Research and Development

by Jigsaw

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Main 6, Original Character, Comedy
Length: 5380

A pair of exuberant inventors move to Ponyville.

Two inventors, Jigsaw and Short Circuit, have been looking for a place to start their new business inventing new products for the pony public. For them, Ponyville seems like the best option. Although, they may have more problems than they let on...

Tags will change as the story progresses.

Published 2015-06-29 19:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-11-12 23:58:41 UTC

Chapter 1 - Impacting the Community

BANG!

A cluttered, steel wagon burst over the hill as several large chunks of metal spewed from its side. The rocket-propelled wagon carried two unicorns. Both running manically across the machine's surface, trying to keep it intact.

"WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN?" screamed a bronze stallion at his counterpart.

"SHUT UP AND KEEP THIS THING FROM TEARING ITSELF APART," a green mare bellowed back as a massive piece of sheet metal ripped itself off the sizable machine.

"A SELF-PROPELLED WAGON WAS NOT OUR BEST IDEA."

"DO I NEED TO REPEAT MYSELF?"

The black-haired stallion struggled to hold the shattering contraption together. His eyes clenched shut as the lime-green aura surrounding his horn slowly crawled back from the less important parts of the machine and enveloped the more necessary sections. As soon as the aura around the unnecessary sections dissipated, they ripped themselves from the chassis of the vehicle, leaving four wheels, a pitiful steering system, and an engine large enough to move the entire city of Canterlot.

"WHOEVER WHO DECIDED THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE THIS BIG DESERVES A KICK IN THE TEETH," the stallion screamed while haphazardly strapping together sections of the frame, which were presently collapsing under the strain of the engine.

"THAT WAS YOU, IDIOT," the mare screamed back, using her own gold aura to remove a piece of metal from the steering gearbox.

"MY POINT EXACTLY," the stallion replied as he used the mare's plate to cover cracks in a tank of highly flammable liquid which had only just began to form.

The mare choked back a laugh, swept her grey hair out of her face, and crawled to the lower sections of the machine's frame.

The pair worked in tandem, tossing damaged parts the other could use, green and gold auras sharing the burden of the machine's damage. Both ponies were acting as one unit, jury-rigging the machine as they threw insults and screamed at each other. After almost ten minutes worth of bickering, the machine was pieced into a manageable state of repair, and the two unicorns turned their attention back to maneuvering the bestial machine.

The two of them continued to hold the wagon of death together until he stallion shouldered the burden and settled himself in the center of the once great machine. The mare slammed onto the brakes as hard as she could, which screeched and shattered as they hurtled toward the final hill of their journey.

"Did anyone hear that?" Rainbow dash asked as Pinkie Pie's tail shook violently.

"Hear what, dear?" Rarity replied to her friend.
"AAAAAAAAA"
"I think I can hear something," Applejack said as Pinkie looked toward a hill just north of them.
"AAAAAAAAAAA"
"Ooh, ooh, is it that big metal wagon coming right for us?" Pinkie exclaimed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"EVERYPONY GET OUT OF THE WAY," a green mare yelled as her counterpart and their flaming machine plummeted, both wailing madly.

The six ponies each darted away from the metal comet as it crashed into the center of the road they had occupied moments ago. The wagon popped and fizzled as a few extra chunks of metal collapsed off its side. Down the road, several ponies took cover from the light hail of bolts, gears, and the two nuts who landed a few moments later.

"Are you two ok?" Twilight asked, a worried expression forming on her face as she saw the two scratched and bruised ponies lying on the ground.

Her look of worry subsided slightly as the mare slowly stood up and began to introduce herself, "Sorry about the mess. We'll get that cleaned up as soon as we can. My name is Short Circuit and this is my counterpart, Jigsaw," the charred bronze unicorn winced slightly, having just awoken after a knock-out punch from the ground.

