A Morning at the Farrier's (Onto the Pony Planet)
A Morning at the Farrier’s
Admiral Biscuit
Peachy Sweet pushed the covers off herself and rolled out of bed before the rooster had even finished crowing. She leaned back and gave Red Delicious a brief nuzzle; as usual, he made no reply, so she headed downstairs to begin the day.
Getting the fire up in the stove was her first order of business, followed by a trip to the outhouse, and then a seat in front of her vanity to coax her mane into order.
Once she'd finished making breakfast, she went back upstairs and unceremoniously yanked the covers off Red. He was curled up with her pillow nestled in his forehooves, and she briefly toyed with the idea of getting back in bed, but it was going to be a busy day and there was no time to dilly-dally.
She poked at his withers until her finally cracked an eye open. While he was transitioning from horizontal to vertical, she pulled back the curtains to let in the pre-dawn light. Once she was sure he wasn't going to wimp out and climb back into bed, she went outside to feed the chickens.
He was in the kitchen gnawing a thick slice of buttered bread when she came back in. An empty coffee cup stood by his left hoof. As soon as he saw her, he pushed the rest of the bread into his mouth and walked beside her to the barn, chewing in silence as he went.
She helped him into his harness, hitched him to their farm wagon, and then struggled into her own farm baskets. Once she had them positioned, Peachy let him reach under her belly to tighten her girth strap, then the pair of them went out into the south field.
By the time the sun finally made it above the trees, they were hard at work. He dragged the plow through the untilled earth, and she followed behind, putting the rocks that it turned up into her baskets. Every second furrow, he'd get a drink of water while she emptied her bags into the wagon.
It was plainly obvious that this field wouldn't be ready for a spring crop, but they could plant some good root vegetables in the summer and have plenty of food for the winter.
• • •
They'd made a quarter acre of progress by midmorning. It didn't seem like a lot, but only one moon before, the land had been nothing but scrub brush and weeds and tree stumps. She and Red hoofed the plow into the back of the wagon and brought them back to the barn.
They got out of harness, then took turns with the hose, rinsing off the sweat and mud, which—along with rocks—often seemed to be the major harvest of their farm.
Peachy combed her mane into a pair of pigtails and clipped a ribbon on each. She kept a mirror and a small collection of beauty supplies in the barn, to save time. “Need anything from town?”
“Nope. Have fun.”
She stuck out her tongue at him. “I'll be walking funny the rest of the day.”
“Yup.” He stretched forward and kissed her. “Love ya.”
“Love ya too.” Peachy flicked him with her tail on her way out of the barn, and gave him one more wave when she was at the gate.
• • •
She was the first of her band of friends to arrive at Sugarcube Corner, much to her surprise. She bought a cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee and carried them over to her usual corner booth, picking a spot on the bench where she could both watch the door and look out the window.
She was halfway done with her cinnamon roll when Lavender Fritter came in. Rather than order any food, Lavender came straight over and slid in beside Peachy. The two mares nuzzled each other affectionately.
“I saw Caramel in town already,” Lavender said. “So he'll be here soon. Haven't seen Apple Leaves since she left to take Apple Crumble and Apple Mint to school.”
“You smell like bread.”
“Spent all morning baking. Do you want a loaf?”
“Sure. Can I come over this afternoon?”
Lavender nodded. “I've got some extra eggs, too. If you want any.”
“I've got rocks.” Peachy sighed. “Do you need any rocks?”
“South field?”
“South field. Are you getting anything to eat?”
“Nah.” She rubbed her belly. “Always get butterflies before, y'know?”
“I don't.”
The two mares looked up at the newcomer—Apple Leaves set a tray on the table and dropped into the chair across from them. “Find it kind of relaxing, actually.”
“Anything that takes you away from your brood is relaxing.” Peachy ran her eyes over the contents of the tray. “You aren't pregnant again, are you?”
She shook her head. “Don't think so.”
“You'd be the one to know,” Lavender said. “I hope Caramel gets here soon. I hate waiting.”
“He's probably putting it off, like a scared little foal.”
“Nope, there he is.” Apple Leaves waved a hoof at him. Peachy took the opportunity to finish her cinnamon roll.
“Sorry,” Caramel said. “I had to muck out the hog pen this morning for Miss Applejack.”
Peachy frowned. “I hope you washed your hooves when you were done.”
“That's what took so long.” He scrunched up his muzzle. “Of all the things I could have been doing this morning. . . .”
Without bothering to ask his permission, Apple Leaves picked up a forehoof and scrutinized it.
Carmel rolled his eyes. “I got it all, mom,” he muttered.
“Just making sure.” She set his hoof back down and looked brightly at the other two mares. “Are you ready?”
• • •
Shoeshine had been up since the wee hours of the morning. It was her busy season: planting season. Her business ramped up right before Winter Wrap-Up, when all the farmers came in for their first spring shoeing, and it didn't taper off for two months. She was well into the second surge—some of the heavier stallions like Big Mac wore out a set of shoes in a month.
She'd gotten the forge started right after she got up, before she’d even used the little fillies’ room. Her breakfast was eggs and toast, cooked right on the forge, along with a pot of coffee to keep her going through the day.
Covering a yawn, she began pulling out her equipment while the eggs sizzled in the pan. She had a full day's work ahead of her, and she was already looking forward to spending a little bit of her profit at the spa after dinner. One of her hooves was throbbing, probably from the rush of work she’d had lately.
She scooped the two fried eggs onto thick pieces of toast and carried the plate over to her counter, where she glanced down at the wrinkled paper which made up her schedule—Apple Honey was kind enough to give her scraps that wouldn't go through her spirit duplicator in exchange for free farrier work. She'd even bargained for free copies of the paper for her customers who could read.
