Grinding Gears and Broken Bolts

[Sassaflash]

Mega slowly left the home of which she was currently renting a room in, not saying a word to the owners of the building as per usual. Pushing her glasses back into their right place on her face, she began a slow trot down the sidewalk. Today was a rare day, she didn't have anything to build or repair and was free to take in the sunny day in the large city of Manehatten. Her saddlebags with clasps in the shape of her cutie mark hanging off her sides, filled with tools and pieces, rolls of unmarked blueprints sticking out of her left bad waiting for the pencil behind her ear just in case inspiration struck the gray pegasus.

The brainy mare made her way from the residential district and towards the area of the city she was no stranger to, the industrial district. Keeping her head down in an attempt at keeping attention off of herself, she simply headed for the metallurgy shop to pick up extra gears she needed to restock just in case somepony brought her something they were needed for. She simply waved off any polite 'hello's that were thrown her way, simply moving past the other ponies in silence.

[Klockwerk]

"Gangway everypony!"

Pushing through the crowd in a hurry, Klockwerk Ticker was doing the sacred duty of the errand dash. His father had told him to run by the Metallurgy shop to grab some special order gears, and anything else useful. Being the helpful colt that he was, Klockwerk had most definitely volunteered for the chore, and not been bucked on his flank by his old stallion.

Regardless of the exact how of his departure, the key thing to note about Klockwerk was the fact he was running at full tilt through a very busy street. Possibly away from an angry guard that he had ran over, but yet again, unimporta-

Putting his charge into a sudden stop, he nearly ran into a gray Pegasus.

"Oh Celestia, I'm so sorry miss!"

[Sassaflash]

Mega stopped in her tracks as the sound of pounding hooves caught her attention. She turned her head in the direction of the sound, jumping away from the oncoming pony out of instinct, hovering in the air a few inches off to the side of where she was previously standing. Seeing that there wasn't any danger, she slowly lowered her hooves to the ground and tucked her wings to her sides once more.

She looked down at the ground slightly as she pony she hadn't met before spoke. "It's alright..." She replied quietly, bringing a hoof up to push her glasses into place once more.

[Klockwerk]

Tilting his head at the pegasus, Klockwerk shook his head quickly. The mare had moved in a blur, almost faster than he could see. But now that everything had "calmed down", she acted almost like it was a shame.

"Woah miss, ya dodged like a Wondabolt there... are you sure you're okay?"

[Sassaflash]

Mega scuffed a forehoof on the ground slightly while looking away from the pony as he spoke to her, shifting her weight nervously towards her hind legs. "I'm fine... Don't worry about me. You didn't even hit me..." She replied in the same quiet tome, subtly using a wing to shift her saddlebags back into their proper positions.

[Klockwerk]

Klockwerk let out a breath in relief. Thank Celestia he hadn't hurt the mare, otherwise it would have been a scene in this big of a crowd. That one guard he had so deftly avoided would have jumped on an assault charge, for sure. Smiling, the light green stallion brushed off his white collared shirt. A messy brown mane topped his angular head, and gray irised eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Well, that's good then, miss." Holding out a hoof, he decided to introduce himself. "I'm Klockwerk. What's your name?"

[Sassaflash]

Mega inched back slightly as Klockwerk introduced himself to her, looking at the hoof nervously for a few moments. She eventually reached out with her own hoof, giving the colt a shake. "I'm Bl-... Megabyte... It's...nice to meet you." She replied quietly, hoping Klockwerk hadn't noticed her near slip-up. Not seeming to want to say more than the bare minimum, Mega fell silent once more, nervously bring a foreleg to the other to slowly rub it during the awkward moment.

[Klockwerk]

Scrunching his face up at the mares odd name, Klockwerk just brushed it off as her being from an out of town family. Unscrunching, he smiled at her reassuringly.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Megabyte. I gotta go to the Metallurgists shop to get some stuff."

[Sassaflash]

"It's not to meet you too..." Mega replied quietly, nodding her head a few times afterwords.

"Okay, I guess I'll go... Wait, did you say...the Metallurgist? That's...where I'm going too." She stated nervously, seeming to only get more awkward as the moment with the other pony continued on.

