//------------------------------// // Epilogue: Grounded // Story: Winning in Los Pegasus // by Rodinga //------------------------------// A few days later I answered my front door to find Cloud Kicker standing outside.   “Ah, Cloud. You’re just in time,” I said cheerfully. “Come on in, we were about to crack the vault open.”   “Good,” Cloud replied as she walked inside. “I didn’t want to miss it after what we had to do to get it.”   “My workshop’s around in the back room.” I turned around, “Follow me. Oh, and don’t mind the clocks.” I led Cloud up a corridor that doubled as a showroom for many of my time pieces. One day last month I was bored enough to set them all up to tick in sequence. After the first one by the door ticks, the rest tick, in order, until it reaches the back door. Then the first one tocks and the cycle repeats itself. Ponies either find it freaky or amazing, Cloud was in the latter.   “How did you do that?” she asked and I tapped the hourglass on my flank in reply. While not a direct result of my ability to turn back time; I’ve still developed a very good sense for how much time has passed. Knowing the flow of time is an essential part of using my reset to its full extent, and making clocks.   I opened the door to my workshop and walked in. “Rarity, Cloud Kicker’s here.”   “Hello, Cloud Kicker,” Rarity said with a wave. “It is delightful to see you again.”   “Rarity, What are you doing here?” Cloud asked and turn rounded on me, “It thought we were going to keep this quiet, Time Turner. What we did wasn’t exactly legal,” she hissed.   “Cloud, please, don’t worry,” Rarity cut in. “Time Turner has already explained what happened and I support it. Even if I believe it was a little rash,” Rarity added.   “I needed Rarity’s help to get the vault open.” I sighed, “The lock’s complex and needed a finer touch then I could manage. And Rarity’s got the finest touch around.”   “You flatter me, Turner,” Rarity said with a touch of a blush. “I’m sure Twilight could do better at it.”   I put on my headgear, which included a jeweller’s eyepiece and a doctor’s head mirror. I sat down to peer into the lock on the vault. “Don’t sell yourself short, Rarity. You’ve got a much smoother touch than Twilight. Though if you can’t get this lock, I’ll probably get Twilight to blow it open.” I gave the vault a hit, “You hear that? Play nice, or I’ll get TS herself to blow you open with enough magic to send ya to the moon.”   “Turner,” Cloud said. “I don’t think threatening it is going to do much good.”   I looked back over my shoulder and lifted my headgear up. “How do you think I got my clocks to tick like that?” I looked back into the lock. “Rarity, if you want to pick up those picks again, we’ll give this another shot.”   The six lock picks I’d made flew into the lock with a light blue glow and took up the same positions they were in when I left a few minutes ago.   I adjusted the focus on my headset. “Alright Rarity, move number three point two five of a milli-hoof forward and number five point three out. Good, give it a turn.” The six picks turned as one and couldn’t move the lock. “Stop and move number two point one forward. Now try.” Rarity turned the picks again and the lock rotated.   “Yes!” I reached up and pulled the handle down. I stood back up and put a hoof on the door. “Let’s take a look inside, shall we?” I opened the door and found the safe filled with bit bags and papers. “Huh, that’s more than I expected. Rarity, could you put all that on the table?”   Everypony started sorting through the bags we had. The first one I noticed was the same bag that held my two thousand bit prize, but it wasn’t alone. The other two soon finished their own counts and brought us to a total of five thousand bits.   “Great, not only did we recover my winnings, but we also stole three thousand bits from somepony who has hired goons,” I summed up flatly. I shrugged, “Well, good thing we live in Ponyville. As long as we don’t go flaunting this around in Los Pegasus, we should be fine.”   “Should?” Cloud asked sceptically.   “Sort of similar to why I moved here in the first place,” I chuckled nervously. “Any pony that comes looking for you tends to stand out. Just look for any sudden Pinkie Parties and you’ll know if somepony new has shown up.”   “So, what are you going to do with all that?” Cloud pointed at the piles of bits.   “Well, this bag is mine fair and square,” I tapped my bag. “Hmm, as for this one,” I picked up a bag marked to say it was holding a thousand bits and passed it to Cloud. “Take this one to Rainbow Dash and see what she can do with it. A little extra water for the farms would probably be welcome and soften the usual weather taxes on them. If she asks, say it was intended for the weather team and got lost in paperwork.”   “I’ll check with Blossom,” Cloud said. “But this should go to good use.”   “Just don’t blow it all on pay raises. As for these…” I considered another four bags with five hundred bits in each. “Rarity, you can take these.”   “Why are you giving all that to me, Turner?” Rarity asked.   “Well, you were a big help getting it open, and you’re a walking charity.” I winked at her, “I’m sure you’ll find a good use for it all.”   “Well,” Rarity thought. “I’m sure Cheerilee could use some more equipment for the school.”   “See,” I said. “It’s already going to good use and I’m getting that warm fuzzy feeling from being charitable.” I started to flip through the documents that came from the safe.   “Anything good in all that?” Cloud asked.   “Nothing too useful… Oh, I found a treasure map.”   “Really?” Rarity and Cloud asked at the same time.   “Yeah, from Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone.” I flipped it over, “signed copy too. I’ll have to give that to Twilight.” I put the pile back down. “So, anypony want some dinner.” I tapped my bag of bits, “my treat.”   “That would be lovely, Turner,” Rarity agreed.   “And then we could go around my place for dessert,” Cloud Kicker added. She was wearing that seductive look on her face again.   I paused to think about it for a moment. “You know what? I think I will, but there’s one more thing. Could you come over here, Cloud? I want to show you something,” I tapped the table top.   Cloud Kicker walked over, “Sure, what is it?”   I tapped my hoof in a box of pink powder I’d got from the local prank stall, turned around and tapped her on the nose, “boop.” There was a beautiful moment when Cloud looked down at my hoof and saw exactly what just I’d done to her.   I smiled back at her, “I said I’d get you back.” Cloud Kicker couldn’t say anything before she collapsed into a sneezing fit. I closed my eyes and stood still for a moment to enjoy that sweet, sweet feeling of victory.