She skimmed over the list of cutie marks she'd drawn on her schedule. It was going to be a full day, that was for sure. During lunch, she'd have to trot over to the train station and see if the brass shoes for Lightning Bolt had come in yet—just another thing to add to her day.
After dusting the crumbs off the counter and returning the plate to her kitchen, she went over to her boxes of used shoes. She started her day by pulling out Pinkie's last pair—the baker went through shoes almost as quickly as Big Mac—and grabbed a new set of flat general-purpose shoes out of their shipping box. Starting with the left forehoof, she expertly began matching the new shoes to the old.
She'd learned that from her master, back when she was a green-hooved apprentice. After a shoeing, keep the old, in case one gets thrown, and to save time on the next shoeing. They wouldn't be perfect, but they'd be close enough that a few more taps on the anvil would set them right, and she could work more efficiently.
She knocked a toe-clip into each one as she worked. This was where it paid to know her customers. Unicorns didn't like them, and try as she might, she could never convince any to try a set. But toe-clips made her job easier—they helped her set the shoe properly—and most earth ponies were pragmatic enough to want to spend as little time as possible being shod.
• • •
It's days like these that I'm glad I'm prepared. Shoeshine marked two tallies in her ledger book as Comet Tail and Cherry Berry headed out of her shop, each sporting a new set of shoes: steel with threaded caulks for Cherry, and bronze for Comet. As usual, she'd had to do some extra filing on one of Cherry's hooves: she'd badly broken her coffin bone and split her hoof as a filly, and it had never healed quite right. A little bit of extra work relieved the pressure on her pastern joint—Shoeshine knew how to get the angle on her hoof just right, but it had taken a winter's worth of going shoeless, with weekly filings until she'd found the sweet spot.
She'd just finished tidying up when the bell over the door rang, and four members of the extended Apple clan walked in.
"Good morning," she said cheerfully. "The usual for everypony, I hope?"
"I'd like to try a set of brass shoes this time," Lavender Fritter said.
Shoeshine's ears fell. "Really?"
"No, not really." She lifted up a forehoof and wiggled it around. "Nails are working loose again."
"You've just got lousy hooves." Shoeshine moved back and gave Lavender room to stand by the tools. It was true: even without knowing her ancestors, she was sure Lavender had a pegasus or two in her family tree. Her hooves were notoriously soft, and her shoes were constantly working loose. Shoeshine and the Spa Twins had experimented over the years with an assortment of hoof products, but none of them made much difference.
Still, it could be worse—at least she was coming in with all four shoes this time.
Unlike most of the farmponies that Shoeshine shod, Lavender Fritter only ever got simple flat shoes. Anything else would leave her with sore hooves.
Shoeshine got to work as soon as Lavender rested her leg on the stand. She brushed the small amount of dirt off, then used a small wedge and her hammer to fold the tips of the nails straight again, so that she could pull them out.
Then she took a pair of pliers and gently rocked the shoe loose. She dumped the nails out of it into a waste bucket, and hooked the old shoe over the edge of her tool bucket.
She picked up her hoof knife and began trimming the edges of Lavender’s hoof. "How's the homestead?" Shoeshine muttered around the knife in her mouth.
"Good. My sisters and I are gonna put in a chicken coop, so we can trade eggs at market." She winced as Shoeshine trimmed down the front of her frog. "We also bought a couple of patent beehives from Apple Honey this spring, 'cause everypony in town says that they make the bees happier and more productive."
"Mm-hm." Shoeshine set the knife in her toolbox and picked up a flat file. "How's the leg feel? Any pain?"
"Nope."
“That’s good.” Shoeshine leaned in with the file and started working around the edge of the farmmare’s hoof, eyeballing it for the proper taper. When she was satisfied that she was close, she picked up one of the new shoes for a test fitting, centering the clip right at the point of Lavender’s toe.
• • •
Shoeshine breathed a sigh of relief as she finished the last of Lavender's shoes. When ponies came in in groups, she always liked to start with the toughest first. Her master had been the opposite way, preferring to start easy, and put off the tough ones as long as he could.
Foals are the worst, she thought. Experienced mares like Apple Leaves made sure their foals got their first set after the fall harvest, but a lot of ponies waited for the springtime, adding them into the rush of other work. Shoe selection took a while, and for a first shoeing, she had to make a new set.
Pegasi weren't much better. Too many of them didn't like having their hooves touched, and waited until they were actually in pain before they'd consent to being shod.
Lavender Fritter took a lap of the shop, testing out the fit of her new shoes. Shoeshine watched her intently, making certain that she was walking well.
“Looking good,” Apple Leaves commented.
“Feels funny.” Lavender Fritter pulled up her foreleg and shook her hoof. “Never can get used to it.”
“Who’s next?” Shoeshine asked.
Peachy and Apple Leaves exchanged a look, then without a word, Peachy stepped forward and set her leg on the stand. Shoeshine grabbed a box of new shoes in her mouth and went over to the farmer.
“You okay, ‘Shine? You’re limping a little bit.”
“I’m running my hooves off,” she admitted. “Seems like more ponies than usual for this time of year.”
“Should go to the spa,” Lavender suggested. “Soak in one of the tubs after work and let Aloe and Lotus pamper you.”
“That’s my plan. Plus, I’ll get a chance to rest up over the weekend.” She leaned in and clipped off the first of Peachy’s shoes. “I don’t see why you want to wear shoes—your hooves are made of iron.”
“So are the rocks in the south field.”
“At least it’s not a pigpen.”
“So that’s what I’ve been smelling. I thought your breakfast just hadn’t sat right.” Shoeshine pulled out her rasp and started in on Peachy’s forehoof.
“They’re clean,” Apple Leaves insisted. “I checked myself.”
