Far From Home, Nearer to the Heart.by Espeon The PsychicChapters1. A Bad Beggining to A Wonderful Future2. A Dim Light at the End of a Long Tunnel3. Rags to Rivets1. A Bad Beggining to A Wonderful FutureThe cool wind of the autumn season blew through Heavy Rivet's soft blue coat, chilling her flesh and reaching into her bones, ushering her on. The road she trod was long and cobbled, leading far out of the peaceful town of Ponyville, through the hills covered in withered, yellowed grass, which grew through the well-beaten path and crunched beneath her hooves. She passed over the quiet, gurgling stream that marked the halfway point, a small, hastily made bridge, which was really more of a few planks tied together, was left behind her as she walked by with her head held low. She shook her head quickly, shaking her navy blue mane out of her golden eyes as she concentrated on the ground glumly. "Where did all the business go?" Her melodic voice choked out past her sore throat. "To the FCC of course, rich bastards." The FCC or Filthy Rich Crafts Corp. was a large corporation that had sprung into life earlier that year. The corporation itself was named after it's CEO, Filthy Rich, A greedy stallion who's company had just now put her's out of business. Sure she made her crafts with artful skill and mastership, but Filthy Rich sold cheap, something she couldn't afford. The ponies' bits went to the more economic choice, not even Rivet could blame them. She kicked a pebble down the road with sudden anger, sending it up the hill she climbed where it pinged off a larger rock and flew back to strike her in the forehead. "OW! Dumb rock!" she shouted, rubbing the sore spot on her head. She stood still for a moment more, before she sat down hard, her rump colliding with the ground painfully. Shadows crossed her face as her mane blocked the sun from her eyes. Tears spilled down her cheeks as a sob forced itself out of her throat. Her tears collided with the ground silently, creating small puddles in the earthen road beneath Rivet. Her body rocked with tremors as her sobbing increased it's frequency, slowly building itself until Rivet lost all control. Her forelegs gave out, and she fell forward, laying in the dust, her cries of sorrow filling the air with her anguish and resent. The temperature physically dropped a degree, as Rivet's sadness pierced the very atmosphere with it's icy touch. Rivet's sobbing came to a slow close, eventually lowering itself to sniffling and the occasional gasp for air. Her legs struggled under her weight to lift her into a shaky stance in the middle of the road. She shook her mane out her eyes again, and began making slow and steady steps towards home. As she crested the hill, she stopped for a moment, looking down on her quiet little home, a steady stream of smoke rose from the chimney. "How do I tell mom? 'Hey mom, lost my job, now I'm a deadbeat' How's that going to go over?" Rivet descended the hill she stood upon, nearing her unremarkable cabin. It was a simple little four-walled one-story log cabin, homely maybe, but still quite inviting. A small porch with stone flooring and wooden awning stood out front, two windows on either side of an unpainted wooden door breathed light into her home. Rivet stopped here for a moment to collect herself. She brushed her hair with her hoof and swatting away the dust from her belly. She took a few deep breaths, and opened the door, tensing as it's elder frame creaked out a welcome song to her. She stepped in and removed her saddle bags, placing them on the floor next to the doorway. She sighed, turning to observe the room. A coffee table lay about five feet in front of her behind it, a large, well-cushioned couch, flanked by two smaller tables, each holding a lamp and few candles. The floor was covered in a plush carpet that soothed Rivet's weary hooves as they sank into it. A rocking chair lay in the corner of the home, next to the window with the best view of the hill Rivet had just traveled over. A half-knit blanket lay on the foreleg rest next to it, another small table with a lamp upon it. Opposite that corner, lay a well-filled bookshelf atop-which a record player kept to itself. Two entryways sat at either side of the room, one to the left, and one on the back wall to the right of the couch. An elderly voice called from the latter. "Rivet dear, Is that you?" The soothing voice of her mother called. "Y-yeah...mom...I'm home" Rivet called back, her voice falling steadily. "Well come on then hon', I've got dinner all ready for ya'" She beckoned. "Okay mom, be right there" Rivet replied with more vigor than she held in her body. She turned and lifted the flap on one of her saddle bags, taking out a heavy bag. In it's own right, it was relatively small, about the size of a head of lettuce, or a melon. She lay it on the table in front of the couch and untied the string holding it closed. As the linen bag fell open, it revealed the last thing she had to hold from her dead business: a bag of bits, enough to feed her and her mother for a couple weeks at the most. She sighed, defeated by a greedy corporation, and out of options. She'd be out looking for work first thing tomorrow. She turned again, heading for the kitchen, and towards the promise of something nice and filling for dinner. She wasn't disappointed. On the table immediately as she entered the kitchen/dining room lay two heaping bowls of delicious looking salad, piled high with tomatoes, onions, croutons, and balsamic vinegar dressing. Two chairs were sat at the table, one was closest to her, the other was filled with her mother. A deep, tranquil green mare sat, smiling at her with emerald eyes. "Hello there, Rivet. I hope you're hungry, I went all the way with dinner tonight" Her mother, Emerald Soothe spoke. "Thanks mom, it looks great." Rivet replied, seating herself opposite her mother. She peered at the salad, her stomach growling voraciously at the sight of such an appetizing meal. "My goodness, I think an earthquake's struck us" Granny Soothe chuckles. "Ha Ha, very funny, mom" Rivet replied, barely containing a chuckle herself. She does, however, allow a smile to beam through at her ever-caring mother. She quickly dives into her meal, giving a pleased moan as the extravagant taste reaches her tongue. She finishes in no time, her bowl empty and her stomach full as she reclines into her seat with a satisfied sigh. She peers across the table to see her mother just finishing, and stands slowly with her swollen belly to grab both their dishes and take them to the the sink to wash. Emerald Soothe gives a quiet "thank you" and makes her way to the living room, followed soon by Rivet. As Rivet's eyes fall on the bag still left on the table, a sick feeling trudges it's way into her stomach. She stares at the bag for a moment, then hurriedly ties it up and stows it under the table. "We lost, didn't we dear?" Grannie Soothe says from behind her in her rocking chair. "W-what? What are you talking about mom?" Rivet stutters in her nervous rush. "Your craft business, It's gone.....isn't it?" she asks again. Rivet takes a moment before turning around, coming face to face with her mother's consoling expression. "Y-yeah mom....we lost" she says, quickly leaning forward to catch her mother in a hug, the tears come again, this time soaking into Grannie Soothe's warm fur. "It's okay darling, it's okay" Grannie Soothe says, stroking Rivet's mane with a hoof. "I'm sure we'll get a turn-around quickly" She reassured. "B-but what if we don't?" Rivet asked despairingly. "What if I can't afford to feed us mom? What if I can't find work?" Grannie Soothe shushes her. "I told you it'll be okay Dear, don't take that for granted. We'll find a way out of this, I'm sure." As Rivet's sobs fade to a stop yet again, she leans back away from Grannie Soothe. "Y-you're sure?" She asks. "Positive dear, bad things happen to good people, but they always rebound ten-fold, i guarentee it. Now get to bed young 'un you've got things to do tomorrow." Granny quips lovingly. "Th-thanks mom, I'll see you in the morning" Rivet says, taking the opposite entry of the kitchen, walking down a short hallway containg two doors. She opts for the left, walking into her haphazard mess of a room and ploppind down onto her bed, her head colliding with a pillow relaxingly. She lay still, pulling the covers over her with a tug of her magic, folding herself in a warm embrace. She yawns softly as her eyes betray her full mind, and tug themselves closed, pulling her to sleep. Authors note: I hope to be able to finish this story with at least twelve chapters so if you like it, please say so, your criticism is accepted as well and i'm willing to improve in any way to sharpen my writing skills. Tehmjolnirpony~ 2. A Dim Light at the End of a Long TunnelHeavy Rivet's eyes slowly pry themselves open as she returns from the abyss of her own dreams. The faintest scent of cooking eggs wafts by her snout, teasing it with its tantalizing aroma. "Yes mom, I'm up" she mumbled to herself miserably. "Oh good, I was just