Thunder Clap took the news a bit hard. He stayed in a bit more and finished projects without so much as a question. And that was out of the ordinary for him. Even if he knew what he was doing, he would always ask if there was anything else he could do to make it work better. He hadn’t even come into the shop since Celestia had come by. Autumn and Spangle were starting to worry about him.

“What do you want me to do?” Spangle asked Autumn.

“He trusts your judgment more than me. He’ll listen to you.” The dark orange earth pony replied.

“Well you’re his father, you should-”

“He doesn’t look up to me like he does to you.”

This took Spangle back a bit. “Why’s that?”

“Ever since his mother died when he was a kid, he’s looked up to you as like a second father. Faust knows I’ve done almost all I can about him. I’m extremely proud of ‘im for just having such incentive to do what he’s done, but this crushed him. He won’t listen to me so you have to talk to ‘im.”

Spangle sighed looking up the stairs. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Inside, Thunder Clap’s room/workshop, hundreds of plans hung from the walls. He still hadn’t taken down all of his designs for the Thunder Storm Rifle. The fully built prototype leaning against his night stand. He sat at his workbench tinkering with the mayor’s alarm clock when three knocks came at his door.

“I’m busy dad.” Thunder said not looking away from his project.

“It’s me, Spangle.” Spangle said through the door.

Thunder ran his metal hoof through his mint green mane. “It’s open.”

Spangle pushed open the door and looked around the room. “Looks a lot like mine when I started out here.”

“What’d you want?” Thunder said blankly not looking up from his current project.

“You haven’t really shown up for work. Everything alright?”

“What is it with you and dad wanting to pick my brain apart like there’s something there that’ll fix everything?”

“Look kid, I don’t know if he says it or not, but he’s proud of you. You’re doing more than he ever imagined you could, or even I could. Hell, I’m proud of you.”

Thunder stopped tinkering with his current project and looked over to Spangle. “He’s proud of me?”

“It’s all a part of the job description. No matter what, he’s there for you. He couldn’t be happier to have somepony like you as his son.”

“He said that?”

“He did. He also said that this isn’t like you. That no matter what, you don’t give up.”

“They said it was too expensive. What could I possibly do to make it cheaper?”

“Metals, that’s the key to ever single project. That’s why there are only a few sets of the leg you have in all of Equestria. It’s extremely expensive. You just have to find the right metals that will hold up just as long as iron. If anything they would-”

“Make it lighter. Thanks Spangle.” Thunder Clap ran out of his bedroom with the Thunder Storm in his teeth.

“What about the mayor’s-” the clock started ringing loudly as the clock tower signaled noon. “Never ceases to amaze me.”

Back at the shop, Thunder Clap was pouring over documents and estimations. As to what metals would be lighter, cheaper and still hold up. Aluminum seemed promising. But after stress tests, it would need major maintenance after about a month of work. The only other option was steel. It was cheaper to produce than iron and was much stronger. the inner mechanisms and barrel would have to be replaced to hopefully put them back into budget for the Equestrian Military.

While he was forging a new barrel, an idea dawned on him, what if he were to not only rebuild the rifle, but rebuild the bullet. From experience testing the Thunder Storm, the ball had a tendency to pull harshly in any direction. The first thing he thought about was a torpedo, built so that it didn’t move anywhere but straight. Thunder Clap was in the middle of melting down lead into their new curved cone shape when a dark voice came from behind him.

“Why do you continue young stallion?”

Thunder turned around and saw one of the strangest ponies he could never have imagined. His blood red coat was covered in black stripes; his messy black mane blew in an invisible wind and a bright purple aura flowing from his green, serpent eyes.

“Can I help you sir?” Thunder Clap asked.

“I am interested in your rifles. The one’s you created.”

“You want a Thunder Storm?”

“No, I want hundreds.”

“H-hundreds? That would cost-”

“Millions, but I’m confident that we can reach an agreement.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“This must remain between only us. I have a- “hunting party” that needs a lot of firepower.”

“A hunting party? When do you want them by?”

“Meet me by the river in three weeks to discuss the deal in full. This requires, further discussion in private.”

“Thunder, who are you talking to?” Spangle asked coming downstairs into the work shop.

Thunder looked to his mentor. “I was just-” when he looked back to where the strange pony was, he had vanished. “A customer... He was just here.”

“You might want to take some time away from forge. I think the smoke and fumes are getting to you.”

Thunder looked back to where the pony was standing only seconds before and nodded. “I guess so. Is it okay if I ask you to finish what I was doing?”

“Sure thing. Go home, it’s dinner time.”

Author's Notes:

Me: Clifthangers to the max!
Nexus: I'm starting to question if he's even-
Me: In a tree.
Nexus: On the lips.
Me: We both die in that case.
Nexus: Is it me or is this just getting REALLY formulaic?
Me: Yeah. Let's just stop. You don't spoil the future chapters/installments and I don't make you bi. Seem fair?
Nexus: Good nuff for me. Next chapter?
Me: Next chapter