Chapter 3
Lookin for work
Kid, Rucks, and Zia were back at the Bastion enjoying some drinks at the distillery. Chugging down a half-bottle of Stabsinthe, Kid made sure not to swallow the fine needles in the drink. It was an odd yet refreshing beverage made from ground needles of the Stabweed plant, which were quite dangerous in his land. they were known to turn anyone who stepped too close into a human pincushion.
Turning on his stool, he spat one of the needles at a dartboard located to his right, hitting a bullseye. Grinning to himself, he tossed the empty bottle down a hole located at a corner of the room to fill his hand with another bottle.
“Twilight, I think he’s dead,” Rucks stated flatly, his forehead pressed against the counter top, most likely from a headache.
Zia glared at the old man, waving a hand in the air. Strangely neither of their speech was slurred. “Don’t be silly, Spike. I’m sure it’s just how he normally sleeps,” she assured him. Hammer felt a pressure on his right leg and it twitched, hitting the bar with a thud. “See, perfectly alive.”
Kid’s vision started to blur and turn pinkish-red as he started to wake up from his dream. He gave off a disappointed moan as his addled mind reminded him he was a pony and not in a bar with his friends. Opening his eyes halfway, he looked to his left and right. Spike and Twilight were looking at him as he slept on his back. He silently thanked the blanket was still on him, covering his lower body, as he shifted to lay on his side.
“Nnngh,” Hammer managed to say as he rubbed his eyes. He looked outside and saw it was barely daylight. “What time is it?”
“Five in the morning,” Twilight stated. “Breakfast is ready when you feel ready to get up.”
Hammer heaved himself off the floor and stumbled his way toward a nearby chair, causing it to squeak as he sat. His eyesight was still blurry, but he could make out a circle on his plate with a glass of something orange next to it. As if Twilight could read his mind, he told him what it was.
”Spike made some hay pancakes for the both of us this morning. Hope you like them,” she said with a small smile.
“Twilight, when you don’t eat for almost an entire day, I’m sure grass would even look tempting to eat.” Her ears perked up upon hearing this as she sat down across from him.
“Well, grass is a possible choice for a pony's diet,” she pointed out happily. Hammer nodded his head to act like he was listening, too busy starting at the plate of food in front of him. It was a decent meal. Three pale-yellow pancakes with bits of hay poking out sat on the plate. They were still warm and the smell reminded him of the farmlands in Caelondia. Although he never visited them that often, the smell would usually waft into town from the strong air currents above the city.
“I understand the term ‘eating with your eyes’,” Twilight said. “but you should eat before they get cold.” Hammer snapped out of his thoughts of home and nodded, eagerly snapping up one of the pancakes in one bite.
“Thiff if rerrly gwwd!” He managed to say while chewing, his cheeks puffed out a bit. Twilight rolled her eyes while smiling at the compliment given to spike, who had a big grin on his face.
“Sometimes I wish I could cook like you spike,” Twilight said with a sigh. “but it doesn’t come out like the picture in the book, I don’t know how you do it." She rubbed a hoof on Spike’s noggin lovingly. He tolerated it for a second before ducking his head as a way to tell her to stop it. “Anyway, would now be a good time to... talk?”
Hammer had stuffed another pancake in his mouth and was chewing vigorously. Holding up a hoof as a sign to wait.
“Sure, why not,” Hammer said, shifting in his seat to find a better comfortable sitting position. “I’m sure you already know my name and a part of my past, but did spike tell you what I told him after he blackmailed me?” Raising an eyebrow, he switched his gaze toward Spike.
“What?” She stood up slightly in her chair, glaring at Spike who was rubbing the scales on the back of his neck nervously. “Why would you do that?”
“I was just having some fun teasing him,” Spike explained. “How was I supposed to know you both already met?”
They both bicker like brother and sister, Hammer mused. I wonder how they both met, I doubt they’re from the same parents. “Okay, please calm down. It’s all water under the bridge now. To be honest, I just want to get this over with.” Twilight nodded in agreement and sat back down, calming down after her bout of anger.
“Thank you. Now, I’ll start at the beginning and do my best to keep it short.” Hammer looked at the last pancakes on the plate, his stomach already full from just the two he already ate. Maybe after the storytelling.
