//------------------------------//
// Welcome To Ponyville 
// Story: The Bystander 
// by Kerberos 
//------------------------------//


4 Years Before the NNM Incident





        The train ride to Ponyville was not a long trip since it sat at the base of the looming mountain that Canterlot rested on.  Iron didn’t feel the need to nap during the ride. He was a little excited to start up a new blacksmithing shop in a town he had never stayed at. He was used to big cities like Fillydelphia and Canterlot. Iron heard from Steel that Ponyville was a nice quiet town and that it was a good place to be with one’s own thoughts. 

        ‘This town is what I need right now. A place where I can work in peace and quiet.’ Iron thought when the train pulled into the station. Iron only brought his essentials with him since he did not like packing up a whole train car worth of things. He brought his toiletries and his favorite tools. The tools were a gift from Steel when Iron decided to move to Ponyville. His father gave him a photo of their family when they moved to Canterlot. Iron would always keep this in a safe place. Finally, Celestia gave Iron some funds so if buisness didn’t pick up. Iron was hoping to be able just to keep it for a rainy day instead of blowing it off on things like Bronze would.

        When the train stopped, Iron grabbed his bags and made for the platform. It was fairly empty because it was in the middle of the week and Ponyville was a small town. Iron stepped off the train and grabbed his map Steel gave him. His new home/workplace was on the other side of the town. Iron put his map back into his saddlebag and trotted off towards his abode. 

        The main street was packed full of vendors mostly selling fruits and vegetables. Each stall was very basic. They were all made out of wood with a sign on the top with the picture of the product they were selling. Iron did not pay too much attention to the stalls, but he kept an eye out for an orange stand. His favorite fruit was oranges even though they were harder than Tatarus to peel since he wasn’t a unicorn. Sadly, he didn’t spy an orange stand walking through the street. He did, however, catch the strong scent of apples. Apples were his second favorite fruit. He didn’t mind them but he didn’t go out seeking them.

        Behind the stand was an orange mare. She had on a stetson and had three apples as a cutie mark. Iron could hear the southern drawl in her voice as he passed the stand. She was haggling with a customer about the price of the bag of apples. He turned his attention back on the road he was on. The street ran straight to the town hall. It was easily the biggest building in the town, towering over every other building. It sat in the center of Ponyville with streets going out away from the circular center. From the sky it would resemble the shape of a spider web. 

        Iron looked around the the street that would take him towards his home. ‘This place is a maze.’ He pulled his map back out and tried to find where he was. ‘It looks like I am riiiiiiiiight here.’ he pointed at the map. ‘So if I cut down this road with the… colorful blob, I should hit my forge as long as I go straight down.’ Iron packed up his map for the second time that day and headed down the correct street. 

        This street was full of indoor businesses unlike the main street filled with vendors. He passed buy shops that sold dentist supplies, one that was a Hayburger restaurant, and oddly enough, a shop that sold only sofas and quills. ‘How could they possibly stay in business selling only couches and quills?’ Iron shrugged off the thought and went about his business. When he got to an intersection, he saw what the colorful blob on the map represented. ‘A giant gingerbread house?’ The sign out front read ‘Sugarcube Corner’. Iron realized that it had the same smell as his favorite bakery in Canterlot. He once again took a mental note of the bakery since he always in the mood for sweets.

        The only thing else he passed after Sugarcube Corner was residential housing. After he passed the last house, he came across an open field. He continued down the dirt road till he came to a sign in the fork of the road. The sign had two arrows sitting on top of one another. The one pointing left had a picture of an apple while the other had an anvil.

        “I guess I am going right,” he muttered to himself. The path was fairly open with only a tree here and there.

        The path only took a few minutes before he was upon his house. It wasn’t anything too spectacular but it was home. It was two stories high with a balcony on the top floor. It was in the same style as the Ponyville houses he passed by. His home had a mailbox in next to the door. The mailbox had one letter sticking out from the inside. Iron walked up to the mailbox to open and read the letter.

        ‘Dear resident,

        Hello, and welcome to our little piece of heaven. We invite you to come down to the town hall to fill out some housing forms and help start up your business.

Thank you,
Mayor Mare’

        ‘Huh. Well it looks like I get to keep my gift from Celestia.’ Iron checked the door and determined it was still locked. The forge sat next to the house. It was made of grey stone instead of the normal Ponyville wood. This workshop had an outside and inside area, each with their own forge, anvil, workbench, and places to hang his tools. Of course the forge was turned off and he had no tools on the racks so he turned around and headed back down the road.

        As Iron came to the fork in the road he heard a voice calling out for him.