Jigsaw began glancing between the shattered pile of rubble and the ponies which had until recently been standing in its place, "I'm real sorry, everypony, and I would like to help- AAAH." He tried to stand up, and a jolt of pain that shot through his left foreleg causing him to collapse back onto the ground, "So much for cleanup duty. Maybe if I..." His eyes clamped shut as he concentrated as much energy as he could into his magic, but the pain in his leg forced him out of his concentration.

Twilight motioned toward a pair of earth ponies gaping at the wreckage, "You two, get him to the hospital. In the meantime," Twilight glared at Short Circuit, "Before anything else, why did you come to Ponyville riding a flaming metal wagon?"

Short Circuit smiled awkwardly, glancing between Twilight and Jigsaw, who turned around a corner, out of view. "I admit it wasn't our best idea, and it was very poorly executed, but a self-propelled wagon was a good idea in theory."

Twilight facehoofed, "There is a train that can take you to Ponyville from anywhere you might be coming from."

"Well, if you're comparing this thing to a train, I'd say we made great time. By the way, I don't think I ever got your name."

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and... where's Pinkie?" Twilight gestured to each of the ponies in turn, stopping when she noticed a gap in the group where Pinkie Pie had been standing.

"She probably just went to start one of her 'Welcome to Ponyville' parties," Rainbow Dash said, "Those are always fun. Oh man, Twilight, remember when you drank a glass of hot sauce at your surprise party?"

"Yea, then ya locked yourself in your room for the night," Applejack added.

"That was before I figured out friendship is a good thing. At the time, I thought studying hard enough could solve all my problems."

"You still do," interrupted Rainbow.

"Alright, this was fun, but I should really be checking up on my friend," Short Circuit interjected, "Where is the hospital?"

"How 'bout we show you the way? That way, we could get to know each other better," Applejack offered.

"Lead the way," Short said as she followed Applejack, "By the way, where's the library?"

After a relatively short walk, and a conversation with the nurse at the front desk, Short Circuit walked into the waiting room, opening a book, just like she had a hundred times before. Unfortunately, most of her own books were either back in Manehatten or burned up during her move here, so she had to borrow a book on particle physics from Twilight to pass the time. Having a job that involves both power tools and slight mental instability generally means you are going to get sent to the hospital more than any pony ever should.

It's lucky neither of us has lost any limbs yet, Short Circuit thought to herself, both of us have had our fair share of broken bones, chemical burns, electrical fires, radiation sickness- ok, now that I think about it, it's lucky we're even alive, let alone healthy.

After waiting for Jigsaw to come out of the anesthesia, the two blue-eyed ponies were finally able to walk through town together, even though Jigsaw needed crutches, and there were still bandages covering his burns.

Finally, he said what was on both their minds, "It has certainly been an interesting first day, hasn't it?"

Author's Note

This is the first story I've written, so please feel free to leave criticisms in the comments.

Chapter 2 - Moving Day

"Come on, I can still help somehow," Jigsaw pleaded to Short.

"Sorry, Jigsaw, I can't allow that in your present condition," a worried Short Circuit replied.

She had taken up the burden of carrying the twisted metal wagon through town. It was difficult, but not as hard as keeping it from shattering during its short usage. Gravity and concrete already overruled any magical efforts she and Jigsaw could have summoned to hold the thing together, and the slab of broken metal was still losing parts.

"Actually, I think you can help with something," Jigsaw's ears perked up at the statement, "Could you pick up the scraps that fall off the machine?"

Jigsaw seemed slightly downtrodden that he couldn't do more, but he took what he could get. Slowly, he began gathering the bread-crumb trail of loose wire and scrap as they made their way through town.

"So, what do you think of the place so far?" Short said, hoping small talk would distract him from his disappointment.

"It's a lot different than Manehatten. I mean, it was a fine city, but this place seems cozier. What do you think?"

