Forged of Gold

by Reinhardt_

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Romance
Length: 9211

Given the task of forging a powerful magical artifact, will Gold become a master Blacksmith?

Heart Gold, a unicorn apprenticing at the famous Silver Guild Smithy in Canterlot, is given the task of forging a powerful magic piece from items called the "Elements of Harmony". But once he discovers that the Elements are living beings, and on top of that, one is a mare he's fallen for. Will he give up the chance to be the greatest blacksmith in Equestria for love?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-27 07:52:39 UTC

The Apprentice's Responsibility

CLANG

CLANG

CLANG

     The sound of hammers on metal echoed throughout the streets of Canterlot as the sun rose, bathing the royal city in warm sunlight.  Ponies were waking and going about their morning tasks.  "Good Mornings" and "Hellos" were exchanged amongst the working classes, while silent nods and huffs were given by some of the snootier, upper-classed ponies.  The early morning quietly crept as the minutes passed, it was almost a picturesque scene of harmony; That was, until an explosion erupted from the nearby Silver Guild Smithy.

BOOOOOOOOOOM

     An explosion rocked the entire mountainside as smoke rose from the smithy.  "ANOTHER explosion from the Silver Guild?" One pony asked.

"Yep, sure looks like it."

Another let out a sigh, "Looks like Gold is getting an early start today."  Yup, It was a regular morning in Canterlot. The racket from the Silver Guild became a regular thing for many of the denizens of Canterlot.  But despite the constant disturbances, the smithy would never close due to the quality of the equipment and vanity items they made on a daily basis.

     Silver Guild Smithy's products had almost no rival, save for the Bronze Guild Smithy.  The headmasters of the Guilds have a long standing rivalry that has spanned several generations.  And of which, the two smithys are constantly trying to beat each other out with their levels of quality.

     The staff of the Silver Guild consisted mainly up of Earth-ponies, save for one unicorn who apprentices there.  Who constantly hampers the guilds progress with his practicing of magic. "WHAT IN THE HAY!?" A deep voice roared  "GOLD YOU GET YOUR FLANK DOWN HERE!! NOW!!"

     "Agh...crap... I forgot to take that potion out of the fire last night..."  A slate grey unicorn with a strikingly blonde mane and short manecut muttered to himself. "I'M COMING CHIEF!" He yelled back.  He definitely took his time though, he was used to being yelled at first thing in the morning, so he wasnt in much of a rush.  Trotting down the stairs and into the main room of the smithy, Gold heaved a sigh, "You called for me chief?"

     An older, but quite muscular Earth pony turned to face Gold, "WHAT IS THIS!?" He motioned to a furnace that was smoldering and in pieces.

     Gold let out a puff, "Well... that looks like a furnace to me chief" he said nonchalantly.

     The chief let out a growl. "Well even I can see that you smart mouthed little punk! In the name of Celestia," he continued, "Can't you go three days without blowing something up with your magic!?"

     Gold shrugged, It wasnt ENTIRELY his fault that his magic would backfire and destroy his surroundings.... The reason that he kept blowing things up was due to spending long nights at the smithy, constantly forging throughout the morning and evening hours.  It was oftentimes midnight when Gold would pick up a book and start to study magic into the night. Upon finishing his studying, he would then put his newfound knowledge to the test and attempt to use the spell.  More-often-than-not, his magic would end up destroying something in the smithy, getting himself scolded and extra work given to him.  His saving grace would be the quality of his craftsmanship.  Most of the items Gold has forged ended up being showcased by many high-class art lovers in Canterlot, but the one thing he is most famous for (Besides blowing up the smithy), is a piece of jewelry forged from Moonstone for a contest to make a piece for the Royal Princesses of Equestria.  His piece won by a landslide, and I've heard that Princess Luna still wears the piece today.

     But there were more pressing matters at hand, the chief was furious and looked like he was about to throw Gold into a raging furnace. "GOLD!" The chief snared, "MY OFFICE...NOW!"

     Heaving a sigh, Gold followed the chief into his office. The chief stood in front of his personal furnace, "Gold... ... ..."

     Gold took a step closer, "Yes chief?"

     "You are aware of the rivalry between the Silver and Bronze Guild, and the contest we hold to determine which guild is the better, correct?"  The chief said without budging.

     Gold nodded, "Yessir! The contest is held every year before the Winter Wrap-up."  Gold has participated in this contest every year since he began apprenticing at the Silver Guild, so he understood the gravity of this battle of masters.  "The contest is in a couple months is it not?"

   The chief didnt budge, "You are correct Gold, and I'm planning a very special piece for it..." He sighed, "But alas... the piece requires magic as well as the proper materials to forge...And I dont know any unicorns who could possibly do this job..."

    Gold waited, mulling over the chiefs words for a moment, before speaking up.  "Chief?" He began, "I would be honored If you let me take upon the task of forging this item for you..." Bowing as he spoke, he wasnt too sure on what the chiefs answer would be. Especially considering the fact that Gold has wrecked the smithy several times over.

     The chief suddenly gained a wicked grin, "Are you sure Gold? Its a big responsibility, but if you can do it... I'll graduate you from apprenticeship and directly into a Master."

     Gold's eyes lit up.  Graduation!  It was everything he was waiting for! Access to the storehouses, better pay, better tools, and he would'nt have to bend to every whim of the staff!  He wanted this more than anything else.  "Yessir! I can do it!"  He responded enthusiasticaly, "What are the details?"

     The chief let out a cackle, "It's simple, there are these objects called 'The Elements of Harmony', they are powerful magic items. A piece that could be worth millions if a piece was forged with them." Gold had whipped out a notepad and was jotting this all down as the chief continued, "I want you, Heart Gold, to go down to the town of Ponyville, find the Elements, and forge a piece out of them before the Winter Wrap-up."

    Gold placed the note book into a saddlebag he had place on himself as the chief finished, "Ponyville, Elements of Harmony, forge before the Winter Wrap-up," he said as he looked at the chief, "Correct?"

     The chief turned and faced Gold with a malicious grin, "Yes my apprentice, the train to Ponyville leaves in three hours, I suggest you get ready..."

