracks, prompting her to do the same. "What were you and your friends thinking?" "We was tryin’ ta git our cutie marks as stunt ponies..." she muttered, barely audible. Sprocket sighed. "Look: I understand you three want your cutie marks really badly, but doing stuff that could get you or others hurt the kind of bad that leads to being mighty sore on a hospital bed, or maybe even worse, is not what you should be doing. If something happened to you in one of these here attempts how do you think your sister would feel? Or your brother? Or your grandmother? Or your many, many, MANY cousins, uncles, and aunts and the like?" Applebloom looked back down. "Also, what if one of your friends were to get hurt? How would you feel then?" Applebloom didn’t move her head, though, Sprocket could see that she was shaking and what seemed like tears seemed to be staining the ground where her eyes were pointed at. Sighing some more, he lifted Applebloom's head so that it was facing his own and, upon discovering that she was indeed crying, he sighed some more some more and said, "Applebloom, listen: I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just want you to think your actions through, including thinking about all the consequences the next time.” Then, though a large part of him was telling not to do it because he’d look like a huge jerk, his look hardened and her told her, sternly, “I’m also VERY disappointed that you lied to me. Especially with how much trouble we’ve recently been having with those rotten, no good timberwolves." Without announcement, Sprocket then resumed his walk to the farm and looked over his shoulder at the guilt-ridden filly. "Come on now. We need to get home." Applebloom nodded and he faced forward again. As he heard the heavy, trudging hoof falls of Applebloom walking next to them, however, the grim facade on his face cracked and he let out a small sigh of relief. At least the timberwolves didn’t really come... today, anyways… LATER THAT EVENING After Applebloom was sent packin’ right to bed when supper was finished, Sprocket trotted outside to the porch to find Applejack on the rocking chair her granny kept outside there, looking up into the wild, star studded ebon yonder. “Somethin’ on yer mind, Sprocket?” she asked without turning towards him. “Uh, yeah…” Sprocket said, somewhat unsettled since he had been sure to make his steps as light as possible and was sure AJ wouldn’t have been able to hear him. “Just wanted to run by what the deal you’ve decided with Applebloom is, in case I forget.” “Shoot.” "So, uh, if I got this right, she's been grounded for a week, only being allowed out for school after which she heads straight home, and when she's not working on homework, she'll be helping me rebuild the apple cart?" Applejack nodded at his recap. "Yep,” she said, sighing. “ 'Bout sums it up. Also, thanks fer givin' her the talkin' to she needed.” She turned to him to continue with, “I appreciate it,” before looking back at the stars and the evening shroud they lay suspended in. "Well, it needed to be said, far as I reckon. Though, I hope she didn’t take it too hard. I made sure I had let my anger cool before I talked to her so I didn't say something that I'd regret, but, well, ya know how much of worry wort I can be… that I am." Applejack nodded. "Hopefully, maybe now they'll stop doing such crazy, high falootin stunts like that." Sprocket chuckled. "Well, I wouldn’t be so gung-ho. From what I've seen, they won't stop till they get their marks, come tartarus or high water. Now, they may take little extra precautions, but that’s all I’d feel safe counting on.” Applejack bowed her head and sighed. "Well, time’ll tell, won’t it? Now, we should probably head in. Ya’ll got a cart ta repair tamorrow." Sprocket nodded with a sigh. Man, he’d been doing a lot of that lately. "Believe me, I know. And believe me even more: I ain’t too keen about it." "And Ah better not find out ya stayed up late readin’ again, cuz I ain’t too keen about that." Sprocket held his hooves up. "Well, believe me further still, I learned my lesson this morning, so believe me even more when I say I’ll be a good boy and please don’t throw anymore frigid H2O my way, please." The two shared a chuckle as they went in. Author's Note Hope yall enjoyed this here chapter. Be sure ta let me know whatcha think. Also, give a big thanks ta Vunderguy, who go this edited while I was away.
Arrival (edited)Celestia's sun began to slowly peek over the horizon, pouring its brilliant, golden light over the town of Ponyville as it slowly stirred to life. With yawns, smacking lips, and sleepy steps, the inhabitants left their homes and trotted onto still dew-covered grass and cobblestone. The mouth watering scents from the many restaurants and a few still occupied houses flooded into the streets as many began their breakfast, and the streets themselves were bustling with energy, many greetings passing between those traveling to either get to work or to the market. In Golden Oaks Library, it was much quieter. Twilight was sitting at her podium, reading a book on advanced magical spells as Spike was sweeping the main room. Suddenly, Spike’s stomach grumbled something fierce and he burped out a letter with the royal seal engraved on it. Twilight quickly turned her attention to Spike and asked, "Ooo! A letter from Princess Celestia! What does it say?" Spike cleared his throat before removing the seal and unfurling the parchment, which still had a lingering smell of smoke. Eyes scanning over the ink written words arrayed before him, he said, "My dearest Twilight Sparkle, I have an urgent task for you and your friends. I have been feeling a strange source of power originating in the Everfree Forest for a few hours now. I would like for you to check out this phenomenon as soon as possible. Sincerely, Princess Celestia." Spike looked up and towards his caretaker. "I'll make sure to watch the library while you're out." "Thanks, Spike. I'll try to be back as soon as possible." She ran out and began gathering her friends for whatever could face them in the dreaded, dark, and dank woods. Half an hour of trotting by all six of them through the Everfree later, Fluttershy's eyes darted around the foreboding, monster-infested forest, filled with the scent of mud and impending doom. "S-s-so.... what are we looking for… ummm… exactly?" "I'm not sure. Anything that may be putting out an odd energy signal." "So, what? Are we supposed to just wander around until we find something stranger than usual in here?" "Well, that's all we really can do, right now, Rainbow," Twilight said, leading the group with her horn alight with an illumination spell. Rainbow Dash sighed in annoyance. After a whole hour of walking in the swamp-like ground had passed, Pinkie pointed suddenly to the left and asked, "Would that count as being stranger than normal?" Each of them attempted to look at what she was pointing at, but before they could get a good look, there was an explosion of sorts, sending all of them flying back a few feet. After some delayed and rather ear-splitting screams, the slightly dazed ponies all calmed down enough via hyperventilating a storm to get up and cautiously approach the bush. As they peered over it, they spotted a chocolate-brown earth pony with a messy (probably from the explosion) blonde mane with a branch sticking out of it. His cutie mark was two gears touching one another with one of the gears possessing a wrench superimposed over it. He had a pair of saddlebags on his back and he was mumbling something with an annoyed expression on his face as he laid on the ground. An angry roar took all of their attention from him to a manticore further ahead that had stepped into the clearing without their notice till now. Subconsciously, the six of them walked back slowly and quietly, putting as much distance between themselves, the bush, the beast, and the stallion beyond the bush and between themselves and the beast as they could. Said stallion said, looking towards the manticore, "Well, that’s unexpected. Guess I really should have listened to him." The pony got up on his hooves, reached into his saddlebag, and pulled out a strange looking piece of metal. He looked at it for a little bit before saying, "Really?" He sighed and threw it aside before widening his stance and pawing at the ground ahead of him as he prepared to fight the monster. All the eyes of Twilight and her friends widened. "Is… is he really planning on taking on that… that beast on his own?" Rarity asked. Her question remained unanswered as they watched the two would be combatants circle one another… right before beginning their bout in earnest. The manticore lunged at the earth pony, who simply leapt over the creature, making sure to give it a kick to its head as he soared past. Both fighters turned to face one another again. The manticore snarled and bared its teeth. The earth pony then said with a smirk, "Just like fighting lions… only a much uglier lion." The manticore lunged again. This time, the earth pony simply stepped out of the way, which caused the manticore to crash through the log he had strategically placed his back against moments earlier. The manticore turned, slightly dazed, to face the pony again, only to get a pair of hind hooves to the face that sent it on a one way trip to Terra Firma. The six spectating ponies cringed at the crunch they heard. The mystery stallion said, "Hmmm… wonder if that’s enough to keep it down?" He had no such luck, as the manticore seemed even angrier as it got up off the ground and did its best to shake itself clean of the dirt caking its fur. "Man! Lady Luck does not like me today!" He paused as he looked off towards the side a little and said, "I’m joking much more than usual." The manticore swatted at the distracted pony with the back of one of its gigantic paws, sending him flying upside-down into a tree. After rebounding off the willow in the question, he landed, head-first, onto the ground. "Okay. Worry about ugly mutant thing now. Worry about joking later." He stood back on all fours and glared into the eyes of the manticore, who glared back. They charged at the same moment. The chocolate colored stallion slid under the manticore, which tried turning, but its momentum caused it to slide into the tree it had just knocked its pony prey into. The stallion then ran up to the beast and gave it a heavy kick to its gut. The manticore fell to the ground, all the air knocked out of it. The pony then gave it another kick to the head, strong enough to cause the manticore’s cranium to bounce off the tree behind it, sending the manticore into the realm of the night princess. The pony gave a heavy sigh as he wiped some of the mud from his chin. He then removed the branch from his mane and smoothed the hair there out a little. "Good. Now I can think of my next course of action." But, he didn't have much time to think. Rainbow Dash flew over the bush and practically screamed, "That was awesome!" This startled the pony, causing him to give out a small yelp and jump slightly. The others all climbed over the bush after her. "That was so cool how you were able to take on that manticore all by yourself! It was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen! Almost as cool as me, though, just missing the mark by about twenty percent there." The stallion looked at the manticore and simply said, "So that's what it's called. Interesting." He then turned to the group and asked, "Do you mind telling me where I am? Not familiar with these… woods..." Twilight replied, "You’re in the Everfree forest, one of the most dangerous places in all Equestria. What in the hay are you doing here of all places and how could you not know you were entering it when you did?" The stallion's face fell slightly as he replied, "I'm traveling around. I just sort of… wandered here." Suddenly, something in Twilight’s head clicked about the explosion from earlier, and she said, "It looked to me more like you teleported here. But… but… how!? That’s impossible! You're an earth pony, not a unicorn! How did you that!? How did you do that!? How did you--" “Uhhh… Twi, sugarcube? You’re getting all…” “Compulsively obsessively crazy?” Rarity suggested. The eyes of all her friends were on her in a moment. Rarity grimaced. “Well, it is true. Please do desist with the evil eye, please.” The stallion replied, taking away some much unwanted attention from Rarity, "Well, I'd rather not talk about how it's possible. Or why I'm travelling. In fact, I'm not sure we’re properly introduced yet." Twilight's eyes widened and after shaking her head, she said, fighting back the embarrassed flush on her face, "Oh! Well, I'm Twilight Sparkle and these are my closest friends: Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack." She pointed to each of the respective ponies as she spoke. The stallion nodded to each of them with a warm smile. They all looked at him in anticipation. His eyes suddenly widened in realization and after shaking his own head and likely fighting back his own embarassed blush, he said, "Oh! Well... my name's... uh," he suddenly broke into a coughing fit and turned his head. He looked back and said, "Sorry. Lungs not a fan of all this humidity. Anyways, uh, my name's Sprocket." They all nodded happily. Pinkie suddenly gasped, jumping three feet into the air and staying there for a few seconds, which gained a raised eyebrow from Sprocket. When she landed, she was mere inches from his face the next microsecond (despite being more than five feet away before). "You're going to be a new pony in Ponyville, aren't you!?" Sprocket's eyes darted back and forth as he took a step back, only for Pinkie to stay right in his face, despite the fact she didn’t step forward. "Um, ahem, well, if that’s a town where I can find someplace to rest my head for a bit, then… yes? Cou--" Before he could ask for personal space, Pinkie began hopping around excitedly. "I need to start planning your welcome party! It'll be sosososomuch fun! Wecanhavecake,andcupcakes,andpunchandgoodiesandbecelebraitngbothyoucomingtoPonyvilleandushavinganewauthorandit'llbethebestpartysofarthisweek! Come on! The sooner we get to Ponyville, the sooner we can throw it!" Before anypony could respond, she dashed off, leaving a pink dust cloud shaped exactly like her to slowly dissipate in her wake. Sprocket