In the large, but quiet town of Trottingham, there was a little shop. In the shop, was clocks. It was mostly clocks, that is. It was a clock-maker's shop, but the clockmaker was also a tinker, so similar items could be repaired here. The humble clockmaker in question, a bronze unicorn with a straight grey mane and red eyes, was sitting at the front desk, working on a pocket watch with a soft smile and a look of mild concentration. Surprisingly, there were no items made of silver in the shop. None whatsoever.

1859216 Midnight Hail trotted up to the clock-shop, looking around nervously. He had a feeling this town was watching him, although he couldn't understand why. He wrapped his wing tighter around the object it was hiding and gently pushed open the door, slipping inside and then moving to idly browse the wares while he thought

1859543
The stallion looked up and, seeing what he thought was a pretty mare, smiled and spoke in his smooth, moderately deep voice. It was kind and soothing to listen to. "Hello, miss. Is there anything I can help you with?" Perhaps this mare had something in mind that she wanted.

[By the by, his kind of lycanthropy isn't affected by the moon. The longer he goes without transforming, the harder it will be to focus on anything else. He also can control himself during the transformations, but he's ashamed of his curse. He's been around for a good.... 200 years or so.]

1859672
Although Midnight would normally be assaulting the stallion with words, he was far too nervous and distracted to register the words. Instead, he completely ignored the stallion, not by choice but because he was busy debating whether or not he wanted his mysterious item repaired.

1859715
The stallion tilted his head, walking up to the pegasus and placing a gentle hoof on the presumed mare's shoulder. "Miss? are you alright?" He saw a bulge under the pegasus' wing, and he tried just get a little peek of the item. Perhaps this was why the pegasus had come into his shop to begin with.

1859785
"Gah!" Midnight exclaimed, jumping away from the other stallion. He was clearly stressed and nervous.
"Who are you? What do you want?"

1859936
The stallion raised an eyebrow, but he didn't approach any further. "I'm the owner of this shop. The one you are currently standing in. I assume you came in because you require my services?" He motioned to the clocks lining the walls, as well as the one on the front desk he had been working on.

1859970
Midnight took a few breaths to calm down. "Yes, I mean no, I mean... Sorry, it's just... I feel like being followed or something..."
He held out a hoof. "My name is Midnight Hail. I'm look for somepony to help me fix something, but... Well, the thing is, it's a rather unusual commodity.

1860095
The stallion shook Midnight's hoof with a smile. "Just call me Clockwork." He took a few sniffs of the air, smelling the strong stallion pheromones on this pony. With another smile, he said "Well, sir, I'd be happy to help, but you have to actually show me the item first."

1860147 {Actually midnight even smells more like a girl then a guy. He has a lot of estrogen in him}
Midnight nodded, then looked around uncomfortably. "Can we go somewhere a little less public? It would make me feel a lot safer." He said. His wing with the item twitched a bit, and he shot a quick look at it before snapping his attention back to the stallion.

1860174
[He could have seen his genitals.]

Clockwork nodded, waving a hoof towards a door behind the front counter. "Come into my work room, then." The workroom behind the shop was exactly that. A few workbenches and several tools were spread about the spacious room. He pulled out a chair and slid it up to an empty workbench, his magic grabbing a toolbox. "Alright, just set it on the workbench."

1860267
Midnight unfurled his wing, revealing a collar. The collar had a red gemstone embedded in the middle, and a significant magical energy, of evil nature, was swirling around it. "It's not exactly what you seem to be used to, but maybe you can give me a professional opinion?"

1860486
[Sorry, but you have to describe what actually is in need of repairs. If you don't tell me what on the collar needs to be fixed, then Clockwork can't fix it. ]

1860519 {I was hoping he was gonna ask for details on it }

1860486
Clockwork took the collar in his magic, grimacing as he felt the dark magic. "Well... Aside from the rather evil-feeling energy coming from the gemstone, I don't actually see anything wrong with it. What exactly is it supposed to do?" He set the collar on the workbench, looking it over curiously.

