The cuckoo clock rang eight times, its mechanical bird chirping out its iconic phrase in harmonious synergy to the deep internal bell, and all the while the tiny second hand ticked away to its own rhythm, adding an appropriate contrast to the unity of bird and bell. Beside the roaring fire place, two caramel colored Earth Ponies, a mare and filly, gazed up at the cuckoo clock, and with loud yawns, the pair went up stairs to get ready for bed. The mare, named Senescence, helped the filly, whose name was Aetas, into the bath tub for a quick scrub, then after brushing their respective teeth, mane, tail, and coats, they each donned a pale blue night gown, and slipped into bed.
"Mommy, can you read me a story?" Aetas asked, brushing aside her naturally long, and messy, brown mane, so her green eyes could lock with Senescence's orange eyes.
"Of course," Senescence said happily, as she got out of the bed, and walked over to the adjacent bookshelf, her own equally long, but tamed, white mane and tail lightly dragging across the floor as she walked. "Which one would you like to hear tonight?"
"How about that one?" Aetas retorted, pointing at a brown, leather bound tome, laid upon a small writing desk directly beside the bookshelf.
"This one? But I'm not even done writing it yet. You sure you want to hear an incomplete tale?" Senescence asked, as she picked up the tome, and showed Aetas just how much was still left to write.
"All the more reason to hear it. Please mommy," Aetas pleaded with an adorable puppy dog expression; Senescence's greatest weakness.
"Okay okay," Senescence said chuckling at her daughter's cute face, as she got back on the bed, and opened the tome between them, with Aetas resting her head against Senescence's right side.
Once upon a time, in a realm of gears and bright lights, there was a pony, known only as the Time Streamer. She was an Alicorn unlike any other, possessing intimate knowledge of chronomancy so complete, she could perform feats many would deem impossible. Together with her fellow clockwork ponies, a beautiful, peaceful, and just Kingdom was crafted; the Clockwork Kingdom. Under the Time Streamer's leadership, the Clockwork Kingdom maintained the flow of time with its innovative unity of both sorcery and science. It wasn't long till the Kingdom's crown jewel, the culmination of all that came before, was casted from metal and fire; the Key Cog.
Drawing on both magic and fundamental forces, the Key Cog provided limitless power, transforming the Clockwork Kingdom into a Utopia never before seen. Alas, nothing is truly forever, and with great power comes even greater envy. Slowly it crept across the realm, corrupting everything it touched, a dark mass that swallowed all light, and brought entire sections of the Kingdom to a, literal, grinding halt. The Time Streamer fought back this darkness, her people came to dub, the Wither, with all the power she could muster, but it was never enough, and a stalemate always resulted. The war seemed unwinnable, for with each citizen taken by the Wither, the mass grew in power, and form until only the Time Streamer remained.
The Time Streamer, now alone, gazed from her balcony as the Wither darkened the rest of her kingdom, creeping ever closer to her palace, and more importantly, the Key Cog. Unable to defeat the Wither out right, the Time Streamer used its greed against it, she allowed it to claim the Key Cog, only to seal it away within the cog itself, like a bug in a jar. Her victory, however, was as permanent as it was hollow, for with the Key Cog now serving as the Wither's prison, the Time Streamer had not the power, nor the means to undo all that had been done to her Kingdom, and precious citizens. Worst of all, though the Wither itself was locked away, small portions of its massive body lingered on, creating a poisonous miasma that could corrode even the thickest of alloys, and metals. Even with all her power, the Time Streamer knew that there was no way she could do it all, and so, with the greatest of regret, she sealed the Clockwork Kingdom away, behind a powerful barrier she alone could dispell, and swore never to allow such a travesty to happen again.
"Oh, poor Time Streamer," Aetas said, as her mother shut the tome, and set it aside. "But where did she go?"
"Well that will be explained in chapter one," Senescence replied, as she let out a strong yawn.
"Huh, but I thought this was chapter one," Aetas retorted with a puzzled expression.
"Oh no sweetie, this is just a prologue," Senescence said, laying her head on her pillow, and resting her chin, gently, a top Aetas' head.
"Oh, can you read me that too?" Aetas asked, tilting her head upward a little, so she could rest her head more comfortably on top of Senescence's chest.
"When I finish writing it, sure," Senescence replied demoniacally sleepily.
"Oh, and one more thing mommy," Aetas said, her mother surprised with her levels of energy.
"Yes, my little angel?" Senescence replied, her voice quite soft, and eye lids already shut due to exhaustion setting in.
"What is a prolog?" Aetas retorted with a faint snicker.
"A prologue is a type of introduction writers use to sometimes, though not always, convey, otherwise lengthy, exposition in a more condenced manner," Senescence said with a sleepy yawn.
"So, does that mean the Time Streamer still has a chance for a happy end?" Aetas asked, but her mother had already lost to her grogginess, and instead, spoke the sweet sounds of sleep. "I hope it does."