        “Hey you!” The voice had a bit of a drawl to it. He turned around to see the same orange farm-pony from the apple stand. She was pulling a cart load of apples from the other side of the road. Her blond mane was, oddly enough, tied into a ponytail. ‘Why do we even call them that?’ 

        “Yes?” He masked his voice to sound neutral. Iron didn’t feel like talking with anypony right now, but he was going to play nice and hope she would go away. 

        “Have ya heard anythin’ bout that new blacksmith? I saw ya comin’ down from the road that goes right to his place, and I wanted to catch ‘em,” she said, pointing down the road. 

        “That would be me. My name is Iron Smoke, but just call me Iron,” he said as he held out his hoof.

        “Name’s Applejack,” she responded, shaking Iron’s hoof. “Nice ta meet ya. We have been needin’ a blacksmith for some time now.” They both let go of each other and headed back into town. Applejack was talking about some things she needed fixed up for the farm. She mentioned horse shoes, some tools needed sharpening, and she needed some tools made as well. 

        “I am sure once I get my forge going that I could fix those things,” Iron said. “They seem simple enough.” Iron hadn’t noticed it right away, but by the time the two ponies had finished their conversation, they made it back to the town square..

        “Well thank ya. We have been needin’ those things done for a while now. I didn’t know how much longer we would have to wait on ya.” She looked around and saw that she now needed to get back to the main street. “Welp, best be gettin back to work. I’ll be seein ya once ya open up your workshop.” She gave Iron a small wave before heading down main street. Iron waved back before heading to the town hall.

        ‘Ok, she was nice. Nothing like the ponies in Canterlot.’ Iron entered the building and walked up to the secretary's desk.

        “Hello. I am here about moving into town,” he said, looking at the secretary. She seemed bored out of her mind.

        “Third door on the left.” That was all she said, not looking up from her magazine.

        Iron was taken back by the lack of emotion in her voice. ‘So much for the ponies here being friendly and quaint.’ He walked down the hallway till he reached a door that had the name ‘Mayor Mare’ on the glass. He knocked on the door and waited for a response. There was a faint ‘come in’ from the other side of the door. He opened the door to reveal a spacious room lined with bookshelves and filing cabinets. On the other end of the room was a desk with an older mare signing some papers. The nameplate on her desk also read ‘Mayor Mare’. She set down her pen and looked up at the stallion.

        “How can I help you?” Her voice was kind and caring, not unlike Celestia’s. It lacked the motherly quality that Celestia possessed though. Iron reached back and grabbed the letter he found in his mailbox.

        “I was told to come here and fill out some paperwork about housing and my business.” He hoofed over the letter. She took a quick glance before looking back at Iron.

        “Ah yes! You are the new blacksmith in town. My name, if you haven’t already seen is Mayor Mare. I have your paperwork right here.” She reached down and pulled a drawer back. The mayor then pulled some papers out of the drawer. The stack was only a few pages thick. 

        “These forms are for your housing and these forms are for your business. If you could sign on the dotted lines all will be in order.” She hoofed over the pages and a pen. Iron skimmed the forms before signing them. He didn’t see anything that would bother him. They just said to pay the taxes for his property and gave him the right to open his business. When he hoofed back the paperwork she handed him two keys.

        “This is key if for your house, and this one is for your workshop.” The house key was a silver color while the key for his workshop was more of a bronze color. Iron took them from the mayor and set them in his saddlebag. 

        “Thank you. The letter did say something about promoting my trade here.” Iron knew he already had the mare Applejack for some business, but he wanted to know who else he could work with.

        “Yes it did. I do believe a pony by the name of Rarity was looking for a blacksmith to shape some jewelry.” Iron inwardly groaned at this. ‘And here I thought I wasn’t ever going to have to make jewelry again.’ 

        “Where could I find this Rarity?” Iron was not thrilled about the delicate work of making rings and necklaces, but business was business.

        “You can find her at the Carousel Boutique. If you take a right at Sugarcube corner, you will find it easily.” Iron thanked Celestia he at least remembered the gingerbread house when he checked up on his house. 

        “Thank you very much Miss Mare.” He stood up to make his exit. Iron may have not liked the idea of doing jobs for Rarity but he wasn’t going to let an easy job opportunity go to waste. 

        “You are quite welcome Mr… Oh dear me! I didn’t get your name.” She looked embarrassed that she forgot to get Iron’s name.

        “It’s Iron Smoke,” said Iron. 

        “Well if it is all the same to you, I am sorry Mr. Smoke. It is not very mayor like to not get the name of a pony asking for my help,” she stated. True, it wasn’t a good way to start of by not getting the name of the pony that came for help. However, Iron did not care so much for those type of social graces.