1860667
"It's job is too suppress evil energies, such as demonic energy. However, it appears to be either dysfunctional or completely saturated, and I don't know what to do about it." He said. Midnight glanced around nervously again, as if watching for others who could be waiting to hear this information.

1860820
Clockwork nodded and used his magic on the gem, scanning it over carefully. After a minute, he smiled and said "Nothing's wrong with it. The gem is saturated, yes. Ya gotta clean out the filter or change it if you want it to keep working. Now, I think I might have something...." From another tool box, this one carved with arcane symbols, the unicorn had retrieved another gem, similarly shaped to the one in the collar. He popped out the first gem, then put the other one in. The second gem was blank, ready to be used and filled with whatever kind of energy needed. "There you go. New gem to trap evil energy in. I'll have this gem purified by an enchanter, and then I'll return it to you."

1860902
Midnight examined the collar, which started absorbing the excess demon he was emitting almost immediately. He had been using his demon blood too much recently, and had to buy the collar in order to keep the nosy priests off his tail. "Oh good, thank you. I was scared about moving around in public without my c- I mean, um, how much for the new gem? And the purification?"

1860940
Clockwork held up a hoof. "Midnight, you need not tell me anything you're not comfortable with. For the services and the gem together? Eight bits. The gem is very cheap, only about ten for two of them from the local arcane jeweler. If you bring me any blank gems for your collar in the future, I shall replace them for a one bit service." He held out his hoof, wanting to shake on the deal.

1861007
Midnight shook hooves with the unicorn. "That sounds like a good deal. Thank you sir."
Midnight folded the collar under his wing and grabbed some bits that, for some reason, can spontaneously appear in most pony universes, paying Clockwork and turning to make his was out.

1861039
The clockmaker, once Midnight had left, locked the door and put up thr closing sign. It was past closing time, anyway. He made his way down the street, just to a small house by itself. It was very close to the shop, too. He unlocked the door and went inside, then, after drawing all the shades, set his bags down and closed his eyes.

In a matter of seconds, he became twice the size of s normal pony, sprouting thick black fur and having his tsil beckme that of a wolf's tail. Claws jutted from his new paws in place of hooves, and the forepaws even had basic opposable digits. His muzzle elongated slightly and grew a set of sharp wolf teeth. The werepony gave a sigh, resting on his normally oversized, now regular-sized, couch in the living room. He didn't like trnsforming into this beast, but he couldn't go longer than a couple of days without letting the beast out. He curled up on the couch like a dog, his eyes closed. He was determined to get some good sleep. No one would be peeking in the covered windows, anyway, since he had no neighbors on the street corner he lived on.

1861118 {And I'm guessing you want me to happen by?}

1861151
[Yes please. Perhaps he would stay and comfort Clockwork, and eventually they would get all lovey-dovey?]

1861852
As he was walking away from the shop, Midnight realised he didn't know how long purifying the gem would take. On top of that, he didn't have a place to sleep for the night, and the nearest inn was not a pleasant one, if memory served. Always one for practicality, Midnight decided to instead ask if Clockwork had a spare room.
He approached the door and knocked. "Clockwork? Are you there?"

1862995
At the knock to his front door, Clockwork quickly transformed back into his pony self, walking up to the door and opening it just enough to peek out. "Oh! Midnight. Um... Won't you come in?" He slowly opened the door and stood aside to let the pegasus inside. He was still feeling a bit unfocused, his thoughts slightly muddled. He needed to be in his wolf form for a little while for his thoughts to clear up. Staying in it any longer past that would just give a sort of subtle, constant euphoric feeling as time went on.

1863469
Midnight trotted in. "I just wanted to know how long the gem will take to clean out, and if you might have a spare room in your house. I can pay you for it." He said as he looked around the interior, not yet noticing clockwork's unfocusedness.

1864739
The house was humble and sparsely furnished, with the front door opening into a living room, which only had a large couch and a basic tv with a DVD player. The kitchen was also basic, but tidy and well-stocked. His bedroom seemed a little spacious, and his king-size bed was much too big for just one pony. "Well, I still have to get it to a contact of mine, but she can cleanse the gem within a few minutes. You're welcome to sleep on the couch. I have some spare pillows and blankets in a closet." The pony had gone into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, drinking it in an attempt to help himself focus.