     Gold saluted, "Yessir! I'll get right to it!" And with that, he hurried up to his room to prepare for the trip. "Ponyville... I cant WAIT..."

((This is my first attempt at a fanfic so far, constructive critisicm and any thoughts you may like are helpful to me so go ahead and speak your mind))

Rivalry and Arrival

          Flinging open the door to his quarters, Gold began to scurry about in an attempt to find his things to leave.  The room was small, as to be expected for an apprentice.  Books on magic, alchemy, and forging techniques laid strewn about on the floor, scrap metal and various incomplete, as well as completed projects leaned on the walls of his room.  The only "clean" areas in his room were a bedroll next to a small furnace and a small table that he used for magic and alchemy studies.

      "Need, need, need, don’t need, need," rather methodically, he began to pull materials, books, and tools that he'd need from the whirlwind of items he suspended with telekinesis, and throw them into his saddle bags.  "Alright! I think that’s everything!" And by everything he meant his bedroll, his hammer, and a lot of books.  He skimmed the items again, and with a satisfied nod, he closed his saddlebags and put them on as the items suspended by his magic crashed to the floor.

     "GOLD!" The chief roared. "WHAT THE HAY ARE YOU DOING UP THERE"

      Gold let out a snicker, "Sorry chief! I knocked something over!"

      "THAT'D HAD BETTER BE THE CASE!" The chief's voice made the entire building rumble.

     Shrugging, Gold exited his room with a cheerful demeanor, and slammed the door shut.  "You seem happy," A smooth voice chimed from behind Gold.  He turned to face his addressor, "A little too happy at that, what happened that put you in such a good mood Gold?"  An earth pony about Gold’s height was standing a little down the hall from him; the prized smith of the Silver Guild, Black Onyx.

     "Oh, hey Black, the chief gave me an important project to do!" This was a definite reason for Gold to be hyped, the chief rarely if ever, personally gave him a project to do.

     Black chuckled, "You're serious? Chief Grandforge actually gave you a project personally?  That's ridiculous! Why would he give YOU, Mr. Blow-the-forge-sky-high, a personal request!? What is it even for!?"  Gold cringed at the insult that was made at him, sure he would be scrutinized day in and day out for his magical failures, but he never fully got used to the insults.

     Audibly growling, Gold snapped at Black, "He's sending me to Ponyville!  He wants me to forge an item for the contest between our guild and the Bronze Guild!"  He stood proudly; making evident the pride he had in the task he was given.  Black had other ideas, however, and began to laugh hysterically.

     "Ponyville!?  The old coot is sending you to Ponyville!?  What makes you think that THAT'S important?!  That place is a peasant town!" Apparently, the fact that Gold was being sent to Ponyville was almost a demotion to the ponies of the Silver Guild Smithy.  "Why could you possibly be proud for being sent to Ponyville!?"

     Gold took a step towards Black, "Shut up! You only think that way because all you think about is the money!" Black glared viciously at Gold.

     "Oh really now!? How about I teach you what money can do in this world!" Gold shied away from him as he said that.  He knew that Blacks' parents had a lot of bits and were high up in the Canterlot society. All it would take to get Gold kicked out from the forge would be a word from Blacks mouth.

     "Sorry Black... I apologize for my behavior..." Gold said quietly, "It won't happen again..."

     "Darn right it won't!  I'm happy you're getting sent to that peasant town!  Just means there's more room for me to shine here at the guild!" Black gloated.  "Now get the hay outta my sight, you make me sick."  Heaving a sigh, Gold turned and headed downstairs into the main forge.  Chief Grandforge approached Gold as he reached the bottom of the staircase.

     "Are you ready my apprentice?" Grandforge began.

     Gold shook off Black's insults and nodded happily, "Yes sir! I'm ready!"

     Procuring a train ticket from his saddle bag, the chief handed it over to Gold.  "Take this and go to the train station for departure.  You remember what your job is correct?" Taking the ticket, Gold trotted over to the exit and turned to face Grandforge.

     "Go to Ponyville, Find the Elements, Forge the item before Winter Wrap-up," He saluted, "I remember my duty Chief!"

     The Chief saluted back at Gold, "I'm counting on you my young apprentice... do me proud!" With that, Gold finished his salute and trotted outside.  "Alright Ponyville, here I come!”

__________

     Gold galloped into the train station, "Made it!"  He glanced at a nearby clock, "And just in time too!"  Gold wasn’t exactly known for being the best keeper of time, sleeping in too late, finishing a project a couple days AFTER it was supposed to be finished and even forgetting store hours were amongst his "timely" errors.  Brimming with confidence nonetheless, he approached the train just as the conductor began the boarding call.

     "ALL ABOARD!! ONE WAY TRIP TO PONYVILLE!!" The conductor roared. With a final glance of Canterlot, Gold trotted onto the train and began the painstaking process of finding his seat.  He fumbled through two of the train cars before finally finding his seat. "Aha. There it is" He mumbled as he approached his seat, It was a window seat, he loved window seats.  There was something about sitting in front of a window and watching the scenery whip by before his eyes that Gold always found fascinating...

CLANK

HISSSSSSS

     With a jerk and a slow rumble, the train to Ponyville lurched into motion.  Gold lazily looked out the window as the train left the station.  With a sigh, he looked down at his forehooves. They were bandaged from long nights at the anvil; his coat and mane were darker than usual due to the ash and coals from the forge.  He cast his gaze towards the window once again in an attempt to see his reflection.  He grinned as a dirty, worn, sapphire-eyed unicorn stared back at him.  He was always told by the Chief(When he was in a good mood that is) that Gold had his mother’s eyes.  The tragic thing about it, was that Gold's parents died when he was just a young foal.  The last request from his parents was for Chief Grandforge to take Gold in and teach him the arts of smiting.  But despite him not being able to know his parents, his optimism was never clouded.  Gold always looked on the brighter side of life.  Even when he would blow things up with his magic, or fail to complete an order, he'd always find a joke to crack or a way to elevate everypony's mood.