blinked, confusion evident in his features. "Ummm... has she had too much sugar? Or does she have ADHD? Or is it some combination?" "That’s just Pinkie being Pinkie,” Twilight said with sigh. “She’s always been very… energetic." Sprocket gave an unsure nod. "Very well. And, ummm... what was that about a party?" The group started walking in the direction Pinkie had dashed towards as Twilight explained, "She always throws a party for anypony that’s new to Ponyville. She has a talent for that sort of thing." Sprocket nodded. Twilight continued, "So… mind telling me what exactly you did before you started traveling? And please, do feel free to be as exact, precise, and as technical… as possible." Sprocket shrugged as best he could while walking and replied, "I was an inventor and helped to improve technology. I’ve worked with everything from stuff as simple as carts to as complex as computers and beyond and repaired and improved it all." "Really now?” Applejack chimed in. “Maybe you can help with the carts at Sweet Apple Acres. The wheels keep comin' off." Sprocket nodded. "Sure. I could do that. You know, I used to work at an apple orchard myself when I was but a wee munchkin." Applejack smiled at that. "Well, shoot! We could always use an extra set’a hooves 'round the farm." Sprocket nodded as he thought about that. "That’d be nice. May take me a little bit to get back into the rhythm of the work, but I’d be more than willing to do it." Applejack beamed and replied, "Well, alright. Seems ya have yerself a job." Sprocket smiled back. "Great! Oh! Small thing I gotta ask about first if you’ll let me.” “What?” “Do you think you could also give me a place to stay, as I am new to town?" "Well, o’course!” Applejack exclaimed. “We’ve got a spare room." "Thanks. I appreciate it. Now, what did you say the name of the town was?" Twilight replied, "Ponyville. It's a nice, peaceful town." "Sounds ni--" Applejack chimed in, "’Cept for the occasional attack by timberwolves." "Oh.” Sprocket said simply. “Well, it can't be that ba--" Twilight continued, "And the occasional beasts from Tartarus that come out." "I'm sur--" Rainbow butted in, "And the fact it borders the Everfree, with so many weird and unbelievably dangerous things living in it." "Ahuh…” Sprocket said numbly. After a few moments of silence, he added, “Maybe... I should look to live somewhere... else." Twilight and her friends turned to see Sprocket's eyes had shrunken into pinpricks and were darting around. His body was also visibly shaking. Twilight coughed and blushed slightly as she replied, "W-w-well, it’s still relatively peaceful." Sprocket gave her as a level stare. "How, in the name of all that is good, is that considered 'RELATIVELY' peaceful!?" Twilight didn't have an answer, but Applejack offered, "Easy, partner. 'Cause we're able to handle it all." Sprocket turned his stare to her and replied, "Even if you were able to handle a being of pure chaos, that still wouldn't make it 'relatively peaceful'." They all started to chuckle at his remark, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "What?" Applejack replied, "Well, Ah'm guessin' that from yer travelin' ya didn't hear about when we beat a bein'a pure chaos named Discord." "Okay… I guess that explains why you're all chuckling now." He turned his attention forwards and noticed some buildings appearing through the claw-like branches of the Everfree. "Is that Ponyville up ahead?" They all turned to where he was facing. Twilight replied, "Yes it is." Sprocket immediately galloped to get out of the horrid forest as fast as he could, the rest of the group following close behind. He slowed only once he actually got into town as he didn't want to get lost on his first day there. The others soon caught up and began leading Sprocket around the cheerful, little berg, pointing out different places of business and various local and personal landmarks and telling a story or two associated with them. The last place they arrived at was one that resembled a gingerbread house and had the familiar scent of baked sweets wafting out from the doors, causing Sprocket’s mouth to water slightly. Twilight said, "And this is Sugarcube Corner. This is where Pinkie works and lives. Come on." Sprocket followed, but noticed that the room was pitch black, causing him to pause slightly. "Ummm… the lights aren't on." "We know.” Twilight said. “It’s okay,” Rainbow added. “We promise no big, scary monster is gonna jump out and get you, Mr. Scaredy Cat." Rainbow’s answer caused him to raise an eyebrow and huff in annoyance, but he went in anyways, although, much to his Rainbow Dash induced chagrin, much more cautiously than before. When he entered, his terrible nerves weren’t helped when he looked back only to realize that the other five were nowhere to be seen. He tensed up, and all of his stored fear was suddenly released by one word and about five dozen other voices. "SURPRISE!" Sprocket jumped higher than one would have thought possible give his stature and fell out the door and onto his back after he landed. Pinkie stuck her head out and chuckled at his prone form. "It seems that really got you, huh?" "You could say that." He stood up and walked back in and was greeted with the sight of a veritable crowd of other ponies aside from the six he had met in the forest, and worse still, a chuckling Rainbow and smirking Applejack. He rolled his eyes and said, "Of course. Ponies around these parts always laugh at somepony else's misfortune, huh?" Rainbow chuckled out, "Well someone’s really jumpy, huh?" Sprocket gave her a blank stare. "What you call jumpy, I call my reflexes that have been honed to try to keep me alive." "Sure,” Applejack shrugged. “Whatever ya say, partner." She slapped him on the back with the comment good naturedly. Sprocket rolled his eyes with a sigh before mingling with the others Pinkie had somehow managed to organize on the shortest of notices at the impromptu party. Later that night The party finally came to an end after the last pony, a mint green unicorn he had learned was named ‘Lyra,’ who seemed pleasant (if a bit too focussed on hands and humans and humans with hands), left. After saying her goodbyes for the night to her friends, Applejack lead him to her family’s orchard, the full moon’s ascent having caused a silent peace to descend upon Ponyville that, after the fifteenth or so conga line with loud music playing in the background, Sprocket found a welcome reprieve in. Soon enough, they came upon a long dirt road and he smiled slightly up at the umbral sky as they came upon it. However, as Ponyville’s innumerable thatched roofs were gradually replaced by apple tree after apple tree as they entered Applejack’s home, he was quickly brought back down to earth from the wondrous tapestry of the night when Applejack stopped and turned to him, causing him to stop in turn. "Uh, yeah?" he asked. Applejack simply stared him in the eyes for a few moments. Finally, she said, "You were lyin' in the Everfree with some’a what ya said. I wanted ta confront ya alone, in case it was cause a somethin' personal. So... what's yer real name?" Sprocket whistled. "Wow. You’re the second person I've ever met that can cut through my poker face like that.” "Now don't ya be goin’ and tryin’ ta change the subject now, ya hear?" she said, her voice and expression leaving no room for argumentation or defiance. Sprocket's face fell and he and Applejack remained silent for a good short while. Breaking the pregnant pause, he said, "Well, my real name doesn't really matter. Let’s just say... it’s part of a whole life I'm wanting to leave behind and trying to get past. And, I want to leave it and get past it behind because I'm trying to keep from being caught by somepony who wants me dead over an accident." The size of royal guard shields couldn’t compare to how big Applejack’s eyes got at that. "Are ya sure?" Sprocket only nodded solemnly. "Do… do ya wanna talk about it?" "Maybe later." That was all the answer he gave and his expression showed he really didn't want to talk about it any more. "Alright." She gave him a sympathetic smile, "I won't push ya." The two continued on, the scent of apples from the surrounding trees growing ever stronger. When they got to the house, Applejack gave him a quick introduction to the family. Soon after, they headed off to bed, Applejack showing him to his room. "Well, here's where ya’ll be sleepin'. Try ta get up at sunrise." It was now Sprocket's eyes’ turn to go wide as saucers. "That early?!" "Well, considerin' that ya said that ya would need some time ta get use ta gettin' up that early, I decided ta let ya sleep in for a little bit. ‘Least ‘till ya got inta the swing a things." Sprocket's eyes widened a little more. "Well, night, sugarcube." As Applejack left him to soak in the horror of his predicament, Sprocket climbed into the bed and stared at the ceiling for a bit. "Wow. They get up real early for work over here.” He shook his head. “Maybe she's just pulling my leg. Yeah. I'm sure that's it." He let out a yawn before quickly falling into a dreamless sleep. Author's Note Well, here's the first chapter of my first story on this site. Give me your honest opinion of this. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can. Also, this takes place before "Keep Calm and Flutter On". Edit: The chapter has been edited. And, when I was editing the first chapter, I thought of the son "Rebirthing" by Skillet. Edit 2: The chapter has been re-edited. I'd like to give thanks to VunderGuy for his help in the endeavor. You should see this story revitalized and continued thanks to him. I will heap praise on him because he deserves it.
A Day on the Farm pt.1(edited)The sun rose over the horizon and the light poured into Sprocket’s room from the window. He found this annoying and murmured in his snoozing as he tried to shield his eyes from the obtrusive rays by shielding them with his pillow, but a few minutes later, Applejack barged in and shouted, "Git on up! The sun's in the sky!" Sprocket let out a yelp of fear and fell off his bed into an unceremonious heap on the floor. He stood up slowly and gave a small glare to Applejack, who was trying to hold in her giggles. "Well, now that we have scaring me half to death done for the day, let's get this over with. What's first on the agenda?" "Breakfast. Now, git on up an’ come on down fer some grub." Applejack left Sprocket as he slowly got off the floor, stretching out some cramps, before heading to the stairs for breakfast. When he got down, he stopped and stared once he laid his eyes on a mountain of pancakes nearly thrice his height. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he managed to choke out, "What's with that stack of pancakes?!" Applejack looked at it with a sigh and replied, "We were runnin' low on pancake mix." Sprocket's jaw nearly dropped through the floor. "Stack's 'bout three quarters the normal size." "How do you eat that many pancakes!?" "It's an Apple family thing." Sprocket shook himself out of his self-induced trance once the rest of Applejack’s immediate kin began to come in from the early morning work. No sooner than when they had seated themselves did they proceed to devour the stack like manticores on a fresh kill. It was a fearsome sight to behold as syrup and specks of vittle splattered around their mouths as they mercilessly attacked their fluffy prey. Despite his fear and awe at this sight, Sprocket did manage to break out of his stupor enough to eat a few pancakes himself. While he didn't eat very many compared to the others, he had to admit, they were some of the best pancakes he ever had. After they finished and everyone else had already headed out of the room, Applejack handed Sprocket a note. "This here is a list a things we need ya ta fix. On the back is a list a materials we need ya ta git from town. Some is whatcha need fer fixin’ that we don’t have on hoof here on the farm an’ some is fer resupplyin’ what we need more of." Sprocket read all of the items on both sides of the note. He nodded. "Alright. Quick question, though.” “Shoot.” “If I find that I need something else to get something fixed up, is it okay if I add it to the list on the back." “Sure. Just… make sure you don’t go overboard. Bits are kinda tight ‘round here. Hay, they’re always tight, just that recently, they’ve gotten a bit tighter than usual, ya know?” “I hear ya.” Sprocket folded up the piece of paper and stuck it behind his ear. He grabbed a pencil and stuck it with the list. "I'll start by taking a look at that cart you mentioned yesterday." Applejack nodded and said, “A’right. It’s over by the barn.” Applejack then headed into the fields while Sprocket headed towards the barn. later At about ten in the morning, Sprocket was running towards Applejack, who was in the middle of apple-bucking. "Applejack!" After giving a kick to the tree she had been working on for the past five minutes, Applejack turned to Sprocket, wiped some sweat from her forehead, and asked, "Whatcha need, partner?" He came to a stop in front of her and paused as he heaved. When he had caught his breath, he replied, "I was wondering where you kept paper. Your grannie is sleeping, Applebloom is off playing with her friends, and I have no idea where Big Mac is." Applejack raised her eyebrow and asked, "Why do ya need more paper?" "I ran out of room to write more things that needed to be picked up." He showed her the piece of paper, revealing he had indeed used up all the room he could. She read some of the items that he had written down and gave him a questioning look. "Are ya sure ya need all this stuff? Some of it can only be gotten through orderin' it." Sprocket nodded. "Yeah. I'm positive. Some of it can be held off on getting till later, as I can give a temporary fix on some of the things with what I'm given, but everything I added is as necessary as breathing is for a long lasting life." Applejack considered this as she placed a hoof to her chin and kept it there before saying, "Tell ya what: if ya’ll can convince me that it would be in the best interest of the farm to get all this stuff, Ah'll give ya my blessin’s." Sprocket smirked. "Of course. I love when somepony gives me that sort of challenge." The two headed back to the barn, where most of the stuff (that is, that stuff that didn’t need to be ordered) was. He