Controlling the Beast Within

"This is most certainly not fine!"

We arrived back in Ponyville just a little before midnight. I had suggested we head right over to Twi's place, but Trixie made it quite clear that we should stop by her busted wagon before doing so. So, here we were, standing before what used to be her wagon. It was a lot worse than I had first thought, though... Most, if not all, the wood had been completely splintered beyond repair. The devastated unicorn had, so far, only been able to pull a few intact items from the wreckage: Her cape, a toothbrush, and… something. I hadn’t gotten a good look at whatever it was since she had tucked it under her cape right after finding it.

It better not be anything gross...

Regardless, she was still pretty agitated about having lost her mobile home.

"Hey, most people would be glad they're still alive." I picked up a piece of the siding, noting a large bite mark on it before dropping it back down. "A wagon can be replaced. Your life? Not so much."

Trixie let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head. "...Whatever." She seemed to give everything another look over, before turning herself towards me. "Trixie thinks this will have to do."

"Alright," I answered back, starting towards the library. "If it turns out you need anything else, maybe we can stop by the marketplace in the morning."

She didn't respond, which might have been a good sign. Until now, all she'd been doing was getting her panties in a twist at the mere thought of me giving her aid. Baby steps, I guess.

Leading us back, I approached the front door carefully before glancing back toward Trixie. "Best let me do the talking." A roll of her eyes was her only sign of acknowledgment.

Opening the door, only finding it odd for a moment that the door was unlocked, I casually walked into the main room of the library with a look of confusion. I had expected Twilight to stay up, waiting for my return, but it seemed Spike and her had simply retired for the day without me. Shrugging my shoulders, I motioned for the cyan mare to come in. Hesitantly, she placed a hoof through the doorway before allowing the rest of herself into the room as well, her eyes squinting a bit.

"How is Trixie supposed to see without a light?"

"O-Oh, sorry." I'd forgotten. Werewolf eyes.

Checking about the place, I found a candlestick atop one of the podiums close by, bringing it over to Trixie. "There ya go."

Her horn sparked for a brief moment, the candle soon coming to life as it filled the room with an orange glow. Now that she could see, the mare slowly went about examining the room, her expression teetering between marvel and indifference.

"Trixie supposes this shall suffice until Trixie is able to leave."

"Glad you approve," I muttered to myself, before pointing to the several doorways around us. "That leads to the kitchen, and down that way is the living room." I broke off from giving directions for a moment, finding myself releasing a yawn. "...Bathroom is that way."

I waved for her to follow me as I headed over to the stairwell, before semi-quietly making my way up. Trixie trailed behind me, levitating the candle along with us. Once we reached the top, I glanced over toward Twilight's bed, spotting her already curled-up form under her blanket. However, the light filtering into the room seemed to get a stir from her.

"Mmm, eh?" The groggy mare poked her head up, blinking her half-lidded eyes at us. "N-Nick?"

"Yeah, it's me," I replied. "Trixie is gonna be taking up my room for a while."

Twi, still rubbing her eyes in a half-awake state, just nodded her head before laying it back down on her pillow. "Oh. Okay..."

I looked over to Trixie, giving her a satisfied grin. "There. All settled." She just stared at me, rather deadpan. I pointed to the door leading into the spare room, before ushering the mage in. Drawing attention to the bed, as well as the various shelves and whatnot, I let her get to making herself at home while staying on the other side of the doorway.

"Breakfast is whenever you feel like getting up."

Trix placed herself next to the bed, staring at it, before shifting her gaze about the place. "...You said this was your room." She placed a hoof onto the covers, almost seeming to fidget with them uncomfortably, before laying her uneasy eyes on me. "N-Not that I care, but where does that leave you then?"

...Nope.

"Down on the couch." I let out a light chuckle, before waving a hand at her. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"I-I wasn't worried about—!"

"Wait, what?!" I nearly jumped out of my skin at the exclamation coming from behind me. Turning around, I could see Twilight sitting straight up, staring over at me with wide, unblinking eyes. "What do you mean she's staying here?!"

I frowned at her a bit, noticing Spike also waking up now, as well. He was rubbing his eyes, mumbling, "W-What's going on?"

"Hey, she doesn't have any place else to go," I rebutted. "So, I offered. She can take the guest room, and I'll take the couch. Simple."

