//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Broken and Unbreakable // Story: Repair and Deliver // by SleeplessScribe //------------------------------// Repair and Deliver Story 6 Chapter 4: The Broken and Unbreakable By: SleeplessScribe It was pretty late when we got back to Ponyville, so Ditzy and I didn’t spend too much time on our goodbyes after I walked her home. Little Dinky was knocked out on her mom’s back again not too long after we woke her up to get off the train, and I didn’t want to keep her away from bed any more than I had to. The first thing I did once I was by myself was drop that fuel filter off at the shop. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. I guess Sparkplug assumed I would bring it by even though I didn’t back until late, so I just set the piece on her desk and locked the door from the inside. In all honesty, it was really bad design for doors to still open from the inside even if they were locked, but I was thankful that they did. I checked the door just to make sure it actually was locked before I made my way to the apartment I’d been given for the first time all day. Isn’t it funny how I’d been in Ponyville almost a full day and was just now taking a look at where I’d be living? Sparks was right though, it was a very nice place. When she said apartment, I was expected a big complex, but it turned out she just meant an addition to a preexisting building. A mental note was made to hug my cousin extra tight the next time I saw her. My apartment was over a large garage, and inside this garage a fair amount of my possessions from Vanhoover had been put in suitcases and stacked up against the wall. All of my invention sketches were there, that safety deposit box, a bunch of pictures, and a lot of other things I was kind of regretting leaving behind. Not only that, but this meant I didn’t have to worry about setting up a workshop, because it was literally right under where I was living! I was way too eager to start unpacking, and by ten o’ clock the place was already starting to feel cozy. It wasn’t that different from Ditzy’s place in terms of layout and size, save for the face that I didn’t know where her bedrooms were. I did one last walkthrough of the place, making mental notes of where everything was. A staircase in the garage led to a door into the apartment’s kitchen, and it was a straight shot from that door to the living room, with said kitchen being on the right. Between the kitchen and living room was a hall. There was one full bathroom and one half bath on the left, and there were three bedrooms one the right. Two looked like they were for adults and/or couples, and the other room was a bit smaller and had a Dinky sized bed. Seeing it actually made me thing of the little filly again, and thinking of her reminded me of my promise to see my new friend in the morning. I was looking really forward to coffee and muffins with Ditzy. She seemed really nice, and the way she had overcome her injury, at least to a degree, was very cool. However, my desire to get to work on designs clashed with this, prompting me to simply hang up my blueprints and go to bed. For once my alarm was the thing that woke me up. It was amazing both to wake up to something I intended for once and to see that this place was already stocked with food. I thought about grabbing some breakfast just to hold me off, but Ditzy wasn’t that far away. It was a simple matter of showering, brushing my teeth, and grabbing my hat before I was ready to go. I actually had to hop back in and grab my little radio thing just so I wouldn’t forget it. Couldn’t have that now, huh? It didn’t take but a few seconds for the pegasus to open the door when I knocked. I opened my mouth to say hello, but Ditzy raised a hoof to her own. “Sshh, Dinky’s still asleep.” I gave her a nod as we both entered her house. She led me into the kitchen, where two cups of coffee were already set on the dining table. My friend quickly trotted to her microwave, turning it off just before the last second, which I assumed was to avoid waking her daughter. There were four muffins on the plate she too out, and she set said plate between the two coffee mugs as she took her seat. “I’m sure they don’t taste as good microwaved as they do fresh, but please try one.” They looked delicious either way, and biting into one got a loud “MM” from me. “They’re delicious, Ditzy!” She was smiling as she shushed me, but it was a shush all the same. “I’m glad you like them. It’s the least I could do to repay your kindness. And don’t start with ‘You don’t owe me anything,’ Torque, you’ve done way too much for me without even knowing me for every long for me not to owe you something.” Well, she told me not to argue, so there was no point in arguing. “Well, Ditzy, how could I not? Both you and Dinky are way too sweet not to deserve some friendliness.” I soon found myself with my tongue out, waving my hoof on it as my friend started to giggle. “You know, Torque, fresh coffee is normally hot.” I let out a nervous chuckle and took another bite out of the muffin to try and cool off my tongue. “Yeah, I didn’t think that one through.” As we ate, something came to my mind, and now that I