An Island built in the sky

by Brotato

Ch. 2: Distrust

Chapter 2

Distrust

Redheart walked down a short hallway leading to the main entrance of the small clinic. The front desk was located here and behind it stood a light-blue mare. She had tied a pink ribbon in her teal mane to form a bun, keeping it out of her face as she worked. Redheart couldn't see it from here, but she knew her cutie mark was a looping pink ribbon.

The clinic was usually busy this week. There would be colts and fillies in the waiting room, ready to get shots or disinfect a scrape or cut after a bout of roughhousing. To Redheart, the quiet atmosphere was a nice change of pace to relax to

Seeing the front desk free, she decided to drop off her report. It took a moment for the mare behind the desk to notice Redheart, a pencil still in her mouth.

“Mmph! Mmth-” she spat the pencil out. “Sorry, thank you nurse.” She perused through the pages, scanning over them with an experienced eye. "Seeing these forms, I presume this patient is ready to be released?"

Redheart huffed, ignoring her question. “We’ve known each other for years, Ribbon. You can say my name you know.” Ribbon stopped what she was doing and looked at the nurse.

“You should already know that I keep my personal life away from my work life, even when talking to friends.”

"Come on, Ribbon. Just this once," Redheart pleaded. "Not like there's anypony around to hear you anyway."

Rubbing a hoof against her forehead, Ribbon gave up. "All right, Redheart," she said, letting out a smile. "but don't let Rain Catcher know about this slip-up. I only keep this business-like facade to keep him away from me. He's weird enough without him staring at me from across the room."

"Of course!" Redheart exclaimed. “And yes, the patient is ready for release."

"Good, good," Ribbon mumbled, going back to looking through the papers. She flipped up the last form and raised an eyebrow. "So how is he going to pay for this, anyway?" she said nonchalantly.

Redheart knew she was looking at the form about family. It was left blank, which either meant a nurse forgot to fill it out, or the family had either passed away or abandoned the patient. She secretly wished it was the former while glaring at her friend for saying such things with an uncaring tone.

“If you must know, he lost both his parents when he was young. His mother disappeared suddenly and he never even met his father." Redheart's eyes softened as she gave out a sniffle. "It sounded so horrible, I burst into tears when he explained it.” She could feel her eyes getting misty, just thinking about it.

"Redheart, I understand that you get more... connected to your patients more than the other nurses, but we're not nonprofit." Ribbon let out a sigh when the nurse glared at her with tear streaked eyes. "Fine. fine. Okay, I'll cut the expenses in half." She proceeded to cross out several items on a list and write new numbers. She showed it to Redheart who nodded in approval, her smile returning.

"Thank you," Redheart said, wiping her face to clear the tears.

Ribbon returned the smile. "Only for you, hun. I’ll even let him see the price myself." Her eyes glanced at the clock hanging over several seats behind Redheart and let out a small gasp. "Oh my, time sure flies. Don't you get off in an hour?"

"Yes," Redheart replied simply.

“Well, I need to make a second copy, one for the patient and one for our clinic." She scanned the empty room before looking back at Redheart. "Why don't you get off an hour early, dear. I'm sure nothing is going to happen today."

Redheart's eyes brightened. "A-are you sure? Maybe there's a bed that needs to be tucked in or... or somepony needs-" Her rant was cut off by a hoof held up in front of her.

"We have plenty of others to take care of that. Go ahead and enjoy the sunlight while you can. I hear the pegasai plan a downpour this week." Redheart nodded and quickly trotted out of the front doors. She stood in front of the entrance for a moment, basking in the afternoon sun, before turning to the left and disappearing.

Ribbon let out a content sigh and picked up the release forms in her mouth. “I wonder if Photo is still trying to fix that tea maker in the break room," she thought with a giggle. "He never was a good mechanic."

---

Kid felt someone nudge his shoulder, which he begrudgingly responded by rolling away from whoever did it. Feeling it again, he tried to roll again, but only succeeded in falling out of the warm bed.

“Ah!”

“Oh! good you’re awake,” a friendly voice said from the other side of the bed. “I have the release forms all set for you.”

