//------------------------------//
// The Newcomer 
// Story: The Artificer 
// by Rennoc215 
//------------------------------//

	"So, Twilight, have you heard about the new cart that rolled in a few days ago?" Rarity asked over a pale teacup, filled with some herbal tea. The tea's scent wafted over to Twilight every time Rarity spoke, a unique blend of Raspberry and Blueberry, which tantalized Twilight to no end, but she refused to give in. Everypony pegged her as a tea drinker, but she actually was a steadfast coffee enthusiast.
Twilight sighed, seeing as she had been disconnected from current events due to turmoil caused by her recent coronation. "No, I haven't," She sighed, taking a sip of her double black. "Care to tell me?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Rarity laughed, and waved a hoof in front of herself. "Of course not," She said, calming down enough to take another sip of tea. "Apparently, a wagon rolled up to the outskirts of town a few days ago, and a particularly reclusive fellow named Cog settled in. None of us have seen him since he arrived, and a number of ponies are wondering if he might just up and leave some night."
Twilight tapped her chin for a few moments, thinking, before she asked "Does anypony know what he does?" Rarity shook her head, and Twilight sighed. She looked over at the clock and sputtered for a second, realizing that it was well past her time to leave. "I'm sorry, Rarity, but I really need to go. I promised Spike that we would go ingredient shopping at four, but your clock just told me it was a quarter to five!"
Rarity waved a hoof nonchalantly. "It's perfectly fine, dear. He really does love his cooking."
Twilight leaned over the table and embraced her friend exuberantly. "Thanks Rarity!" She said, before darting out of the fashionista's house, Rarity's surprised chuckle following her.
Twilight raced down the streets, still too uncomfortable to fly, and blindly turned corners she had learned over the years, sidestepping ponies. She darted down an alleyway, and ran face-first into another pony. "Oh, my, I'm sorry." Twilight said, standing up and looking at the brown pile beneath her. "Here, let me help you up." She said, extending a hoof.
The stallion in question was surprisingly heavy, but when he stood up fully, Twilight deduced that it had something to do with the rather heavy-duty bag he was carrying. Once he was standing, he blinked a few times, and Twilight was able to get a particularly good look at this mystery stallion. His coppery coat faded nicely into his dark bronze mane, which gave him a pleasing simplicity.
Of course, then she got to his eyes. A vibrant green, they stood as an incredibly appealing compliment to the mundane color palate, giving a little bit of life to the otherwise drab earth pony. But there was something off about them. Twilight blinked a few times, but the oddity remained: his pupils were slitted, like a cat.
He shook his head a little bit, drawing her out of her analysis, and then he flashed her a smile. "It was my fault," He said, after a moment of looking her over, "your majesty."
Twilight blushed slightly. "Oh, no, it was definitely my fault. I was the one running blindly through these alleys. And please don't call me 'Your majesty,' It sounds like I'm some kind of royalty."
He nodded. "True, but you have somewhere to be, otherwise you would not be running. As for myself, I was just strolling about town, so, I had the time to avoid the collision." Twilight blinked twice, and he laughed. "I'm kidding. It's not your fault, you just didn't see me. After all, I do kinda match the ground." Twilight looked at the dirt, and realized he did match the ground, pretty closely, at least. "I'm sorry for keeping you, Princess." He said, as he darted past her. "I hope your day will be swell."
She turned and reached a hoof out into open space; he was gone. "But I didn't even get your name." She whimpered slightly. She turned to go, and collided with the pink ball of fluff that was one of her closest friends.
In a slightly panicked voice, Pinky asked "Did you see where he went?" Twilight shook her head, and Pinkie grabbed her shoulders, shaking them vigorously. "REMEMBER!" She shouted, but all that happened was Twilight felt dizzier. "I haven't been able to introduce myself yet, and it's killing me!" She said, releasing her hold on Twilight to grab her own throat, and fall on her back melodramatically.
Twilight chuckled under her breath, and then shook her head again. "No, I'm sorry, but I didn't see where he went. And who was that?"
"Cog!" Pinkie shouted, jumping up. "The mystery stallion, who never... leaves... his... cart." She said, stressing the last four words. "Don't you get it? Nopony knows him yet, and I know everypony! It's what I do! But I don't know him! And this may be my only opportunity to introduce myself, before he disappears again for who knows how long!"
Twilight sighed, and put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Pinkie, why don't you wait at the door to his wagon? He's bound to go back to his home sometime, and you can catch him there."
Pinkie blinked, and then twilight's hoof was only resting on a dust cloud, vaguely the same size and shape as her friend. Over the wind, she could hear her friend's voice, whispering "ThanksTwilightgottagobye!" Twilight could only laugh, but remembered she was late, and took off at a rapid pace.