"I agree, it is definitely calmer than Manehatten. Plus, you don't need a carriage just to get to the grocery store when everything in town is within walking distance," Short answered while Jigsaw nodded in agreement, "It's just a short train ride into Canterlot, so anything we can't get here we can probably get there. As an added bonus, the train ride is probably faster than trying to find a cab in Manehatten," this statement was greeted by a quiet chuckle from Jigsaw, "and all the ponies here are so much nicer than a lot of people in the city. It almost seems like everyone there was too busy to care about being nice."

"Plus, It was a bit awkward cramped in that dingy little apartment with my sister. I still can't thank your parents enough for that, by the way," Jigsaw mumbled, dragging his good hoof in the dirt.

The two trudged along in silence for the next few blocks until they arrived at a clearing, Short setting the massive pile of scrap far enough away from the town to appease the ponies who wouldn't want an ugly, burnt pile of twisted steel taking up space in their front yard. Jigsaw set his pile of scraps next to the bulk of the pile, and watched Short Circuit try to fish out his satchel of bits from the wreckage. She finally found a blackened pile of what was at one point cloth covering a pile of the shining golden currency.

Short turned to her friend, holding the small pile with a golden mist, and wearing an expression of pure relief, "Jackpot! You know, these must be magically sealed in some way. It would explain both how they are nearly indestructible, and how they might be able to detect counterfeits," she stated while holding one of the bits up to her eye, as if expecting to see the magic somehow imbibed into the piece of metal.

"Why do you always overthink things?" Jigsaw asked with just a hint of sarcasm.

"Why do you always over-complicate things?" Short replied, mimicking Jigsaw's tone as she focused her attention away from the bits she was holding and gestured toward the pile of scrap sitting behind them.

The pair shared a laugh at each other's expense, before grabbing the bits and making their way back through town.

"Is my jacket in there?" Jigsaw raised his head, trying to look through the rubble from a distance.

"The satchel didn't make it, so I doubt your jacket did," Short Circuit bluntly replied, causing Jigsaw to go silent.

Short Circuit broke the silence with a question that had been bothering her, "Have you given any thought as to where we're sleeping tonight?"

"No," Jigsaw answered, "Why should I?"

"We should consider it unless you want to sleep in an alley tonight."

Jigsaw turned to look at her, eyeing her as if he were silently asking seriously?

Short noticed his glare and quickly tried to correct herself, "I mean- Well- I don't want to sleep outside, and I definitely don't want you to have to, either."

"Right," Jigsaw grumbled as he turned from Short Circuit to look at the local scenery, "I think that big round one is the town hall. They might know of any homes that might be for sale."

"Alright," Short replied with a small, almost apologetic, voice, "I- I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine."

"I just meant-"

"It's. Fine."

Jigsaw glared at the road in front of him, holding himself as high as he could. His once happy face had turned into a slight scowl. Meanwhile, Short seemed to appear as quite the opposite, bowing her head town, eyes darting around as if she were waiting for some miracle to bring the bronze stallion out of his mental slump.

Finally, she decided on a way to cheer him up, "That looks like a restaurant, down the street. Do you want to stop by and get something to eat?"

Jigsaw sighed, looking down before a small smile returned to his face, "Sure, I don't think we've eaten since we left this morning, and it's..." he turned to look at a clock hanging overhead, "-almost one-o-clock. I think we could both use some lunch."

"How's your leg holding up?"

"I've broken bones before."

"That isn't an answer."

"Alright, then, it feels terrible. I've been in this town for a little over two hours, and I'm already useless," Jigsaw's dark expression returned as quickly as it had disappeared, "Does that answer your question?"

"I was just trying to help, and you're not useless," Short said as they approached the restaurant, sitting in the table farthest from the front door.

The two maintained a short silence before Jigsaw set his head down on the table, quietly muttering, "I'm sorry, it's just been a very long day."

"For both of us," Short finished.

Jigsaw brought his gaze back up to meet his friend's, allowing a grin to form on his face once again, "You know I don't like ordering in restaurants, right?"

"Yes, but why did you agree to it?"

