Chapters All The Time In The World
While most of Equestria is sleeping, one unicorn stallion is awake. He knows that his death is fast approaching, and he has to act fast. His cyan/aquamarine fur, wrinkled with old age, is sweating profusely. Sitting upright in his bed, the old stallion is magically scribbling away in a large journal. Whatever he has to write, it must be extremely important! He senses something amiss, and with a loud pop, a pony quite familiar to him teleports inside his cottage. He smiles, clearly pleased at her arrival.
“Clockwork, I came to say goodbye.” The alicorn says, trying to muster a smile. She always knew that one day, her mortal son would eventually succumb to death, and she tried to put off the thought as long as possible. Sadly, this was no longer possible. Her son smiles and tries to deflect the topic of death for as long as he could.
“Cheer up, mother. I’m still here. I’ve always told you to live every moment in the present.” He says, still writing furiously inside his journal. His mother wouldn’t take it, and quickly enveloped his journal in her own magic, and gently placed it on his bed.
“Clockwork Relativity . I’m the princess of the moon, and I demand you give me your undivided attention!” Luna says, pleading with her son. He’s only got so much time left. Clockwork gives his mother a look, and she sighs. “You’ve been writing away in that darn journal for seventy-five years. Look at you! You are one hundred and twenty, and in your last hours, you’re STILL working on that drivel. What is so important that you can’t talk to me?!”
Clockwork sighs, clearly distraught with what he is writing. “Mom. I’ve told you for years. If I tell you what I am writing about the future, it will not happen.” Clockwork says, clearly annoyed that he has to repeat himself for the umpteenth time. Clockwork is gifted (or cursed, if you’d ask him) with the ability to prognosticate the future. This comes along with all sorts of temporally related magic, but his main talent is knowing the timeline.
Luna mopes and sits down on her hind legs. “Look at me, child. The one hundred and twenty years we’ve spent together were the best of my life. Come on, what is so important that you’d rather spend your final moments working on it than consoling your mother?! Have some empathy, darling! I’m going to have to bury you!” Luna cries, tears pouring down her gentle muzzle. Clockwork has never been the most empathetic pony, but hearing his mother be this distraught gives him a moment of pause.
He coughs and then looks his mother in the eye. “If I tell you, it won’t happen! Besides, all of my notes are encrypted with highly advanced magic, and-.”
“Seriously, Clockwork? Who do you think taught you most of your magic?” Luna chuckles quickly grabbing her son’s journal, and begins to flip through the pages. Clockwork didn’t budge, since he probably knew his mother would do this. As she is reading, the blood in her face quickly vanishes in fear.
“You picked a good mare, kid. Starlight was a very kind pony to you, and you gave me a grandfilly!” Luna smiles at the thought, thinking about her grandfilly Luster Dawn. Clockwork continues to write for the next half an hour; with his mother next to him. She is stroking her son’s mane, trying to enjoy the last few moments with her son. Finally, Clockwork is done writing, and he closes his tome.
“Mom, it’s actually good that you came. I need some help with something.” Clockwork says, coughing up a lung. Luna magicks a glass of water, and gives it to her son. He grabs it and slowly drinks the beverage.
“Anything for my son, Clockwork,” Luna says, hugging him as tightly as she could. Clockwork hands his journal to his mother, and presses it into her hooves.
“Cast the authenticity spell on this book. I’d do it myself, but I need alicorn-level magic to ensure that it will act as the time capsule I need it to be. Only the right pony in the future will be able to access my knowledge. This, along with burying me next to Starlight in Sire’s Hollow, are my final requests.” Clockwork says, quite serious.
With tears in her eyes, the deity of nighttime, along with her son, both light up their horns. The book begins to levitate in the air and begins to be encrypted with highly advanced magic. While Clockwork is casting the spell, he is thinking of the pony who will one day find this book. An orange Earth Pony 5,000 years in the future.
Once the spell is finally cast, the book teleports away to become a time capsule for the epoch of Ancient Equestria. Clockwork’s horn deactivates, and he rests his head on his bed. He coughs, and Luna gives her son some space. “I don’t have much time, ma. I want to say goodbye to Luster and my grandponies. Can you go get them for me?” Clockwork pleads. Luna nods and teleports away.
“I can’t tell her about Sunny. It will wreck her. Celestia doesn’t deserve to know, and I hope my prognosticus about her comes true.” Clockwork thinks to himself. He’s gone through quite some adventures during his one hundred and twenty years of life. While he’s waiting for his mother, daughter, and grandponies, Clockwork retreats into his mind, and casts his prediction spell, levitating in the air while he checks alternate futures and timelines…
One hour has passed, and Luna returns with her grandfilly and great grandponies. Clockwork exits his trance, and opens his eyes. Luster Dawn is the first to greet him, and she gives her father a sad smile. “Hey daddy.” Luster cries, hugging her father deeply.
“Hello, Dawn of my day.” Clockwork replies. “You know why you’re here. I want to see my will enacted while I am still alive. I haven’t much time.” Clockwork says, coughing again. His three grandponies: Total Eclipse, Autumn Equinox, and Summer Breeze are all very happy to see their grandfather.
Luna nods, and spawns a papyrus document, titled “Last Will and Testament of Clockwork Relativity.” She hands off the document to her son, and he opens the seal and begins to read:
“This document entails my last will and testament. All statements here are true and are valid as of this day.