headed first to the cart, which was turned upside down. When Applejack came up, he began the presentation. "Now, I'd like to first point out the wheels." "They're hoofmade by mah pa." "Yes. They’re some pretty spiffy, well-made, wooden wheels if I do say so myself. Especially since they were made by planks of wood and not round chunks. It's a marvel anypony was ever able to do such a thing. I doubt even I could have done such a good jo--" Applejack cut him off with a cough and a look to tell him to get on with it. He blushed slightly. "Sorry. I tend to ramble when I see something as expertly made as these wheels. Anyways, they are showing signs of cracking on this wheel here and there’s also some rotting starting here." He pointed to the two different spots of said wheel. "The rotting would be an easy fix if it wasn't for the crack. If that weren’t there, I would just keep it from rotting and put some stuff to keep the metal bars on it from rusting anymore along with the rust you can see there around some of the nuts. So, yeah, that’s why I put in the thing about getting metal wheels and some coating to protect them from rust. But the coating would actually have more use than that. If you'd look at the axle--" He motioned to it, and Applejack took a close look, seeing it was also rusting slightly. "My guess is that you store it upside down in the barn during winter. That is a good idea, but you still want to throw something over it to keep it from getting all red and flaky like that. Just as extra precaution. Now, the metal used was a decent choice, especially since with how long you’ve said bits have been tight around here, you guys probably couldn’t afford to get a better metal to use or a coating for it. I'd be guessing this has been on here for ten years, at the most." "Actually, it's been on there ever since my pa was just a little colt. He told me and Mac how he helped to put it on there and about how he put tree sap on it to protect it, but made sure not to put any on around where it's connected ta the wagon." Sprocket was surprised. "Huh. Now that’s some resourcefulness. It's impressive he was able to get this to last as long as it has. I’d have half expected it to have been fully rusted by now. But, still, that metal I’m talking about would be better for the axle, as it’s less prone to rust, stronger, and creates less friction, making it easier to pull. Same for those that connect it to the wagon." "A'right, a’right,” Applejack said, sighing and throwing his hooves up into the air. “You've convinced me. What else do ya have in mind?" "Follow me." He led her over to the plow. "Now, how in the wide world a Equestria could ya find a way to help with this?" "Well, I can help with reducing the wear and tear on the back and neck when this is pulled by making some minor adjustments to it. If this piece here is raised just slightly, it’ll reduce the strain put on the user. Also, these straps are slightly worn and I was planning on getting new straps, though to be fair, they’ll still last for another three to five years. I just wanted to get it done and over with. Next on the lineup, I was planning on adding some smaller blades onto it. I know this kind of runs counterintuitive to whole decreasing wear and tear thing, but it’ll more thoroughly plow the field, creating less work in the long run." "Alright. I'll letcha git whatcha need fer slashin' the work… but not the straps. Not yet." "Fair enough. Now, the next thing I want to do is just a side project from the rest to help with collecting the eggs." "No. That's part a Applebloom's personal chores. That lazy little filly needs something to keep her busy and gettin’ a halfway decent work ethic do at least till she’s able ta help more ‘round the farm." "Alright. I'll just cross off the stuff for that." He took the pencil and paper and began crossing off said stuff. "Okay. Now onto the gutter." "What's wrong with that?" "Well, let's get on up, and I'll show you." The two climbed a stack of crates until they were able to get a good look at the gutter. "You see, the screws are fine for this, but I can tell they haven't been replaced for a while, and it’ll only be a matter of time, sooner rather than later, before they’ll need to be replaced anyways. Also, the gutter is getting some cracks in it, so, why not replace the whole thing while we're at it?" "Huh. Ah never noticed those cracks before." "Well, I'd say they’re fairly recent. Almost like it was taken off, unprofessionally, and then put back up by the same ones that took it off, attempting to make it look like nothing happened." "Hmmm…” Applejack said, before muttering under her breath in what she thought was a voice low enough that she thought Sprocket couldn’t hear but he ended up hearing anyways, “No… it couldn’t be…” Then, in her normal volume of voice, she said, “Alright. Ah'll allow ya the new gutter. Anything else?" "Only one, and that’s in the barn." They went into the barn and he led her to a pillar. "Well, what's wrong?" Sprocket gently touched it, and it had a piece fall off and it swayed slightly. "Oh. That's what." "I'm guessing I convinced you completely on that one too?" "Yes, ya did. Alright. Well, off ta town with ya, then." Sprocket nodded before beginning the trek out. "Meanwhile, Ah gotta talk ta mah sister, and maybe her friends too, about a certain gutter..." Author's Note Welp. Thank you again, VunderGuy. He has been doing a wonderful job of editing this mess. He does not get paid enough for what he's done. His only payment is a thanks and me giving him praise. So, make sure to send him some love if you like what you're seeing in the editing. Give me the hate if you don't.
A Day on the Farm, pt. 2Sprocket walked into town with the list ready, but upon getting there, he came to the sudden realization he hadn’t the foggiest idea of where to go. Luckily, he spotted Pinkie Pie hopping about through town, so, he ran up to her, hoping she could direct him. "Pinkie!" She stopped in mid-air, defying physical law for what must have been the bajillionth time on that day alone. When she saw Sprocket, she immediately dropped back to the ground. "Oh! Hiya Sprocket! How's your first day of work going?" Sprocket stared for a few seconds because of her staying airborne without any requisite force helping her do so. He shook his head and replied, "Well, Applejack sent me into town to pick up a few things, but I'm not sure where to go." "Oh! That's easy! Just go to Sugarcube Corner." Sprocket blinked. "I'm not hankering for several days’ worth of sugar, Pinkie, I'm wanting some materials for fixing up things around the farm." Pinkie waved her hoof. "I know that. But, why can't you get a nice, delicious, delectable, scrumptious, totally healthy and in no way going straight to your thighs treat as well?" "Applejack gave me only enough coin for the materials." "Still doesn't mean you can't get one." She then hoofed him one without warning. "See?" Sprocket blinked, wondering just where she had gotten it from. "Where in the hay did that come from?" "I had it with me." Sprocket just continued to stare at her. "How were you able to carry it?" Pinkie pulled down a screen from the heavens above, then pulled up a couple of theater seats and pushed Sprocket, who was too confused to resist, into one. A slideshow began to project onto the screen. Sprocket looked around for the source, but didn't find it. Pinkie then answered his question. "Well, ya see, I was working, and I made a special cupcake just for you. However, since I had no way of carrying it while walking, I asked the author to have me just bring it out of nowhere when you came by." The next thing that happened surprised him more than the fact the pictures had nothing to do with what she was saying and seemed to just be images of Pinkie and a baby alligator playing various games in various locales. The screen then fell into her mane when she suddenly popped up from behind it saying, "And that's how we defeated Nightmare Moon!" Pinkie just grinned as Sprocket tried to comprehend what just happened, sitting there thinking as hard as he could, yet still completely and utterly dumbfounded at Pinkie's randomness. He shook his head, deciding to ask somepony else about what was up with Pinkie. "Well, uh, thanks for that, uh… educational moment." "You're welcome." She obviously didn't see he wasn't serious about it. "Maybe they'll let me make a presentation at the school." Sprocket said under his breath, "Yeah... if they want to turn the students minds to mush." He then cleared his throat. "I'll get to going now to get these materials. Do you know how to get to the stores?" "Of course. Just go to Sugarcube Corner, and they’ll be all up and down that street." "Thank you." Sprocket then ran away from the crazy pony as fast as possible, only stopping when she was no longer in sight. When that happened, he slowed to a trot, gasping for breath as he tried (and failed) to figure out the pink pony. However, as he wracked his oxygen starved cranium (which would have had a difficult time trying to solve the riddle wrapped around an enigma placed inside a conundrum that was the ‘Why’ of ‘Pie’), he wasn't watching where he was going and collided into somepony hard enough that he landed squarely (and painfully) on his rump. "Owww!” Looking up, he saw that it had been Twilight who he had, most literally, bumped into. "Hehehe… sorry… I, uh, wasn't watching where I was going." "It's alright,” Twilight sighed. “I wasn't either. But anyways, how's your day going?" "Well, after I ran into Pinkie, it certainly got a lot more confusing." Twilight chuckled. "Yeah, she can do that to people. You just have to remember two things. One: it's Pinkie Pie. Don't question it. Two: don't try spying on her to figure things out about her. It always turns out bad. Trust me." Sprocket snorted. "Let me guess: you found out the hard way?" Twilight nodded as she got back up. “Unfortunately… yes. She also doesn't seem to understand not everypony can break the fourth wall." Sprocket groaned. "I don't believe it. Even here, there are those under the delusion we are in some story." He let out a sigh and walked past her to get back to the task at hoof. "Anyways, I gotta go and get some stuff for the farm. I'll see you later." "Bye! And good luck!” Twilight called after him. Soon, Sprocket made it to the stores with the directions Pinkie had given him, and about an hour after he had reached the street, he was walking back with a cart full of equipment, chuckling at how many bits he had left: just enough for a cupcake. "Isn't that irony, for ya." He continued on his way, arriving at the farm--after taking a wrong turn, ending at a dead end, and being aggressively attacked by a mother goose and her chicks he had unintentionally cornered in that dead end--a couple hours later. Walking straight up to the barn, he saw Big Mac waiting for him. Sprocket smiled slightly. "Are you here to help me with what I'm going to be doing?" "Eeyup." He had learned early that Big Mac usually only spoke in one word sentences. "Alright. Well, I'll need your help in replacing the gutter to start with, then we'll fix that beam in the barn. After that, we'll get started on the wagon. We'll probably be able to finish everything with enough daylight left to get in about three hours of applebucking. Sound good?" "Eeyup." The two got right to work. The gutter was replaced in no time, the wooden pillar took only a little longer, and the wagon really took some time as some of the pieces didn't want to move, but all in all, they managed to finish that up in time to head on over to the plow. This project in particular was taking much longer than Sprocket had anticipated, and he and Mac were in a tangled mess, tied up with the straps and fidgeting around helplessly, right as Applejack came in. She smirked at them. "Are ya’ll havin' some troubles now?" Sprocket just sighed and replied, "Eeyup. And we’re barely even started." Big Mac looked at him and said, "That's mah line." The three gave a light chuckle. "Here. Let me help." Unfortunately, her help wasn 't very helpful, and she somehow managed to end up being tied up with them. Sprocket shook his head. "Well this is a pickle, ain’t it?" "Howdja git inta this consarned situation ta start with?" Applejack asked. "I got new straps." "Ah thought Ah said no new straps!" "Well, they were free and the perfect kind for using on a plow, so… yeah." Applejack sighed. "What kind didja get? Ya know: brand wise?" Sprocket shrugged. "Not sure. I got ‘em off a traveling salespony. He was selling another product, I think it was the anti-rust coating, and said he'd throw in the straps for free." "Well, whoever the maker is, these stupid things sure ain't comin' off easy." Applejack continued to fidget right along with the other two, when she noticed an ax sitting next to the barn. "Looks like we're gonna have ta cut 'em and buy some new ones later." "As long as we get out, I don’t have no problems with that.” Sprocket said. “Eeyup,” Big Mac said in that typical manner of his. “Problem though,” Sprocket continued. “How are we gonna get over yonder to that axe?" Applejack was able to get one hoof onto the ground and managed to get them all to roll a little towards it. Big Mac was then able to keep the roll going with one of his much stronger hooves, and both he and AJ continued this process until they got to the ax. That's when they ran into their next problem: the ax head was not in the prime position for cutting their bonds. All Big Mac managed to do was get the handle to fall over. Sprocket sighed. "Well ain’t this just peachy keen? How are we gonna get this cut with it flat against the ground?" At that moment, Apple Bloom happened to be coming back from crusading and noticed the position they were all in. "What're ya’ll doin'?" "Well, Big Mac and I had trouble with the straps for the plow and we got tied up. Applejack tried helping, but you can see how that turned out. We're currently trying to get these cut, but we're having troubles using this ax." Apple Bloom beamed. "Ah can do it fer ya!" Applejack and Big Mac's eyes widened in horror. "Ah-ah don't think that's the best idea!” said the former. "Nope!" said the latter. Sprocket tried looking at them. "Well, what's the worst she can do? She's just gotta hold the ax carefully next to the straps and slowly move the blade back and forth till they’re cut. Let her try at least." Before Applejack or Big Mac could rightly object, Applebloom ran to the ax and lifted it up the straps, making bother of her older siblings sweat out bullets. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FAMILY FREERS, YAY!" After a few minutes of struggling, though, she was able to cut through them without much fuss… except for the scream of pain Sprocket let out on account of the ax going a little too far and nicking his flank. Still, AJ, Mac, and Sprocket were free, at least. Applebloom looked to her flank for her cutie mark but didn't see any. "Darn it! Ah was sure that was gonna get me mah cutie mark!" She set the ax down next to the barn and trudged along inside the house like she had a chip the size of a dragon on her shoulder, leaving Sprocket to rub his flank. Applejack sighed. "Well, I will say that it wasn't as bad as Ah thought… especially since nothin’ happened to me." Sprocket rubbed his flank more. "Yeah, well, I'd certainly hate to see what you imagined Ms. Consolement.” He looked at his flank and saw it was bleeding a bit more than he had expected. "Well, I'm gonna need to get that looked at. Also, what in the hay was she screaming about before she freed us?" "Oh, that's just her and her friends’ thing they got goin’ on. They formed a group, since they were all blank flanks, about tryin' ta find their special talents so they can earn their cutie marks." Sprocket nodded. "I hear ya. Say, think you can take care of my cut? It ain’t too bad, but it still needs some sort of attention." "Sure thing, sugarcube. Let's git ta the house and Ah'll have it taken care of lickity split." Sprocket raised a brow. “Lickety Split? Doesn’t she run an ice cream shop at the market?” LATER THAT NIGHT After supper was over, Sprocket decided to just watch the ebon sky for a while. He breathed in the cool night air and let out a content sigh. He looked up to the stars, trying to find constellations, but his attention was stolen when he heard hoofsteps approaching. Applejack was walking up to him . "Howdy." "Hey." He turned to the sky again. "That is one of the most beautiful sights I ever did see." Applejack layed down next to him, nodding in agreement. "Yep. Sure is." "Ya know, when I lived in the city, a lot of times, when I had no work the next day, I’d head on out and look at the stars for hours. It was the only thing I missed not being able to see from my front porch. Luckily, I was near the edge of the city in question, so I didn't have to travel too far to get a good look at them there stars." "Ya seem ta really like 'em." He nodded. "I do. Loved looking at them as far back as I can recall. I've always seen them as some sort of guide for me. Hay, it may sound all kinds of corny, cheesy, and downright nutty, but I also always thought of them as a silent guard for me, even." He smiled a small smile. Applejack sat in silence a few minutes, thinking about what he had said while he just enjoyed the silence. After a while, Applejack finally said, "That's an interestin' way of lookin' at them stars." Sproket just shrugged. "Guess it's just the way I am." He turned towards her, and smiled at how the moon's light reflected off other features. He looked away the moment he realized he had been staring, a light blush finding firm purchase on his face. After a few more minutes of silence, Applejack stood up. "Well, it's probably about time we hit the hay. We still gotta get up early, ya know." Sprocket got up and walked beside her. "Also, make sure if ya start starin' again, Big Mac ain't anywhere near." Sprocket blush grew more intense at the realization she had caught him staring. She just laughed lightly. Author's Note Thank VunderGuy for being on fire with his wicked editing skills.
TimberwolvesAfter a week of working on the farm, Sprocket had gotten a little used to waking up at the crack of dawn… though he still found the herculean effort of getting out of bed like somepony had strapped a couple of buildings to his back. Still, the important thing was that he was waking on time, at least, and the morning in question proved no exception. “YAAAAHHHH!” he yawned with a stretch of his forelegs and as much of himself as he could. “My oh my how I wish my folks named me ‘Early Bird’ instead. Way too dang early to do anything but dream--” He stopped himself midsentence, tired, bloodshot eyes going wide in shocked epiphany as he remembered what last night’s dream had been. After slapping himself silly for such silly inner thoughts, he said, “Never mind,” and went to the bathroom to wash the sleepiness out of his eyes with some hot water before heading down to the kitchen for some breakfast. The rest of the family came in soon after he did, and he and the younglins of the Apple clan sat at the table in relative silence till Granny Smith was done fixin’ up those scrumptious pancakes of hers and set down everypony’s plate of them on the table. Applejack smiled and thanked her Granny kindly before she remarked Sprocket’s way, "Well, look who's up and about at this hour, fer once." He let out a yawn as he replied, "Yeah, well, what can I say? Ya’lls’ crazy work ethic is finally rubbing off on me… even if I feel like that old, moldy, coldy apple cobbler granny thought was a fresh one she had made we all got sick from. Speaking of which, good morning, granny. That bubbly mail pony finally come and bring your new contacts yet?" “Son, you done best sleep with one eye open,” Granny Smith chuckled humorously right before taking a sip of her warm mug of apple juice that had ‘World’s #1 Granny’ written on it,’ as was her custom this early in the day, with one hoof before setting it down on the table for a little bit so that she could place his stack (all of the stack were resting on her back, ya see) right in front of him. Sprocket placed his forehooves against his head and began massaging it like he was kneading dough. “Yeah, well, to tell ya the truth, I’d eat a million of them bad cobblers if it meant I’d learn the secret as to how you all could be such extreme, no nonsense early risers.” After thankin’ granny himself, he grabbed his fork and began to slowly, mechanically, dig into his pancakes, eyes shutting in and out of consciousness as readily and predictably as the ticking of a clock. Applejack smiled a bit wider and said, "Well ain’t that just the bee’s knees you're so eager to wanna know how to be all punctual like for work… cause yer gonna have ta get used to wakin’ up even earlier.” Sprocket’s eyes now as wide as the pancakes laid out before him, he saw Applejack barely able to contain her smirk as she whistled a jaunty little tune like nothing was the matter as she poured a heaping helping of apple syrup on her own delicious morning vittles. "Uhhh… AJ, can I call you AJ, or are we not on those kind of speakin’ terms yet?” “We sure as sugar are, surgarcube” she said before taking a big slice out of her stack and chowing down. “Mmmm… sugar…” “Okay…” Sprocket said, eyes blinking owlishly as they moved back and forth from side to side like a metronome. “Please tell me you're joking." Big Mac took that moment to answer for her. "Nope." Sprocket's head promptly fell into his stack of pancakes. Applejack smiled comfortingly. "Now dontchya be goin’ and worryin’ up a fuss, now. We'll just be gettin' ya up fifteen minutes earlier at a time… for the first few weeks, anyways. Enough time ta help us out with a few early mornin' chores." “First few weeks!?” Sprockets somehow drudged up the energy to shout into his pancakes “Well yes,” Applejack said calmly. “Then in the second few weeks, we’ll wake you up fifteen minutes earlier than that so that you’re awake thirty minutes earlier than you usually are now, and we’ll keep doing that so on and so forth until we can work ya up to waking up a grand spankin’ total of two hours earlier than usual. Now doesn’t that sound like a hoot?” Sprocket lifted his head out from his stack and groaned out, "FIIIIIIIIIINNNEEEE!” He then let out a sigh and asked, “Well, we got anything else for breakfast? Being honest, while these here apple pancakes are amazing, too much of a good thing can get pretty tiresome after awhile." "Well, all we have left is some oatmeal. Some rats've gotten inta all the other food we got in the pantry, so Fluttershy's comin' by later ta take care a those varmints." Sprocket raised a brow. “If that’s the case, how in the hay did ya get the mix, apples, and apple syrup for these pancakes?” “Simple. Me an’ mah kin always keep rations of all that stuff and more. In case of apple emergencies ya see,” Applejack said, grinning. "O...kay…” Sprocket replied slowly. “So, what are we even gonna do on the work side of things so early today?" "You’n Big Mac'll be workin' over on the east field today. Ah'll be sellin' apples in town." "Got it." Sprocket let out another yawn. Then he got hit by a splash of warm water, drenching his entire body and warming it up by several degrees farenheit. He yelped, "What the--!?" He looked towards the other end of the table, seeing Apple Bloom with an empty bucket and a totally-not-guilty wide grin. "Ah figured it might help ya wake up and stay up." Sprocket deadpanned. "Thanks. I’m sure that’ll help until I’m done.” “Yer welcome!” Apple Bloom said, beaming and seemingly completely unaware of the ten ton chunk of sarcasm Sprocket had hurled her way. After breakfast (and lots of heavy sighing on Sprocket’s part), they all headed off to work. Sprocket was still having trouble summoning the strength or finesse (maybe both) needed to kick the trees assigned to him hard enough to knock down all the apples. He was still stuck on the first tree and the only thing he managed to free (aside from some leaves and a few sticks) was a single apple that promptly fell on his head. He rubbed his aching noggin and glared at the tree in question. "I'm positive these trees hate me now. Everytime I try getting them dang apples, they drop one right on my head, and that’s the only one they give me!" Big Mac, a piece of straw hangin’ from his lips, calmly replied, "Just takes some practice." Sprocket looked at Big Mac with a cocked head like he had an alien growing out of it. "Ya know, that’s probably the most I've ever heard you say in a single sentence." "Eeyup." Sprocket chuckled as he kicked the tree again, finally getting a few more off, none of them hitting his head this time. He gave it a third kick, getting the rest off. "This is probably the hardest work my rear legs have ever had." "That's parta yer problem." Sprocket raised an eyebrow. "What?" "Ya need ta use yer front legs as much as yer back ones. Like this." Big Mac demonstrated on a nearby tree, empty tree, the one he had just been working on. "See? It takes yer full body ta do it right." Sprocket nodded. "Alright." He reared up and leaned forward on his front hooves slightly, before using the strength in both his front and back legs, and he got all but one of the apples off the tree. "Hmmm... looks as though the only one not off the tree was the one above me." Just as he looked back down and was about to try kicking yon apple down again, the red delicious fell down and hit his head. Big mac had a small amused grin on his face. Sprocket gave him a mock glare. "Shut up." The two continued working for a few more hours, until they saw Apple Bloom and her two friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, running towards them like their tails were on fire because their eyes had laid witness to a ghost. As they passed, Sprocket and Mac looked to where the fillies had came from and saw wolves made of wood… headed straight for ‘em. Sprocket's eyes widened and his pupils shrank and he shrieked out, "Are those wooden wolves comin’ over here!?" "Eeyup,” Big Mac said calmly before spittin’ out the strand of straw in his mouth. “They’re called timberwolves, fer good reason." Sprocket nodded as he replied, "Well I sure as sunup can see that. So… we gonna run?" Big Mac replied, "Nope. Why should we? They're just like hitting trees." "Except with teeth!" "Eeyup." Big Mac took off in a gallop whose sudden swiftness left Sprocket even more wide eyed. After some panting, Sprocket sighed and followed after. Big Mac, in the meanwhile, quickly turned and kicked the first wolf, shattering it into nothing but a hundred pieces of split wood. Despite the fear holding his heart in a vice, Sprocket smiled at seeing how, apparently, these things were easy to break apart… and their bark truly was worse than their bite, pardon the pun. Courage breaking fear’s grip, Sprocket’s half-hearted cantle turned into a proper gallop and he leapt onto Big Mac's back then launched himself off, kicking through two more wolves. He then kicked another, but as soon as he did that, he saw the wood of all the wolves they had taken down give off an eerie green glow before forming into a bigger, meaner-looking, wooden wolf. His eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Now that just ain't fair!" "Nope." "Now can we run?" "Eeyup." Now it was their turn to run like their tails were on fire because their eyes had just laid upon a ghost. "How in the hay can you guys live all the way out here in the boonies knowin’ these things are right next door!?" "They usually keep put in the forest." The two continued running, until Sprocket noticed a pile of junk that he had made his first day on the farm. He smiled as a proverbial lightbulb went off in his head. "Hey, Big Mac! I think I got a plan! Since I'm smaller and weaker, it'll follow me! I'll lead it into the barn! You go and grab the old axle and get its attention! When it opens its mouth, throw it in there! That might kill it!" Big Mac nodded and they split off. What Sprocket quickly realized, though, was that since he had taken out more wolves, they chose to chase down Big Mac. He slid to a halt. "That is not the plan! BIG MAC! LEAD THEM TO THE BARN!" Big Mac ran into the barn. Sprocket ran to the pile of junk. After a quick look, he grabbed a smaller piece of metal (as he was not strong enough to throw the axle) and ran in. The wolf had Big Mac in a corner at the back wall of the barn, but there was a hole there and Big Mac managed to escape right out. The biggest wolf tried scratching at the wall to get to Big Mac, but turned its head back and growled the moment it heard Sprocket whistle