Hammered Out

Note: Equestria's Outcasts takes place in an alternate version of Equestria, so many things will be different. Ponies are not entirely kind to one another, and many are disgruntled with their lives.

"Every dog has his day. I hope my day comes soon." Hammer sat in his workshop just outside Ponyville, reading a little bit of history. The current book he was reading was about an age-old tale of six elements: The ancient Elements of Combat. There was a legend that went hoof-in-hoof with the tale.

It told of two Alicorn sisters.

The younger sister would raise the sun to signal the time for day, and the older sister raised the moon at night, to bring peaceful sleep to the creatures of Equestria. But one day came where the younger sister refused to lower the sun. She wanted all the ponies of the land to stay awake, and play in the sunshine. The older sister, in futility, tried to explain the purpose of night-time in relation to sleep, and tried to reason with the younger sister. But the younger sister's heart was cold, and became filled with resentment and anger, turning her into Solar Flare, an evil mare of blinding brightness. The older sister used the Elements of Combat to seal her younger sister for several thousand years inside of the sun.

"But when the eve of the Summer Solstice is at hand, the four stars - North, South, East, and West - will appear in the daytime sky, and aid in her escape." Hammer closed the book, unsure of what to think.

"I know I've heard of these Elements of Combat before, but it's been a long time. Haven't even been NEAR a library since I was a little foal. Well, this cart won't finish itself." Hammer was an inventor, and he took great pride in his work. But today, he wasn't helping somepony fix their wagon wheel, or their boat; today, he was working on a pet project of his, a small cart engine.

"Now just get that piece in there, and tighten these bolts here, and reattach the main coupling, and there we go! Piece of cake!" He walked away to write down the invention's specifications, when he heard a loud hissing noise, like air coming out of a tire. He checked everywhere. He then checked the engine on the cart. The pressure had built up too much, and it appeared as if it was going to explode at any moment in time. "Oh crap, oh crap! DUCK AND COVER!" The explosion tore his workshop apart, sending him flying several metres away. He had been covering his head the entire time.

"Man, I'm lucky to be alive! That was TOO close!" He heard a pony clear their throat behind him. He turned around, and saw a large crowd of ponies standing behind him, holding torches, shovels, and hoes.

"Mr. Hammer, if'n you please? You've been mighty kind to us folk here, but we reckon you're gonna blow up the town at some point! We want you ta leave, as soon as ya kin. Got it?" Hammer smiled sheepishly, but that smile became a shocked expression, and then a worried look, as he scanned the crowd.

"Everywhere I go, nopony wants me around. Well, I guess this is a wake up call." He trotted over to the wreckage of his workshop, and fished out his Book of Legends, and his tool bag. The pony crowd had begun to disperse as Hammer sullenly packed up what was left of his belongings. "Only one place left. I sure hope this is a good idea." Hammer began trudging towards the Everfree Forest, the one place where he could work, and nopony would bother him or tell him to get lost. It was also ripe with raw materials for use. It made him sullen, but also giddy at the thought of all the metals, woods, and gems he could use.

He wandered around, unsure of what to do next.

"Maybe if I found a clearing, I could begin work on a whole NEW workshop! I know! I'll call it Hammer's Wheelworks!" He chuckled underneath his breath as he pulled out a small hatchet from his tool bag, and started to chop away at a tree nearby. The thought of such a grand workshop spurred him on, chopping down tree after tree, in an effort to gather as much lumber as possible. That task complete, he prepared to start construction.

About ten days, twelve falls, and six nose bleeds later, it was done. And it was beautiful, as far as Hammer was concerned. He had never made something like this structure; most of his workshops had been provided. He opened up the front door, after finally clearing out his nose after the last bleed, and trotted around from room to room, memorizing which room was what. He even had a second floor, where his room was.

"Well, this place is perfectly built, if I do say so myself. It's kind of lonely, though." He stood up straight.

"No, I don't need anypony. All I need is my workshop, and a barrel full of raw materials." He pulled out the Book of Legends, and began reading again.

The Elements of Combat were six elements, each created after a specific element of combat, for when one fought the enemy. There was Ability, Knowledge, Duty, Honor, and Strength; these were known. The six and final element has never been documented.