     "I wonder what Ponyville is like..." He mumbled to himself as the rhythmic rocking of the train lulled him to sleep.  In a matter of moments, the young stallion was soon fast asleep...

__________

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCHHHH

THUD

     "AGH!!!" Gold cried out as the train skidded to a stop by the landing platform, the inertia from the train suddenly stopping sent him face-first into the seat in front of him, "What the hay..." He murmured as he steadied himself.

     "WE HAVE ARRIVED IN PONYVILLE!" The conductor hollered.  Gold quickly hopped to his hooves and scrambled off the train and onto the landing platform.  "Made it!" He beamed confidently, but alas, his beaming grin faded as the train left the platform and he was left standing alone.  "Uhm..." He looked around at his immediate surroundings.  "Where am I supposed to go again...?"

First Impressions and Books

(I want to apologize for not getting this chapter out sooner, I've been super busy and havent had a good chance to sit and write. So for your reading pleasure, This chapter will be a bit longer than the other two. Enjoy!)

     Gold had made a valid point to himself, Chief Grandforge didnt give him any instructions on where he was supposed to go to begin forging in Ponyville.  And on top that, Gold had no where to stay in Ponyville either.  "Great... now what am I supposed to do?  I could try wandering around till I find a forge... but then again... I could just end up getting lost..." He mumbled to himself.  "Well, It's a good thing I grabbed that map from the station earlier... or I would be totally in a ditch" Snickering at what he thought was funny, he levitated a map out of his saddlebags and began to examine it.  His focus was entirely on finding a forge until his eyes met with the building-er-tree labled "Library".  Golds eyes shone, "A library..." He said aloud, "I wonder if they have any books on magic..."  With a determined nod, he folded the map and placed it back into his bag before trotting towards the library.

     It was strange, Gold had just arrived in Ponyville, yet he already felt like he lived here.  "Everypony here has a different vibe than the ones in Canterlot," He thought aloud.  "Much more inviting and warm..."  Wandering about, his thoughts drifted as the atmosphere of Ponyville and the ideas what the library might have on magic captivated him.  The forge could definitely wait, Gold was never able to really study magic when he was at the Silver Guild, so a chance like this was almost impossible for him to pass up.

     "Oof!" Caught up in his thoughts, he walked straight into somepony else, "Oh, umm... sorry miss, I uhh... didn't see you there."  Gold was used to running into ponies when he was on a project so it didn't bother him much.  This wavy, blue-maned mare that he bumped into seem to be mortified by the contact.

     "OH...MY...WORD..." She exclaimed.  Gold tilted his head, there was a small dark patch of ash on the mare's otherwise pristine white coat.

     He raised an eyebrow, "Um... Excuse me?"

     Turning to face Gold, her eyes shrunk and her jaw dropped as she saw him. "...You're..."

     Gold took a step forward, "...Uhh ...What?" What was this mare's problem? He thought to himself.

     She took a step back, "...You're so..."

     Gold was defineably confused by now and made it evident with a sigh, "...I'm sorry... I uhh... don't quite understand...What are you talking about miss?"

     The mare gulped and screamed at the top of her lungs, "YOU'RE SO FILTHY!!!!" And with that outburst, she galloped away as fast as she could in the opposite direction.  Gold stood there dumbfounded, "What...?" He looked down at his hooves and craned his head to look at the rest of his body.  "I'm filthy...?"  It didn't bother him much, he normally went a couple days without bathing due to constantly working at the forge.  "Why bother cleaning up when you're just gonna get dirty in a matter of moments?" was the common excuse amongst the others at the Guild.  Gold couldn't help but wonder If he should clean up a bit...  "Maybe, But I have more pressing matters to attend to," He said with a smirk as he continued his trek towards the library.

__________

     After wandering around for a bit, Gold finally made it to his destination.  "The library!" He grinned, "I hope they have a lot of materials on magic!"  Containing his excitement, he trotted up to the door of the library and knocked on it.  "Hello? Are you open today?"  He waited for a few moments before realizing the door was unlocked.  "Oh... heheh... whoops..."  Gold walked into the library and looked about.

     His eyes were wide as he gazed upon the contents of the library.  The shelves were jam packed to the holding capacity of books.  "Of Mice and Stallions", "Derpy's guide to Equestria", and "Huckleberry Hooves", the variety of the novels all seemed very interesting, but there was one book that caught his eye.  A thick, black covered book on the top shelf labled "Mastery of Magic".  Gold giddily hopped up and down as he saw it, "Alright! Perfect!" He began to lift the book out of the shelf, "I can't wait to-huh...?"

     The book wouldn't budge. "H-hey...whats going on?"  The book wouldn't come off the shelf, it was almost as If somepony, or even worse, something was keeping the book in place.  Gold growled in annoyance as he magnified his magical intensity to move the book.  The book gave way a little, "Yes!"  But as soon as he spoke, the intensity at which the book was being pulled back magnified hundred-fold, yanking the book through the bookshelf and Gold up and over it.  "AHHHHGG!!!!"  He screamed as he sailed over the bookshelf and hit the floor.

CRAAAASSSHHHH

     "Owwww..." Gold grunted as he rubbed his head, "What the hay was tha-" His words were cut off as a pair of lavender eyes stared back at him.  "Oh...uh..." He mumbled as he fumbled up to his hooves, "I-I'm really sorry miss... If I knew that somepony else was trying to grab the book I would've let go..."

     She stood upright and faced Gold, "Oh no no no! It was my bad, I shouldn't have yanked it that hard" She said as she reorganized some books that had fallen out of the shelf when the book was yanked through.

     There was something about this mare that Gold liked.  He found his eyes wandering down the lavender mares figure, he kinda lost all thought for a moment, but he quickly snapped back upright to attention when she shifted her eyes to his.  Clearing her throat, she spoke, "I haven't seen you around here before, You new to Ponyville?"

     "O-ohh...U-uhh...yeah," Gold responded nervously.  Mares, Gold was always awkward around mares.  Every once and a while a mare would drop by the Guild to check up on an order, but other than that, Gold was always surrounded by stallions.  So the fact that he just practically knocked this lass over, and that she caught him gazing at her just made the entire situation twenty percent more awkward than usual for him.