1864972
"Thanks" He said. He felt like the stallion was honest enough not to wake up in the middle of the night and stab him, so Midnight went to the closet and procured himself some bedding, throwing it on the couch. He had worn the collar on the way and then taken it off, to remove any leftover demon energy. Now it was tucked safely under his wing.
Midnight placed a quick demon wavelength detection sphere around his makeshift bed, sitting on it and turning towards Clockwork. He might feel safe, but it never hurt to be too careful. "Thank you again; if there's anything I can do for you, feel free to ask and I'll tell you if it's possible.

1865054
[Quick question, can his wavelength detect lycanthropy? I would think he could easily sense it if Clockwork was transformed.]

Clockwork nodded and turned out the lights with his magic. "Good night, Midnight." Once he was in his bedroom, and with the door shut, he transformed back into his wolf form with a sigh of relief. He carefully crawled onto his large bed, then curled up like a wolf or dog would. His unicorn horn was still present, and with a bit of magic, he turned off the light and began sleeping. However, his heavy breathing in this form might wake ponies with sharper hearing...

1865142
{it'll detect any creature that comes near Midnight, passing the sphere's boundary}
Midnight settled in, his unease dimming as time passed and he wasn't attacked. He was slowly nodding off when he realised that something sounded off; Clockwork was breathing very heavily. It could be normal, but Midnight was too much of a survivalist to just fall asleep with overly heavy breathing nearby.
Midnight got up and slowly approached the door, increasing his hearing sensitivity enough to hear a slight growl coming from the room. With amazing dexterity, he pushed open the door. Unfortunately, it squeaked, and Midnight froze.

1865200
The sounds of the heavy breathing remained constant, signifying that Midnight didn't wake Clockwork up. The large werewolf slept on his bed, though he slept restlessly, his wolf-like face contorted into one of sadness. Clockwork was still in control of himself, and if he was awoken, he would not harm Midnight. Though, he didn't know that.

1865310
Midnight gulped, watching the lycan. He knew that they were traditionally a dangerous species, and was debating turning and running for his life. But the lycan seemed fast asleep, and he didn't look like something that was about to jump up and attack. Midnight didn't know how to proceed, but he knew that if he tried to sleep now, he wouldn't be able to. Taking a deep breath, Midnight called out softly.
"Clockwork?" He said, ready to bolt.

1865342
The werewolf's red eyes snapped open, and they stared into Midnight's eyes for a few seconds. Once Clockwork realized what was going on, his pointed ears flattened against his head, and he looked away in shame. He spoke slowly, with some difficulty. His voice was a mix of his normal voice and a wolf's growl. "Hello... Midnight..." It was clearly hard for him to talk in that form. The clockmaker, now twice the size of Midnight, seemed more vulnerable than ever. He was ashamed of himself.

1865441
When Midnight realised he wasn't being attacked, and pushed the door open a bit more. He watched the wolf, taking in the posture and tone of his voice, and realised something was up. "Clockwork... What are you?" He asked. Blunt? Maybe, but Midnight wasn't taking any chances until he felt safe.

1865484
Clockwork placed his paws over his eyes, crying silently as he spoke, softly and slowly. "I... I'm a lycan.... I can control my... transformations.... but I feel a deep urge... to transform.... It gets stronger the longer I... stay a pony......." He was clearly very ashamed of himself and his curse, curling up with the oversized blankets on the bed and staining the large pillows with his tears.

1865541
Midnight felt his heart break. He walked over to the big wolf, hesitating next to the bed before climbing on and sitting next to the lycan. "There there, it's okay. Why are you crying? There's nothing wrong with being a wolfy. I mean, it's not like you go around gobbling ponies up, right?" Midnight said, giving the Lycan a circular rub on the back.