        “It’s not a problem. I hope I can see you around town.” Iron gave the mayor a small wave before turning to the door. The only response he got out of the mayor was a nod. 

        Once out the door, Iron turned back down the hall towards the front entrance. He didn’t bother with the secretary. She wouldn’t have lifted a hoof anyway. So, Iron headed out the door to Sugarcube Corner. He didn’t run into Applejack again, and no pony bothered trying to talk with him. He just made his way down the street, undisturbed.

        When he reached the intersection, Iron felt a little hungry. ‘Just a little bite to eat couldn’t hurt.’ He proceeded to walk into Sugarcube corner. It wasn't very busy. Only a few ponies were still sitting and eating their meals. Iron walked up to the counter to order a few muffins. There was a pink pony behind the register. Her hair was all poofy. It reminded him of cotton candy.

        “Welcome to Sugarcube…” She finished the sentence with a large gasp and ran out the back door with super pony speed. The only thing left was a cartoonish dust cloud in the shape of the pony. Iron ruffled his feathers, feeling a bit confused and hurt that the pony ran away from him. Before he turned around a voice of a stallion caught his attention.

        “Sorry about that. Pinkie just gets excited when she meets somepony new.” The voice belonged to a scrawny yellow earth pony. He had on a striped bowtie and hat along with an apron. He looked to be in his mid thirties. “My name is Carrot Cake, and I run this place along with my wife, Cup Cake.” He held out hoof. Iron shook Mr. Cake’s hoof, telling Carrot his own name.

        “That’s alright. I’m Iron.” He was relieved that he didn’t scare off the poor pony. However, he was curious on why she would run away if she was excited to see a new pony.

        “Well, what can I get you?” Carrot motioned to the counter.

        “Could I get a couple of chocolate chip muffins?” Iron always had a weak spot for a good muffin. Mr. Cake pulled a bag out containing two chocolate chip muffins.

        “That will be 5 bits.” Iron took out some bits and placed them on the counter before grabbing his bag of muffins. 

        “Thank you,” said Iron, with a nod.

        “You’re welcome. Come back sometime soon,” responded Carrot.

        Iron walked back out of the bakery chewing on one of his muffins. ‘Now which way did the mayor say?... Buck! I can’t remember.’ Iron looked up and down the streets looking for something that would resemble a boutique. Failing to see one Iron flew straight up in the air to get a better view. He found a cloud to sit on while looking around for the boutique. Iron still didn’t know what he was looking for. On a cloud not too far away rested a rainbow maned pegasus. ‘Maybe she will know where it is.’ 

He flew over to the sleeping pegasus. He noticed her coat was a nice cyan color and her cutie mark was a rainbow lightning bolt. Iron tapped the pony on the shoulder resulting in her mumbling to herself. He nudged her a bit harder this time.

        “Hmmm, Soarin. Stop that. I’m ticklish.” Iron was conflicted by this. First, he wanted to outright laugh at the obvious fangirl and what seemed to be a “good” dream. Second, he felt a little invasive by hearing this. The loudest voice in his head, however, told him to play along with the dream. As tempted as he was, Iron decided it would be best not to encourage the dream.

        “Sorry, but I’m not Soarin,” he said in the most neutral voice he could muster. A smile spread across his muzzle while he suppressed the laugh.

        “Wha…” She slowly opened her eyes to a black pegasus instead of the aquamarine wonderbolt. “GAH!” She reared back and fell off the cloud. Iron was scared that he just killed a mare until she flew back up to the cloud she was resting on. She was now glaring at the stallion who disturbed her sleep. 

        “Why the hay did you wake me up?!” The fact that her voice was scratchy and tomcoltish made her a bit scarier than a normal mare. If she wanted to, she would have started a fight right then and there. Iron did not want to start up a fight. So, he tried to diffuse the situation.

        “Sorry. I just wanted to get some directions to the Carousel Boutique.” Iron did feel sorry for disturbing her sleep, but he really needed the directions. 

        “I don’t see why I should tell you. You’re the one who woke me up from my nap. Plus, I thought dresses were for fillies.” Her gaze never lightened up on Iron, but she had a snarky grin.

        “I said I was sorry. I’m looking for it because I was going to make some bands and necklaces for the owner.” ‘Oh Celestia! Did I just say that?’ He was hoping that she wouldn’t think he was a coltcuddler or something like that.

        “Hey, there is nothing wrong with liking colts.” She patted his back with a shit eating grin.

        ‘Celestia damn it.’

        “I am just making them to earn some money. I’m already making some farming tools for a pony named Applejack.” Iron sounded proud that he had other work than the delicate jewelry he would be working on. 