“Yeah,” Caramel said defensively. “Hey, is that this week’s Ponyville Express?”
Shoeshine nodded absently. “Got it from Apple Honey yesterday.”
“There’s a whole article about the trial in it,” Peachy said. “I read it yesterday; Red got a paper when he was in town. Oh, and there was a story about how side-backer harnesses are better than D-ring harnesses.”
“Bah.” Caramel picked up the paper. “I’ve been using a D-ring for years. Had to borrow my cousin’s side-backer once, and it was terrible. None of the straps felt right, and I thought I was going to get tangled up every time I turned a corner.”
“At least it’s not a breastcollar.” Lavender Fritter touched a hoof to her brisket. “It’s so hard to breathe in one of those.” She looked over at the newspaper. “I heard about the trial—my sister said that there were all sorts of guardsponies and newspaper reporters in town. Said that even Princess Luna came.”
“She was the judge, wasn’t she?” Apple Leaves leaned in to look at the paper. “That’s what I heard. Carrot Top told me, and she’d heard it from Applejack, who’d heard it from Twilight so it must be true.”
“Surprised she didn’t hear it from her coltfriend, as often as he’s at the mayor’s office.”
“What does it say?” Apple Leaves pushed in beside Caramel. “If you’re not gonna tell us, I’m going to read it myself.”
“I’m not moving.”
“Yes you are.” She shoved him over a bit more and leaned down.
• • •
“I was always in favor of the embassy,” Apple Leaves said, obligingly lifting her leg onto the stand. “Even if it means having some dumb noble ponies in town every now and then.”
“Stop moving so much,” Shoeshine instructed. “I won’t be able to file your hooves right if you’re flailing them around.”
Apple Leaves looked back at the farrier. “Sorry.”
“Noble ponies aren’t so bad,” Lavender Fritter said. “Fancy Pants is nice.”
“They’re not all like him,” Peachy reminded her. “I heard that one of them picked a fight with Derpy right out in the middle of the street.”
“How come?”
“I dunno. Just ‘cause unicorns don’t like pegasi, I guess.” She shifted on her hooves. “Still feels weird. Anyway, are there gonna be other species coming here too? Like that griffon who came to the first meeting.”
“There was no griffon there.”
“Was so. He was all the way in the back. Daisy Jo saw him.”
“Cows lie about stuff all the time,” Caramel protested. “The mayor wouldn’t let a griffon in town after that one . . . oh, what was her name? Grizelda?”
“I don’t think she ever banned griffons from coming to town. I don’t think she could.”
“Why not, she’s the mayor.”
“Probably an ambassador griffon would be nicer than Gilda was,” Peachy said. “Plus, wouldn’t it be neat to have all sorts of other ambassadors coming to Ponyville? Maybe even minotaurs—I bet there will be minotaurs. Dale looks like a minotaur, kind of. They’re probably related.”
“The newspaper hasn’t said,” Apple Leaves told her. “But he kinda looked like it from when he was on stage, and Ka-th-rin was almost as tall as he was.”
“I hope she’s getting better.” Lavender Fritter looked out the window. “Hey, does anypony know who that green pegasus is?”
Caramel stuck his muzzle to the glass. “I’ve seen her before.” He turned his head to follow her flight as she circled over the street and then finally alighted on a lifting beam. “She came to town the same time as all the university ponies, didn’t she?”
“She doesn’t look like a university pony,” Lavender said. “They’re all unicorns anyway, aren’t they? I saw a bunch of them at the Prancing Pony a while back. One of them was tall and skinny like Fancy Pants’s wife.”
“Weird, it looks like she’s watching for something in the street.” Caramel wiped a bit of condensation from his breath off the glass and then stuck his muzzle back to the window.
“Hey.” Lavender nudged him with a hoof. “It’s your turn.”
“Really?” He turned back to see the vacant spot in the middle of the room.
“Really. I only ever get my hind hooves done, remember? So it goes quicker.” Apple Leaves flashed him a bare forehoof. “Shoeshine, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I could wait and get shoes later,” Caramel offered. “Give you some time to rest up.”
“I’m fine. I’ll go to the spa tonight, soak in the tub for a little bit, and that’s all I need. Besides, I’m not changing my schedule just because you don’t want to get shod. It’s now or you wait half a moon.”
“Yeah, don’t be a wimp.” Lavender pushed him towards the center of the room. “We’ll go outside and see what that pegasus is up to.”
“Maybe she’s a thatcher,” Peachy suggested, pushing the front door open and motioning for Apple Leaves to pass.
“Could be.” Apple Leaves looked up at the pegasus and gave a tentative wave. “I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”
“Could be a burglar.”
“You read too many novels. They’re bad for your brain.” Lavender Fritter pushed Peachy out the door and then closed it behind them. “It’s probably another reporter; the whole town was lousy with them during the trial. Amazing anything got done at all.”
“What’s she reporting, then?” Apple Leaves looked down the street. “There isn’t anything going on.”
“Who knows?” Peachy glanced back up at her, then turned towards the window of the farrier shop. “They like to do all sorts of background stuff sometimes. I read an article in the Canterlot Times once that spent as much time setting up what the Nobles’ Court looked like as it actually did talking about what they were doing. ‘Course, since they don’t ever do anything but sit on their butts and talk about unicorn stuff, there wasn’t much to write about.”
“How come you were reading the Canterlot Times?”
“Um. . . “
“Trying to impress a stallion, I bet.” Apple Leaves turned to the window and began to study her reflection. “Does my mane look okay?”
“She hasn’t got a camera.”
“Who’s to say that there isn’t a photographer travelling with her? Big-town newspapers like pictures.”
“It looks fine.” Peachy wrinkled her muzzle. “That’s weird. Something—can you smell that?”
