[SHOP] The Jingling Satchel Repair Shop [OPEN]

[Chonico]

The sun had barely peeked over the mountains to the east, casting an array of bright colors across the town of Ponyville. As the morning light reached the second floor of a newly established shop, the occupant inside could do little but groan as he rolled over in his bed to try and avoid the direct sunlight on his eyes. This seemed to work at first, but as the birds' chirping became louder and louder as the sun slowly rose further into the sky, more groans could be heard from the pony that refused to leave his bed as he grabbed his pillow and put it over his head. Suddenly, as if remembering something vitally important, the bed sheet flew off and the pillow hit the floor as the still groggy pony shot out in a half-asleep stupor towards the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink.

Klondike stood in front of the mirror, ear deep in the icy cold water that had filled up the sink. A few bubbles rose to the surface as he forced his face to remain in the water just a little bit longer, his right ear twitching as the sounds of a barely waking town reached in through the window he had left open the night before. As a few more seconds passed, finally with a hardy gasp, he flung his head out and looked at the soaked face in the mirror. 'You woke up late! You were supposed to finish unpacking everything earlier than this. They'll think you're lazy!' He told his reflection in the mirror as he reached for his toothbrush and began to pour the contents of a small white tube onto the bristles.

After a few minutes, a flush was heard and the door flung open as a brighter eyed pony than before stepped out with a grin on his face. Shooting a quick glance at the mirror once more before heading to the kitchen, Klondike let out a shallow 'meh' as he decided his still slightly messy bed hair was okay for the day and quickly trotted his way through a few boxes on the floor as he made his way to the kitchen to make some coffee and a quick breakfast. The living space of the two story building was adequate for a single resident. It had a bedroom, a restroom, a small kitchen area, and a small living room/breakfast nook adjacent to the stairs that led to the bottom floor. Admittedly though, the few boxes that remained on the floor, some labeled 'kitchen,' a couple labeled 'Room' and a few labeled 'Random,' did little to help give the living space an open feeling or the impression of being bigger than it was. Still, Klondike could not concern himself with this as he quickly finished eating and took his cup of coffee in his mouth and headed downstairs.

Compared to the top floor, the bottom floor had only two boxes laying about, each labeled 'Books and Ref.' Each was neatly placed next to a half filled bookcase against the back wall of the shop. Although he had managed to acquire the place no more than two months ago, he had moved in no less than 3 days ago. In all honesty, he had been lucky to get the place at all.

He had attended the Grand Galloping Gala a few months back and, while at the Gala, he had met a hoof-full of interesting ponies. One in particular that resided in the Saddleveil Plains, after finding out he repairs things for a living, asked him to help him with some kilns that he used for his pottery. Klondike happily agreed and set out towards the Saddleveil Plains within the month. After two days of fixing the kilns, he and the other pony talked about a variety of things. However, much to his surprise, when the other pony found out about his wish to open his own shop, he quickly offered to be his investor and provided a more than suitable amount of bits for the venture. Klondike, not being one to turn down such a generous offer, was more than happy to agree and immediately began to look for a suitable local back in Ponyville. And he found it.

Klondike walked towards the counter in the middle of his shop and set down his coffee cup as he looked around the building, pride in his eyes. He had found the place at a bargain. When he first saw it the place was old, decrepit, and in all honesty appeared perfect for a haunting. The realtor had mentioned something about a bear attack from a while back, but Klondike hardly heard her as his mind became enthralled in ideas and ways of fixing up the place. In the span of two months he worked diligently to get the place up and ready to open. He replaced all the floorboards on both the bottom and top floor, including a new roof, and had even put in a new carpet in the top floor. Old plumbing had been taken out and new plumbing put in its place. All the weathered window frames and molds had been replaced, including the window panes that had with time grown dim and no longer allowed natural light in. He even knocked down a wall to make the bottom floor more open and put in a counter to separate the foyer from the workspace. And to touch it all up, a fresh coat of cream colored paint adorned the inside and outside walls.

It had been a tough two months, waking up early and working till the late hours of the night, a constant stream of banging and sawing noises echoing through the small street occasionally interrupted by a loud yelp that was quickly followed by 'Pony feathers! My hoof! By Celestia my hoof!' However, for Klondike it had all been worth it and in the end. Since he had done all the repair job himself, he had managed to keep under budget and with what remained of the bits generously given by his investor in the Saddleveil Plains he had gone out and purchased a great deal of reference and 'do it yourself' books. Books which now, along with his own reference notes from previous jobs, still lay in their two boxes, taunting him for having slept in late on such an important day as this.

Taking another sip of his coffee, Klondike's right ear twitched as the noises from the nearby marketplace began to grow livelier and livelier. Making his way to the gate on the right side of the counter, he grabbed in his mouth a folding sign and walked across the foyer towards the entrance of the shop. As he opened the door, making all four bells he had placed near the top of it jingle furiously, he was greeted by the hustle and bustle of ponies going and coming from the market. Looking left and right, a silly content grin forming across his face, he placed the sign he had been carrying directly under the silently hanging sign above his shop's door. After making sure the OPEN sign was properly standing, he looked up at the satchel shaped sign and his silly content grin was quickly replaced by a satisfied smile.

'The Jingling Satchel Repair Shop' Klondike read off the sign with a slight chuckle as he pushed the door open and went inside as the four bells once again furiously jingled and welcomed him in. 'Where we fix anything from loose buttons to carriages… For the right amount of bits that is.'