All monies, artifacts, and temporal relics in my estate will be donated to the Equestrian Museum of History. To my daughter Luster Dawn, I bequeath my vast library. She knows what to do with it. To my firstborn grandpony Total Eclipse: I bequeath my various timepieces. Use them well and keep time with care. She will also inherit my home in Sire’s Hollow, along with all the titles and deeds pertaining to it. To Autumn Equinox, I bequeath my late wife Starlight’s jewelry. She’d want you to have it. To Summer Breeze, I bequeath my vast record collection. I know you like music, and I’ve curated plenty over the years. To my mother, Princess Luna. I leave a special artifact, which I will reveal after the will is read.
This document is valid and true, signed by Clockwork Relativity on Sunday, October 31st, 100 After Twilight.”
Clockwork gives the will document back to his mother, and she wonders what the artifact will be. Clockwork sighs, and casts a spell. This spell conjures a unique artifact. It is crystalline in nature, and shines bright with pure unadulterated magic.
“Mom. This is about the thing you read in the journal. When I die, break this crystal into three pieces and scatter them across the planet. It will make sense in due time.” Clockwork says, coughing again. All three of Clockwork’s grandponies each clamor for his attention upset that he is approaching his death.
“Grandpa, don’t go!” They cry. Clockwork hugs each and every one of them, and he doesn’t care when they pull at his beard.
“I promise you’ll be alright, my lovely grandponies. You won’t live to see what I have seen for the future. Enjoy the Magic of Friendship. It will save your lives.” He says, wise and erudite. Luna nods, and adds “if only you did that yourself, child.” She chuckles.
“One more thing mom, and then I’m done…I’m sorry that you weren’t able to legitimize me as your rightful foal. I forgive you…but I will never forgive Sombra for hurting you.”
“Oh shut up, Dad! I don’t care that you are a bastard foal. Princess Twilight took me on as her student, and the Student Six all work for me at Mom’s school!” Luster says, clearly annoyed that her father will go to his grave with this on his mind.
Clockwork’s body chills, and he feels the last vestiges of life in him. If he’s got anything else to say, he better say it now.
“I love each and every one of you. I promise you this, mom.” Clockwork looks at his mother caringly, trying not to cry. “I will only die in body and form. If my memory lives on in you and in my family, I will always be there.”
Clockwork coughs one more time and lies deeper in his pillow. He’s too tired to speak, but he’s still there. In his final moments, Clockwork is with his family, and he couldn’t be more happy or proud.
“Sunny Starscout…don’t fuck this up.” Clockwork whispers quietly. Those were his last words.
Before anypony had the wherewithal to question who Sunny Starscout is, or whether that pony or creature is real, the pain of Clockwork’s death was felt by everypony in his home. The pain that was felt the most was by his mother, Princess Luna. Luna grabs her grandfilly Luster Dawn and hugs her tightly, and tears stream down his face.
“You have his eyes, Luster. You have my little colt’s eyes…” Luna bawls. Luster cries in her grandmare’s arms, and the grandponies are in too much shock to process everything. Clockwork lived a good life, and if his predictions came true, as they always did, Equestria would have a second chance!
Before anything good was to happen, bad tidings were on their way. Per his request, Clockwork was buried next to his wife of seventy years Starlight Glimmer. The mystical gemstone, that Clockwork gave to his mother, was promptly broken into three pieces and spread randomly across Equestria.
One year after his death, Twilight Sparkle was devastated by the death of Rarity, the last of the Mane Six. The Princess of Friendship relied so heavily on her friends for guidance, and with the last of them gone, she had no further desire to lead. She abdicated the throne and dissolved the Equestrian government. Without a monarch to lead them, Friendship slowly fell out of fashion. Ponies and creatures quickly diverted back to primal instincts of fear and prejudice. It only took a few generations before the three ponies self-segregated promptly, like in times of old. Nopony saw or heard from any of the alicorns since, although there were rumors that the deity of the Night would spend every night in Sire’s Hollow, bawling over the grave of her son.
Clockwork Relativity was too clever for his own good. Cursed with divine knowledge of the past and future, he knew that five millennia after his death, five ponies: Sunny Starscout, Hitch Trailblazer, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, and Izzy Moonbow would begin the process of reuniting ponykind. They found his crystal pieces, and at the moment the three crystal pieces touched, rudimentary magic returned…
Clockwork’s journal, long hidden away in a library in Bridlewood, the unicorn enclave, began to glow with his cutie mark, an hourglass with falling sand.
The magic returned, and Clockwork will live once more through his words.
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All The Time In The World
Chapter 1: Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads!
The sun began to rise over Mareitime Bay, as it does every day. The weather was clear, pristine, and somewhat therapeutic. There were a few scattered meringue-colored clouds in the sky, but other than that, the weather was perfect. The sunlight peeked its way through a newly reconstructed lighthouse, alight with a magical crystal. This crystal was formed by Sunny Starscout, an Earth Pony who managed to befriend four other ponies from all pony races. They recalibrated the magical leylines around Equestria, and some rudimentary magic began to flow once more. Today looks to be very promising, like any other day!
Sunny Starscout calls this lighthouse home, and her drapes were drawn, letting the sunlight inside her bedroom. The gentle rays tickle her face, and the Earth Pony mare instinctively wakes up. Over the past ninety days, Sunny’s mane began to change in color, from a light purple to a more rainbow color. Finally waking up, Sunny groans, and slowly makes her way out of her bed. “Ugh…what time is it?” She asks herself, looking at the clock next to her bed. The clock reads 8:00 AM.