“Probably just Caramel.”
“He got all the pig sh—stuff out of his hooves. I looked. Believe me, I know a thing or two about it. You’d be amazed what foals will walk through.”
“It’s not coming from inside,” Peachy decided. “I think—“ She turned her head, and the other girls followed her motion.
All three of them spotted Dale nearly simultaneously. Lavender Fritter reflexively lifted her tail in case she needed to get rid of her morning coffee before galloping off, Apple Leaves took a step back, away from the possible danger, and Peachy Sweet stepped sideways, giving herself a bit of distance from the other two. None of them were particularly conscious of this; they kept their eyes and ears forward, trying to gauge what Dale might do.
When he didn’t immediately charge them, Apple Leaves glanced over at her companions, then without another word ducked into the store, to warn Caramel. Lavender Fritter dropped her tail back down and took an uncertain step forward. The mayor said that he was friendly, didn’t she? She wouldn’t have said that if it wasn’t true, and he wouldn’t have helped out Lyra if he was a monster. Her nostrils flared as she tried to pick up some clues from his scent.
“Hi, girls!” She turned an ear towards Lyra’s voice—she’d been so focused on Dale, she hadn’t even noticed that the unicorn was there. “We were tired of being inside, so Dale and I thought we should go for a walk around town.”
“Um, good morning.” Lavender swivelled her ears back at the sound of his voice. She’d heard Dale speak before, and he wasn’t very easy to understand. At the meeting, his voice had been too low to hear clearly, and it wasn’t any different now. “How are you?”
“Er, yes. Getting new shoes,” she said, then glanced over at Peachy for support.
Dale turned to Lyra and put his hand to his mouth; even so, they could both hear him slowly say, “What did she say?”
“He hasn’t got very good ears,” Peachy mouthed, and then the two mares both covered a giggle.
Once their moment of mirth had subsided, Lavender tilted her head towards the farrier’s shop. Peachy got the message and headed inside, while Lavender started walking down the street towards Dale. She didn’t want to shout; that wasn’t very polite. “Good morning, Dale,” she said slowly. “I saw you at the town meeting. I’m Lavender Fritter. It’s nice to see you out.”
“Thanks,” he replied. He glanced over at Lyra, as if to confirm that he’d said the right thing, then looked back at her. Unsure of what he might do next, Lavender Fritter stopped a reasonable distance from him and took a quick look at her surroundings. Lyra was right next to him and would probably keep him in line; besides that, there was a guard behind them, trying to remain somewhat unobtrusive and failing miserably.
He took a half-step, then crouched down, extending his hand out towards her at just below muzzle height. She guessed that that was his version of a hoofbump and moved in to greet him politely.
She extended out a freshly-shod hoof and lightly bumped his knuckles. He dropped his arm and spoke again. “May I know your friends?”
Her ears pinned back instantly.
“Meet,” Lyra hastily amended. “Meet your friends.”
“I have only spoken for a week,” he confessed. “My language is not good.”
Apple Leaves would be better at this: he behaves like a foal. “It’s okay,” she reassured him. “You’re doing better than you did at the town meeting.” That much was true. It was a marginal improvement, but she could at least understand most of what he said. “Yes, my friends would like to meet you.”
She was reasonably confident he wouldn’t do anything, but she kept her ears on him anyway as she walked back to the shop. As she pushed the door open, she heard Lyra tell him to wait outside—she hadn’t considered that he might follow her in.
The ponies in the shop looked at her intently as she entered.
“He wants to meet all of us,” Lavender said eagerly.
“Really?”
“I can’t—“
“We can go outside,” Apple Leaves decided. “That’s best.”
“What if he comes inside?”
“‘Shine’ll hit him with her hammer, won’t she? You’ll be fine, Caramel.”
“I told you I should wait to get shod.” He swished his tail, catching Shoeshine in the face. “If you’d have looked down the street you’d have seen him coming in time.”
“The mayor said he’s okay,” Peachy said. “Twilight Sparkle said so, too, and I hear she’s been over at the embassy a bunch. She even was at the trial, speaking for him.”
“Come on, girls!” Lavender shoved the door open again. “Let’s not keep him waiting.” She stepped back out, her two friends following.
The three fanned out slightly, studying him.
“Good morning,” he said, giving a little wave of his hand again. “I am Dale.”
Apple Leaves reached out her hoof first. “Apple Leaves,” she said, bumping his extended hand.
“Peachy Sweet.” She also bumped his fist lightly,
“I am happy to kn—to meet you. Can I come inside? I would like to see what is inside.”
Peachy Sweet immediately shook her head. The last thing poor Caramel needed was to have Dale intrude on him when he was trapped mid-shoeing. She barely registered the nod from Lavender Fritter.
Dale turned away from them and leaned down towards Lyra, and the three mares put their heads together.
“The mayor said we were supposed to show him around,” Lavender insisted.
“But what about—“
“He’s a grown stallion. Anyway, what can Dale do if Lyra’s right there? She could put him flat on his back in an instant.”
“Caramel’s still gonna be edgy. He’s sensitive, you know. What if he panics?”
“He won’t panic,” Apple Leaves said. “I can comfort him.“
“He’s an adult,” Lavender insisted. “He shouldn't need mothering.”
Peachy sighed. “Okay, but I still think it’s a dumb idea. What if Dale gets the idea it’s okay to go in the spa or the hospital or something?”
“He’s been at the hospital.” Lavender reminded her. “If he’s got any sense at all, he’s scared of Redheart.”
“She’s pretty scary sometimes,” Peachy agreed. “Remember that time you tried to hit on Dr. Stable?”
“Unfortunately.” Lavender absently rubbed her hoof across her shoulder. “Alright, let’s tell him.”