"I-If the Great and Powerful Trixie is not welc—"

"It's fine, Trixie," I interjected, waving my hand over my shoulder.

Twilight stared at me for several seconds, before running a hoof over her face. Letting out an exhausted groan, she fell back into her bed before quickly covering her head up with her covers. "Fine."

A smile soon adorned my face, turning towards the 'Great and Powerful' mare with a chuckle. "Now that that's taken care of." I started to close the door. "If you need anything, I’m right downstairs."

She hesitated for a moment, before giving her head a slight nod. She looked as though she wanted to say something, her brow wrinkled in some expression of thought, but she must have been having trouble figuring out how to say it. A sudden stroke of insight would tug at the corners of my lips, guessing on what it was.

"It's fine, Trix," I whispered out, shooting her a soft smile. "You don't have to say anything." You're welcome, though.

Her cheeks seemed to flush a tiny bit, before disappearing with the rest of her as she covered herself up with my blanket. She managed to let out a muffled, "G-Good night!" before I closed the door with a snicker.

Yeah. I think everything will be fine.

I headed back down the stairs and went to get myself situated on the couch. Taking off my shoes and tossing them aside, I practically collapsed onto the sofa, finally off of my feet. Exhaustion was starting to overcome me, a deep yawn escaping my mouth. It'd been a long fucking day…

Tomorrow's probably not gonna be any better...

There was definitely a lot on my plate. The princesses keeping even more things from me. How I, eventually, wanted to start working at Berry Punch's club. But now, with everything else, I was starting to suspect I'd never have the time. Not if I was supposed to be looking for the other Elements of Calamity. Which brought me to the show mare right upstairs...

…I'll have to tell her, eventually.

The only problem was when would be the right time to do so? It might help if Luna was there, too. It kind of helps in believing some ridiculous-sounding tale if it's being told to you by a co-ruler of the nation you live in...

"Eh." I shrugged my shoulders, getting more comfortable on the couch's cushions. "Just take it one step at a time, Nick."

Closing my eyes, I let out a deep sigh before slowly letting myself drift off to sleep.

—————————————~O~o~O~—————————————

A light groan would come from me as my eyelids, once again, began to get assaulted by the solar rays of that cursèd fiery orb in the sky, bleeding in through the windows. But before I could play around with the idea of telling Celestia’s most prized possession to suck a fat one, and try to get a few extra winks, my ears caught the clammer of dishes being placed about in the kitchen. With the recollection that the library was now hosting a fourth individual slowly drifting to the forefront of my mind, I weary opened my eyes with a grunt.

…I suppose it would be rude to not greet her on her first day staying here.

Sitting up from my new bed, already finding myself having regretted offering my real bed away for rights to sleeping on the couch, I stretch myself out to the sound of many a joint popping while releasing a loudly impolite yawn. With that taken care of, I found myself sniffing at the air, my eyes gradually widening.

…Someones making waffles.

Not wasting any more time, I got myself up and began making my way towards the kitchen, itching the back of my head along the way. As I made my way in, I was a bit surprised to find Twilight the one making the waffles I’d smelt. There was a larger plate stacked with the squared breads, which Spike was taking from and placing onto his plate, along with a few other empty plates set out. There were also some empty glasses, likely for any to help themselves to the pitcher of orange juice that was out, as well. There was no sign of Trixie, though. Both of the other two, however, took note of me as I walked in, though the lavender unicorn seemed to only look at me from the corner of her eye before putting her attention back to her cooking. Thankfully, Spike seemed to be acting his regular self, giving me a smile and wave.

“Mornin’, Nick!”, he said before taking a massive bite of the waffle he had impaled onto his fork.

“Morning, Spike,” I answered back with a small wave of my own before taking a seat at the table. “Morning, Twilight.” Her only acknowledgment was a small nod in my direction, getting a slight squint from me in return. “...I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess you’re mad at me over something.”

“Mad?” She finally spoke, while still not turning to face me. “Why would I be mad?” Her tail flicked a bit, which I was beginning to catch as a sign these ponies were irritated. “It’s not like you brought a total stranger with you last night, and decided to offer them free lodging without asking me first.”

I didn’t need to have freaky werewolf hearing to detect the small traces of venom in her tone. Sparing myself a glance towards Spike, and spotting the rather uneasy look he was starting to get, I mentally decided not to choose violence this morning by swallowing the rather rude comment I’d felt coming up. Instead, after taking a moment to take in a long, steady, breath, I took the correct course of action, and bowed my head towards the table.