Getting up from the pristine, white floor, Kid looked at whoever was talking to him. It was a pony about the same height as him. Her mane in a bun with a pink ribbon. She introduced herself as Ribbon Dancer and ran the front desk in this small place called “Ponyville Emergency Clinic”.

Kid was half paying attention at the moment, busy thinking up more important things, like his new name. Now that he saw his cutie mark, maybe something would come to mind. Cog hammer? No. Spinning Hammer? Nah. Something that represents who I am, but what? Slowly a name started to form and he mouthed it several times to see if it sounded “right”. It reminded him of the one of two special moves he would do with his hammer.

“Hammer Whirl,” Kid mumbled.

“What did you say?”

“My name is Hammer Whirl.”

Ribbon stared at him for a moment, then at the papers and chuckled. “Ah, Redheart. She’s a good worker, but sometimes forgets the important questions.” She finished up the forms and placed his copy on the bed with a smile.

“If there’s nothing else, am I allowed to leave?” Hammer Whirl asked anxiously, looking at the door leading out.

“Of course, but... there’s a slight catch.” She flipped a page on the form that sat on the bed and tapped a hoof at the expenses for staying at the clinic. Hammer looked over the numbers, mumbling as he read them.

“Check-in fee, five bits. Room and bedding, five bits. Oatmeal, three bits.” The list continued until finally the total came to 82 bits.” What does their currency even looked like? Was that many bits considered expensive? His thought was interrupted as Ribbon coughed lightly to get his attention.

“Don’t worry about it now. You have several days to pay it off, so until then I suggest you get a job in Ponyville, seeing as you don’t have any money.”

Hammer blinked at her, thinking over that last sentence. Of course I don’t have any of these “bits”. Not like I have a place to put them. Wait... where did they... Feeling somewhat disturbed and violated, he took the papers in his mouth and gave an uneasy goodbye.

It didn’t take long for him to reach the front doors and leave the clinic, but what did stop him was when he got outside. Every color imaginable entered his vision. The green grass, the tall, brown trees with lush green leaves, the small blue brook. everything seemed so alien to him.

It had been such a long time for him to see such peace and beauty, and he was enjoying every second of it.

His stomach decided to interrupt his enjoyment by loudly grumbling Its displeasure of being empty. While the papers in his mouth sounded delicious to eat at the moment, he could probably find something more edible in Ponyville. Without a second thought, he continued down the dirt path and over a stone bridge to the quaint little village.

---

This is just going swimmingly, Hammer Whirl thought sarcastically. Everypony he asked for a job was refusing. He would’ve thought it was simply no spots open, but the looks of suspicion he was given every time said something else. He remembered the same looks several people in Caelondia gave him just because of his hair color. They didn’t trust him, but was it because of his hair, or rather his mane? Or something else entirely?

Ignoring the stare from his latest turndown, Hammer walked through what seemed to be a marketplace. If there was anywhere he would be to torture himself, it would be here. Food was everywhere, mostly fruits and vegetables, but still was taunting his stomach. He forced himself to look away from a cart full of delicious oranges when he bumped into someone.

He heard a high-pitched yelp as the pony he bumped into fell back and to the ground. The top of his head felt several impacts as today decided to start raining books. One of them was still balancing on his head as he helped whoever he bumped into. “I’m so sorry, I really should watch where I’m going. Here, let me help with your books.”

The pony was a light purple with a dark violet mane that had one stripe of pink and purple. She appeared to be disoriented as her eyes rotated around in her skull. Shaking her head, they returned to normal and focused on Hammer. “Oh, it’s quite all right,” the unicorn said, levitating the book off of his head.

This place is getting stranger by the minute. Is she causing those books to float? Hammer stared at the levitating literature with a furrowed brow. Unfortunately, the unicorn caught him staring and let out a giggle.

“You okay? Those books must’ve hit you hard. You look like you’ve never seen magic before.”

“Actually this is the first time I’ve even heard of real magic. Before, all I’ve seen were simple card tricks and street magic,” he explained, still staring at the books in the air. Why am I opening myself up to her like this? Maybe she’s using her magic to make me act this way? Looking at the unicorn, she seemed to be harmless. Strangely her eyes showed interest in his small story.