“Let me get inside,” Apple Leaves said. “Give me a moment to tell Caramel, so he doesn’t try to bolt right away and hurt himself. Applejack’d never forgive me if I got one of her farmhooves injured.”
Lavender and Peachy nodded, and let Apple Leaves slip back inside. Dale, they noticed, was still talking with Lyra.
He looked up a moment later, and saw the two of them standing sentry by the door. “You can come in,” Lavender Fritter told him as she pushed the door open. To make sure he got the idea, Peachy went through, and then Lavender followed.
She stood out of the way of the door to give him enough space to enter. He hesitated as he crossed the threshold, and Lyra nearly ran into him.
His eyes went all around the room, cataloging what he saw. She tried to imagine it from his perspective, but she couldn’t wrap her head around how the room might appear to him. In her mind, it was a necessary feature of the town: not her favorite place to visit, but at the same time familiar.
Her mother had brought her here for the first time just after she’d gotten her cutie mark, and she’d suffered through the indignity of having her hooves abused, first with a file and then with nails. She’d tried her best to be brave, but through most of the process, she’d whimpered into her mother’s coat, dimly aware that this was one of the terrible costs of growing up.
She’d limped out of the shop, her hooves heavy, and they’d gone to get ice cream.
By the time her younger sister had been shod, she’d become numb to the process. It was just something that had to be done. She still didn’t like it, but accepted it.
True to her word, Apple Leaves had put herself between Dale and Caramel. The stallion had his head resting on her back in a clear position of defensive submission. Shoeshine, meanwhile, was doing her best to ignore Dale, but her movements weren’t as sure and practiced as usual. She’d moved around behind him where she could keep an eye on the alien, which was hampering her normal rhythm.
For his part, once he’d gotten his first look around the shop, Dale settled against a wall, clearly trying to be as out-of-the way as possible. Lavender casually moved to where she was flanking him, just in case he wound up trying anything funny.
Her position didn’t go unnoticed by Shoeshine, who shifted around to a more natural posture as she finished her work on Caramel’s hoof.
Lavender turned her ears back to Dale as he spoke. His voice was soft; the tone made her relax just a bit. She could hear a note of curiosity in his words as he asked Lyra about the display at the front counter.
And Lyra replied like she was speaking to a colt. It was hard to imagine how she had the patience for it. Lavender didn’t have any foals of her own, but then neither did Lyra. This was a side of the unicorn which she’d never imagined existed. It was common knowledge around town that Lyra was impulsive, which made it hard to square her relationship with the acerbic confectioner—this filled in a few of the pieces. She’d scoffed at the idea that Lyra was a grandmaster, having never seen any proof of the unicorn’s patience, but here it was.
The mood in the shop lightened measurably as Shoeshine lifted Caramel’s leg off the stand and set it back on the floor. Apple Leaves moved away to give him room, and headed for the door. Caramel nodded his head politely at Dale, then followed her out.
Lavender waited until Peachy had left as well, then gave Dale a friendly wave and went to join her friends.
• • •
Shoeshine watched her customers leave, unfortunately not followed by Dale and Lyra. She gave a dissatisfied snort—if they stuck around too long, she wouldn't have time to go down to the train station and check on the shoes she'd ordered for Lightning Bolt.
Then her ears perked up—maybe he needed shoes! It would have to be custom work, but she'd heard from other ponies that the Crown was paying all expenses.
“Let me put my tools away,” she told him.
He didn't reply, so she set to work putting her kit back in the tool-bucket. It really wasn't the most convenient thing for the shop, but sometimes she had to make house calls, and it was just easier to to keep everything in one place. There was nothing worse than walking all the way out to a pony's house and then discovering that she'd left her nippers back at the shop.
If she was rich, she'd have two sets of tools, like some of the farriers in Manehattan did. She had bought a second anvil, just to save her the effort of loading it into her wagon every time she made a house call.
With everything squared away, she looked back at Dale. He was studying the rows of boxes she kept on shelves like a filly at the window of a candy store.
She took the opportunity to examine his feet. Unfortunately, they looked soft and flexible, just like his forepaws. Shoeshine could see the flesh shifting around as he adjusted his weight, and realized that there was nothing she could offer him.
When she looked back up, he was looking down at her curiously. “I can't fit shoes for you,” she explained. “Sorry. Maybe the cobbler can make you some kind of hoof boot.”
I remember when she first set up a stall in the market, I thought she was going to take all my business. A few unicorns had jumped on the idea of wearing hoof boots instead of horseshoes, and for a brief period, Shoeshine had dreaded the day when Earth Ponies—always cautious when it came to adapting to new things—decided that the advantage of being able to change shoes as the need demanded outweighed the higher initial expense.
Luckily, her fears had been unfounded. It only took a few days before word got around that hoof boots could easily get pulled off in mud, and thereafter no farmpony had any interest in them at all. Comet Tail lost three in a hayfield, and only two had ever been rediscovered.
Since then, Welly had been working with a very limited clientele, and while it would still hurt to give up a potential Crown contract, she really didn't begrudge her the bits. Besides, Welly made very nice hoof boots—she'd bought herself a quartet of galoshes for the winter.
“I just came to look. I was . . . I do not know the word?”
“Curious,” Lyra said.
“I am Dale.” He stuck out a clenched fist at her, and she reached up and bumped it lightly, wincing at the brief throb it sent through her hoof. “Shoeshine.”
“Can I look here?”
“Look?” She had a vision of him pulling out boxes and messing up her carefully arranged filing system. She wasn't enough of an artist to do justice to a pony's cutie mark, and a lot of them looked kind of similar, so if things got misfiled, it would take her forever to straighten out.
“At all the things you have here.”