“Eh, 8:00 AM isn’t that bad. I’ve woken up much earlier before. Besides, I have a chess game with Alphabittle today!” Sunny exclaims, finally making her way out of bed. Taking the time to wash her muzzle, braid her mane, and whip up a warm bowl of porridge, Sunny can’t help but think about the life-changing adventure she had just three months prior. Her entire modus operandi finally manifests, albeit at a very small level.
In the three months since the magical crystal was reconstructed, contact between each of the pony races has been sparse. Sunny and her friends still frequent each other’s homes, but for the most part, ponies are still sticking to themselves. Nevertheless, any progress in regard to full Friendship recalibration was something to celebrate! Some other ponies have also been willing to interact with her, such as Alphabittle. Alphabittle might have been a bit snarky when he first met Sunny, but as one of the older unicorns she knows, he proves to be a vital source of information on unicorn culture. Not to mention that he is very good at board games, something they both enjoy!
“I have to be at his gaming parlor in Bridlewood at 10:15, I think I can get there on time. If only my…whatever the hay that was…kicked in, and I could fly there.” Sunny says, quite annoyed. She is referring to her brief moment of deification as an alicorn, upon reconstructing the ancient crystal. It baffled Sunny that while her unicorn and pegasi friends were able to keep their magic, her own magic dissipated after a few brief moments. Maybe she can learn more? Sunny finally finishes her porridge and quickly washes her dishes. Putting on her rollerblades, she remembers to look at the portrait of her father before departing. “A new day, dad. Ninety-one days since magic came back…sort of.” She says, putting a hoof on the picture with love and care. Sunny opens the door and quickly remembers to lock it. “On my way to Bridlewood!” She hums, rolling along the paved roads of Maretime Bay.
Ever since her brief moment of deification, Sunny has wondered more and more about Ancient Equestria. What made it so special and worthy of her father’s study? Obviously, Friendship can work in any era, as she just proved three months ago, but what made it optimal? These questions would sadly have to be put on hold, as a friendly, purple unicorn waves at Sunny.
“Hi Sunny!” The unicorn says with glee. Sunny waves, but continues to roll along en route to Bridlewood.
“Izzy, I told you last night, I have a game of chess with Alphabittle at 10:15. Bridlewood is a long trot if you can’t fly, and I want to be punctual.” Sunny explains, trying to be patient with her new friend. Izzy giggles, and gallops along next to her Earth pony friend.
“No problem, Sunny! I actually came to let you know that my horn is doing funny things! I thought you might know a thing or two about it?” Izzy says. Sunny stops in her tracks, and looks at the unicorn carefully.
“What do you mean, weird, funny things?” Sunny inquires, as Izzy’s horn lights up. When finished charging, the horn sends a small burst of pure magical energy at a tiny pebble on the ground. The pebble transfigures into a small bunny rabbit, which begins to hop along the Maretime Bay cobblestone path.
Sunny chuckles and Izzy is in shock and awe. “I didn’t know I could do that?!” Izzy exclaims, while Sunny can’t help but be amused by all this. “Well, my late father had plenty of archives on unicorn magic, and transfiguration was something unicorns could do. I am sure it’s normal!” Sunny tries to reassure herself and Izzy that all is well.
“Everypony else is busy today, Sunny, so you are stuck with me!” Izzy says in a high-pitched, sing-song voice. The orange mare doesn’t mind. She could use the company, anyway. Unicorns are still not used to seeing non-unicorns, and having Izzy nearby could prove to be useful, if not a good deterrent from attack. “While we make our way back to Alphabittle, do you mind telling me more about Bridlewood? I still have to take scrupulous notes on unicorn culture!” Sunny pestered further. “What else is there to know?! I told you everything!” Izzy says rhetorically. Obviously, this is going to be a long trot to Bridlewood.
The two ponies discuss many things on their trek to Alphabittle’s gaming parlor, ranging from epicurean differences, colloquialisms, and nuances about their respective cultures. It proved to be quite an educative experience for both of them! Sunny greatly appreciated the fact regarding how unicorns can hold their breaths underwater for five minutes! This was even before the magic returned!
“Wait, you’re telling me unicorns can hold their breaths for FIVE MINUTES? How do you ponies not pass out, or worse!” Sunny exclaims, astonished by this uncanny biological feat. Izzy giggles, and explains herself. “I don’t know, Sunny, it’s just how we roll! My dad was able to hold his breath for seven minutes, but almost everyunicorn I know can hold theirs for at least five. What about you, Sunny? Any weird Earth pony tricks?”
Where could Sunny begin?! There were so many interesting things Earth ponies can do, ranging from technological advancements to agriculture, and even pop culture! Taking a minute to think of a good example, Sunny finally comes up with something certain to pique the unicorn’s interest. “Well…before Canterlogic got into unicorn and pegasi deterrence technology, they were primarily an R&D lab for genetics! Sprout’s mom figured out how to modify the genetic code of certain crops, to allow for more food production! It saved Maretime Bay during a bad famine when my father was a colt.”