     Turning to face Gold, she smiled and offered her hoof, "My name is Twilight Sparkle, what's yours?"  Gold slowly raised his hoof to hers, "Umm...Heart Gold."  He shook her hoof firmly, but her response was gingerly made as she caught a glance at Gold's bandaged hooves.  "Umm...If you dont mind me asking... Why are your hooves bandaged?"  Gold looked down at his hooves then back at Twilight to see a concerned expression on her face.

     "Oh these?" Gold raised his hooves, "They're... uhh... nothing to worry about Miss Sparkl-"

     "Twilight," She interrupted, "Just Twilight is fine Mr. Gold."

     Gold let out a snicker, "Just Gold is fine, I dont normally go by my first name anyways."

     With honorifics out of the way, Twilight raised her previous question.  "So...Uhh... why are your hooves bandaged Gold?"

     He grinned "Well... uh... working with smoldering metals isn't exactly the safest thing to do... I guess you can say they're wrapped to protect them... I'm a blacksmith..."

     "Ohh, I see, the layer of ash on your coat" She began to say as she took a look at his cutie mark, "Your cutie mark speaks for itself too," She said with a giggle. Gold looked at his flank, a rough-shaped, golden heart with a hammer and anvil in the center was the mark he was blessed with at birth, it gave the excuse he was destined to work at the forge, but Gold couldn't help but think it meant more than that.  Twilight was ready to ask another question when Gold's stomach let out a deep growl.  Gold blushed, "Err...sorry... I haven't eaten since I left..."  Twilight giggled, "That's quite alright Gold, I was just about to whip something up to eat myself.  Would you care to join me?"

     Gold glanced at his stomach as it made another low gurgle before looking back up at Twilight, "Uhh...sure!  Thanks!"  Twilight nodded and smiled, "Alrighty, follow me then."  With that she trotted up the stairs and opened a door to the second floor.

     "So, you live here in the library?"  Gold spoke up as he followed her up the stairs and into the upper room.

     Twilight turned to face him as he entered the upper floor, "Why yes I do, I run this place with my assistant Spike."  As she spoke she motioned over to a chair by the table.  "Take a seat, please!" She said with a smile.  Gold quickly heeded her request and sat at the table as she trotted into the kitchen.  "What would you like to eat?

     "Anything that doesn't cause you much trouble to prepare would be fine," Gold was being rather modest with his request, normally he'd eat ten plate-fulls of whatever was at the table for dinner, and still be hungry for ten more!

     "Okay then... Daffodil sandwiches and hay-fries it is!" His stomach growled again.  Hay-fries, out of all the foods, hay-fries were Gold's favorite.  If there was any food he would be caught with eating while working, (Which was discouraged at the Silver Guild) It was hay-fries.

     Cozy, that was definitely the word Gold would use to describe Twilight's room.  The warm atmosphere and the smell of food cooking reminded him of his own room back at the Silver Guild, except with one main difference, how clean the room was.  Books were organized on the shelves by title, author, and subject.  The floor was immaculate, not a single spot of dust or a misplaced item was left laying about.  "Hmm...Somepony is quite the tidy one..."  He mumbled as he continued to gaze around the room.

     "Say, Gold?" Twilight chimed from the kitchen, "Where are you from again?"

     "Canterlot... I was sent from the Silver Guild," Gold responded quietly.

     Gold was suddenly taken aback as Twilight rushed out from the kitchen and right up next to him, "Wait, as in THE Silver Guild?"

     "Uhh, yeah?  There isn't any other Silver Guild that I know of so... That's the one."

     Twilight's face suddenly lit up, "So you're THE Heart Gold!?  Like the one who won that competition with the moonstone jewelry for Princess Luna!?"

     Gold started to shrink back, "Uhh... Yeah... that's me..."

     "Wow! That's amazing! I've always wanted to study how magic is used through the forging process!" She said while leaning in closer to Gold.

     Gold, however, wasn't quite as enthusiastic as Twilight was, "...I don't use magic during the forging process..."

     Twilight gained a sudden look of shock before reeling back, "You don't use magic!? But you're a unicorn! How can you NOT use magic!?"  Gold's ears went back as he cast his gaze to the table.

     "Other than telekinesis... I can't use magic during the forging process... My magic is unstable... so It always ends up rather... explosive..." This bit of information was rather embarrassing for Gold to admit, but it was true, despite his experience while forging, magic was an entirely different thing for him. "Besides, I don't think studying me is a good idea..."

     Twilight grinned, "Of course is! Here, let me make you a deal."

     "Okay...I'm listening..." Gold tilted his head inquisitively.

     "I'll order a forge to be added on to my house, you live here with me and let me study your process of forging. And I will teach you how to control your magic properly. Deal?"  She stuck her forehoof out to ensure that Gold was positive about this.

     Gold thought about her offer... It made sense... Gold had no place to stay, nor did he have a forge to work at.  And Twilight also seemed pretty capable of teaching him, especially considering she was the one who flung him up and over that bookshelf...  "Alright... I'll do it.  That's definitely a reasonable offer..."

     Her eyes shone, "Okay! I'll go place the order for the forge! *cough* Just *cough* What is that smoke!?"

     Gold craned his neck to look over into the kitchen, "Uhh... The food? Perhaps?"

     "OH NO!!!!!"

Accidental Errand

"Ohnononononono!!" Twilight rushed into the kitchen to save the would-be lunch from its unsavory demise.  But alas, where there's smoke, there's fire and the food was beyond saving.  An annoyed growl was made as Twilight dumped the burnt hay-fries into the garbage.  "I'm really sorry Gold, I totally forgot I had those on the burner..."

     As dissapointed as Gold was that his favorite food was just incinerated, he simply shrugged and heaved a sigh, "Uhh... It's alright Twilight... just the... daffodil sandwiches are alright..."

     "You sure? Because I can make some more..."

     "D-don't worry about it" Gold said as he got up from the table.  "Umm... when do you think you can get that...uhh ...order placed for the forge...?"

