JAN 7 Monday.

I breathe out slowly as I sit still inside my apartment.

December is over and with how much snow we had this Winter some Winter Wrap Up preparations have already begun around the city. It will also probably take them all a little longer to clear everything out and begin Spring. That's honestly still odd to me even after all this time has passed.

As for me, I've just spent a good part of my day split in between two projects. Namely, doing my taxes, sending a confirmation to the bank to transfer what I owe, and working on my newest project. That being Metal Working spells, although I'm starting with the low-end ones.

There are several spells like this that I was able to find in the library, it will be a little harder to find higher rank spells of this nature though, most are owned by guilds after all. But that just means I'm starting off by improving and remaking some of the smaller ones for now and that is actually a good place to start as these spells are new to me.

The one I'm working on at the moment makes hot metal more pliable to being shaped while still maintaining its form. Despite it being a simple spell it's Journeypony rank and will take me a week or two to fully remake to my liking. For the rest of today though I have something more interesting to do.

I need bracelets for my friends and Metal Quake said she'd be available today so I'm planning to pay her a visit and get what I need made. And this time I have a design of my own in mind, along with another project I'd like her to make but that should be easy enough for her to work on.

I drew a basic design and I plan to have the bracelets all be very similar or the same, I'll probably be adding some detail later though. I did have to buy a few more pure diamonds but that was easy enough with a few spells to change my appearance and a trip to a jewelry store. I let out my breath again and stood up from the floor with a stretch.

I have been doing a few other things as well. Importantly I've fully learned the Mind Protection spell Celestia sent me and have been casting it on myself whenever I go outside for anything. I have also been working on the new Changeling detections spell, but that one is proving to be a little tricky.

The goal for that spell is to tell if somepony is a Changeling, but I need more than just an illusion detector to make sure about this so I've decided to go with another idea. I'm going to detect their teeth with a rune I found in a healing spell. Combine that fact with the illusion detector on top of it and it will cut down on false detections by a fair bit by adding a second condition.

However, the main problem with the spell is balancing the magic use when casting it. I'm building the spell to be incredibly beefed up, the scan may be simple but the amount of power behind it isn't. That cost is getting annoying to me so I'm mostly working on trying to cut down the cost without sacrificing the spell's effectiveness.

The spell is done beyond that but I'll keep working on it for now. I walk around my apartment for a bit and start collecting a few things along with my saddlebags. Once I have it all I walk into my bedroom to see Entropy staring at a few paints and her opened art book.

I walk up and look at the page to see something in a rough bird shape with yellows and reds filling in the space. Recently Philomena was able to visit and they both had a lot of fun with each other so I take a stab in the dark. "Drawing your friend? It looks good so far." I compliment her even though it's rough at best.

Entropy seems to be thinking over the colors and caws a bit. "Go now?" She asks while looking at me, and I nod slowly. "Ok, need to think, colors wrong." She says while climbing onto my back and pecking her band three times to turn on her disguises. On that front, I have news as well.

With me not working for a lot of December I had more free time, more than enough to look over Entropy's band more. I couldn't get her newer illusion to be passive, but I upped the usage time to nearly six hours and by this point, it's getting hard to improve anymore.

I think that if I remove the older illusion I can up the time by another hour or two but her band really seems to be the limiting factor here. I might need something new to work with soon, but this works for now. "Hmm, maybe you can ask Daisy next time we meet up together?" I suggest.

With so much going on, we haven't had any game nights recently, but I think we have one planned after Blaz gets back in a week or two. Entropy chirps with a nod and I stand and head outside my apartment, going to the roof as I rather not walk through the snow considering how far away the blacksmith's guild is.

I form my wings along with casting the Mind Protection spell before taking flight with Entropy as we make our way through the skies and to the lower part of the city. As I fly I remember the new year and my tradition of going somewhere each year, but I'm not really sure it's worth it at the moment, not when every trip ends up with something happening to me.

I do always gain something in return, but what's the point of going on a vacation if I can't even relax? I couldn't even take a two-day trip to some random city without something happening. Maybe I could just go back to the Dragon Lands? Then again I don't have much to do there that I haven't already done, and I'd probably get into more fights.

I could visit the sea again? It has been a while since I last went to the ocean and I wouldn't mind finding some plants from there. Or I could just go camping somewhere? A quiet spot in the middle of nowhere where I will be left alone and can just relax for a while.

That doesn't sound that bad actually, maybe I just need somewhere with fewer creatures to bother me. I let the thought slip from my mind as I sat down on a street that's been cleared of snow and was quite busy. During the Winter some streets are cleared and everypony starts using them, bunching all of them closer together along the paths of least resistance.