knew Dinky’s mother was the pegasus before me, I had to ask. “Say, Ditzy, do you mind if I ask you something? Yesterday when I gave Dinky my lunch, one of the fillies that had taken hers told me you flew through their window? Do… things like that happen often?” Her injury made it really hard to tell where she was actually looking, but it at least looked her gaze had moved down. “Yes… that’s where my nickname came from. I honestly try to avoid flying as much as I can, but I can’t afford to take that time when I’m delivering mail. Flight is mandatory when making deliveries and my… handicap makes things difficult. I end up crashing a lot, which is why I normally end up stuck at the post office sorting mail until they run out of other delivery ponies. Unfortunately Dinky’s been given that label even though she’s very coordinated. I’m sure the fact that she’s illegitimate has something to do with it, too.” I was sure I would have to see a doctor about my heart after that. I was getting ready to give a long speech about how she was beautiful the way she was and how she has no right to call herself handicapped, but that last part hit me right in the head. “Wait, did you say illegitimate? She’s not adopted?” My friend slowly shook her head. She opened her mouth, but I pressed my hoof to her lips. “I can only assume how she came to be, then. If it’s a sensitive subject, please don’t try and remember it for my sake.” Ditzy’s ears fell flat, but she still managed to maintain eye contact… to the best of her abilities. “I got lost one time in Dodge Junction. A lone mare walking around at night is basically an open invitation to the bar hoppers in that town. I didn’t have the money or the heart for an abortion, either.” She wasn’t doing anything to lessen my desire to help her and her daughter. I didn’t have any experiences with rape in the family, but I could only imagine how difficult that must be. Not just having your body taken from you without consent, but having to raise a child by yourself couldn’t be easy. I took another sip of the coffee and switched seats so I’d be next to her. Her head was down now, but I set my hoof under her chin and raised it up. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Ditzy. I’m sure it can’t be easy, and I’d be glad to help you any way I can.” My friend just stared at me, twiddling her hooves. “Torque, why are you so nice? You’ve only known me for a day, and I haven’t done anything for you.” To be completely honest, I had no idea why I was nice. Of course, I couldn’t tell her that, so I went with the most likely explanation. I set my hoof on hers after patting her back, trying to keep my smile. “It’s just how I am, Ditzy. I’m not the kind of guy to just stand by if I can do something helpful. Especially with someone like you. You’ve made it quite clear that you’re struggling, so how wrong would it be for me to know I could do something for you and not? Besides, you don’t need to do something for me in order for me to feel like doing something for you. That’s just not how I work.” Seeing the tears form in her eyes scared the heck out of me, and I really started to regret my words until the pegasus threw her forelegs around me. “Oh Torque, if you only knew how much that meant to me. It’s so hard to get help from anyone because I’m basically taboo. Save for a few things Carrot Top has done for me and some favors from my family, I’ve had to get through each day on my own. I’m getting tired, Torque… I’m not sure I have the strength for this.” My own legs soon wrapped around her, and somehow I actually found it easier to smile. As all this was happening, I thought not only of what I was being told, but how odd it was that I didn’t actually have that many friends back home. I used to think others just didn’t like me that much, but now I was starting to think that it was the ponies in Vanhoover that just didn’t want to make friends. I mean, here was a broken mare, one that I had only known for a day, pouring her heart out to me during what was supposed to be just a simple breakfast. It wasn’t just Ditzy either, in one day I had made six friends not counting her or her daughter. This may sound terrible, but I was actually kind of happy that Ditzy was crying right now. In all my experiences with my sister, I learned that mares, at least most of them, despised crying in front of others. Seeing her cry told me that she really trusted me, and that made me a little proud. It told me I was doing something right in my efforts to help her, and judging by her words, she probably hadn’t had a shoulder to cry on in years. Unfortunately the sound of static ended our moment as my cousin’s voice came from my radio thing. “Torque, you’re late. Come on, the shop opens at nine.” Ditzy looked up at me, wiping her eyes with a soft smile. “Thanks, Torque, I needed that. Don’t worry about me, I don’t want you to get in trouble.” I gave her another pat on the back before I stood up. “You know I’m here if you need anything, right?” After a nod from her, I made my way to the door. “Have a good day, Ditzy. I’ll see you later.” She waved at me, taking another sip of her coffee and sniffling. “You too, Torque. Bye.” Explaining my situation