What Changes May Come

by Bluegrass Brooke

You Sure About This?

Author's Note:

Yes! My schedule's finally freeing up, and I can start writing some more. Hazzah! Anywho, I had some difficulty getting started with this chapter, but I think I've managed to accomplish my goals with it. There's still more to come on the Pie meets Cheese arc. I even added a bit of action in this chapter. I know, I know, don't fall out of your chairs with the shock. Anywho, there's that, and I hope you enjoy. Comments are lovely as always.

P.S. Some of the lines from the Cloudy/Limestone dialogue may not make much sense at the moment, but I'm planning on writing a little slice of life/romance one shot to delve into that. Look forward to it!

“Nice to meet you.” Cheese held out a hoof, keeping his usual cheery grin. Ignatius did not take it, but continued to stare dumbstruck at him. Something I said? He noted the state of his own dusty coat, faded poncho, and wide brimmed hat. I suppose I do look kinda suspicious.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too." Cloudy noticed the stallion’s concerned expression, and nudged Igneous pointedly. "Igneous?”

Igneous did not take the hoof. Glancing over the stranger, it was obvious that this Cheese fellow was no run of the mill stallion. He found himself drawn to the ridiculous rubber chicken perched comfortably on the saddle. To top off the freak show, the stranger was draped in a tacky old poncho. Why in Equestria is he wearing that getup? And what kind of name is Cheese Sandwich? That's not a name, that's lunch. "Cheese eh?"

"That's right…" The appraising glare was enough to send a nervous shiver through Cheese’s spine. Please stop staring!

Mercifully, Igneous turned away, sweeping up the dropped stalk. Chewing absent mindedly, he scowled back at him. "What kind of self-respecting ponies name their colt Cheese Sandwich?"

"Dear!" The carefully neutral expression plastered on Cloudy's face shifted to an uncomfortable grimace.

A familiar knot tightened once more around Cheese's heart. He turned to Pinkie, who was shifting uncomfortably beside him, eyes uncertain. It's for Pinkie, Cheese, it's for Pinkie. "Cheese Sandwich isn't my name, it kinda a nickname I go by."

"Hmmm." The chewing intensified, "Don't like nopony who goes around making names up, like your parents didn't give you a perfectly good one already." He leaned in, eyes serious. "What's your real name son?"

"Dad!"

Cheese stared dumbstruck at the stallion. Does it matter? Geeze. Snorting, he stared right back. "Rory, Rory Scribe."

Igneous lifted a hoof, a look of satisfaction breaking free between the sideburns. "Glad to meet you, Rory. Come in."

Rolling his eyes at Pinkie, he took the proffered hoof. "Nice to meet you, sir." Gathering what was left of his courage, he stepped inside the house.

Cheese half expected to see rock themed decorations and grey paint, but was pleasantly surprised. The small room was painted a baby blue and decorated with an assortment of wall quilts, clocks, and finely carved furniture. Though the space held a living room, kitchen, and table, it did not feel crowded at all. The best part for him though, was the comforting smell of warm cinnamon oatmeal.

“I know it’s not much, but we try.”

Cloudy was taken about by a sudden outburst of hopping and the broad smile breaking across the young stallion's face. With a flourish, he placed his poncho, saddlebags, and Boneless 2 next to Pinkie's things. “Not much? It’s one of the nicest houses I’ve ever been in!”

"I like it bunches too, Cheesie. Say, Mom, where's Marble and Limestone?"

"Sleeping, they had a busy day yesterday." Cloudy smiled kindly, as she began to fuss around the pot of oatmeal, filling the worn bowls.

An indignant snort sounded from Igneous as he sat at the table. Busy day my hoof. His attention turned back to the stranger walking around the room with Pinkie. And now I got more to worry about. As his daughter twirled on the hardwood, he noticed the ugly scar in greater detail, carving a path down her beautiful coat. By Celestia that's a nasty scrape. Must have been a lot of blood. Thought she was friends with a Princess. Not much help then, was she? "Sit on down for breakfast Pinkamena."