        “So you are the new guy AJ was talking about. I figured you would be a bit… bigger.” Now she was just poking fun at him. She liked to see pony squirm and get all huffy. However, she was disappointed when Iron didn’t move a muscle. It was his turn to throw on a grin. He knew what she was implying, so he decided to give a jab of his own.

        “I’m bigger than Soarin.” It was small. It was subtle. It hit the mare right where she dreamed. Iron didn’t even try to hold back his grin.

        “I… uh… well…” she struggled to find a proper response. There was a slight blush on her cheeks at the mention of Soarin. She coughed a bit before she found her voice. “Then how about a friendly competition?”

        “I’m listening.” The mare reminded Iron of how Bronze would act. He missed the, more or less, friendly back and forth he and Bronze have grown accustomed to.

        “Since you think you are sooo strong, why don’t we have a hoof wrestling contest. You win, and I will take you to the boutique. If I win, you have to be my slave for a day.” Her voice was dripping with ego. Iron couldn’t resist knocking her down a few pegs. He set his elbow on the cloud.

“Deal” Even though Iron was more reserved in his boasting, this mare seemed to bring out his ego. She set her own elbow down on the cloud and locked her hoof in with Iron’s.

“3. 2. 1. Go!” She pushed as hard as she could in order to get a head start. Sadly, she was built for speed not strenght. Iron, on the other hoof, was built for strength. Swinging a hammer and bending metal made Iron into a wall of muscle. His coat hid his muscles well but he wasn’t bulging like the bodybuilders he has seen. 

        Rainbow was huffing and puffing, trying to push down Iron’s hoof. Iron was straining a bit but not enough to bother him. After a few moments of the mare trying to overpower the stallion, Iron decided to end it. He slammed her hoof on the cloud. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

        “How did you beat me?” She couldn’t believe she lost so easily. She was training and working out everyday, and this stallion just flew up to her cloud and beat her in a hoof wrestling contest. Granted, she was training to be fast rather than strong, but she was up to par with Applejack.

        “Well, being a blacksmith most of your life makes you gain a bit of muscle,” he said, flexing his foreleg. “By the way, my name’s Iron Smoke.” The mare looked up from her funk and puffed out her chest, acting like the last five minutes didn’t happen.

        “Name’s Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestia,” she responded. “So I better take you to the boutique now huh?” She was scratching the back of her neck, still feeling slightly embarrassed that she lost. 

        “That would be nice. Thanks.” Dash took off from the cloud and headed towards, where Iron could only assume, the boutique. They flew high enough so they would not bump into anypony else along the way. 

“It’s this way,” Rainbow said. They both started to descend on a white and purple building. Iron was wondering if he could keep his stallion card if he entered the building. Everything about it seemed so… frilly. He was already dreading the jewelry work, but now he was dreading the place that the jewelry was being made for.

        “My Celestia. Could this place get any more girly?” He turned towards Rainbow, who only gave a shrug in return.

        “Yeah… Rarity is one of those high class ponies. ‘A lady should do this’, ‘A lady should always be that’, ‘It is not very lady like to do...’ well anything really.” Rainbow was striking poses that would resemble any mare in Canterlot. Iron chuckled a bit at her display.

        “Well, would you mind helping me out? Safety in numbers.” Iron may have sounded snarky and confident on the outside, but on the inside he was begging her to come in. She smiled, wondering what she could get out of the stallion.

        “I don’t know… what is in it for me?” Rainbow asked.

        “I will let you be the first pony in my forge?” Iron was hoping she would take him on his offer. He didn’t really have anything else to offer her anyways. Dash acted like she was in deep thought before responding.

        “I’ll take it.” She then opened the door to the boutique. It was an open space with some mannequins over to the side. The center of the room had a raised platform with a trio of mirrors. When the bell rang, a voice sang out from up the stairs.

        “Comiiing~” Her voice sounded like it belonged to a pony in Canterlot. When she came into Iron’s sight, he only thought one thing. High maintenance. ‘It is nice when a mare pretties herself up for others but damn! She probably just got done with her mane and it is already close to five o’clock.’ The white mare noticed the two ponies in her shop. More importantly, she noticed the stallion. She immediately flipped back her mane before addressing Iron.

        “Hello. My name is Rarity,” she said with her eyes half lidded. “What brings such a handsome stallion such as yourself to my humble boutique?” Rarity was completely focused on Iron, forgetting Rainbow Dash was in the room with him.

        Iron turned back to Rainbow with a face that screamed ‘Help Me!’ Rainbow brought a hoof to her mouth to stifle the giggle fit she was having. He returned his attention to the mare who was eyeing him. A quick cough caught her attention again.

