Author's Note: Well, ladies and gentlemen, I made a mistake. I ended last chapter without really having the characters explain what they were meant to. That's the problem with writing when you don't plan things out. Sorry about that, everyone. I'll try to right that in this chapter. Well, that aside, here's chapter 3.
Chapter 3: Readjustment.
You know, it's strange. I thought it would be difficult readjusting to living with these ponies... But they're more human than you'd believe...
At that moment, a loud crash catches Sentinel's attention as a wooden beam falls down behind him. Instinctively, he races over and tackles the wooden beam, holding it in place to prevent it from moving and accidentally hitting anything. When the beam was finished reverberating, he rose to stand and looked about to piece together what went wrong.
"Sorry, big guy, I guess the beam slipped..." Applejack said, trotting up to him, somewhat embarrassed by her slip up.
"It's no problem. It wasn't your fault. Just didn't have enough points to bear the load. How about I give you a hand this time?" he asks, lifting the beam enough to slip two ropes under it and sets it back down.
"Whooee, yer almost as strong as me!" she retorts, a challenging smile on her face.
"Almost? How about when we get this shed finished up, I teach you a thing or two about strength?" he asks, chuckling.
"Yer on, metal head!" Applejack replies with a soft laugh before lifting the wooden beam up onto the structure for Sentinel to hammer into place. Sentinel steps up and holds the wooden beam in place and beats the nail into place using his fist in only a few swings. "Ah didn't notice before, but you can use yer uh... Those things fer that?" she asks, curious.
"Yep, and for a lot of other things too; it's one of the perks of being made of metal." He answered simply. "And by the way, they're called hands. They're quite useful, actually."
"I reckon yer right. The little things on 'em look mighty helpful." She agrees as she heads over to get some more wood to build the walls.
"Fingers, or digits, either one works. So what else goes on in this town? I've only been here for a little while and all the townsfolk seem to have already pretty much gotten used to me." He asked curiously.
"Well, ya look weird, but you ain't causin' any trouble, so nopony'll bother ya, if that's what yer askin'." She replies, coming back with a small pile of wooden planks and a box of nails.
"No, I mean... It's hard to explain... I'm a construct, normally, that elicits a strong response in others. Curious stares, unfriendly glares; I've even had some people throw things to get me to leave their town." He said, picking up the pile and setting it down on the ground.
"Why would anypony treat somepony as nice as you like that?" she asked, her eyes widening mildly in shock.
"Well... Let's just say my past isn't all sweet rolls and rainbows. My race's name explains our purpose. We are War-Forged, as in we were literally forged for war." He begins, practically punching a nail into place, pinning a board to the structure. "I won't bore you with the details, but I fought for thirty years in a war where everyone that wasn't in your unit could be your ally one day and your enemy the next. It took me almost 40 years of traveling to learn what a real friend was." He continued with a sigh, beating in another nail and moving on to the next board.
"Wow, Ah never woulda guessed you went through somethin' like that." Applejack replied, a solemn worry in her eyes. "Are things like wars common where you come from?" she asks, settling down on her rump on the ground.
"Not anymore, but conflict, battles, and skirmishes do still happen. So, I got up and left. Found a new place to trail blaze. Then, I found this place. Needless to say, I'm glad I did. I've been needing a place to rest my head, so to speak." He replied, trying to cut the heavy mood with a slight joke, causing her to at least smile.
"Ah gotta say, I don't envy you, partner, well, Ah do wish I had a pair'a those hands'a yours, but that's about it." She replied with a soft smile.
"Heh. Yeah. Well, let's get this finished up." He said, moving on to the next section of the wall.
"Yer not tired?" she asked, wiping sweat from her forehead, her soft, orange coat glistening slightly.
"Nah, it takes a lot to tire me out. Go ahead and take a break, I'll join you when I finish up this wall." He replied, hammering in another plank. Applejack couldn't help but be impressed by his work ethic and perseverance. He made short work of the East wall, finishing in 45 minutes; something that would have taken her at least an hour to do on her own.
"How can you work like that? About half way through, mah hooves'd be sore and mah neck'd ache." She asked, utterly shocked by his efficiency.
"Just one of the perks of being a Warforged, I guess. We don't need to rest all that often and we don't feel pain." He replied, shrugging before settling down onto the ground beside her.
"You really don't feel pain?" she asked, confused.