I land a little off to the side and dismiss my wings before putting on my cloak and letting Entropy land on my back as I walk toward the guild. As I enter the busy building I draw a few eyes but with spring coming most are too busy to care that much at the moment.

I spend a minute waiting in line and showing a receptionist the invitation from Metal Quake before I'm led back into the building depths and to a simple door I've seen twice before. I knock once the Pony guiding me has left and a moment later the door opens to show a small mare looking up at me. "Hmm, still getting bigger, you a tall one ain't ya? Come on in." Her blunt and slightly warm tone greets me.

I smirk a little at her attitude but keep myself on guard. I wouldn't say I trust Metal Quake, but I at least trust her to do good business and her way of speaking is something I prefer. "Don't mind my friend, they won't touch anything," I reassure her as Metal Quake eyes Entropy while I walk past her and inside the forge.

She nods and huffs a small bit. "I know you got the bits to fix anything brok'n, now, you got more work for me? someth'en interesting?" She questions and I bring out some papers from my saddlebags while she walks over to a workbench. I do notice the small mare glance under me but she's actually a little discreet about it, which is oddly enough an improvement.

She rolls out the paper and looks it over as I nod and Entropy looks around curiously. "I do, I have a few things I need made actually, and I'm willing to pay well for it to get done quickly. As long as the quality matches up with your other work." I have a calm but professional tone as she raises a brow.

She huffs again. "Like I'd allow any old scrap to be called my work." She banters and looks over the drawing I came up with. "Five bracelets, all mithril, all with gems. Hmm, well they are all the same so casting could work." She mumbles to herself and I look around the room as I wait for her to sort her thoughts.

The room looks more cluttered and there are a large amount of metal swords without hilts neatly stacked to one side. They look like the standard guard short sword, one I am very familiar with as Stone beats me with one every week. I guess she also works for the guard to an extent, or at least contracts with them.

"This'll cost you a pretty bit." She declares and looks up at me. "The mithril is a bit pricey at the moment, and I have other work." She motions to the blades. "I can get it done though, you got the gems I'd need?" I take out two bags, one with bits and another with the diamonds.

She takes both with a nod and a smile. "I'll get the contract, the rest can be given the same as last time." She turns but I stop her with a raised hoof and pass her another roll of paper. She raises a brow but puts the bags to the side and unrolls it, whistling slowly after a moment, "Now this! This is interest'n."

The second thing I want her to make is an idea I had recently, a plan to upgrade the defenses of Gaia's Eden. The defenses are powered by a gem array but it was made years ago and I have much better materials available to me now. Which is why I want Metal Quake to make me an array plate.

The idea behind them is simple enough, a large plate of magical metal to help support an array and act as a base for more gems to be added while keeping things stable. With it, I can upgrade the shield a good amount when making a new array. My reasoning for why I'm upgrading the array is simple, I need somewhere truly safe.

Gaia's Eden is safe because it is hidden but animals still pose a threat and there are creatures in the forest that will pose a serious threat to me as well. After recent events I would rather nip such a possibility in the bud now and up my defenses, plus I can't see a downside to making them better and I have the money just lying around. "Can you make it?" I ask bluntly.

She thinks for a long moment. "Well, you want this thi'g out of magical silver, what in the sun do you even need something like this for?" She asks herself and shakes her head a bit. "I can do it, the metal is easy, but the cost. This ain't cheap, not one bit." I can't tell if that was a pun but she seems serious.

I nod after a second of silence. "Can you get me a rough cost?" She thinks for a moment longer before bringing over a quill and writing down a number. After my friends joked about it I actually went and checked on how much I own, and needless to say the number I'm given is not too bad.

I wouldn't even feel it if I was living within my means, let alone as I am now. Honestly, with all the things I've made, I have a large amount of wealth. While a noble might not be able to spend so much at once, that's because of how they live, with how little I buy I can spend this without blinking. "That works, when can you get it done?" I ask back after a second.

She blinks as if not expecting me to just flat-out agree. "Well, damn." I raise a brow and she looks a small bit embarrassed as if realizing what she said. "Sorry abo't that.... It's just that this price is the far high-end, Ah never mind. I'll go get the contract." She is a little awkward about her less-than-pleasant language, but I remain uncaring about it.

Honestly, she could curse like... Well, actually, nothing here really can match a human, I guess Dragons are close. She comes back a moment later and starts to look over the drawings while making notes as I read through the contract. "Ya know, you might be the only one who reads those themselves." She comments and I find the small talk a little odd.