[OOC - Hello everypony, Klondike has decided to open up a repair shop in town and all ponies are welcomed to bring in their items that need fixing. I realize its a long first post, but I believe I'm getting better at minimizing my text walls. You should see the first one. Any who, I promise that I may not write so much in later post (heh, see what I did there?). Anypony is welcomed to join ]

[buxy]

Zecora had noticed the trouble with her cart that morning as she hauled her goods into town. It wobbled a bit, threw off her gait, and slowed her down. When she'd arrived and settled in for the day she took a closer look, and noticed the metal band around the wooden wheel was pitted and digging into the wood, causing it to splinter. There were the faintest beginnings of a crack forming as well. Not one to put off such a thing, she'd asked a few of her customers where she might take care of the problem.

Someone had mentioned a new repair shop opening in town, not far from where she'd parked. As her wares began to sell down, and her saddlebags grow heavy with bits, she decided to pack up a couple of hours early, grateful for the busy day. She stepped into the harness and pulled the wagon to the front of the shop, feeling out the damage as she went, hoping to help give an accurate assessment of the damage to the pony who would repair it for her. She sized up the damage and turned to the storefront, smiling to herself at the clever sign. The bells jingled as she pushed open the door and stepped into the shop, approaching the counter and the dark blue pony standing there.

"Excuse me sir, but I am in need of help with the cart that I usually lead," Zecora began, nodding towards the door. "I've parked it out front, and I'm sorry to say that the rim of its wheel has begun to fray. I noticed that you're open, and the sign you wrote, could you kindly provide me with a repair quote?"

[Chonico]

The day had been slow for Klondike, no pony had yet come into his store with anything for him to fix. Admittedly though, that gave him enough time to finish putting his books and notes away undisturbed, but for the rest of the time, he had simply stood at the counter staring into space letting his mind drift with an ever increasing glazed over look on his eyes. His right ear however had suddenly began to twitch furiously, trying to snap him out of his daze, which just so happened to involve him going over one of the notes about a previous job that had caught his eye while he was putting it away in his bookshelf.

'Hmm, I'll have to keep that in mind next time I fix something like that, luckily no pony was hurt and my ear recovered. Who knew pudding pressure could build up so fast and…' Klondike kept thinking to himself as his right ear refused to give up and continued to twitch, causing his gaze to lower from the ceiling and finally set on the pony with an expectant expression in front of him.

'… exploding pudding.' He finally said as he snapped out of his daydreaming and looked at his first customer of the day. Without so much as a flinch however, he cocked his head to the side and looked past the zebra towards the door. 'Whoa… Hmm, guess I'm going to have to put another bell or two on that door… HI! Welcome to The Jingling Satchel Repair shop! How may I be of service miss?' He looked at his expectant customer one more time, but this time he arched an eyebrow.

'Or did you already tell me and I wasn't pay attention? Sorry, I get easily engrossed in my thoughts and work. But don't let that stop you, how may I be of service? Would you like some hot coffee?' He looked at his coffee cup next to him and picked it up to take one quick sip of it, hoping it would get rid of the awkward tone in his voice from the excitement of finally having a customer. '*sip* Eww, I must have been away for a while… Would you like some ice cold coffee?' He set the cup back down on the counter with cringe on his face.

'Actually, wait, you'll probably want coffee while you wait for me to fix your cart. Wait! Why did I say cart? Did you have a cart for me to fix?' Well, at least some part of him heard what she had said about her cart, even if it was subconsciously.

[buxy]

Zecora stood with a wide-eyed, blank expression plastered on her face. Once the pony snapped out of his reverie he certainly did seem to have a mouth on him. It briefly crossed her mind that these were the ponies that thought her too weird to be associated with, and almost immediately afterward she mentally listed a few tinctures, liniments, and an ointment or two that might benefit the stallion before her.

A smile slowly spread across her face at his antics. She shook her head gently and nodded toward the door.

"It seems you did manage to hear my plea," Zecora began, a hint of laughter in her voice. "I'll show you the cart if you'll come with me." She led the stallion outside, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the apparently absent-minded pony was following her. She stopped by the wheel, kicking it lightly with her hoof where the rim had begun to fray and splinter. "The here damage may not seem bad, but to it my long trip home will add. Is it something that you could fix? Before it becomes more than a few nicks."

[Kalpira]

Wind Mist's saddlebags dingled as she walked in a quiet pace down to Ponyville, still with a concerned expression beneath her veil. She felt like her life was walking back if somepony didn't help her right away. She wanted to gallop as fast as she could, but unfortunately she couldn't. The content of her saddlebags was truly precious, and she didn't want to leave her most beloved artifact broken just the way it was. Mist was just like a cat: she looked very elegant in every single situation, but when she lost control for some reason, she immediatly turned into something messy. But right in that moment, she didn't care about it. She just wanted to find the repair shop and stay there until her artifact was repaired.

As she walked, she finally sighted a pony with repairing tools as a cutie mark, and that made her eyes sparkle over her light pink veil right away. That was truly a great sight right now! She just couldn't wait until she heard words that told her that her artifact would be totally repaired. An that would be hrd to hear, since that item had a few thousand years already. But anyway, she did an attempt to find it fixed.

By the pony's side, she also found another being that seemed to be a zebra, and not a pony. They both seemed to be looking at a cart, that was supposedly broken. Would the repair pony be able to help her?