at to get its attention. "Come and get me, bingo!" The mega wolf opened its mouth to howl, but Sprocket threw the metal in his hoof like a spear, and it went right clean out the back of the lupine lignum’s throat. "Hmmm... I'm better at throwing a spear than I thought.” The wolf then fell over, dead. The other wolves, however, which had followed right on the heels (or at least less than a few feet away) of their now deceased, bigger kin, looked towards the now shaking pony with a serious case of tunnel vision that was able to take down said fido giganto down a peg. They growled. They growled a lot. "Oh boy." He tried turning back for the exit, but another of the timberwolves he had missed was right there behind him. He tried turning back to the hole Big Mac had escaped through, but, again, he remembered that the little entourage that had followed the mega wolf was there and slowly making their way while growling up a storm as well. So, Sprocket backed up into one of the few places he could, into one of the side walls as they all closed in on him. He gulped. He gulped a lot. Then suddenly, an old axle went through the wolves, who had more or less been lined up straight enough. killing them. Sprocket turned to see Big Mac standing by the barn entrance and casually waving a hoof his way. Sprocket nodded. He nodded a lot. "Thanks." "Eeyup." Sprocket then turned back to the wolves. "So what we gonna do with them?" Big Mac thought for a moment. "Firewood." Sprocket chuckled. "Ironic. They tried to make us lunch, so as due punishment, they'll be helping us to make lunch." He chuckled a bit before catching himself and saying, "Huh. First time I ever made an attempt at a joke." Big Mac smirked. "Just don't quit yer day job." "Why? So you'll have somepony to help you around the farm when Applejack is selling apples?" "Nope. So somepony'll be able ta pull yer flank outta the flames… errr… sharp, wooden teeth, in this case." Sprocket raised an eyebrow. "Yeah… who saved who from a giant timberwolf again there, big fella?" "Who saved who from that pack of firewood over there?" "Touche." The two walked out and headed into the house for lunch. When they entered, they saw Apple Bloom and her friends huddled inside with kitchen utensils as weapons and armor. Sprocket asked them, "So, why were those timberwolves following you?" Apple Bloom and her friends quickly shed their armor and weapons. Apple Bloom exclaimed, "You two seem hungry! Do ya want us ta cook ya a meal?" Sprocket thought for a moment and nodded as he replied, "It’d be a nice gesture, sure. And, while you're at it, you can tell us all about why them timberwolves were following you like I asked." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle immediately pointed to Scootaloo and said, in stereo "It was all her idea!" "What!?" Sprocket just kept his stare and replied, "Now I don't rightly care whose idea it was. Just please answer my question." His tone had become slightly more forceful and left no room for arguing. Apple Bloom's head fell, as did her ears. "We was tryin' ta get our cutie marks in timberwolf wranglin'." Sprocket blinked a couple times and rubbed the inside of one of his ears, hopping he heard wrong. "I'm sorry now, but: did you say 'timberwolf wrangling'?" Apple Bloom nodded. "Now what in hay were you three thinking!? Were you even thinkin’!? Even a little!?" "Well, we figured that since we hadn't tried that yet, it might be a way to get our cutie marks for sure," Sweetie Belle said. Sprocket was at a loss for words. When he finally found his voice, he said, "Have you tried getting your cutie marks in something a little less dangerous? Like say tea making, or maybe corn cob doll making, or wood carving?" Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Boring!" She then though for a moment. "Maybe we can get them in tree scultpering!" Sprocket's eyes widened. "NO! That is way too dangerous! And it’s sculpting, not sculptering! Either way, now that I think about it, hay, just wood carving may be too dangerous!" Apple Bloom pleaded, "Oh please, oh please, oh PLEASE let us try tree carving!" "No." The three crusaders then began to pout, tears filling the corners of their quickly enlarging, large, eyes. In short, they looked so cute they could give an elderly pony a cuteness-induced heart attack. "Ummm..." They then asked, in their cutest possible voices, "Please?" Somewhere, someway, Sprocket could swear he heard multiple kittens die out of envy. Sprocket was sweating bullets and the word no was unable to come out. So, he turned to his partner in timberwolf taking down and said, "Uh, Big Mac? Little help here?" Big Mac turned to the fillies with closed eyes and said in regards to their pleas, "Nope. Now, git yerselves cleaned up fer lunch and set to be grounded for a long, LONG time after this little, stupid, insanely dangerous stunt of yours." The three sighed and went to go do as they were told. Sprocket sighed in relief. "Thanks." "No problem. Applejack'll be comin' in soon fer lunch. Go n' help her bring in the wagon n' tell her what happened." "Got it." He trotted out the door and it wasn’t too long before he saw Applejack coming in. He walked up to her and asked, "Do you want me to take the wagon for you?" "Nah, I got it. Anything interestin’ happen while Ah was gone?" Sprocket nodded. "Yep. We got some firewood." When he saw Applejack raise an eyebrow, he explained, "Apple Bloom and her friends thought they could get their cutie marks in timberwolf wrangling." Applejack shook her head and cleared out her ear before asking, "Ah’m sorry, but did you just say, 'timberwolf wranglin'’?" Sprocket chuckled. "Heh, that’s exactly what I did when I heard it the first time too. Big Mac and I told the girls they were grounded for a long, long time… after we took down the timberwolves running after ‘em and turned them into lots and lots of kindlin.’ So, yeah. We got some firewood alright.” Applejack shook her head as she unhitched herself from the cart. "What am Ah gonna do with that filly? I swear, one of these days, heck, maybe tomorrah after what you just told me, I’m gonna put her in a cell she can’t get out of for her own safety till she learns that doing stupidly dangerous nonsense not only ain’t gonna get her mark, but it’s liable to get her hurt or… or worse!” "That… actually may not be such a bad idea… especially if all that unnecessary risk taking is as chronic for her as you make it out to be.” He sighed and put a chin to his hoof. “But where in the hay are we gonna build something like that? I have a few ideas on how to build it, but where are we going to get the materials for something like that? So many questions… ah!” After shaking his head a bit, he looked at a staring Applejack before coughing into a hoof to regain his composure. “Sorry. I’ll uh… I’ll have some more concrete plans for stuff drafted up in a couple days if that’s what you want me to do and you weren’t totally serious and exaggerating even a teeny, tiny bit.” Applejack deadpanned at him and replied, “While it would be much safer fer her, Ah’d prefer not makin’ mah little sis an actual prisoner in her own home.” “Ah, but who said it had to be in the home?” Sprocket said, smirking. Applejack smirked. “While that’s mighty considerate of you, yes, I was exaggerating… a lot, though, not by as much as you’d think. Believe me, when she’s through with the grounding she’s gonna go through, she’ll feel pretty darn close to a prisoner in her own home. Speakin’ ah which… would you mind running along down Sweetie’s and Scootaloos’ place and telling their parents about what everything? I reckon they’ll have about as many words to say to them as I do for Apple Bloom.” Sprocket nodded and was about to speak when his stomach startled grumbling something fierce. Applejack chuckled. “Alright, alright, Sprocket. It can wait till lunch. So, the sooner we get to it, the sooner you can get to what you gotta do.” She walked past Sprocket into the house, and he followed after, rubbing his still undulating tummy. Author's Note Took a bit longer this time, but here it is. Hey, still better than waiting a few years for an update, am I right? Welp, leave a review and maybe give this a like? Gotta get started on the next chapter now.
A Visit to the WoodsOn the evening two days after the timberwolf attack, Sprocket lay belly down in a patch of grass, far enough away from the house that the light would land on it but close enough that anypony lookin’ out a window pointed his way could spot him easy enough. Of course, he was looking up at the stars and getting his eyeful of the night sky. "Enjoyin' yerself?" Sprocket let out a sigh. Apparently somepony did spot him through a window pointed his way. "Why yes I am." "Mind if I join ya?" "Free country… though, considering it's a monarchy, not quite sure how..." Applejack laid down next to him and fixed her eyes upwards as well. After a few minutes of silence, she asked, "So, whatcha thinkin' about?" Sprocket let out another sigh, brow furrowed in thought. His response was slow and measured, not daring to say the wrong word. "Nothing major.” He sighed. “Just… just my life before coming here is all." Applejack turned her head towards him and asked, "Anything out of all that in particular?" Sprocket closed his eyes, again giving a measured response. "Yeah, I suppose. My previous job’s the thing specifically on my mind. Ya see, I ended up in the Everfree because of an invention that had recently been… put out on the market, so to speak. I used it to escape a rather hairy situation, that one I told you about when we first met and that I still rather not get into, sorry, and to keep any others from following, I had said device set to self-destruct. That was the whole catalyst for that big, loud fireball of doom you and your friends saw when ya’ll found me." "Ah see,” Applejack said, blinking owlishly. “But if you’d rather not get into it, why tell me even that little bit there that ya just did? I mean, sure, it leaves a lot to the ol’ noodle, but I’d say it kind of those paint enough of a picture all by its lonesome even so." Sprocket sighed. "Because… I was thinking about telling you--and your friends--the whole story.” He let out a cough and was glad the night concealed his blush as he continued, “I mean, you do deserve to know after all you’ve done for me.” He looked down and sighed some more before continuing, “But, I'm still not too sure about it. Too many variables involved. So, please, don't tell nopony else about this. Please." Applejack patted him on the back. "Now don’t ya be worryin’ now, Sprocket. Ya have mah word. Though, fair warnin’: if anypony else asks me if you told me more, while I won’t say nuthin exact about what you said… I kinda can’t help myself but tell them you told me somethin’ in the first place. Element of Honesty and all that, ya know?" Sprocket smiled and nodded his understanding. "Thanks." Suddenly, they heard a single, long howl, and Sprocket just as suddenly squealed like a little filly before Applejack managed to calm him back down. "Hehehe… sorry. Seems like them no good timberwolves are still around." "And probably none too happy,” Applejack added. They both stood up and turned their attention towards the woods. "The upside is, ah think they're just stayin' put in them there woods tonight." “And what about in the mornin’? Or hay, later tonight?” Sprocket said, shivering in fright. “Well then, I guess you and Mac will just have to show ‘em what for and turn ‘em into even more kindlin’.” “And what are you gonna be doin’? Watchin’ from the sideline in a lawnchair with a bag of popcorn?” “Nope,” Applejack said, turning right around and casually trotting back to the house. “Apple slices. Duh.” Sprocket watched her go with as much nonplus as was physically possible to plaster over his face with. It immediately withered and became fear once again, though, when he heard the wooden wolves howl some more, and faster than a jackrabbit on a pogostick, he tucked tail and ran after Applejack and back into the house. And he didn’t notice the pair of eyes pointed his way and gleaming from inside the orchard... THE NEXT MORNING Sprocket fell onto the hardwood floor (as was becoming an increasingly annoying and frequent custom), waking himself up some. He went straight to the sink and splashed cold water on his face, and then hot water afterwards when the cold water just made him feel even more drowsy and lethargic. Finished with the process of waking up (or as close to it as he could possibly be considering he wanted nothing more than to be chained to his bed from now until the end of time because of the hour he was up and prepping for work at), he then dragged his hooves heavily down the stairs, shambling through the kitchen just as Applejack walked in from the living room. "Well I’ll be. Ah was comin' in ta getcha up, yet here ya already up and at ‘em fer once! Good on ya, Sprocket.” He sniffled and shifted unsteadily in place. “I miss my bed.” “Well tough crabapples, sugarcube, cuz we got a job fer ya before any of us even get breakfast." Sprocket hung his head low towards the ground. “Yay.” After being dragged by Applejack outside, Sprocket finally asked, doing his best (and failing) to stifle a yawn, “So, what I gotta do?” "We needja ta help Applebloom bring in the eggs. The chickens laid more than she can handle quickly by herself this time 'round." Sprocket nodded and trudged along to the chicken coop. He walked inside the little red and white house and saw Applebloom with a basket full of eggs in her mouth. "Good morning, Applebloom,” he said with another yawn and a stretch. “I hear you need some help gathering up all them extra eggs?" Applebloom nodded and said, as best she could, "Jesshh greb ya a bashkit n fill it wi sum." Sprocket raised an eyebrow in confusion. Applebloom rolled her eyes and set the basket down. "Ah said, just grab ya a basket and fill it with some." She pointed to where a stack of baskets were sitting. Sprocket nodded, grabbed one, and just followed her lead on gathering up the eggs. When they were done, they each headed in with one very filled basket. They set them next to the door to be taken care of and made presentable for the Ponyville marketplace after their pancake breakfast. To say Sprocket was a little less than enthused about said breakfast would be like saying