-+-+-+-+-+-

It was later in the day, and Twilight was relishing the few minutes she provided herself to relax. Time for her to snuggle down, and deal with management. The library didn't run itself, after all. A time to herself, and her books, and her records.
At least, that's what she had planned. An hour into her time, there came a knock at her door, and she reluctantly stood up. Slowly, she trudged across the floor, and pulled the door open, to find Pinkie standing there, Brightening her mood slightly. "Hey, Pinkie. What's up?"
The pink mare smiled and passed Twilight a slip of paper. "Cog is hosting an exhibition tomorrow, and has invited the entire town." She turned to go, then added "Sorry that I can't stay, Twi, but I've got to go give these flyers out tonight, so everypony can know what's going on." She waved a hoof behind herself. "Seeya later, Twi."
Twilight waved goodbye halfheartedly, already looking over the flier her pink friend hand handed to her.


"Come one, come all!"
Seek mystification, and amazement, at the newest exposition: Mine!
The mysteries of the gear will be displayed, and you might question what makes things tick.
Held on the outskirts of town, by the Everfree forest.
Just find the simple wagon, and it will be held there.
Tomorrow night, just at the brink of dusk.


Twilight shook her head, and sighed. Such a strange stallion, she thought, as she returned to her paperwork.
But the faintest of smiles graced her face.

-+-+-+-+-+-

The next twenty-four hours passed in a blur, but Twilight was fine with that. She had left today open for such an occasion, so she busied herself with anything she could find.
But her mind kept drifting to the mystery stallion, Cog. He wanders the shadows for days, then, out of the blue, decides to put on a show? It reminded her an awful lot of Trixie, but something seemed... off.
She shook her head to clear the thought, and found herself within a crowd, gathered at the edge of the Everfree forest. Beside her was Rarity, and before them was the simple brown cart, wrought of a nicely stained mahogany, with some Purpleheart trimming. The front door slowly creaked open, and Twilight saw the drab brown stallion step out. She could hear Rarity's dismay at the choice of attire he had chosen, and the longer Twilight looked, the more she saw about him.
The way he carried himself: weary, almost like he had missed a number of meals. His choice of clothing: A large corduroy jacket, loaded to the brim with pockets, but becoming worn and torn in places. His eyes: sleepless, but still striking and proud. He flashed the silent crowd a smile, and shook his shoulders, standing a bit straighter.
"I know it's a bit before dusk, but I decided we might as well start a bit early. That work for all of you?" He asked, which received a nod from all gathered. "So be it," He called, before pushing a button, opening the side of his cart.
A pirate's treasure chest worth of gold and silver littered the interior, each one finely crafted, and there were more than a few duplicate items. He reached into his cart, and while digging about, asked "Who wants to be my first volunteer?" A number of hooves went into the air, including Twilights, curious as she was, though more about him than his trinket.
He turned back, and his eyes rested on her for a moment, before gliding over her and landing on somepony in the far back. Twilight could hear the calls, all the assorted "pick me"s and "Over here"s, but she was surprised when she didn't hear the one voice she expected. Twilight looked where he was looking, and saw him staring intently at Pinkie Pie.
"How about you, my dear?" He asked, pointing at the softly vibrating pink mare. With the most self control she had ever expressed, Pinkie ascended the stairs, to the platform. Pinkie Pie nearly exploded, but Cog handed her a box before Pinkie could do anything. "Here. Hide this," He said, pointing at the box. Pinkie disappeared, and Cog turned away. "While she hides it, I will cover my eyes to show I don't know where the box is hidden."
After a few moments, Pinkie returned to the stage, and Cog turned around. In his hoof was a small bronze beetle. "This, ladies and gentlestallions, is my friend, whom I like to call seeker. Right now, Seeker is set to find the box." Deftly, he wound the key on the back of the beetle. After a few minutes, the device whirred to life, crawled around on his hoof for a few moments, and then he threw it into the air, where it's wings popped open, and it fluttered to life.
It hovered above the crowd for a moment, before buzzing off, heading up into a nearby tree. Cog followed, nimbly climbing the branches, until he found the box. He descended, box on his back, 'Seeker' on top of the box. "Wherever the box is, Seeker will find it." He explained, a proud smile crossing his face. He walked with an upbeat air, and gave the crowd a wink, but Twilight felt that it was directed right at her. He thanked Pinkie, and proceeded with the show, displaying a multitude of fun devices, from music boxes to a device that let ponies talk across long distances. The moon was reaching it's peak when Cog called out to the assembled crowd. "Dear friends, I now think it is time we said goodnight."
The crowd groaned, but Twilight heard a few yawns intermingled. Begrudgingly, the crowd turned to go, and everypony else left. But Twilight stayed. Something about him had piqued her interest: The way he was always scanning the crowd. "Excuse me? Mr..." She called.
"Mr. Nition, Ms. Sparkle." He replied, back to her, as he packed his cart. "But please, call me Cog. Everypony else does so."
She smiled, and nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "Sure thing, Cog. I was wondering if I could talk to you about some of your earlier actions." With that, he stiffened slightly, but only for a moment. Twilight saw it, and made a mental note to look into that in a while.
"What would you like to know, Ms. Sparkle?" He asked, still relatively unmoving.
She smirked, and then pressed for more. "Well, first, I'd like to ask about your trinkets. What makes them work? I couldn't detect any strong enchantments, so my interest is genuinely magnified."
He turned, and laughed. "That all? Well, I'm sorry, Ms. Sparkle, but it's a trade secret. Anything else?"
She sighed, and nodded her head. "I expected that answer. Well, why seclude yourself for a few days?"
This time, it was his turn to sigh. "I wanted to feel out the crowd. Would you believe that some towns would rather throw tomatoes than experience new wonders?" He asked, finally pulling the door down and closing the window, obscuring the devices from view. "Anything else?"
She nodded. "I'd like to know more about you," she stated, and he laughed. Just a single bark, but it was enough to surprise her.
"This isn't even the first date, Ms. Sparkle. Perhaps over coffee? Tomorrow morning?" He said, before turning back around to face her. She nodded, although with the faintest of reds tainting her cheeks. She was so glad that her fur was a soft purple, because a little red wouldn't discolor it. "Well then, I'll see your tomorrow." He said, heading inside his cart.