"Kay!" The energy around the table surprised the older ponies. It could have been Heartswarming Eve the way Pinkie was giggling at them. “Yay! Mom’s oatmeal’s the bestest."

Without another word, they dug into the warm oatmeal. It was easily the best Cheese had ever tasted, and in no time at all, he cleaned the bowl. Cloudy looked at him with interest. "You like oatmeal a lot, do you?

"Uh huh. It's WAAAY better than biscuits or jam, or even those little pastry things."

The small smile on Cloudy's worn face grew just a touch wider. He's just like her. "I'll think you'll be bored of it after a week with us. It's all we have for breakfast."

"Neato." Despite his best efforts to stifle it, he let out a huge yawn. "Sorry, guess I'm a little tired. We've kinda been up all night."

Clucking disapprovingly, Cloudy examined the pair. "Better get some rest. Dear, can the rocks wait until this afternoon?"

"I suppose." Igneous struggled to keep his voice calm. A thousand questions raced in his head, most focused on his daughter's safety and the strange pony invading his home. Steady Igneous, steady. Try as he may to staunch it, a nasty sort of unease threatened to overwhelm him. For a steady pony like himself, it was more than a little disconcerting. He strode over to his daughter, face stern. "You've got a lot of talking to do miss."

Pinkie seemed to deflate a little, and she lowered her head. "Yes sir."

"Bed now, Pinkamena."

Slowly, Pinkie made her way past the ponies, and up the creaky, narrow stairs. After she left, Cheese grew self-conscious at Cloudy and Igneous' questioning stares. Exhaustion had more than set in, but he was not about to argue if they wanted to talk. They’ve' probably got a lot to ask me.

To his surprise, Igneous picked up a thick quilt and handed it over to him. "We can discuss things later, you look dead on your hooves. You okay with the barn? We don't rightly have space in the house."

"Sure." Cheese took it and his belongings, following Igneous through the door and across the brightening farm yard. Each step felt clumsier than the last, and he gratefully entered the barn. It was exceptionally empty by comparison to the Apple family's barn. Most of the space was an assortment of crates, labeled with strange names he could only guess were types of rocks. Blessedly, there was a pile of straw in the corner. It was far from an unwelcome place to sleep. "Thanks."

"Yup. Say-" Igneous glanced at the stallion's strange assortment of belongings, "-I've got some questions for you later. Get some rest, I've got a job for you later."

"Okey dokey, sir. I'll see you." Questions swam in his own mind as he watched Igneous leave. He's nothing like her. Why's he so grouchy anyway? Ah well, we can change that!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"See I told you."

"Okay, okay, you win. So what?" Marble prodded Limestone in the ribs as they peered into the room where their older sister lay fast asleep. They could not help but be astonished. Of all the members of the family, Pinkie would be the last to show up for a visit.

"So, let's ask her what's up." Striding forward confidently, she made her way into the room, only to find her progress halted by Marble's hoof in front of her chest. What the? "Marble? Let me go."

"No, let her sleep. Besides-" Her lilac eyes flashed knowingly at her younger sister, a smirk creasing her pretty face. "-You can't blame anyone for acting weird when you spend all your free time talking to that freak."

Limestone's blue cheeks turned beet red, and she wheeled around to face Marble. "He's not a freak."

"Yeah he is, or you are. Why talk to him in the first place? He can hardly hear you."

That's it missy! "Leave, Stalactite out of this. I mean it."

"Oooh, so threatening." Marble whipped her long, grey mane back and left triumphantly out the room. "Come on, we've got work to do. Besides, I didn't tell you the best part of it."

"Oh what now?"

"I heard Mom and Dad talking when she came home, and guess what?" A mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes.

"What?"

"She brought back a stallion."

"No way. You're making that up, Marble. Pinkie's the last pony who'd-" Limestone paused, recounting Pinkie's last few letters. Her letters have been a little more chipper than normal. "-well, maybe she's finally maturing?"