he was feeling a wee bit sleepy eyed. His face fell into his food during the meal. It fell into his food a lot. THAT AFTERNOON Sprocket was working with Applejack in the field and Winona had decided to join them today, yipping and yapping happily between them as dogs were want to do. Upon finishing another of his trees, Sprocket gave Winona a little scratch behind the ear as he went up to his next one. Deciding he’d had enough of the relative peace and quiet and that it was time to shoot the breeze, he asked AJ, "So, what is this I hear about Zap Apples?" Applejack gave a kick to the tree she was working on before answering. "Ya see, we have these special trees that make a special kinda apple with a kick to it like being zapped lighting. Heck, lightning zaps are part of how they bloom, believe it or not! They're only produced fer a few days, but the jam we make outta ‘em are the second biggest money maker we got right after Cider Season." Sprocket nodded. "I see." Sprocket gave his tree a good buck. Seeing that all the remaining apples were knocked down, he made his way to another when Winona suddenly took off like a cannonbolt towards the Everfree, barking like the dickens. "Winona!" Applejack shouted. Applejack ran after her collie, and Sprocket ran after Applejack. In both cases, they just barely managed to keep up. Winona suddenly stopped in a clearing, growling at something neither of the two ponies could see. Wrapping one of her forelegs around her dog’s neck, Applejack asked, "Girl, what's gotten inta ya?" Sprocket looked around when something assaulted his nostrils and caused him to gag involuntarily. "P.U.! What in the hay smells like all those rotten eggs I found helping Apple Bloom this mornin’?" Applejack took a quick whiff, and her eyes widened in fear. “Timberwolves." Her fears were further confirmed when glowing, green eyes began to appear through the thick branches. Sprocket groaned out, "God, why do you hate me so much?" The two slowly backed away, only to turn and see more green eyes. "And they got us surrounded too. Ain’t that a bucket of creamcorn." One of the timberwolves growled at them, but before it had the chance to do anything else, Sprocket took the initiative and struck the side of its head, knocking it down… but the only lasting damage being to anger it further. Applejack gave him an incredulous stare. “Now, why in the hay didja go n’do that fer!?" "I just reflexed!” Sprocket yelled, panicking. “These things were surprisingly easy to bust up before, so I just… went!" The wolf at that moment decided to lunge at him. Sprocket, acting reflexively once more, swiftly grabbed the thing’s head before giving it a twist. The head popped off and the rest of the body fell to the ground, startling Sprocket and AJ both. Staring at the headless part, Applejack said, “Well dang. That there tactic of yers seemed ta work." A wolf decided the moment after was the opportune time to leap at Applejack, but she managed to jump over it with a shriek before Sprocket bucked it with all the force he could muster, sending some pieces at the other wolves lying in wait in the brush, who all snarled all the more. Backing up as close as he could to Applejack, who backed up as close as she could to him, Sprocket asked, “AJ?” “Yeah Sprocket?” "We ain’t gonna get out of this one, are we?” "Stow that talk! We ain't gonners yet!” Applejack said, more annoyed than completely out of her gourd terrified like Sprocket was. Suddenly, out of the top rightmost corners of his eyes, Sprocket noticed a rapidly approaching, rainbow blur over head. AJ must have seen it too, since she then said, "And we just got ourselves some reinforcements!" The blur rammed through some of the wolves, causing them to shatter, before flapping to a stop, hooves touching upon the ground right next to him. Rainbow Dash! Internally, Sprocket thought, “God, why do you love me so, so much!?” With her usual, prideful swagger, Rainbow Dash said, “Was in the neighborhood. Napping till I heard these things’ annoying as all get out howls. Saw you two. Looked like you needed my expert… uhhh… expertise. I was totally right, right?” Sprocket nodded. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! You’re awesome and you swooped down to save us in the nick of time! Please keep doing more of that and I swear I’ll marry you and pay all the way for the wedding!” Sprocket shrieked as he kicked a timberwolf he barely caught out of his peripheral vision coming from the side. Rainbow jumped out of the way of a timber wolf that had attempting to tackle her, causing it to crash right into a tree and subsequently right off into dreamland. “Uh, come again? Because it sounded like you said you’d--” “Less talkee, more helpee me survivee thisee!” “Sprockets right! We need ta take care a these things so we can git the heck outta Dodge, and fast! We can worry about other stuff later!” Rainbow saluted. “Challenge accepted!” She then promptly charged at a group of the timberwolves and barrelled through them with little effort. Though she had a grin that said, ‘I am awesome and you should be happy to bask in my awesomeness so that one day it might rub off on you,’ Sprocket chuckled nervously and said, “Ummm… last time we destroyed several at once they--” The sticks that formed the particular group of wolves started to glow an eerie green color and began to assemble themselves into an even larger, mega wolf. “They did that.” The mega wolf roared right in Dash’s direction, the sound waves so intense (just a tad greater than Sprocket’s girlish screams) that they slicked her hair, Sprocket’s, and AJ’s into three of the greatest cowlicks as far away from Manehatten as they were. Dash, stunned as she was, could only say one thing. “Huh.” When the thing finally charged, though, she was naturally feeling a little bit more chatty. “Turn tail and run for your lives!” Not needing to be told a second time, Sprocket and AJ (especially the former) did as they were commanded and made the busiest beeline for the farm house that they could. As they did, the mega wolf practically nipping at their heels, he turned back towards Rainbow, who was taking her own advice and joining him and AJ in their light afternoon sprint away from certain doom, and said, “I thought you said you were an expert on these things!” “I am!” RD shouted back. “Then why are we all running!?” “Because of the giant, wooden, wolfy monster thing! Duh! You don’t need to be a totally awesome expert like me to figure that one out!” The mega wolf, as though finding a sudden surge of speed from the animating and dark magic that kept it going, managed to get close enough with its strides that it almost sank its teeth in Rainbow Dash’s tail, and would have to if she wasn’t lucky enough to look behind her right as the beast’s jaws were entering the proverbial home stretch. Rainbow flapped her wings once, but powerfully enough that she soared ahead of the group. However, this proved to be less getting out of the fire and more entering the firing pan, as one of the regular timber wolves suddenly burst out from behind a tree she was passing too quick for her to react in time. Sprocket, however, had seen this little tricky maneuver coming from the wolf a mile away (after all, he did see what the critter was about to do and did try warning Rainbow) and had just enough time saved up for a counter of sorts. Like a meteor in reverse, he launched himself off the ground with his hind legs, strengthened from now countless hours bucking trees, and soared right on through the wolf, scattering its body as though it were some great, wooden bomb. Though Rainbow Dash managed to get off with a light shower of high velocity splinters that, at worse, poked her skin a little through her fur, Sprocket didn’t get off so light. After barreling through the wolf, he crashed head first into the three ahead of the one it had been positing itself behind before going after Dash, and before he could even yell, ‘OWWW!’ another of the smaller wolves leapt at him and tried its darndest to maul him, even managing to get its teeth to sink into one of his sides for a bit before Applejack charged and bucked the thing into pieces just as small and numerous as the bits from its comrade just a few seconds early currently dirtying up her coat Sprocket couldn’t do nuthin but let out a long delayed yell at the pain now wracking him and as Applejack placed him roughly on his back and just barely managed to get him out of the path of the mega wolf in time before it got him, the big monster instead crashing into the three Sprocket had, only with enough force that it actually managed to tip it over. “Ya’ll okay!?” Sprocket dimly heard Applejack ask through the haze clouding his, well, everything, especially vision. “WHAT DO YOU THINK!?” “Alright already, I get it! If you’re gonna yell somepony’s ear off, do it to the timberwolves!” Sprocket grumbled incoherently before saying, “Faust! If that big one just wasn’t on our tails, we’d be home free by now! Ahhh!” “No argument here!” Rainbow said from up ahead. Applejack frantically looked around, looking for anything and everything that could get them out of this proverbial pickle and have a shot of getting back to her family’s apple orchard, or, hay, anywhere else that was safe and not where they were. Like a bone falling from the sky before a famished pooch, she noticed something near enough to their path that would fit the bill quite nicely. “We need ta go over ta that pond!” Rainbow looked towards her, confused, and replied, “WHAT!? WHY!?” “‘Cause a the wood they’re made of!” “Desert ironwood!” Sprocket suddenly blurted out. “Exactly! That ain’t a type a wood ya wanna make a raft out of! The biggin’ll sink faster’n a brick!” Rainbow grinned, “Alright! Those vines hanging over should get you two across! I’ll fly ahead and get them ready just in case!” Applejack nodded as Rainbow flew towards the pond before the farm pony made a sharp right turn that way like her pegasus friend did. “Hold on Sprocket! Whatever you do!” “Holding!” When Applejack got close, true to her self appointed title as fastest flyer in equestria, Dash already had a couple of vines at the ready. Applejack then leapt with everything she had, the mega wolf mimicking her actions. Unfortunately for the beast, it didn’t have any vines to grab a hold of with nuthin, and even if it did, they’d probably snap under the weight. Even though Applejack had managed to land quite the distance away from the pond on its opposite side, the mega wolf’s splash was big enough that the water soaked her, Sprocket, and Rainbow Dash. However, they didn’t have so much as to let out a simple, ‘Wahoo!’ before they saw the rest of the pack circumventing the pond to avenge their sunken comrade. Sprocket groaned and said, “Back off to the races… why don’t they just give up already!?” Without answering, Applejack took off again, Rainbow quickly catching up and taking the lead, of course. Though Sprocket’s question was grim, soon enough, Applejack and Rainbow were able to begin outrunning the wooden canines, as their biggest, fastest, and most visible was too busy taking a permanent swim rather than serving as means for them to know where to go to try and outmaneuver and intercept their prey like they were fond of doing. It also helped that the two toughest ponies of the elements used branches to their advantage, pulling them and letting them swing back to hit the wolves made out of so many such branches (among other things). After about twenty minutes of only the third greatest cardio related workout of their lives, they came to a clearing. Since they didn’t see any wolves chasing them no more (for the time being, anyways), they decided to take a quick break and examine Sprocket’s side. Despite herself, Applejack winced. Despite herself, Rainbow whistled. “Wow… and ow… that looks like it really, really, REALLY hurts, dude,” Rainbow said with all the bluntness of a giant, golden frying pan. “Well gee whiz! How in the great wide WORLD of equis did ya’ll go and figure out that one, Rainbow!?” Sprocket shouted back. “Uh, because it looks bad? Duh,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. Applejack nudged Rainbow roughly once in the chest with one of her elbows. “Hey! What was that for!?” “Girl, I have half a mind to whoop yer flank ta the moon an’ back even worse than Sprocket’s right now,” Applejack said, surprisingly calmly for the seething anger drenching her voice. Rainbow backed up slightly with her hooves held up in defence. “Sorry, sorry. I guess I’ve just ended up in even direr straits than the poor guy here enough that I’m kind of… uhhh… what’s the word? Starts with the letter ‘b’? Right on the tip of my tongue? I think it rhymes with hooray?” Applejack quirked an eyebrow. “Ya’ll mean blase?” Rainbow’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! That’s the one… I think. I mean, yeah! I guess I’ve just ended up in a hospital bed worse off than Sprocket here enough times that I’m kind of blase about the whole getting hurt thing. I mean, you did see me after that one stunt I tried to pull off that one time I ended up at Ponyville General and had to read that first Daring Do book I did to keep me going crazy from boredom, right?” Applejack winced again. “Yeah, you were pretty banged up… but still! Buck up and show some decency, missy! Not everypony’s as tough as you, and in Sprocket’s case, he’s a lot less!” “I’m right here! And I helped Mac out with that first pack a few days ago!” Applejack turned slightly to him and replied, “Hush up, now. This don’t concern you.” She then turned back to Rainbow. Sprocket growled out in a rage before placing his head back against the ground and taking in some shallow breaths as he examined his wound (and ignored the bickering mares), which turned out to be not as bad as it could have been… though his body was acting like it was the complete end of the world. His closer inspection proved the bite marks to be surprisingly shallow, and they went from two inches past his ribs and stopped five inches before his cutie mark began. He sighed and said, “Ya’ll two can stop with the squabbling. I’ll live and live without too much complainin’ about my cuts here. They ain’t too bad, all things considered." His statement caught the two mares off guard, causing their conversation to come to an abrupt