'Why has luck forsaken me!' I thought as I franticly kicked my locked door in the hope it would at least break open before the mob reaches me. But all I got out of it was a pair of throbbing hind legs and a face full of dirt as my fist kick had send me face first into the ground. After several more attempts I remembered that I reinforced the doors due to my -dangerous contraptions-...
But it was already too late for me to do something about it as I heard somepony clear his throat to gain my attention. "Why hello there Smithy!" I greeted him with a wave of my hoof.
"I have no time for your games Cog, some of the wreckage from your invention landed right into my workshop!" He yelled out in rage as he snorts. "Do you have ANY idea how much that is going to cost me?!"
I tapped my muzzle with my hoof as I thought for a moment. "I'd say quite a lot since you have some expensive equipment." I nodded a few times. "But you should have thought of that when you came here, so I can't say I am to blame." I merely shrugged as he glared molten daggers at me. 'I think I shouldn't have said that...'
"Why you!!!" He roared as he was about to strangle me with his hooves, but he was held back by some of my fellow ponies. Well, -fellow- ponies... They were just as angry for scaring their foals or that some of JM-001 had fallen into their garden. Once Smithy had cooled down a bit he used his hoof to push me against my own door. "You better cough up the bits before I do something.... And no excuses, like last time that you had lost your bits in a freaky shark attack while walking in a forest. I know for sure that sharks can't come on land!"
I clapped my hooves as I held a deadpan look. "Seriously?" I started. "It took you four months to figure that out.... You can't honestly expect me to take you serious if it took you this long to figure it out." Smithy snorted angrily as I could feel him apply more pressure on my ribs, I had to come up with something before he breaks them. Then something came to mind.
"Hey look over there!" I yelled as I pointed into a random direction. "A flying shark! And it looks like his carries a bit pouch with him!" With dumb luck only smithy turned around to look where I pointed at.
It was quite amusing to see him look around like a foal who sees his tail for the first time, so I couldn't help myself but snicker quietly as some of the ponies in the mob joined me. "Hey where is it?" He said. Till realization hit him like a steam engine. "Wait a darn minute....." He quickly turned around but before he could do something I held a small box in my hooves.
"While I -love- to chat with you all, I have new plans to make and create. Ta ta!" I quickly pressed the button as the floor gave way for a pipe that runs under my house and workshop. As quickly as that I fell into the pipe leaving everypony dumbfound. But as I was sliding down the pipe I could hear Smithy cry out my name. But it soon died out as I continued to slide till I reached my secret underground workshop, which isn't much of a secret now.
"Ahh, home sweet home." I said to myself as I landed on the mattress I placed at the very end of the pipe, I've had way to many sore rumps from before there was a mattress. 'So much pain....' I thought to myself as I made my way to my rather lackluster -kitchen-, which consists only from a small fridge to a sink with running water. As I opened the fridge I peeked inside if there was anything edible but sadly nothing was there except for some out of date oats.... yuck. Closing the fridge I sat myself down in my office chair behind a desk filled with blueprints and concept work for possible future inventions.
Shifting through the pile of paper I finally found a book with a green cover. It was my father's -Book of Creations-, which contained some of the early works my father attempted to make.
Flipping through the endless pages I glanced at a picture to my right. On said picture stood a brown stallion together with a white mare holding a little bundle of joy that would grow up to be the worse inventor Equestria had ever know. "Oh, pops. Some wouldn't even believe it if I told them I was your son, the son of Mecho Cog the greatest inventor in the history of inventions!" I picked up a piece of cloth that wasn't stained with oil or grim and cleaned the glass covering the picture.
While I was going through memory lane I failed to notice that a certain pony found her way into my transportation pipes. With a yelp and thud I looked past the wooden frame as I finally noticed who fell into my -not so secret- workshop.
"Oh, thank Celestia you placed a mattress there." The pony in question said as she dusts off her coat and mane.
"Ah, hey Lilly." I waved my hoof at her which she returned with one of her own. "And yes, I had to many sore rumps from using the pipes. And to be honest I'm quite surprised you found your way back here, I thought I hid the button pretty well."
"It wasn't that hard to find. A giant red button next to your doorbell with the text, secret pipe button, is rather hard to miss." She replied as she gently made her way to my desk, clearly avoiding touching anything. I would do the same, some things are rather unstable... Anyway, I placed the picture back on the desk as she looked at me with her rose colored eyes.
I shook my head for a moment as I was clearly not lost in her eyes. "*cough* Then I think I should hide it somewhere else then. But what brings you here? Weren't you busy with the fillies and the colts at the swimming pool?"
"I was yes, but when a certain somepony decided to dive bomb the entire pool some of the pipes were busted, and since you are the only one able to fix them I came here to get you to fix them." She replied with annoyance dripping from her voice. "And above all that, I had to pay for all the ice cream the foals ate while I was busy not letting you drown."
"And with not drowning you mean slapping me in the face with both of your hooves till my cheeks were red and swollen making me unable to talk for a good ten minutes." I retorted
Lilly couldn't help but chuckle sheepishly while running the back of her neck. "I said sorry already you know?" She puffs up her cheeks as she places her rump firmly on the floor.
"I guess you did, and I kind of owe it to you for doing my -stunt- in the pool." Now it was my turn to rub my neck as I released a sigh of defeat. "Fine, I'll get my tools." So I hopped of my chair and went off to gather pluming tools. I was quite sure I need new PVC segments and some length of PVC pipe. It took me a good fifteen minutes to gather everything, I already sent a one and a half meter pipe to the surface along with the needed segments. And on my back hangs my tool belt slash bags too filled with everything I need.
As I approached the elevator I spotted Lilly already waiting inside, but instead of her annoyed frown she held a small smile.
"Well, I got everything I need. The parts have been sent to my above ground workshop."