coming to get you" Sang Grannie Soothe from the doorway. "Aaaaa-oof!" Rivet jumped, falling from her cozy cave of covers, and colliding with the unloving floor painfully. "Oops! Did I scare you dear? I'm sorry honey." Grannie said, containing a giggle. "You suck" "Oh? Well I'll just eat all these eggs myself then" "Gah! Be up in a minute mom!" "That's more like it." Grannie Soothe said, turning to trot down the hallway giggling. "Why did I get the prankster mother?" Rivet unfolded herself from the sheets that clung to her and rose to a stand, finding herself in a mirror on her bedside table. The picture wasn't pretty, her mane tangled and twisted in and out of itself, making her mane seem like a snake's nest. The rest of her figure didn't look great either. Her fur stuck up in odd places-no doubt a result of her restless night-and her tail had taken a form akin to her mane. Even her facial features looked sloppy, her ears folded out to the sides slightly, drooping as if to display her current position. Her eyes, normally perky and joyful, were held by saggy eyelids, and seemed to be missing their natural glow. "Hello, beautiful" she joked, tiredly, deciding not to hold off any longer on getting a stomach full of warm, fluffy egg before tackling her appearance. "Got all the time in the world anyway" she mused. She trod into the kitchen groggily, and took her place at the table. A plate immediately was pushed in front of her by a familiar green hoof, and Rivet's eyes widened a bit in delight. Two golden-toasted fried eggs lay under gaze, both of their yolks perked out, just begging to be ruptured for the sweet, runny surprise inside. "How do you do it?" Rivet asked. "All these delicious meals" "It's easy; I practice" Grannie Soothe replied. "But how do you do it without a horn? I don't know how it's possible to make something so......artsy.....without having magic to help you." "Pish Posh, It doesn't take fancy magic to make a meal good. Unicorns can say all they want about how 'great and powerful' magic can be but the truth is," Grannie Soothe accentuated her speech with over-exaggerated foreleg motions. "An earth pony can do anything a unicorn can, and an earth pony doesn't even have to concentrate" She forcefully poked Rivet's nose with a ladle. Rivet giggled a bit. "Sorry I asked" she remarked, attempting to lift her fork with a hoof, before giving up and sparking her horn's magic to levitate the fork for her. As the eggs touched her tongue, she wanted to squeal with delight at the wonderful senses the simple dish drove through her tongue. The poor townsyolk of platington stood no chance against the powerful and greedy jaws of the tremendous Rivet the Devourer! Needless to say, the eggs did not last long, and their short-lived home was quickly dumped into a sink full of dish soap before a quick farewell between Rivet and her mother. "Find an opportunity dear, I know you can." "Of course mom, I'll do my best. Bye!" "Goodbye Rivet, don't overwork yourself, for your mother's sake" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rivet arrived at the town shortly, her breakfast having given her the pep to start the day cheerfully. Her first thought was to take her chances at Sugar Cube Corner, but she decided to leave that for last. Pinkie, the hyperactive ball of sugar and adrenaline, who worked there was a nice pony, fun to be around in any respect. But Rivet could only take so much Pinkie before her nerves wore thin. Instead, she picked out a local diner. Nothing fancy, but she noted that the waiters all dressed extravagantly, and took that as a sign of prosperity. As she approached the diner, the normal hustle and bustle of the morning rush was well over, and the area was quiet, and empty. A lone pony sat at a table outside, drinking a glass of something fizzy and reading a rather large book the contents of which she could only guess at. re As she stood in the dining area outside the restaurant's doors, a waiter with lowered eyebrows and an almost pompous expression approached her. "Excuse me miss," That accent immediately irked her. Something about the odd slurring of words combined with the waiter's mustache already had her in a bad mood. "Vould you like to order?" He finished. "Hm? OH! Right, uh, I was going to ask about a job" Rivet cursed herself for being so slow on the mark, but straightened her stance to look fully at the waiter. "Ah, You're looking for work, I'm afraid I've got nothing for you, we aren't hiring at the moment. Perhaps if you'd been by yesterday...." The waiter seemed at least genuinely sorry. Rivet thanked him, a little put out in her tone, and walked away, a new location picked out for her job-seeking. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Nothing? Not even a garbage mare?" Rivet asked exasperatedly. She'd been everywhere. nobody seemed to have any work. She stood now at the Sugar Cube Corner, desperately trying to coax a job out of Mrs. Cake. "I'm sorry dear but we just don't need the help right now" came Mrs. Cake's apologetic tone. "You seem like a fine enough worker but.... we can't pay you to just lay around, and I'm afraid that's all you'd be doing." Rivet took a moment to calm her thoughts before she looked back up to Mrs. Cake with a calm expression. "It's alright, it's just.....nopony's hiring apparently." She said a touch of venom she hadn't meant to let out escaping into her words. "I really am sorry Rivet, maybe a job will open up soon." Mrs. Cake consoled. "I doubt it, what with my luck" She replied before turning. "I guess I'll see you late Mrs. Cake, thanks for the help" "You're welcome dear; I really wish I could've done somethi-" "It's alright, really" Rivet cut Mrs. Cake off before turning tail and leaving. Rivet's hoofs fell heavily, she wasn't stomping purposefully, but she was definitely stomping. The areas she walked were pock marked with hoof prints a centimeter deep and her gloomy, glowering expression only added to the effect. It was already mid-day and she had nothing to show for all her effort. Not single interviews, a single application, not even a sign of an open job. In fact, the only place that had a job open was the company that had put her in this mess. She swore, when she got through this, she'd put a hoof in Filthy Rich's gut herself. Just as Rivet took an extra heavy step, a flurry of erratic wing-beats sounded from behind her. She turned just in time to be ground zero for a crash landing full of feathers and mail. "oops, sorry Rivet" A lovably cute voice said. Rivet fought furiously to rise as she untangled herself from the newcomer and rolled to the side before standing defensively. "What?! What is it?!" Rivet snapped, frustrated with the day’s events and flustered at her violent-thought interruption. "I-I'm sorry" the mare replied, her voice softening drastically. Rivet finally turned to view the missile that had derailed her train. The mare was grey of coat, with long, blonde mane and eyes to match. Rivet immediately recognized the mail-mare and corrected her attitude, lunging forward to help her up. "I'm sorry Derpy, It's just been a long day is all, what's got you landing on the helpless ponies of the town?" she asked, noting with satisfaction that Derpy's eyes, which had been nearly watery, had dried up with the application of her kindness. Though they still held that adorable laziness about them, separating their direction which must have made it difficult to fly. "I've got mail for you is all, here ya go" she replied, sniffing audibly as she drew a letter from her mail-bag with her teeth, Extending it towards Rivet carefully. "Mail? For me? okay then. Are you okay?" Rivet asked, worried the grey pegasus had been hurt during their tumble. She accepted the mail graciously, stowing it in her saddlebags before she turned again to Derpy. "N-no, I'm fine" she assured, nodding to Rivet once more, before taking off with a few flaps of her wings. "O-oh, okay, thank you for the letter!" Rivet called after her ascending form. Rivet removed the scrolled letter she had received from the Mail-Mare, and immediately noted the ornate design etched into the very paper. Strange symbols crisscrossed the cover of the dry substance, creating an era of urgency about the parchment. Her name lay etched above the fold between the top and bottom of the paper, just above a single stamp which lay on the scroll, holding it closed. On it is what shocked Rivet the most- the emblem of the twin pony sisters- the royal seal. Rivet stowed the letter quickly, hiding it from prying eyes. It may not have been important, but whatever it was, was sent directly to her, and she'd be the first to read it if it killed her. Rivet galloped home, the wind rushing past her mane and chilling through her coat. She passed by the rickety bridge with little thought, her breath remaining even as her hooves collided with the rough earth, skidding through it suddenly as she halted her forward movement, sliding to a stop just before the hill from which her mother could watch her walking home each day. She calmed her