        “I’m the new blacksmith in town, Iron Smoke. I was told that you wanted some help with fabricating some metal for your jewelry.” Iron wanted to keep this a professional as possible. 

        “Oh yes! I was hoping you would get here soon. If you would like I could make a list of what I need and deliver it to you tomorrow.” Iron saw an escape and took it.

        “That would be great,” Iron said. He then looked down at his hoof. “Oh, would you look at the time! Dash and I got to get back home and unpack.” He may have not have been wearing a watch but he used the excuse regardless.

        “Rainbow! How did I miss you there?” Rarity completely ignored the last part of what Iron said.

        ‘Damn it. So close’

        “Hey Rarity,” said Rainbow. “He promised that I would get to see his workshop after we stopped here.”

        “Oh that sounds delightful. Perhaps I should come too.” Iron was about to protest when he was stopped by Rainbow’s hoof. Her eyes responded to Iron’s silent cries for help with a look that said ‘Don’t worry. I got this.’

        “Yeah, you should. We could shovel some coals into the forge and make some cool designs. It would make a great workout. We would get all sweaty and dirty. It’s gonna be awesome!” Iron was about to protest when he noticed the slight disgust on Rarity’s face. 

        “Oh… Well… Maybe some other time then.” Iron could have kissed Rainbow’s ass after she just saved his. ‘Ha, maybe later.’ He inwardly laughed at his own joke.

        “Welp, we should be heading out then. It was nice to meet you Rarity.” Iron gave a little bow. He figured if she was anything like the high society in Canterlot, she would appreciate the gesture. Rarity gave a curtsy in response.

        “It was quite a delight to meet you as well. I shall have the list ready for you by tomorrow.” She then turned her attention to Rainbow. “And I hope to see you again sometime soon. Perhaps for a new dress?” 

“Yeeeeaaaah, no. Come on Iron. I want to see your place before it gets dark.” Rainbow didn’t wait for a response before she headed for the door. Iron finished up his own goodbye before trotting after Dash.

“Thanks for the help there. I don’t know if I would have made it out alive if you hadn’t come along,” Iron said.

“No problem. I’d never leave a friend hanging,” replied Rainbow

“So do you always ask for something in return, or just your friends?” Iron was having a bit a fun with this back and forth. He could tell Rainbow was too.

“Just the special ones,” she said, patting the top of his head.

“So I moved up from stranger to special friend all in a few hours. Wow, I didn’t even need to take you to dinner first.” That earned him a playful punch in the shoulder. “Well come on. My place is this way.” Iron opted to walk there instead of getting lost in the sky. 

It only took them around fifteen minutes to reach Iron’s house. Iron took out the key to his house and opened the door. He saw shapes in the darkness. He reached for the light switch and turned it on to reveal… nothing but furniture.

“Cool. I didn’t know this place was furnished,” said Iron. He threw his saddlebags on the couch but kept his work belt on. 

“It’s nice, but really plain dude.” Rainbow wasn’t impressed with the choice of furniture. “I prefer cloud couches and floors and beds and… Well, just cloud everything.”

“And why is that?” Iron asked while exploring the living room. The room wasn’t overly big, but it was empty. ‘Could get a grandfather clock in here. A few pictures there. Just needs to be filled a bit.’ 

“Well, you have slept on a cloud right?” she asked. Iron gave her a nod. “Then you know how amazingly comfortable they are! Why wouldn’t you pick a cloud over anything else?” Iron could tell where she was going with this, but continued into the kitchen.

“Because, I rather be closer to work and be able to get to bed when I am too tired to fly,” he reasoned. The kitchen was modernized with up to date appliances: a fridge, a microwave, and a stove. There was an island in the middle that had room for a double sink and a raised counter to sit and eat off of.

“So just bring one down and use it. It wouldn’t be the first time a cloud went missing. Plus, being the weather captain gives you and me a bit of leverage.” She was looking in the fridge that turned out to be empty. ‘Man! He’s got nothing in here!’ Rainbow continued her own tour of the house. There was a small dining room attached to the kitchen. The table in there could have set four ponies comfortably. Instead of a rectangle or square style, the table was round with four chairs. A chandelier hung above the table. It wasn’t anything fancy. It just had five lights shining straight down.

Iron was doing his own exploring after the kitchen. He saw Rainbow enter the dining room and decided to head up to the second floor. He saw four doors when he reached the top of the stairs. All the doors were open and revealed what they had inside. 