“...I’m sorry for saying she could stay without asking you first. If it’s going to be an issue, I’ll try and find some other accommodations fo-”

“Nick, I’m not gonna ask her to leave.” Twilight cut me off, actually turning to face me now. She then paused for a quick second, before lowering her own gaze. “...And, I’m not really that mad about you having not asked first. I mean, I would have preferred you had, but…” She seemed to catch herself, before clearing her throat. “I get that you were just trying to lend her a helping hoof, which was a very generous thing to do.” She then looked back towards me, before seemingly gaining a bit of a grin before rolling her eyes. “And the last thing I need is Rarity berating me for scolding you because of it.”

Spike seemed to get the joke being made a bit better than I did, snickering at it along with Twilight. I simply allowed a small smile to form on my face, finding solace that I wasn’t going to have to deal with getting an earful after just waking up. Again… I was about to speak up in thanks before my ears caught the sound of hoofsteps slowly making their way down the stairs. Giving my throat a quick clearing, catching both Twi and Spike’s attention, I nodded my head towards the doorway just before the newest guest of the residence cautiously stepped through the doorway. Trixie, after giving us all a bit of a wary look, made her way over to the table as well. Imagine my surprise when she decided to sit closest to me.

Taking a second to blink away my stupor, I quickly placed a rather pleasant smile on myself. “Good morning, Trixie. Did you sleep well?”

The mare in question spared me a quick glance before nodding her head briefly. “As… Fine as Trixie could, all things considered.” Her nose twitched a bit as I caught her sniffing at the air, while also staring at the stack of waffles before us. And judging from the noise her stomach let out, much to Trixie’s noticeable embarrassment, she was thinking the same thing I was.

“You mind if we dig in, Twilight?”

Twilight, finishing off the last waffle she had been preparing and levitating it over to the table, gave a friendly nod of her head, more so at Trixie. “Of course! That’s why I made so much, after all. By all means, help yourselves.”

Not needing a second invitation, I quickly went about pilling a few waffles onto my plate. I only paused after noticing Trixie not grabbing any for herself, still seeming a bit unnerved. Pursing my lips, I spared a quick look at Twilight, before getting an idea. At a certain dragon’s expense, of course.

Letting out a small chuckle, I leaned over to gently nudge Trixie’s shoulder with an elbow. “Better grab some before Spike eats them all. He’s already had six of ‘em.”

Spike immediately paused from the bite he had been ready to take, before glaring at me from across the table. “Hey, it’s not my fault I’m a growing dragon!” His expression turned then went a bit confused, before he tilted his head at me. “Wait, how did you know how many I already had?”

Twilight and I both shared a light laugh, Spike eventually chuckling as he got the joke, while I noted Trixie’s demeanor became a bit less weary. In fact, she almost looked like herself, again, in that she was giving me a bit of a stink eye while she got her plate set up. I chalked it to her likely being upset at my having broken the rule of touching her, again, but I personally saw her being upset at me better than being apprehensive.

Take what victories I can.

After we calmed back down, Twilight was first to chime up once again. “So, were there any plans for today?”

“Well, first things first. I planned on going into town in search of a carpenter.” Trixie’s ears twitched a bit at that. “The sooner we can get started on Trixie’s new wagon, the sooner we can put on our show.” That last bit got a bit of color forming on her cheeks. But talking about her potential new wagon got me remembering about her recently destroyed again. And how it was still where the Ursa Minor had left it. “...Though, before we do that, we should probably take care in clearing out the damage from the old one.”

A bit of silence washed over us at the mention of needing to damage control. Spike was first to break that silence, gaining a bit of a quizzical expression as he tilted his head. “Wait, your show?”

Trixie responded back before I had a chance to. “T-Trixie currently holds a binding contract with this hoo-mane, on the grounds that they will assist me in one show.” Her glare being set on me caused just a bit of perspiration to form on my forehead. “As compensation…”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to be confused. “Compensation? For what?”

My eyes lowered towards the plate of scrumptiousness set before me, a nervous tone in my voice. “I, uh… Think it’s best if we don't bring it up.” That seemed to get a snort from the mage.

“...If you say so,” Twilight muttered, before taking a sip from her juice.