     Twilight poked her head out from the kitchen, "Oh! Right! Let me just tidy up a bit then we can go talk to Applejack, she'd probably know where we can get that forge ordered!"  She stood there, looking at Gold for a bit before clearing her throat, "You think that uhh... you could go downstairs while I get cleaned up?"

     Gold's face lit up like a tree decorated for Hearth's Warming Day, "Oh! Uhh... Yeah! Of course...!" Scrambling off the chair he quickly rushed to the door.  "S-sorry!"  Was all he could say before walking through the door and closing it quickly behind him.  "Such a moron...! Why couldn't I ha-AAGH!!" Too caught up with bashing himself, Gold misstepped and tumbled down the stairs to the first floor.

CRRRRAAASSSHHH

     "Ouch... I didn't see that step there..."  Gold layed flat on his back, staring at the ceiling.  "...Welp... so far... things have been... okay... I guess..."  Heaving a sigh, he remained at the bottom of the stairs.  His gaze drifted from the ceiling to the rows of books on the shelves.  "Maybe I should read something while I wait..."  Gold paroused the shelves once again, "Letsee... no... no... no... AHA! Here we go!"  Lifting the book of the shelf and plopping it on the floor, he said the title out loud, "Basic Forging: Learn the basic forging styles and alchemy spells to help you perfect your craft!"  Opening the book, he began to review what had been drilled into his head as a young colt,  "Heat the forge to 1300 or 1800 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare the metal to be used in the forging process... Take care to use gloves or some kind of wrappings to protect your hooves from the heat."  He chuckled as he took a glance at his forehooves, his preferred method was the hoof wrappings, it kept things comfortably loose while still protecting them from the heat.

     Gold flipped through the pages of the old book, completely oblivious to the lavender mare tapping her hoof in front of him.

     *Ahem*

     Gold's ears fidgeted as she cleared her throat, "Oh... uh... you must be ready then... huh...?"

     "Mhm, I see you've taken a liking to my books, and as much as I like to see somepony else taking joy in reading, we do have some errands to do so lets go."

     Gold closed the book and returned it to its spot on the shelf, "A-alright... lead the way then..."

     With a giggle, Twilight opened the front door and motioned for Gold to follow.  Gold sheepishly heeded her call and walked out, closing the door behind him.  She happily trotted along, while he followed behind her quietly.  Not a word was said between the two, except for the occasional answer to questions Twilight would ask; But even then Gold's answers were vague.

     The two pressed on to the edge of town, Gold spotted a sign that said "Sweet Apple Acres ahead".  Judging from what Twilight had said earlier, it only made sense that somepony with the name "Applejack" would be found here.  "Makes sense..." he mumbled to himself as they neared a small ranch surrounded by miles of apple orchards.

     They were almost immediately greeted by an orange mare with a heavy southern accent.  "Howdy Twilight, what can 'ah do  ya for?  And who's the stallion you brought wit' ya?"

     Gold dreaded the situation he was in, but much to his relief, Twilight answered instead of himself.  "Applejack, this is Heart Gold.  He's a blacksmith from Canterlot and we were wondering if you know where we could find a smithy or even better, have one built?"

     The southern belle shook her head sadly, "As much as 'ah'd like to help ya'll, some varmit ran off into the Everfree with Big Mac's harness and 'ah was just about tah go hunt the rascal down."

     "Oh... well maybe later the-"

     "I can go get the harness back." Gold said aloud.  Although he never meant to say it aloud, the words somehow made it from his brain to his mouth.  "I mean, uhh... if you don't mind... I-I'm sure if I went to g-get the harness back... y-you and Twilight could work s-something out... r-right...?"

     Twilight and Applejack exchanged glances for a moment, "If ya can handle it 'ahm alrigh' with it, what about you Twi?"

     "I'm okay with it, we'll see about the forge, you go and get Big Mac's harness back.  Just be careful alright? The Everfree is a dangerous place."

     Gold simply nodded in acknowledgement and headed off in the direction Applejack pointed to.  "What the hay did I get myself into..." He mumbled, "Just think to yourself that you did it in order to be able to get to work on the project you were given... not because you felt inclined to help them..."  Kicking himself mentally for opening his mouth, he made his way to the Everfree.

Varmits and Fireballs

     When Twilight told Gold to be careful in the Everfree, she wasn't kidding.  The winding paths and the local wildlife didn't exactly make things easy for Gold.  "AAAAAHHHH! WHY DID I AGREE TO DO THIS!"  Gold's current problem?  He took a right when he should have went left, then end result being upsetting a rather ill-tempered jungle cat.  "GO AWAY GO AWAY! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!"  He was in a full sprint, but his pursuer wasn't exactly too keen on giving up the chase just yet.

ROOOOOOAAAAAAARRR

     "SWEET CELESTIA HELP ME! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"  He yelped as he ducked and weaved through the shrubbery.  "IS  ANYPONY OUT THE-"  His plea for help abruptly ended as he noticed a light yellow pegasus through the trees, "HEY! HEY YOU! HELP!"

     The pegasus stiffened and turned to face Gold's direction.  "H-huh...?"

     "HELP ME!"  Gold shrieked as he dove into shrub a few feet away from the pegasus.

     But by now the ferocious feline was already within a few feet of him, claws and teeth beared in agitation.  Gold closed his eyes and mumbled, "Why... why does it have to end like this..."  And with a final gulp, he waited for his demise...

__________

     No more than five minutes had passed before a small voice beckoned to Gold.  "U-Uhm... e-excuse me...?  Y-you can come out now... I-If that's a-alright with you... that is..."

     Gold's ears stood on end, If somepony was talking to him, wouldn't that mean he isn't dead?  But then again, he could've been mortally wounded and an angel is trying to coax him out of the land of the living.  Nonetheless, it didn't stop him from questioning the voice, "Wait... I'm not dead...?"

     "U-uhm... n-no..."  The voice replied.

     "Then what happened to that thing that was chasing me?"

     "O-oh... s-she was just a little grumpy...t-that's all... ...A-are you alright...?"

