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// Invitations and a Griffon 
// Story: Tales of a Tinker Pony 
// by Tinkerton 
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	For a few months Avis and I had spent a lot of time together. She came to visit me at my father’s shop when I was working, I went and visited her on the farm, often helping to repair their equipment. The time we spent together was always enjoyable. She watched me build stuff and I watched her aerobatics. We were both amazed by each other’s talents, but every time I saw her looking towards my blank flank I often wondered what was going through her head. I had all the talent I needed for my cutie mark, at least I thought I did, but I was still blank. 

Avis on the other hand did have her cutie mark. It was very simple, and she really didn’t know what it meant. It was a Pegasus wing, but silhouetted. It was a strange paring her and I. She had a cutie mark that she didn’t know what it meant, and I had the talent but no cutie mark to show for it. We never really talked much about our flanks, so while there was the occasional glance towards that area, there was no verbal exchange. 

We always had lunch at the pond when the weather was good. It was almost like clockwork to see us together there at lunchtime. Many thought we were a couple, but we were really just very close friends. Or at least that was what we felt on the surface.

The beginning of the week was no different except for one thing, I had not seen Avis all weekend. Her and her parents went to Fillydelphia to sell some of the season’s wares and to try to gain more customers. It was the first time we had been apart for more than a day, and while I had plenty to keep me busy at the shop, it felt lonely without her company, so when she came back I was the first one at the farm to welcome her. 

I think she had saw me before I saw her because out of nowhere a jade colored blur came rushing at me, knocking me to the ground. When I looked at what hit me, there was Avis with the biggest hug I have ever felt. 

“Oh Tinkerton I missed you, but I have great news!” Avis was unable to contain herself as she spoke, “while we were at Fillydelphia we were with the mayor, apparently he is also in charge of setting up their harvest fair, and asked us to attend it! But that’s not all! This year Fillydelphia is also hosting the tornado to bring the water to Cloudsdale, and the mayor asked ME if I wanted to contribute!”

When Avis seemed to have spent her breath trying to say as much as possible in a little of time, I was able to respond, “That’s great news Avis! When is it?”

“It is in a couple days. But that means I’ll have to leave again tomorrow, the mayor wanted to have all attending Pegasus to attend a meeting explaining what is needed of them.”

The news suddenly became more exciting for her then me, she was going to be leaving again just after she got here. I never really knew what it was like to have a friend until I met Avis. She must have saw this in my face and said something that erased all the encroaching sadness.

“And I want you to come with me Tinkerton. I need someone to cheer me on and my parents have been away from the farm too long, so they cannot come back with me. Plus they don’t want me to go the city by myself. So I asked if you could come with me!”

“I would love too, but tomorrow is very sudden. Let me go run it by my parents. I’ll come visit later with their response.”

We both left to our homes, her to rest after a long trip (and to rest for another long trip) and I headed home to tell my parents the news. I had always wondered what was outside our town. Sure I have visited other towns and the city with my father, but never did much except just be there. Since I met Avis my curiosity of the outside has been even greater than before. 

When I got home I saw my father was in the shop so went straight in to ask him first if it was ok if I went to Fillydelphia with Avis. When I entered the shop, I noticed something out of place, a small griffon statue sitting on the counter.

“Tinkerton, I’m glad your home. I wanted your input on something. I had a customer earlier who said his statue was broken. I told him that I didn’t fix statues but he insisted that I take a look at it. Before I could ask any more questions he left, saying he would be back in the morning. This statue is, strange though, could you take a look at it?”

“Sure dad, but can I ask something? Avis is going back to Fillydelphia. She has been chosen to help with the tornado for Cloudsdale, isn’t that great! And even better, she asked if I could go with her! So can I? I know its short notice.”

“Well I would have said yes but you know customers come first, and this one said he would pay good bits if I could fix this before tomorrow morning.” 

I was suddenly unhappy again at the news, but then I had a thought. “What if I figure it out? The train doesn’t leave until 10am. If I can figure it out by then can I go?” 

My father thought about it for a moment. “Yes son, if you can figure this out, then you can go. But remember, this comes first.”

I grabbed the statue and started to work. The statue was more then it appeared on the surface. I noticed that the back of it was loose and slowly pried it off. What I saw under it surprised me. Tiny gears and cogs, dozens of them, all compressed in as small a space as possible. This was the most advanced piece I have ever seen. Could a pony even had made this? A Unicorn perhaps, but defiantly not a Pegasus or an earth pony. I took as much of it apart as I could but it was hard to figure out what was broken, yet alone how it even worked in the first place. 