“Interesting, usually everypony knows real magic exists. Where are you from? Were your parents earth ponies as well? What’s your name? Do-” She started blushing after realizing herself piling on questions. Before she could apologize, she spotted a pile of sheets of paper stapled together. Lifting it with her magic, she brought it close to her face. “What’s this?”

Hammer felt his body go numb as he watched her rapidly scan through the front page. He knew it was too late because she had already finished the first page within several seconds. By the gods, how fast can this pony read? He let out a defeated sigh and sat down, waiting for her to finish the report. At least it will answer her questions, maybe she’ll leave me alone now.

The more she read, the more disturbed her face became. Hammer didn’t know why she wouldn’t stop reading. Was she that interested to know about me? Finally she read the last bits of information at the last page and looked at him, her eyes full of sorrow. She floated the paper to the ground in front of him and mouthed “I’m so sorry”, before bolting away from sight.

Watching the mare leave, Hammer picked up the pile of paper in his mouth and tossed it in the nearest trash can. If my past is that frightening to a pony, maybe It’s best they don’t know at all. Now that the awkward moment had passed, he continued his search for a job. There were still plenty of places to look so he kept his hopes up as he walked away from the marketplace.

---

He had checked almost everywhere in Ponyville for a job and they turned him down every single time. The Bastion could’ve switched out the townsfolk in Caelondia and he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. They both, to some extent, didn’t trust him for their own different reasons. The thought reminded him of the Rippling Walls back home and how he worked there was five years. They didn’t care about if his hair was white or not. They needed people to repair the walls and that’s what he did. How he loved the look on their faces when he asked to work there for another five years. It was unheard of, but he didn’t have anything else to do and wanted to drown himself in work to forget about his parents.

Working the walls was also where he received the Cael Hammer, which was now part of the symbol on his flank. It, along with a special technique passed along by the Masons, would be used to slam the heaviest of blocks into place. He did miss the weight on his back. It was almost like a companion to him, being with him through his adventures after the Calamity. Even if he couldn’t wield it as a pony, he secretly wished it was with him.

The sun was soon to dip under the mountains and he could guess he had an hour to either get a job or find shelter. The weather didn’t seem chilly and the thought of hiding in a nearby alley to sleep crossed his mind. He’s slept in worse areas back home, although it was technically being knocked out from a gas in the bog. Nevertheless, the thought of not having to deal with these ponies until tomorrow was awfully tempting.

There were still two places he knew of that still needed to turn him down. One was a giant tree house and the other a building that looks like it as made of frosting. Seeing that the tree was closer, he went toward it first. The tree was large, maybe three stories high. The windows and door seemed to be a part of the tree itself, instead of a normal home where they added them during construction. Light showed through all the windows, hinting that someone was home.

Before he knocked, something caught his eye as it moved away from one of the upper windows. Whatever it was, surely they would know they were about to get a visitor. He knocked on the door three times and waited. He knocked again after counting in his mind to twenty and still no response. He was about to give up when the faint, steady thudding of walking could be heard. The door quickly swung open at its own accord, showing a small purple lizard staring at him. “This is a public library, you know,” he stated in an annoyed voice, at least Hammer guessed it was a he from the tone.

Hammer was about to retort that he didn’t see a sign, but the creature pointed at a sign to his left which clearly stated this building was the “Ponyville Public Library”. He looked at the lizard as if to say “you win this round”, but he only shrugged and disappeared to the left.

Entering the doorway, he wrinkled his muzzle from the heavy scent of paper. The room was well-lit, letting him see the tons of books that lined the shelves; the quiet atmosphere just begging for them to be read. He noticed the dragon was busy sorting one of the shelves to his left, climbing a ladder to get to the higher shelves. He admired how quick and efficient he worked, as if he knew where every book needed to be.

“Did you need something or are you always this creepy?” The lizard stared back, his claws full of several small paperbacks.

“Sorry, just admiring your work. It must take a lot to sort these books.” The lizard soaked in the complement like he just won an award and he started to grin.

“Yeah, well, when you do this for a couple of years it sort of grows on you,” he said nonchalantly while sorting the books.

“If you don’t mind me asking... what exactly are you?”

“I’m Spike, number one assistant to Twilight Sparkle,” he stated happily, but then realized Hammer said what, not who. “Uh, I’m a dragon. You can’t tell me you’ve never seen a dragon before.”