She headed there, now in a slower pace, and looked at boh of them with a shy attitude. "Excuse me, hum, sir... I have a problem too..."

[Chonico]

As Klondike followed Zacora towards the door, he could not help but admonish himself for such an awkward first impression on his first customer. True he was used to having to play catch up to conversations, but he could not help feel that now was not the time for such things. And, as his excited inner voice reminded him, 'Now was the time to act professional, give off a good impression so she'll tell her friends about your incredible repair shop. Come on Klondike, you can do this, just focus and pay att… What's wrong with that wheel? NO, focus Klondike, listen to what she's tel… The wooden rim looks like it starting to splinter…' Well, he was trying at least.

As soon as Zacora was done explaining her concerns Klondike immediately walked past her, as if on cue, and began to examine the wheel. How much of the actual conversation he heard though was still to be seen as his right ear constantly twitched the entire time, apparently now more aware of what was being said than him.

'Hmm, the metal band is pitted something fierce…' Klondike began to think out-loud as he lowered himself onto the floor, put one foreleg under him and began using the other to prod the wheel. 'The splintering is minor but this crack on the felloe seems to have already gone through the rim of the wheel. Metal band is probably the only thing holding it together. I wouldn't suggest going home like this even if it was only a small crack, won't get far.' Well, at least it looked like he had heard most of the conversation. "I should let her know that before she tries to go home." Well, probably.

'Going to have to replace the metal band and the cracked felloe on this wheel, spokes look good though.' He suddenly rolled onto his side and began to push himself under the cart with his hind legs, only leaving part of his hind quarters and tail visible. 'The axel seems good too so the wheel hasn't been broken long enough to offset it but…' Klondike once more began to push himself with his hind legs and disappeared completely as he went under the cart only to come out the other side, dirt and grass clinging to his side.

As soon as he was standing again, with a quick shake to get rid of some of the grass, he walked over to the opposite wheel and placed a foreleg on top as he tried to jiggle it. 'This one is fine, but, just need to make sure the metal band is good…' He lowered his head to get a closer look as his right ear once again began to twitch, trying to signal him to pay attention once more.

Raising his head from the wheel, his eyes darted towards the zebra, completely missing the second pony with the veil. 'Well, your wheel's metal band is pitted and the rim is cracked which will need replacing.' He said in matter of fact tone with a smile on his face, as if it was something Zacora wasn't aware of.

'Aside from that, everything else is okay but the metal band on the opposite wheel is not far behind this one. I should be able to replace both of the bands rather quickly since I have extras in the back, but I'll only charge for one.' He said with a wink, unable to let his business sense cloud his sense for pretty mares, much to the pain of his bit purse over the years. 'The cracked section of the rim, however, is going to take me a bit since I'll have to make you a new one. Lucky for us, I have plenty of cold coffee!' A silly toothy smile formed across his muzzle as he said this, his right ear now furiously twitching trying to get his attention elsewhere. Slowly he looked to the side, finally noticing the second customer of the day.

'OH! HI! Welcome to the Jingling Satchel Repair Shop! Is this your cart too? Would you like some cold coffee as well while you and your friend wait?'

[Kalpira]

The cream mare finally focused her mind on the repair pony, since he was previously busy with the zebra's cart. It seemed to be in pretty bad conditions, and he wondered how long he would take to finally help her with her artifact. But once she heard his voice heading to her direction, she snapped out of her distraction and looked up at him. She tried to make a smile, but it didn't come up and she only managed to make a strange face between a shy smile and a worried frown.

"Oh hi! N-no, this is not my cart. I prefer saddlebags.", she said with a giggle, "My name is Wind Mist, and I am an artifact collector. However I am pretty worried about one of my items, that fell off of my shelf. It was only cracked in one spot, but it was enough to split it in two pieces."

She then lowered her head and let the orientally ornated saddlebags slide down her neck, and she picked the strap that united both the bags in her mouth. With one hoof, she opened both sides to reveal two cracked parts of an ancient tureen she had obtained a few months ago. It was a very special item from her collection, since she had never seen one like that one.

[Forgive me for the shortness. I'm currently having a writer's block and I don't easily manage to write that much when everypony else is on vacation but my class --']

[buxy]

Zecora stepped back, watching Klondike assess her cart. She was pleased to see that she was correct in surveying the damage, and that it was not as extensive as it could be. She held back a smirk at the dust and debris covering the pony's back from his slide under the cart.

"I'll need these repairs, whatever the cost. Without them my business truly will be lost," Zecora said. She wasn't sure what to make of this pony, his attention span didn't seem to be the longest she'd seen. Zecora had been judged, though, on her air and appearance, and knew the feeling. She certainly wasn't about to make any decisions about the quirky stallion until she'd seen him at work.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the frantic twitching of Klondike's ear caught Zecora off guard. She closed her mouth, looking to the side as he did, following his line of sight to the mare that had approached. She had an exotic flair to her that made Zecora feel slightly less out of place. She hoped the two would get a chance to speak while Klondike was at work.

[Chonico]

Klondike stared at the open saddlebags on the floor analyzing the two pieces that lay inside, unaware that his head was slowly inching down towards the saddlebags as if staring at the pieces closer would suddenly force them to magically become one again. His right ear had finally settled and together with his other ear now focused as intently as his own eyes did on the item in front of them, as if expecting it to speak and not wanting to miss a single word.

