A Day in the Life: Numidium Forge
"Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal! Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan, Dovahkiin fah hin kogaan mu draal!"
The soft sounds and gentle drumming of the music box was the only sound, drowning out the whistles and creaks of the old home, letting the small family sleep in peace, the sounds of choir chanters singing in the ancient flutterpony language.
An invader enters, taking care to step to the rhythm of the drum beats, prowling through the house on claw and paw, eyes glinting in the dark shadows, tracing steps from memory. Entering the lone bedroom, the intruder spotted its prey. A pony, gold-furred with a spiky black and blond mane, unicorn, resting his head on the rump of his adoptive daughter, a pudgy red dragoness with sparkling ruby red scales and an unusual deep brown mane of hair.
The intruder stalked closer and closer to the pony and finally came to a stop a couple of feet away. Raising a taloned paw, the intruder almost coughed into it… before simply grabbing a heavy looking book and slamming it down onto a night stand. “WAKE UP!”
The unicorn leapt into the air in a panic, flailing around as mechanical gauntlets sprouted from bangles on his forehooves, grasping at anything within reach to defend himself. He finally fell from the bed curtains down with him, the rod landing on his noggin.
The dragoness whined as the sunlight blasted into the house and she tried to bundle herself in tighter while checking on her father.
“Hey dad?”
“...Yeah Numi?”
“Ya dead?”
“....yeah...”
“Uncle Gabby?” Numi asked, looking up, “Why’d you do that?” She pouted, knowing her uncle well enough to know it was important.
“Because, it’s two in the bucking afternoon, and I apparently need to help you daft horseapples pack for your move,” the griffin commented dryly as he helped the pony up. “And the buck were you doing Forge? Dumb pony projects again?”
“It’s called SLEEPING.” Clockwork responded, climbing out of his mess. “Numidium and I were working with a new gadget late last night and, well, we got done.”
“Yeah, it’s really cool, Uncle Gabby!” The red dragon was quick to get active, shutting off the music box and grabbing the gryphon’s claws, “C’mon, you’ll love it!”
Gabriel, or as the pudgy dragoness had taken to calling him, ‘Gabby,’ growled but let himself get pulled away and led, his beak fixed in a near perpetual state of dourness. The pair entered the workshop, and the griffin ducked under a support beam. “So, what is it you… what… is THAT?” he asked, pointing.
Numidium squee’d, bouncing up to the massive machine. Four wheels, made from tempered steel and some form of dense elastic material sat at the front, two more slightly larger ones at the back. A pair of arcane lanterns, ones Gabriel recognized as Clockwork’s infamous ‘feral Flare’ lamps, were positioned at the front, and the long body, swept back and sleek, seemed built for speed. It was clearly reinforced by tempered steel, but the bulk of the ‘shell’ was Orichalcum, the unusual reddish copper-nickel alloy that made Numidium’s scales so ruby red.
She opened the door to reveal an interior of white velvet padded seats made for luxury, with intricately-carved hardwood accents over polished copper. A large wheel, hardwood and brass, sat in front of the front, left-side seat, with what looked to be a brace on one side fitted for a hoof. The rest of the seats had no such device, but all had large silk ribbons with latching buckles hanging from them.
The most noticeable, more than anything, was what Gabriel recognized from the old ‘war’ days, an electrostatic orb Clockwork often used to gauge the kinetic energy in one of his contraptions. This one was sending out bright purple sparks, lots of them, suggesting it was wound and primed to fire.
“Do you like it?” Forge asked, having slipped in behind the pair. “Took us the better part of a week to build, and we wanted to surprise you when you got back from Griffinstone.” He smiles, patting the Old Bird on the back gently, just an inch away from a familiar scar. “Welcome home, old friend.”
“Well, consider my furry backside surprised then,” Gabriel said, nodding as his talons twitched. “But… what is it?”
“I call it...The Automobile!” Clockwork smiles. “Y’see, I kept wondering how to fix your flight issues...still sorry about that, by the way.” He blushes, still remembering the gruesome mess his explosive bolt made of Gabriel’s wing. “Uh...anyway, I got to thinking about the Friendship Express.