Jigsaw stood up, taking a few steps away from the table, "What I said was 'we could both use some lunch'"

"Please tell me you didn't just come here to-" Short paused as Jigsaw peered into the garbage can, "You're disgusting."

Jigsaw returned a moment later with a half-eaten hayburger floating in front of him.

"Please tell me you aren't going to-" Short once again paused as Jigsaw slowly inched the burger toward his mouth, a bigger smile forming on his face for every second Short looked on in disgust.

Eventually, he stuffed part of the burger into his mouth, taking a large bite and savoring every bit of the nausea Short appeared to be receiving.

The two had been so intently concentrating on Short's obvious disgust neither of them noticed the waiter inching closer with a pad of paper and a familiar question, "May I take your order?"

Jigsaw smiled at the waiter and answered with a mouth full of burger, "No, thanks!"

The waiter turned to Short, "Anything for you, madam?"

"The furthest thing from a hayburger that you have," Short replied, still disgusted by Jigsaw.

The waiter hesitated for a moment, before leaving and returning with a salad.

"Can I eat, or are you going to start picking through the garbage again?"

"Hey, you call it disgusting, I call it recycling."

"Well, your recycling is disgusting, so we're both correct."

Jigsaw laughed before popping the last chunk of the burger into his mouth, "So, if we do manage to find a house up for sale today, what's the plan? We don't have nearly enough bits to afford one, and we won't be able to go to the Fillydelphia conference if we have to take straight jobs. That's assuming we can even get a mortgage without straight jobs to begin with."

"There's one other option you've looked past," Short said, a mischievous grin sliding up her face.

"What's that? Paying for a construction team to build us one? That would cost-" Short began giggling as he had said that, which could only mean one thing.

Jigsaw's eyes lit up with his realization, which only made Short Circuit continue to smile like a cheshire cat.

He slowly began to mimic his friend's manic grin, "Alright, when do we begin?"

Chapter 3 - Extreme Mania, Home Edition

Short Circuit sat patiently near a pile of assorted bits of lumber and scrap metal, clicking her tongue rapidly as her bronze-coated companion skidded to a halt in front of her carrying a garbage bag. At least he isn't eating out of it this time, Short thought to herself, grinning at the inside joke she shared with herself.

"Alright, I borrowed some tools from the construction site across town. Did you find everything we need?"

"Yeah, I salvaged what I could from our old wagon. Borrowed?"

"Well, I'm gonna bring 'em back eventually," Jigsaw replied as Short Circuit planted her hoof in the center of her forehead, "It's unfortunate that none of our tools survived the crash. I really liked my old saw."

Short Circuit looked between the bag of tools and the tool carrying them, "Fine, but you're going to be the one explaining why that equipment disappeared."

"Well then, let's get to work before they notice," Jigsaw said with a smirk, which Short returned. Jigsaw emptied the contents of the bag onto the grass, kicking a hammer with his good leg into the direction of his friend, who caught it with an open hoof. Jigsaw picked up the tool which bore his namesake, and began the usual banter with, "My record for this is ten seconds," as he began cutting away at the pile of scrap metal, removing the sections damaged beyond repair with finesse, despite his broken leg.

"That was fifteen seconds, hothead."

"Well, you should try working with a cast," Jigsaw shot back as Short spun the hammer around her hoof.

Short turned to Jigsaw, and replied with two words: "My turn." Soon, the newly refurbished metal was arranged into a makeshift square frame around a previously vacant lot, and Short was slamming them together with speed and coordination that rivaled her partner's. The greenish blur that surrounded the metal framework subsided, revealing the green mare, who returned to spinning the hammer around her hoof, "Fourteen seconds. I'll assume you didn't forget the goggles this time?"

Jigsaw tossed her a pair and mumbled, "That was one time," as he retrieved a pair of clamps from his pile of fun. Jigsaw brought his goggles down over his eyes and brought the clamps closer together. A large bolt of blue light ignited between the metal clamps as Jigsaw tore them away from each other. "And now, the fun begins," Jigsaw declared as he looked at Short Circuit. The pair nodded to each other, and flashed toward the framework in a green and gold blur.