[Klockwerk]

Looking at the mare with a smile, Klockwerk chuckled giddily.

"Well, ya seem new to town. Do you want some company on the way, ''Byte?"

[Sassaflash]

Mega looked away to the side lightly, using her mane to hide from Klock slightly as she tried to think of a reply to the offer. "I...I guess that would be...okay." She replied quietly as she kept her small distance from the colt.

[Klockwerk]

"Well, let's go!" Klockwerk exclaimed loudly with a bellow. Rearing up on his hind legs, he prepared to charge down the street once more.

"Oh, by the way, might be a good idea to fly, 'Byte." Giving a wink, he went back on all fours and ran down the crowded cobblestone.

[Sassaflash]

Mega shrunk down away from Klock with a frown as the sudden exclamation startled her, eventually regaining her previous posture after a few moments. Giving a nod, the pegasus slowly opened up her wings and prepared herself for flight, doing her best to keep up with the earth pony once he took off down the road.

"What...what are you buying today...?" She asked quietly while keeping her eyes open for anything that might be in her way.

[Klockwerk]

Looking up at the flying pegasus, Klockwerk spoke without breaking pace.

"Well, my old stallion is busy in the shop, so he wants me to grab him some clockwork, mostly gears and springs. What about you, 'Byte?"

[Sassaflash]

Mega blinked her eyes a few times as she glanced down at what Klock said he was going to be picking up from the shop. "That's...what I'm going to be picking up too..." She replied quietly with a hint of surprise in her voice. "I like to build stuff, and I also fix things for other ponies who need it. I'm usually really busy."

[Klockwerk]

Klockwerk blinked in surprise, and smiled broadly as he had been doing quite often today.

"Another tinker? Well damn, ain't that a surprise. I'm a bit of a clockworker, ya know? Like takin' the crap apart to figure out what makes 'er tick."

Keeping the same brisk pace he had been so far, he showed no signs of tiring, or even heavy breathing.

[Sassaflash]

Mega nodded lightly while Klock spoke, glancing up every so often for any obstacles in her way, but keeping her eyes on the other pony for the most part. "I used to do that all the time too... But now I make my own brand new things... They aren't really anything special, but it's fun to do..." She replied in her same quiet tone of voice. "I made a small motor to turn a drill for me. It makes working with wood so much faster..."

[Klockwerk]

Klockwerk began to slow down, about to turn a corner. The Metallurgists shop was just a few blocks more at this pace. Listening to his conversational partner, he realized just what she tinkered with now. She was an inventor, unlike himself, who was a clockworker's apprentice who couldn't create something original if he tried..

Grinning at her, he let none of the small amount of unease show.

"A powered drill, huh? Do you have a unicorn coltfriend to power it?" Giving a wink and a roguish smile, he looked back to the street to focus on the incoming turn.

[Sassaflash]

A faint blush appeared through Mega's great coat as the topic of coltfriends was brought up by Klock. "N-nope...nothing like that." She said quietly as she slowed her flying pace to keep with the other pony. "It has a spring in it...which I wind up with a handle. It locks into place and I can get it moving whenever I need it... So I can wind it up early and use it later."

[Klockwerk]

Klockwerk raised his eyebrows as he heard the mention of springs.

"So then, th' basic build is like... a wind-up toy in princ'ple?"

His hooves were beginning to slow down, as the Metallurgists shop was coming up on the next turn.

[Sassaflash]

Mega nodded her head lightly while slowing her pace down as well, keeping her altitude for the moment however. "Kind of, but it's much more powerful... If it's fully tensioned, it'll run for a total of a half an hour without having to wind it up again." She explained, slowly lowering herself down to the ground once their goal came into view.

[Klockwerk]

Klockwerk completely stopped, and looked up at the gray mare.

"Well damn, that's some skill you got there 'Byte. After the...uh...shop....uh...." he began to stammer a bit. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head to banish the stutter.

"Would you want t'come to my house an' show me how ya make it?"

[Sassaflash]

Mega paused in her tracks for a moment as the question flowed into her ear, a faint maroon blush appearing on her cheeks almost instantly as she started walking again.