Izzy thought about what her friend had just told her, before nonchalantly replying: “At least he didn’t go hungry. You fixed the problem!” She cheers. After another good half an hour of walking, the duo finally make their way to Alphabittle’s gaming parlor. It looks just the same as when Sunny last visited the place three months ago. If Izzy was in charge, the entire place would be decked top to bottom with vibrant colors! Sunny had played chess a few times before, but Alphabittle agreed to play fairly this time, in order to teach her how to play. She wonders if Izzy knows how to play chess, too?
“Do you know how to play chess, Izzy?” Sunny asks while taking off her rollerblades at the front door. There was a sign that said “No rollerblades allowed inside”, after all! Izzy shakes her head. “Nope! I was always more of an arts and crafts pony. Chess and all those super smart things were never one of my strong suits. You seem smart, though, so I am sure you’ll do just fine! ” Izzy chuckles, finally entering the parlor, waiting for Sunny to enter behind her. Sunny finally comes inside with Izzy, but Alphabittle isn’t there.
Izzy is confused. Alpabittle, as snarky and annoying as he can be, was never late for anything! Punctuality was something that he and most unicorns pride themselves on! She looks around the place and wonders where he can be. “Sunny, any idea where Mr. Alphabittle went?” Izzy asks, confused and concerned for her friend.
“Beats me, Izzy. I’ve met the stallion once. No idea where he could be. I just hope that he’s okay!” Sunny replies, trying to maintain a cheery demeanor. Even while the magic returned, there was still some animosity between ponies, and there have been a few recorded cases of hate crimes. Thankfully, Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer has been working around the clock to ensure safety for all ponies in Maretime Bay. As for Bridlewood…well that’s not his jurisdiction!
Izzy hears a door creak, and she cocks her head to the right, trying to see and hear where the noise came from. The door opens, and Alphabittle came out in a cold sweat. He looked distraught, and he is hyperventilating! “Izzy, thank the mayo you’re here! I just saw a winged unicorn!”
A winged unicorn? The phrase immediately made Sunny Starscout think. Nevertheless, Alphabittle lets out a hoof and shakes with Sunny. “I’m sorry for being late. I had that weird winged unicorn sighting on the way here. I had to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Wait, weren’t you a winged unicorn for five minutes three months ago?”
Sunny nods at Alphabittle’s question, but she’s got one for him, too! “Wait…were the pony’s wings and horn silhouettes or were they actually there?” Alphabittle takes a minute to think about the question, and then replies with “they were real, and not outlines like yours.” If they weren’t outlines, that could only mean that one of the Princesses of Ancient Equestria returned for a visit! Sunny’s eyes widen, and she jumps up and down with joy! Izzy, not knowing why her friend is excited, jumps up and down with her!
“This is amazing, a Princess came to visit! What has it been, five thousand years since we last saw one, and-.”
“Well, I didn’t say I definitely saw a Princess, but that I thought I did. I could just be seeing things. Ever since you rebuilt that crystal, my horn’s doing all sorts of weird stuff. As much as I like having new friends, this whole magic thing is a pain in the hoof!” Alphabittle exclaims. Izzy nods in agreement. “I know, right! I made a pebble turn into a bunny today by mistake! That never happened before we reunified the three pony races, er…at least the five of us friends? Wait, wait, go back to the winged unicorn thing for a minute!” Izzy says, wondering what the hubbub is all about.
Alphabittle did not have to repeat himself, because the very winged unicorn entered the parlor! She looked incredibly regal and had a mane that flowed with the cosmos itself. Her navy blue coat looks perfect, and her blueish hazel eyes reflected sunlight. She looks at the three ponies, before clearing her throat, and pointing a hoof at Alphabittle.
“You. I saw you for a moment. Why did you run away?” She asks as Alphabittle begins to panic. “I don’t know who you are, or what you are, or-.”
The winged unicorn shushes, trying to soothe the stallion down. She takes a look at the other two ponies, before spotting Sunny. She trots over to her and looks at her very carefully. “You have his eyes…” She whispers, trying to remain composed. Could her son have living descendants?
“Uh, no, she has her own eyes, missy, and I don’t know who you are!” Izzy jokes. The Princess is not amused and looks at Sunny for a moment.
“Please tell me that you are the only sane pony here, er, what’s your name?” She asks, looking at Sunny very carefully. There was something about her that calmed the mare.
“Well, I’d tell you my name, but I don’t know who you are!” Sunny says, before realizing that this might be one of the “alicorns” of legend. She quickly remembers all the different deities her father taught her about and crosses them off her list. “You’re not Twilight, you are blue. Celestia is white. Cadence is pink, Flurry is pink, and-.”
Luna chuckles and smiles at Sunny. “I take it ponies have forgotten their history over the past five millenia. I’ve seen worse, child. My name is Princess Luna. Former Princess of Equestria, and part-time goddess of the night. The moon kind of works on its own now, but I pitch in every now and then. Now, I told you who I am, so could you be so kind to tell me who you are?”
“My name’s Sunny Starscout. Nice to meet you!”
Luna gasps. Her mind is quickly brought back to that fateful night in Sire’s Hollow where her son let loose one key detail about the future by mistake. Izzy and Sunny were trying to ask Luna some questions, but she was too busy thinking about her long-dead son.
“You, you said your name is Sunny Starscout, correct?” Luna asks, wanting to make sure she’s not hallucinating. Sunny nods, and Izzy pipes in “And my name is Izzy Moonbow!” Luna takes a minute to process this revelation, before casting a spell. “She has his eyes, I must be certain before I divulge too much!”
