//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Inconvenience at its finest. // Story: Inner workings - Galsthan's stories // by HyperRandomness //------------------------------// Tuesday, August 14th 2012. 4:13 P.M. Sweet Apple Acres This was the last place in town. Galsthan had been at this for hours and had even skipped lunch. It was this important to him to let Quick Fix know that they didn’t have to separate after all. Galsthan had searched literally everywhere else in town. There was nowhere that she could be aside from here, unless she had split town as soon as she thought Galsthan had. Galsthan seriously hoped that this wasn’t the case, or he really might never see her again. No way. I’m not going to let that happen. Not on my watch. Galsthan thought in resolve to himself, striving to move onward to the farm ahead to continue his search. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Fix almost unwillingly accompanied Applejack and Big Macintosh into the farm house, where she met Apple Bloom and Granny Smith, but conversations were kept short. Heart break was not something easily mended, and Quick Fix needed time to recover from both physical and emotional trauma. All those near her could tell she was hurting, but only on the inside. Quick Fix was directed to a room where she could stay during her time of recuperation, and she accepted it with as much kindness as she could muster up. I can almost hear his voice calling out to me… she thought in her solitude. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Quick Fix! Quick Fix, are you here?” he shouted as he drew closer to the farm. Galsthan quickly approached the gate in the fence, pushing it idly aside and approaching an orange Mare. “Hey, hello?” he asked from a short distance, trotting up to her, “Hi, I’m Galsthan. You wouldn’t have happened to see a brown Mare with a white mane who goes by the name of Quick Fix around here, would you?” he asked quickly, giving a short glance around at all the Apple trees. Wow, these people must be crazy for apples. he thought distractingly to himself, before reverting his attention to the orange Mare. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack had seen him coming as he approached their farm, and after hearing Quick Fix’s story about the stallion that’d broken her heart, she wasn’t all too excited to see that exact same description-fitting pony walk up to the farm shortly thereafter. She wiped the scowl from her face as he approached. She pretended not to notice him at first, until he walked right up to her and immediately introduced himself and started asking questions. He seemed in a hurry, so she wouldn’t keep him waiting. She turned to him, saying, “Yeah, Ah’ve seen ‘er. Ah’m Applejack, by the by. Saw ‘er on that very road you were walkin’ down.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, so Applejack felt relieved that she had twisted her words in such a way as to avoid lying altogether while still throwing this heart-breaker off the right tracks. Serves ‘im right fer messin’ with a Mare’s feelings, she thought smugly to herself. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Thanks, Applejack. I really appreciate the information. Look me up if you see her around here, alright?” Galsthan said quickly, turning and galloping off, then continuing down the dirt road he’d just come from. Finally, a lead to work off of! Maybe I’ll find her after all! he thought excitedly to himself, quickening his pace as he ran. He didn’t notice Applejack sigh in relief as he departed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack did just that. Sighed in relief. She knew it was painful to be around those who’d caused you emotional distress, especially within such a short time, and she felt accomplished in herself that she’d averted what could have been nothing short of an emotional disaster. Speakin’ of emotional disaster, Ah’d better head inside ‘n see how our heartbroken guest’s doin. Applejack thought to herself, trotting back inside. A faint thump could be heard in the distance, which she took to be Big Mac applebucking. Back inside, Applejack walked over to the closed door that led to a likely wrecked Quick Fix, so she knocked before entering to be polite. What she found inside was a sad sight, but she walked inside anyway to comfort her unstable friend. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Fix heard a knocking at the door, but she was too buried in her pillow to care. She’d been too upset to do much of anything, now that it came to mind. She hadn’t eaten much, hadn’t moved much, and her mind hadn’t strayed much. More specifically, it hadn’t left alone her memories of Galsthan. The first time they’d met was actually in his shop. Quick Fix had noticed the new building coming up, and had been curious as to what it’d been. She was the only customer that had showed up on opening day, which made the shop scarier than it’d needed to be. Heh… I remember how I reacted when I first walked in… she thought as her mind took a stroll down memory lane… I remember that, when I walked in, it was fairly dark. There were little bits and bobs of machinery sitting around everywhere, while scrap metal and tools littered the rest of the floor. It was like there had been some kind of crazy construction party. I remember first walking up to the front desk. The only light around at that point was a dim lamp in the back of the store, and the brightness of an arc welder occasionally lighting up. I’d rung the bell several times, and a tall stallion turned to greet me. His body was not his ordinary brown, but instead had been stained gray by what were surely countless hours of working and building. He didn’t bother flipping up his welding mask, as though he’d been accustomed to the darkness by then. He walked up to the counter, standing far taller than I was. I remember originally being afraid, yet intrigued at the same time. He said hello, and almost impatiently asked me what I wanted. I sheepishly told him I was curious about what his store was for. He told m- Quick Fix was knocked out of her memory by Applejack’s voice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- “How’re ya doin, sugar? Holdin’ up okay?” Applejack asked, genuinely concerned. Quick Fix had seemed a bit detached before she spoke, making Applejack think that she was probably just recalling the horrible events that had gone on earlier that day. She would make sure that her doleful acquaintance would forget all about that and mend her fragmented heart. As far as Applejack knew, Galsthan was the enemy. That’s certainly how it seemed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Fix didn’t answer Applejack. She only whimpered quietly into her pillow, her mane a mess and her face littered with the remnants of tears. She had hardly moved all day, aside from eating and flopping back and forth on the bed mournfully. She hadn’t even been with Galsthan this long and yet it still felt like forever. Well, back into recollection land and complete obliviousness. I still remember that he told me it was just a blacksmith shop, where he made parts and machines and sold them to people who wanted it. I remember being so frightened of him for some reason. He was so… tall, and unnerving in such an equivocal way. I think the only reason I came back into that shop was to see him again in his alarming, yet strangely captivating, representation. It seems like only yesterday that he and I really hit it off… oh, wait, it basically was. Well, anyway, thinking about this too long isn’t g- again, Quick Fix’s thoughts were cut off. “Are ya feelin’ alright, Sugar?” asked Applejack, placing a hoof on Quick Fix’s shoulder. She shrunk away from this touch, simply stating, “No. Please, leave me alone…” ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Applejack shrugged and exited the room quietly, being sure to close the door behind her. It was clear that Quick Fix still needed time for reinvigoration, and Applejack knew that well. Quick Fix wasn’t the only one who’d gotten their heart broken in the past. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- By this point, Galsthan had literally searched everywhere. He’d gone door-to-door, even, to ask if anyone had seen Quick Fix, but even the slightest trails ended the same, and that similar stop was in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Galsthan didn’t know the orange Mare he’d met there very well, but he got the strange sense that he should follow where she had directed him. Upon reaching the town border, Galsthan stopped. Beyond this border stood lands he had not yet trod upon, and for all he knew they could hold dangers beyond his abilities. However, determined as he was, he set hoof outside of ponyville to continue his pursuit of his missing love. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, August 15th 2012. 9:22 A.M. Northern Everfree Forest This was the next place that Galsthan had thought to look. If anything bad had happened to Quick Fix, it was more likely than not that she would end up here, somewhere. Somewhere. In this big, seemingly endless… Creepy… Unnatural… Forest. Galsthan sighed to himself. He had been up all night, searching around trees and through foliage. He felt ready to collapse, but his motivation spurred him onward. Somewhere, he thought to himself, before tripping over a rock and tumbling down a steep slope. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Fix had made a surprisingly quick recovery over the night, and that was likely due to her having had enough rest. After giving excessive thanks to the Apple family for taking her in during her time of need, she immediately had a resolve. She was going to travel to Canterlot and ask, no, demand to see Galsthan. That would perk up her mood, and the surprise visit would probably also brighten up Galsthan’s day. With new vigor, a spark in her heart, and a smile across her face, Quick Fix set off for the nearest train station. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Ow!” “Oof!” “Ugh!” Whump! went Galsthan, as he violently rolled over another rock, finally hitting the bottom of the slope. He was bruised, battered, exhausted, bleeding, and feeling broken-spirited, but his ambition was the only stimulus he needed to get back on his hooves and keep up the search. He felt weaker by the second due to both his injuries and lack of sleep, but he couldn’t stop now. Quick Fix was out there somewhere, maybe cold, alone, hurt, and hungry, and Galsthan wasn’t going to stop his expedition until he found her, even if it met with untimely results. Even if it’s the last thing I do, Galsthan thought with determination in his eyes and resolve in his heart, I’ll find you, Quick Fix. No matter how far I have to go, regardless of how long I need to travel, I’ll find you. As Galsthan pressed onward, a small shack came into view. Maybe whoever lives here knows where Quick Fix is, Galsthan thought to himself, strength sapping away from him as his lack of energy caught up with him. He weakly trotted up to the door, found just enough power to knock on it, and promptly collapsed. He sure had a knack for doing that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zakora hadn’t been expecting any visitors, so when a soft Knock, knock, knock, WHAP. came from her door, she was almost taken by surprise. She walked to the door to greet her guest, and upon opening the door, had an unusual pony fall at her hooves. Literally. Whoever this was, he collapsed on the door and fell down when the door was opened. She quickly dragged him inside, and although he proved heavier than he seemed, she managed to pull him inside and shut the door. Upon examination, she found several lacerations and spots of blunt trauma; likely an encounter with a nasty creature of the forest. Whatever he had come across, it clearly hadn’t been too dangerous, as evidence provided. If it had been one of the more menacing creatures in the forest, then this pony would have been lucky to be alive, however, he only had large cuts and probably a few bruised bones. Rest and medicine could cure him in no time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Fix had boarded the train for Canterlot, and eagerly awaited arrival at her destination, with her enthusiasm plainly becoming larger and less controllable. As the train drew closer to the mountainside city, she even started to bounce in her seat, but not because of the ride being rough. She was so excited that she could hardly contain the energy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Galsthan awoke with a shout, which spooked the figure standing over him. Galsthan’s eyes shot open as he shot up and onto his hooves, immediately taking an alert stance and scanning his environment. He was inside a building where a lot of small jars and various mixtures lay strewn about, so it was not a familiar place. Huh, that seems to happen a lot. he thought to himself as he turned to see the figure that had been standing over him while he was unconscious. He relaxed a little as he asked assiduously, “Okay, who’re you and where am I? Have you seen Quick Fix?” he quickly did another sweep of the room before his gaze returned to the striped pony. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I am afraid that the one you seek does not reside here, but I can likely assist your search if you would lend an ear.” Zekora responded to her less-than-friendly patient, a calm look strewn across her face. “You were bruised up rather negligently, so you should take caution in these woods if you wish to traverse through them differently.” She turned away from him momentarily before grabbing a small bottle labeled ‘Iron Skin.’ She casually walked back over to him, and placed it on a counter nearby. “I have a remedy here which can aid your quest, but it will not be free as you might have guessed. There is the issue of a cost, but it is more worthy to be safe than your life to be lost.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Galsthan sighed impatiently. He didn’t have time for this, so he took out a bag of 40 bits, tossed it to the striped pony, hurriedly placed the potion into one of his saddlebags that he didn’t remember putting on, and charged out the door, enthusiastic to get back to his chase. Even though he’d been out a long time, he could still feel his muscles running low on energy, as he became less able to exert himself. He glanced around at the trees, before noticing what looked like an edible fruit hanging down from a tree with orange leaves and a very thin trunk. He reached up and snatched one right off the branch, and ate it with fervor. Flavor exploded in his mouth, with the taste of a banana smoothie enthralling his taste buds. He ate two more of the fruits before continuing on his way, strength renewed and fire blazing in his heart. With his reinstalled vigor, he strode through the forest at an even faster pace than he began, observing every nook and cranny in his attempt to locate Quick Fix. Somewhere.