Unknown to me, the hours went on quickly. I didn’t even know it was evening already. It didn’t occur to me until I looked up and saw Avis had just came into the shop. 

“There you are Tinkerton, I thought you were going to come back and let me know about tomorrow?”

“Oh, wow it’s late isn’t it. I’m sorry Avis. You see my father had a customer that he couldn’t figure out how to fix what he brought in, and said that if I can figure it out, then I can go with you, so I have been working really hard at it.”

We talked for a few minutes, but seeing me working she understood that it was hard to distract me, and wanted to make sure that I could go with her tomorrow. After she left I continued working late into the night. When I saw how late it was, I decided to call it a night and wake up early. I had not made and progress, but often a good sleep can help clear the mind.

I fell asleep quickly and began to dream even faster. But that night the dream was not the usual dreams, the ones of Avis and me, or me discovering something new out in an ancient ruins, no this was much different. And much, much more vivid. That night I dreamt about the griffon, and while still a statue, in my dream the griffon was very much alive.  

The dream felt so real and felt as if I was still awake. Before me was the griffon, larger then I imagined it, but still as broken. But what did it do? How could I fix something that I didn’t even know its function to begin with? Then, as if I was in a blueprint, the griffon exploded, showing every single working mechanism, many I didn’t know were there because I couldn’t reach them. It looked even more complex. This dream didn’t help assure me that I could fix this, because it just made it more complex. 

Then as suddenly, somehow, I knew exactly what was wrong. I couldn’t explain it, but it was as if I had built this myself. In my dream world I walked up to a single cog, near the neck of the griffon, and noticed that it had unloosened itself and was off tract in a way that prevented the whole thing from working. I pushed it back into place and the whole thing flew back together, whole again. I noticed a key and placed it into a small whole on the back of the statue. With a couple turns the griffon came alive. It stood up on its hind legs and spread its wings while opening its mouth as if it was roaring. It was beautiful. 

As suddenly as the dream started, it ended and I was woken up. Still fresh in my head was the griffon and how I could fix it. Unlike most dreams that faded away shortly after waking, it was still very vivid in my head. I rushed down to the shop and started to take apart the griffon, memorizing where each part went that I took off. And then just like in my dream I saw the loose cog. Luckily it was in a position that I could take my pliers in my mouth and easily get to it and fix it. Usually the great mechanics and makers in Equestria have been Unicorns because their magic allowed them to handle tools in the best was to get into small spots, but I always tried to use my lack of magic for me, and find ways to do anything a unicorn could in my trade. 

After I put it together I knew that it would work. I went to where the key was in my dream but it was only a hole. There was no key attached. Maybe my father had it? Or the customer forgot to leave it. Since my father was still asleep I figured it would wait till morning. So I went back to sleep. 

That morning after I woke and had my breakfast, I went to the shop and told my father about the dream and that I fixed it. Unfortunately he didn’t have the key so we had to wait until the customer came back. I hoped that it would be before the train leaves at 10am. I knew that I had fixed it so I went and started packing. Half an hour later I heard the shop’s doorbell ring and ran down to the shop. Inside was a pony, wearing a small greyish cloak, covering almost his entire body. 

“Ahh, you must be Tinkerton. Your father tells me that you have fixed my statue? But you didn’t have the key to test it. My oh my, how odd of me to forget the key.” The customer took a small golden key out of his satchel. He must have been a unicorn since he was able to grab it without moving his head. 

The customer took the key and put it into the keyhole in the back of the griffon. With a few turns the griffon creaked and moaned, but then sprung into its dance. Just like in the dream it got up on its hind legs, spread its wings, and acted as if roaring. My father looked stunned to see such a thing before him, and I was amazed at how exactly like my dream it was. The customer must have been happy because after the griffon’s dance was over, he took it and placed it into his satchel, gave a small sack of bits to my father and started to leave.

Before he made it through the door, the customer looked back to me and I could see under his hood that he was smiling. “Oh and Tinkerton, I may need your gift again in the future.”

It struck me as odd what he said, but then I heard a train horn blow in the distance, and it struck me, it was almost 9am, the train would be leaving in an hour! I turned to my father and asked if I could go. He gave me his approval and even gave me most of the bits that the pony had given him as payment. I was about to object but he said I earned it, and that I may need spending money in the city. I grabbed my stuff and ran towards Avis’ home, with the good news. I had a feeling today was going to be an eventful day.