1 - Midnight Shadow
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Of Machines and Magic (Outdated)

1 - Midnight Shadow

Ancient timekeeping devices often utilized metal parts instead of magical incantations in order to keep time. The mechanism, in its most basic form, consisted of a tightly-wound coil of metal wire, similar to a spring, and several small metal wheels called gears. These gears were designed to fit together in such a way as that turning one caused others around it to turn. The coil would turn one gear, which turned the gears adjacent to it, and ultimately powered the entire system. The gears had to be designed perfectly to accurately reflect the passage of time, and the coil had to be kept wound tightly. Overall, the system was much less efficient than modern-day magical timekeeping devices, which use the regular pulsing of the magical aura flowing through enchanted runes that transfer that pulse into the face of the watch, turning the hands in time with...

That was one thing I never quite understood about this particular author's work. Every time he mentioned an ancient technology, he always went into unnecessary detail about what technology replaced it, and how much better it worked. It was a peculiar quirk, but one that ultimately wasn't all that significant. His books still conveyed the information they were supposed to, despite the inefficiency.

I glanced around the library. Nopony else was there, and the only sight was the rows and rows of books lined up on the wooden shelves. Even from the inside, it was obvious the library had been carved out from a tree. The wood looked too natural to be processed, the shelves had been carved into the walls, and around the bases of the few windows one could see the bark of what used to be a thriving oak tree. I figured it must have been enchanted somehow to prevent decay, because there was no way it could still be alive after being completely hollowed out.

The library technically had multiple stories, although they didn't have any books. Instead, they were furnished as if it was somepony's home. There were beds, a kitchen, and even a balcony with a telescope. My guess was that it was intended to house the librarian, back when the town's mayor thought the library needed a librarian. They quickly found out otherwise, as the pony they picked for the job complained that she had nothing to do. I was fairly sure I was the only pony in the whole town who regularly visited the library.

The town didn't buy new books for the library. Given how little the library was used, it would be a waste of money if they did. Any new titles that appeared on the shelves were donated, and even that was a rare occurrence. As such, over the course of several years, I had managed to read almost every book in that library. For such a small town, the library had a surprisingly diverse array of books available. I had read everything from epic fantasies to nonfiction books about Equestrian history; not that it was always easy to tell which was which.

I shook my head. I'm getting distracted again, I thought. I closed the book, placed it in my saddlebag along with a few others, quickly scribbled their titles on the checkout sheet by the exit, and headed out into the street.

It took me about seven minutes to walk from the library to my house. It was an average-looking home, not much different from any other house in the town. What was unique about it was its location. If one walked from the back wall of the house, they would reach the edge of the forest in about four seconds. My father told me once that he suspected the house was cheaper than most in the area as a result.

Walking inside, I noticed my father wasn't home yet. By the clock on the wall, I could tell he wouldn't get off work for another hour or so. I climbed the stairs to the second story of the house. There were four bedrooms upstairs. The one furthest from the stairs was mine. Across from it was my father's. He sometimes talked about renting the other two out to make some extra money, but he never ended up doing it.

My room didn't have much in the way of furniture. There was a bed, a small dresser, a chair, and a desk. On the desk was a small lamp, a stack of paper, a few pens and pencils, and a pocket watch. I sat down in the chair, took the book I was reading earlier out of my saddlebag, and set it on the desk.

The book had a diagram of the mechanism of an ancient non-magical watch. I grabbed the pocket watch sitting on the desk, pressed down on the button on the side, and lifted the front face upwards. Sure enough, the inside matched the diagram, although many of the pieces were deformed from corrosion. I carefully removed the pieces that looked too damaged to function. The metal coil was still intact, which meant the watch could still work if it had replacement parts.

Once all of the corroded parts were removed, I grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper and began to draw outlines. Using a ruler, I made sure the scale was as exact as possible. After an hour or so, I had sketched outlines of every corroded part in the watch. Looking over them again, I verified the scale and shape. Once I was certain they were the correct size, I leaned back in my chair and considered what to do next.