Sunny is enveloped in Luna’s magic and is gently lifted into the air.
Luna quickly looks through Sunny's genetic history and skims through five thousand years of pony heritage. Farther and farther into the past, she gazes, until she finds the stallion she was looking for. Quickly putting Sunny down, Luna begins to cry.
“Sunny, dear…my…I don’t know how many aeons, but you’re a distant, very distant grandfilly.”
Sunny is confused. This mysterious winged unicorn that calls herself Luna is now an ancestor? What else does she need to know? Is she also going insane from the magical recalibration! “I…I don’t know, miss Luna! This whole thing doesn’t make any sense!”
Luna looks at Sunny very carefully and continues. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand, child. It’s not your fault. Now, my magic told me that a very important book calls this place it's home. It has an hourglass with falling sand on the cover.”
Alphabittle chuckles, and pipes in. “No way in hay I am giving that thing to you! I got it at a flea auction, and it’s five millennia old! There’s no way I am EVER going to give that up for some-.”
Luna grimaces and looks at Alphabittle very carefully. “Get the book, and I will reward you handsomely. ” She snarls, before magicking a pouch of pure golden bits. Alphabittle grabs the bag and immediately goes to fetch the book. Sunny and Izzy are left confused, and Luna chuckles.
“Wait, why do you want a book, and why did you show up NOW, when you’ve been gone for five thousand years, and why are there no “alicorns” anymore?” Sunny asks a rapid-fire series of questions before Luna sighs and calms down.
“Wait, you have a foal?” Sunny asks. Luna quickly interrupts her descendant. “I had a son, child. He was a mortal unicorn pony who lived for one hundred and twenty years. My niece was much luckier in siring Flurry Heart…” Luna says, quite upset. She didn’t have much time to reflect on the past, because Alphabittle came back to the parlor holding a massive navy blue tome in his hooves. It has the very logo Luna described, that of an hourglass with falling sand.
“Pay up!” Alphabittle says eagerly. Luna sighs, and telekinetically sends the bit pouch over to Alphabittle, who trades the golden currency for the book. Princess Luna looks at the tome and smiles. “You netter be right, time nut.” She whispers. Luna sits down on her hind legs, and invites Sunny and Izzy to do the same. She paws off the tome to Sunny, who carefully looks at the cover.
“Is this thing even in Ponish, Miss Luna?” Sunny asks. Luna chuckles and smiles at her descendant. “My son was a very smart stallion. He could see the future. I am sure that he made sure to write this journal in your current dialect.” Luna explains. It was now the moment of reckoning. Sunny Starscout put her front hoof on the cover of the book, and it immediately began to glow orange.
Not only did the book begin to glow orange, but Sunny Starscout did, as well, briefly spotting her ethereal horn and wings! An outline of a padlock begins to fade away, and the book floats down on the ground, revealing all its contents to Sunny, and Sunny alone. Izzy and Alphabittle saw nothing but blank pages!
“What kind of a trick is this? I don’t see any words in here, and I just gave up my most valuable artifact for a bunch of scraps!” Alphabittle cries, feeling cheated. Luna clucks her tongue at him with contempt. “You made a wise choice, unicorn. The tome is heavily encrypted for security purposes. My son made sure that only the right pony could access his sacred writings!”
Sunny can’t help but nerd out a bit by all of this. Her father would probably be going ballistic if he was alive to see any of this. His daughter deifying, and now a super ancient artifact only she can open and read?! Luna looks at Sunny with gentle eyes and smiles: “Go ahead, read the first page. Even I didn’t get a glimpse at all of my son’s writings, only bits and pieces!” Not wanting to waste any time, Sunny turns the first page, and sees something truly magical. She begins to read to Luna, Izzy and Alphabittle:
“Sunny, my long distant heir,
You are probably confused right now, on this 13th Day of May, 5102 After Twilight, at around 10:24 A.M.- ”really creepy. How does the author know what time it is?!” Luna smiles, enjoying witnessing her late son’s temporal antics again. It gave her much joy and happiness to see him live on through words.
“I told you, Izzy, my son was gifted in the temporal arts.” Luna says, urging Sunny to keep reading. Sunny chuckles, and continues. “Sorry about that, I got interrupted. Now, where was I?”
“Sunny, my long distant heir,
You are probably confused right now, on this 13th Day of May, 5102 After Twilight, at around 10:24 A.M. I don’t blame you! This is a lot to take in. Before I get into the nitty gritty, I owe you an introduction. My name is Clockwork Relativity. By the time you’re reading this, I’ll have been dead for over five thousand years. Regardless, I have seen things that nopony has ever seen before, and will never get the opportunity to see.
Enclosed in this tome is all the information you will need to restore magic to Equestria after five millennia of absence. This information is probably not what you are used to. It is enclosed as the story of my life. I promise everything will make sense in due time.
Now, you and your friend(s) will be given a golden opportunity. How would you like to travel through time? This tome is an accurate-to-the-second simulation of Ancient Equestria. Every pony, item, and memory ever conceived during my era exists here, and they are yours to explore! I only had one hundred and twenty years in Equestria to leave my mark, but you and your friends can make yours now!
I’ll be very kind for your first excursion, and take you and Izzy to bear witness to my foalhood. There won’t be anything serious, I promise you that. There are, however, a few ground rules.