while still respecting Ditzy’s privacy was a little difficult, but Sparkplug was very understanding. I felt like she really didn’t want to look at me, as she randomly grabbed a screwdriver off her desk and toyed with it in her hooves. “Torque, I understand how you feel, and I can’t fault you for that. However, you can’t let it make you late for your first official day working here. I hate to sound mean, but that kind of stuff is for after hours and the weekends. Though I will say, if things are bad enough for her to cry, someone like you is sure to help.” “What exactly do you mean?” I knew they weren’t, but the fact that she was doing all she could to avoid focusing on me kind of made her words seem like an insult. Finally she managed to set the tool down and direct her eyes towards me. “For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been smiling. Now, I’m not your sister, so I’m not exactly sure what life has thrown at you, but even if you’ve had it easy, staying happy all the time can’t be easy. I mean, heck, everyone in my neighborhood called you ‘unbreakable’. Like, all of us, including myself, felt like you were one of those guys who would never let life, no matter how bad, bring you down.” Well, she was right. I haven’t exactly lived a hard life, but it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but both my parents told me all the time that all clouds had a silver lining, and I always tried to find that silver lining. Even in Ditzy’s situation there was a bright side; she had an adorable and lovable child that loved her just as much as she loved Dinky. Not only that, but now she had me, too. “You kind of have to be like that, Spark. Think about it, how much better do you think life is when you always look at the good? I won’t lie, sometimes the bright side is hard to find, but there always is one, no matter what. Even if you hit rock bottom, and there is absolutely no way possible that you could fall down further, now the only way you have to go is up.” My cousin started to smile at me, eventually forming a complete grin. “I like that. I really, really like that. It’s no wonder you have such an easy time making friends, Torque. I’m really not surprised that everyone you’ve met so far really likes you… you’re just likeable. Well, unless you’re dealing with one of those ponies who are only happy when they’re miserable.” I never understood that. How could anyone be happy when they’re miserable? “You’ll see it in my work, too. No matter how big a project is, I don’t walk away from it unless I have to. There’s always a bright side with those, too. No matter how bad the damage is, I can fix it.” She cocked a brow at me. “Where’s the silver lining if it’s so bad they have to pay to replace whatever we were called to look at?” Aha, a trick question… I think. “They don’t have to pay for both the replacement and our services.” Sparkplug blinked, drawing back a little. “Excuse me?” Uh oh, someone didn’t know the policy. “Sparkplug, we are Engage Repairs not Engage Diagnosis. Our job is to go somewhere, or to have something brought here, and fix it. Our job is not to be presented with something, look at it, and tell the client ‘Oh, you’re just going to have to get a new one.’ So, in the event that an Engage employee cannot perform a repair and the client must simply purchase a replacement, Engage does not charge. Sure, we take a small cut in the paycheck, but you know what? It doesn’t matter. My dad and I both agree that a company with a moral code is much more respectable, and successful, than a company just out to make money.” Her eyes widened, which looked hilarious with her dropped jaw. “Um, it’s not that I don’t believe you… but I don’t believe you. I mean, we’ve never actually had that happen too many times, but if that’s actually how we’re supposed to do things, I need to ask Uncle Ratchet. Sorry Torque, it’s not that I don’t trust you, I just want to validate it by hearing it from the big guy himself.” I held up both my front hooves and shook my head. “Hey, that’s understandable. It sounds a whole lot more convincing coming from him than it does from me.” My cousin giggled, reaching over to hit my shoulder. “By the way, thanks for that fuel filter. Those guys should come by soon to get it. In the meantime, I need you to head over to Sweet Apple Acres. I’m pretty sure I won’t need to tell you where it is, it’s the biggest place here on the map, so if you just head towards the general area, you can’t miss it.” She pointed to the rather large area to the upper left of the town. There were only two buildings in said area, and the rest of it looked like open field. However, the name “Sweet Apple Acres” and the fact that the map didn’t show trees led me to assume those open fields were probably apple orchards. Gee, I wonder why I thought that. Anyway, the farm actually wasn’t too far away from the school. I was right, too, almost all the land was one, massive, beautiful apple orchard. I didn’t even get passed the front gates before I found my left front hoof in the strong grasp of a blonde-headed, light-orange mare sporting a cowgirl hat and a cute, freckled face. She shook my hoof harder than even my own father could, and