breathing, resting her lungs for a moment before she rose again, and trotted over the hill. Now that Rivet could see her home, she felt a sudden sense of dread. She hadn't found a job, but she had this letter. What if her assumptions were wrong? What if the letter was meaningless? What if it was just a notice for jury duty? She continued at her easy pace, making it down the hill in just a few seconds, much shorter than she had hoped, and slowly approached the porch, stepping onto the wooden floor with caution. She used her magic to slowly turn the knob of the door, pushing forward only slightly. The creak of the door rang out like an alarm and she knew she was already caught. She pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped inside, pushing the door closed behind her. "Damn Door....I'm going to get you fixed you hear? Fixed!" she told the door with prejudice. She turned around to step over to the couch, plopping down with a single sigh, just as her mother walked in. "Oh, Rivet, You're home early dear. Already find a job?" She asked, hobbling her way to her chair before sitting down with little effort. "er...no: I got a letter an-" "You came home for a letter?" Grannie Soothe asked, a tone hinting at a scolding in her voice. "Well...yes, but it's a letter from Canterlot, of....royal sending" Rivet eked out, nervous already at how this was going to go. "Royal? I hardly believe that. Why would the princess send US a letter?" Grannie asked in disbelief. "I...I dunno...I haven't read it yet" Rivet replied quietly. "Well go on then, if it's from the princesses it must be mighty important." grannie urged. "er, yes ma'am" Rivet said smartly, bringing out the letter she had received. She lay it out across the table, breaking the seal with her magic and rolling it out. The fine paper produced little cracks and crinkles as it came to full spread in front of her. It wasn't large, only a couple paragraphs and an introduction and ending, but the letter seemed important enough. Rivet quickly peered into its contents, reading the two paragraphs with growing shock as her chin hung lower and lower, coupling with an eventual strand of drool running down her lip. "M-mom?" she said "Yes dear, what is it?" "We're going to be rich." 3. Rags to RivetsHeavy Rivet rode in the largest, comfiest, most expensive cart she had ever seen. It was unnerving to her, how quickly this had all happened. She looked around at the gilded edges and uncomfortably white, but soft and plush, cushions all around the cabin. Adding to her nerves was the fact that she was hundreds of feet in the air, the wind rushing past the massive glass windows on either side of her. She thought back a bit, trying to remember how this had all happened and she realized just how quickly everything had gone down. Her mind traveled in time as her body remained in the cabin to support her existence. _______________________________ "Come again dear" Grannie's disbelieving voice said. "I said we're going to be rich mom. This letter is from Princess Celestia herself." "You're kidding" "Not at all mom, have a look" Rivet turned, floating the letter to her mother with her magic. Grannie read the letter over, her eyes widening as they trailed all the way to the bottom, then finding their way to the top again and sliding down the gilded parchment once again. Grannie sat back a moment, letting her mind grasp everything she had just read. She stood again, a little more weakly this time, and gave her head a quick shake to clear it out. A smile crossed her lips. "See Rivet. I told you that we'd catch a break" She said, stepping over to Rivet and leaning into her with a hug. "I know mom. And to think I didn't believe you. YOU of all people!" She said giggling with a new-found spirit. "Well go on dear get ready!" Grannie ushered "Right!" Rivet said. "......What should I wear?" Grannie gave a frustrated groan. "Put on your nicest dress, something blue." "Right!" Rivet said as she turned and charged down the hallway to her room, getting halfway down the hall before she turned and sprinted back. "But mom, it's not till tomorrow." She reminded her mother. "Hm? Oh...right." Grannie said embarrassed by her own lack of memory. "Well um.....practice?" "More like wait. The letter wasn't very specific." She replied, walking around the coffee table to lay down on the couch. "Right.....sounds like a plan" Grannie said, reclining back into her rocking chair. Rivet nodded in response, levitating the letter back to herself to give it another read. just to make sure. Her eyes fell upon the extravagant page, marking the glyphs that represented her language with scrutiny. The letter still read as she remembered: Dear, Heavy Rivet It has come to the attention of the courts that a certain item of severe importance is in desperate need of repair. As the head of the court, I Princess Celestia of Equestria, have recognized that your specific set of skills are the exact set needed to accomplish the task at hand. If you'd like to discuss the terms of an agreement you may meet my personal protege at the library near you in Ponyville tomorrow at seven A.M. sharp. She will describe to you the issue in which we face. Both I, and my sister Luna dearly hope you accept our offer. Sincerely, Princess Celestia of Equestria~ Rivet sighed deeply as she finished reading. I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow. Rivet thought as she lay her head down, letting her eyes slip close. ________________________________ Rivet woke to an especially loud snore behind her. Her ears perked first, before her entire head raised up and looked back to see her mother asleep in her rocking chair. Rivet smiled and shook her head at the elder mare, turning her head to look at the clock positioned on the bookshelf. 1:00? Rivet thought. "What do I do for seven hours?" she said, already feeling an anxious not driving itself into her core. She lay her head back down, attempting to maybe fall asleep again, just to pass some time. After what felt like ages, Rivet turned and looked at the still-ticking clock 1:05 "Oh come on." Rivet's voice came out in an exasperated whisper. She rolled over on the couch, aggravated, laying for a few moments before she quickly became bored again. She lost herself in the patterns across the wooden ceiling of her home. following each and every intricate pattern around the ceiling, even stopping to watch a curl of dust drift across a path. It wasn't long before she felt her lids make their way to each other again, embracing sleep with open arms. _______________________________ "Rivet! Rivet wake up!" A voice called from above her somewhere. "What? What? I'm up, I'm up" she said groggily, opening her eyes to be met with her mother, pressing hoof to her shoulder. "Rivet! It's Six Thirty! Get up! Get up! Go on!" She beckoned. "S-SIX THIRTY!" Rivet yelled, her eyes snapped open wide as she bolted from the couch to the bathroom. She turned the water on in her rinky old tub, not hesitating to jump into the cold water and scrub herself clean of sleep. She got out shivering, and grabbed a towel hurriedly wrapping it around herself and scrubbing furiously. She lost herself for a moment in the wonderful feeling of the towel scratching over her body, then remembered what she was doing and cast it aside without a second thought and ran across the hall to her bedroom. She flung open the closet with force and pulled out her nicest dress. It was a lovely, deep shade of blue that matched her mane and tail, flowing almost like a wave of curly fabric. Accenting it was a a little bow, of the same color. She hurriedly slid into the dress, attaching the bow to her hair and trotting out of her room and down the hall to her grandmother. "Alright, I'm ready, bye mom!" "Bye Rivet, make me proud, girl!" Grannie called as she watched Rivet in her beautiful dress hurry out the door and into the darkness of the on-setting morning. Rivet dashed out into the cool morning air, the knot in her stomach relaxing slightly as the chilled wind blew through her fur and kissed her skin. She followed the same landmarks she always had, the hill, the bridge, but today it all looked different. It all felt so....Rivet couldn't think of a word to describe it. It felt dead, as if she wouldn't be coming back for a long time. She slowed her pace a bit, relishing the feeling of the smoothed out gravel that had found itself under-hoof day to day for years now. When it came time to enter the town she almost thought to turn back, but carried on. She kept her head lowered slightly so as not to draw attention as she passed through the town, though it was a fruitless effort as nopony was even awake yet. She progressed through the streets, reaching a turn where she could see the library coming up. She gulped, and steadied her breathing, trying to keep it together for as long as possible. And yet, with every step she took, she felt her pulse increase just a bit. A little more, a little more, a little more, until she was almost at the front door and she could feel her heart booming in her chest with each