“Okay, I’ve never seen a dragon before,” Hammer said with a chuckle, making fun of Spike’s statement. Spike didn’t seem to find it funny as he spoke in a mono, clearly unamused, tone.

“Funny, I’m sure you have your own comedy club and everything.”

A voice came from upstairs, scolding the baby dragon. “Spike, stop patronizing whoever you’re talking to. You remember what happened last time with Lyra don’t you?”

"Sorry Twilight," Spike said begrudgingly while looking at his claws and giving a shudder.

Hammer remembered that voice. It was that pony he ran into in the marketplace. The voice came from upstairs so Hammer was thankful she couldn’t see him. However, Spike seemed to notice his anxiety and raised an eyebrow. “You all right?”

“Yeah, just trying to stay away from... her.” Hammer looked at the now grinning Spike who was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Great, I’m about to be blackmailed by a overgrown lizard.

“It would be a shame for her to just wander down here while you’re inside her library, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, it would,” Hammer stated sharply. “I rather like staying away from awkward situations, thank you very much.”

“Fine, but tell me at least why you’re so scared to see her.”

He rubbed a hoof between his eyes in frustration. “Ugh, fine, but don’t blame me if you think I’m crazy.”

Spike let out a chuckle. “When you live in Ponyville, you forget what is and isn’t crazy these days.”

Hammer gave a quick rundown on what had happened from now and before the Bastion malfunctioned on him. Spike took it in stride with mostly a confused expression, but listened intently nonetheless. He continued explaining that he wasn’t originally a pony, but a human who was turned into one. While he expected telling someone else his predicament, it only made him dread what the dragon was going to do next. “Happy now?”

“Yeah I got what I wanted.” Spike turned around to start re-shelving the books, which made Hammer sigh in relief.

Spike quickly spun and, with his claws to his mouth, starting yelling. “Hey Twilight, this pony w-mmffmf!” His mouth was immediately stuffed with a hoof to effectively silence the tiny dragon.

“What the hay, we had an agreement!” Hammer seethed between his teeth.

“Spike?” Twilight said from above. A sigh came from her and the sound of hooves could be heard heading for the stairs. “Spike, you better not be trying to eat one of the books... again...”

Removing his hoof from Spike’s mouth, who gasped for air afterwards, Hammer turned toward Twilight, an uneasy smile on his face. Twilight seemed to be in the same predicament as she had the same expression on her face. Quick, think of something to disarm the situation! Think!

“Uhm... hi?” Well done you smooth talker. Those words would've stopped the Uru in their tracks back home.

"W-what are you doing here? Were you following me?"

"What? No, I'm just trying to find a job, shelter, or something to eat at least." Another rumble from his stomach helped confirm this.

"Well, I do have some food. I haven't gone shopping in awhile so the selection may be slim..."

Hammer stared at Twilight as if trying to look through her. Something is wrong. Why is she suddenly allowing me to eat her food? Is she really that nice? No, everyone I met here is being a pain in the flank-ass, I mean ass! Why is my vocabulary keep being changed? He closed his eyes for a moment to recollect his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at Twilight.

"I'll make a deal with you. You let me sleep for one day in here... and I'll tell you about everything you've read about me." It's a long shot, but something about her is different. For one she's not yelling at me to leave her home. Two, she seems to actually care about my hunger. And three, I'm tired as hell and just wants to go to bed, preferably indoors.

Twilight nodded her head in agreement. All right, you have a deal, but you'll have to sleep on the floor. I don't have a spare mattress or pillow, but i have a spare blanket."

"That will do just fine. It's better than sleeping outside at least." Twilight levitated over a spare blue blanket and placed it flat next to Hammer. The blanket was large and allowed him to make a small wad next to his head to form a pillow. After getting comfortable on the ground, he slowly drifted off the sleep, his stomach angrily waiting for him when he woke up.

"Good Night."

Comments

[Brotato]

If you think his pony name is strange, by all means let me know.

[partiallygayguy]

The moment I saw this I instantly clicked on the thumbs up button and added to favorites.

[Rhino]

Hammer Whirl seems fine, wonder what's with the ponies though...can't be the mane since they live in a technicolor society, maybe its the lack of color...

[ImAbronyFagg]

What’s up with the pony’s?