Clock Work opened the door to his home, hanging his hat on the nearby coat rack. Another hard day at the workshop had left him drained, but in a good way. Well, as good as one can be after tinkering with a type of clock that he hadn't even completed in the first place. While the design of the Cuckoo Clock, as it has come to be known as, was his own, he didn't deserve full credit. It was his son that managed to get the gears to work in tune with the magic. How a foal with no magic of his own managed to do that baffled Clock. With a light sigh and a shake of his head he banished the thoughts from his mind. He was home now, and it was time to unwind.
He made his way to he living room, finding his wife splayed out upon the couch as she stared at the ceiling. He walked over to her and looked down in confusion. "Is everything alright dear?"
Night smiled up at her husband and rolled her eyes. "More or less. You'll never guess what Spark managed to do today."
"Knowing that colt anything is on the table. Why don't you spare me the twenty questions and tell me what our wonder child managed to accomplish?" Clock answered, sitting on the couch next to her.
Night snorted and snuggled up to her mate. "He brought home a friend from school today, and a filly no less."
Clock blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry, did you just say our introvert son managed to make a fillyfriend?"
Night gently punched the stallion in the side. "Not like that you dolt," she giggled, sitting up. "Just a friend, and a curious one as well. They're both upstairs in his room researching different things."
Clock chuckled as he lifted himself from the couch and made for the stairs. "Another Spark Plug? And in mare form too? It sounds almost too good to be true! I'll go peek in, see what they're up to, and say hello."
Clock made his way up the stairs, wondering what would be in store for him. As a business stallion he knew a good number of the town's residents, so there was a good chance he would know the name of the filly. The thought caused him to chuckle once more. Imagine, his son bringing home mares at the age of five! Maybe it was time for "the talk"? He snorted in amusement as he reached the top of the stairway. Already he could hear the voices of his son and another. It wasn't until he reached the door to Spark's room, however, did he catch what the two were talking about.
"Do you think it tastes good?" Spark asked.
"I don't know, I've never tried it! It sounds yucky, but according to this book it's not uncommon," a sweet voice replied. Clock frowned as he wracked his head for a name. The voice sounded familiar, but he wouldn't know until he saw the filly.
"I don't even know where we could go to get some meat," Spark sighed in annoyance.
Clock's heart stopped for a moment as those words sunk in. His mind conjured a number of images, most of which would no doubt keep him awake tonight. He desperately hoped he was mistaken and they were talking about-
"We could always check the 'marketplace' and try to purchase some."
Clock's eye began to twitch violently. He did not like the way that filly said 'market'. Should he bring his wife up here to help him? Dear Celestia he wasn't ready to have this kind of talk with his son, let alone a strangers filly!
Spark's room was quite for a few moments before the colt spoke up, "Do you think my meat would taste good?"
"Nope!" Clock announced, barging into the room. When Clock entered the room he had expected to see two foals in compromising positions. What he instead found was his son and a white pegasus filly sitting in the middle of room surrounded by a number of open books.
"Hi dad!" Spark called happily, gaining his fathers attention. "I want you to meet a new friend I made today, Lily Flower."
Lily smiled up at Spark's father and gave him a small wave of her hoof. "Hello Mr. Work!"
Clock Work eyed the two children carefully as he returned the filly's greeting, "Hello Lily, it's very nice to meet you."
Spark seemed to notice his father's unease, and he made it known to the older stallion, "Hey, dad? Are you feeling okay? It looks like you're sweating."
Clock rubbed his foreleg against his forehead, feeling the perspiration he had accumulated. He wiped it against his coat before addressing his son, "I-I'm fine, sport. I just heard a bit of your conversation through the door and I was wondering what exactly you were talking about."
Spark grinned up at his dad as he showed him a book he had been reading. "We were researching the different enzymes located within meat and in what ways they help a carnivore or omnivore!"
Clock nodded his head more to himself then to spark as he looked over the book. To say he was relieved would be an understatement, but there was still some cause for alarm. He cleared his throat and posed the next question on his mind, "And... why did you want to try eating meat?"
Spark and Lily exchanged looks before looking back up at Clock. They shrugged in response to his question with Lily taking the role of speaker, "We were just curious as to what meat might taste like. According to a philosopher from one of the books Spark owns, it's ideal to understand that of the enemy if we wish to better understand their way of thinking. Since manticores and timberwolves have been known to eat ponies, they can technically be considered the 'enemy'."
"But timberwolves don't actually have any meat on them, do they?" Spark spoke up, looking to Lily. "They are comprised mostly of bark, right?"
Lily tilted her head in thought. "Do you think there's edible bark in the world?"
"Well," Clock interrupted, "as much fun as that research sounds, I think I'll leave you two to it. Have fun!" He called out as he bolted from the room, closing the door behind him.
Lily watched the stallion leave with a smile before turning to Spark, "Your dad seems nice."
Spark grinned. "Thanks, but he can be a bit weird sometimes. He sure was sweating a lot though for some reason," he added in afterthought.
"Give it to me!" Clock cried out, pushing against Night's body.
"Have you gone mad!? We promised we wouldn't drink after Spark's birth!" Night complained, holding a bottle of wine away from her husband.
"Forget the promise, I need to drink my problems away!" Clock shouted as he pounced his wife in desperation.
The two foals continued their studies for the rest of the day upstairs, unaware of the epic fight for the bottle of booze a floor below.