The green blur held a wall up to the framework and attached one of the clamps to the slab of metal as the gold blur raced around the surrounding framework with a streak of blue-white light. When the blue light subsided, the green blur positioned another wall, allowing the gold blur to continue his ensemble of blue fireworks until all four walls were brought together and welded into position. The two unicorns came to a halt in front of their barren metal home.

Jigsaw gave the building a look of disgust before making his thoughts audible, "Sweet mother of Celestia, that looks awful." A dull grey cube stood before them without any defining features, the exception being a few sizable holes for a door and windows, plus the addition of a slanted roof, similar to those on the surrounding Ponyville houses. Dull grey framework was stuck to the wall with a thin, bubbly line of previously melted steel. Jigsaw glanced at Short Circuit, who was eyeing the structure with a similar look of disdain, before asking, "Should I get some spray paint?"

"We weren't expecting it to look good. I'll get some paint. Considering it's our first time building a house, I'm glad it's still standing," Short Circuit replied.

"In the meantime, I'll take out the trash," Jigsaw lifted the diminished pile of scrap from their new front lawn and began a short walk through town to scatter the few remaining pieces of scrap metal into garbage cans throughout the city.

Fifty bits say that building won't survive the night, Jigsaw thought as he watched Short Circuit disappear around the corner. He let out a small gasp as the pain returned to his leg. He looked down at his leg and winced as he saw a crack in the sheet of plaster holding his leg together.

He set down the scrap as his green glow formed around the crack, Jigsaw grinding his teeth as the crack slowly closed. The cast became solid, and he withdrew his magic, releasing a forced, painful breath. Within a few moments, the pain dulled, and Jigsaw picked up the scrap metal and returned to his walk undeterred.

"So, Twilight, what do ya think of the new fellas?" Applejack asked her friends, who were mid-way through eating dinner.

Twilight's eyes drooped slightly at the question, "I don't know, I only met the stallion for a moment, I hope he's alright, and Short Circuit didn't say much other than asking for directions."

"Yeah, The first thing she did in Ponyville was rent a book from you. A mare after your own heart," Rainbow interjected with a pseudo-romantic pose, which only received a laugh from herself, and a slight chuckle from Spike.

"I don't think so, Rainbow. This story doesn't have a romance tag, so I don't think Twilight is going to fall in love," Pinkie Pie stated.

This statement caused raised eyebrows from the group before Rarity decided to change the subject, "I think the mare -Short Circuit, was it?-was nice, but her coat color was pretty, blegh" Rarity contorted her face and stuck her tongue out.

Applejack interjected at her friend's insult, "Rarity, you can't go around calling ponies' coats ugly. She was probably born with it, and you shouldn't go around insulting anyone with the color green. Remember what happened during Trixie's performance with Carrot Top?"

"That was an accident, Applejack, and I did apologize, but I was simply thinking that I might offer her a mane styling, or perhaps a coat dye."

Rainbow facehoofed as the conversation's topic walked up to them with a book on particle physics borrowed from Twilight's library and an expression that radiated annoyance like the sun radiates heat.

"Thanks for helping me out this morning, both for the directions and the book," Short spat out as she dropped the book on the table with a resounding thud. She turned to Rarity, "and I'm so sorry my coat is so abysmally horrid," Short cast a shadow over the table while casting a look of disdain over the mare who insulted her.

Rarity shrunk back in her chair as Short turned and marched away, muttering obscenities under her breath.

The group stayed silent for a while before Rainbow muttered, "I think Carrot Top handled it better."

Chapter 4 - New Places, New Faces

The last few unused tools were being packed into a black trash bag as Jigsaw examined the last few items. A heavy saw bearing his namesake was set inside the steel shack, and a pair of brass welding goggles were hung around his neck. He smiled and hefted the black bag with his dampened magic, setting it on his back.