The first one on the left was the guest room. It had a single queen sized bed with a nightstand. On the nightstand sat a lamp much like the one he had in Canterlot. There was a dresser on the other side of the wall. The window was directly across from the door Iron was standing in. He turned around to see a closet on the other side of the hall. Iron continued his upstairs tour by walking down to the next two rooms. On the right side was the bathroom. It was a basic white bathroom with a toilet, sink, and a glass door hiding the shower.

The last room he looked at was the master bedroom. It was bigger than the guest bedroom with a door leading to its own private bathroom. The bed was the same size as the guest bed, except it was floating. He walked over and pulled back the blanket to reveal a cloud. ‘Looks like I get a cloud bed after all’ 

“Hey Dash!” he yelled down the stairs.

“What!” she responded.

“Looks like I won’t need to steal a cloud.” Shortly after he said that, Rainbow made her way into his room.  Upon seeing the bed, she ran over and jumped on the it, rolling around. Iron was giving here a weird look from the doorway. When they made eye contact again, she stopped rolling on the bed.

“What?” she said embarrassed at here display. “I said they were comfy.” Her cheeks were turning bright red. She jumped off the bed and headed out the doorway. “So you gonna show me your workshop or what?” 

“What was that all about?” Iron asked, pointing at the cloud. 

“What was what? Come on.” She hurried out the door. Iron just stood there, dumbfounded on what he just saw. He decided to let it go before chasing Rainbow outside. He found her walking around the outside workshop area. She was looking at all the different tools that had to be delivered: anvil, the forge, vices, etc. Iron walked right up to the door that led to the inside workshop. When he opened the door he found that the workshop was just like the one in Canterlot, but it was smaller since he was the only one that was going to be working there.

Rainbow let out a low whistle. “Sweet place. Whatcha gonna build in here?” 

“Depends on who orders what,” Iron replied. He was now putting the tools from his tool belt in their proper place along the workshop. “My guess is necklaces and farm tools. I much rather be making armor but beggars aren’t choosers.” 

“Pfffffff. Lame! What about the cool stuff like spears and armor? You know… the fun stuff.” She was now acting out battle scenes, fighting an invisible enemy in his workshop.

“Believe me when I say I much rather work on military gear than common metal objects. Armor and weapons were all I use to work on.” He was now eyeing the forge to see if it was ready to be started up. He would be up all night once he got started to make sure it stayed warm for the work days ahead. 

“Then why don’t you go up to Canterlot and work there. They probably do more of that stuff.” Iron stopped what he was doing and leaned against the nearest wall with a sigh. His happy demeanor died and was replace by one of grief. Rainbow didn’t know what she said wrong, but she knew that her new friend was hurting at the mention of Canterlot.

“I actually was there before I came here. It was fun and all. I got to work with some great ponies but… I just had to get out.” He was trying to give her enough information so that she would just take his word for it and drop the subject.

“Why?” She didn’t take the hint. 

“I rather not talk about it,” he replied. Rainbow wanted to push the topic further, but decided that it would be better if she didn’t. She opted to ask about his tools and how they were used. It may have been boring for her, but she would rather be bored than to hurt somepony’s feelings. Iron slowly grew out of his repine for each question Rainbow asked. When the conversation started to die down, Rainbow looked outside to see the sun getting close to the horizon.

“Hey. Want to do something fun?” 

“I don’t know… I should probably get the forge started for tomorrow,” he replied.

Rainbow put on a big pair of puppy dog eyes. “Please~” she drew out. She figured this would draw any pony with a heart to do whatever she asked for. ‘I got you now,’ she thought as soon as they made eye contact. Iron put a hoof to his chin to think about it. ‘WHAT!? He should be puddy by now! What am I doing wrong? Big eyes? Check. Quivering lip? Check. Ears back? Check. Then why the hay...’

“Sure.” Rainbow pulled herself from her thoughts. ‘Chalk another point for Dash!’ she thought. “But not because of the eyes. Cause I want to. I have a natural resistance to those eyes,” he said. Iron gave a smirk while she stuck out her tongue. 

“Then hurry up and lock up. I don’t like being slow.” Iron rolled his eyes before he set down the rest of the tools on a table. They both walked back to the outside area and Iron locked the door behind them. “C’mon. It’s this way.” Rainbow flew into the air, following the road. Iron jumped up and flew beside her. During the flight, Iron noticed more and more apple trees. The trees covered the entire landscape that Iron could see. 

A few more moments of flying, he saw a red barn. Rainbow angled downward towards the barn and he followed suit. They landed in front of the doors of the barn and Rainbow looked back at Iron.

“It’s inside,” she said, pointing to the doors. Seeing how Rainbow wasn’t moving, Iron walked up and opened up the doors.

“SURPRISE!!!” Iron was blown back by, what must have been, at least half the town. Iron was still trying to calm himself down when a pink pony jumped in front of him.

