"*sigh* morning Sam...." I walked in from the cool morning, "Anyone waiting,"

"Mornin Corey no one yet, plenty of appointments though," Sam slid a list over the counter to me, "Sorry again about dis but I need the business," The list was long, fittings, repairs, checkups, everything besides installations which were only on Thursday.

"Sure, just....send them in when they get here," I said completely dispassionately. I sulkily walked into the fitting room and prepped everything. Once everything was ready I just sat staring angrily at the door.

"*grumble*....freakin Paul......double shift...*grumble*" As I was stewing in my annoyance the door slowly opened.

"Hello?" In walked a pair of Apples, "Oh hello," Applejack and the youngest walked in.

"Yeah...take a seat,"

"You alright sugarcube, ya sound a little down," I just grumbled as the youngest settled into the chair. I took the order from her and started reading, hoof checkup and a refit. Growing ponies always had trouble with horseshoes, always outgrowing them or having some issue.

I simply got to work, taking measurement, filing, cleaning, and checking the shoes, "...any pain, discomfort?"

"Well the back of my hooves are kinda sore.." I lifted her hoof to eye level. Everything looked fine, gonna need to replace the screw ports soon and her hoof was growing well. I brought the shoe up and her hoof was overshooting it on the rear.

"Hmmm, hooves are growing....I'd have to say I suggest removing the screw ports and letting the hoof grow without being shod," Applejack looked rather worried, "It's covered in your agreement," Her face lightened at this, "So do you agree?" She looked down at the youngest and decided to let me go ahead.

I grabbed a tube of solvent and pliers and got to work. Little by little I applied the solvent and slowly pulled the screw ports out. Two in each hoof meant I was going to be spending quite a bit of time on this. I managed to get the screwports halfway out before yanking them out and setting them aside.

"You alright Apple Bloom," The young filly nodded. Even if I was being rough, it was nerveless tissue.

I managed to pull the ports out and started cleaning the holes and putting caps on them. Normally we fill them in but with younger ponies we cap them and let the hoof grow, "Alright, come back next week and we'll figure this out,"

"Thanks mister," The young filly said as the two walked out. All they left behind was four discarded metal shoes. I set them in a bin to be melted back down. A while passed before another pony showed up.

"Mornin," A warm voice cut the silence behind me.

I spun around meeting the kind sounding mare in the door frame, "Oh, hey Roseluck," I said wiping my hands on my apron, "What did you need," I ask shakily. Such a beautiful women, one of my first customers too.

"My shoes have been hurting my hoof a little," She handed me the four shoes, "I think they might have been warped,"

I looked over the shoes, copper with a lambskin insole. Something special I used for her. They looked fine aside from usual wear and tear, "Any particular areas that hurt?" She pranced over to the chair and sitting.

"I've really been feeling it in my heel," I set the shoes aside and pulled up the stool.

"Let me check," I started pressing on the inside of her hoof, "feel anything," She shook her head. I kept going until I pressed hard on the hard of her hoof, "Hmm, looks like a cushion issue," I started pressing higher before reaching a soft spot, "Ah...yep, your shoes just need more padding," I said slowly rubbing the sore area.

"Uh Corey you can stop now..." I had been mindlessly massaging the area losing track of what I was doing.

I wrenched my head upward my face bright red, "UH...SORRY" I pulled my hands away and stared at the floor, "I'll just go and.....do the thing...." I made my way into the forge with the offending shoes in hand. I set them aside and found a hammer, "FUCKING-*clang*-STUPID-*clang*-" I yelled hitting the anvil with the hammer. The walls of the forge were sound proof so one could scream to your hearts content in here, "ARUAGH-" I tossed the hammer to the floor and tried to calm down.

With my little rage session over I pulled a gel layer from a nearby box and placed it in between the base and the insole. Three shoes later it was done. I took a deep breathe before walking back into the fitting room with Rose standing near the door. I didn't say anything, I just gave her the shoes and started towards the door, "It's OK ya know, I heard you yelling,"

Sound proof my ass, "......."