Marble gave a decided snort as they opened the front door. "As if she'd ever mature past the age of five? It's puppy love Limestone, it'll pass. Come on, let's get going."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Pinkie was not one for serious conversations, in fact, she tended to avoid them like the plague. But now, she was faced with one of the worst situations she could think up. There, standing across from her was her father, face unflinching as the rocks surrounding them. "So, what do you want to ask me, Dad?"

"Hmmm…" The only sound breaking the stillness of the farm was the grinding of Igneous' teeth as he champed on the straw.

Oh no, he's really upset. "Sorry about not telling you about getting hurt."

"That's not it, but it would've been nice to know." He gestured to the barn, and snorted. "I'm more concerned about that stallion."

Whew, is that all? "Oh, Cheesie's really great Dad." Pinkie hopped up and down to emphasize her exuberance. The dark expression on Igneous' face brought her crashing back down again. Pawing the ground, she looked into his eyes. "Sorry I didn't tell you about Cheesie sooner."

"Sorry? Pinkamena, you're going to have to do better than that." He placed a strong hoof on her shoulder, eyes awash with concern. "Girl, did you even bother to think?"

"Think? I was thinking Dad, I'm always thinking. Cheese and I think all the time, about lots of stuff."

He huffed, "Oh really now? Do you even know this Cheese fellow?"

"Of course I do, Dad. He's kind, has a great sense of humor, is a party pony too, and lots of fun to be around. Plus-" She shifted, pawing the dirt uncomfortably. "-I love him, Dad."

"And that's it?"

Her blue eyes shone helplessly into his. "What else should there be?"

"Oh I don't know? What's his history? How's his family? Can you even trust somepony who uses a false name? For all you know, he could be some deranged criminal!"

"Cheese is not some criminal!" She began to shake uncontrollably, mane flattening. What's wrong with him? What's wrong with me? And then it struck her, she was angry. It did not feel at all pleasant, and she bared her teeth, trying to resist the nasty feeling overwhelming her. "Why don't you understand Dad?"

"Understand what?" His own temper was rising now. By Celestia she's dense! "I know his type, the smooth talking stranger who uses mares to get what he wants. Then when he does, he hits the road."

"You don't know him! He loves me Dad, and he wants to stay in Ponyville with me."

"Is that what he told you? Oh, well I'm glad you believe him so easily but can't trust your own father on such matters."

"That's enough!" Tears began to sting her eyes and drip down her muzzle. Her voice came subdued, almost desperate. "Please Dad, give him a chance."

Igneous gulped, staring at his distraught daughter. "Pinkamina, I-" What did I do? "Can't win, can I?" He sighed, chewing hard on the stalk once more. "I guess I'll give him a shot, if it'd please you."

"Really?" Pinkie's mane sprung back, and she hopped around him. "Thank you! Thank you! You won't regret it Dad."

I hope not. Looking out at the field, he noticed Marble and Limestone hard at work. "Listen, Pinkamena, you go out and help your sisters today. I'll work with this stallion of yours to help with a special project."

"Okey dokey." She set off at a bouncy trot, humming an indistinct tune.

"Hold on there, Pinkamena!"

She paused mid-stride to stare back, "Yes, Dad?"

"No funny business, no parties, get straight to work."

"Can do."

The smallest of smiles broke across the stallion's chiseled face. "Good, now get on it girl, sunlight's wasting."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was a good dream, it was filled with giant cupcakes and sandwiches the size of dragons. Well, it would have been better if it had not been broken by a rather large quantity of cold water being dumped on his back. He started to his feet before his mind had pieced together what had happened.

There stood Igneous holding a pail above him, a look of bewilderment on his face. "Well now, that was fast."

"What'd you dump water on me for?" Unceremoniously, he shook most of it from his short coat. "It's fall, I could catch a cold."

"I don't rightly think that'll be a problem." At first he had assumed the stallion to be a scrawny beanpole, but now that he could see the stallion clearly, he had his doubts. The smooth muscles under his coat told a different story entirely. What kind of party pony has muscles like that? "Say, what's your profession anyway?"

"Oh, that's easy. I'm a party pony like Pinkie. In fact-" He started to hop in a disconcertingly similar fashion to Pinkie. "-she's the one that inspired me to become a party pony in the first place."