'What the hay is this thing? Looks like a cooking pot of sorts… Or perhaps some kind of serving dish? I guess it's supposed to be one whole piece and not two. Looks pretty old, but that would make sense seeing as she said she collected antiques. She did say that, right? But, how do I make an antique look like new but old again? Does she want it to look like new? I need to get the cart to the back first before I tackle this though.'

So many thoughts raced through Klondike's head, he almost missed the most vital one. He had just unpacked and put away two whole crates full of reference books. Finally snapping out of it, he quickly took notice that his whole muzzle was inside one of the open saddle bags, as he had stared intently at one of the pieces of the puzzle. Quickly jerking his head up, careful not to take the saddlebag with him, he smiled at Wind Mist as if he had just won the pony lottery.

'Please step into my shop, Miss Wind Mist! I'll be with you in a minute as soon as I take the cart to the back workspace.' He raised one hoof towards the shops door and propped it open as he continued smiling and the four bells hanging from the door rang furiously. No sooner had he done this, he then strapped himself to the cart effortlessly and now looked at Zacora.

'The repair fee will be only 50 bits, but hopefully it won't take me long to make a new felloe and have it attached to the wheel with new metal bands.' He began to pull the cart and stopped short of turning the corner as he looked back at the zebra. 'Please follow me to the back Miss umm…' He stopped suddenly, a slight tinge of panic crossing his smile as he began to wonder whether he had not heard her introduce herself or simply hadn't yet.

[OOC - I am basing the repair fees off of "The Best Night Ever" scene where Applejack charges 4 bits for 2 apple fritters. Assuming an apple fritter costs $2, under the principle that a hot dogs costs you $3 as part of standard "carnival fare" at a carnival. UNLESS, its one of those overly charged carnivals where everything is nearly twice as expensive... Not sure where I was going with this but I'm basically charging a rate of 1 bit = 1 dollar and a new tire costs around 50 bucks.]

[Kalpira]

The gentle and now more calmed down mare nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. She didn't even realize she had sighed but still she just wanted to express how she was feeling for not hearing a rejection. Her frown turned into a wide smile right away, and she even let out a soft giggle from beneath her soft veil. Still struggling not to be clumsy as always, the sweet mare closed her saddlebags slowly, making sure nothing was damaged. That was surely one of her most precious transportations, and nothing could go wrong. Nothing at all. And Wind Mist was a very emotional pony, so she knew she would cry her little pony eyes off if her old dish was broken in even more pieces than now. So like an obedient little puppy, she picked the saddlebags in her mouth again, and trotted to the inside of the store.

[buxy]

Zecora watched Klondike's appraisal with interest. He was clearly a versatile craftsman, to have confidence in his abilities to repair such a delicate- and no doubt valuable- artifact, as well as something as practical, if a bit clunky, as her cart. She gave a small nod to the mare as she made her way into the store.

"Forgive me please for being rude," Zecora chuckled. "I must be in a forgetful mood. Zecora is my name, and remedies are my game." She followed him around the corner with a slight bounce in her step. She would be able to cover the repair for her wagon and still return home with a healthy profit from the day. "I must say sir, your prices are fair, and I'll be very grateful for your skill in repair. I set up shop at the market in town, and without that business my profits would go down."

[You need to give me the name of your tire guy, I've never gotten away for less than 75 a piece.]

[Chonico]

Klondike laughed and smiled as he looked back at Zacora while pulling the cart up to a gate in the back. 'Heh, well I'm glad to hear that my work will be helpful to you and your business Miss Zacora. That there is the rest of my fee for the repair. That's why my prices are so fair...' He continued smiling as he raised a hoof and lifted the latch to the gate, allowing them to swing open as he did a few backward and forward turns and pushed the cart in reverse. Unhooking himself from the cart, he looked back at the Zebra just beyond the gates and motioned her in.

The outside workspace was as large as the inside space of the shop. On the surrounding wooden walls that enclosed the area, a multitude of trinkets and odd tools hung from small and large hooks. The walls themselves supported a thatched roof that only covered a bit of distance from the wall, ensuring tools and such remained dry in case of rain but allowing the workspace to be bathed in natural light. To one side, a small path with a chest high fence led to the side-door of the shop, while the wall of the shop next to the outside workspace had a door that made for easy access in the interior workspace. Next to the wooden wall opposite the gate stood a large series of shelves with different sized pieces of wood and metal tubes and sheets, as well as some more small tools and contraptions.

Throughout the whole outside work space, small contraptions sat on the gravel floor pushed against the sides leaving the center cleared of anything, allowing space for two regular carts or one exceptionally large cart to be worked on comfortably. All was within appropriate reach of an earth pony's muzzle, even if he had to stand on his hind legs. And, even though the shop was enjoying it first day of business, the gravel floor was littered with wood shavings and debris, a clear sign of the use it received during the renovations the shop itself underwent before opening.

'Don't mind the clutter, please come in. I like to let my customers see the damage I'm going to fix and let them know what I plan to do. That way they can judge for themselves if the price is fair.' He addressed Zacora without taking his eyes off the cart which suddenly found itself atop some wooden blocks without wheels. Moving back and forth from side to side of the workspace, he soon picked up a crowbar like tool and pulled out the metal pegs that held the metal bands tight onto the wheels. As he did, the broken felloe on the damaged wheel creaked and broke in two as it lazily popped off the spokes and tumbled onto the floor, no longer held in place by the metal ban.