“Hi,I’mPinkiePieandIthrewyouthissurprisepartyjustforyou.Whereyousurprisededhuhhuhhuh?Ibetyouwere-” A blue hoof saved him from the rambling pony.

“I’m pretty sure he was Pinkie,” Rainbow said. Iron was still trying to figure out exactly what the pink pony said. 

“Soooooooooooo what’s your name?” Iron realized that she was asking him a question. 

“Wha,” he shook his head to remove the cobwebs. “I’m Iron Smoke, but just call me Iron.” 

“Hmmmmmmmmm, that won’t do,” Pinkie said thoughtfully. “You need a nickname. Let’s see… Irony? Too ironic. IS? Nah-” Iron turned away from the Pinkie and looked at Rainbow.

“Is she always like this?” He was confused about how hyper this pony was. 

Rainbow just shrugged and said, “It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie.”

“I got it!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’ll call you… Smokey, and we can help all the little foals learn how to prevent forest fires!” The pink mare ended her sentence with a giggling snort and smiled expectantly at the two ponies in front of her. Rainbow and Iron stared at Pinkie for what seemed like hours. Pinkie’s smile, however, never faded. Iron was forced to reply.

“Uhhhh… Sure Pinkie.” 

“Great. Well, have fun. This is your party after all.” She ended with a wink before hopping into the crowd of ponies.

“Ok…” he turned to Rainbow. “What should we do now?” Rainbow thought it over before face hoofing. She completely forgot about her best friend.

“You got to meet my friend Fluttershy,” she said, pulling on Iron’s leg. Rainbow and Iron searched for the pony. Well, Rainbow searched while Iron just followed. Eventually they found her in a corner of the barn. A butter yellow pony was sitting next too Rarity and Applejack, sipping on some punch. “That’s her,” Rainbow said, pointing at the yellow pegasus. When Iron and Rainbow walked up to the table, Applejack and Rarity gave a smile while Fluttershy hid behind her mane. 

“Iron. This is my best friend, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, pointing to the cowering pegasus. Iron gave a hello, which was responded by unintelligible whisper. Iron looked at the other two ponies she was sitting by, silently asking if he did something wrong.

“She’s just shy round new ponies,” Applejack clarified. “She usually works with animals over on the other side of town.” Iron replied with an ‘Ah’ and a nod. He wasn’t around too many pets. The only pet he saw was Philomina, and that was only a few times with Celestia. Rainbow and Iron took the last two seats at the table. As soon as their butts made contact with the chair, Pinkie wizzed by. She dropped two mugs of cider for Iron and Rainbow. Iron took a sip of the cider. ‘I can taste the apples and the alcohol isn’t overpowering. This is some good cider.’ 

The ponies made some small talk about the town and business. Pinkie popped in every so often to give her random two bits. Rarity would talk about fashion while Rainbow would steer the conversation to stunts and the wonderbolts. Fluttershy would, at most, give a nod or a smile. She didn’t feel comfortable opening up in front of a stranger. Applejack finally was able to take her turn with talking about the apple business. She noticed that Iron was on his third mug of apple cider and decided to bring him back into the conversation.

“Ya like the cider?” Applejack said from across the table.

“This is some of the best cider I have ever tasted.” Iron wasn’t a drinker before his mother’s passing. He did have cider every-so-often before then. It wasn’t sweet like the one he was having. It had more of the cough syrup taste to it that Iron wasn’t fond of.

“Well thank ya. Made it muhself,” Applejack replied. She took another gulp of her drink. Iron was going to have another taste himself when he saw Rainbow chugging her fifth mug of cider. She finished with slamming her mug on the table. She let out a loud ‘AHHHHH’ before noticing every pony at the table eyeing her. Even Fluttershy stopped hiding behind her mane to watch the display. Rainbow responded in kind, with a blush.

“What!? I really like cider,” she finished in a mumble. Everypony around the table stared at her before bursting in laughter. Rainbows cheeks brightened and she buried her face into her forelegs. She didn’t come out till Iron gave her a pat on the back. He looked outside a window to check on the time. The moon was on the rise and the stars were shining bright. He decided to call it quits early.

“Well guys it has been fun, but I have to get that forge started so I can work tomorrow.” The ponies responded with a collective ‘Aww.’ “I will see you ponies later.” With a wave Iron was off to his forge. He was a little wobbly, but nothing too serious. ‘Gotta get that forge ready.’ He sighed. ‘This is going to be a long night.’



	

Back in the barn, the party dwindled down to five ponies. The same five ponies that Iron was just sitting with. They were running out of topics to talk about when Rainbow decided to bring up their new friend in town.