“First off, I'm not a pony. I’m actually a... species known as human. I can’t give all the details, so just picture a mostly hairless ape standing straight and clothed.” He let them think about the images for a moment before continuing.
“It all started when I awoke after a terrible disaster known as the Calamity. To help you picture this, imagine if you woke up tomorrow and you open your front door, only to find islands of land floating in the sky around your home.” The horrified expressions on their faces only made this story harder to tell. “To make matters worse, my own people cause this disaster.”
“Why would your own people do that?” Twilight inquired, causing a heavy sigh to escape Hammers mouth.
“Caelondia, the land I was born, was at war with another nation of people known as the Ura for fifty years. The Calamity was a Mancer project in case of another conflict with the Ura as a solution to get rid of them for good. It was said it would send their city to the stars.” Twilight asked what a Mancer is, throwing out a guess that it was another nation.
“No, but they had enough followers to have their own country. We had different ‘castes’ so to speak. The mancers were the engineers and thinkers of my people. Then there was our Breakers, and huntsmen, and they were known for their amazing sharpshooters and survival out in the wilds. Then last, but not least, the Masons. They were the builders and workers of my city. Usually stuck with the menial tasks that required lots of physical labor.
“Which one were you in?” Twilight asked again. Hammer took this moment to show his cutie mark, even if it felt odd waving his flank at her.
“The metal cog represents the Masons and I was proud to be one of them for ten whole years.”
“And what about the Hammer?”
“It was my favorite weapon before I turned into a pony. It’s called the Cael Hammer, and it was used to create the Rippling walls.” Twilight tried pressing on the subject about the walls, but he requested to just continue with his story.
He instead told about the Bastion and how he met his friends Rucks, Zia, and Zulf. Zulf betrayed them and almost destroyed the bastion, later convincing Zia to follow him. He explained as much as he could about how the bastion worked and how he managed to save it by gathering core shards.
He told that, after the Bastion had been repaired, he set off to find Zulf. He had escaped back to his people, the Ura people. They lived in a place called the Tazal Terminals far to the south, covered in snow and ice. He fought through the Ura to reach Zulf, His heart full of hate. To his surprise, he only found Zulf unconscious in the snow, beaten near death by his own people. They had blamed Zulf for leading him to their home, and he left him there to freeze.
At last he told them about the choice to rebuild his broken land using the Bastion. The cores he retrieved had the power to do so, and all he had to do was pull a lever.
Finished with his story, Hammer sat with his head hung, looking at the floor. He lifted his head when Twilight spoke slowly.
“Do you... regret leaving Zulf behind in the snow?” She asked, her head turned slightly in curiosity. Her face held concern for having him relive the past again. He shook his head in response.
“He betrayed the trust we had. He deserved to be left there,” Hammer said, anger tinged in his voice. Twilight noticed it and decided it would be best to stop asking questions for now, else make him angry.
“Thank you for listening to my tale... both of you. I don’t think I would be able to tell it again for a long time.” Hammer looked outside and saw it was much brighter and several ponies could be seen walking by the windows of her home. He hopped off the chair and stretched his limbs after being in the sitting position for so long.
“Since our little bargain is done with, might I ask where I can find a job? I search everywhere yesterday, but no luck at all.”
“I doubt you checked everywhere,” Twilight said after a short chuckle. “I’m sure there’s somepony who needs assistance with something.”
“You would think that, but the way they looked at me seemed too... condescending.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at the statement as she rubbed a hoof to her chin thoughtfully.
“That’s odd, they only act that way unless... “ Her eyes brightened as realization came to her. “You didn’t happen to run into a pink pony with a puffy pink mane did you?”
“No... should I have?” Hammer asked, furrowing his brow, wondering where she’s going with this. Twilight rubbed a hoof to her forehead, trying to pick words carefully.
“Well, Ponyville can be very... oh, how do I put this lightly... “
“Xenophobic?” Hammer guessed, getting a confused look from Twilight. “I heard if from a Mancer who didn't enjoy the Ura being in our city. It means to have an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers,” he explained. “That would explain why they didn’t seem to trust me.” He looked down at himself for a moment. Do I look that strange? I shouldn’t be any different from any other pony.