“I still say you shoulda patented the design.” Numidium added.
“I know, I know, I’m STILL kicking myself for that, okay!” He sighs, “Anyway! I thought about how to take it OFF the rails, some brainstorming with Numi, a few nights of dipping into the Dragonfruit Juice.”
“You promised you’d stop drinking that stuff!”
“I’m SORRY, hon!” He whimpers, “but, yeah… We built it. And..” Clockwork handed Gabriel a small brass wind-up key. “She’s waiting for you.”
Gabriel took the key in his claws and looked between it, the ‘Automobile,’ and Clockwork. “I… I don’t… thank you,” the gruff griffin grunted graciously, glancing down to the floor as he padded over to it. “A good parting gift if I do say so myself.”
“...What in bloody tartarus are you talking about, man?”Clockwork asked, confused.
“Uncle Gabby, did you check the mail and not tell us what’s in it again?” Numidium asked, the dragoness sidling up beside Gabriel and bumping him with her hips.
“Hatchling, I check everyone’s mail,” he told her. “Just not my fault you don’t read it, considering the news was a week old.”
“...A WEEK OLD!?” Clockwork shouted.
“...Ohhhhyyeeeaahh...We’ve been stuck in here all week on this...” Numidium watched as her father went into a spitting ranting wreck and looked up to her uncle. “So, what’s the news?”
“You’re moving,” Gabriel stated. “Crystal Empire, teaching position, yadda yadda yadda, boring pony garbage, etcetera.” The griffin shrugged. “Standard reason to move fare.”
“...I got the job?”
“Sounds like it, dad! This is awesome news!”
“I GOT THE JOB!?” Clockwork repeated, leaping into the air with a hollering shout of glee. He began zipping around the workshop chattering like a madpony, pushing Gabriel and Numidium out the door to the main house and telling them to pack their things, though it was hard to gather the finer details from his rapid rambling.
“Oooookaaaayyy...” Numidium sighed, “I knew he’d be happy but you’d think he just got injected with pure sugar...” She shrugged , “Well Uncle Gabby, let’s go pack.”
Gabriel looked at her, mildly confused. “What in Tartarus makes you think I’m coming along?” he asked as the pair entered the bedroom again. “I can’t teach. And I ain’t no bucking engineer either.”
“Then are you going back to Griffinstone?” She asked, a sad tone to her voice as she picked up her beloved music box. “Because the Ponyville council said the moment we find new residency,they're tearing the shack down. It’s practically condemned as it is!” She responded by bumping the door with her tail, causing it to fall flat into the hallway.
“Plus...you know I’ll miss you,” She whimpered, giving her uncle the big sad kitten eyes she always used when she was genuinely sad, but wanted to make a point.
“....I know Shortscale,” Gabriel commented, hugging the smaller dragon awkwardly. “But I can bum off a few morons in Canterlot. Not that far off from here you know, even on foot. Or… wheel, I guess,” he added, pointing back to his vehicle. “Might end up just living in there for a bit.”
“Heck no!” Clockwork shouted, leaping into the room, “You’re the driver, man!” He cackled, rushing around and tossing everything from clothing to bits of armor plate to tools and mementos into suitcases, briefcases, and lord knows what else, including separating the three sets of drawing and art supplies into art cases labeled ‘clockwork’, ‘Numi’, and ‘bird’.
“Face it, man, you’re not living the life of a hobo! We’re going to the Crystal Empire! I’ll have an actual JOB that can pay for REAL food and we’ll actually have a house that doesn’t whistle and a roof that doesn’t LEAK! We’ll have WORKING PLUMBING!”
Gabriel quirked an eyebrow. “You wrecked the toilet I installed, that is entirely your fault. And besides, I can’t live with you two doing nothing forever besides drinking and swearing.”
“Says who?” Clockwork said, “The school will need a PE coach, you KNOW Numi loves you and I’d need someone to watch her when classes are out and I’m doing paperwork, and all else fails Shining Armor has been hiring for the Royal Guard! We both know you got what it takes and then-some to whip those greenhorns into shape!”