Quickly picking up the bands one by one in his muzzle, as well as the broken felloe, he placed them on a small table and walked over to the shelves and pulled out two long metals bands. He set these on a different table and quickly picked up a bucket with a brush from underneath and began to apply a coat of an odd smelling liquid on top of the bands. Content with his work, he set the brush back in the bucket as he began to seemingly talk to himself. 'The old bands I may be able to recycle. The liquid I just put on the new ones is my own special blend of oil and will help reduce the rusting a bit and slow down future pitting. The felloe I will get started on as soon as…' He suddenly looked up and towards the door leading to the shop. 'OH! I almost forgot. Please feel free to look at the damage and come on in through the side when you are happy with what you see.' Klondike then quickly made his way towards the door and went inside, only to stick his head out again a second later. 'I'll put some fresh coffee on.'

Once inside, Klondike trotted up to the counter and looked at Wind Mist. 'Hello again Miss Wind Mist! Can I see the umm… thingy again?' He stammered for a second and put on a confused look. Perhaps not the best vote of confidence at that moment.

[buxy]

Zecora hesitated at the gate for just a moment, unsure whether or not the stallion would prefer to work in privacy. At his beckoning she entered the shop taking in the practicality of the decor. She enjoyed the open atmosphere, preferring to work in open alreas as much as possible herself. She turned toward Klondike as he spoke.

"I'm happy to get a chance to see, you'll not believe the trouble this caused me." She chose a spot out of the way to watch him work, amazed at his simple efficiency. If he'd looked up from his work in her direction, he'd have seen her jaw hanging slack. She nodded as he went back into the shop, mostly for her own benefit, it seemed.

Stepping forward, she lifted her hooves onto the table her wheel rested on. There was far more rust on the bands than she'd realized. With the parts laid out before her like this, the damage was far more obvious, and more extensive, than she'd realized. Zecora shook her head and dropped her hooves back to the floor. As she passed the other table on her way to the shop she inhaled the scent of the oil, trying to sift out the ingredients. She generally had a nose for these things, but this particular blend was eluding her. She puzzled over it as she made her way into the shop.

[Kalpira]

A little bit out of her serene and calm attitude, Wind Mist brought the saddlebags up again and let them rest over the table. She opened them and allowed the two pieces of a golden pot, large enough in length for a pony to place a meal in. However, it was no longer used for cooking, but for display. It still had the story of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna carved around it, znd several other ornaments to make the pot look prettier. But right now, Wind Mist felt like that piece wouldn't be the same until its two pieces were back together again.

"I think they only need to be glued together, but since I don't know much about repairing ancient things...", she said. And actually, she was right: she was great at bargaining for them, but not at repairing them if something happened. She liked to have them exposed on her nicely cleaned shelves, but when her rear or a clumsy roof touched those, everything became a disaster for the poor mare.

She kept looking at the repair pony with a begging look in her cristaline eyes. "Please tell me you can fix this..."

[REDACTED]

[tab=30]'G.' Major was having a bad day. He had been playing his pristine and shiny tuba, when he was startled by his shadow - he thought it was somepony else - and ultimately fell down the stairs. With his tuba. When he stood up after the tumble, he slipped out of the tuba, and looked at it. He was fine, but his tuba certainly was not! It had small dents here and there. He sighed in frustration, and that was when he saw it. The neck that held his mouthpiece - which was supposed to be facing in, towards him when he had it on him - had been bent, and was facing the other way! "Oh, G., he said to himself in his small voice, "look what you've done now!" And so, having read about a new repair shop in town, 'G.' Major slipped his tuba onto himself, and walked out the door.

[tab=30]He didn't know much about the repair shop, just that it was new, and that they repaired stuff. He took a long route going through many back streets so as to avoid the crowds of ponies here and there, until he got to the market. The large crowd intimidated him as he scanned the shops, trying to find 'The Jingling Satchel Repair Shop' somewhere. He searched and searched, but for some reason, he couldn't find it! Then, however, he noticed he was, in fact, standing in the space between the repair shop and some other building that he didn't recognize. He trotted to the door, and stared at it for a moment, mustering the courage to go in. He did after a minute or so. Strangers had scared 'G.' Major, and this was no exception.

[tab=30]He walked in, and saw a mare and stallion at a table, inspecting something. In an attempt to get the stallion's attention, he said, "Umm. . . e-excuse me. . ?. But it was no use. His voice was just too small, and hard to hear. So, in his frustration, he simply sat down on the floor, and patiently waited.

[Chonico]

Klondike gently took out the pieces of the tureen one by one in his muzzle and placed them on the counter. He observed them for a few seconds turning each piece this way and that and finally settling on having the broken edges facing him as he rested his head on the counter looking at the pieces. As he observed the pieces, his eyebrows seemed to take turns going up and down as his eyes moved from one piece of the puzzle to the other. After a few seconds of this, he finally lifted his head and stared straight into Wind Mist’s begging crystalline eyes as he gave her a big goofy smile and brought the two pieces of the tureen together.

“Of course I can fix it! And you are right, it is as simple as gluing them together!†He kept smiling hoping to restore some hope into the pony behind the veil. “But…†He motioned Wind Mist with his eyes to follow his gaze as he brought his muzzle closer to the rim of the Tureen and furrowed his eyebrows a bit. “There is a small chip missing right here, hardly noticeable though but I’m sure I can fill it in.†He suddenly disappeared from behind the counter and reappeared a second later near the bookshelf pulling out a book which he placed on the floor and began to skim through it before finally settling on a page and read it for a minute or two. With a content smile on his face, he picked up the book once more in his muzzle and carried it over to the counter where he set it down next to the two pieces of the tureen.

