The last of the plumes of the torpid steam rising from the barrel hissed through the night air. The metal contacted, singing out in a high pitched whine as the molecules clenched together in a molecular tight bond. The last bits of the wrought iron were ready, fully annealed for strength. A wire brush ran over it’s form, the last flakes of black carbon, the impurities were scraped away down the length of the triple twisted braid. To prevent oxidizing, it then went into a light oil bath which would be cleaned off later, a pristine new metal surface. The best for paint.
 
It was measured, cut and welded in the last place possible, completing the set of rails. All carefully laid out to perfection, custom made for the display across the city. Neighman Marcus was retrofitting an entire floor, to feature products on displays. It was a showcase of 1/3rd sections of room, cut=a-ways of the floor that featured everyday items on a set, a still picture of the traffic.
 
The adult ponyquinns set out with the latest trend of clothing, vests, slack, dresses and hats, set upon the inhabitants of the uncanny valley side of life. The spiffy clothes on featureless, placid faces of the eerie figures. It was a stark contrast between the lively colors, yellow and white stripes, gaily colored dinnerware and the bright paints.
 
At least that’s what it would be, things were still a mess, piles of what was to go in the rooms, unopened boxes of appliances and folded clothes stacked on furniture. The ponyquinns naked and smooth forms meant that the progress hadn’t even begun. The unicorn had been contracted to make a few pieces of railing for various displays, the garden, stairs, garage and outdoor eating area as well. Apparently grilling your vegetables is the new thing to do.
 
The unicorn’s magic assisted wagon easily hauled the pieces out of the service lift and further out into the floor area. The rails were wrapped in parchment paper, to keep the thin layer of oil protecting it from getting anywhere else. He laid the packages near their intended locations, so there was no confusion as to where it went. He put the wagon back on the lift, unhitched and went to sign the delivery sheet. Muffled voices in the distance lead him to the correct spot, a display was being set up over night.
 
“… Well, if they are going to keep sending them like this, I don’t know what we can do.” an earth pony wearing a grey t-shirt mumbled to a mare beside him with safety glasses on. “I’m just baffled as to why they keep sending tailor ponyquinns.”
 
“I had a 10 pack of the ponyquinn coating, used the last of it on half the new ones that showed up yesterday. I say we just go down to the warehouse and get a few cases.” the pegasus mare shrugged.
 
“If it winds up being the same price-wise, then that is a possibility.” the stallion nodded while flipping through a pocket index catalogue. “They…” he paused, “..are the same. We can pick up a few cases tomorrow and coat them as they come in.”
 
“Allrigh-” the pegasus stopped her flight-assisted jump and spotted the brown and white unicorn, patiently waiting off to the side. “Oh! Hello!” she grinned, the stallion turned to see who she was talking to.
 
“You might want to pick up some soap or mineral spirits and rags for the railing too. I just dropped them all off.” he informed the two. “Socks, the Guard Smithy.”
 
“Oh yes…” the stallion flipped over the pocket index and opened the case to reveal a double-parchment reciept pad and began to write with an odd pen across the fresh page. “…And it was for how many pieces?”
 
“Six custom railings for the displays, ready to be cleaned and painted.” Socks nodded.
 
“…cleaned and painted. Received by Leval, Project contractor,” He held the pad over for Socks, who gripped it and the pen from his muzzle in a wisp of magic. He signed ‘Delivered by Socks, Gard Smithy’. He handed it back and the paper puffed in a dim green light, .
 
Socks received the copy and forgot his pockets were on the saddle, clutching it aside his shoulder with magic instead. “Just remember the wash before you paint. And have a good night.”
 
“I’ll make the decorating crew aware.” the stallion nodded. “The rest of the crew should be showing up soon and we have to look over more deliveries, make sure all the pieces are in their areas. Busy work.” he closed the receipt book and quickly turned back the pegasus. “We still need some clothes from downstairs…”
 
Socks walked back through the displays, looking at the piles of products. Bedroom and kitchen, study and sewing room, disassembled into parts sitting on the unpainted, un-laminated drywall and floor ‘rooms’. They were corners actually, everything from the entire room compacted onto two walls and a wedge of the floor. All perfectly lit to show off everything as you walked around inside the area.
 