     Gold poked his head out of the shrubbery.  "Then that was probably my fault... and yes I'm fi-"  He was about to finish his sentence when a pair of light blue eyes froze him in his tracks.  "U-uhh... u-uhh..."  He felt a deep blush rise in his cheeks, and his words escaping his mind.  "A-ah... U-uhh..."  He couldn't finish at all, the voice was a little too quiet at first for him to identify, but after getting untangled from the shrubbery, he discovered the voice belonged to a mare, a rather cute one at that. Nonetheless, the voice belonged to a mare.

     "E-excuse me...?"  She squeaked, "A-are you sure you're a-alright...?"

     "U-uh... y-yeah... I-I'm fine..."

     "...U-uhm..."

     "Y-you wouldn't happen to have seen a... uhh... pony running a-around here with a h-harness of some kind... h-have you?" He asked meekly.

     The mare simply nodded and pointed in the direction going deeper into the woods.

     "T-thanks..." Was Gold's only reply before heading off in the direction he was shown.

__________

     Gold used to be sent on errands to fetch materials from the surrounding areas around Canterlot, but he was never sent off alone for one simple reason.  Gold has no sense of direction.  If you give him verbal instructions, he'll most likely forget them within the hour or so.  That's why his master would either send him off with another apprentice, or give him a map and written instructions.

     But at the current moment, Gold is lost in an unknown forest, no map, and only a direction pointed out by a shy mare to guide him to the thief.  "Why... Why do I always seem to get lost... I should've asked for a map..."  He sighed.  The leaves crunched underneath his hooves, and there was a pleasant breeze flowing in from the north, if he could remember which way north was.  "He's gotta be around here somewhere... C'mon Celestia... give me a sign... anything..."  Luckily for Gold, his prayer was almost immediately answered as he heard some voices up the road.  Gold's ears perked and he quickly hid up aside a tree.  "What's this...?" he murmured.

     "Are you nuts!? I gave you a simple order, and you come back with some harness!? I said 'Zap Apples'! Not 'Harness'!"

     "S-sorry boss..."

     "Ugh... you're useless you know that!?  The Apple family is probably going to send somepony after you! Did you think of that!?"

     "N-no... s-sorry boss..."

     "The Apple family...?" Gold muttered, "That must be the family that owns Sweet Apple Acres..."  Upon closer thought, he facehoofed.  The Apple family. Sweet Apple Acres.  It made perfect sense.  He let out a chuckle at his own revelation, but that soon backfired.

     "You hear that boss?"

     "Yeah, go check it out."

     Gold swallowed, he knew he had to make a move, so he did what he saw another apprentice do.  He jumped out from behind the tree and stood proudly.  "Ah ha! I found you thief! Return what you stole or face the consequences!"

     The pair of thieves started laughing, "You bloody serious? Hey boss! I think this guy is serious! Bwahahah!"

     "Listen kid, you really expect us to listen to somepony like you? You don't even have a weapon! Hahahah!"

     Gold frowned and retrieved his forging hammer from his satchel, "I do have a weapon! And I will be forced to use it if you fail to return the stolen harness!"

     The expressions of the thieves grew serious for a second, but they then returned to laughing.  "You really think that a hammer scares us?  You're just a weak little foal hiding behind a hammer that does nothing!  Why don't you run along and go play before you get hurt?"

     Gold scowled and swung the hammer, surprisingly, it connected with the face of the lackey.

     "ARGH" The lackey cried out before hitting the ground motionless.

     The other pony stared in shock, "Y-you... you knocked out my lackey!"  He then drew his sword and pointed it at Gold, "Prepare to meet your demise!"  He made a jab at Gold, who then quickly deflected it with his hammer.  This dance of jabbing and deflecting continued for a lengthy amount of time and by now Gold was getting a little tired.

     "You're pretty good kid... but you'll never beat me with just a hammer!"

     Gold took a step back, the thief was right, Gold hadn't landed a single blow on him.  He rubbed a cut on his cheek and thought for a second.  "If I want to beat him... I'll have to use magic..."  Gold squinted at the thief, "Fireball... that should do it... now... just gotta remember how to do it..."

     The thief took a stab at Gold.  Gold moved to the side to dodge it, but it connected, leaving a nice gash in his shoulder.  He hissed in pain as he took the blow, but that didn't stop him from beginning the steps he remembered reading in a book.

     "Step one... focus..."

     Gold's assailant began to slash repeatedly at him.  Gold was able to deflect most of the blows with his hammer, leaving only a few cuts from the attacks that he couldn't react to.

     "Step two... pool the magic to your horn and imagine an inferno..."

     The onslaught continued, Gold was fighting back with an exhausted determination that was quickly fading.  "Give up kid! There's no way you can use magic to get yourself out of this one!  Just give up and die!"

     "Step three..." He let out with a sigh, "Release!"  Aiming his horn at the thief, Gold released the fiery cauldron of magic he was building up.  The surrounding area lit up as an explosion erupted from Gold's body.  The thief stared in terror as the light quickly blinding both his and Gold's vision.  Everything went white for them both.

__________

     Gold opened his eyes for a second, his vision completely blurred.  His body stung, whatever he used, it wasn't fireball.  He blinked a couple times, eventually making out a couple figures in his vision.  They looked familiar, but he couldn't place them.

     Voices...  He heard voices.  Frantic voices.  Like the voices you'd hear in the movies, when the hero receives a fatal wound and is on the verge of death.  "Could this really be it?  Did I really overdo it this time?" Gold thought to himself.  As his eyelids lazily drooped, he felt himself get lifted up off the ground and carried off.  The rest fades as does his consciousness.

Cure for Hospital Boredom?

Beep

Beep

Beep

     The only noise that echoed in Gold's mind was the incessant beeping of some machine and his own breathing.  But despite the noise, or lack thereof, it gave him some time to think.  What went wrong? He thought to himself, I did everything exactly how the spellbook described it, so how come it ended up like this?  He worked over the scenario hundreds of times over in his head, it didn't make sense.  He followed the steps down to the last bit of detail, so what went wrong?  No solution.  There was no reason that it should have failed like that.  I don't get it... but it doesn't matter... I think I'm dead anyways...