Well, the only way to make sure that he doesn't mess my stuff up is to lead him around myself. “Sure,” she said with more cheer than she actually felt at the prospect. “Follow me.” She bumped him in the hip with her muzzle to make sure that he got the idea—there was no harm in him groping the display shoes, and maybe that would sate his curiosity.
He hunched over and began studying the first shoe on display. It was the basic shoe, just a stamped steel flat with four small cleats for traction.
“You can pick it up,” she advised him. When he didn't immediately take her up on her offer, she pulled it off its peg with her mouth and tilted her head up so that he could take it from her.
Her ears instinctively flattened back as his hand reached down toward her face, and too late she realized what a stupid idea that had been. Then he closed his fingers around it and gently took it from her, and she relaxed slightly.
By the way he was examining it, she thought he had probably never seen a horseshoe before.
Once he was satisfied with that shoe, he hung it back on the hook and picked up the next one, a flat shoe with threaded holes for caulks. That was a popular seller; ponies could get traction when they needed it, but not tear up their floors. For a first-time shoeing, she'd give her customer the tool for screwing in the caulks, but she charged a bit for a replacement wrench if it got lost.
He moved down the counter, examining the different orthopedic shoes she had to offer, as well as the small collection made of exotic metals. Sometimes a traditional shoe would mess up a unicorn's field, so she kept alternates on display. They could try to lift each one with their telekinesis and get an idea how their field would react. Generally, the weaker the unicorn, the more copper she needed in her shoes, but there were exceptions. Likewise, shoeing a pegasus could cause problems; sometimes with the wrong material they lost the ability to move clouds, or would wind up building a static charge in flight, which got painfully dissipated when they landed.
Shoeshine shifted her weight and flicked her eyes over to Lyra. The unicorn was patiently standing there, letting Dale indulge himself.
He finally reached the end of her samples and looked over at her as he put the last shoe back on its peg. I hope he doesn’t want to look at my tools, too. She’d put them behind the counter, but he had seen her do it.
Instead, he nodded to Lyra, then leaned down and extended his hand again, waiting until Shoeshine gave it a gentle rap. Then he walked out of the shop, with the unicorn following him.
Shoeshine dropped down on her haunches once they were gone. She wasn't sure what to think about what had just happened: he'd disrupted her whole lunch, and now Lightning Bolt was going to have to wait another day to get her shoes, unless somepony at the train station though to bring them over. But she'd gotten to see him up close, and he was an interesting creature, even if he didn't wear horseshoes.
• • •
“Well, I never expected a morning spent getting shod to turn out that exciting.”
“Me either.” Peachy brushed her muzzle along Lavender's shoulder. “Just goes to show that you never can tell what's going to happen.”
“I wish we woulda had some kind of warning.” Caramel lowered his head. “Strange creatures shouldn’t be allowed to roam free in town.”
“He had Lyra and a Guard with him.” Apple Leaves took a step closer to him. “And I did warn you.”
“After you'd already decided that he was gonna come in,” he groused.
“Yeah, so?” Lavender grinned. “He's nice and respectful, just like they said at the meeting. Fancy Pants said that we were the friendliest town in all of Equestria. I was almost next to him when he said it.”
Peachy nodded. “That's right. Besides, it's not inconvenient, it's an honor. How many other ponies have got to see him up close?”
“How many other ponies have gotten to hoof-bump him?”
“I knew he was nice. Ambrosia said so. Red told me that she'd told him that, right after she met him in the hospital when she was fixing the wall that was busted.”
“Hey, maybe I could invite him over to my house. The foals would love to meet him.”
“Do you think he's going to go to the school?” Lavender looked at Apple Leaves. “He ought to.”
“Berry Punch told me Miss Cherilee goes over to the embassy a lot,” Caramel said.
“See, she thinks it’s okay too, and she’s really smart. Aren't you going back to Applejack's?”
“Yeah.” Caramel looked up at the town clock. “I told her I'd be back by noon. I ought to get going.”
“I'll walk with you,” Apple Leaves offered. “I've got to pick up Apple Tart. Carrot Top's foalsitting him, which was really nice of her.
“She's not at market today?”
“No, her mom is. Remember, she runs the stand one day a week.”
“Oh, yeah.” Peachy nodded. “Alright, see ya. You too, Caramel.”
“Don't get your new shoes dirty,” Lavender advised, then turned to Peachy. “You wanna come over and get some bread?”
“Sure! Red'll probably be happy to have something different for breakfast tomorrow.”
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Pony planet! <3 I love the worldbuilding you have, and especially what you sneak into casual conversation.
Gotta love the "small country town" ambiance you are creating in Ponyville. There is a very realistic feel to it.
And having another point of view for a scene we already saw is nice considering how limited Dave's interactions with the ponies are.
I especially love this little piece. Lots of folk doesn't really care about the biological differences between the races other than the obvious ones.
I find it interesting that there's still a little bit of tribalism and literal racism in your Equestria. This isn't a bad thing in this case, not only do their "races" have more meaningful differences, it makes them seem more like us a couple centuries ago, which matches their technology. His was a fun chapter, I hope to see more soon.
Speaking of bread, I just had a lovely asiago and rosemary loaf. Home baked and all.
Kinda disappointed Dale didn't toss a shoe, and then try to explain to Lyra and 'Shine that it's a common game where he comes from
?
Side Story!
An interesting look at what a visit to the farrier might be like. I got lots of dentist vibes from this chapter.
Must be true! Gossip and hearsay is a wonderful and horrendous thing. It's amazing how fast is spreads! Its also neat how easily faulty information can distort the truth.
Like this! Although its part of that small town solidarity too. Derpy is one of their own so they're more likely to take her side over the out of town noble.
Deceitful bovines! Or maybe Caramel is just racist.
Well according to the Greeks you're not wrong.