However, she's not wearing anything beyond a smiths apron and I have had no reaction from my bracelet. She sees my face, "No offense of course, but most have a lawyer or some such do it." She adds, apparently thinking I might have been offended. "So, you an enchanter?" She asks after a second pause.

I tense a bit but don't show it outwardly. "No, why do you ask?" I ask back as it seems like a very good guess for somepony who doesn't know me. I think for a moment and see what she probably means as I am buying mithril with gems in it. "I am a... Well, I just procure things. The second item is not for me." I lie slowly as it seems like something vague but reasonable.

Her expression shows she's not sure about my answer, but doesn't seem to want to dig into it. "Not the first then, all manner of that come through here, at least you don't waste my time." She drops the topic and walks over to me with a second piece of paper and I raise a brow. "I need a good enchanter." She states simply.

I sit still for a moment before I nod and take the business card she gives me. "I see, I can not promise anything, In fact I find it unlikely," I state very bluntly with a less relaxed tone. As far as she knows she's just passing off a card to somepony she thinks might know an enchanter she can work with.

My part in this is just as somepony buying things from her and passing one of them off to someone else. Or to simplify, it's business and I don't think I want much of a part in it. She just nods, "About what I thought." She moves back to the bench. "Enchanters can be a right thorn." She mumbles but seems to buy my cover more.

I'm not even really lying, sure the plate is mine but I'm not an enchanter in any official capacity, I'm just some random Pony that likes magic. "Anything else you need for your work?" I ask hoping this could be over, she's rather blunt but business is something I don't need right now.

She chuckles a bit and smirks. "Sorry to drop that on ya, I need to take a chance when I can, and a normal enchant'r ain't what I need." She seems honest and drops most of her professional tone. "Well, what size do you need these all in? I have to know something rough at'least." Her accent comes out more and I do find her new tone more relaxing.

I can't blame her I suppose, and she's caused no offence so I nod and relax my tone a bit. "They are on the back of the paper, along with dimension requirements." She flips it over and nods before flipping it back. "If that's all I will going to transfer the first half of your payment," I say and stand up a bit straighter.

She nods slowly and I can tell she wants to ask something but doesn't. "Ai'tght, and don't worry, that contract is thorough, and backed by the guild." She adds as if to make sure she's not overstepped, something I appreciate. "I'can get the bracelets to you in two or three weeks, they are simple. The plate? Two months at best."

I make a mental note of that and nod my thanks. "Very well, have a good day Master Metal Quake." I use her title and give her a small smile before walking out of her forge. I do keep my senses on her for a bit as I leave the building and make my way back out into the street.

I stand in the snow for a moment before taking out a certain gift I got last minute on the holidays. I nearly forgot about Avalon's gift to me but after the festivities, I came home and opened the package he sent. Inside was something of a surprise to me, a platinum pocket watch of all things.

Watches in this world are complicated little things made with a mix of clockwork and a single primary gear normally made to spin through magic. They are expensive and while popular with non-unicorns they are much more valued and popular outside of Equestria.

The reasoning for him getting me one is sound, as even if I can just cast a spell it is a nice thing to have. And it makes more sense to get a watch from a Griffon, they rarely have magic, and as a result clocks and watches are the things they use to tell time more often than not.

The watch is plain metal with a simple inside of a watch's face, but overall it is a very nice gift and something I find to be fun to use. And it is actually useful to me, it lets me check the time without drawing any attention or surprise from spellcasting. That may not be a problem in Canterlot but when in other places the watch will stand out far less.

There is still a good amount of daylight left and I wouldn't mind some time outside. I think for a moment before turning off into an alley where we won't be seen and looking at Entropy. "Up for a trip?" She tilts her head. "I'd like some lunch and we haven't been to Ponyville in a while, if you remember it?"

She caws and looks around for a second before we both vanish with no one seeing. A second later I blink and stand on a snow-covered forest hillside. I smile at her and pet her, "Thank you, let's go get some food." She caws excitedly in agreement and I have to form my wings before once again taking flight.

The flight is a short one and as I glide towards the small town I notice a streak moving around just outside of town pretty fast, going through what look like rings of clouds. It does not take me long to guess that Rainbow Dash is practicing, and from the speed she's moving I can't say it's not impressive flying.

I glide a little longer out of curiosity but blink after a moment as she dives down and pulls up once again, unlike the other times however she goes a little too far and ends up slowing down right after. I get a little closer as she rapidly slows down and lands.

I could ignore it, but with how much speed she had and how hard she was going I can guess something went wrong. Her landing was quick, very quick, and while it could be my paranoia it seemed a little wrong. She glided down in circles while only turning right instead of just flying down and flapping her wings to land softly.