and every step. That note seemed so serious but it was SO vague. What if it's all a prank? What if I can't handle what I'm needed for? I can't go job hunting again! Her mind spoke in a rapid fire of anxiousness. She stopped for a moment, sitting down and calming herself again. "You're going to be FINE, Rivet," she spoke to herself quietly. On shaky legs, she rose again, crossing just a few more steps to the front door of the tree-house library. Her hoof raised, and knocked once, twice, three times, all with a hard, resounding Thunk! accompanying it. She heard some scuffling, and a voice call out. "Spike, the door!" The voice sounded strained. "Right!" Another voice, male this time, called out. Rivet waited patiently as the door's handle fidgeted, and turned before the door opened. Rivet felt a bit confused for a moment, as it was not a pony who greeted her, but a cute little baby dragon. He had purple scales covering his body all the way to the green spines across his back that grew ever taller as they reached his head, his belly imitating with this color with a softer, more olive color. "Are you Heavy Rivet?" He asked quickly. "Um, yes." Rivet replied, smiling down at the dragon's adorable face. The dragon, who must've been Spike beckoned to her. "Come on in, Twilight's been SO anxious to see you. better not keep her waiting." "Right." Rivet replied, following Spike into the home, closing the door behind her with her magic. She turned to see the source of the first voice she had heard. A purple unicorn stood over a morbidly bulging suitcase, struggling with all of her might to keep the case in it's almost-closed position. The mare's head snapped to the left to notice Rivet standing in her living room. "Oh...hi there.....You're Heavy Rivet I assume?" She said between grunts of effort. "Could you....give me a hoof here?" She asked tiredly. Rivet stared at her stupidly for a moment before her mind flickered with realization, "Oh! Um, okay," Rivet approached the suitcase slowly, weary of a clothes explosion. She pressed her hooves down cautiously, and leaned in, throwing her weight and strength into the lid of the struggling case. The grunting of both Rivet and the mare filled the room as they both pressed down on the case with all of their might, together working up a sweat as the case's lid finally shut with an uncertain *click*. Both mares fell back with an exhausted and relieved sigh. "Whew! Thanks for that! Nice to meet you, my name is Twilight Sparkle." The mare said, holding out her hoof. Rivet took her hoof, shaking lightly with her wobbly leg. "Heavy Rivet, the pleasures mine," she said, smiling at Twilight. "So are you ready? Or...have I not even told you the issue yet?" Twilight rattled off like a machine gun. "You haven't told me yet. That letter was so vague I couldn't glean anything from it. I'll be having a little chat with the princesses about that by the way." Rivet huffed, aggravation mixing into her voice as the sentence progressed. Twilight blushed a bit in regard to one of her own letters form the princess. "Yeah, she can be pre-tty vague can't she? What do you know so far?" "That some....mystical....magical.....thingy mabobber, needs fixing"She waved her hooves about comically at each pause,"and I've been "royally called upon" to see it through." "Right, well, the "magical thingy mabobber" is a twelve foot enchanted machine built inside a crystal that's keeping a rift in the dimensions of space and time as closed as possible. The reason we can't close it is because the machine's energy source-itself is broken, and nopony knows how to fix it." "So what makes you think I can?" Rivet asked "Literally nothing. But you were a machinist once weren't you? That was in the profile Celestia sent me at least." "That's right, though I don't like that you've been poking around in my life." "Heh, sorry. But it seems to me like you were pretty good at one time, right?" "Up until two days ago actually. I've not been off that long." Rivet let loose a bitterness with her words. "O-oh. I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" Twilight was genuinely shocked to hear this. "It's fine." rivet let loose firmly. "I just I didn't kn-" Twilight scrambled to make some sort of amend. "It's....fine." Rivet said coldly, locking Twilight under a "drop it" stare. "O-okay then." Twilight recollected herself. "From what I can tell, the princesses think you're their best bet. That's about all." "Is there any hope I can fix it?" "Maybe, I don't know. I've poked around at it a bit myself but it's foreign to me. Nothing like the other machines we have here in Equestria. It doesn't even seem suitable for hooves." "Not suitable for hooves? What then? A claw?" Rivet asked, shrugging off her cold mood for true intrigue. "No, too small and fragile for a claw. This seems like it was made for smaller digits, almost like those of a primates, but even smaller." "So, you're telling me it was made by a miniature ape?" Rivet was incredulous. "It seems like. The princesses are reluctant to say who or what made it." "SO THEN. You're asking me to leave for an indeterminate amount of time, leaving my elder mother to fend for herself, and attempt to fix an alien machine that nopony knows how to fix or even IF it can be fixed?" Rivet was nearing her temper's bursting point. "You're mother's care HAS been arranged actually, and even if you can't fix it you'll be compensated for your lost time." Twilight said cooly, understanding the anger of her new acquaintance. Rivet stopped for a moment. Her mother would be taken care of? Not to mention she'd be compensated. Was it worth it? Rivet closed her eyes to think, taking a seat, deftly wrinkling her dress as her rump landed on it. "You don't have to if you don't want to. The princesses made that abundantly clear. Nothing is set yet and you can always turn ba-" Twilight was cut off. "I'll do it." Rivet said calmly. Twilight nearly tripped on herself in surprise. "Y-you will?" "I don't have much of a choice do I?" Rivet replied. "Where am I going to find a job for certain? This is the only certain way I can take care of my mother and myself so.....I say yes." "Excellent! I'll call the carriages then." Twilight said, pouncing on the moment before any second thoughts could be had. "Carriages? I don't even have a bag!" "All toiletries and other needs will be taken care of at the work site and pay will be given in a small bonus on arrival and then bi-monthly after that." Twilight said in a rush as she swiftly scrawled something on a parchment. "SPIKE! I NEED YOU TO SEND A LETTER!" Twilight jumped as from behind her the young dragon piped up. "Sheesh, I never even left the room." Spike grabbed the parchment out of Twilight's magical grasp and let loose a wash of green dragons fire on it. It was Rivet's turn to jump as the parchment went up in smoke, slowly disappearing into nothing as a single trail of fire whisked around in the air, finding it's way out an open window. "D-did he just burn that note!?" She asked incredulously. "No, no" Twilight assured. "Spikes breath has the ability to send my letters to Celestia, just as it can receive them as well." "Huh...funky" Rivet said, secretly amazed at the feat. "So....are you ready?" Twilight asked. Rivet stood up in her blue dress and shook herself mentally. "As ready as I'll ever be I suppose." The sudden sound of hooves colliding with ground, followed by the crashing of wheels startled her. "Let's get going then. Don't want to keep the princesses waiting!" Twilight sang as she lifted her suitcase and carried it with herself out the door. Just as she disappear , her head popped in through the doorway again, "Try not to burn down the house while I'm gone spike." "It was one book!" The little dragon cried out indignantly. Rivet giggled as she trotted out the door herself, closing it softly before turning, gasping at what she saw. It was perhaps the most beautiful, ornate structure she had ever seen. A carriage made of wood painted a brilliant white and encrusted with gold, covered in unique designs and patterns the likes of which she almost couldn't fathom. At the open door stood Twilight, waving a hoof and calling to her. "Come on Rivet! We need to get going!" Rivet wasted no time boarding the craft, quickly jumping up into the soft, white comfort of the carriage and settling down. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rivet sighed as this all blew through her head again, and she jolted as the carriage suddenly struck ground. She paled a bit as she heard a colossal ruckus coming from just outside the carriage walls. Twilight looked excited as she jumped and motioned for Rivet to open the door. Rivet slowly rose from her comfortable position, stretching her stiff legs before pressing her hoof lightly to the handle of the carriage door. The door, in turn, swung open, just as a blast of light and sound hurdled into her senses. Authors note: I'm sorry to those of you who are reading this story. I've been on hiatus for quite a while and that's just not fair to a reader. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy. PS: I don't know how to spell Grannie ;)