end. Applejack turned to him and asked, “And ya’ll’re sure ‘bout that?” Sprocket nodded as he stood with a grimace. “Yeah. ‘Sides, the bigger problem’s finding a way to take care of these things in the long term so that we ain’t gotta worry about heading into the orchard and meeting a pack a these things no more.” “Dude, I think finding a way to get out of these woods in one piece RIGHT NOW is little bit more important, what with you getting nommed on, don’t ya think?” Rainbow Dash said. "Well, once either of ya’ll find a way for either of those things, let me be the first to know, a'right?" Sprocket nodded and replied, "Sure thing. In fact, for the here and now, I think I got a sure fire way of getting us back to the farm all nice and safe like before we’re up to our necks in reinforcements.” “Oh yeah? And what’s that, genius?” Rainbow asked. Sprocket then took off running (or rather, lightly jogging, given how hurt he was) as fast he could, wincing all the way. “Running like your tail’s a’burnin’!” Applejack and Rainbow turned to each other, the former shrugging and saying, “Sounds like a mighty fine plan to me.” “No argument here.” The two then took off in the same direction as Sprocket at considerably faster paces, enough that Sprocket had to shout, ‘Wait up!’ after them and put his light jog into overdrive till it was a bonafide mild jog. ***** Once the trio reached the safety of the orchard (thankfully without any more timberwolf encounters) Applejack trotted back to put a hoof on Sprocket’s shoulder to stop him and asked, “Are ya sure you shoulda been runnin’ with a gash like that? Even a little bit like you were?” Sprocket looked at his cut before turning to Applejack and replying, “While I appreciate the concern there, AJ, there wasn’t another way to get the hay back fast enough. Besides, it wasn’t all that aggravated by the run and we’re now at the home stretch to the medicine cabinet.” Applejack held her grip firm, keeping Sprocket from continuing despite his very overt protests to the contrary. “Ah git thatcha want ta be some sorta macho stallion, but a run like that coulda turned a simple cut inta a major problem and then where would we a been?” “I’m not trying to be macho, Applejack,” Sprocket said, still trying (in vain) to trudge past her, but not gaining an inch. “It’s just this ain’t a life-threatening injury, is all, and there wasn’t and still ain’t a way for us to get back in a timely manner otherwise, which is what we needed and need to be concerned about, considering we were and still are escaping from a bunch of scary monsters.” Applejack sighed as she released her grip. As she opened her mouth to respond, they heard a growl and turned around to see a few pairs of glowing eyes on the edge of the Everfree just before they disappeared deeper into the forest. Sprocket gave a sigh of relief before remarking, "The last of them, I don’t think we’ve rightly seen." "You said it partner. Now, let’s git to the house, slowly and gently now, we can patch you up." Sprocket shook his head, “It’s nothing major. I can take care of it myself, ya know. Hay, last I checked, I’ve got about nine months over you.” Sprocket looked ahead of AJ’s scowling face to find something odd, or rather, a lack of something odd. Turning back to Applejack, he asked, “Stupid question, but, where’d Dash run off to?” Applejack huffed. “More like flew off to. The moment she thought we were all in the clear, she took off with the usual claptrap about how she’s behind on her weathermare duties and about Wonderbolt practice. Went away faster than I could ask her for help carrying you all the way back to the house.” Sprocket raised a brow. “You planned on carrying me all the way back to the house?” “Yes. I did. But since Dashie ain’t around to help lugging you around, and since ya’ll seem perfectly fine to limp on back, well then, I’ll leave you to it, I reckon.” With a firm slap to the back that left Sprocket more wobbly than he’d normally be if his leg wasn’t hurtin,’ she did an about turn and casually trotted back to the house. After grumbling something about pushy, apple crazed mares, Sprocket called to her, “Yeah, well… uhhh… I'm gonna to go take care of this, then head on to the library and see what it has on timberwolves. See if I can figure something out from that. Don't worry about making a meal for me if I'm not back in time for supper. I'll get something from a restaurant." "A'right. Ah'll finish up what we got here," she called back. Sprocket looked at her like she just admitted she was secretly a space princess from the planet zibowitz. “What? You’re goin’ back to work after all… that!? With those things still out and about!?” Applejack waved him off as she went. “That? That was no thing but a kale wing, sugarcube? Honestly, it’s like you don’t know what me and my friends have already have to handle at all!” After standing there for a bit longer with a stupefied look on his face, Sprocket managed to get out, “Well then… uhhh… see ya later… I guess,” and ran off as fast as possible to the house. On the way, he saw Applejack had stopped and was already hard at work bucking the trees she hadn’t gotten to before their little impromptu misadventure. When he was a distance away, he looked back at Applejack doing her thing behind him, watching so closely, and wondering how she still had such strength of mind and body considering recent events, that he ran right into a fence, sending him toppling over it. "Ow. That hurt." He shook his head and began running again. THAT EVENING Sprocket was out in the orchard, reading by the moonlight, back to an apple tree. "Ah see ya'll are interested in that book." Sprocket jumped higher than you’d think for a pony as big as him at that before trying in vain to regain his composure and dignity when he realized it was just Applejack. "Ahem, errr, yes. One of many that I'm gonna be perusin’ to see if any of them got a way of fending off them timberwolves." "Well, granny found an effective tactic is ta bang a spoon on a pot." "Well, if you see them soon enough, you can easily do that… but I'm looking for something that would be more easily carried on the fly, ya see.” Applejack nodded and scooched up next to him so that her eyes could dart over the pages in tandem to see if she could find something his couldn’t. After a few minutes passed in silence, Applejack sighed, her task fruitless, and stood up. "Ya can read more tomorra. All them big, fancy, schmancy words’ll keep. Right now, we should both head ta bed." Sprocket nodded and packed up the book. As he was about to walk in the direction back home, though, Applejack said, "Also, now that I think about it, in the future, I need ya need ta pay more attention ta where yer goin' than somepony workin'." Sprocket's face was covered in a blush in negative ten seconds flat. "How did you know about that?" "Big Mac saw ya trip over tha fence, so he assumed ya were lookin' at somethin' else. I assumed ya were watchin' behind ya. Seems Ah was right, with whatcha just said." Sprocket shook his head. "I'm never living these moments down, am I?" "Nope." Author's Note Okay. This chapter is a bit later than usual. I had some stuff going on and couldn't work on it as often as I had wished. But, here it is.
Filler. That's all this really is.Loud as a speeding train, Applejack opened the door to Sprocket’s room open with a kick of a hind leg, turned around, walked in, and yelled, "Sprocket! Time ta git up!" "HUH!? Whu?!" Sprocket’s head shot up from the book he had unintentionally used as a pillow, and he frantically looked back and forth through bleary eyes. Applejack narrowed her own eyes at him as she asked, "Were ya readin' that book last night after we came in?" Sprocket looked down at the little tome, then back to Applejack with a nervous smile. "Uh… noooo… Not at at all. I just like using books as pillows." Applejack gave a small smile. "Nice try. Next time, go ta bed when we tell ya." Sprocket hung his head low before sighing. "Got it." "Now, breakfast is ready. Come on down." Sprocket nodded, hopped off his bed, and took five steps in that direction. He then promptly fell over with his eyes closed, snores following shortly after. Applejack grunted in annoyance. She left and returned a couple minutes later with a bucket of ice water right before chucking it on Sprocket, earning a yelp from him. "Good. Yer up. Gitcha some breakfast." Sprocket nodded and shook the water off before following her out and downstairs to the kitchen. Once there, he saw today's morning meal was another set of pancakes. However, the stacks Sprocket saw at present were bigger than the other ones he had seen since moving in by a mile. A country mile, fittingly enough. "H-h-holy cow! Th-th-that's A LOT of flapjacks!" "Nope. That right there’s about the normal amount. We were just now able ta git enough of the ingredients we usually get to make ‘em that size.” Sprocket almost fell over from shock. "Dontcha go fallin' asleep again. Ah don’t wanna have to waste anymore perfectly good cold water." "Yeah, but you'd probably get another kick outta hearing me yelp in surprise. Again." Applejack thought for a second. "Yer probably right." They shared a chuckle before sitting down to gorge themselves. Halfway through, Applejack said, "Sprocket, you’ll be workin' the apple stand in town today. Think ya can handle it?" "Sure. My former boss was great at salesponyship and taught us several mighty fine strategies for hockin’ our wares." Applejack raised an eyebrow. “I see. You used to work at a clothing store?” Sprocket stopped chewing on his food and looked at Applejack like she had just said the sun was made of toast. “What? No! How would you ever even--” “Ya said yer boss taught you strategies for hockin’ your wears, so explain to me how that doesn’t mean ya used to be in the clothing business.” Sprocket continued to stare at Applejack for several silence filled moments longer before cognition kicked in and he said, “Ohhh!” right before slapping himself in the face and letting out another, much less enthusiastic and more weary sounding, “Ohhh…” Upon putting his hoof down, he said, “No, Applejack. Not that kind of wear, and no, for the record, not the were as in werewolves, werelions, or werebears, either.” Now it was Applejack's turn to look at Sprocket like he had just said something weird here. “Uhhh… werelions? Werebears, sugarcube?” Sprocket threw his head up, sighed something fierce, and said, “Look, AJ, the kind of ware I’m talkin’ about is the same ware as in earthenware, hardware, and warehouse.” Applejack raised her other eyebrow. “So ya worked in a warehouse selling pottery and tools?” Sprocket face-hoofed and replied, “Yeah… let’s go with that.” Not feeling all too peckish anymore, Sprocket got up from his seat, put it back in its proper place beneath the table, and turned towards the living door. “Whatever gets me out of here from hurting myself anymore trying to explain things to you quicker.” Applejack huffed. “Well ain’t you in a hurry all of a sudden Mr. clay and spackle salespony.” Sprocket groaned in annoyance. He headed out and had Big Mac help him get hitched to the apple cart and trotted as fast as he could away from Sweet Apple Acres and a certain overbearing, overworking, cold water chucking, lariat twirling, stetson wearing farm filly. MIDDLE OF PONYVILLE, A FEW MINUTES LATER... Sprocket got to the usual spot that the apple cart sat. But then, he ran into a bit of a problem. Namely, that he couldn't un-hitch himself from the cart. He tried pushing his back hooves against it and then tried pulling himself out with his front hooves while pushing his back hooves against it went that didn’t work, but all he managed to succeed in accomplishing was rocking and moving the cart a bit. Luckily, Twilight eventually came by during his titanic struggle with the stupid bits of wood and steel bolts that kept him from freedom. "Um… Sprocket? What are you doing?" Sprocket looked over to where she was and blushed as he continued to frown because of his predicament. "Trying to get out of this consarned thing. I've never been hooked up to anything before." Twilight used her magic and undid the harness quicker than Rainbow Dash could clear the sky over the town (which would probably have made her jealous if she was there to witness things), making Sprocket fall in an unceremonious heap. "Thanks." He got up, went over to the side of the cart, opened it up with a pull of a lever, and smiled sheepishly Twilight’s way. "Wanna buy an apple?" Twilight chuckled. "Sure." She tossed him a few bits and levitated an apple out of one of the baskets. "How has work on the farm been?" "Tiring. Real tiring,” he said, getting up and going to his proper place behind the stall. “But, I always enjoy laying out in the field and looking up at the stars late at night after supper, so, that’s something. " "Really now? I’m not sure if any of the girls or anypony else told you this, but I’m quite the stargazer myself. Any interesting constellations you like looking for?" "Nah. I just enjoy seein’ them and getting lost in the majesty of the evenin’ sky. It’s all just so beautiful and mysterious." Twilight nodded. "Wish the others felt the same. On another hoof, how are the books?" Sprocket rubbed the back of his neck. "Good, good. But, I did get into a little bit of trouble for reading them not too long ago this morning." "Oh?" "Yeah. Let’s just say I may or may not have stayed up late reading one of them and had a hard time getting up this morning. Applejack may or may not have then drenched me with ice water to get me up and at ‘em." Twilight chuckled at his plight. "Really wish AJ hadn’t. I was just wanting to find a way to protect the farm from Timberwolves easily, is all." "Well, I definitely know what it's like to get sucked into a good book. Spike can testify to that." Twilight blushed and her ears folded down against her head in embarrassment. Suddenly, though, all traces of humiliation were gone and Twilight was back to be overtly excited given the subject matter at hoof. "Oh! Speaking of good books, have you read any of the Daring Do novels by A.K. Yearling?" “Can’t say that I have. They any good?" Twilight nodded and replied, "Yes. Very. In fact, I happen to have the first book in the series with me right now!" She levitated the book out of her saddlebag and towards