“...A-Anyway,” I continued, “once all the wagon business is taken care of, I was thinking of stopping by Rarity’s.” That seemed to get Spike’s attention, for some reason. “She mentioned being able to make me some new clothes, which I’m in dire need of.”

“D-Do you think you’d need any help?” Spike asked, seeming a bit too excited to offer his assistance.

“Uhh…” I raised a brow at the little dragon, feeling both confused and a bit suspicious. “...No? Why do you ask?”

He seemed to gain a nervousness of his own, smiling sheepishly while diverting his gaze. “O-Oh, no reason.” I noticed Twilight roll her eyes with a small smile.

Still a bit confused, but not really caring enough to pry, I poured myself a glass of OJ before taking a few swigs of it. I had to stop myself from looking at the glass in awe. Wow! Does everything just taste better here?

The cyan unicorn’s voice speaking up in its usual condescending tone pulled me away from my thoughts. “...And what shall Trixie do while you’re out playing dress-up?”

I raised a brow at her, half a waffle in my mouth as I began wolfing down the deliciously glorified fried bread in earnest. Once my mouth was clear of food, I shrugged my shoulders. “Well… I don’t know. You’re not on house arrest here.” I motioned towards the nearby window. “If you want, I can show you around the town on our way to see if there’s anyone around who can start working on your new wagon. And if there’s nothing that piques your interest, there are literally a couple hundred or more books here you could look through.”

Twilight suddenly gained a mild look of realization. “Oh, well, sure!” She smiled at Trixie. “I mean, this is technically the Ponyville Library, after all. In fact…” She then paused for a moment, seemingly in thought. “I was planning on doing some more spell practice later today. Would you, maybe, be interested in joining me?”

It seemed both of us had been caught off guard by Twilight’s offer. What caught me more off guard, however, was when Trixie began to show a rather apprehensive look to her, rather than outright shoot down the idea like I’d have thought she would.

Sensing this as a good first step for her, I tilted my head slightly towards her with a chuckle. “You know, seeing as magic is sort of your schtick, too, I’d be pretty hard-pressed in finding someone else as fluent in it as Twilight, here. In fact, I wouldn’t be too surprised if the both of you could benefit from this.” That got looks being thrown my way by both mares. “I mean, think about it! Twilight, didn’t you tell me the whole point you’re even living here is because Princess Celestia wanted you to continue your lessons on friendship, or whatever?” Twilight’s expression seemed to turn a bit more thoughtful at that, though still held a hint of uncertainty once she rested her gaze back on the show mare. Who was now staring at Twilight with wide eyes.

“W-Wait. Thee Princess Celestia?”

That seemed to get a rather bashful look from Twi, the mare gaining a sheepish grin as she glanced away. “U-Uh, yeah. I’m… sort of her personal student.”

I found that the perfect point to jump in. “And while I’m more than certain you’re quite capable of thinking up your own acts, which would undoubtedly be mesmerizing in their own right…” Trix was back to eyeing me suspiciously at this point, though I couldn’t help but notice the change in her demeanor at my inflating her ego. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone else who also shares in your love of magic to bounce ideas off of? Someone who as studied under the princess, no less?” Her eyes darted over towards Twilight, now holding something I’d not expected in her gaze; nervousness.

“...I mean, he does have a pretty good point.”, Spike chimed in, before stuffing away the last waffle he’d had on his plate into his mouth.

There was a brief moment of unease in the air before, after giving her head a quick shake, Trixie herself spoke up in a rather pompous tone. “W-While Trixie still thinks you talk far too much… Even she will admit you tend to have a subpar point, which isn’t saying much.” I simply stuck my tongue out at her. “The Great and Powerful Trixie supposes she could find time to showcase her amazing and dazzling talents to those less fortunate than herself.”

“This coming from the one who lost their wag-Ouch!” My hand slapping the back of Spike’s head cut him off. He was quite quick to shoot me a dirty look, regardless of the fact it felt like I was the one that just slapped a brick wall. Note to self. Dragons are way stockier than they look.

Twilight, seeming to have either not noticed or ignored the two of us, put what looked like a somewhat forced smile on before nodding her head. “I… think I get what Nick is proposing. And, while it’s also quite a surprise to myself, as well… I agree with him.” Finishing off the rest of her orange juice, she nodded her head before getting up from her seat. “I’ll start getting everything set up so that we can get started once you’re back from town.” A small smile was starting to form on my face, glad to see that I, for once, may have done a good.