1. A Bad Beggining to A Wonderful FutureThe cool wind of the autumn season blew through Heavy Rivet's soft blue coat, chilling her flesh and reaching into her bones, ushering her on. The road she trod was long and cobbled, leading far out of the peaceful town of Ponyville, through the hills covered in withered, yellowed grass, which grew through the well-beaten path and crunched beneath her hooves. She passed over the quiet, gurgling stream that marked the halfway point, a small, hastily made bridge, which was really more of a few planks tied together, was left behind her as she walked by with her head held low. She shook her head quickly, shaking her navy blue mane out of her golden eyes as she concentrated on the ground glumly. "Where did all the business go?" Her melodic voice choked out past her sore throat. "To the FCC of course, rich bastards." The FCC or Filthy Rich Crafts Corp. was a large corporation that had sprung into life earlier that year. The corporation itself was named after it's CEO, Filthy Rich, A greedy stallion who's company had just now put her's out of business. Sure she made her crafts with artful skill and mastership, but Filthy Rich sold cheap, something she couldn't afford. The ponies' bits went to the more economic choice, not even Rivet could blame them. She kicked a pebble down the road with sudden anger, sending it up the hill she climbed where it pinged off a larger rock and flew back to strike her in the forehead. "OW! Dumb rock!" she shouted, rubbing the sore spot on her head. She stood still for a moment more, before she sat down hard, her rump colliding with the ground painfully. Shadows crossed her face as her mane blocked the sun from her eyes. Tears spilled down her cheeks as a sob forced itself out of her throat. Her tears collided with the ground silently, creating small puddles in the earthen road beneath Rivet. Her body rocked with tremors as her sobbing increased it's frequency, slowly building itself until Rivet lost all control. Her forelegs gave out, and she fell forward, laying in the dust, her cries of sorrow filling the air with her anguish and resent. The temperature physically dropped a degree, as Rivet's sadness pierced the very atmosphere with it's icy touch. Rivet's sobbing came to a slow close, eventually lowering itself to sniffling and the occasional gasp for air. Her legs struggled under her weight to lift her into a shaky stance in the middle of the road. She shook her mane out her eyes again, and began making slow and steady steps towards home. As she crested the hill, she stopped for a moment, looking down on her quiet little home, a steady stream of smoke rose from the chimney. "How do I tell mom? 'Hey mom, lost my job, now I'm a deadbeat' How's that going to go over?" Rivet descended the hill she stood upon, nearing her unremarkable cabin. It was a simple little four-walled one-story log cabin, homely maybe, but still quite inviting. A small porch with stone flooring and wooden awning stood out front, two windows on either side of an unpainted wooden door breathed light into her home. Rivet stopped here for a moment to collect herself. She brushed her hair with her hoof and swatting away the dust from her belly. She took a few deep breaths, and opened the door, tensing as it's elder frame creaked out a welcome song to her. She stepped in and removed her saddle bags, placing them on the floor next to the doorway. She sighed, turning to observe the room. A coffee table lay about five feet in front of her behind it, a large, well-cushioned couch, flanked by two smaller tables, each holding a lamp and few candles. The floor was covered in a plush carpet that soothed Rivet's weary hooves as they sank into it. A rocking chair lay in the corner of the home, next to the window with the best view of the hill Rivet had just traveled over. A half-knit blanket lay on the foreleg rest next to it, another small table with a lamp upon it. Opposite that corner, lay a well-filled bookshelf atop-which a record player kept to itself. Two entryways sat at either side of the room, one to the left, and one on the back wall to the right of the couch. An elderly voice called from the latter. "Rivet dear, Is that you?" The soothing voice of her mother called. "Y-yeah...mom...I'm home" Rivet called back, her voice falling steadily. "Well come on then hon', I've got dinner all ready for ya'" She beckoned. "Okay mom, be right there" Rivet replied with more vigor than she held in her body. She turned and lifted the flap on one of her saddle bags, taking out a heavy bag. In it's own right, it was relatively small, about the size of a head of lettuce, or a melon. She lay it on the table in front of the couch and untied the string holding it closed. As the linen bag fell open, it revealed the last thing she had to hold from her dead business: a bag of bits, enough to feed her and her mother for a couple weeks at the most. She sighed, defeated by a greedy corporation, and out of options. She'd be out looking for work first thing tomorrow. She turned again, heading for the kitchen, and towards the promise of something nice and filling for dinner. She wasn't disappointed. On the table immediately as she entered the kitchen/dining room lay two heaping bowls of delicious looking salad, piled high with tomatoes, onions, croutons, and balsamic vinegar dressing. Two chairs were sat at the table, one was closest to her, the other was filled with her mother. A deep, tranquil green mare sat, smiling at her with emerald eyes. "Hello there, Rivet. I hope you're hungry, I went all the way with dinner tonight" Her mother, Emerald Soothe spoke. "Thanks mom, it looks great." Rivet replied, seating herself opposite her mother. She peered at the salad, her stomach growling voraciously at the sight of such an appetizing meal. "My goodness, I think an earthquake's struck us" Granny Soothe chuckles. "Ha Ha, very funny, mom" Rivet replied, barely containing a chuckle herself. She does, however, allow a smile to beam through at her ever-caring mother. She quickly dives into her meal, giving a pleased moan as the extravagant taste reaches her tongue. She finishes in no time, her bowl empty and her stomach full as she reclines into her seat with a satisfied sigh. She peers across the table to see her mother just finishing, and stands slowly with her swollen belly to grab both their dishes and take them to the the sink to wash. Emerald Soothe gives a quiet "thank you" and makes her way to the living room, followed soon by Rivet. As Rivet's eyes fall on the bag still left on the table, a sick feeling trudges it's way into her stomach. She stares at the bag for a moment, then hurriedly ties it up and stows it under the table. "We lost, didn't we dear?" Grannie Soothe says from behind her in her rocking chair. "W-what? What are you talking about mom?" Rivet stutters in her nervous rush. "Your craft business, It's gone.....isn't it?" she asks again. Rivet takes a moment before turning around, coming face to face with her mother's consoling expression. "Y-yeah mom....we lost" she says, quickly leaning forward to catch her mother in a hug, the tears come again, this time soaking into Grannie Soothe's warm fur. "It's okay darling, it's okay" Grannie Soothe says, stroking Rivet's mane with a hoof. "I'm sure we'll get a turn-around quickly" She reassured. "B-but what if we don't?" Rivet asked despairingly. "What if I can't afford to feed us mom? What if I can't find work?" Grannie Soothe shushes her. "I told you it'll be okay Dear, don't take that for granted. We'll find a way out of this, I'm sure." As Rivet's sobs fade to a stop yet again, she leans back away from Grannie Soothe. "Y-you're sure?" She asks. "Positive dear, bad things happen to good people, but they always rebound ten-fold, i guarentee it. Now get to bed young 'un you've got things to do tomorrow." Granny quips lovingly. "Th-thanks mom, I'll see you in the morning" Rivet says, taking the opposite entry of the kitchen, walking down a short hallway containg two doors. She opts for the left, walking into her haphazard mess of a room and ploppind down onto her bed, her head colliding with a pillow relaxingly. She lay still, pulling the covers over her with a tug of her magic, folding herself in a warm embrace. She yawns softly as her eyes betray her full mind, and tug themselves closed, pulling her to sleep. Authors note: I hope to be able to finish this story with at least twelve chapters so if you like it, please say so, your criticism is accepted as well and i'm willing to improve in any way to sharpen my writing skills. Tehmjolnirpony~