“Antiquing and You: Keeping the old looking new.†Read the title of the reference book that Klondike had pulled out and brought to the counter, the only proof that he had been there mere seconds ago as he seemed to have disappeared once again.

A few noises could be heard from behind the counter and after a few seconds Klondike emerged once again with three pieces of paper and three pencils in his mouth. He set them on the counter and disappeared below it once again to only re-emerge a split second later with two stacked wooden boxes which he placed next to the papers. As he took the top box and set it next to the broken pieces of the tureen, he slid a paper and a pencil towards Wind Mist. “I will glue them together like nopony else can.†He patted the book as he said this and quickly but gently picked up one piece of the tureen and placed it in the box.

“I will only charge you ten bits for this simple fix, actually, make that eight bits but we’re just going to have to wait for the glue to set tight. Please fill out this piece of paper with your name, residence, item brought in, your favorite flower and whether you like romantic walks on the beach or not.†He stood there with a silly grin on his face for a second or two and then cleared his throat. “That last part was a joke.†He kept that silly grin as he craned his neck to the side and suddenly shot an accusing hoof at his latest customer.

“AND YOU THERE! You will not sneak up on me!†He was talking to the pony with the shiny tuba. There was a stern look on his face, a sudden change from his early goofy grin. It stayed like that for a second or two of silence before he suddenly brought his hoof down and shot him a smile. There was a subtle hint of merriment in his tone as he spoke. “Ha! I knew I wasn’t hopeless!†He called out in a joking tone as he then turned to Wind Mist and shot her a wink. “This time I heard the bells. I knew four bells would be enough.†Earlier events in the day had proved this wrong but he was willing to over look them for now as he switch his gaze towards his new customer yet again. “Come on up here and please fill out this form and put your item in the box. I’ll be with you in a minute. You drink coffee right?â€Â

Klondike quickly slid one of the pieces of paper and pencil next to the second box and picked up the box with the broken piece of the tureen inside. Making sure he had a good hold of it with his muzzle, he disappeared behind a wall and went up the stairs to his living space. After about five minutes, there came a sudden loud noise from up stairs as something hit the floor.

*SHATTER*

[REDACTED]

'G.' Major had sat there for several minutes, waiting, when the stallion running the shop had shouted at him. He winced when he did, and shyly looked away, but turned back when he was informed it was a joke. He nodded in recognition of the stallion's instructions, and stood up. He walked to the counter to where the form and pencil was. He picked up the pencil, and began filling out said form slowly, stopping to think when he got to his residential information. He really lived in Hoofington, but he was in Ponyville to visit a friend. After a few seconds of thinking, he put down his Hoofington address, and noted his temporary location while in Ponyville.

He put down the pencil, and went over to the empty box. He picked it up, and set it on the floor. Then, he carefully slipped off his damaged tuba, and attempted to get it into the box. Unfortunately, he couldn't. With the neck of the mouthpiece discombobulated, he couldn't get it in without having anything sticking out. After a minute of noisily - and comically - fighting with the instrument, he got it in.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash! 'G.' Major jumped up, and hid between the counter and the box with his tuba in it - which didn't conceal him very well - due to fright. He peeked out from behind the box around the room, and slowly emerged from behind it. He stood up, put the form on top of his damaged tuba, and sat down next to it, as if to guard it from something (or somepony) from damaging it further. He shyly avoids making eye contact with anypony else in the room.

[Kalpira]

Wind Mist blushed heavily when the repair pony gave her the forms and asked some extra info. The mare was naive, and unaware that there could be such a joke. She had grown used to a serious life, with rules and restrictions, and only now she was being able to live her life freely. Just like the pegasus mare she was. Gulping and styill blushing, the mare filled the form she was given. Her name? Wind Mist, like the mystic wind she had met. Residence? Well, the calm Hoofington of course! The item she had brought in... well, it wasn't that easy to classify, since she was used to ancient terms and nothing related to modern days. So she just wrote down 'tureen', like both her and Klondike had referred. And then, she chuckled to herself in a low tone. Right beneath those, she drew a rough sketch of a flower with large petals, a curled stalk and tiny leaves. Underneath that, she wrote in her classy letter:

Good luck on your trip to the Roughrider's Ridge to bring me those!

And underneath it, she added a heart, as if to say she liked romance. The mare wanted to play along. After all, she had to adjust to different cultures, even if that one was probably the biggest of Equestria.

Then she heard a loud noise, that made the smile disappear from her face to give place to an expression of fear. Her ears perked up, and she backed off a little, with one of her front legs in the air. As soon as the sound faded. She took another step forward until reaching the balcony.

"Mr. Klondike? Are you okay?"

[buxy]

Zecora had settled into an out of the way spot in the corner of the shop to wait while Klondike continued his work. The pony was clearly quite busy, she thought to herself, watching the latest customer, and studying his instrument with interest. She'd never seen anything like it, and was curious what sort of music it produced.

She assumed the third piece of paper he had produced was a similar form for her to fill out, and was about to take the initiative to fill it out before he had a chance to ask when the crash from upstairs startled her. She craned her neck in an attempt to see what had gone on. She hoped it wasn't the poor mare's artifact that had fallen victim to the forces of gravity, she had a few priceless and irreplaceable pieces from her homeland in her hut, and the thought of losing one sent a shiver down her spine.

