Chapters My Little Pony: Rise of the Clockworks
"Dr. Clockwork, are you sure about this, sir? I mean, clockwork stallions replacing the royal guard, I mean, sure, it'll keep them alive, but still." A pony by the name of Dr. Norton was saying to a dark grey stallion with hints of grey in his black mane, with crimson red eyes, and two bronze gears with a silver gear in the middle on his flank.
"Yes, Norton, I am sure." Clockwork said. "Begin process." He ordered. Norton nodded to the other scientists. They began building artificial clockwork stallions. Meanwhile, in Ponyville, newly-weds Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle were packing up for their two month honeymoon.
"You ready to go, Twily?" Flash asked. Twilight nodded.
"Whenever you are, cheese ball." Twilight smiled, and kissed her husband's cheek. "See you in two months, Spike!" Twilight called upstairs as they were heading out. Just as Twilight locked the door, Admiral Swift Rider walked up to them.
"Captain." He said to Flash. Flash bowed. "Princess." Swift Rider bowed to Twilight. "Princess Celestia has asked for the both of you to come to Canterlot, Dr. Thaddeus Clockwork is there, with a new invention." He said.
"Clockwork?" Twilight gasped. "The Thaddeus Clockwork?" She put her hooves to her cheeks in delight. Twilight had always wanted to meet the famous inventor. Swift Rider nodded.
"Yes, your highness." He said. "I shall accompany you there at once." Swift Rider told the couple. Flash and Twilight nodded. Flash had become the new captain of the royal guard after Shining Armor resigned to spend more time with Cadence. He had picked Flash firsthand. Flash was estatic at the time. As they were pulling in to Canterlot, two more guards, Lightning and Thunder Strike, twin brother and sister, were waiting for them.
"Princess, Captain, Princess Celestia is awaiting you inside." Thunder said. Twilight and Flash nodded, and followed them inside the palace. Celestia was waiting for them, with Clockwork himself. Celestia smiled as she saw Twilight.
"Twilight, so glad you could come. I'm sorry I had to interrupt your's and Flash's honeymoon, but, this couldn't wait a second longer." Celestia explained. Twilight nodded.
"I understand, Princess." Twilight said. Clockwork walked up.
"Greetings, Princes Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia told me you were so anxious to meet me in person. As you already know, I amd Dr. Thaddeus Clockwork, famous inventor in Ponyville." He said. Twilight nodded.
"It's an honor to meet you, Doctor." She said. Clockwork walked over to the door.
"And now, allow me to give you, the Clockwork Stallions!" Clockwork said as the door opened and 200 clockwork stallions walked through, marching in perfect unison, each making a robotic stomping as they marched. "They will be the new security of Equestria, so none of our guards has to pay with his life in the line of duty ever again, and, when one falls, two more take it's place." Clockwork explained.
"Very fascinating." Celestia said. "May we have a demonstration?" She asked.
"With pleasure." Clockwork said. "Unit 3.565," he ordered a stallion in front, "show the princesses your skills." The stallion nodded, and decided to test it's skills on Flash.
"OK, I won't go easy on a robot." Flash said as he charged the stallion, which side-stepped with ease. "Huh?" Flash asked as he hit the wall, causing Twilight to cringe. Flash shook his head and charged it again, missing it by an inch. The stallion then charged Flash, pinning him to the ground in just sixty seconds.
"The stallions are fast at capturing criminals and escaped convicts, and very efficient in the line of duty." Clockwork explained. Celestia nodded.
"I would like another 200 assembled within the month." She said. Clockwork nodded.
"Very well, princess. Another 200 will be assembled within the month. Until then, I will see you next month." Clockwork said. "Princess." He bowed to Twilight. The stallions stood in a army, all of them standing perfectly at the shoulder.
My Little Pony: Rise of the Clockworks
A month later, 200 more clockwork stallions were assembled. As they were, Dr. Norton sensed something odd about them. "Dr. Clockwork, please, we can't afford to keep building more of these machines, one of these days, they're going to turn on us!" He protested. Clockwork wasn't listening to his colleague.
"Celestia placed an order for 200 more of them, I can't keep her waiting, Dr. Norton, you know how impatient the princess gets." He said. Norton nodded and walked away, glancing back at Clockwork. At the palace, Celestia awaited Clockwork with his new troops.
"Here you are, princess, 200 more clockwork stallions, just as you ordered." He said. Celestia nodded.