I like the different reactions. Apple is taking the obvious route and putting as much space between her and the 'danger' as possible and Peachy is separating herself from other possible targets. Dunno about Lavender though. Would that make her run faster or something? Regardless sounds a bit gross.
It is sweet how innocent they are.
Not exactly the proper answer there Lavender. Nervous much?
Whats the reason for her reaction? It grammar that important to her or am I missing something?
So the ponies see him as a childlike little boy? Its neat to see how ponies look down and think 'lesser' of something that towers above them. Maybe its due to Dale being in THEIR environment. I wonder how their views of him, and of Kate, will change as they learn more about humans.
Wow, Peachy. How rude. I guess this is the price Dale pays for being in a less cosmopolitan part of Equestria.
He does need shoes but if you start hamming nails into his feet you're gonna have an awkward situation on your hooves.
And something of great value was lost that day. Maybe I am biased but it seems to me like hoof boots are the way of the future. Convenience to choose the boot for the occasion seems like it would be very useful. especially if urbanization takes off in Equestria like it did on earth. Although I'm not sure how one would secure them more easily on a horse.
Caramel you're just cranky because you got new shoes. Also you're a racist, and a bit of a baby. Regardless this does bring up some interesting questions, what exactly is a "strange creature" in his eyes? Will his attitude be reflected in many other ponies? Does it really matter in the long run? Only time will tell.
I missed your OPP stuff and this has done a great job of scratching my itch. Good chapter and lots of nice Pony on Pony interactions.
You have a way, my friend. Through this whole chapter I couldn't help thinking that nothing was happening. And yet I stayed interested throughout in a way that some more 'action-packed' stories can't match.
So, inquiring minds need to know: did Shoeshine make her spa date and find sweet relief?
6994263, a spirit duplicator is essentially the non-electric ancestor of a photocopier.
Poor Perry. First he gets smacked around by Derpy without provocation, and then scuttlebutt claims he attacked her! Poor guy just can't get a break.
Oh god. They still use "know" in the archaic sense, don't they? Awkward.
Clever.
6994263
A primitive copying machine, essentially. They're called "spirit" duplicators because alcohols (aka spirits) were used as the solvent in the inks the duplicators used to print the things they copied.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_duplicator
Twilight could probably use shoes of lead and still have no problems with magic. Kinda makes you wonder what she was embarrassed about showing her hooves to Dale.
Farriers use lead nails to affix the shoes but that blocks magic. Wonder what they would use instead. I bet tin alloys might work.
6994263
A precursor to the photocopier.
3.bp.blogspot.com/_zuns3TuQa2Q/TOMc7x9Cp4I/AAAAAAAADAk/Of95OtE-KyQ/s1600/2-9-2007-17-04-56--charles%257Erichard.jpg
Good chapter but you confused Peachy and Lavender a few times.
Do you mean Peachy?
Peachy had the cinnamon roll.
Peachy and Red's rocky field as described in the beginning.
I have to agree with thew others. A fair bit of worldbuilding amongst other things, really makes it unique.
6994308
Dammit. I'll fix that.
Another cute side story.^^ You continue to make these little bits interesting, don't you?:D
It's always fun seeing what happened on the other side!
Keep going! ;)
6994633
Another great chapter. The little view through another window is really enjoyable. Many of these stories of strangers in a strange place really only show it from the main characters perspective and chapters like this really show what they are missing out on. It is interesting to note that apparently literacy is still not a pony wide thing, though it seem d like every pony in this chapter could. I would love to see if he does get invited to school or to play with her foals. Looking forward to more!
Fitter happier more productive comfortable not drinking too much regular exercise at the gym (3 days a week) getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries at ease
Very flower-trio esque.
"Oh god it's big! And dangerous! My baby! I have to save my baby! Celestia protect us! The horror! The horror!"
<five minutes later>
"Such a nice stallion! We should put him in a small room with all our children! Great idea! I'll go get it organised!"
New head canon: All ponies are bi-polar.
When she said sh'd be walking funny, was that because of the farmwork sh'd just finished or...?
or would wind up building a static charge in flight, which got painfully dissipated when they landed....
I'm sure that Rainbow Dash would consider that a benefit.
6994294
Thank you!
Well, bit of a funny story there. Shoeshine got the deus et machina save. She was supposed to have an abscessed hoof, which got operated on that night. However, due to a minor continuity error in OPP, she actually winds up being just fine. So yeah; a little bit of time soaking in the spa, and she comes out feeling like a new pony.
derpicdn.net/img/2015/1/16/807704/large.png
6994049
Thank you!
6994098
Living in a small country town really helps.
6994224
That's an important thing about the ponies. While humans are mostly the same no matter what the race, ponies are very different, so while it is realistic for the time period, it's also realistic because there are important biological and magical differences between the three tribes. It's one of those things I've been meaning to write a blog post about. One of these days. . . .
6994243
Ooh, sounds good. I used to buy loaves of seven-grain bread from the Meijer bakery. You could tell it was good bread, because a loaf of it weighed about the same as a brick.
6994262
Ponies know that game, too.
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/f/fb/Applejack_tossing_a_horseshoe_S1E13.png
6994287
There are a lot of similarities, really. Especially if you go back a few decades in dental practice.
Sadly, the internet is just the same, but faster.
The second one. Although cows are slightly more reactionary than ponies.
Well, I've seen lots of IRL horses do it when they're considering approaching something new.
Mind you, Lavender wouldn't just pee in the street, but the instinctive reaction of lifting her tail so she could would probably still be there.
They do seem to place great faith in authority figures. If Twilight or the mayor or Princess Celestia says it's okay, than they seem to stop panicking and follow instructions.
She's interpreting 'know' in the Biblical sense, which is a euphemism for 'have sex with.'