I need something to make replacement parts out of. Metal isn't an option; it'd be too difficult to form into shapes as precisely as is necessary. The same goes for stone. Wood, maybe?

My thoughts were interrupted by a faint knock.

I listened for a moment, realized it was coming from the front door, and stood from my chair to see who it was. I walked back down the stairs, pausing momentarily as the knock sounded again, then continued. Reaching the door, I peered through the window by its side. Through it, I saw a very familiar face. I nodded quickly, moved the latch keeping the door locked out of the way, and opened the door.

"Hey, Shadow. How've you been?" he said, closing the door behind him. He was a light gray pegasus, with a dull, dark orange mane. His eyes were deep blue, the same color as mine, and his cutie mark was an image of a hammer and anvil.

"I'm good. How about you, dad? How was work?"

He shook his head, but with a slight smile. "Dull, as usual. I mostly fixed broken horseshoes and wagon wheels and such; nothing big, but nothing too horrible, either."

I gave a quick nod in response. My father walked past me, into the kitchen. I turned around and started back up the stairs. We usually had little to talk about. I didn't mind, and it didn't seem like he did either.

I returned to my room, ready to continue planning. Wood is probably the best choice, I thought.

It was dark, and cold. From what I could see, I was standing on a plateau; from the temperature, I assumed it was at a very high elevation. The edge of the plateau dropped off into the darkness, with a steep slant reminiscent of the side of a mountain. Which, as I had guessed before, it probably was. What little light there was came from the moon overhead, as a dull silver light shone through a dense layer of dark clouds.

I realized something. This place was familiar to me. I had been here before, in a dream...

This was a dream.

I remembered it clearly now. I had been having the same dream for about a month. After the first few days, my memory of the dream was enough to induce a lucid state on its own. The biting cold felt much more sharply defined than before, and the rough texture of the rock below my hooves was distinct. It was almost as if I was really standing on top of a mountain, even though everything was slightly ethereal.

There was one strange aspect of the lucid dream, however, that gave the impression that it wasn't exactly what it seemed. Usually, when a pony entered a lucid state, they gained full control over their dream. However, despite the fact that I could feel more than in a normal dream, I had no such control over this environment. I might have worried about it, had it affected me in any significant way. It didn't seem to impede on my normal sleep pattern, nor did anything concerning happen during the dream.

For that matter, nothing happened during the dream. It was just me, standing on a cold mountain plateau until I awoke in the morning.

I opened my eyes.

I remembered having the same dream again. I briefly wondered why it was happening, then pushed the thought out of my head. I had more important things to attend to.

That day was going to be the day I finally finished repairing the watch.

The last piece looked exactly like every other gear in the watch, save for its size. It was carved from everwood, making it light and durable, and it was shaped to exact measurements. If the piece was off by a centimeter, it would not fit into the delicate and compact mechanism. I had checked its measurements twice, once before carving and once after, and both times it matched exactly. I decided to check it once more, and once again I saw it was perfect.

I took a slow breath, my work nearly finished. Thirty days of carving and measuring, and it was all about to come together. I briefly thought about how easily I had managed to figure out how to do any of it in the first place. On my own, I had figured out how to repair a centuries-old mechanical device that almost nopony would know anything about, and it had only taken a month to finish it.

I picked up the last piece gently, lining it up as well as I could above the empty space it was meant to occupy. I thought about how much easier the task would be if I was a unicorn, but that wasn't something I could change, so I didn't dwell on the thought. I dropped the piece into place, pushing it down as lightly as I could. It fit perfectly, making a faint click as it took its place in the device. I closed the face of the watch, then adjusted the hands on the face so that they read the correct time.

Finally, I wound the coil.

Tick.

It was a faint sound, barely audible at all. For a few moments, I didn't even notice it.

Tick.

The sound repeated itself once every second. I counted for several seconds to ensure it was working at the correct pace, and sure enough, every one of them was right on time.

Tick.

