//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Quickwrench Who? // by Biker //------------------------------// "OK, so you think he's a little bit crazy. Do you think he's dangerous?" Twilight asked as she walked towards the library with her friends. "No, Sally. Other'n his talkin' while he worked, he seemed like a downright decent feller. He even offered to help Big Mac carry a couple bushels of apples up to the barn when he saw it was gettin' late and we were behind. Didn't even use his magic, just tossed 'em on his back like an earth pony woulda." "How about you Rarity? Were you worried about him at all?" Twilight asked. "I certainly didn't think he was a danger. He seemed a bit... intense about his privacy, but other than that he seemed rather nice. After all, look at the darling little trinket he gave me along with the payment for his project." Rarity replied, removing a hair clip with a small stone from her mane. Aside from a few flecks of white around the edges, it was almost a perfect match to her hair. In the center facet, Rarity's cutie mark could be seen. "Rarity, that's beautiful! And he just gave it to you?" "Well yes, it is rather lovely. However, it's nothing that couldn't be made in a couple of hours by anypony with a little bit of skill with cutting tools. I've made similar costume pieces quite frequently, to freshen up an outfit or two for ponies that want a little bit of variety to go with their wardrobes. Still, it's nice to know that one can get admirers so easily. Forgive my curiosity dear, but why are you so interested in him anyway?" Rarity asked, as she put the clip back in her mane. "Well, the princess sent me a letter a few weeks ago, letting me know that he was moving to Ponyville; she wanted me to keep an eye on him, to make sure he was adjusting to living in a smaller town and to watch in case anything unusual happened. Unfortunately I've been busy searching the library and requesting information from the Canterlot archives with Rainbow Dash trying to find any information about the Cumulo-fil that the pegasi in Cloudsdale might not know. All we found was this,” she said, holding up a tech manual labeled ‘Cumulo-fil Mk. 4, a Super Speedy Corporation Creation’. “Since I haven't been able to so much as meet him, I thought I'd ask around to see what other ponies thought. So far, everypony who's talked to him has said he seems a bit eccentric, but nothing worth being concerned about. Other than him moving here from Manehatten, he seems pretty unremarkable." "Well, I suppose that when you consider some of Ponyville's residents, he would be-" Rarity started to reply. "Wait, did you say Manehatten?" "That's what Princess Celestia's letter had said." But he can't be the... Of course the coat and the mane are the proper color, and he was doing repair work before, but his cutie mark is all wrong, and he's nowhere near as...." She paused as she took the clip out of her hair and looked at it more closely. "...sophisticated as he... Oh my." The world hardly had a chance to fade to black before she fainted dead away. "Rarity, um, could you wake up please?" the white mare heard a soft voice say, though why Fluttershy would be waking her up, she had no idea. After all, she didn't have any pressing engagements with her until... Fluttershy jumped back with a startled "Eep!" as Rarity came to with a start. She took in her surroundings, realizing that she was now in the library. "What ever happened, how did I... Oh, that's right." She said, starting to swoon again. "Hold on there, don't go doin' that again! Took you long enough to wake up from the first time. Me an' Rainbow had to carry you the rest of the way here." Applejack said as she went to prop Rarity up. "Don't you see? He isn't just a repair pony, he's Chisel Chip!" Rarity exclaimed, looking around at her friends excitedly. “And this objet d'art, made by his hooves, why it's worth..." Seeing the blank looks on her friends' faces, she changed tactics. "The Chisel Chip, repair pony turned famous sculptor? Artiste à l'élite of Manehatten? Really, am I the only one here that pays any attention to high culture?" "Hold on a minute. You're telling me that the repair pony I just hired to work on the Cumulo-fil isn't just crazy; he's a crazy artist-sculptor-whatever from Manehatten?! " Rainbow Dash blurted out. "Artist-sculptor-whatever, I guess you could say that, but last I checked the jury is still out on the crazy part." came a voice from the still open door. "I didn't think most of it was particularly good, but everypony seemed to like my work. Either way, a