Beep

Beep

Beep

Wait... that beeping... either that's just some noise that's supposed to torment my failure in the afterlife... or that's a heart monitor...  With a little effort, Gold opened his eyes to see the blank walls of a hospital.  He blinked a couple times and mumbled, "Definitely heart monitor..." as he cast his gaze around the room.  "Yup... I'm in a hospital... and I'm as stiff as cold steel..."  A quick stretch proved two things to Gold, one, his body was stiff from being bedridden, two, whatever he did, it really hurt.

     The door opened and a stallion in a lab coat entered the room.  "Patient 2317, Heart Gold.  Cause for admittance, severe magic burns and minor lacerations to the torso. And on top of that, a concussion. Boy, I don't know how you survived that much punishment, but it's pretty darn impressive you did."

     Gold turned to the pony, "You the doc?"

     The stallion grinned and nodded, "Indeed, I'm Doctor Harvard, glad to see you're finally awake Mr. Gold. How're you feeling?"

     "I feel like I got hit by a train... but other than that... pretty good I guess... What happened anyways?"

     The doc pulled up a chair and sat, examining the clipboard he held. "Well according to the ponies who brought you in, you were laying unconscious in the middle of the Everfree next to two thieves that have been evading the authorities lately."

     Gold's brow furrowed, "I was unconscious?"

     "Yes, you've been out for a day or two, you've had a visitor come by every day so far.  A mare, she seemed pretty worried, said her name was Twilight Sparkle.  You friends with her?"

     "U-uhh..." He felt his face light up, "Y-yeah... we're friends..."

     "Ah, alright," Harvard responded coolly while writing his notes. "Okay, Mr. Gold, due to your rate of recovery you should be able to leave within the next couple days."  He said as he stood and headed to the door.  "Just stay in bed, don't move too much, and you'll be out in no time, alright?"

     "Okay doc..."

    Harvard then exited Gold's room, leaving him to rest.  But Gold had other ideas.  "Ugh... Rest is the last thing on my mind..."  He attempted to get up, but that backfired instantaneously as his body rejected the idea of moving and sent a shockwave of pain rippling through him.  "MOTHER OF CELESTIA!"  was the only response made before he laid back down on the hospital bed.

__________

     Gold laid in bed for what seemed like an eternity for him, and by eternity he means six hours of nothing.  "At least I was asleep most of the time... I wouldn't be able to take two days of nothing to do..."  If anything was a surefire way to annoy Gold, it would be locking him in a room without anything to do.  "Ugh... why... why me..."

     He glanced at the clock, 7 PM.  Normally he'd be at the forge, working on a project or "cleaning" up his workspace.  So laying in bed, staring at the clock was pure torture.

Knock knock knock

     "Hello? Gold? Are you awake...?"

Finally a visitor... Gold thought to himself.  He cleared his throat and responded, "Yeah, I'm up.  Who's there?"

     The door opened slightly and Twilight poked her head in, "It's Twilight... can I come in...?"

     Gold felt another blush coming on, so he looked over to the window, "Y-yeah... y-you're already h-half way in..."

     "O-oh..." Twilight nodded and walked in quietly, "I'm not disturbing you... am I?"

     "N-not a-at all... U-uhh... W-what's up?"  Make the conversation short and simple,  she probably came to see if I was okay or not, is what he was thinking, but life is funny in the way things don't always turn out like you planned it.

     "Well... I figured you'd be a little lonely here in the hospital by yourself and I wanted to check and see how you were doing... So I figured I'd make a visit."  She said as she took a seat in a chair by the bed.  "So! How are you?"

     Kind of a stupid question, if she was the one who brought him into the hospital, then she should already know this.  "W-well... u-uhh... I'm fine... j-just a little sore t-that's all..."

     "That's good," Twilight said with a worried tone. Suddenly her expression turned grim for a second, "You really weren't kidding when you said your results with magic are explosive... you could've died you know?"  Died? I really could have died?  The thought floated around in his head for a second before she broke the silence, "But don't worry, with a little practice, we can get you whipped straight into magical shape!"

     Did she read his mind?  Nah.  The thought of dying left a sour look on his face, which Twilight read easily.

     "O-oh... w-well... sorry..."  Gold mumbled.

     "Don't worry about it. As long as you don't go and do it again we should be okay."  She said with a smile.  Gold felt something churn in his heart, something was tugging at it, something he couldn't quite place.  With a simple nod of agreement he shook the feeling off.

     "D-did you... w-work out a... u-uhh... plan? F-for the forge...?"

     "Why yes we did, actually.  There's this older stallion who offered to get one set up right outside my house.  'Shapestone' was his name I think..."  Shapestone, That name sounded familiar to Gold, He just couldn't quite place it.  "Anyways, he said the forge will be ready for use in a couple days, he's quite the fast worker."

     Gold couldn't help but grin.  A forge, how he missed the warmth of the fire and the smells of molten metals.  "T-that's great... I-I can't wait to s-start..."

     "Great!  Oh!  Uhh... I have a question..." Twilight said quietly.

     "U-uhh... wh-what is it...?" Gold said while looking over at her.

     "Would you mind if, uhh... I read to you?  Cause you're looking pretty bored, and I've always thought a good book would help brighten up someponies' day, or night in this case." She ended the sentence with a giggle.

Read to me? She wants to read to me? I guess it's alright... He thought to himself, coming up with an answer moment later.  "S-sure..."

     Twilight's face lit up as he said yes, she then proceeded to quickly retrieve a book from her saddlebag.  "Epics of Equestria" The title stated.

     "I hope you don't mind, I've already started to read this one, it's got all sorts of ancient legends and tales that have survived history!" She said enthusiastically.  To Gold, it didn't matter much, he had always enjoyed reading about ancient heroes fighting off evil creatures and sending them to Tartarus.  He was a little excited himself to be honest.

     "N-no no... I-It's alright... g-go ahead"

     Twilight simply smiled and began to read the story of how an ancient hero defeated an evil ruler who tried to use terrifying contraption made of magic to absorb the magic from other unicorns.  Gold grinned slightly as she continued with her tale, but eventually, his expression dropped and turned into one of peace as he slowly fell asleep.  Just a quick nap He thought as he dozed, Then I can get to work at the new forge.  Gold could've sworn he saw Twilight looking right at him just as he fell asleep, but who was he kidding, he barely knows her, and she barely knows him.