2. A Dim Light at the End of a Long TunnelHeavy Rivet's eyes slowly pry themselves open as she returns from the abyss of her own dreams. The faintest scent of cooking eggs wafts by her snout, teasing it with its tantalizing aroma. "Yes mom, I'm up" she mumbled to herself miserably. "Oh good, I was just coming to get you" Sang Grannie Soothe from the doorway. "Aaaaa-oof!" Rivet jumped, falling from her cozy cave of covers, and colliding with the unloving floor painfully. "Oops! Did I scare you dear? I'm sorry honey." Grannie said, containing a giggle. "You suck" "Oh? Well I'll just eat all these eggs myself then" "Gah! Be up in a minute mom!" "That's more like it." Grannie Soothe said, turning to trot down the hallway giggling. "Why did I get the prankster mother?" Rivet unfolded herself from the sheets that clung to her and rose to a stand, finding herself in a mirror on her bedside table. The picture wasn't pretty, her mane tangled and twisted in and out of itself, making her mane seem like a snake's nest. The rest of her figure didn't look great either. Her fur stuck up in odd places-no doubt a result of her restless night-and her tail had taken a form akin to her mane. Even her facial features looked sloppy, her ears folded out to the sides slightly, drooping as if to display her current position. Her eyes, normally perky and joyful, were held by saggy eyelids, and seemed to be missing their natural glow. "Hello, beautiful" she joked, tiredly, deciding not to hold off any longer on getting a stomach full of warm, fluffy egg before tackling her appearance. "Got all the time in the world anyway" she mused. She trod into the kitchen groggily, and took her place at the table. A plate immediately was pushed in front of her by a familiar green hoof, and Rivet's eyes widened a bit in delight. Two golden-toasted fried eggs lay under gaze, both of their yolks perked out, just begging to be ruptured for the sweet, runny surprise inside. "How do you do it?" Rivet asked. "All these delicious meals" "It's easy; I practice" Grannie Soothe replied. "But how do you do it without a horn? I don't know how it's possible to make something so......artsy.....without having magic to help you." "Pish Posh, It doesn't take fancy magic to make a meal good. Unicorns can say all they want about how 'great and powerful' magic can be but the truth is," Grannie Soothe accentuated her speech with over-exaggerated foreleg motions. "An earth pony can do anything a unicorn can, and an earth pony doesn't even have to concentrate" She forcefully poked Rivet's nose with a ladle. Rivet giggled a bit. "Sorry I asked" she remarked, attempting to lift her fork with a hoof, before giving up and sparking her horn's magic to levitate the fork for her. As the eggs touched her tongue, she wanted to squeal with delight at the wonderful senses the simple dish drove through her tongue. The poor townsyolk of platington stood no chance against the powerful and greedy jaws of the tremendous Rivet the Devourer! Needless to say, the eggs did not last long, and their short-lived home was quickly dumped into a sink full of dish soap before a quick farewell between Rivet and her mother. "Find an opportunity dear, I know you can." "Of course mom, I'll do my best. Bye!" "Goodbye Rivet, don't overwork yourself, for your mother's sake" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rivet arrived at the town shortly, her breakfast having given her the pep to start the day cheerfully. Her first thought was to take her chances at Sugar Cube Corner, but she decided to leave that for last. Pinkie, the hyperactive ball of sugar and adrenaline, who worked there was a nice pony, fun to be around in any respect. But Rivet could only take so much Pinkie before her nerves wore thin. Instead, she picked out a local diner. Nothing fancy, but she noted that the waiters all dressed extravagantly, and took that as a sign of prosperity. As she approached the diner, the normal hustle and bustle of the morning rush was well over, and the area was quiet, and empty. A lone pony sat at a table outside, drinking a glass of something fizzy and reading a rather large book the contents of which she could only guess at. re As she stood in the dining area outside the restaurant's doors, a waiter with lowered eyebrows and an almost pompous expression approached her. "Excuse me miss," That accent immediately irked her. Something about the odd slurring of words combined with the waiter's mustache already had her in a bad mood. "Vould you like to order?" He finished. "Hm? OH! Right, uh, I was going to ask about a job" Rivet cursed herself for being so slow on the mark, but straightened her stance to look fully at the waiter. "Ah, You're looking for work, I'm afraid I've got nothing for you, we aren't hiring at the moment. Perhaps if you'd been by yesterday...." The waiter seemed at least genuinely sorry. Rivet thanked him, a little put out in her tone, and walked away, a new location picked out for her job-seeking. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Nothing? Not even a garbage mare?" Rivet asked exasperatedly. She'd been everywhere. nobody seemed to have any work. She stood now at the Sugar Cube Corner, desperately trying to coax a job out of Mrs. Cake. "I'm sorry dear but we just don't need the help right now" came Mrs. Cake's apologetic tone. "You seem like a fine enough worker but.... we can't pay you to just lay around, and I'm afraid that's all you'd be doing." Rivet took a moment to calm her thoughts before she looked back up to Mrs. Cake with a calm expression. "It's alright, it's just.....nopony's hiring apparently." She said a touch of venom she hadn't meant to let out escaping into her words. "I really am sorry Rivet, maybe a job will open up soon." Mrs. Cake consoled. "I doubt it, what with my luck" She replied before turning. "I guess I'll see you late Mrs. Cake, thanks for the help" "You're welcome dear; I really wish I could've done somethi-" "It's alright, really" Rivet cut Mrs. Cake off before turning tail and leaving. Rivet's hoofs fell heavily, she wasn't stomping purposefully, but she was definitely stomping. The areas she walked were pock marked with hoof prints a centimeter deep and her gloomy, glowering expression only added to the effect. It was already mid-day and she had nothing to show for all her effort. Not single interviews, a single application, not even a sign of an open job. In fact, the only place that had a job open was the company that had put her in this mess. She swore, when she got through this, she'd put a hoof in Filthy Rich's gut herself. Just as Rivet took an extra heavy step, a flurry of erratic wing-beats sounded from behind her. She turned just in time to be ground zero for a crash landing full of feathers and mail. "oops, sorry Rivet" A lovably cute voice said. Rivet fought furiously to rise as she untangled herself from the newcomer and rolled to the side before standing defensively. "What?! What is it?!" Rivet snapped, frustrated with the day’s events and flustered at her violent-thought interruption. "I-I'm sorry" the mare replied, her voice softening drastically. Rivet finally turned to view the missile that had derailed her train. The mare was grey of coat, with long, blonde mane and eyes to match. Rivet immediately recognized the mail-mare and corrected her attitude, lunging forward to help her up. "I'm sorry Derpy, It's just been a long day is all, what's got you landing on the helpless ponies of the town?" she asked, noting with satisfaction that Derpy's eyes, which had been nearly watery, had dried up with the application of her kindness. Though they still held that adorable laziness about them, separating their direction which must have made it difficult to fly. "I've got mail for you is all, here ya go" she replied, sniffing audibly as she drew a letter from her mail-bag with her teeth, Extending it towards Rivet carefully. "Mail? For me? okay then. Are you okay?" Rivet asked, worried the grey pegasus had been hurt during their tumble. She accepted the mail graciously, stowing it in her saddlebags before she turned again to Derpy. "N-no, I'm fine" she assured, nodding to Rivet once more, before taking off with a few flaps of her wings. "O-oh, okay, thank you for the letter!" Rivet called after her ascending form. Rivet removed the scrolled letter she had received from the Mail-Mare, and immediately noted the ornate design etched into the very paper. Strange symbols crisscrossed the cover of the dry substance, creating an era of urgency about the parchment. Her name lay etched above the fold between the top and bottom of the paper, just above a single stamp which lay on the scroll, holding it closed. On it is what shocked Rivet the most- the emblem of the twin pony sisters- the royal seal. Rivet stowed the letter quickly, hiding it from prying eyes. It may not have been important, but whatever it was, was sent directly to her, and she'd be the first to read it if it killed her. Rivet galloped home, the wind rushing past her mane and chilling through her coat. She passed by the rickety bridge with little thought, her breath remaining even as her hooves collided with the rough earth, skidding through it suddenly as she halted her forward movement, sliding to a stop just before the hill from which her mother could watch her walking home each day. She calmed her breathing, resting her lungs for a moment before she rose again, and trotted over the