"Come by the shop sometime if you want to see me," She said walking towards the lobby, "We could talk some time," She gave me a warm smile before leaving. I quickly closed the fitting room door. I had just closed the door when I realized I was holding my breathe. I took a deep breathe before I passed out. I also just realized I hadn't scheduled her check up. I yanked the door open to a room of ponies. Roseluck however was nowhere to be seen.

"Sam I forgot to schedule her check up, did you?"

"Yep, Friday,"

"Phew, alright then send in the next one," I held the door open before a spiky haired white unicorn walked past.

"Hey man, heard about Paul," Oh wait this was Vinyl Scratch, Paul had talked about her a lot. Apparently she ran the club he went to.

"Yeah.....lucky me though i get twice the work," I added with a forced laugh, "So what are we doing,"

"Paul was making me a few pairs of custom shoes, he said they'd be ready."

"Well I can go check his room," I left into the forge before entering Paul's room. The entire shop was five rooms, two fitting rooms, the forge, the lobby, and a restroom. I started looking over the papers that littered his desk. Nothing. I went back to my room, "Do you know what they look like?"

She had been spinning my stool, "Yeah black composite with neon rubber soles," Neon, well I guess it makes sense. I pushed back into Paul's room and started rummaging through his cupboards. There they were, several pairs of brightly colored shoes. One pair though was only half assembled. I brought the entire box into my room, "Here's most, final pair need some work."

She levitated several pair into place and stepped into them, "You mind helping?"

"Not at all," I grabbed a screwdriver from my desk and the screws from the box. A few settings later they were all secured.

"Man these are hot!" She started trotting around, "Can you finish the last pair?" I pulled the unfinished pair from the box. Only needed the sole to be attached to the base.

"Yeah should take about ten minutes," I set down the shoes and grabbed glue, clamps, and some tacks.

"Sooo," She levitated a chair over to my desk and sat hoof on her cheek watching me work, "Ya like music?"

I settled into my chair and started gluing the sole to the base, "Well I used to listen before my radio died,"

"Ya like dubstep?"

"Eh...." I started clamping the pieces together, "Not really a fan of bass,"

"House?"

"What?"

"Electronic, synth, techno?"

"Uh......I'm.....I....."

"Come on man, what kind?"

"Hardcore rap...." I hammered a tack through a port in the base and into the sole. I looked up to a confused looking unicorn.

"Really!?"

"I was an angry child...." She smiled as I snipped the end of the tack.

"We're all different, I mean you didn't judge me right?" I set one of the shoes aside.

"Not at all, from what Paul said you're a nice person,"

"So you guys talk about me behind my back," I froze mid-swing, hammer hanging ominously over the shoe.

".....no....."

"Lair, so what does he say?" I set the hammer down and quickly glued the rest of the shoes before turning to a smirking Vinyl.

"Well.....he, Paul said you were very....colorful, and that you are quite the DJ," Her smirk widened into a full smile. What Paul had meant by colorful was completely opposite what she was thinking. Ponies had been spreading rumors about two musicians enjoying each others "company".... One of them sitting right in front of me.

"Anything else," She said almost leaning her face on me.

"Well....nothing bad....just.....nothing I'd......."

"Come on dude,"

"He was.....talking....about........." She apparently realized what I was talking about and had a hard blush pop on her face before shooting back and pushing up her glasses, "Yeah.....he's.....he likes ponies......a lot......"

"Y-yeah....good to know," I went back to tacking the shoes together.

"Don't take it personally....he really cant help it," I finished tacking the shoes together and started snipping off the excess metal.

"Oh no....I just....wasn't expecting that, He....he uh, didn't go into detail did he?" I set the clamps on the shoes and let the glue dry.

"No no no, he doesn't......he.....he just......glances, never staring or anything gross...." She looked calmer now, "Maybe that's the reason he hurt himself," I joked trying to ease the tension.

"Heh....yeah, shoes done?"

"Glue needs to dry, then their done,"

"How long?"

"Five minutes maybe," She leaned forward propping her head up with her hooves.

"Ya know you might see me more....if Paul was really-"

"Uh I might have made that sound worse than it was,"

"Well I don't mind him checking my flank, plenty of stallions do," I felt my eye twitch slightly, "I just.....don't want that kind of person touching my hooves...."