After a few moments of her being on the ground and somewhat out of my sight I sigh and start to fly over to her direction. It's probably paranoia but it's not like it could hurt and if I'm wrong I can just say I wanted to ask for a few small tips about flying, which is something I wouldn't mind too much actually as she is definitely a skilled flier.

Entropy flies with me as I near the ground and glide in before landing a few dozen feet away from her. I notice she's in the snow belly up and holding one wing out flat and stiff. From this distance I can make out enough detail to tell one of her wings is twitching pretty badly and it's obvious something is wrong.

At this point I second-guess myself. Sure I can heal her but it's not really my business and I don't need any craziness at the moment. But I am still a healer, and I have some pride in my work. And it's not like offering will do much harm, it might even be useful down the line and I can earn some goodwill right now.

Entropy lands on me as I slowly start approaching, making my hoof steps in the snow a little louder on purpose so I don't startle her. As I move through the snowy area with a few trees I spot her under a tree's shade and her ears twitch as she hears me get closer. Her head pops up and she looks over at me.

She looks surprised and tries to roll on her back to get upright, but she rolls the wrong way and goes right onto her laid-out injured wing. "BUC- Buttercups!!" She hisses and rolls back quickly with some clear pain. She scrunches her muzzle and closes her eyes tightly while sitting still and breathing a little hard.

I close the gap and stop a few feet away. "Hello, injured wing? Try to sit still." I demand and she opens her eyes to look over at me. She opens her muzzle but before she can say anything I start looking over her wing. Physically it looks fine, with no blood or bone visible, but it's twitching a lot and it seems like a painful thing from her expression.

She rolls right-side up the other way and I lean back as she swings her outstretched wing. "Hey! What are you-" Before she can continue I take out my healer's card and toss it at her. It hits her chest and she blinks before looking at it as she catches it against her chest with a hoof. "Oh..." She goes silent and I just take the card back from her hoof with my field after a second.

"Muscle problem?" I ask in the same tone I have learned to use with problem patients, the tone that says I'm going to heal you and you WILL like it. I look at her wing closely, "You fine with me casting a few spells to make sure nothing is broken?" I add another question.

She seems to get over her surprise quickly and looks at me with a determined face. "Hey look, Mr. Healer, I'll be, fine." She trails off a bit as I give her a glare that shows I am not taking no for an answer. I wouldn't normally do this but I've had enough patients like her before and I know what they are like, and I know what she's like.

She goes silent for a moment before huffing a bit. "Fine! Do the magic, thingy. But I'm not paying you anything for it! ... Wait, do I know you?" She asks and I just nod before casting two spells one after the other and taking out some paper. After a moment it's obvious what the problem is, a torn muscle.

She jumps a little bit at the magic but I feel all the practice from the last two years at the hospital kick in and just be calm about it. "A minor muscle tear, nothing too bad but it'd stop you from flying for a week or two." I passed the papers to her. "You want me to heal it? It will hurt some if I do it." I warn her and keep my level tone.

She looks at the papers confused before just dropping them on the ground and narrowing her eyes at me. "I do remember you! The weird Pony with the fake wings." She says and I just give her a level stare. "Pain? So you're saying, I can tough it out?" She asks with an oddly determined stare, and before I can say anything she makes up her mind. "Let's do it, I can take it!"

I nearly sigh but do find her reaction a little amusing, if nothing else she is brave, ironic. I just nod and point to her wing, "Try your best to stay still, it will help." I add before casting a single spell on her wing. To her credit, I've seen other Ponies handle it worse as she just grits her teeth and seemingly powers through the mild pain with will alone.

I cancel the spell after a few seconds as it doesn't take long to heal something like this. "All done." She lets out a breath she was holding in and takes a few deep ones as well. "Try to go a little lighter for the next day or two," I warn her, knowing full well she won't wait that long. "Anything else hurt? I would rather not find you in the snow again." I joke in a deadpan tone just to mess with her a little.

She looks at her wing and hesitantly moves it around for a second before suddenly moving it quickly with a large smile. "Ha! I did it!" She celebrates and I don't say anything. "Thanks... Uhhh, Dave?" I blink a little at that. :Does she actually know a Pony named Dave? That's oddly, normal sounding: "Anyway, I owe you one Dave."

She says and a second later she flaps her wings and shoots back into the air, moving around just as quickly as before. Entropy looks at me, "Who Dave?" She questions and I sigh before turning towards Ponyville.

"I have no idea... Let's just go eat." I feel good about helping, but that was just so... Some days. Crazy Ponies.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :)
Current year is 997

Not too much to say, just some lesser seen characters and a little bodily harm.

See you all Monday.