Even IRL horses are very attuned to social cues. Dale's behaving very much like a curious foal, while Lyra's acting like an indulgent mother.
Well, there are social rules for where you can go and when and with who. It's all very complicated and situational (and of course Peachy doesn't know that Dale is going to visit the spa later).
Yes and no. We know from canon that they do have boots of various sorts, so they're not opposed to the idea; it's just not practical for a lot of the farmers. It's a reasonable bet that boots are more popular in places like Canterlot.
Basically anything that isn't a pony or other common semi-sapient species (cows, sheep, etc.). So no humans, minotaurs, griffons, dragons that aren't Spike, Zebras, buffalo, yaks, and so on.
Thanks!
6994299
I would argue it wasn't entirely without provocation; he did knock her up.
Yes, they do.
I can't take full credit; that's a fan name.
6994301
Dirt and crud in her hooves, mostly. Think about this: most people wouldn't be likely to present their feet for inspection at the drop of a hat.
Lead nails would be all right, since there's so much other contact area on the shoe.
You know, for all the research I've done on shoeing, it never occurred to me to look up what shoe nails were made of. I just assumed they were steel.
6994311
Thanks!
6994512
6996823 lol Glad that cheered ya up there.^^
6994633
Thank you!
6995297
I love seeing stuff from another view. We've got all these background ponies in the show who we just see reacting to the shenanigans that the Mane 6 get up to, but they have lives of their own, and I think it's interesting to see things from their point of view. That was one of the genius parts of Episode 100, in my mind. Not only did we have all the BG characters, but the scene where they were discussing what the Mane 6 were up to was pure gold.
Shoeshine can't. That's why she was worried about Dale messing up her filing system, and drew cutie marks on her schedule.
He will, eventually. You can't have an alien in town and not invite it to show-and-tell.
6995703
Exactly. Those are the bees who produce the best honey.
(what would a bee gym even look like?)
6995718
Canon implies that they are.
6995917
The shoeing, actually. Think about that time you first wore a new pair of shoes, and now imagine that they're glued to your feet and will stay there until they're worn out, and then a new pair will be glued on.
6996466
Realistically, they would build up a charge. Even cars do sometimes. I've gotten a static shock from my car on more than one occasion.
scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/wp-content/blogs.dir/281/files/2012/04/i-1c04390f9e0be1c62bd5a39a559b9b22-koppetchells2.jpg
Picture this not getting released until a pegasus touched the ground, or some other grounded pony.
6996853 Search and Rescue helicopters have a special static discharge widget they drop into the water first before sending out the basket, because otherwise you could kill the rescue-ee or at least shock the holy (censored) out of them. Same thing for aircraft being fueled, they're always grounded first before you get out the fuel nozzle, or else.
6996976
Some cars and trucks operated in particularly sensitive areas (oil refineries, oil fields, etc.) also have a grounding strap.
6996642
Yay! That means time for Shoeshine snuggles!
(That's an adorable picture of her. Why poni so cute?)
6996846
Ah, of course. It's just that the topic of shoeing hadn't come up yet, and she was talking to a pony she'd shared a bed with, and then there was the tail flick, so... But this is rated T after all.
6996838
Yet, I'm stil not sure, whether you intentionally quoted Radiohead or not.
As for bee gym, they might show one in that Bee Movie ('ve never watched it myself).
6996804
Looks like a little bit of extra text snuck into your comment there.
On the internet being the same but faster, I would argue that it's even worse. At least with small town gossip you have that personal interaction which adds credibility to the information, making retractions of false statements possible (if difficult). With the internet the massive number of people who give credence to facts just due to its popularity (likes, follows,thumbs, ect.) makes discerning what is fact and what is fiction almost impossible at times. The impersonal nature makes it easier to confirm people's original expectations and harder to change their mind. The speed spreads the word much faster and adds all that inertia to statements in such a way that it is impossible to control.
I'd almost forgotten that part. Was she really about to piss herself? That would have been a helluva' way to greet Dale.
What I would give to actually see that happen in front of Dale.
6997422
I often push the "T" tag as hard as I can (Social Bathing was tagged "T," but the mods nixed that rating [for that matter, The Trek to Ice Cream Rock pretty much starts on an implied sex scene]), but in this case is was just the shoeing, nothing more.
6998511
Oh, it was intentional.
I haven't watched Bee Movie either, but have a video of a shrimp on a treadmill:
6999336
Oops.
Yeah, retractions hit a much smaller audience, that's for sure. But, it's really the same process, it just is on a larger scale.
6999922
No, she probably wouldn't have. The first part of the reaction was involuntary (lift tail in order to piss); the second part was not, because just pissing in the street is rude.
It is something I've observed with the semi-feral horses at MSU, though. If there's something new that they feel they need to look at, they'll often empty their bladders or bowels before getting too close, just in case running off in a panic is the right thing to do. (And FWIW, I seem to remember that getting horses to piss on command is one of the keys to having a successful racehorse.)
Dale's already gotten his chance to see a pony's extreme lack of modesty. (CSI Chapter 13)
56.media.tumblr.com/76c08daf9c5c0da54ac6e7b540c47ec8/tumblr_ntt697Mixd1uv5tb8o5_400.png
Yay, an OPP-SS Update!
Seeing the ponies go about their lives with Dale makes me wonder what life without Dale is like back on Earth -- for his and Kate's families, I mean. Does Kate's family blame Dale's? Are Dale's friends defending him or looking for him? Is his face plastered over the TV news networks and internet? Is his reputation and life ruined forever when he returns, even assuming Kate stands up for him. (And does she really have much of a reason to? He DID attack her and get her abducted by aliens, which can't be very endearing, no matter how cutesie-wootsey the aliens are....)