I think I might have just lost Paul some business. The rest of the time passed quickly, Scratch just spinning on my stood.

A quick check of my watch said it was time, I pulled the clamps off and tried to pull them apart. Good and solid. I grabbed a box from under my desk and packed the two pairs she wasn't wearing into it, "Alright just let me finish up some paperwork and I can get you out of here," I started finalizing the order form and clearing the order. I was just signing the last form when I felt something press quickly against my cheek for only a second. I snapped my head to the side dragging the pen over the form.

"That was for being honest...." Vinyl had started trotting off towards the lobby door, "Should drop by the club this Saturday,"

"Did you just-"

"Don't ruin it man, just roll with it," She said with a playful tone. I turned back to the paper and noticed a large black line dragged over half the form.

"Uh....I'll just...finish paper...." I gave her the order form with paid and delivered stamped on it. I just had to sign a few auxiliary forms letting the store know the order has been filled. I was about to head out to give Sam the paper when I heard him and Vinyl talking.

"-him instead of Paul,"

"Well I can't make any promises but I can try," Paul is going to hate me, stealing his work and spreading rumors. Even if they're true. I decided to hold onto the paperwork and just wait for my next pony.

Six customers later

My hands are bleeding, my hands are actually bleeding. Worked almost completely raw. I reached into my desk drawer pulling a tin of plasters out and starting to replace the bandaids. At least tomorrow was only first timers getting their hooves prepared. No metal to work.

"Hey you in here," A brash voice sounded from across the room, I turned and walked over to a girl with a rainbow mane, "Whoa...what happened to your hands?"

"It's been a looong day, what did you need?"

"Uh the other guy said to come back today, first pair of horseshoes...." She lifted her hoof showing me the four neat holes in her hoof.

"So just a pick up or did he not fit you yet?"

"What's fit mean?" Great....that meant I was going back to the forge.

"*Sigh* take a seat while I find them....." I took her order form and went into Paul's room. Lightweight aluminum pair with caulks lining the shoe. These were sport shoes. Odd that she would need them, being a pegasus and all. I started rummaging through his room. I finally found them hidden behind a box. They looked like cleats.

I Hurried back and found the girl looking at the various show pairs I had hung on the wall, "This place is a lot different from the other room,"

"Well I'm in here so much I decided to make it pleasing to look at,"

"Smells kinda funny though," I directed her to the chair.

"That might be me......I've been working since six." Almost eleven hours in a forge was close to what I imagine hell was.

"Oh.....sorry but you smell dude,"

"Yeah I know......lets get this done with so we don't spend that much time in here," I started placing the shoe against her hoof, almost immediately I could tell they weren't flush, "God DAMMIT," I stood quickly and stormed into the forge. I grabbed a pair of tongs and started heating the metal while I found my gloves. Putting them on was a challenge on its own, my blistered fingers aching as I slid them on.

Once they were heated I started hammering the metal, I just needed to give them a slight slope so they weren't completely flat. Any easy process if my hands weren't cut to hell. But I slowly worked the metal and soon enough they were done. My hands chafing under the gloves. A quick skim of them said they would do. Sorry to say but if she had any problems I was blaming Paul.

I quickly went back and affixed them to her hooves, "Any issues?" I said impatiently.

"No....almost like they aren't there," She said hoovering just above the ground.

"Good," I quickly filled out the paperwork, "Take this to Sam," I gave her the slip and followed her out into the lobby.

Her and Sam quickly sorted things out as I was storing my stuff, "And Thank ya for the business- great work Corey,"

"Never again," I started out the door, "My hands are more precious to me than my job.....no offense,"

"Sorry Corey......fer what it's worth ya did great work, ponies been asking for ya by name," I gave a quick halfhearted laugh before walking out into the warm sunset.

Author's Notes:

Wednesday: Better finish this up.....Oh hey look at that, Skyrim?! MY PRODUCTIVITY NOOOOOOO!

Thursday: OK I've escaped Skyrim. What's this: (Desktop ponies) MY THURSDAY NOOOOOO!

Friday: Finally back to normal (BOOAP) AH JESUS! (_____ Favorited ______) scared the shit outta me....WELL NOW I CANT FOCUS!