hill. Now that Rivet could see her home, she felt a sudden sense of dread. She hadn't found a job, but she had this letter. What if her assumptions were wrong? What if the letter was meaningless? What if it was just a notice for jury duty? She continued at her easy pace, making it down the hill in just a few seconds, much shorter than she had hoped, and slowly approached the porch, stepping onto the wooden floor with caution. She used her magic to slowly turn the knob of the door, pushing forward only slightly. The creak of the door rang out like an alarm and she knew she was already caught. She pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped inside, pushing the door closed behind her. "Damn Door....I'm going to get you fixed you hear? Fixed!" she told the door with prejudice. She turned around to step over to the couch, plopping down with a single sigh, just as her mother walked in. "Oh, Rivet, You're home early dear. Already find a job?" She asked, hobbling her way to her chair before sitting down with little effort. "er...no: I got a letter an-" "You came home for a letter?" Grannie Soothe asked, a tone hinting at a scolding in her voice. "Well...yes, but it's a letter from Canterlot, of....royal sending" Rivet eked out, nervous already at how this was going to go. "Royal? I hardly believe that. Why would the princess send US a letter?" Grannie asked in disbelief. "I...I dunno...I haven't read it yet" Rivet replied quietly. "Well go on then, if it's from the princesses it must be mighty important." grannie urged. "er, yes ma'am" Rivet said smartly, bringing out the letter she had received. She lay it out across the table, breaking the seal with her magic and rolling it out. The fine paper produced little cracks and crinkles as it came to full spread in front of her. It wasn't large, only a couple paragraphs and an introduction and ending, but the letter seemed important enough. Rivet quickly peered into its contents, reading the two paragraphs with growing shock as her chin hung lower and lower, coupling with an eventual strand of drool running down her lip. "M-mom?" she said "Yes dear, what is it?" "We're going to be rich."
3. Rags to RivetsHeavy Rivet rode in the largest, comfiest, most expensive cart she had ever seen. It was unnerving to her, how quickly this had all happened. She looked around at the gilded edges and uncomfortably white, but soft and plush, cushions all around the cabin. Adding to her nerves was the fact that she was hundreds of feet in the air, the wind rushing past the massive glass windows on either side of her. She thought back a bit, trying to remember how this had all happened and she realized just how quickly everything had gone down. Her mind traveled in time as her body remained in the cabin to support her existence. _______________________________ "Come again dear" Grannie's disbelieving voice said. "I said we're going to be rich mom. This letter is from Princess Celestia herself." "You're kidding" "Not at all mom, have a look" Rivet turned, floating the letter to her mother with her magic. Grannie read the letter over, her eyes widening as they trailed all the way to the bottom, then finding their way to the top again and sliding down the gilded parchment once again. Grannie sat back a moment, letting her mind grasp everything she had just read. She stood again, a little more weakly this time, and gave her head a quick shake to clear it out. A smile crossed her lips. "See Rivet. I told you that we'd catch a break" She said, stepping over to Rivet and leaning into her with a hug. "I know mom. And to think I didn't believe you. YOU of all people!" She said giggling with a new-found spirit. "Well go on dear get ready!" Grannie ushered "Right!" Rivet said. "......What should I wear?" Grannie gave a frustrated groan. "Put on your nicest dress, something blue." "Right!" Rivet said as she turned and charged down the hallway to her room, getting halfway down the hall before she turned and sprinted back. "But mom, it's not till tomorrow." She reminded her mother. "Hm? Oh...right." Grannie said embarrassed by her own lack of memory. "Well um.....practice?" "More like wait. The letter wasn't very specific." She replied, walking around the coffee table to lay down on the couch. "Right.....sounds like a plan" Grannie said, reclining back into her rocking chair. Rivet nodded in response, levitating the letter back to herself to give it another read. just to make sure. Her eyes fell upon the extravagant page, marking the glyphs that represented her language with scrutiny. The letter still read as she remembered: Dear, Heavy Rivet It has come to the attention of the courts that a certain item of severe importance is in desperate need of repair. As the head of the court, I Princess Celestia of Equestria, have recognized that your specific set of skills are the exact set needed to accomplish the task at hand. If you'd like to discuss the terms of an agreement you may meet my personal protege at the library near you in Ponyville tomorrow at seven A.M. sharp. She will describe to you the issue in which we face. Both I, and my sister Luna dearly hope you accept our offer. Sincerely, Princess Celestia of Equestria~ Rivet sighed deeply as she finished reading. I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow. Rivet thought as she lay her head down, letting her eyes slip close. ________________________________ Rivet woke to an especially loud snore behind her. Her ears perked first, before her entire head raised up and looked back to see her mother asleep in her rocking chair. Rivet smiled and shook her head at the elder mare, turning her head to look at the clock positioned on the bookshelf. 1:00? Rivet thought. "What do I do for seven hours?" she said, already feeling an anxious not driving itself into her core. She lay her head back down, attempting to maybe fall asleep again, just to pass some time. After what felt like ages, Rivet turned and looked at the still-ticking clock 1:05 "Oh come on." Rivet's voice came out in an exasperated whisper. She rolled over on the couch, aggravated, laying for a few moments before she quickly became bored again. She lost herself in the patterns across the wooden ceiling of her home. following each and every intricate pattern around the ceiling, even stopping to watch a curl of dust drift across a path. It wasn't long before she felt her lids make their way to each other again, embracing sleep with open arms. _______________________________ "Rivet! Rivet wake up!" A voice called from above her somewhere. "What? What? I'm up, I'm up" she said groggily, opening her eyes to be met with her mother, pressing hoof to her shoulder. "Rivet! It's Six Thirty! Get up! Get up! Go on!" She beckoned. "S-SIX THIRTY!" Rivet yelled, her eyes snapped open wide as she bolted from the couch to the bathroom. She turned the water on in her rinky old tub, not hesitating to jump into the cold water and scrub herself clean of sleep. She got out shivering, and grabbed a towel hurriedly wrapping it around herself and scrubbing furiously. She lost herself for a moment in the wonderful feeling of the towel scratching over her body, then remembered what she was doing and cast it aside without a second thought and ran across the hall to her bedroom. She flung open the closet with force and pulled out her nicest dress. It was a lovely, deep shade of blue that matched her mane and tail, flowing almost like a wave of curly fabric. Accenting it was a a little bow, of the same color. She hurriedly slid into the dress, attaching the bow to her hair and trotting out of her room and down the hall to her grandmother. "Alright, I'm ready, bye mom!" "Bye Rivet, make me proud, girl!" Grannie called as she watched Rivet in her beautiful dress hurry out the door and into the darkness of the on-setting morning. Rivet dashed out into the cool morning air, the knot in her stomach relaxing slightly as the chilled wind blew through her fur and kissed her skin. She followed the same landmarks she always had, the hill, the bridge, but today it all looked different. It all felt so....Rivet couldn't think of a word to describe it. It felt dead, as if she wouldn't be coming back for a long time. She slowed her pace a bit, relishing the feeling of the smoothed out gravel that had found itself under-hoof day to day for years now. When it came time to enter the town she almost thought to turn back, but carried on. She kept her head lowered slightly so as not to draw attention as she passed through the town, though it was a fruitless effort as nopony was even awake yet. She progressed through the streets, reaching a turn where she could see the library coming up. She gulped, and steadied her breathing, trying to keep it together for as long as possible. And yet, with every step she took, she felt her pulse increase just a bit. A little more, a little more, a little more, until she was almost at the front door and she could feel her heart booming in her chest with each and every step. That note seemed so serious but it was SO vague. What if it's all