“So what do you guys think of Iron?” Rainbow wasn’t sure why she felt the need to bring up Iron, but she did anyway.

“Ah think he’s a hard workin pony and ah can respect that.”

“He is such a handsome stallion. I wouldn’t be surprised if somepony picked him up soon. Hopefully that pony will be me,” Rarity added, flicking her hair. Rainbow felt a flash of jealousy when Rarity said her last bit. ‘Wait? Why am I feeling jealous? So what if she wants to date Iron. I don’t like any stallion like that… Do I?’ While Rainbow was in her trance, Pinkie decided to jump in.

“I think he is super duper fun. He was kinda quiet though… I should throw him a Hey-You-Were-So-Quiet-You-Should-Talk-More-Party!”

“He seemed… nice.” While Fluttershy wouldn’t think bad of anypony she didn’t know,but she doesn’t feel comfortable around stallions that she doesn't know.

Rarity turned towards Rainbow. She noticed Dash’s reaction when she gave her opinion on Iron. She pressed the advantage she had on the pegasus. 

“What do you think of him darling?” Rarity was giving Rainbow an all knowing look. Rainbow shot a defencive look back at Rarity.

“He’s pretty cool. Not as cool as your’s truly though.” Rarity chose a different approach. She leaned forward and supported her head with her forelegs.

“Then how was getting sweaty and dirty at his home? And don’t skip on the details.” Rainbow was in shock. Fluttershy let out a small ‘eep.’ Pinkie looked confused. And Applejack spat out her cider.

“What in tarnation do ya mean ‘gettin sweaty and dirty’!? Rainbow! Ya only knew em for a few hours!” Being the more reserved member of their group, Applejack was steaming mad. This was not something she or Granny would approve of.

Rainbow shot Rarity a glare, which Rarity responded with a smile. 

“I told you we would get dirty and sweaty when helping him start his forge!” Rainbow turned back to Applejack. “I wouldn’t do something like that! I only just met him. E-Even if I wouldn’t mind.” Rarity was able to pick up on the last bit Rainbow mumbled.

“Oh ho! So you do like him.” Rarity was beaming ear to ear. Fluttershy perked up at this news while Pinkie was having her own internal party. Applejack calmed herself a bit, but was still a little peeved that Rainbow would say such a thing. “So, tell us why you like him.” Whether Rarity would admit it or not, she was a sucker for gossip.

Rainbow fiddled with her hooves, trying to figure out why herself. She had seen other stallions before and never felt a thing. She was even angry when she first met him. ‘Why do I like him?’ “I don’t know why. He just makes me feel a bit different. Like I have to impress him.”

“He beat me.” The ponies looked at her in horror. Before any of them could speak up, Rainbow waved her forelegs and finished her thought. “Nonono. Hear me out. He beat me in a contest.” The ponies relaxed a bit hearing it was a contest. 

“But, It was how he did it,” Rainbow started. “First, he beat me in hoof wrestling. Which wouldn’t mean much since I still haven’t always won against you Applejack. But, he didn’t gloat, or rub it in or anything like a normal stallion would do. He just dropped the whole thing like it never happened. 

Then, he was able to give some good comebacks at my jokes. No pony has ever been able to outsmart me with one liners. At least, not without trying to insult me.” 

Rainbow collected herself before moving on. “I don’t know what I feel about him yet.” She turned to Rarity. “I know it is not this love~ that you are always talking about, but… I don’t know.” 

“Sounds like this is your first crush,” said Rarity. 

Rainbow choked up before responding with, “Pffff, I have had plenty of coltfriends. It’s just I haven’t bothered mentioning them.” 

“Really? Like who?” Rarity called Rainbow’s bluff. 

“I… uh… well there was…” Dash was sweating bullets trying to think up names.

“Um… It’s ok Rainbow. I’ve never had a coltfriend either,” Fluttershy threw in. 

“Ugh! Fine! I have never had a coltfriend. Happy? I was too busy being awesome. A coltfriend would just slow me down.” Rainbow crosses her forelegs across her chest with a huff. 

“Oh darling,” Rarity started. “A coltfriend would do anything but slow you down. You see a coltfriend is-” Rarity rambled off into the night with things a coltfriend would do for his marefriend. Most of the things she said brought a slight blush on all the mares around. She went on about how to get a coltfriend, what to do with one, why it is fun to have one, etc. 

While the mares were talking about colts. Iron was shoveling more coal into the fire. He opened a bottle of cider he got before he left Canterlot. He then sat down and let his thoughts roam to the days ahead of him. He had a feeling that those days were going to be long and hard.