He began trotting to the street as Short Circuit rounded a corner with an expression he could only describe as the look. It was a look of such stoicism that it can only be translated into anger.

The bag slid off Jigsaw's back as he asked, "You alright?"

Short snorted before responding curtly, "I'm fine."

Jigsaw raised his eyebrows, tipping his head, "You do not look fine."

Short's emotions chipped at her stoicism as she responded, "It's nothing."

There was roll of his eyes, and a response, "I seriously doubt that," and Short's facade came crashing down.

She grimaced, "I met some ponies earlier today: nice folks at the time. I thought, you know, we could be friendly, but instead one of them began criticising me for everything from my coat color to my enjoyment of books! I thought having some friends in this town would be nice, but if they don't want to be friends, they don't have to be."

She stood tall, trying to go back to her stoic expression. After being broken, that dam was hard to close back up. Jigsaw put a comforting hoof over her shoulder, and smiled at her. She met his glance, rolled her eyes, and smiled.

Jigsaw pulled back, "See? Was it that hard? If she was trying to insult you, that's on her, but she's probably just some prissy Canterlot snob. Her opinion is only such. You are an egghead, though."

She rolled her eyes, "Have you taken those tools back yet?"

He pointed a splinted hoof at the black bag, "I was just about to." He waved his broken leg, "Mind giving me a hoof?" She nodded. He smiled.

She lifted the bag in a golden aura, "Alright, little brother. Lead the way."

A voice sounded behind them, "Uhh. Short?"

Short turned to find one of the ponies at the table standing down the road. The purple unicorn carried a book on her back, "Hey, uhh, I'm still sort-of new to this whole friendship thing, but I'm sorry about Rarity. Oh, uh, my name's Twilight Sparkle. Pleasure to meet you."

Short sighed, "It's fine. Just... What do you want?"

Twilight rubbed the back of her head, "Well, firstly to apologise. Secondly, I, uh, wanted to let you have this." She turned her head, holding Short's borrowed book in an outstretched hoof.

He trotted over, taking the book and setting it on his back. He smiled and replied, "Well, thank you miss Sparkle. Now, we've got to return some tools we borrowed."

Twilight smiled sheepishly, "I'll see you around sometime?"

Short nodded, "Yeah, I hope so. Take care, Twilight. Also, I forgive you, not Rarity."

Twilight lifted a hoof and prepared to respond. As Short turned away, she decided against it, and set her hoof back down. She sighed and started down the street in another direction.

"Short, go with her."

Short jerked her neck around to look at her brother, "What?"

Jigsaw threw on a smile, "I'll deal with the bag of goods. You go make some friends."

"But- Your leg!"

He nodded, "Yeah, and I'm gonna have to deal with this for at least another month. Maybe more. Besides, it's not like this is the first time. Now, go!"

Short scoffed, "I thought you were supposed to be the younger sibling."

He chuckled, "Legally, I am. Mentally, eeh... Now, go or I'll smash my leg with a hammer."

She raised a hoof in defence, "Alright, alright! Jeez." She turned and trotted after the downcast mare as Jigsaw smiled and left down the street. She was a few feet behind Twilight when she decided to get her attention, "Hey, uh, sorry about that. I've just had a... really long day. You want to hang out or something?"

Twilight turned, confused, to Short, "Uhh, alright? What do you want to do?"

Short let out a nervous chuckle, "To be honest, I have no idea. My little brother just wanted me to make some friends." Strangely, this made Twilight giggle. "What's so funny?"

She tossed a hoof, chuckling, "I got that same advice from a mentor of mine a few months ago."

Short asked, "Who was that?"

"My magic teacher, of all people. I was at Celestia's school since I was a filly. It's... a long story. Maybe I'll tell you later. Seriously though, your brother? He looks nothing like you."

Short rolled her eyes, "Another long story. Tell you what, when you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine. Deal?"