She merely nodded as I pressed the button for ground level. It didn't take that long, only a minute or so while a catchy tune was playing inside the elevator. 'I need to change that tune, this one always gets stuck in my head....' Not a moment later a *ding* could be heard letting us know we arrived.
"Alright, you know your way out, I need to grab something to eat. My stomach is about to eat itself." I said to her, which she replied with a soft giggle.
"Alright Cog." She nodded as she made her way to the front door while I retrieved a dandelion sandwich from the fridge. "Oh, by the way?" She yelled from the hallway. "I found your keys! They were in this blue basked all along." Now I felt like a complete idiot, I left without my keys, thinking I lost them during my flight with the JM-001. Luck has never been on my side even with such simple things as forgetting keys.
"Erhm... thank you, I guess." I replied to her as I heard the front door open and close. Taking a bite out of my dry sandwich I walked into my other workshop and lifted the bag of pipe segments onto my back along with the PVC pipe. Once they were secure on my back I went through the back of my workshop which is easier since it's much wider than the front door. Eventually I approached Lilly who was still waiting in front of my house.
"Alright, I'm all set. Let's fix some pipes!" I declared as I started to walk towards the pool where all this mess started, as for Lilly? She followed along, and she made sure not to walk in my way while I carry things on my back. She had some bad experiences with stallions and things on their back, which were usually me. So.... yea.
The walk to the pool was rather uneventful as most ponies choose to ignore me, I even recognized some of them from the angry mob. But they ignored me all the same. I couldn't help but release a sigh as I continued my way. Fifteen and a half minutes later we arrived as the closed gate from the public pool. There was a sign on the gate, upon closer inspection it was a 'sorry we're closed' sign used when ponies are doing maintenance on the pump system, much like I am going to do.
"You got the key Lilly?" I asked her as she replied with a small nod using her hoof to unlock the gate allowing me and Lilly entrance to the now empty pool. "Let's get to work."
As I walked to the small wooden shed on the far side of the pool I immediately noticed a large amount of water. "That can't be good." I said to myself as I placed the pipe and segments outside. Unlocking the shed I opened the door only to see something that broke my heart, every pipe and segment was completely busted. Shards of PVC were laying about, while some were stuck in the wood.
"How's everything inside?" Lilly suddenly asked behind me causing me to release a quite unstallion like yelp.
"Don't do that!" I partly yelled back as I placed a hoof on my chest to reduce my heart rate. "And as for how everything is... quite bad. All the pipes are busted and I fear that everything needs to be rebuild." With that news Lilly looked somewhat down, and I honestly can't stand seeing her like that. "But!" I started which caught her attention. "If I start now I might be able to finish it within a day, possibly two."
I was once again taken by surprise as Lilly pulled me in a crushing hug while releasing a very cute squeal. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" She finally released which allowed me to filly my lungs with much needed air, I couldn't help but chuckle as she hops from side to side. It was rather obvious that she wanted to get this pool up and running. "I have an idea, why don't you get started while I make some delicious sandwiches. I'll make your favorite~!" This got my work juices glowing.
"On it!" I gave her a salute as I started my work on the destroyed pipes, removing them was an easy task. Installing the new once was going to be a little tricky, but I have faith in myself and my craftsmanship! All the while humming a song that suddenly popped up in my head. 'Why do I feel like yelling out that I'm an engineer?' I thought to myself but soon dismissed it as I turned my attention back to the job at hoof.
It didn't take long for Lilly to return with a plate filled with sandwiches while I was with my head wrinkled between several pipes. "Cog?" She called into the shed. "I made some sandwiches!"
"Sandwiches?!" I yelled out as I in all my excitement drop a pipe wrench on my muzzle. *Clank!* "Ow, by all that is mighty...." I gently found my way out of the maze of pipes as I used my hoof to hold my nose.
"Oh my, Cog are you ok?" Lilly asked as she places the plate gently on the ground before rushing to my side.
"Yes, yes. I'm fine... I dropped a wrench on my muzzle." I replied as I gently removed my hoof. "Luckily it's not broken, which isn't that surprising since I managed to come out unharmed after that explosion with JM-001." I gently rubbed my muzzle but winches as it stings quite a bit. "Scrap that, it hurts like Tartarus." I sat myself down on my rump as I suddenly felt something rater soft against my muzzle. Much to my surprise Lilly was holding a small handkerchief against my muzzle, this somewhat surprised me but soon dismissed it as something friends do for each other.
While we both were sitting there on the grass in front of the shed things were getting rather awkward, well really awkward. "Erhm, are you done yet?" I asked her as she quickly removes her handkerchief, but taps against my muzzle making me hiss in pain.
"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry. Here let me help you." She offered as she brought her hoof towards my muzzle once more.
"No, no. That's quite alright. It's getting better already!" I quickly said to her which halted her advance to my somewhat injured muzzle. "Let's eat those sandwiches first, I'm starving." She replied with a soft giggle as she grabs the plate with her hooves and brought it to me so I was able to take one. I picked a sandwich from the plate as I took a bite out of it and it was delicious~... no words can describe how good this was.
"By Celestia, this is amazing!" I partly yelled as I devoured the entire sandwich in mere seconds. This of course gained me a soft giggle from Lilly as she too was eating a sandwich of her own.
"Well I'm glad you enjoy it. Now you should have enough energy to finish the job." Her once cute and cuddly persona soon changed to one that I've seen quite a few times. It's her, get stuff done or I will make you swallow your tools for messing this up, persona which is no fun to talk to. So I shot her a quick salute before rushing back to the shed, and of course as my luck has it I trip over the footboard and roll into my pile of parts.
With a groan I pick myself off the ground and got back to work, now my muzzle and my back hurt.... could this day get any worse? I shouldn't have said that.