"Well, not like others do. What we feel isn't something that makes us pull away, like when you touch a hot coal, we feel the heat and the damage it causes. We have to consciously pull away to get the damage to stop. You squishier types have the luxury of a brain that can do that for you. We just have our conditioning." He replied.
"Conditionin'? How do you mean?" Applejack asks her eyes full of curiosity.
"Well... We were trained to believe that things like the afterlife aren't for us; that death is the end. We don't sleep, so we learned to appreciate the little things, like the grass and the sky, but when we die, we don't get to experience those things anymore. That thought terrified us into following orders and working as units. We were largely motivated by the fear of nothingness and the promise of glory when we were victorious." He then took a moment to release an audible sigh before resuming his explanation. "It wasn't a good life, and, sadly, it was the only one we'd ever known." He continues.
At this, Applejack's eyes looked to be full of anger and worry. "Ah can't believe they'd put you through something like that! That's just not right! You're a somepony just like the rest of 'em! They can't just treat you like a toy! Ugh! That just burns my biscuits!" she shouts, stamping her front hoof against the ground.
"It's alright. It's been almost 80 years since the war ended. A lot of us have since learned how to live, rather than just exist. Many of us have found friends and those we can call family. We started out as soldiers and slaves, but after the war, we were granted citizenship. Now, we're a people, but prejudice does still exist." He interjects, placing his hand on her back to calm her down.
"Ah know, but it's not right." She replies, still somewhat upset.
"What's important is that things are better than they were. We're free now, though many of us are still learning what that really means." He replied, scratching her back to help her calm down: it seemed to be working quite well as she slowly leaned down to lay on the ground. His thick, metal fingers dug gently into her tired muscles.
"N-normally... Ah don't like others rubbin' on me... But those fingers 'a yours do wonders... A-ha-ha'll make an exception..." she replied with a groan, stretching her neck forward to lay completely flat, her eyes somewhat rolling back with enjoyment before closing completely.
"Thanks. I've been told that I'm good with animals. Oh, sorry, where I come from, horses are just like animals." He replied before rephrasing his response.
"Oh... Ah bet you do..." Applejack said with a sigh.
"Here, I think you'll enjoy this..." he said, gently pulling her to lay on his lap while his hands worked at her neck and lower back, causing her to release a heavy sigh, lowering her head to rest on his calf.
"Ah ain't never had anythin' like this b'fore... Ah think ya should... Mmm... Talk ta Aloe and Lotus Blossom down at... The spa... Ponies'd want yer hands more'n... A bear after honey... Oh..." she said in a soft tone, almost releasing a whiny or two involuntarily.
"Happy to be of service, miss." He replies, moving back to her shoulders, however, she suddenly shot up with a heavy red hue on her cheeks and wide eyes.
"Oh... Ah... Uh... Think Ah hear Granny Smith callin'! Uh, yeah! That's it! Sorry! Gotta go! Bye!" she said in a hurried tone as she got up and raced towards her family's barn.
"Strange. Well, might as well get back to work." He mutters to himself. I guess I could go into town and try to find that spa she was on about. He thought as he resumed hammering planks into place to make the walls.
In about twenty minutes, the walls were finished and he topped the small shed with a tarp to protect against rain. "Shingling is going to suck." He said with a sigh before heading towards the barn. When he gripped the handle to open it, it's immediately closed, though he catches sight of Applejack on the other side.
"Ah'm a bit busy at the moment, partner, sorry!" she shouts with a somewhat shaky voice.
"Uh... Alright, well, I just came to say I finished up the shed's walls. I'll be back tomorrow to do the shingling." He replied, looking at the closed door curiously. "Are you alright in there?" he asked, confused.
"Yeah! Ah'm perfectly fine! N-no need to come in! Thanks for all yer hard work today!" she answers, her tone seeming nervous.
"Well, anyway, see you later. I'm going to stop by that spa you mentioned." He replied, waiting for her response.
"That's fine; just make sure not to stop on the way there! Twilight'll have both our hides if ya... Go about causin' a scene!" she said, her tone now sounding rushed, like she was forcing herself to speak.
"Will do. And... Whatever's going on, I hope you feel better soon." He replies, turning and heading towards the dirt trail that led into town. Soon, the path leads him past a small cottage; the same cottage he'd passed when he'd first arrived.
Chapter 3 end.
End Note: This was a short update, but I don't think I should have too long pass between updates. There may only be a few of you reading this out there, but that doesn't mean you should have to wait just for updates. As always, read, review, and feel free to PM me whenever you'd like. Stay frosty, my friends.