“Right... Xenophobic,” Twilight said the foreign word slowly. “If you haven’t met Pinkie Pie yet, that would explain everything. Whenever somepony new comes into Ponyville, she throws a giant party for them so the entire town gets to know them.” She beamed at discovering the reason for her guests distress. However, Hammer wasn’t enjoying the thought of an entire town asking him questions. He mentioned his concern to Twilight.
“Maybe we can convince them he’s a mute,” Spike suggested seriously, but received a unamused stare from both Twilight and Hammer anyway. “What?” He asked innocently.
Hammer reminded him that he already talked to most of town so it would be useless to pull that stunt.
“Oh, well I’m out of ideas then.”
The front door creaked open, catching the attention of all three of them. Walking through the door, a white unicorn with a curly violet mane trotted in carrying two saddlebags around her torso.
“Good morning, Twilight. I just came by to... return... “ Her eyes widened upon seeing Hammer who was staring back at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had a guest. I’ll come back later, yes?” She turned around to leave.
“No, no, it’s all right, Rarity. What did you have to return?” She stood in front of Rarity as she pulled out several books in her saddlebags with magic. Twilight grabbed the books with her own magic and placed them on the table. “You already finished them? I thought you were busy with a large dress order?” Rarity frowned at being reminded or something as her lips pouted.
“Well, the pony who ordered it canceled after finding out his party was ruined by a family member. I gave him my sympathies and he generously let me keep the bits as future payment for any future orders. The problem now is I have all this fabric in my store, collecting dust.”
Dust? This pony is seriously afraid of dust? Hammer noticed how the white unicorn seemed to keep herself proper and clean. With a coat like that, the smallest stain would show up as obvious as a loose scumbag wandering Caelondia’s streets. Hm... it may not be the most exciting job, but it’s a job nonetheless. He approached the two mares from the side, catching their attention immediately. Twilight spoke up first.
“Oh, I’m sorry Hammer. This is my friend, Rarity. She’s a well known seamstress here in Ponyville.”
“Pleased to meet you, Rarity.”
“The pleasure is all mine. It’s always nice to meet new ponies,” Rarity said happily. She seemed to be looking down at his neck though. “I find your choice of clothing interesting. What is that around your neck?” She pointed toward the red scarf on his person. Hammer lifted the scarf to his face and looked at it.
“Oh, this is a bandanna. Its been with me as far as I can remember, although I use it more for function than fashion.” Rarity gasped at the last comment and put a hoof to her chest as if she was struck.
“I’m sorry to hear that because I do find it rather dashing on you,” Rarity complemented with a smile. “Although... “ she started, coughing nervously, “not to be rude, dear, but when was the last time you had a bath?”
Hammer was about to say I have no idea, but stopped himself. Twilight didn’t seem to mind me. Maybe she’s just trying to be nice about it and not bring it up? He agreed with the thought and looked at Twilight to confirm. Sure enough, she seemed to be avoiding eye contact after Rarity’s question.
“I suppose I could use a bath, but before I go, do you need help with the dust problem? To be blunt, I really need bits and I’m trying to find a job.” Rarity giggled at his serious question.
“Of course, even if I don’t really need the help It would be nice to have a visitor. Maybe you can tell me more about yourself over tea,’ she said in excitement.
“Y-yeah... over... tea,” Hammer said, grinning nervously.
I could get used to this place, Hammer thought to himself while in the bathtub. He quickly berated himself for thinking that. No! Focus on getting back home. You need to find a way back to Caelondia... even if it’s mostly gone... He sighed and slipped further down into the water to clear his thoughts. The water had a faint smell of lavender after squirting a small amount of the liquid into the tub.
There was a luffa hanging on a hook to his right, but he wasn’t sure how to grab it with a hoof. He decided just soaking in the tub was good enough and started to drift off, thinking about what Rucks and Zia were up to while he was gone.
After several minutes the water cool down so he unplugged the tub and climbed out. He felt like he gained several pounds from all the water soaked into his coat and felt an itch to shake himself like a dog. While it felt like a good idea, he guessed Twilight wouldn’t appreciate water splashed all over her bathroom. Grabbing a yellow towel off a nearby rack, he clumsily rubbed himself down, doing his best to dry off.