a prank? What if I can't handle what I'm needed for? I can't go job hunting again! Her mind spoke in a rapid fire of anxiousness. She stopped for a moment, sitting down and calming herself again. "You're going to be FINE, Rivet," she spoke to herself quietly. On shaky legs, she rose again, crossing just a few more steps to the front door of the tree-house library. Her hoof raised, and knocked once, twice, three times, all with a hard, resounding Thunk! accompanying it. She heard some scuffling, and a voice call out. "Spike, the door!" The voice sounded strained. "Right!" Another voice, male this time, called out. Rivet waited patiently as the door's handle fidgeted, and turned before the door opened. Rivet felt a bit confused for a moment, as it was not a pony who greeted her, but a cute little baby dragon. He had purple scales covering his body all the way to the green spines across his back that grew ever taller as they reached his head, his belly imitating with this color with a softer, more olive color. "Are you Heavy Rivet?" He asked quickly. "Um, yes." Rivet replied, smiling down at the dragon's adorable face. The dragon, who must've been Spike beckoned to her. "Come on in, Twilight's been SO anxious to see you. better not keep her waiting." "Right." Rivet replied, following Spike into the home, closing the door behind her with her magic. She turned to see the source of the first voice she had heard. A purple unicorn stood over a morbidly bulging suitcase, struggling with all of her might to keep the case in it's almost-closed position. The mare's head snapped to the left to notice Rivet standing in her living room. "Oh...hi there.....You're Heavy Rivet I assume?" She said between grunts of effort. "Could you....give me a hoof here?" She asked tiredly. Rivet stared at her stupidly for a moment before her mind flickered with realization, "Oh! Um, okay," Rivet approached the suitcase slowly, weary of a clothes explosion. She pressed her hooves down cautiously, and leaned in, throwing her weight and strength into the lid of the struggling case. The grunting of both Rivet and the mare filled the room as they both pressed down on the case with all of their might, together working up a sweat as the case's lid finally shut with an uncertain *click*. Both mares fell back with an exhausted and relieved sigh. "Whew! Thanks for that! Nice to meet you, my name is Twilight Sparkle." The mare said, holding out her hoof. Rivet took her hoof, shaking lightly with her wobbly leg. "Heavy Rivet, the pleasures mine," she said, smiling at Twilight. "So are you ready? Or...have I not even told you the issue yet?" Twilight rattled off like a machine gun. "You haven't told me yet. That letter was so vague I couldn't glean anything from it. I'll be having a little chat with the princesses about that by the way." Rivet huffed, aggravation mixing into her voice as the sentence progressed. Twilight blushed a bit in regard to one of her own letters form the princess. "Yeah, she can be pre-tty vague can't she? What do you know so far?" "That some....mystical....magical.....thingy mabobber, needs fixing"She waved her hooves about comically at each pause,"and I've been "royally called upon" to see it through." "Right, well, the "magical thingy mabobber" is a twelve foot enchanted machine built inside a crystal that's keeping a rift in the dimensions of space and time as closed as possible. The reason we can't close it is because the machine's energy source-itself is broken, and nopony knows how to fix it." "So what makes you think I can?" Rivet asked "Literally nothing. But you were a machinist once weren't you? That was in the profile Celestia sent me at least." "That's right, though I don't like that you've been poking around in my life." "Heh, sorry. But it seems to me like you were pretty good at one time, right?" "Up until two days ago actually. I've not been off that long." Rivet let loose a bitterness with her words. "O-oh. I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" Twilight was genuinely shocked to hear this. "It's fine." rivet let loose firmly. "I just I didn't kn-" Twilight scrambled to make some sort of amend. "It's....fine." Rivet said coldly, locking Twilight under a "drop it" stare. "O-okay then." Twilight recollected herself. "From what I can tell, the princesses think you're their best bet. That's about all." "Is there any hope I can fix it?" "Maybe, I don't know. I've poked around at it a bit myself but it's foreign to me. Nothing like the other machines we have here in Equestria. It doesn't even seem suitable for hooves." "Not suitable for hooves? What then? A claw?" Rivet asked, shrugging off her cold mood for true intrigue. "No, too small and fragile for a claw. This seems like it was made for smaller digits, almost like those of a primates, but even smaller." "So, you're telling me it was made by a miniature ape?" Rivet was incredulous. "It seems like. The princesses are reluctant to say who or what made it." "SO THEN. You're asking me to leave for an indeterminate amount of time, leaving my elder mother to fend for herself, and attempt to fix an alien machine that nopony knows how to fix or even IF it can be fixed?" Rivet was nearing her temper's bursting point. "You're mother's care HAS been arranged actually, and even if you can't fix it you'll be compensated for your lost time." Twilight said cooly, understanding the anger of her new acquaintance. Rivet stopped for a moment. Her mother would be taken care of? Not to mention she'd be compensated. Was it worth it? Rivet closed her eyes to think, taking a seat, deftly wrinkling her dress as her rump landed on it. "You don't have to if you don't want to. The princesses made that abundantly clear. Nothing is set yet and you can always turn ba-" Twilight was cut off. "I'll do it." Rivet said calmly. Twilight nearly tripped on herself in surprise. "Y-you will?" "I don't have much of a choice do I?" Rivet replied. "Where am I going to find a job for certain? This is the only certain way I can take care of my mother and myself so.....I say yes." "Excellent! I'll call the carriages then." Twilight said, pouncing on the moment before any second thoughts could be had. "Carriages? I don't even have a bag!" "All toiletries and other needs will be taken care of at the work site and pay will be given in a small bonus on arrival and then bi-monthly after that." Twilight said in a rush as she swiftly scrawled something on a parchment. "SPIKE! I NEED YOU TO SEND A LETTER!" Twilight jumped as from behind her the young dragon piped up. "Sheesh, I never even left the room." Spike grabbed the parchment out of Twilight's magical grasp and let loose a wash of green dragons fire on it. It was Rivet's turn to jump as the parchment went up in smoke, slowly disappearing into nothing as a single trail of fire whisked around in the air, finding it's way out an open window. "D-did he just burn that note!?" She asked incredulously. "No, no" Twilight assured. "Spikes breath has the ability to send my letters to Celestia, just as it can receive them as well." "Huh...funky" Rivet said, secretly amazed at the feat. "So....are you ready?" Twilight asked. Rivet stood up in her blue dress and shook herself mentally. "As ready as I'll ever be I suppose." The sudden sound of hooves colliding with ground, followed by the crashing of wheels startled her. "Let's get going then. Don't want to keep the princesses waiting!" Twilight sang as she lifted her suitcase and carried it with herself out the door. Just as she disappear , her head popped in through the doorway again, "Try not to burn down the house while I'm gone spike." "It was one book!" The little dragon cried out indignantly. Rivet giggled as she trotted out the door herself, closing it softly before turning, gasping at what she saw. It was perhaps the most beautiful, ornate structure she had ever seen. A carriage made of wood painted a brilliant white and encrusted with gold, covered in unique designs and patterns the likes of which she almost couldn't fathom. At the open door stood Twilight, waving a hoof and calling to her. "Come on Rivet! We need to get going!" Rivet wasted no time boarding the craft, quickly jumping up into the soft, white comfort of the carriage and settling down. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rivet sighed as this all blew through her head again, and she jolted as the carriage suddenly struck ground. She paled a bit as she heard a colossal ruckus coming from just outside the carriage walls. Twilight looked excited as she jumped and motioned for Rivet to open the door. Rivet slowly rose from her comfortable position, stretching her stiff legs before pressing her hoof lightly to the handle of the carriage door. The door, in turn, swung open, just as a blast of light and sound hurdled into her senses. Authors note: I'm sorry to those of you who are reading this story. I've been on hiatus for quite a while and that's just not fair to a reader. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy. PS: I don't know how to spell Grannie ;)