1) While you will be technically traveling through time, this tome is a simulation. Any alterations that you will make in this book will not affect the outside world around you. You may be able to talk to me, but it won’t be ME.
2) This encryption is top-notch. Nopony other than you, Sunny, will be able to access or manipulate these words. You can bring one friend with you on each trip, and be sure to alternate every time! Everypony deserves a little time travel!
3) The Butterfly Effect. While this tome is a simulation of Equestria, later on in your journey you might actually need to travel back and forth through time in the main continuity. Practice noninterference in the simulation, because it could very well save your life!
I might not have been able to experience the Magic of Friendship to the same extent as Twilight Sparkle and the Mane Six, but I can assure you that my knowledge is worthwhile.
Be back in time,
Clockwork .”
As soon as Sunny had finished reading that section, the book began to glow once more. Sunny and Izzy also begin to radiate magic, and are slowly but surely sucked painlessly into the simulated version of Equestria. Once the book closes, Luna smiles, clearly content with herself.
“If I know my son, which, I do, he probably took them to see his formative years on the moon, before I returned to Equestria,” Luna explains to Alphabittle.
“The moon?! You lived on the moon!” Alphabittle exclaims, totally stunned.
“Equestria has much to learn, and I am sure that my son will teach the best that he can from beyond the grave.”
Only time will tell whether this first blast to the past for Sunny and Izzy will go well. Perhaps they can learn something valuable, too?
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All The Time In The World
Chapter 2: Mysterious As The Dark Side Of The Moon!
Princess Luna watches Alphabittle very carefully. From her first encounter with him, she doesn’t hold a good opinion of the unicorn. This could be because of his greed, or his fear of seeing Luna for the first time. Whatever the goddess of the night has to think of him, it doesn’t really matter now. Her distant descendant, Sunny Starscout, along with the mare’s friend Izzy Moonbow are now traveling through time to bear witness to her son’s youth.
“Wait, wait just a second. Where in the hay did those two go again, Miss Luna? I heard something about time travel, but the moon?! That doesn’t make any sense!” Alphabittle asks the alicorn of the night with a hint of audacity. Luna magicks up two mahogany wood chairs, and sits down on one of them.
“Sit, Alphabittle. I’ll give you my own two bits of what Sunny and her friend are seeing. I remember it like it was yesterday.” Luna kindly offers. Alphabittle sits down in the remaining empty chair and looks at Luna. The mare picks up the tome with her magic and places it on the counter next to them. She chuckles, and can’t help but feel relieved. It may have been five millennia, but Luna cherishes every moment that she spent with Clockwork, and remembers each of them vividly.
“Two bits, you say? Let’s start with what the hay Sunny and Izzy are doing in the vacuum of space, shall we?” Alphabittle asks, puzzled. Luna nods her head, quite eager to begin telling her son’s story.
“A perfectly fair query from a sound mind. I don’t see why we can’t start there, Alphabittle.” Luna cheerfully says. The princess clears her throat and begins to explain herself to the unicorn stallion.
“Alrighty. I’d take it you don’t know anything about Ancient Equestria, is that right?” Luna begins, debuting her story with a question. Alphabittle embarrassingly nods. “Yeah, Miss Luna. I don’t know much about your time period, just the folklore I learned as a colt. Most of the stuff I learned proved to be false, ever since Sunny proved Friendship between ponies could be viable.”
Luna looks at the greyish unicorn with understanding. “Go on? What kind of stuff did you learn? It can’t be that inaccurate, right?” She jests, not knowing what kind of a can of worms this could open. Alphabittle begins to laugh and shares a fascinating tidbit he learned as a colt in Bridlewood.
“Well, Sunny told me that her Earth Pony village believed us unicorns had the ability to completely incinerate the pony brain! And that pegasi swooped from the air, and abducted foals for their own amusement!” He explains, feeling embarrassed that he believed these foolish lies for so many years. Luna does a double-take, making sure she heard exactly what she did.
“Wait…you seriously thought pegasi abducted foals, and Sunny thought your noble unicorn race fried brains?” She chuckles, breaking out into a fit of laughter. “I haven’t heard a joke like that since Pinkie Pie, and that was five millennia ago!” For a solid few minutes, Luna did nothing but laugh, but she eventually realized how serious Alphabittle was with her, and quickly changed tune.
“I’m sorry I laughed, Alphabittle. I thought you were being sarcastic or crude with me.” She apologizes, and Alphabittle solemnly nods. “It’s fine, Miss Luna, really. Now, tell me about Clockwork. How does this tie in with Ancient Equestria?” The unicorn asks a follow-up question.
“Would you like me to tell you, or would you like me to show you?” Luna rhetorically asks, bringing her son’s tome into her hooves. “I just need to do a little tweaking on Clock’s magical signature, and I can project what Sunny and Izzy will see onto your parlor’s wall. Just one moment.”
Luna does exactly as she claims. With a quick spell, Clockwork’s tome begins to glow navy blue, and a beam of light is projected onto Alphabittle’s parlor wall.
“Oh, we’re just in time! Let’s enjoy the show!” Luna cheerfully says as the magical projector reveals the lunar surface and two mares who just arrived on the scene:
***
Sunny and Izzy both arrive on the moon. They quickly realize that they are in space, and Izzy begins to freak out. How exactly can two ponies be in space, and not suffocate to death?! Even if unicorns can hold their breaths for over five minutes, the vacuum of space is a totally different environment in which to hold one’s breath. Sunny Starscout takes a deep breath, and like magic, she is able to breathe. She exhales and is able to do so with ease.