Lost and Found

     Gold sat up and rubbed his head, "Ugh... Morning already?"  He looked at the clock on the wall "9 AM.  Great, perfect, now to get out of here..."  With a stretch Gold climbed out of the hospital bed, pulling off the wires and such that were connected to him.  "Wait a second, " He mumbled, "There's no pain... and the only thing I feel is a little stiffness... either I'm on some sort of pain medication... or the doc was right when he said my rate of recovery was high..."  As he finished his little revelation to himself, the door opened and Doc Harvard entered.

     "Oh? You're up and about already? Perfect, let me get your paperwork to sign then you can leave."  Gold nodded and waited for him to return with the paperwork.  "Alright, just sign here and you're free to go."  Gold levitated a pen to the board and signed the paperwork.  The doc looked a little wary for a second as Gold used his magic to move the pen.  "Just make sure the next time I see you, it's not for the same reason, okay?" he said with a chuckle.

     Gold laughed, "Alright, thanks doc." And with that, he gathered up his personal items and left the hospital, only to find himself hopelessly lost again.  "Great... lost again... why does this always happen... wait... what am I thinking... I have a map!"  He dug around in his satchel and pulled out his map, which then promptly disintegrated into ash.  His eyes widened and his jaw dropped, "Y-you gotta be kidding me... that was... my only map..."  Gold took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, "Okay... relax... no need to freak out... You can find your way back to the library... it can't be that hard, can it?"  With a puff of determination, Gold proceeded to wander the streets of Ponyville with the intent of finding the library again.

     The streets of Ponyville may be familiar to most ponies in Equestria, but not for Gold. It's a giant tree for Celestia's sake... Not a needle in a haystack... He thought as he rounded what looked like a gingerbread house for the sixth time.  And that gingerbread house isn't helping at all... I'm bloody hungry...  Everything looked so different, true the streets were not as winding as the streets of Canterlot, but the layout of the town was making it difficult for him just to remember which street he had gone down previously.  Maybe I should head back to the hospital... maybe they would know where I need to go to get to the library...  Gold stood still for a few moments before facehoofing, "I can't go back to the hospital... I don't even remember which way it was..." he groaned.

Growwwwllll

     Gold clutched his stomach, "I should've checked to make sure the map was in good shape... now I'm stuck out here... with no food... no map... and no idea where to go..."  He looked at the gingerbread house for the ninth time now, "I'll ask for directions... just once..."  Heaving a sigh, Gold was about to enter the house when a familiar smell began to drift into his nostrils.  "Wait... that smell... it's... ...iron... and the billows... it's done already?"  According to the doctor, it had only been 3 days, there's no way that the forge could have possibly been finished within that time.  Nonetheless, Gold's curiosity was peaked.  "Well, you know what they say, 'Where there's smoke, there's fire.'  And I haven't smelled that before in this town, so the forge must be finished."  He said with a chuckle as he followed the aroma through town.  "Either that, or I just need to take a shower, hehehe..."

__________

     In a matter of minutes, the library came within Gold's sight, "Alright! And, is that?"  There was another building near the library, it looked like a small shed with a large chimney jutting out the top.  And emitting from that chimney was the very smell Gold had grown up with for years.  "Ha ha! It is done!"  He quickly approached the shed and entered, the doors being wide open.

     "Eh? Who are you?"  There was a unicorn stallion in the shed, he looked rather worn but tough at the same time.  Like a stallion who has seen it all.

     "You Heart Gold?" The stallion asked with a gruff voice.

     Gold was a little weary of him, but he felt comfortable considering the stallion was a unicorn, "Yeah, I'm Gold. Who are you?"

     The stallion turned to face Gold, the blazing furnace behind him added an aura of intimidation.  "I am Shapestone.  The master who built this fine smithy.  I will be leaving, but first, I have one question. Do you think you are worthy to call yourself a blacksmith and use this forge?"

     Gold took a few steps forward and with a fiery glint in his eye he responded bravely, "No, I don't think I'm worthy.  I know I'm worthy!"

     Shapestone grinned, He's just like him..., "Alright.  Go for it.  I pray that Celestia and Luna will bless your projects.  If you have any questions or would like to expand, you can find me in the old refinery building at the base of the mountain in the horizon."

     "Canterlot?"

     "No no no!  The other one!  You know, the one that Ponyville was having dragon problems with?"

     "Oh, heheh, right, that one."  Gold facehoofed and Shapestone chuckled.

     "Don't worry about it.  Now I must be leaving.  I have a quota to meet."  And with a quick bow he left, leaving Gold to bask in the glory of his new playground.

     "This is gonna be great!" He chimed to himself.  "I'll definitely be able to get this request finished for Chief Grandforge before the Winter Wrap-up!"  Gold began to examine the forge more carefully.  The floor was reasonably clean, that was soon to change, as Gold planned to get it plenty dirty with soot and ash.  The tools were organized neatly on the wall and easily accessible.  The anvil was nice and weathered, just like the one back home he thought to himself.  Gold giggled like a young school-filly, "This is gonna be great!"

      "So this is where you've been?  I went to see you at the hospital... but they said you weren't there! Do you know how worried I was?"  Worried?  Twilight was worried about him?  Gold looked a little embarrassed, Does she care about me...? ...Wait... we just met... so that can't be possible... can it?

     Twilight let out a little sigh of annoyance, "Do you know how hard it is to find cooperative research subjects?"

     Gold shuffled his hooves, "S-sorry Twilight..."

     "It's okay, I found you, but don't do that again. Now what say we get to science, hmm?" She said while a box floated in and set itself neatly on the floor.  "In that box is everything you need to get started with a basic iron item, show me what you can do Gold!"

     "U-uhh..." I'm supposed to work on the Cheif's project... But I also made a deal with Twilight...  Gold heaved a sigh and levitated his hammer up with a meek smile.  "O-okay...!"

Explosions! For science?

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Haunted Memories and the Future

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