"It WOULD be pretty cool, I guess, to be a wielder of these elements." He put the book down on a workbench. Just before he set it down, he realized that he had actually WANDERED into the workshop part without even realizing it. "Eh, heh. Guess I've got to pay more attention. Well, guess I'll try again with the cart motor. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong! The parts attached together perfectly!" He threw his plans against the wall, incredibly exasperated. "This doesn't make ANY sense!" He cantered out of the workshop, grabbed his Legends book, and trotted up the stairs to his room on the second floor. When he reached the door to his room, the floor began creaking, a LOT. "That's DEFINITELY not a good sign. Nevermind, I'll fix it in the morning." He set his book on the nightstand, set his bag down on the bed as a pillow, laid down, and promptly fell asleep. Almost immediately he began stirring, like a nightmare was going on.

And oh, what a nightmare it was! Hammer could see a version of himself, dark brown coat, black flowing mane and tail, his green work jacket, and his blue floppy hat. But it wasn't him; it galloped around, causing pain, destruction, and death to all around it. *This is what you will become, Hammer, if you do not change who you are. *

Hammer awoke with a start. He was sweating, and panting, as if he had run a marathon. He couldn't sleep, and that nightmare was enough to convince him that, for tonight, he didn't need sleep. He walked back down to his workshop, picked up his plans, and began working on revision. He couldn't concentrate, and began looking around the workshop. It was quite orderly, more than any of his other workshops; he always said it was his mother who beat organizational skills into him. There were large cabinets bolted into the walls, which would end up holding many metal ingots, and wooden planks. There was a furnace for smelting metal, and heating the workshop if it got cold, and his workbench, which was now covered in papers, even though it was the second time he had used it. His mind wandered back to when he had been a small colt, admiring his father's workshop.

"Father, why do you do such a thing as this?" A young Hammer was watching his father repairing watches. His father stopped, and glanced at him.

"If I don't work, we don't eat. And if we don't eat, you can't grow up to be big and strong, my little Hammer." He patted his son's head, and returned to his work.

Hammer often got up in the middle of the night, at that time, to work on his own things. His father always gave him parts to play with, since he didn't really have any PROPER toys, and he had no friends to play with. Hammer eventually made a clock that played music every hour. It was a personal song favourite of his father's, "When Ponies Come Marching Home." When his father awoke the next morning, he rushed downstairs to find a fast asleep Hammer sitting at his workbench, with a music-playing clock. That had been Hammer's very first invention.

Hammer returned to the present day.

"The Music Man Clock; they were pretty popular for a while. Father WAS pretty happy about that. Why the heck am I even talking about this? It's not like anypony's listening anyways." He sat back in his chair, when he heard a sudden knock at his front door. Getting up off his rear, he opened the door to a female unicorn who appeared to be bawling her eyes out. "Hey, come inside! Don't stand outside, it's cold out there at night!" He brought her inside, and had her sit down on a chair in his kitchen. "Now, first things first. I want to know who you are, and why you were crying." She stared at him, and began bawling again. Slightly ticked off, Hammer decided to try another tactic. He brewed a small cup of tea, and handed it to her. As she began drinking, he noticed she wasn't like any unicorn he had ever met. Her mane and tail were bright red, while her coat was a deep blue, and her eyes were pink, like some flowers he had seen in the Forest when he had been working on building his workshop. "So, what's your name, miss?" She looked at him, and sniffled.

"I'm Pumpjack. From yer sign outside, I reckon yer Hammer." Hammer nodded. "Well, then, Mr. Hammer, kin I stay here? I got no place else to go." Hammer laughed.

"Finally. Now I have a REASON for the other rooms! What the heck was I thinking, though? Five extra rooms? It's not like I'm going to have four more ponies come in asking to stay here!" Pumpjack smiled slightly and snickered. "Miss Pumpjack, if you want a room, you can have the one at the base of the stairs. But I-" It was too late, She was already in her room.

"Rude. Still, she probably needs it. I've never seen ANY mare bawling their eyes out before." He stood outside in the cool, fresh night air. It was a refreshing thought, being outside. The stars were out, and it was strangely calming for Hammer. "A pony can change his or her stars. You just have to work for it." He leaned up against the door, still staring up. "Every pony has a dream; mine is harder than I ever could have imagined. Every invention since the Music Man Clock has exploded, burned, melted, or short-circuited. It's as if my own dream is mocking me." He sighed, and looked down at the ground. "Tomorrow's a new day; better not keep it waiting any longer." He returned inside, and shut the door. The light facing the WheelWorks sign turned off as well, and outside, the Forest was in utter darkness. Hammer stared  out the window of his bedroom, and attempted to go back to sleep. Within the hour, he was snoring his happy little heart away, no nightmares, or dreams.

Tomorrow was DEFINITELY going to be a good day.