“Izzy, calm down! You can breathe! This is a simulation, remember? It’s like Pipp’s virtual reality video games, but much more lifelike!” The Earth Pony says, trying in vain to calm down. Izzy had been holding her breath. Sunny isn’t taking any chances, and she gently smacks Izzy on the back, forcing her to exhale. Izzy quickly comes to her senses and begins to breathe normally. “Sorry about that, Sunny. I just thought that since we were in space, we couldn’t breathe. Now, why don’t we take a look around?”
Once Sunny and Izzy had both begun to breathe at normal respirative patterns, with steady inhales and exhales, the two ponies begin to trot along the lunar surface. Equestria’s moon was very serene, with the planet Equus facing it, rising above the lunar horizon. The lunar surface feels a lot like beach sand. Izzy eventually notices that the tiny pebbles on the moon float very high before falling back down, as a result of their trotting. She gets excited but wants to make sure it’s okay to proceed.
“Sunny, any idea why the rocks are floating really high?” Izzy Moonbow asks. Sunny takes a minute to think about Izzy’s question, before coming up with an answer. “Well, I remember learning in elementary school that the moon has one-sixth of the gravity on Equestria. For example, if you weighed 100 pounds, you’d feel like you weighed around 17 pounds!”
That was all the permission Izzy Moonbow needed to begin leaping in bounds and strides across the moon. Because of the lighter gravitational pull, each jump launched her much farther ahead across the moon’s surface than a normal running jump would. Sunny shakes her head with dismay, before sighing. “Might as well. When else am I going to go on the moon?” Sunny gallops along the moon’s surface, before launching herself in the air. Just like her friend, Sunny jumps very high in the air and meets Izzy a few dozens of feet above the moon’s surface.
“Isn’t this so cool, Sunny?!” Izzy cheers, jumping up and down, trying to make funny faces, and landing with style. Sunny can’t help but laugh and mimics the silly maneuvers Izzy is doing. “Yeah, this is really cool! Imagine if that weird, fake horn and wings showed up! I could fly on the moon. This is pretty close, though!”
The two of them continue playfully jumping around the moon for quite some time. Sunny couldn’t help but think why she didn’t see Clockwork yet? Isn’t he supposed to be on the moon? Izzy, on the other hand, couldn’t care less, and was too busy enjoying the moon’s low gravity, and trying to figure out different ways to play. “Typical Izzy…” Sunny mutters to herself. Izzy continues to jump up and down, varying from cannonballs, to dance moves, to all sorts of silly faces.
“Izzy, this is serious! We were sent back in time to try to learn more about how to restore Equestria’s magic! We don’t even know how much time we were allotted in the past. We could very well be sent back at a moment’s notice. Pull yourself together! ” Sunny exclaims, quickly landing on the moon with a thud. Izzy lands next to her, and giggles. “Okay, Sunny, we’ll have fun with time travel after. What’s the point of traveling through time if you can’t have any fun, too?” She asks her friend.
Sunny was also wondering why the sound of their voices was able to be projected in space since sound can only work if there are air particles for the sound waves to bounce off. Nevertheless, she believed this to be something that will only make herself and Izzy more confused; so she kept this scientific tidbit to herself. She’ll ask Zipp when she gets back. That pegasus mare knows a LOT about aerodynamics, more than she should!
Sunny hears a gentle, maternal voice, whispering a short distance away. That’s her cue! “Izzy, be quiet! I hear Princess Luna. Let’s go investigate!” Sunny exclaims with joy, trotting along the lunar surface, next to Izzy. They finally see a small cave, underneath a large lunar mound. Izzy hears singing and briefly spots a birthday cake with ten candles.
“Happy Birthday to you…Happy birthday to you…Happy birthday, my little Clockwork…happy birthday to you!”
Izzy heard the Happy Birthday song and almost ran off to throw a surprise party. She was prevented from doing so, thanks to sunny grabbing her by the tail and keeping her quiet.
“Izzy! We have to practice noninterference. Didn’t you hear what Clockwork wrote about the Butterfly Effect? Even if this is a simulation, we need to make sure we don’t mess anything up, in the event we ever get sent back in time for real!” She sternly reprimands her friend, before they slowly trot over to the cave’s entrance, eyeing inside to see what’s going on.
Sunny and Izzy see a mare that looks a lot like Princess Luna, but taller, more muscular, and with a darker, cosmic black coat of fur. Her mane still resembles the cosmos. Sitting on a makeshift chair made of moon rocks, was a cyan-blue unicorn colt. He didn’t have a cutie mark, and he was blowing out the candles of his small, chocolate birthday cake.
“Thank you, mommy!” He cheers, hugging the alicorn after blowing out the candles. Luna uses some magic to cut the cake into foal-size pieces and serves a morsel to her son.
“Happy tenth birthday, Clock. I made this cake myself. Take your time, and don’t rush! Last year, you gave yourself a tummyache when you ate your cake too quickly!” She kindly reminds him, acting like a responsible mother. Clockwork slowly but surely ate his morsel of cake, and the taller, blacker Luna had a piece, as well. Izzy taps Sunny on the shoulder and wonders what will happen next. “What’s going to happen next, Sunny?” Izzy asks, unsure of what key information they will pick up. Sunny sighs, and replies “shut up, and maybe we’ll find out!”