"Really?" She didn't bother to mention that. Not that I gave her much of a chance to. Igneous sighed, gesturing to the odd arrangement of belongings. "And these?"

"Oh, that's just Boneless 2 and my traveling clothes. Nothing special."

"Right. Are you going to tell me what you do for a living now?" Igneous highly doubted that Ponyville could sustain two party ponies, so he had to have another way of making money. Fight club? Naw, I don't see that, but anything is possible, isn't it?

Cheese cocked his head, green eyes staring hard at Igneous as though he were a two headed cow. "I just did."

A loud slap echoed across the barn as Igneous struck himself hard. "Yes, that's what your cutie mark is, but how do you earn a living in Ponyville?"

"Oh, right now I'm an under carpenter at a firm in Ponyville."

"What?" For the second time that day, the straw dropped from Igneous' mouth. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish, absorbing the information. This kid a carpenter? Who'd hire a loony like him to work dangerous equipment?

Seemingly undeterred by Igneous, Cheese plowed on, rather more excitedly than before. "Yup. That's why I was so excited to meet you. Pinkie says you’re the best carpenter in Nickerlite, and I just had to see for myself. And you sure don't disappoint, everything here is SUPER well made. Isn't it?"

"I try." Igneous' face felt warm, and he turned away. Coughing, he plowed on. "Well, in that case, our project will be all the easier."

"Project?" Cheese's eyes lit up, and he looked ready to explode with anticipation. "What is it?"

The muffled thump of Igneous' bad leg echoed in the barn as he made his way to the door. "We're fixing the rock tumbler. Can't sell quality rocks without it."

"Oh, okay." Following suit, Cheese marked his pace to the older stallion's. Walking through the farm, it seemed apparent that the dismal state of grey was a normal. Rocks were piled up in peculiar formations, and the worst bit was that areas apparently rock-free were often filled with some just below the surface. This made for a comical spectacle where Cheese danced and tripped the whole way.

As they walked, Igneous pondered how to best interrogate the stallion, but got bogged down with still more questions. After what felt like forever, he managed to compose a relatively safe one. "You said Pinkamena inspired you to become a party pony? How?" Immediately, Igneous knew he hit the nail on the head as Cheese danced in a circle around him.

"Well, after I left home, I wondered around for what felt like forever. I was-" He gulped, "-in a dark place. Then, I stumbled into one of her parties." A bright smile stretched across his face as he savored the happy memory. "You should have seen the way she brought everypony together. There was more cheer in that one place than I had known my whole life. From that day, I knew. Knew that if one tiny filly could bring so much joy, why couldn't I? So I vowed from that day on to dedicate myself to making others happy."

Tears were streaming down his muzzle, and he quickly wiped them away. "Sorry, guess I shouldn't be so emotional. It's just that-" He turned to Igneous, eyes serious. "-your daughter means the world to me. The world. And there's nothing and nopony that'll ever change that."

Igneous was at a loss for words, but slowly regained his composure. "I'm glad to hear it. It's the same for me." A darkened, narrow path between two massive piles appeared, and Igneous gestured for Cheese to follow. Cautiously, he agreed.

"Say, what's a rock tumbler anyway?"

A sly sort of grin appeared on Igneous' face. "You'll see."

Why am I not comforted?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Marble! Limestone! Wait up!" Pinkie's hooves practically flew across the uneven ground to her siblings.

Ceasing their cart loading, the pair turned with mild interest. Marble cleared her long mane from her lilac eyes, "Well, if it isn't Pinkie? When were you thinking of joining us? Sundown?"

"Sorry, Marble. I was kinda tired." Why's she always like that? Geeze, it's not a big deal.

"So-" Limestone gave her big sister a bear hug, releasing her after a few snapping sounds warned her of impending damage. "-Dad says you brought back a stallion. Really?"

"Yes, I'd like some details myself." A great thump reverberated around the field as Marble hoisted a massive rock onto the cart. "But, let's work and chat. Shall we?"