Now that he had knocked off the last thing on his list of things to do, he could take time for himself. Right now he wanted to look at the area, having already seen a few things that were new. ‘Cook toast without a hot oven’ machines and home sized coat-and-mane driers and an other-worldly selection of bright colors.
 
Small round disks were stacked near the flooring, they had a small hole in the center and a slit down half it’s radius. Covers for the round balancing plates the ponyquinns sat on, the chrome pole holding them slightly above the floor. Hovering close enough to look real, but not enough to be mistaken for an actual pony. The smooth curved form was bereft of life, it’s hard shell just a form for the clothes.
 
Socks moved on, past the service doors and looked over the items in the utility room. Several rolls of carpets, linoleum floors, rounded plates with empty chrome poles sticking up. There were several blocks of wood too, cut with a scallop out of the center, it was stained a rich brown and had a bright round brass plate sticking from one side of the square figure-eight. It stood about half a pony high, but the most interesting part was the brass ring, it was a hole who’s purpose he was unable to deduce.
 
He moved to the blocks, peering at the hole, ciphering it’s function. Four brass screws held the ring down, the walls of the hole were lined with a rough pipe, so the wood wouldn’t get marred. He hopped up with his front hooves near the hole, peering down inside for a better look. Nothing, the speculation began to mount. A display, perhaps some sort of product tray where one of them sits higher. He finished his climb to the piece and looked at it’s surface, a nice and smooth application of the stain and shellac. It clopped hard under the hooves.
 
Suddenly Socks felt a push, something dug into his sternum and thrust his body upward. The receipt fell out of his grip, concentration broken, it fluttered down the space between two similar blocks. He stopped and slumped his rear over on whatever had hit him, groaning out lightly.
 
“…oof….” he grunted, front hooves hung down and his rear resting on the wood block below him.  
“The sign said ‘Head and Back protection required’ for a reason.” he chuckled to himself. He chuckled softly for a bit where he was perched. Something probably bounced up off the wood and hit him, no harm, the impact near his chest had already began to lightly tingle.
 
“It…” he said, pausing to think. “-knocked more out of… me than I thought.” He shook his head and opened his muzzle to take a breath, he was feeling rather short of it. His chest was gripped tight, pulled inward and stiff. “Must have done… ammage than… ought.” The sensation gripped him tighter, further than his chest. His stomach felt larger, lungs fluffed up as if they had too much air in them now. ‘Oh Luna, I think I broke something.’ he cringed.
 
An exploratory hoof shot to the area, half expecting to feel a slick warmth in the area, but his ears shot up to full alert when his hoof made contact. It felt like a thick canvas, one with many layers of threads woven together to be a taut durable surface, but still pleasany a soft to the touch. He felt it, his hoof pushing against it.
 
His head craned down to see, eyes constricted when he saw what his hoof felt. The object that hit him didn’t fall, it came up from the brass ringed hole, a dull grey metal rod stuck out of him diagonally. It had tunneled up a bit inside him, though instead of harm, it began to send a wave of the canvas outward from it’s mount.
 
“ … ! “ His muzzle opened, to cry for help, yet nothing came out. A worried head began to examine himself more. The canvas and whatever it was doing had covered his chest and waist like an over-bust corset, his lungs and organs had been changed by this… magic encroaching over his form.
 
“…. .. ! “ his muzzle made the words, but there was no air behind them, no vibrations, nothing to carry his plea into the air. The changed torso lifted his rear hooves into the air gently, the slouching flesh and bone tingling in the passing wave, turning into canvas and light stuffing packed tightly inside of it. He kicked his hooves in an attempt to get off the block, but they were too far away to touch anything despite how he stretched.
 
He tugged and shifted what was still responding, trying to get off the rod. His coat and body changing slowly, stiffening along the wave of magic resonating out from the center of his torso. It flowed faster down his hooves, the struggles subsiding as the appendages simply fell quiet into a stretched out pose to rest peacefully.
 

 
REST OF THE STORY AT ––––> https://www.furaffinity.net/view/20784910/