"I don't s-see a problem in...showing you h-how to make it." She replied with a slight stammer, seeming to hide behind her bangs again while walking along with Klock.

[Klockwerk]

Klockwerk gave a small smile.

"Thanks Megabyte, I'd really 'preciate it." Getting his familiar cocky demeanor back, he looked to the shop coolly. "Lets get th' stuff then!" He gave a wink to Megabyte, still blushing a little bit himself, only going redder when he saw she was blushing and trying to hide beneath her bangs.

That's cute...

[Sassaflash]

Mega simply nodded her head lightly in reply to Klock while moving along. She eventually returned to her previous straight posture after a few moments of quiet. "O-okay... It's a little c-complicated to make... B-but I'm sure you'll be able to get it." She replied quietly, stepping through the doorway of the metallurgist's shop.

[Klockwerk]

Klockwerk followed, and entered the Metallurgists shop.

Complicated to make... I can handle that. the colt thought to himself. The red tint to his cheeks had faded enough to be almost unnoticeable among his coat.

He immediately gravitated towards the counter. His father had already preordered the materials that he needed; he wondered if the mare had as well. The shopkeeper was a grizzled old pegasus, by the name of Ratchet Wings. This pony was notorious for being rude to anyone and everyone that entered his shop. However, Ratchet Wings generally was only slightly rude to Klockwerk, as Gear Ticker was friends with the pegasus.

Opening his mouth to order, he glanced at the mare to see what she was doing.

[Sassaflash]

Mega simply hovered by the counter of the shop, seemingly nervous of the large shop owner; even if she had been there quite a few times already. She nervously hid herself slight behind her mane once again in what seemed to be a habit whenever she got nervous.

"I...I ordered some small gears and a few springs to be made... Are they finished yet?" She finally managed to ask Ratchet after a long few moments, having trouble with making eye contact while she spoke.

[Klockwerk]

"Maybe I got 'em. One sec." Ratchet said gruffly. He was generally kinder to the winged ponies than other breeds, and for that fact alone Klockwerk was thankful. Poor 'Byte was already shy... a pony that treated her like dirt would probably hurt the mare more than others.

As Ratchet Wings walked back, he had a bag gripped in his mouth. Dropping it on the table, he gave a snort.

"Well, 'ere ya go." He then looked at Klockwerk.

"Whaddya want ya piece of urchin-shit?" he growled at Klockwerk.

Giving a smile, Klockwerk ignored the stallion's rudeness.

"Well boss, my old dad wanted me t' grab what he ordered, prepaid and the like. Got it?"

Grumbling off at Klockwerk's words, he came back purposefully slowly with a bag in mouth. Dropping it on the table with significantly less care than 'Bytes, he have Kloclwerk an evil eye.

"Now get outta my store."

[Sassaflash]

Mega nervously took her bag from the counter with her mouth, quickly placing it in her left saddlebag with the rest of the spare parts she always carried around with her. She was about to give Ratchet thanks only to shrink down nervously once he began speaking to Klock. With a small, nervous nod, the gray pegasus slowly backed up a few steps before turning around to leave like the owner had said.

[Klockwerk]

Giving Ratchet a glare in return, Klockwerk quickly picked up the bag with his mouth. Turning quickly, he trotted to Megabyte, and held the door open with raised eyebrows.

"Lrrdies frrst!" Klockwerk mumbled, bag in mouth.

[Sassaflash]

Mega looked towards Klock as the door was held open for her, a faint blush coloring her cheeks once more as a rare smile weakly made its place on her muzzle. "Th-thank you..." She replied quietly before leaving the shop. She turned back to face the earth pony, waiting patiently for him to catch up.

[Klockwerk]

Klockwerk looked ahead, and smiled at the mare kindly. "So? Where we gonna go? Your home, or mine? I really wanna see that drill ya got."

He had a light blush colouring his cheeks, managing to talk clearly.

[Sassaflash]

Mega had to take a moment to compose herself yet again, finally managing to speak. "We...can go back to my place then... I don't like to keep the drill on me unlike the rest of my tools... Somepony might try to take it." She replied quietly, keeping her eyes forward and nervously away from the other pony.

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