Satisfied that he was dry enough, he did his best to fold the wet towel and hung it on the side of the tub. He opened the door to find Twilight’s nose deep inside a book, while spike was back to organizing the small pile of books Rarity had left behind. Twilight looked up and focused on his mane.
“Maybe you should use a brush?” She suggested. Hammer looked up with his eyes like he was trying to examine his mane.
“What’s wrong with it? Not into the whole windblown look?”
“I don’t have a problem with it, but it would probably be to your benefit to make yourself more presentable. Rarity is known for... ‘playing dress-up’ so to speak. It’s for your own safety, I assure you.” She put a small bookmark to save her spot and trotted upstairs. She returned with a small purple brush floating beside her and proceeded to approach him. “I’m just going to brush your hair to the side. Nothing fancy of course.”
“All right,” Hammer said apprehensively. The brush got stuck in his mane several times due to all the knots and damp hair, but after several minutes it started to smooth out. Twilight wasn’t very gentle when it came to brushing because he felt like half of his mane was gone from tugging too hard and pulling out hairs.
“There, all done,” Twilight exclaimed happily. She floated a mirror over with her magic and placed it in front of him. “Well? What do you think?” He looked at his reflection and kept himself from frowning.
I look like I’m ready for my first day of school.
“I, uh, like it. Thanks Twilight.” She either didn’t notice his discomfort or ignored it, either way he hoped to ruffle his mane back to the way it was soon. “I better get going. Thanks again for everything.”
He thought for a moment, not sure if this was a good idea, but mentally shrugged. What’s the worse that can happen? He approached Twilight and gave drew her into a quick hug. She was surprised at first, but quickly returned the simple thank you. Unfortunately, somepony else was having other ideas.
“Hey Twi, I heard there was a new pony in town and just wanted to... whoa Nelly.” Twilight shoved Hammer away and grinned like nothing happened.
“Wah!” Hammer yelled, sliding across the room and into a chair.
“W-what?” Twilight stuttered nervously. “It was just a friendly hug, that’s all.” The orange cowpony stopped in front of Twilight with a sly grin on her face.
“And one thing leads to another, soon you’re gonna find yourself with ah coltfriend,” she teased. She glanced toward Hammer who was busy admiring the floor with his face pressed against it. She held out a hoof, which he accepted, and pulled him up. “Howdy, ahm Applejack,” she greeted, expecting a response.
“Hammer Whirl,” he said, rubbing a tender spot on his head. “Mind keeping me conscious, Twilight? At least before I finish Rarity’s job?” Twilight had her hooves over her mouth in shock after figuring out the dull thud was from Hammer’s noggin connecting with the chair.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to!” Said hastily exclaimed.
“It’s all right. Rucks always said I had a thick skull,” he bragged with a laugh. He turned his attention back to Applejack. “Was there something you needed?”
“Ah just came on over after running into Rarity. She told me about you and I thought I should come to visit. Rarity mentioned you were looking for work so... “ she stated, letting the sentence float in the air.
“Whatever it is, I’ll gladly help," Hammer said, snatching up the job that Applejack subtly gave. "After helping Rarity of course,” he finished confidently. However his mind was racing over several subjects.
Gods, what am I getting myself into? I need to pay off these darned bills and get out of here. I Wonder if I can just not pay and leave Ponyville. He let the thought bounce around in his mind for a bit. No, don’t be stupid. You can do this! Last place you need to be is a prison... or would it be a stable? Heh, pony joke. He broke out of his reverie when Applejack yelled out in response.
“Fantastic! It’s just a little help around the farm is all. Mah brother had to visit family in Manehatten so I’m looking for any help I can get.” She looked at Twilight who had a knowing look in her eye. “Don’t give me that look, Twi. I learned mah lesson last time and I’m not doing it again. I may be stubborn, but ah ain’t foolish.”
“I know Applejack, and I’m glad you saw reason to get help,” Twilight comforted. She turned her head at Hammer. “You better get going. Rarity doesn’t like ponies who aren’t punctual.”
“Right...” Hammer brushed himself off and ran out the door of the library.
Little did he know a hay bail with glasses was watching him as he made his way toward Rarity’s boutique.