-+-+-+-+-+-

It was seven o' clock. Seven AM is officially morning, and Twilight was waiting outside Coca Bean's Coffee Pot, the local coffee lounge. Impatiently, she tapped her hoof, and waited for him to plow his way through the door. Customers came and went, and the time ticked on. It was nigh on nine before the brown stallion begrudgingly pushed his way through the door. Even from her seat, she could see the bags under his eyes, and the red that signified a lack of sleep. She'd seen it often enough in the mirror, after all.
He sat down, and actively made an attempt to appear awake and cheerful, even though the weight bore down on him. He flashed Coca a smile, and ordered "Whatever's the darkest brew." He turned to her, and laid his head on the table. "I'm sorry about my lateness, Ms. Sparkle. I had a restless sleep."
She nodded understandingly, and smiled. "Care to elaborate?" She pressed, leaning in slightly.
He shrugged. "An important device was malfunctioning, and I spent a good long while fixing it." Coca brought the brew over, and he thanked her. He was reaching into his coat pocket when she stopped him.
"You look like you need it, hun." She said. He thanked her again, and she smiled. "Tell me if you need anything else, hun." She said as she sauntered off.
Cog closed his eyes, and slowly sipped the drink. "Since I'm going to be busy with this, why don't you tell me your story, Twilight?" He asked.
This was going to be a long discussion.
-+-+-+-+-+
By the end of the story, Cog was a bit more awake, but he was giving her his full attention. "That's... quite the tale you've got." He finally said, mulling it over in his head.
"So? You heard mine, now what's your's?" She asked, glad she could be the one who sat back and listened, as opposed to being the one providing the lecture.
He sighed, and nodded his head. "Very well, a deal's a deal, after all." He straightened his posture, and a grin crept across his features. "I have humble enough origins, I guess. My brother and I were orphans, who lived on the outskirts of town, just the two of us. We were wild children, always scheming how to snag our next meal from the unwary vendors."
Her eyes must have raised, because he chuckled after seeing her expression. "Now now, most orphans have stolen something to keep going. We were just colts; Too young to find employment, we had to fight to survive. So we did just that."
"Of course, it was a few days later that my brother called to me. "Cog! How 'bout we get ourselves adopted!" I was confused, but he brightened it up for me, so I agreed. Why not give it a try, thought I. Well, it was impressively simple: we walked up to a random house, knocked on the door, and said "We're orphans. Would you like to be our mother?"
"It was actually quite funny, looking back. After all, we just happened to have enough luck that the first mare we came across was barren, and looking for children of her own. Anyways, she adopts us, legally, and lets us keep our names, and we live a comfortable life."
"But I had wanderlust. I couldn't get tied down like that, it would have spelled disaster for me. But my brother couldn't leave; He needed a family, and a stable life. So, I left. It hurt, to abandon my twin like that, but I had to go."
"So, I hit the road, learned to be a clock-smith. It was fun, but missing something special. I tinkered, and one day, I made a beautiful flower. It was my inspiration, my talent. I created a silver flower which followed the sun as if it were a real plant. This device gave me my cutie mark, and ever since, I've been travelling, selling trinkets, and honing my skill as an artisan."
At this, he keeled over, and began to cough violently, prompting Twilight to reach across the table and grasp his shoulder. The cough was ragged, and sharp, but after the second, all the others came as scratchy wheezes. They hit him in triplets, and it made it look like his skin was crawling. After a few moments of quiet, calming breathing, he righted himself.
"Are you alright?" She asked, concern darkening her eyes.
He smiled weakly, and brushed her hoof off his shoulder. She had forgotten it was still there. "Yeah, thank you for your concern. But, it does open a window for me. I was wondering: Would you mind watching the shop for a few days? I need to get some invasive surgeries completed, to help out with that racking cough."
Twilight smiled softly, and nodded her head. "Sure thing. Anything for a friend." She said as she stood.
At that, his brows raised. "I'm your friend? Already?"
She laughed slightly. "We are in a coffee shop, together, socializing in public." She noted, looking at him over her shoulder.
"Point taken," he said with a nod. "Thanks again, Twilight. It does mean a lot to me."