pony's gotta eat, and I'd appreciate it if you folks could keep this under your hats. Or should I say hat?" Quickwrench said with a glance at the stetson atop Applejack's head. "That ponies gotta eat?" Applejack inquired with a confused expression, while Rarity managed to mumble out "You.. You're.. It's.." before fainting against her friend's shoulder. "Well, I'm pretty sure that needing to eat is a well known fact, so I won't worry about that getting around. I would like to keep a low profile though, so let's try to keep the whole 'famous artist' thing between us and the walls, OK?" Quickwrench said as he walked over to Applejack. "Hey, let me help you with her." Ducking his head underneath Rarity, he carried her over to a reading couch and let her slide off his back onto the cushions. "So, how did you folks figure out who I was?" Quickwrench asked, looking in particular at the white mare drinking tea across from him. "Well, Rarity was really the one who put it together." Twilight said with a small giggle. "I told her you were from Manehatten, and she started going on about you were a repair pony just like somepony else, and looked just like them with the exception of your cutie mark. Then she passed out." "Twilight Sparkle!" Rarity shouted. "A lady may swoon, or go into a faint, but she most certainly does not 'pass out!'" "Of course she doesn't," Quickwrench replied, taking the white unicorn's gaze back from her friend. "But if my cutie mark isn't a match for Chisel Chip's, why did you think we were one and the same?" "Well, at first I didn't,” Rarity said, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. “But after Twilight mentioned that you were from Manehatten I looked more closely at the lovely piece of jewelry you graciously gave me. I realized it was a real amethyst, and that it had to have been made by as true artiste such as yourself. Between that and knowing your profession, I was able to put two and two together. As for your cutie mark, why it would be quite easy to cover up those wrenches with a hammer and chisel with a little bit of dye, wouldn't it?" "I guess you got me,” Quickwrench said with a sheepish look on his face. “I knew I should have lost the repair pony bit once people started paying attention, but ponies just seem to love a rags-to-riches story and all that." "Forgive me for asking dear, but why would you ever want to leave all the fame and glory of being a Manehatten Artiste to become a simple repair pony? Or should I say, become a simple repair pony... again? Not that there is anything wrong with that of course, after all, there's so much in this world that needs fixing and... I'm gushing, aren't I?" Rarity inquired, looking both confused and exasperated at the thought of somepony leaving such a prestigious position in society. "Maybe just a little more'n that fancy spring Aloe an' Lotus have over at the spa, but ya oughta be fine once ya get it outta yer system." Applejack said with a smirk. "Well," Quickwrench started off, and continued after a small chuckle, "Rarity, you pretty much hit the nail on the head right there. I wanted to get away from all the fame and glory. That happened by accident. In between repair jobs, I'd do a little jem carving and sculpture work to pass the time. Not much of it sold, but it was entertaining. One day, this high class stallion came into my shop to get a candle holder fixed, and started going on about how 'cutting edge' and 'style defining' my stuff was. I told him it wasn't anything fancy, just something I did in between jobs. Next thing I know, he's got some gallery owner down there and that mare is buying up everything in my shop, and I'm doing more and more sculpture work and less and less fixing. After a while, I just got tired of dealing with it all and decided to pick up and leave." "But I got a letter from Princess Celestia telling me you were moving here," Twilight said. "Why did she let me know about you before you ever got here?" "When I was thinking about leaving, I talked to a friend of mine on the royal guard that was stationed in the city. I told him I wanted out of the spotlight and could stand to know a good place to go if I wanted to disappear for a while. After a couple of days, he told me to wind up in Ponyville, and the rest would take care of itself. I left Manehatten and drifted around for a while, just to make sure the high society ponies back there got tired of searching for me. Since you got a letter from the princess on the matter, I guess he had a bit more influence than I though. Maybe that’s why it was so easy to disappear."