"Thank you, Doctor. I'm sure they'll be excellent on the front lines." She said, before her face turned bone white as one of the stallions broke position. That's when all the stallions' eyes turned to crimson red, and then, they came alive. "What in the name of Canterlot is going on!" Celestia demanded.
"I don't know!" Clockwork admitted. "They shouldn't be acting like this, they're only mere puppet soldiers! They shouldn't be acting like intelligent beings!" He said as he looked at his creations in horror. One of the bigger ones approached them with a heavy stomping, spear lowered. One of the royal guards raced to get Flash Sentry and former captain Shining Armor.
"Lightning, Thunder! Come with me!" Swift Rider ordered the twins.
"YES SIR!" They shouted in unison as they raced after Swift Rider.
"Sir, what is going on?" Lightning asked.
"The stallions, they've malfunctioned and now are plotting to take over the palace. We have to get the captain and former captain." Swift said.
"Why Shining Armor, sir?" Thunder asked.
"Son, we may need his military guidance if we're going to have any chance against the bigger stallions." Swift Rider told him. Thunder nodded, spread his wings, and took off towards the Crystal Empire.
"I'll go with him, sir." Lightning said as she took off. Swift Rider took off as well, towards Ponyville and to rouse the guards there. As he was, Twilight and Flash were organizing books.
"It's been quiet this past month." Flash said before a book clonked him on the head. "Ow." He groaned. Twilight giggled and used her magic to put the book back in place. As she did, Swift Rider ran in, scaring Twilight and causing the books on the shelves to fall down on top of her. Her head poked out of the book pile, with a serious look on her face.
"Princess, Captain, emergency at the palace! It's the stallions, they've gone rogue!" Swift Rider told them. "Princess, your brother and sister-in-law are on there way back there right now to help us out with some of the bigger troops." He said. Then, one of the stallions who followed Swift Rider burst in, spear raised. Flash took out his spear and charged the stallion, taking flight and thrusting the spear into it's head, causing motor oil to spill out of it.
"Well," Flash said as he wiped oil from his face, "at least we know they can be killed." He put his spear away. Twilight kissed his cheek.
"I'll tidy up here then meet you guys at the palace, get Rainbow and the girls to go with you too." She said. Flash and Swift Rider nodded, and split up to find Rainbow Dash and the others. "Spike! I need some help down here!." Twilight called up to Spike's room. Her little assistant came running down as soon as she called for him.
"Here, Twilight!" Spike said as he looked at the mess. "Whoa, what happened here?" He asked.
"Don't ask, Spike, please, just, don't ask." Twilight pleaded. Spike nodded. What's going on with Dr. Clockwork's troops? Why would they act like this? " Twilight thought to herself. She was as confused as any pony. Whatever it was, Equestria was in serious danger.
My Little Pony: Rise of the Clockworks
Chapter 3: Kane's arrival
"What!!!!!!!! " Rarity shrieked as Twilight and Flash told her what had happened back at Twilight's castle. "I thought the clockwork stallions were here to help the royal guard, not kill them!!!" Rarity shrieked again. "Oh, I feel....faint." Rarity said as she fainted on her couch.
"Drama queen." Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. Applejack and the other girls were shocked as well.
"She's got a point, Twi, why would the stallions attack you? That's not like them at all." Applejack said.
"Look, girls, I know this sounds crazy, but a stallion attacked us, and it's eyes were, well, red, not brown like before." Twilight said. Then, she clutched her stomach in pain. Flash caught her.
"You OK, Twilight?" Flash asked his wife. Twilight nodded, then groaned again.
"What's going on? Pains in my stomach, hunger problems, I don't know what's going on." Twilight told the girls.
"Pfffffft! Easy, silly! You're pregnant!" Pinkie said. Twilight and Flash stared at her with widened eyes. "What? Did you really expect to get married and not at least have one kid?" She asked. Twilight and Flash looked at each other.
"Great, pregnant in the middle of the biggest crisis Equestria could possibly face!" Twilight said as she flopped on the couch, head in her hooves.
"Although with pregnancy you'll also expect mood swings." Pinkie said. Twilight looked at her seriously. "Just saying." Pinkie told her.
"Well, Twi, you're our planning pony, what's the plan?" Applejack asked.
"Plan? Plan?! How am I supposed to come up with a plan in a crisis like this! Name one way how in Celestia's name I'm supposed to come up with a plan in the middle of this kind of crisis!" Twilight yelled, head falling back into her hooves, quietly sobbing. Flash put a hoof around her.
"There's got to be something." Flash said. "There always is with you. You always know what to do, Twilight, that's what we love best about you, your knowledge of things." He told her, comforting her.