[Chonico]

About five minutes had passed since the noise from upstairs had settled and the silence that befell the upstairs became close to hauntingly quiet. Suddenly, without so much as a creak from the stairs, Klondike emerged from the second floor carrying the box he had taken with him earlier upstairs. In addition to the box, he was balancing a tray on his back, careful not to spill the contents, three cups and pot, that sat on the tray seemingly to be glued to it from their lack of movement or tilt. In fact, the only noise coming from him was the slight rattling that came from the wooden box he held in his muzzle, a rattling that sounded like many small pieces of glass clinking against each other. Yet, for whatever reason, there was a smile on his face as he noticed some of the ponies in his store eyeing him oddly.

Once he cleared the stairs, he made his way to the counter and placed the wooden box on top of the counter next to the other half of the tureen. “Umm, did I miss something? Sorry, I was making some fresh coffee while I looked for a broken dish. A lot of boxes, a lot of clutter still.†Klondike’s face held its simple smile and pleased look as he motioned with his head towards the wooden box. Inside lay the intact, except for already being broken, piece of Wind Mist’s tureen on top of a few pieces of a broken dish that seemed to match the color of the tureen.

“The book said I could try finding a piece of glass or such that matched the color and just try to make a replacement chip from it. This plate was a casualty when I moved in so I figured it could serve an even greater purpose if it helped a beautiful mare as you with her umm… dish?†He looked over at box and then carefully with his hoof tugged the piece of paper Wind Mist had filled out towards him.

After a few seconds of studying it, he looked at Wind Mist with a playful smile on his muzzle. “Ah ha, so it’s a tureen. How tureen-fic! Oh, and I’ll be sure to have a safe trip when I go to Roughrider’s Ridge to get you that flower.†He continued to smile playfully as he gave her a wink and reached towards the tray on his back and placed it on the counter. Taking the pot’s handle in his muzzle, he poured some hot coffee into all three cups and nudged one towards Wind Mist. “H’ll get sharhed on your pheas in a spinach.†He addressed her as the pot’s handle slurred his speech a bit. Placing the pot back on the tray, he nudged the next coffee filled cup towards his new customer.

Klondike could not help but eye the green coated pony with a bit of a studying eye. He seemed to be on guard about something. “Is he afraid that the other customers will steal his…†Klondike’s expression suddenly perked up as he placed the coffee cup on the counter and made his way around the counter to where the green pony was.

“Oh wow! A musical instrument! I don’t often get to ‘fiddle’ with those!†He stood looking at G. Major with his eyebrows raised in surprise and his mouth slightly open with a smile tugging at the corners of his muzzle, obviously content with his sudden impromptu little joke. Picking up the piece of paper and placing it on the counter to read later, he grabbed the wooden box with the tuba and made his way back to the opposite side of the counter, placing the tuba on the floor.

“Mister G. Major…†He raised his hoof and shot him a rather odd and messy salute, making it unclear if that was just another little joke or he completely misunderstood the name on the paper. “I will take a look at your tuba in a minute. Just let me get things rolling with my other customers. Feel free to have some coffee.†He nudged the coffee cup closer to G. Major’s end of the counter.

Finally noticing Zacora had made it back inside the store, he looked up at her with a slightly concerned look on his face. “Miss Zacora, sorry, I’ll get back to making you that new wheel in no time at all. Please fill out this form right here with your name, address, item brought in, and location where you set up shop. I plan to pay you a visit to see your wares sometime.†He looked pleadingly at the Zebra mare, hoping that she was not too tired of having to wait for him to continue working on her wheel. Yet, as he looked at her, his brow furrowed with a hint of curiosity and amazement. He made his way over to her and began to trot around her as his head bobbed up and down, along with his eyes, as he looked at her from hoof to mane and stripe to stripe.

Suddenly stopping in front of her with his head down to her leg looking at the metal bands that adorned it, he gingerly raised a hoof towards the bands in a move to touch them. Stopping short of touching them though, he suddenly raised his head up and found himself rather close to Zacora’s muzzle as he looked at her with a gleefully curious expression on his face.

“By Celestia, Miss Zacora! Did you know you’re a Zebra?†He said in a cheerful matter-of-fact tone. A true testament to his attention to details, outside of work related things that is.

[REDACTED]

'G.' Major sat there, and watched with a small bit of amusement, as well as annoyance, as the stallion went about his shop. As he picked up the box with his damaged tuba, 'G.' Major critically watched him, and held his breath. He hadn't the slightest idea what the crash was upstairs, but he didn't want to take any chances. He somewhat trusted the stallion, but not completely. When he cracked those horrid jokes, however, he rolled his eyes, and shook his head. He had heard them many times before, and it slowly went from amusing, to clever, and now to just plain annoying.

He acknowledged the stallion's statement with a small nod, and stood up. He walked over to the coffee pot, and picked it up. He poured himself some coffee into a cup, and placed the pot down. He smelled the coffee, blew on it to cool it down a bit, then picked it up, sat back down where he was before, and proceeded to drink the coffee (which he quite enjoyed).

{L_OFFTOPIC} :

Your puns made me facehoof. Moreso than the realistic representation Ponyville gives on life.

I'm serious.