"Right." Some ponies may not have appreciated it, but there was quite a lot of horsepower in three Pie sisters working on the farm. They made short work of the stacks, hauling the cart to and from set locations around the fields. To an outsider, it might look ludicrous, but the Pies knew better. For magic only gathered in the right way if the rocks were moved every month. As they worked, Pinkie happily recounted her story of meeting and eventually dating Cheese. After she had finished, she stood expectantly in front of them. "So, that's how it happened. How'd you like it?"

"It was great Pinkie." Limestone gave her big sister another hug, this one considerably dirtier than her last. Releasing her, she wiped the mud off of her face. "It's also super nice having your help with the rocks."

"But why are you two moving them?" Realization dawned on Pinkie's face as her eyes darted from sister to sister. Eventually, they focused on Marble's sculpted column cutie mark and the smooth, small rocks that made up Limestone's. "You're artists, don't you have rocks to shape for the clients?"

"Eh, well you see-" Marble shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Pinkie's gaze. "-the tumbler's broken."

"Yeah, Dad's been too sick to fix it, so we're taking his job moving the rocks. But-" Her amber eyes lit up like stars. "-since you brought a young and healthy stallion here, we'll get it fixed in no time!"

No, NO, NO! There was a great cloud of dust as Pinkie stamped the ground hard. She began to prance anxiously, "Cheesie doesn't know the first thing about it! He'll get squished!-" Her breaths became short and shallow, and her eyes were swimming with worry. "-Why didn't you stop them?"

"Well, it's not like we could take the job. Besides-" A gentle hoof rested on Pinkie's shoulder as Marble smiled up at her. "-Dad'll keep him as safe as he can, Pinkie. Don't worry so much."

She stared helplessly into the distance. "Yeah, you're right. There's nothing we can do now." Please, PLEASE be okay!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………....

Walking had been an integral aspect of Cheese's livelihood for years, but he always had a destination residing in the back of his head. Now, he was following some stallion he hardly knew deeper and deeper into the rock farm going to some strange device known as a rock tumbler. What in Equestria is a rock tumbler? The vague answer Igneous gave seemed to satisfy the older pony, but did nothing to assure him. He was hoping, perhaps wrongly, that it was like those fancy mugs Rarity put coffee in. Igneous' voice started him from his reverie.

"Before we get there kid, there's some stuff you need to know." With more grace than Cheese would have thought possible, the stallion leapt on top of a massive boulder and started to climb. Grudgingly, Cheese followed, grateful for all those years of party pony tricks. Igneous paused to check on his status. "Geeze, kid, what's your problem?"

"These rocks are tall!" Well, that was obvious.

"Of course, we're getting near the river. They're part of the surrounding cliffs." Without another word, he continued walking up the steep path. "What I need to say, is that we'll be entering a dangerous part of the farm."

His hoof slipped on the rocks, "Dangerous?"

"Yup. Lots of ponies have nearly died here. Including Pinkamena."

"Pinkie?" Cheese felt his heart drop into his stomach. "What happened?"

"Well, when she was a filly, she wandered off, ending up here. Nearly fell into the water. And-" Taking a strong stance, he leapt up an even taller rock, wincing with the pain in his leg. "-once you hit it, there's nothing and nopony that can help you. So, be careful string bean."

"Right. But why's it so dangerous? It's just water."

An actual chuckle escaped Igneous then, "You'll see. In fact, we're getting close."

"Uh, good."

Once more, they continued in silence. The path wound this way and that, all uphill, and going who knows where. Cheese began to wonder how Igneous was faring with his broken leg as he watched the stallion wince with every step. "Say, you going to be okay?"

"Huh?"

He gestured pointedly, "Your leg."

"Oh, I'll live. Our livelihood depends on this getting fixed. Besides-" A satisfied smirk stretched his face, all the way to the sideburns. "-we've arrived."

"What?" He opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. There was the strangest noise he had ever heard. It was a low sort of rumbling, like the very earth they stood on was growling at them. To say it was disconcerting was an understatement. "What's that?"