“Oh, and Nick?” I paused from the bite of golden brown scrumptiousness I had just been about to eat, looking at Twilight with a raised brow. “...Would you mind cleaning up breakfast before you leave?”

Aaand, smiles gone.

After having finished my own breakfast, cleaning up, and going through the rest of my morning ritual, Trixie and I made our way into town. Twilight had informed us that we would likely need to get in touch with the mayor of Ponyville–a ‘Mayor Mare’ of all ponies–on what to do with her busted-up trailer. So, that was where we started heading first. Of course, with us no longer in the presence of others, the magician deemed it necessary to grace me with another earful on not making decisions for her. And I, seeming to have fallen back into my regular, argumentative, routine, decided to rebuttal with my own argument instead of apologizing. After all, what would she have preferred to do? Avoid the mare, whose place she was now residing in, until she left? Or would she prefer to keep herself busy, and repair her damaged reputation by showing the town that had nearly chased her out–albeit wrongfully–that there wasn’t any bad blood? Since, you know, that was likely the path with the least amount of road bumps, right? And hopefully, the one that leads with her staying, too.

She didn’t comment.

We had to pass by the wreckage of the wagon along the way to the town square. Trixie mentioned wanting to take another look around, now that it was daylight, for anything else she could still salvage. I waved her on before continuing along my way to the town hall. Which, now that I had a good look at it… I couldn’t help tilting my head and squinting. With the overall circular base, double balcony-like exteriors…Hell, even the coloration; light tan siding, with a lighter brown-red roof. It was all just screaming ‘cake’.

…This pony world is really getting to me. Either that or I’m still hungry.

Making my way in through the main entrance, through a pair of hot pink double doors, I entered a reception area of some kind. The left side of the room was set up with a few chairs and coffee tables, with one or two of the tables having small, neatly piled, stacks of magazines and the odd newspaper. There was an entryway towards the opposite side of the room, ahead of me that looked like a hallway that came to a dead-end, adorned with a single window. And to my right sat a desk, with whom I assumed was the receptionist, herself. She was a white-coated mare with a rather darker-brown mane with the back set in a rather professionally done bun, and a pair of black, rather thick-framed, glasses. She also had some sort of white collar around her neck, being held in place by a red, puffy, ascot. A moment after my entrance, the mare seemed to have paused from what she’d been doing, glancing up at me with mildly confused, brown eyes.

Unfortunately for me, I didn’t recognize this mare from Pinkie’s party. However, by this point, I was betting word of my being here had hopefully traveled to all the residents in town, which might have been a factor in her not coming off as completely shocked to see me. So, with that in mind, I gave her a small, friendly, wave before approaching her with a light smile.

“ How can I… help you?” she asked, raising one of her brows at me. Thankfully, I couldn’t detect any tension in her tone.

“Good morning!” I replied back, still hoping I looked and sounded as pleasant as I was going for. “Yes, I was hoping I could speak with the mayor if she’s in?”

“...And, may I ask who it is looking for her?”

“Yes, you may.” There was a brief moment of rather awkward silence between the two of us before she cleared her throat. That seemed to kick my brain well enough to realize what she’d actually been asking, getting me to mentally swear at how dense I fucking was. “Oh! S-Sorry. It’s Nick. The, uh, ‘human’ that’s been staying at the library being kept by Ms. Twilight Sparkle?”

A sudden feminine voice exclaiming from halfway down the hallway would grab both our attention. “Oh! Send them in, Inkwell!”

‘Inkwell’ blinked for a moment, before raising a hoof and pointing it towards the hallway. “It’s the first door on the right.”

I gave her an appreciative nod before following her directions. Which wasn’t that hard when there ended up being only one door on the right the entire stretch of the hallway, with said door wide open, showcasing the tan-coated, gray-maned, mare seated behind her own desk. Mayor Mare waved me in with a friendly expression.

“So, you’re the one the princess informed me about!” she proclaimed, looking me over before motioning towards the chair that sat in front and off-center of her desk, facing towards her. “Please, take a seat.” I obliged with a nod, seating myself where she’d gestured. Once I was comfortable, and I caught her staring at me still, she quickly gained a sheepish expression, clearing her throat. “N-Now then, I believe a proper introduction is in order! I’m the mayor of this quaint little town, Mayor Mare. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!”