I almost felt my whole body shaking. “Well howdy there, new comer! Nice to meet’cha! Welcome to Ponyville, and welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! I’m Applejack, what can I do ya for?” I was still waving my leg up and down even as she released me, and eventually Applejack herself stopped me. “I’m Torque, nice to meet you, Applejack. I’m from Engage Repairs, but my boss sent me here without a lot of information. So the question is, what can I do for you?” She flashed a grin at me, pointing towards her barn. “We just got ourselves a fancy new motorized plow, but for some reason it just won’t start up. I was hoping one of y’all could come take a peek.” I nodded as I was led towards the machine in question. “Well, that is what we do. What do you mean by ‘start up’?” Applejack shrugged. “When I try to turn it on, it gets to humming for a bit and then just stops.” That raised my brow. More than likely the solution would be simple, depending on the answer to my next question. “Any idea how old it is?” Another shrug. “Somepony offered it to us for a steal since he was getting ready to retire. You think that might have something to do with it?” “Usually others don’t put money in to fix up old equipment. Once I see it and check a few things, I’ll know for sure.” The big plow, to me, resembled a riding lawnmower. It basically was that: four wheels under a seat and steering sticks with a shell housing the motor in front. The only difference was that instead of blades underneath it, there was a thick, wedge-like piece of metal attached to the back. My first thing to do was start it up. Just like Applejack had said, it started to crank for a minute before sputtering back into silence. Seeing as how it was used, the next thing I wanted to do was check the oil. I lifted the hood, locating the oil cap and unscrewing it. Sweet mother of Celestia, you would’ve thought that stick had been dipped in chocolate syrup, not motor oil. That stuff was thick, black, and gunky, and don’t even get me started on the smell. “Ugh… Applejack, I think I found the problem.” Turning my attention to her showed that she already had her hoof over her nose. “I think you might be right. So what do we do?” I set the cap back on and released the break on the plow. “I’m going to take this thing to the shop for a much needed oil change.” Pushing this thing was a lot harder than I thought it’d be, but unlatching the wedge did help some. The farm pony tapped my shoulder, forcing me to stop. “How about I lend a hoof with that? Just let me check up on my brother and coltfriend, and I’ll get back to ya, alright?” After I nodded, she took off. It didn’t take long for her to come back, though. “Jet and Big Mac said they could handle things around here until I got back. How long do you think it should take?” I nudged my head towards the machine and we both started pushing. It was a lot easier with two ponies working on it, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. “Well, that depends. It’s possible that the oil might not be the only issue. However, assuming it is the only issue, it could take anywhere from ten to thirty minutes.” She gave me a nod. Most of our journey continued in silence, until the friendly mare decided to speak again. “So, how are you liking Ponyville so far?” Smiling was kind of unavoidable, but hey, who would want to avoid smiling? “I really like it. I’ve learned I must have a knack for making friends, as everypony I’ve met so far has liked me.” Applejack chuckled a little at that, winking at me. “Well, we Ponyville folk pride ourselves on being friendly, and I ain’t seen nothing from you yet that tells me you’re now someone a pony wouldn’t want as a friend.” Now it was my turn to laugh. “We’ve known each other for like, ten minutes.” “True, but I’d like to think of myself as a good judge of character. You seem pretty nice, Torque, and very upbeat.” Something told me this was going to be a trend. I really didn’t mind, though. I went through the whole speech about my view of life that I gave to my cousin, and a wide grin spread across Applejack’s face. “That’s a mighty good way of looking at things. It’s no wonder others like you so much.” I couldn’t help but chuckle again. “Yeah, I’ve already gotten that once.” “Well it’s true. An attitude like that is sure to attract others to ya, sugar cube.” Once we rolled the thing up to the shop, I opened up on of the garage doors and we wheeled it in. My cousin raised her brow at us but I didn’t let her speak. “Oil change. Sparks, that oil looks like someone used this engine as a toilet and mixed in the crap.” Her face was hysterical as she let out a loud “Ew!” It turns out that I actually made a liar out of myself; the oil change was done in eight minutes because we didn’t need to check and see if it actually needed it, allowing us to skip straight to the change. Once the new oil was in, Applejack fired it up and it ran like a dream. We exchanged goodbyes, Applejack said her thanks, and she was off. Spark hit me in the leg with a grin. “Stop being so good and making the rest of us look bad. Head on over to Rarity’s, she’s in another spot of trouble.” Oh boy, coming full circle already… I think.