Without a word, he pointed a little further ahead, and started off. As they neared the source of the sound, the rumbling became a cacophonous roar accompanied by strange crescendos of splattering. Cheese winced, trying to stop the tumultuous noise from overwhelming his senses. Finally, Igneous stopped on a tall boulder, looking out silently. Struggling up to join him, Cheese took a look around and felt his jaw drop. "What the…."

In all his years of traveling, Cheese had never seen anything close to the river they now stood over. Sourced from the towering mountain above them, it carved an ugly, jagged path through the very bones of the earth, directly below them. A waterfall cascaded down just in front of their hooves, falling at least four stories before crashing to the lower portion of the river. The unearthly sound of the waterfall was only matched by the sight of hundreds of thousands of gallons being dumped each second. Just below the falls, lay a forest of deadly sharp rocks, all poised to dispose of anything that got too close. And, perched just before the drop was a massive wooden barrel, at least the size of Sugarcube Corner. "What is that?"

"That is the secret to my family's success." Igneous' chest swelled with pride, and he started to walk cautiously down the rocks. The copious amount of spray had soaked the stone, turning it into a deadly ice rink. When they reached the level part just before the river, Igneous drew out a crate from behind the nearest boulder. Opening it, he fished inside, drawing out a strange leather harness. He had to shout at the top of his lungs to be heard, "Put this on, we need to anchor you!"

"Right!" Cheese's heart was racing a mile a minute while he navigated the ridiculously complicated harness, strapping it tight around his chest, body, tail, and legs. The noise was incredible, and he could only imagine what it would be like to get closer. Please let me live!

"You strapped in!?" Checking the younger pony's harness, he proceeded to tighten his own. Looking out at the barrel, he continued. "This here's the best place to tumble rocks in Equestria. We take rocks like we've got in the fields, tumble them, and turn them into smooth, salable rocks. Make Sense?"

"Yup. But why? It's so dangerous."

"I've got to provide for the family. And I'm not letting the mares help me with this one." Igneous sighed, tying their ropes to the anchors held fast in the rocks.

"Why not?"

"Well that's obvious, isn't it?" Slowly, he crept to the water's edge, looking intently at something. There in front of them was a small, wooden pathway with a massive railing on either side. Water was crashing all around it as it moved with the current. Igneous smiled weakly at Cheese. "You see kid, us stallions have got to provide for our mares. It's our job to keep them safe, give them what they need. If that means I've got to stick my neck out to help them every so often, then so be it."

Scrambling, Cheese followed Igneous down the walkway. "Wait! What are we doing?"

"Fixing the turning mechanism, it's broken."

"Mechanism?" The path was more slippery than he could ever have dreamed possible. His heart lurched with every step, and he constantly felt he would slip past the side and over the falls.

"Yup. You go into the barrel, unjam the mechanism, and then get the heck out. I can't stop it from turning for long with the way the currents are today." Igneous halted in front of the barrel, opening a small door. "Just remember to get out quick. Got it? If you don't, you will be smashed to bits, no question about that."

Why me? "Yes, sir, I understand." Feeling as though he was making the most stupid decision of his life, Cheese crept into the barrel. To his surprise, the slotted sides allowed a good amount of light to penetrate the inside. Unfortunately, it did not make up for the crashing torrents of water constantly coming through the purpose-built slats. Now drenched to the bone with icy water, he crawled around the edge, over the rocks in search for the mechanism. Sure enough, he found it; a great iron gear on the far edge of the barrel. "Is this gear it!?"

"Yup! Clear the rocks away and reattach the encasement! Leave one till the end so you aren't crushed!"

"Rodger!" As quick as he could with his sides soaked through with freezing water, he shoveled the rocks away from the great gear. It took a good ten minutes work before he found the encasement. The massive metal grate had been pushed back, and warped as it swung. Great, now what? "It's warped!"

"Kick it straight and chain it back up!"