“Clockwork, I’m a medically retired, alcoholic, and bitter cynic of a griffin whose current circle of friends are a pony I tried killing MULTIPLE times, and his dragon daughter. The chances of me getting in with the Guard are… slim. Besides, don’t the Royal Idiots have that one fella guarding them? Vanilla or something or other?”
“Xenilla.” Numidium said, climbing on Gabriel’s back with her totes in tow, just a handful of tasteful clothes and what sparse few toys she and her father had made. “Some kind of freaky alien unicorn who’s actually a monster. But yeah, he may be THEIR guard, but the Royal Guard have duties other than just protecting the princess and Shining Armor. Who knows? Maybe you’d be assigned to guard the Academy? Then you can hang with me and Dad all the time!”
“Oh help Celestia’s giant flanks,” Gabriel deadpanned. “I’m going to die from over exposure to pony stupidity. Fine… but if I get kicked out, or killed, or fed to Vanilla, I’m haunting your bucking flank Clockwork Forge.”
“Give it time, Uncle Gabby.” Numi whispered, “You’ll figure ‘em out...or go bonkers trying… most are easier to handle than Dad is, though.” She watched her father hauling whatever he could into the workshop. By the time they were done, only the packs they held themselves remained, the tattered bed was left to rot, and the old ruins of the house were laid barren. Numidium reached out and tugged at something shiny, a simple brass nail her father used to repair the old door frame so long ago, the only thing that survived the years of struggling to fight against the old shack’s rot.
With a swift tug, she pried it out, the soft ‘zip’ of the still razor sharp threads slicing through the old, rotten wood could be heard. She cleaned it off, watching as sparks flew from her fingertips, and pocketed the shiny bit of metal, as a reminder of the fond memories they all had here.
Gabriel grunted as the shack groaned ominously. “Always did bucking hate Ponyville,” he commented, getting into the automobile. “Welp, their loss, the idiot hicks.”
“It’s not THAT bad a place if you actually go INTO the town.” Numi countered, “Then again most of the Rich family are stuck-up snobs who practically run the town...” She shrugged, hopping off of Gabriel’s back and into the back seat. Her father slammed something down and, with a glance around, it became clear that all of the tools and equipment, some of which were shockingly large and heavy, had vanished.
“She’s all loaded up,Gabe!” Clockwork said, hopping into the front passenger seat. “Buckle up!” He shouted, pulling the silken ribbon across his barrel. “This baby’s got some force, but stopping is a pain, so it’s best to wear these to avoid taking an unplanned flight.”
Numi pulled hers on, before thinking twice and leaping forward, grabbing the clockwork dynamo’s electrosphere, letting the static electricity send her hair flying outward and giggling at the sensation. Before either adult could counter the behavior, she leapt back and snuggled into her seat, safety belt fastened snug.
“Sorry, I had to!” Numi whispered, earning an eye-rolling from her father and a giggle from the young dragoness. Gabriel grunted, rolling his eyes as he put the key in and turned it. The sudden roar of the engine coming to life almost made him jump out of his feathers, squawking in fright as a tapestry of profanity was woven, Clockwork and Numi’s eyes growing wide at the sheer litany of it all.
“Sorry...” Clockwork whispered, flipping several switches, causing sound dampeners to muffle the noize of the engine. Clockwork dynamos, he forgot, were his mainstay power for old war machines. It had been so long since he used one, he legitimately forgot it was one of Gabriel’s ‘triggers’. Thankfully, the loud and rapid, machine gun-like ticking of the engine died away and the machine was ready to ride in blissful silence.
Gabriel looked like he was about to either have a heart attack, or lose all his feathers and fur as it stood on end on his body, the Griffin shaking in place. “...”
Clockwork said nothing, knowing him speaking would only make it worse. It was, instead, the calming song of Numidium that worked to break the stupor, to wither away the flashbacks, to let the faces of those loved and lost fade back into memory, and to drown out the sounds of war.
"Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin.;." The soft, gentle song filled the cab of the vehicle, soft, gentle hands running through stiffened feathers. Numidium, sensing her uncle’s panic, had shifted, her love for her family blending with the protective edge of her draconic greed, showing the beautiful creature within as she gingerly caressed her uncle back to a calm state of mind.
