The Turning Gears of an Addiction.

Clockwork, or Gears as some ponies may know her by, was Finally taking a break from work and headed over to the Corner on her clockwork powered scooter, humming along, mumbling to herself the selection of sweets she was going to get. once she arrived at the front of the shop, she dismounted and folded up her ride into a more compact size and brought it in, waiting in line with anticipation as she tried to see who was working the counter today and what today's specials were, bouncing up and down a bit as she believed she saw it was some sort of cake.

Cranium stood in line, extremely annoyed. He hated this place. He hated sweets. So why was he here? For a moment, he swooned a little, just thinking of her. Almost instantly, he snapped out of it, and groaned. Some idiot was bouncing up and down behind him, and it was driving him insane.

" Excuse me, but some ponies are trying to order with out your hyperactive habits!" he snapped. He really did have no idea what she would want. Cupcakes? Pudding? A scone? He might have been getting something for Rusty, but he usually couldn't handle the sugar.

Clockwork stopped and stared at this Unicorn and scowled at him, jumping to the conclusion that Either this pony is a Scrooge of Fun, or a pony that sees himself higher then the rest. either way Clockwork was not going to stand there and be talk down to.

"Well Excuse me for being a joyful soul in a candy shop. If I wanted a bitter and sour taste in my mouth, I would go somewhere that sells Lemonade, hold the Sugar."

She said, glancing at him, in a taunting manner, egging him to continue as she reached into her Bags to find a device she has been working on.

For a moment Cranium sputtered with anger, then lifted his head in the air.

" Well, I shall!" he snapped. " All of you imbecile ponies need to remember that some of ussane ponies don't like others jumping up and down like... lunatics!" he spat.

" And what makes you think you have the authority of insulting me, anyway?" he snapped, ingoring the pony's angry look. He hated it when others fought back, or questioned him. It annoyed him greatly.

"Because your High and Mighty standing bothers me to no end. I do not know if you actually think the world revolves around you, but it doesn't. If anypony is not the sane one, It is you for snapping at somepony's own excitement and calling them insane. You don't KNOW me and I Don't want to know you, so apologize or let this escalate."

She stated in a calm voice, staring at him with dead eyes. she found the device and began to turn the Brass wind up key, waiting for him to either persist on this arguing over very childish antics or actually calm down, but if he is anything like her family, he will continue till she is humiliated and laughed at, or at least admit She is in the wrong.

(Oh dear, I just realized how many typos I had in my last post, sorry about dat...)


Cranium gave the pony a surprised look, as if she had just suggested he run around in a clown suit. And of course, surprise quickly turned to rage. He gave her a furious look, then attempted to collect his cool.

" Apologize? To you? Oh, please! You should be the one apologizing," he hissed, pointing a hoof at the insolent fool.

Clockwork blinked and looked at the hoof and growled, pulling out a brass looking device that seemed to be meant to fit and adjust around a unicorn's horn and designed to lock snugly to the horn and focus any leaking magic to a gem on the inside of the device to turn a little mobile and music box, which was seen on the outside of the device.

This device might have been for baby unicorns to suppress the chaos their magic caused and lulled them to be calm, but Clockwork quickly placed it on the adult male in front of her as the clockwork locking mechanism at the base began to tighten till it fit and seemed to lock onto his horn. this action made no sense, but She was ticked off. the last thing she wanted was to be talked down to by a unicorn as she left home for that very same reason.

"Fine, I apologize for that, but I WILL NOT apologize for being Joyful. if you raise your Hoof at me one more time, I will show you what I do when something needs to be adjusted."

With that she stomped her hooves on the ground to symbolize her standing her ground.

" Not to mention- HEY!" Cranium's eyes widened as the mare quickly fastened some kind of device on his horn.

What is this? Does it absorb my magic? Will it make me explode? For a moment, the unicorn felt slightly scared. He certainly needed his magic, and he wasn't that fond of exploding. At all.

"Fine, I apologize for that, but I WILL NOT apologize for being Joyful. if you raise your Hoof at me one more time, I will show you what I do when something needs to be adjusted." the mare said, stomping her hooves on the ground, a determind look in her eyes.

Cranium suddenly looked thoughtful for a moment. Stargazer probably would not approve of this behaivor, nor would Rusty, though he is a mere colt. He gave a long sigh. Not to mention the last time he got in a fight like this, lashing out at everyone, it had an extremely close call.

His angry look faded, and he gave a long sigh. " Very well," he said stiffly. " Also, I'm s..s..orry," he spat, stammering on the last word as if he rarely said it.

" Now, will you please take this device off of me?" he said, quickly returning to his normal self.

Clockwork sighed and seemed to relax as she got an apology and motioned his to lower his head and twisted the wind up key as it loosened to the point to pull off harmlessly and placed it in her bag, making sure it was safe and sighed as she grew a bit impatient in line as she would like to leave soon.

Cranium gave a sigh, and quickly asked for some raisin bread. He gave a small groan, realizing only he would eat something like that. Rusty despised anything that was actually nutritius, and as for Stargazer, she seemed to enjoy sweet, exciting things rather than something simple and bland. Oh well. He quickly turned to the mare.

" Not that I care, but what did that thing do?" he asked, attempting to mask the curious tone in his voice.

She smiled and laughed a bit manically as she motioned to answer it after she ordered some food. her order consisted of the cake of the week and a baker's dozen of cupcake, half red velvet, half Pinkie' Pie Special (which Clockwork could only imagine is a birthday cake batter with a mix of other batters and sprinkles) and the one extra to be one of the already made cupcakes in the display to eat now. she pulled out a decent amount of bits to pay and ate some of her cupcake, seeming to calm down and looked at the Colt, seeming to chuckle before replying.