Sprocket. "Reading it’d be a good chance to pass the time while working I’d take if I were you," she said in a playful, sing song voice. Sprocket raised an eyebrow and asked, “Okay… I’ll bite, but, uh… why’d you have it with you now?” “Nurse Redheart had checked it out earlier and I happened to run into her earlier and, since she was done with it, she just decided it’d be easier to hoof it over right then and there.” Sprocket nodded. "Alright. Well, thanks. I'll be sure to return it once I've gone through it.” Sprocket then out a hoof to his chin and said, “Come to think of it, I’m also finished with one of the books I got from you earlier. Shoot. Wish I knew I could just have given it back to you now before I headed out today." Twilight sighed and looked thoughtfully up at the side. “I know, right? Why does hindsight have to be so… 20/20? I’d probably still have Smarty Pants if I saw what I did to lose him that… one day we do not speak of ever…” Sprocket looked and felt like he had just stumbled onto some never before seen geode made out of some never before seen mineral that, for all he knew, could have been valuable… or extremely, incredibly, dangerous. Unsure as to how to proceed, he took one of the bits Twilight had given him for the apple, decided what the two possible outcomes of flipping it would be, quickly did so before Twilight looked back in his direction, caught it in one of his hooves, and looked down. Tails. Squelching down his curiosity (which was a lot easier than he had expected given the vehemence in her voice when she mentioned that one day we do not speak of ever), Sprocket just looked at Twilight, waiting for her to notice the awkward silence she had formed, stop the conversation, and go about her no doubt busy day leaving him with several burning questions left unanswered (that may have been best that way). After seeing that there were ponies forming up a small line behind her, Sprocket tried coughing into his hoof as gently and respectfully as he could to get her attention. When that didn’t work, he tried tapping his hoof impatiently against the tabletop. When that didn’t work, he was prepared to get her attention through speech when one of the ponies in the line, apparently, had the same idea, though it seemed like it had come to him a few moments earlier. “Hey lady! Would you hurry it up!? I’ve got places to go, ponies to see, and an empty stomach to fill here!” The others in the line apparently had the same idea. “Yeah!” “That’s right!” “Move it along already!” “Get on with it!” “I went to college! I deserve better, ya lousy whippersnapper!” Twilight soon went, “Huh?” at all the commotion, looked behind her, wilted from the words when she realized she was their intended targeted, and turned back towards Sprocket. Grinning sheepishly, she chuckled just as nervously and said, "Well, uh... just-return-it-when-you-get-the-chance-bye!" Sprocket nodded (having barely just caught all that). Twilight then took her cue to gallop away like the dickens. "Have a good day!" she called back to him. "You too!" Sprocket then placed his new book on the table before him and started getting to work, hoping that he could deal with everypony quickly enough to dive right into said novel after the high marks Twilight had given it. NOON In just a few short hours, Sprocket had not only dived into the book, but managed to do five cartwheels and cut through the proverbial water like a hot knife through apple butter. With a proud yawn, he slammed the finished book on the tabletop before stretching and smacking his lips loudly. It wasn’t that the book wasn’t a decent read (in fact, as adventure yarns go, it was good. Maybe a little editing to get rid of the more… well… been there, done that, bought the timeshare elements, but overall, fairly above average) but to Sprocket, reading required the kind of calm that, when coupled with his tiredness, made him wish he was cruisin’ on a cloud through dreamland, the cloud being a pillow and a bed. Unfortunately, in between perusing the novel’s pages and manning the stand, he had somehow managed to sell nearly half of his stock of apples and had the big burlap sack full of bits Applejack and everypony else at the farm would be mighty sore at him if he didn’t keep the proper tabs on to prove it. So, deciding it best not to take any chances, Sprocket made good use of the temporary lull in business he was currently experiencing to head back to the farm, hand the sack over to Granny, get a new one, and restock on his supply of delicious red fruit. He was about halfway getting himself tied back to the cart when the crusaders came a running in his direction, eyes wide like they had just seen a monster. "SPROCKET, SPROCKET, SPROCKET!” they yelled. "Huh!?" He turned to their panicked shouts just in time for them to come to a stop by bumping into him hard enough to unhitch him from what little connection to the cart he had and get him to fall over onto the ground about three feet away. Getting back up, Sprocket stammered out nonsense that certainly weren’t sentences much less words before he regained enough mental cohesion to ask, loudly, "What in tarnation is all the fuss about!?" "COME QUICK! TIMBERWOLVES! ON FARM! NOW!" they said with unison that some who was a stranger to them might have thought was rehearsed. Sprocket's eyes widened and his breath got all kinds of caught up in his throat. "Oh boy." He quickly dashed into the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, almost running or knocking the crusaders over in his path, but most certainly leaving the three fillies trailing in the newborn cloud of dust he left as he galloped full speed speed ahead. SWEET APPLE ACRES Sprocket came a running, looking for magically animated wood of a lupine shape and form. Instead, he spotted Applejack bucking an apple tree, and ran up to her. "Applejack!" “Gah!” Applejack yelled, so startled by his sudden appearance and screaming that she embedded his hind hooves into the trunk of the tree and had a hard time pulling them back out. “Applejack! Where are they!? Did you see ‘em yet!? We need to get out of here, now!” Sprocket continued. With a grunt, Applejack managed to extricate herself from the tree. Looking halfway peeved and confused at Sprocket’s alarmed self, she then said, "Whoa there, partner! Cool your jets now and tell me what's the big roundup." "The crusaders! Said! Timberwolves! Farm!" Applejack raised her eyebrow. "What? Timberwolves? Here? Can’t say I’ve seen ‘em ‘round these parts today.” "Club house! Near there! Maybe!?" "That’d be a big nope there, partner. Point of fact: Ah was there when Applebloom and her friends ran out ta start crusadin,' and they headed in the direction opposite the Everfree. Right towards town." After a lot more erratic panting, Sprocket paused to process what he had just heard before it hit him like he imagined a haymaker from Big Mac would feel like: he had been duped. "Those… those… little, raving rats! They done gone and lied to me! And about such a serious issue too!” Applejack frowned. “So that’s why you looked like you saw… well… a pack of timberwolves.” Grinning guiltily for a moment, she then put her frown back on her face and asked, “So, they really told ya that there were timberwolves on the farm?” Sprocket gave a frustrated sigh. “ Seems that way. I swear, I just don't understand why they’d lie to me, especially not like… like that!” Applejack looked thoughtful for a few brief moments before guessing, “Maybe they wanted ta getcha away from the cart.” “Why in the blue blazes would they up and do that?" "Ah don’t know, but we should probably hurry back. Knowing those three, they’re probably up to no good. The kind that mean I’ll have to dip into the savings account if we don’t hurry up and catch ‘em." With that, Applejack and Sprocket made a beeline to Ponyville proper. PONYVILLE The two came to where Sprocket had last left the stand, but it was nowhere to be found. "Oh, consarn it! Those fillies are in so much trouble next time I see ‘em!" Sprocket sighed. "Least you can’t say that you can build just about anything from a few pieces of metal, but that three fillies can easily pull the wool over your eye." Suddenly, before either could say another word, they heard a crash and their heads tilted in its direction. "I hope that isn’t what I think it was," Sprocket said. “With our luck today? Don’t count yer chickens,” Applejack replied. The two ran to where the noise sounded from and they saw apples, broken pieces of wood, some metal, and three dazed fillies, all lying in a dilapidated, chaotic mess. "Guys?” Applebloom asked. “Yeah?” came Sweetie Belle’s and Scootaloo’s dazed reactions. “Ah don't think we're meant ta be stunt ponies." "Ya’ll also aren't meant to be seeing the light of day for a while if I have my say," Applejack, well, said. The three fillies looked towards the approaching cowpony and newly hired help, neither looking too happy. The three nervously waved. "H-h-how are you two doing this fine… uhhh… dayie… day?" Sweetie Belle said with a nervous smile. Suffice to say, Applejack was not amused. "Sprocket: take Apple Bloom home. Straight ta her room. Ah'll be taking Sweetie Belle n' Scootaloo home and having a long hard talk with their folks." Sprocket nodded and took Applebloom with him as he was told, while Applejack took Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to their places, all three crusaders’ heads bowed down in shame. For a long while, the walk back to the farm was as quiet as Fluttershy trying to whisper. Sprocket, feeling all kinds of bad for Applebloom, finally decided to break the increasingly unbearable silence when the two of them were halfway down the road to the farmhouse. "Applebloom." He looked down at her, but she refused to look up. "Applebloom, look my way, please." She raised her head and looked at him with those big, adorable eyes she and her friends were infamous for. He stopped dead in his tracks, prompting her to do the same. "What were you and your friends thinking?" "We was tryin’ ta git our cutie marks as stunt ponies..." she muttered, barely audible. Sprocket sighed. "Look: I understand you three want your cutie marks really badly, but doing stuff that could get you or others hurt the kind of bad that leads to being mighty sore on a hospital bed, or maybe even worse, is not what you should be doing. If something happened to you in one of these here attempts how do you think your sister would feel? Or your brother? Or your grandmother? Or your many, many, MANY cousins, uncles, and aunts and the like?" Applebloom looked back down. "Also, what if one of your friends were to get hurt? How would you feel then?" Applebloom didn’t move her head, though, Sprocket could see that she was shaking and what seemed like tears seemed to be staining the ground where her eyes were pointed at. Sighing some more, he lifted Applebloom's head so that it was facing his own and, upon discovering that she was indeed crying, he sighed some more some more and said, "Applebloom, listen: I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just want you to think your actions through, including thinking about all the consequences the next time.” Then, though a large part of him was telling not to do it because he’d look like a huge jerk, his look hardened and her told her, sternly, “I’m also VERY disappointed that you lied to me. Especially with how much trouble we’ve recently been having with those rotten, no good timberwolves." Without announcement, Sprocket then resumed his walk to the farm and looked over his shoulder at the guilt-ridden filly. "Come on now. We need to get home." Applebloom nodded and he faced forward again. As he heard the heavy, trudging hoof falls of Applebloom walking next to them, however, the grim facade on his face cracked and he let out a small sigh of relief. At least the timberwolves didn’t really come... today, anyways… LATER THAT EVENING After Applebloom was sent packin’ right to bed when supper was finished, Sprocket trotted outside to the porch to find Applejack on the rocking chair her granny kept outside there, looking up into the wild, star studded ebon yonder. “Somethin’ on yer mind, Sprocket?” she asked without turning towards him. “Uh, yeah…” Sprocket said, somewhat unsettled since he had been sure to make his steps as light as possible and was sure AJ wouldn’t have been able to hear him. “Just wanted to run by what the deal you’ve decided with Applebloom is, in case I forget.” “Shoot.” "So, uh, if I got this right, she's been grounded for a week, only being allowed out for school after which she heads straight home, and when she's not working on homework, she'll be helping me rebuild the apple cart?" Applejack nodded at his recap. "Yep,” she said, sighing. “ 'Bout sums it up. Also, thanks fer givin' her the talkin' to she needed.” She turned to him to continue with, “I appreciate it,” before looking back at the stars and the evening shroud they lay suspended in. "Well, it needed to be said, far as I reckon. Though, I hope she didn’t take it too hard. I made sure I had let my anger cool before I talked to her so I didn't say something that I'd regret, but, well, ya know how much of worry wort I can be… that I am." Applejack nodded. "Hopefully, maybe now they'll stop doing such crazy, high falootin stunts like that." Sprocket chuckled. "Well, I wouldn’t be so gung-ho. From what I've seen, they won't stop till they get their marks, come tartarus or high water. Now, they may take little extra precautions, but that’s all I’d feel safe counting on.” Applejack bowed her head and sighed. "Well, time’ll tell, won’t it? Now, we should probably head in. Ya’ll got a cart ta repair tamorrow." Sprocket nodded with a sigh. Man, he’d been doing a lot of that lately. "Believe me, I know. And believe me even more: I ain’t too keen about it." "And Ah better not find out ya stayed up late readin’ again, cuz I ain’t too keen about that." Sprocket held his hooves up. "Well, believe me further still, I learned my lesson this morning, so believe me even more when I say I’ll be a good boy and please don’t throw anymore frigid H2O my way, please." The two shared a chuckle as they went in. Author's Note Hope yall enjoyed this here chapter. Be sure ta let me know whatcha think. Also, give a big thanks ta Vunderguy, who go this edited while I was away.