Gabriel calmed down, finally, taking deep calming breaths as he slowly investigated the controls. “Clockwork… what makes this thing move?” he asked quietly.
“...A clockwork dynamo.” He whispers. “Sorry...I..I installed sound dampeners...but..I forgot to turn them on before we started....” He hides in on himself, tapping his hooves together.
“I meant what do I push to make this… carriage thing to get moving,” the griffin clarified.
“Oh! There’s two pedals down at the base. ...Remember ‘that incident’ in the wasteland? It’s a lot like that. Just..be gentle, this is the same kind of engine, but less than a twentieth the weight, she’s gonna be FAST.” Clockwork, thankfully, remembered that the door was still closed, and quickly went to open it with his magic, afraid Gabriel will launch them out at a breakneck pace.
“Please, what’s the worst that can ha-,” he said, his foot pushing down on a pedal… and all Tartarus broke loose as the vehicle surged forth, slamming the trio back into their seats as Gabriel’s foot shoved itself down on the closest surface to brace himself… which meant the pedal was depressed even more.
“OTHER PEDAAAALLL!!!!” Clockwork screamed, the automobile screaming out of the old shack with so much speed and force that it crumbled behind them from the vacuum. The road was torn up from the tires, friction leaving trails of flame in their wake, concussive force sending trees bending as the family tried to keep from flying off, thankful for the solid roof preventing exactly that.
Gabriel was screaming… although now it was starting to be less terror, and more a maniacal, griffin born glee as he turned the wheel just slightly to be heading to Ponyville. “FORGE!! WHAT CAN THIS THING WITHSTAND?!?”
“I’M AFRAID TO TELL YA!”
“Uncle Gabby, don’t do anything crazier than usual, please!” Numi whined, back to her normal size and clinging to her plush toy she’d fished out of her bag.
“OH COME ON, IT’S ONLY A LITTLE PAYBACK FOR THESE HICKS DRIVING US OFF!” the griffin shouted.
“They didn’t drive us off!” Clockwork shouted, “We’re LEAVING for greener pastures! C’mon, man, don’t start getting petty on me!”
Gabriel groaned in frustration. “Ooooh, FINE!” He yanked the wheel to the side, fishtailing the vehicle to where it only just avoided hitting a grey Pegasus mail-mare as the automobile sped off. “You win! Bucking ponies making bucking sense, bucking killjoys…”
“BYE DERPY!” Numidium shouted, earning a happy wave from the mail-mare. Apparently she didn’t realise, or didn’t care, how close she came to being splattered, happily waving back with a blissful smile.
Gabriel drove off, keeping the vehicle pointed north as the trio remained silent for the trip up. He sighed, letting his feathers unruffle themselves as he relaxed just slightly. “When do you think we’ll get there?”
“Assuming we’re NOT going at ‘holy shit’ speeds? About six hours.” Clockwork realised what he just said. “....frag it, we’ll have to make a pitstop at the same pace at top speed so go ahead and floor it.”
“Just stick to the backroads so we don’t hit anyone!” Numi added, snuggling back into the plush velvet seat.
“...what’re backroads?” Gabriel asked as he floored it once more.
As the vehicle careened off, time flew. Thankfully, no innocent folks were run down by the crazed griffin. After several hours, the group had gotten into a rhythm of slowing down in preparation for breaks, and keeping the doldrums at bay be singing old songs, from sea shanties to marching tunes, to other completely random songs, usually lead either by Numidium or Gabriel, since Clockwork can’t hold a tune in a bucket.
“I see snow, and I see mountains. I think we’re getting close,” Gabriel said finally as night approached.
The group cheered, the tyres able to dig through the snow with relative ease. Not only that, but the sheer speed they were moving at made the trip seemingly easy. While there was some reconstruction going on in the distance, the shimmering sight of the crystal palace twinkled on the horizon.
“Woooowww, shiiiiney!” Numidium gasped in awe at the beautiful sight.
“Remember Numi, the Crystal ponies are not MADE of crystal.”
“Dad, I don’t plan on biting ponies until I’m MUCH older.”
“HOKAY This is instantly into weird territory!”
“And even then, only stallions.”