I couldn’t help feeling a bit of warmth over my face, having not prepared for such a greeting. “I, uh… should probably be thanking you and your citizens for not throwing me out of town, yet.” I gave a nervous chuckle, itching at the scruff on my chin. “For the most part, everyone here has been mildly pleasant towards the oddity residing with them.”

The mayor let out a small laugh, waving a hoof at me. “Oh, well, while I’m not going to attempt to downplay the hospitality of my citizens, one doesn’t simply turn away somepony with the Princess’s backing.” Ah, so that’s what it was… “But it does my heart good to hear your stay here so far has been comfortable. In fact, should you be so keen to deliver a message from me, I’d appreciate you thanking Ms. Sparkle for the exemplary act of heroism she managed just last night with that supersized ursa! Thanks to her, the only real damage that was done was the destruction of that braggart show pony’s wagon.”

I could already feel the smile I’d been holding trembling slightly, another forced laugh coming from me. “Yeah, about that…” The mare seemed to dawn a confused look, tilting her head. “My reasons for wanting to see you involved the wreckage of that wagon. See, Miss Trixie is going to be staying at the library with us, and we wanted to assist in cleaning up the damage. We also planned on asking if you might know of anyone in town who may be able to build a new wagon for her.”

The mayor’s expression had quickly turned a bit more surprised, before the mare shifted a bit in her seat, ears pinned back. “I-I see.” She cleared her throat, trying her best to keep a now awkward smile plastered to her face. “W-Well, I suppose that raises a few questions of my own…” I raised my brow at her, feeling my fists clench somewhat. Thankfully, after getting another look at me, she didn’t seem too keen on asking them. “Oh, but don’t you mind my babbling! I-In fact, you shouldn’t even have to worry about the damage. Unfortunately, we here in Ponyville are quite used to the occasional property damage or structural restoration. Just something we’ve gotten used to after living so close to the Everfree Forest.”

Honestly, though, that’s a great point. Why do they live so close to a notoriously dangerous woodland?

I didn’t have time to ask before a hoof was being waved at me. “So don’t fret yourselves. We’ll likely have the wreckage tidying up before the day is even through.” She paused a moment to adjust her glasses, before gaining a bit of a contemplative look to her. “Although, as for your inquiry on finding a builder…” She hummed in thought, tapping her hoof to her chin, before widening her eyes. “Ah ha! I believe I know just the pony!” She then proceeded to pull out a piece of scrap paper and a pencil, scribbling something down on it. It was already being handed over to me before I could comment on my being illiterate, so I took it without comment.

“Follow these directions, and you should make it straight over to Timber Craft’s workshop. She should be able to assist you. Just inform her I sent you!” Her expression turned a bit more bashful as she cleared her throat, before speaking in a lower tone. “...As an apology for speaking out of hoof in regards to… Trixie, was it?”

I waved my hand at her. “Eh, no harm done. I’ll openly admit she comes off as a bit brash, well, most of the time. But I think she’s a good kid at heart.”

Mayor Mare paused a moment, before tilting her head. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was I misinformed? I was told she was a pony, not a goat.”

It honestly took me longer than I’d like to admit before the off comment clicked, getting a heavy sigh from me in response. “...No, I mean-” I cut myself off, before shaking my head. “Never mind.” Getting up from my seat, I gave a polite wave to her before turning towards the doorway. “Thank you for your help, Mayor. I’ll be sure to give Twilight your regards.”

“Oh, well, if you say so.” She returned my goodbye with a raised wave of her hoof. “A pleasure meeting you, Mr. Nick!”

Leaving the Town Hall, I met back up with Trixie at the wreck site–which already appeared to have a small crowd of ponies decked in standard construction garbs–levitating a small sack beside her with her magic. She’d apparently managed to find a few more personal items of hers in reasonable condition. Happy to hear it, I took the time to fill her in on most of my talk with the mayor, specifically on where we might be able to get someone to get a new wagon started for her. While it didn’t show all the way through, I could still notice the hints of relief on her expression at the news. With no small amount of hurrying on her part, and after I was finished throwing a quick thank you to the clean-up crew, we started off in the direction Mayor Mare directed.