Twilight nodded, "Deal. You want to, uh, help me catalogue some books? I live in the Golden Oaks Library, and there's still a few out of place after the last time Rainbow Dash crashed into it. She's the technicolor pegasus, by the way."

Short smiled, "Sounds like a plan. Hey, you mind stopping for something to eat? I had a small lunch."

Twilight smiled, "Sure. How about the Hayburger?"

Her new friend turned another shade of green before her grumbling response, "Actually, I think I just lost my appetite."

Jigsaw peered around a corner, dragging the black bag across the path behind him. His eyes passed over the construction site, cataloguing the locations of each of the workers. He inched around the corner, trotted merrily down the street and sat nonchalante behind a small pile of steel girders.

He carefully set the clanking bag of tools next to him as he tried to work up a small burst of magical energy. Green aura whipped around his horn and the black bag as the latter was flung into the air over his cover. A loud thud resounded, a few workers turned to the source of the noise, and a bronze pony racing away from said noise.

Naturally, it didn't take long for the construction workers to realize their tools had been returned. They shared a laugh about it, complained they couldn't get any work done, and went on with their day.

Jigsaw fought the urge to run, and instead quickly trotted back to his house. Rounding a corner too quickly, he ran head-first into an orange mare wearing a stetson. The impact staggered the mare, and sent Jigsaw to the ground. The mare quickly apologised with a southern drawl, "Sorry 'bout that, mister. Need a hoof?" He grabbed the mare's outstretched hoof with his good one, and was quickly brought back onto his feet.

She took off and dusted her stetson before introducing herself, "My name's Applejack. Say, you look familiar. What's your name?"

"My name's Jigsaw. Nice to meet you."

Applejack touched a hoof to her chin, "I can't place the name. Sorry."

Jigsaw nodded politely, "It's quite alright. I've only just got here today."

"Ah, you're that stallion that fell from the sky earlier. I guess that explains the broken leg. Wait. That means your friends with-" Jigsaw nodded, "Aw, shucks. I'm sorry about the things we were saying earlier. We didn't mean ta-"

Jigsaw held up a hoof to quiet the mare, "It's alright. She's over it. Somewhat. What do you do here in town, Applejack?"

Applejack stood straighter with pride, "My family runs the local apple orchard. What about you, Jigsaw?"

Jigsaw smiled, "Aspiring inventor. You saw the auto-chariot, and how well it turned out. We were planning on bringing it to the Fillydelphia Expo. Bit of a shame, but I'm not giving up on its design just yet."

Applejack chuckled, "You're honestly considering rebuilding that deathtrap?"

He shrugged, "I think we could start with a redesign. Move the fuel away from the engines, more support. A little hard work and elbow grease will get it working, and better than ever."

The mare nodded, "I can respect that. A little hard work goes a long way."

Jigsaw smiled sadly, "What's your family like?"

Applejack simply beamed, "Well, there's Granny Smith. She was here when Ponyville was first founded. Big Macintosh is my big brother. He doesn't talk much, but he's got a heart of gold. My little sister, Apple Bloom, is pretty rambunctious, especially with those friends of her's. Then there's the extended Apple family. They're good folks. Why do you ask?"

Jigsaw sighed, "I was just curious. They sound nice."

"Yeah, they are. Just don't get in the way of Big Mac. If he's got his mind set to something, there's no stopping it. He can be even more boneheaded than even me, sometimes."

He smiled, "Well, I think everyone gets a bit boneheaded once in awhile."

"Well, I kinda enjoyed our little friendly conversation. Even if we were both pretty boneheaded when we met."

Jigsaw chuckled, "Yeah, that was a pain in the flank."

Applejack joined in the small laughter, "Say, this was fun and all, but it's time I got back to the farm. I'll be needin' to get back to work. See ya around, Jigsaw."

Jigsaw bowed his head a notch, "Likewise," and began trotting back down the road.