JOHNMADDENJOHNMADDENJOHNMADDENJOHNMADDENJOHNMADDENJOHNMADDENJOHNMADDEN

[buxy]

"Please don't trouble yourself over my waiting, your business is booming, this is a great thing! I park my cart not far from here, I'd love to have you visit me some... day..." Zecora trailed off, her eyes widening a bit as Klondike scrutinized her. She dropped her ears back and raised one hoof as he brought his face up directly in front of her muzzle.

As soon as the peculiar stallion made his statement, she blinked once, then threw her head back and let out a long, hearty laugh.

"Your observations, sir, are quite astute. Your brilliant mind Celestia should recruit," Zecora winked, moving to the counter and taking up the pencil to fill out the form waiting for her on the counter.

[Chonico]

Klondike stood there for a moment in deep thought, one of his hoofs having found its way to his chin as his eyes looked off into the distance. Even knowing that what was said was in jest, he could not help but get a little lost in the idea of working for royalty. “Hmm, surely someone as old as Princes Celestia would have hundreds of things in need of repair… Perhaps something to consider once my shop gets more fame. But for now…â€Â

“Nah, I’d make a lousy researcher. Besides…†He commented as he made his way around the counter and gave Zacora a knowing yet joking smile and a wink. “If she took away a brilliant mind like me, who would be left to fix broken things here in Ponyville? Nope, no pony would have my flare and "humility" when it came to fixing things.†He struck an awkward pose as he brought up a hoof up to his puffed out chest. He stayed like that for about a minute for effect, and to let the joke sink in, before relaxing and smiling at his customers.

“Although, with all the talking I’m doing, you’d think I’m just buying time hoping you ponies would forget why you are here. No no, that’s not it at all.†He began to make his way towards the back door that led to his outside workspace and simply called out, “To work! Oh, and feel free to mingle! Odds are I'll be here while I'm not really here for a while!†as he disappeared through the door.

After a few minutes, noises began to be heard from outside. A melody of sawing, bangs, and scraping noises reached the inside of the shop before suddenly stopping as Klondike made his way back into the shop carrying a flat square piece of wood in his teeth. Four equally long piece of twine hung from his neck as his expression was no longer one of smiles and jokes, but a focused and slightly content expression instead. There was a slight glazed over look to his eyes and his right ear twitched with every step he took and every noise those steps elicited from his wooden floor.

Setting the piece of wood on his work bench near the counter, he immediately took out the two pieces of the broken tureen from the wooden box, as well as a piece of the broken dish he brought from upstairs, and placed them on the workbench next to the square piece of wood. Putting the pieces of the tureen together in the center of the wood piece, he took the twine that hung around his neck and began to take measurements as he crisscrossed them from one corner of the piece of wood to the opposite, making sure they hugged the sides of the tureen.

Content with his measurings, he removed the tureen from the piece of wood and carefully placing a long silvery screw between his hooves, and then a screwdriver in his mouth, he began to screw in a screw into each corner of the wood. After that was done, he tied one end of each piece of twine to each screw and the screw next to it, making sure to keep the twine extremely slack. It only took him a minute, incredibly considering he was using his hooves and mouth to do it, and when he was done, the square piece of wood looked like a small boxing ring, minus the boxers of course.

Maybe Klondike was making a toy? Rock-em Sock-em ponies perhaps?

(OOC - My most sincere apologies for my delay in posting as of late. Well, at least later than what I'm comfortable with. Things have been hectic and I'm finally finding some time and space to sit down and type with a clear head. So, you can expect me not to drop the ball anymore ... Maybe )

[Boss_Hoss1]

(yay! thanks for letting me drop in after your post. )

Mid-morning in Ponyville showed an unusual sight; a pair of pegasi actually walking a cart through town, the young stallion walking behind the cart holding up one end of an object covered in a tarp.

Polite inquiries at some of the shop stalls led them to the new repair shop. Parking the cart outside, they entered the shop.

The bay mare looked up at the door frame when the walked in. "4 bells? How unusual."

Her twin brother, Hoss peered around the shop "He probably needs the extras to hear over the customers, Shanna."

She ulped when she saw how many ponies were ahead of them, even a zebra. "Oh my! He must really be good to get customers from the Grasslands. Will he have time for us, Hoss?"

Hoss tapped a hoof "I hope so. Oh wait a minute, wasnt there a fuss over some zebra named Zecora last time we were in Ponyville? That must be her."

Shanna plopped her rump down out of the way "Well, either way, nothing to do but wait our turn..."

Hoss and Shanna Skybright

[REDACTED]

As 'G.' Major finished his coffee, the two pegasi walked into the shop, and the stallion whom owned the shop was working on his. . . thing. He glanced over at the pegasi quickly, avoiding eye contact, then looked back to his coffee. He took a final gulp, emptying the cup. He stood up, and walked back over the the coffee, where he promptly refilled his cup. The coffee was still hot, and still tasted divine. Or, at least he thought it tasted so.

'G.' Major walked back over to where he was with the cup, and sat back down. As he drank his coffee, he stole a few, quick glances at everyone in the room, and quietly tried to profile them, a small habit of his. The shop owner looked to be a klutz, but a nice enough pony. Other than his extremely irritating jokes. The mare that brought in the tureen looked kind, but also a bit clumsy. The zebra in the room - who talked funny - somewhat frightened 'G.' Major, so he made a mental note to steer clear of her. The pegasi that had entered the store were hard for 'G.' Major to profile. They looked somewhat of the picky type to him. He shook his head of his thoughts, he knew it wasn't right to judge ponies. He silently resumed sipping his coffee.