“NOPE! WE ARE NOT GOING THERE!”
“Oh, we went there, daddy.”
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren't you?” Clockwork leered into the back seat, glaring, not realising his daughter had shifted again.
“Oh, we’re already there, ‘daddy’.” She winks, pecking her father on the nose and shifting back, laughing at his momentary freak-out. Gabriel groaned.
“Horse Apples, no wonder I never had any children,” he commented dryly. At least, none that I KNOW of at any rate. He kept the vehicle going, keeping the palace in sight as they approached the border.
They finally rolled up, meeting calmly with the guard. Well, as calmly as they can.
“Que sirrah sirrah, good day I say!” Clockwork intoned, only to receive a boop to the back of the head from Numi. “Ahem, so sir, may we please enter the crystal Empire? We’ve business to attend to.”
“Papers please.”
Gabriel groaned, smacking his beak with his claws. “Oh no, not this crap again,” he grumbled. “This was a bad joke at the Manehattan Border Checkpoints, and now this? Fishsticks,” he complained, pulling a wad of travel papers from a saddlebag. “Here you overcomped mall guard.”
The guard sighed and took the paperwork, reading them over. He whispered to his compatriot who bolted back to the palace. A minute later he returned and nodded quietly.
“Well, it seems your paperwork checks out, just behave yourselves. We’ve been having ‘issues’ lately...”
“Define ‘issues,’ you-!” Gabriel was about to hotly retort when Clockwork pressed a hoof against his beak.
“Sorry, he’s...well, we have ‘issues’ of our own, sir. We’ll likely figure it out well enough on our own. Sorry to bother you guys!.” He whispered to Gabriel, “Jez fokkerin’ drive, mate.”
Gabriel glared at the pony as he hit the pedal, sending a wave of snow crashing down on the guards from the tires as they entered the Crystal Empire. “...driving.”
They managed to relatively safely weave through the town, though word had quickly spread among the guard, most folks seemed content to give a friendly wave and otherwise leave them be. None the less they managed to make it to the Academy’s temporary office, the Crystal Empire library, and from there they’d learn more on not only how the Academy intends to expand into the crystal empire, but also where the small family would be living.
Pulling the car, thankfully at a safe and sane pace, into an indent into the walkroad gave for a nice parking spot for the Automobile. Gabriel turned the vehicle off, yanking the key out and groaning. “Joy. Happy ponies, a frozen crap hole, and Vanilla probably wants to eat me. I hate you Clockwork.”
“Everyone seems tense, the Empire is practically warmer than Ponyville, and Xenilla probably doesn't even know you exist, let alone either of us. So stop fretting, man.” The trio entered the fancy library, heads on swivels, some looking for potential dangers, others watching everyone at work in recategorizing the library.
“That’s what my commanding officer said in Cape Town, look what happened. Beaten to death by Zebra. Not a fun way to go out,” Gabriel deadpanned. “I will continue to assume we’re going to die until such time we actually are dead.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s not it.” Numi said, pointing to some battle damage the city had endured recently. “Still...might pay to keep eyes open for just in case.”
“Finally, your daughter speaks sense,” the griffin said as they came to another room. “First smart thing I’ve heard all day.”
“Hey, now, I’m always saying smart things!” Numi frowns, “Just...not all the time.”
“Then you’re not ‘always saying smart things’, are you, Numi-kins?” Clockwork grinned, poking his baby girl in the tummy.
“Gets it from her egg head father,” Gabriel added, poking Clockwork in his Cutie Mark. “Like father, like daughter and all that nonsense.”
“Sweet mother of Celestia, did you just...did you just COMPLIMENT ME!?” Clockwork gasped, “Who are you and what did you do with Gabriel!?”
Numidium rolls her eyes, wandering forward into the Library as the two elders continue goofing off, taking in the sights, sounds and smells. It’s a dangerous world, but here? Here she can start a new life. And with potential greatness awaiting her.
Beware world, Numidium Forge was here!
“Oh, fuck off Clockwork Forgetful. I’m still the same Griffin that nearly gutted you, remember?” The shout immediately deflated her confidence.
Now if only she could continue surviving her family.