"It's a child's toy. a parent puts it on the horn of their unicorn child and it takes the magic and uses it to spin the mobile and play the music box. Made it myself, thank you very much."

She stated and sighed, seeming to force herself to do this next action.

"Care to try and make. . . . amends. . . while we wait for our orders to be made?"

She asked obviously still steamed about him, but willing to give him one more chance as his curiosity in the device might make him a potential customer.

Cranium's face turned scarlet. " Yes, I knew that," he muttered. He didn't know the toy was a mere filly's toy... no matter, it was a quiant invention, something a school age colt would pathetically create.

"Care to try and make. . . . amends. . . while we wait for our orders to be made?" the mare said.

Cranium opened his mouth to say something probably better kept to himself, then closed it.
" I... all right," the unicorn growled in an strangled, almost murderous tone. He still wasn't particularly found on this pony. She seemed slighlty barbaric, oddly obsessed with useless sweets, and that jumping still bothered him.

" Hmm. I am not sure how to "make amends" how you ever so wonderfully put it, but the best I can offer to a disgusting- I mean to you," Cranium said stiffly, now levitating his raisin bread towards himself using his unicorn magic.

Clockwork frowned at him, beginning to wonder if she should even bother, but sighed and began to rustle through her bag and pulled out two gear cranks and a gear to help get her mind into explaining it.

"Well right now your going clockwise, And so are you, thus we are stuck and we are both not going to go the other way."

As she explained this, she put the two cranks together and twisted them both clockwise, or tried to as they stopped.

"So either we find a third person to add to this mutual ground or find a subject to talk about, acting like a needed third gear."

With that, she moved the cranks apart and added the third gear, showing that they both now move in the same direction.

Cranium gave a snort. This pony really was a lunatic, blabbing about clocks and gears and whatnot. But, he understood the jist of it. If she wanted to talk, talk they would.But... he wasn't exactly experienced with chatting. Or these primitive social activities.

" Alright... nice... weather... today..." the unicorn said, somewhat awkwardly.

Trapper entered Sugar cube corner, looking tired her mane was out of its usual bow, she seemed to perk up a little as she noticed the taller brown earth pony waiting in line and headed right for her. She greeted Clockwork with a nuzzle.

"I'm glad you're here I could use some cheering up the vines i'm trying to breed wont seem to cooperate."

She looked over at the unicorn wondering for a moment why he was turned the wrong way before realizing she probably interrupted a conversation. She took a step back before apologizing.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation, I'm sorry."

Clockwork smiled as the familiar green Pony greeted her with a nuzzle and leaned on her.

"I do not think talking about the weather with the Stu-stallion that thought i put a dooms day machine on his head is a conversation. maybe you can help us amend a fight we had in line."

Clockwork stated and nuzzled Trapper back with a smile as she showed some affection to her fellow mare.

Cranium started to turn red. " I did not think any such thing," he lied, then gave a sigh.

" And by the way, she started it by... never mind," he said sourly, though deciding not to point hooves. It would be best not to get himself in another mess like the one at the tavern. Cranium shuddered as he recalled the brawny gang flexing their muscles as they prepared ot pummel him in the ground. Precisely while I'll never even touch such a barbaric place again, the unicorn reminded himself.

Looking between the two stories Trapper shrugged a little bit.

"Well even if you did, there is no shame in that. I would be scared if some pony I was in an argument with strapped something to me. I would recommend the two of you apologize to each other, a real apology or nothing will really be accomplished."

She glanced up at Clockwork with a little glare feeling she ought to know better then to get into arguments with strangers.

Clockwork looked at Trapper as if about to debate what happened, but back down from that and looked at the colt, seeming unsure how to apologize for being excited in a sweet shop.

"I'm Sorry? for being jumpy in line"

She tried to sound considerate, but she sounded like she was trying and was confused by what she was apologizing for.

Cranium sighed as he realized how pathetic the apology sounded. And how pathetic being agitated for another pony jumping in line was... not that he was going to tell these imbeciles that, of course.

" Hmm, well it's fine I suppose," the unicorn said stiffly.

" But, who," the grey pony said, pointing to the other mare. " Is she, exactly?" Hopefully this would lead to a conversation to relieve the somewhat awkaward moment.

Blatantly ignoring his question she frowned a little.

"A proper apology from you is needed as well, or I can leave and she will strap something that is really dangerous to you."

Trapper went quiet after this taking her mane down and started to re-braid it the white streak in it having come out.

Clockwork examined the colt as Trapper seemed to want him to apologize too and smiled a bit as she waited, wanting him to apologize before answering his question which seemed to be a way to change the subject.

"she is a very Special pony in my life."

She explained once he would give some form of an apology, knowing any form of apology from him would be better then nothing.

"A proper apology from you is needed as well, or I can leave and she will strap something that is really dangerous to you." Cranium flinched for a moment, then scoffed. She's bluffing... or at least I really hope she is.

After a moment, the mare said "she is a very Special pony in my life." The unicorn gave a look towards the door, slightly wishing he could just walk out of it.

" Fine! I'm s-s-sor...ryyy..." the stallion spat, stammering as if he rarely used the word. ( Sad, but probably true.)

Trapper rolled her eyes at his dramatics about apologizing.

"Thank you."

She bit back a sarcastic comment about him using his manners and instead finished her braid. Trapper looked to the door herself, thinking that she probably wasn't needed here any longer.

Clockwork smiled and leaned on Trapper as she smiled at colt a bit smug of hearing him apologize as well.

"well apology accepted. not so hard to do. now mind if I ask a question, what is a blu-buh- um, level headed? pony like you doing in a place like this?"