It was done. I gently picked the watch up, placing it in my empty saddlebag so I could carry it downstairs. My father didn't have to work that day, so I could show him right then.

I went quickly through the hall and down the stairs. I was excited to show him what I'd done. I nearly tripped on the bottom of the stairs, but I righted myself quickly. My father must have noticed I was rushing.

"Slow down, Shadow. Whatever it is, it's not worth risking a sprained leg over," he said. I was already up to him, taking a seat beside him on the sofa, taking my saddlebags off and setting them beside me.

"Hey, dad, guess what?"

He turned towards me, tilting his head slightly to one side. "You're never this enthusiastic on a normal day like this. What's going on?"

I reached into my bag, drawing out the watch. My father looked at it for a moment, eyes flashing in recognition.

"Yes, but what does-"

Tick.

"Did you hear it?" I asked. "It's working. I fixed it!"

His face shifted from confusion to happiness. "Well, that's incredible, Shadow! I guess that's probably why you wanted all that carving wood, huh?"

I nodded. The two of us sat there for a moment, the only sound being the ticking of the watch. Neither of us wanted to talk about it, but we were both thinking it.

"That was hers, you know." It was my dad who spoke first.

"I know. She gave it to me, just before she-" I stopped.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

I nodded slowly. "What was she like?" I asked. Quickly realizing how he must have felt, I started to add "if you're okay with-"

He held up a hoof to stop me. "It's fine." He took a deep breath. "She was the best spellcaster in all of Equestria. Not counting the Princess, of course. She could do so many wondrous things. She could create beasts of light, which she could command as if they were a part of her. She even-"

"Raised the sun for the Princess once, I know. You've told me all of this before."

He chuckled softly. "If you already knew, then why did you ask?"

"You know what I meant, dad. Tell me something new."

He nodded. "Yes, well, she was very pleasant to be around." He stopped for a moment, thinking. "She always knew exactly what to say, whether it was a well-timed joke or some much-needed advice. She tried to help others when she could, and she never wanted to hurt anypony, which is why..." His voice trailed off, as his expression shifted again, clearly remembering something unpleasant.

For a moment, I wondered if it was a good idea to ask what he was going to say. "Which is why...?" I said, after a few moments had passed.

My father sighed, lowering his head so his gaze was towards the floor. "It was why she was devastated when she was called to serve in the war. Being such a powerful unicorn, it was no surprise. Still, she hated the idea of having to fight, even if it was in service of her country. And then..."

A tear rolled down the side of his face. He wiped it away quickly, then took another deep breath.

"You don't have to say any more, dad. That's enough."

He lowered his head further, not saying a word. The two of us sat in silence for several long moments, as the sound of the ticking watch became audible again.

After a time, he looked over at me again. "You okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, you?"

He nodded back. "I'm glad you repaired the watch. I'm sure she would've been proud of you."

I stood up, ready to head back upstairs.

"Shadow, wait!" my dad said suddenly. I turned around again, facing him once more.

"What is it?"

His expression was a mixture of shock, happiness, and confusion. "Look," he said, pointing one hoof at my flank.

I bent my neck to look. Sure enough, there was something there.

A mark.

It showed a silver gear, with a four-pointed star in front of it. I hadn't noticed it until then.

I looked back up at my dad, who was now standing right in front of me. He wrapped his hoof around me, and I hugged him back. He was crying, but I could tell it wasn't out of sadness.

"I'm so proud of you, son."

Still in my father's embrace, I was processing everything. I finally got my mark. Not only had I repaired my mother's watch, but I had discovered that working with mechanical devices was my life's purpose. My destiny.

I was happy. That day was the best day of my life.

Author's Note

Hello, everyone.
If you're coming from the old version of this story, please read my latest blog post explaining everything you should know.
If you're just coming across this story now, welcome! You don't have to read the old version to read this one, but you can if you want.
Also, if you spot any spelling/grammar errors, please let me know. I'd like this story to be as polished as possible, and there might be some mistakes that slip past me. Thanks!