It didn’t take us long to find it, thankfully. The building itself wasn’t too different than the rest of the ones seen around town, aside from a wooden, hanging, sign perched above and to the side of the entrance. The image of a wooden plank with a saw halfway cut into it, appeared to have been skillfully engraved into the wood of the sign itself. Staring at it for a moment, I was already silently betting with myself on that being the owner’s cutie mark. Without a word, we both made our way in, Trixie seemingly deciding to take the lead.

The first thing that bombarded my nose was the scent of sawdust and wood polish, the latter tickling at my nose and warranting a rather loud sneeze. The sudden sound caused Trixie to jump, turning towards me with a slight glare, which I returned with a sheepish shrug.

“Be out in a second!”, a slightly muffled voice called out from an entryway behind the counter.

“Take your time,” I called back, taking the opportunity to get a look at the place.

The front area of the place wasn’t all that large, with the counter taking up a majority of the space, which made sense, as I assumed what was likely the workshop in the back would be what needed the most space. A few selves along the walls were adorned with varying wooden figurines. Closer inspection confirmed they’d been carved, and quite well. One of the mini-statutes caught my attention, however, a small shiver running through me. The being appeared to be equine in shape but held other characteristics that made it seem more… bestial. It didn’t take me long to recognize the resemblance it shared with the “wolf ponies” depicted in Princess Celestia’s mosaic scene of past events she had shown me. At some point, Trixie must have noticed my obsession with the figurine, her voice speaking up from next to me catching me surprisingly off guard.

“Pony Wolf,” she began in a rather bored tone, “Just an old folktale told to scare foals around the campfire.” I turned my head down towards her, brow raised at how she even knew what it was. She must have noticed my bewilderment as the smallest of blushes came to her cheeks, her expression turning somewhat defensive. “T-Trixie had to study such tales in order to perfect her art of captivating an audience through storytelling…”

I found myself trying my best not to crack a smirk in fear of what sort of punishment she’d respond with. Thankfully, the sound of hoof steps approaching us from behind us caught both our attention before I could find out.

“...Sorry about that. What, uh… can I do for you two?”

Turning around, I was introduced to the mare I assumed was Timber Craft. Spice in color, with tan sections of her pelt that I’d nearly confused for sawdust clinging to her, and a messy, brownish tan mane and tail, the former of which was held up in an equally messy ponytail. She also had what resembled a workshop apron on with a few miscellaneous tools sticking out from various pockets. I couldn’t help but notice her keeping her gaze on me, for the most part, clearly showing signs of uncertainty. Which was understandable, seeing as I didn’t recognize her from around town, or having been at Pinkie’s party. Though, from lack of outward hostility, I had to assume she’d as least heard of me.

Presenting the best smile I could, I have the mare a small wave. “Timber Craft?” She gave a small nod in response. “Hi! I’m Nick, and this is Trixie.” I motioned to the mare next to me. “The mayor informed us you might be able to help us out with something?”

“Depends on what it is you need help with.” She brushed a bit of actual sawdust from her shoulder, before raising her brow at us.

Trixie took over from there, giving Timber the specifics. I found myself continuing to glance over toward the figurine from before, not being able to fight off the nagging feeling I felt in the pit of my stomach. However, Trixie's shrill voice shouting out in exclamation pulled me from my thoughts.

“What do you mean several months?! And for such an outrageous price!”

Turning my attention back toward the two mares, I could see Trixie trying–and failing–to hold her composure, and Timber Craft looking somewhere between annoyed and dead inside.

“...Like I said,” Timber started, “You’re asking me to solely focus on one hay of a project. It’ll take me at least three weeks to complete the rest of my current orders. Then roughly four months to process the lumber, build the wagon, then get an enchanter to finish the type of transmutation spells you’re asking for.”

Well, so much for my extremely optimistic prediction of one month… “And what are you asking price-wise?”

“Well, the material cost alone will start at fifteen hundred bits, give or take.” I could practically feel Trixie’s death glare on me. “But you’re also requesting this be completed as quickly as possible. With how much time and effort this project will require, I’ll not have enough time to pick up anything else, albeit any emergencies the Mayor requests of me. That being said, my labor fee will make up for that. I’d wager another fifteen hundred should cover it.” That knot in my stomach was coming back, though for a whole different reason, now. “ And finally, I know somepony who’d be able to imbue the right enchantments, but they’re up in Canterlot. Their pricing is normally rather fair, but enchanting isn’t cheap. Especially if you want it done right. Now, I’m no magic expert, but I’ve worked with them long enough to make decent estimates on what they charge on average, and I’d wager they’ll request at least a thousand bits for this sort of job. Regardless, I’d be asking for at least half of my payment”

…That’s four thousand bits. Four thousand bits that neither of us has.