Easier said than done. Taking a lungful of frigid air, he kicked with all his might at the grate. Again and again he pounded it, until it finally took shape. Triumphantly, he made to close it over the gear. And now it gets tricky. He had to somehow move the last rock from the gear, chain the grate, and get the heck out of the barrel before he got smashed. Just an average day for a party pony. Eh Cheese. "I'm going for it!"

Cheese's body had never moved so fast in all his life. In one swift movement, he managed to free the rock, slam the grate closed, and lock it. Then, as quick as his frozen legs would move, he scrambled over the slick rocks to the door. A mechanical grind began to reverberate around the barrel as he was halfway out. Blast! Out of time! Without registering the consequences, he leapt forward, through the door and onto the walkway. In the split second after he evacuated the barrel, it gave a massive lurch and started to life. Panting, Cheese turned to a bewildered Igneous. "I did it!"

"Good work." Slowly, he made his way off the path and onto solid rock once more. With the addition of the rocks slamming the thick timbers, the noise had intensified so badly that nothing could be heard. He helped Cheese free himself from the harness, and together they set off down the path. The violent nature of Cheese's shivering let him know he had made a mistake. Blast! It wasn't supposed to start up so soon. It got away from before I could stop it. One more second, and he'd be dead. How would I face Pinkamena then?

They walked in silence, until the roar was just a murmur in the distance. Despite his best attempts, Cheese could not stop coughing, and eventually lay down on a flat stone. "Sorry, but can we rest?"

"Huh? Oh, right." Igneous paused, examining the stallion with new found respect. "That was some fast work, Cheese. You did a good job."

"Thanks I guess. But-" He stared up at Igneous, eyes full of wonder. "-how'd you ever build something like that?"

"I did it with my own father. He was a good carpenter, like myself. My uncle forged the gears, and we all pieced it together ourselves."

"You mean you didn't use magic?"

Another sly smile broke across Igneous' face. "Well now, you don't need magic for everything, do you?"

"I agree 100%." Cheese sighed, staring off into the distance. "Magic only brings trouble."

"Well, I don't know about that." Prodding the stallion, he gestured back to the farm. "We need to get going. Cloudy's going to have our heads for being so late."

Comments

[WitlessTheSmall]

Yay, excellent chapter!

[Sketcha-Holic]

Ooh, yay! Another chapter. I really like the way you wrote Igneous.

And I feel so giddy every time someone mentions "Nickerlite."

[Bluegrass Brooke]

4775209 Your the one that inspired me to keep the name up. Glad you liked Igneous' portrayal. It was a bit tricky to write him.

4775205 Glad you enjoyed it

[SageBrony07]

Nice chapter having Cheese and Igneous bond. Good job.

[hootscootaloo101]

Another amazing chapter I really liked how you portrayed Igneous. Can't wait for the next chapter!

[Jediking69]

Good chapter, but where's Maud at

[Bluegrass Brooke]

4778407 Getting her rockterate, as it said in her episode. At least I think that's what they were implying. So I left her out as she's away from the farm. Perhaps I'll include her later...

[OfficialDerp]

Oh my Celestia, I was gritting my teeth when Cheese went into the mechanism. I didn't know what was going to happen to him, so I was like
I really liked this chapter. I thought it was well written and the development of the characters was great.
I can not wait for more!

[Bluegrass Brooke]

4792756 Glad you enjoyed it. Now I've got to top it for the next one. Easier said than done.

[Dapper Guy]

For the love of Celestia Igneous, you nearly offed Pinkie's BF/Fiance.
Love to see how well that would've gone down with your own daughter.

[TwibraFlattercordlover]

"I agree 100%." Cheese sighed, staring off into the distance. "Magic only brings trouble."

Yep. 'Cause you were punished for not having any.

[YourWorstNightmare]

Igneous did not take the hoof. Glancing over the stranger, it was obvious that this Cheese fellow was no run of the mill stallion. He found himself drawn to the ridiculous rubber chicken perched comfortably on the saddle. To top off the freak show, the stranger was draped in a tacky old poncho. Why in Equestria is he wearing that getup? And what kind of name is Cheese Sandwich? That's not a name, that's lunch. "Cheese eh?"

And what about 'Pinkie Pie'?