1865608
Clockwork shook his head, sniffling as he felt himself calm down a little bit from the back rub. "N-no... I... I've never killed a... a pony before...." He let out a long, deep sigh, his tears still falling down his cheeks. "I j-just don't want.... to be feared.... I hate being this.... this thing... I've never.... had a reason to like it...." Unconsciously, he had shifted himself a little closer to this kind and sympathetic stallion.

1865680
Midnight slowly wrapped his hooves as far as he could around the big fluffy puppy, which wasn't very far at all. "Oh, you poor thing. I'm not... well, yeah, I guess I was scared at first, but now that I know you're not dangerous, I'm not scared."
'That's a lie..." He thought. 'I am still a little scared, but still...'
"I'm sure if the ponies got to know you first, and then you explained your situation to them, they'd understand."

1866952
Clockwork slowly rolled over, his forepaws placing themselves gently on Midnight's back and holding the stallion to his fluffy chest. "I... If I did... Could you be there?" His eyes were closed, but he could feel and hear and smell Midnight with all his heightened senses, and there was somethign wonderful about having the effeminate stallion snuggled into his thick, warm, fluffy chest fur.

1867003
Midnight sighed and smiled. "I guess I could stick around for a bit." He said as he gave the wolf a hug back. "I'm not sure for how long, but for now I'll help you out."
Midnight let go after a minute. "Alright, come on, it's night time, and I had a long day; I need my sleep.

1867329
Clockwork reluctantly slid his paws away, letting Midnight get back up. "Thank you..." He mumbled as he began falling back asleep, a smile now on his wolfish lips. Perhaps, if Midnight wanted, he and Clockwork could grow into something more than friends. Clockwork didn't get his hopes up, though. He hoped a little, though. Just a little.

1867515
Midnight got up out of the bed and walked out, back to the couch. He settled down, pulling the blankets up and curling up like he always did. In his mind, however, was only one thought.
I hope I know what I've gotten myself into.

1867515 {skip till morning?}

1868689
[Yep.]

When the sun rose, the smell of eggs cooking on a frying pan wafted from the kitchen, all throughout the small house. Clockwork had slept very well, and decided to make Midnight breakfast as a way to say 'thank you'. He was making some scrambled eggs, toast with jelly, and a glass of orang juice. He already had some raw meat for breakfast, bought at the gryphon market a few blocks away.

1870020
Midnight sniffed the air, one of his ears twitching and perking. He yawned, having slept acceptably, and stretched in the bed. After he had gotten out all the kinks, he got up and followed his nose to the kitchen.
"That smells good." He said shyly from the doorway, a slight blush on his face as his tummy rumbled. "Is some of it for me?"

1870200
Clockwork smiled warmly at the pegasus as his magic set the food on the dining table, along with the orange juice, a napkin and a fork. "It's all for you. It's my way of saying 'thank you' for last night. It's... You don't know how much better I felt when I was able to talk to you about it without you running away...." A tear of joy streaked down his cheek as he began cleaning up the stove. The acceptance and friendship of this pegasus had lifted his spirits tremendously.

1870541
Midnight smiled hesitantly and scratched the back of his neck.
"It was nothing, I'm just happy to help." He said bashfully, taking the designated seat at the table. He was about to begin eating when a thought struck him. "What about you? Aren't you eating?"

1873620
Clockwork shook his head, his magic pouring a glass of water for himself. "I already ate, thank you. Today is Sunday, so I have today off. I normally don't do much, since I'm normally alone. Would you like to spend the day with me? We could rent a movie, perhaps." The unicorn was eager to spend more time with his new friend, after not having a friend in a long time.

1873791
Midnight thought about it as he ate. He wasn't in a rush to get anywhere, and it would be a good way to keep a solid roof over his head. Not to mention the fact that it sounded enjoyable.
"Sure, that sounds like fun."

1874162
Clockwork nodded with a big grin, happy to be able to spend more time with his friend. For now, he simply sat down next to Midnight at the table, sipping his glass of water. He had nowhere to be, and nothing better to do. "Thanks again, Midnight. I've had a lot of lonely nights, and you've made me feel much better about myself."