There was a moment of silence before I found myself letting out a long sigh. “...Well, it sounds like a reasonable price. I’m no expert when it comes to this line of work, and I still haven’t had the time to even try converting bits to the currency the place I’m from used…” Trixie prodded my side, getting me to look at her before she nodded her head away from the other mare. “...Can we have a moment to discuss it over?”

Timber’s expression hinted at a bit of confusion, likely on my own comments, but she inevitably gave us a small nod. “Sure. I’ve got a bit more cleaning up to do in the back, anyway. Give a holler when you’ve made up your minds.” She then turned and made her way back towards the entryway in the back of the room, leaving me alone with a rather upset show mare.

One who wasted no time in shouting at me in a whisper. “Trixie does not have that sort of money! How is she supposed to afford that?”

“How the hell do I know?”, I retorted back, before shaking my head as I tried to take a calming breath. “...Look, I get you’re upset. I obviously underestimated how easy this would be.”

“You think?!”

Lord, give me strength… “...I’ve got a job lined up at Berry Punch’s club. I’ve no clue how much she was planning on paying me, but I could ask her if she’d even be willing to front a few shows for you, too. If we do that long enough, maybe-”

Trixie frowned, diverting her gaze from me as she cut me off. “Trixie doesn’t need, or want, you spending bits on her...”

I fell silent, staring at her with relative uncertainty. I made like I was about to retort, but found myself hesitating for some reason. Shaking away the clouded thoughts from my head, I waved my hand dismissively toward the mare. “It’s not that big a deal, Trixie. If you’re so worried about it, you can just pay me back later.”

Her irate expression didn’t shift too much as she let out a huff, rolling her eyes. “It’s a big deal to me…”

I eyed her for a moment longer, a nagging feeling starting to form in the back of my mind. I could reason that, if my gut was correct in her being what she was, the Element of Pride would undoubtedly have issues with others offering their assistance. But… It felt like there was more to this than just that. And, while I couldn’t really justify asking her about it, having only recently met her, I still found myself wanting to.

“Hey.”, I spoke up, in a softer tone. “The sooner you get your-” I found myself smirking a bit, fighting back a giggle as a realization hit me. “...Your stagecoach made, the sooner you can get back to traveling.”

The look on Trixie’s face at my abrupt attempt at a pun broke me, leaving me in a laughing fit. I couldn’t tell if she was trying her best not to crack a smirk, or crack my skull open. The sudden commotion must have reached Timber’s ears, cause she was soon making her way back out into the room with a bemused smile.

“Everything… alright?”

I managed to stifle my laughter into a snicker, nodding my head. “Y-Yeah. I think we’re gonna take you up on your offer, but it’ll take some time to come up with your down payment.” Surprisingly, Trixie didn’t speak up with any retorts. “Do you have a deadline on when you’d need it by?”

The craftsmare thought for a second, tapping at her chin with her hoof. “Well… As of right now, I don’t have any big projects going on after my current workload is completed.” She looked back at me, shaking her head. “If nothing comes up, and you can get that downpayment to me by sometime late next month, I should be able to start working on it soon after.”

I gave a nod, before thanking her for her time. She nodded as well, wishing us both a pleasant rest of our day. Trixie and I made our way out of the shop, a quick look towards the sky giving me a rough guess estimate of it only being around mid-day.

I still got plenty of time to visit Rarity’s, and then go confirm my working status with Berry.

With a small nod at that thought, I glanced at the mare, now seemingly keeping a wide berth from me, from the corner of my eye. She still looked rather peeved, though I thought I could catch her throwing her own glances my way when she thought I wasn’t looking. Cracking a small grin, I reached over and gently poked her on the cheek, getting both her face to flush a bit, as well as a small scowl. Which only made me snicker.

“You need to lighten up, Miss ‘Oh Great and Powerful’...”

Trixie’s expression, to my surprise, seemed to grow slightly less irritated, bordering more on… complacency? She didn’t lose the light tint of rose around her cheeks, though, as she seemed to half-heartedly scoff at me before letting out one last statement. She emphasized this by picking up her pace and flicking my arm with her tail as she passed me.

“...I hate you.”