When Clockwork finishes his slice of cake, he looks at his mother eagerly and smiles. “Hey mommy, can you tell me the story of why we’re here again? You always tell it to me on my birthday!” He pleads. Luna chuckles and kisses Clockwork on his forehead.
“Of course, child. I always tell you the story. Just promise me you won’t interrupt with your own Clockwork hot takes, this time!” She chuckles, projecting some images onto the cave.
“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became envious. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.”
“You’re the younger one, right mommy?” Clockwork pipes in. Luna chuckles and kisses him again. “Yes, dear, I am the younger one. Your Aunty Tia is the older one, can I continue, please?” He nods, and she continues to tell her tale.
“One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a more powerful version of herself: Nightmare Moon.”
Luna makes some fake ghost noises to enhance the experience, and Clockwork chuckles. “She vowed that she would shroud the land in an eternal night; to show her sister that the nighttime can be beautiful, too. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently to the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon.”
“What happens next, mommy? You’ve been here for nine hundred and ninety-nine years?” Clockwork asks. Luna is very patient with her foal and continues to explain her genesis.
“Well, this part is less formal, but it has to do with you. Almost eleven years ago, a stallion came to visit me on the moon. His name was Sombra. Sombra was a prince of a land called the Crystal Empire. The older sister, your aunt, didn’t like him, so she sent some ponies to overthrow his kingdom, and placed your cousin Mi Amore Cadenza as a puppet ruler. Sombra had big plans. He wanted to take his kingdom back and knew that I wanted to bring parity to your aunt. We fell in love and spent some time on the moon. However, he was much more interested in power than spending time with me. ”
Luna takes a minute to compose herself, making sure to keep this rendition of the story family-friendly. He can’t possibly know the graphic details of what happened next!
“Sombra proposed the best way of defeating Tia was by having a foal. I told him that I didn’t want any foals, because I can’t die. He insisted, and I told him that I wasn’t interested. He claimed to be understanding, but that was a lie. One night, while I was sleeping, Sombra did something very, very naughty. ”
Luna tries not to cry. She doesn’t want to divulge the details of her violation, but she promised to tell Clockwork everything eventually. This watered-down version will have to do for now.
“He hurt me in a very special place, and then he left. However, by hurting me, Sombra gave me an accidental gift. He gave me you. Clockwork. Eleven months later, I gave birth to a lovely unicorn colt named Clockwork, and you’ve been the light of my life ever since.”
Clockwork is enamored by his mother’s storytelling and wants to ask his mother a few questions.
“Can I ask you a few questions, mommy?” Clockwork asks. Luna nods. “Of course, Clockwork. Also, don’t forget to drink your water.” Luna says while Clockwork’s horn lights up with magic. His glass of water floats in the air, and he drinks. Finally putting his beverage down, he poses his questions.
“Will I ever get to see this Equestria?” Luna takes a minute to think about how to answer this question, and then she sports an evil grin. “As a matter of fact, we leave for Equestria in thirty minutes. My millennium of exile is coming to an end, Clock.”
The bastard foal’s eyes widen, and he gets excited. “When we make our way back to your home, will I ever get a cutie mark?” He follows up. Luna nods. “Yes, yes. You’ll have a cutie mark. Most ponies get them when they begin to grow up. I got mine when I was fourteen! You are only ten, Clockwork. You have plenty of time. Any other questions?”
Clockwork takes a minute to think, and then he asks a question that shocks his mother. “Is this “Sombra” alive? I want to kill him. He hurt you, and nopony can get away with hurting my mommy!”
Luna was aghast at her son’s rage, but at the same time, understands how he feels. She wouldn’t mind if he acted on his urge for vengeance!
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Now. Since we’re going to depart the domain of my exile in half an hour, why don’t you and I do a little magic practice?”
Luna, or Nightmare Moon, in this instance, teleports both herself and the young colt to a barren arena within eye’s distance of Sunny and Izzy. Within moments, massive explosions and rapid-fire movements are seen, with Nightmare clearly going easy on her son. Izzy was in awe and wondered if unicorns in her own era were capable of performing such magical feats. “WOAH, SUNNY, LOOK AT THEM GO!!” Izzy cheers, wondering who will win this magical duel.
“Izzy, be quiet, please!” Sunny begs, but is still interested in this epic bout of ponies occurring in front of her. Pillars of flame, ice, pure magical energy, and all sorts of other spells combined, deflected and merged on the lunar surface, and even though it was apparent that Nightmare Moon was going easy on her son, Clockwork didn’t care. He was having the time of his life!
After a good twenty-five minutes of this, Clockwork and Nightmare Moon cease their bout, and the young colt tries to catch his breath.
“Woah…that…was…something…mommy…” Clockwork says, helping his mother get back up from the ground. He places his barrel as a support for his mother’s wings, so she could steady herself. Both the mistress of the night and her son were in a cold sweat!
“That was excellent, Clockwork!” Nightmare Moon exclaims, hugging her son with black, swanlike wings. The colt returns the embrace before Nightmare looks at the planet along the horizon.
“Clockwork, the time is nigh. We must seek vengeance for Aunty Tia’s misdeeds against me. Come along now, I promise nopony will get hurt. You have my word!” Nightmare says, trying to reassure her skeptical son that all will be alright. A portal opens, revealing a gathering of ponies in a quaint little town, awaiting for somepony to inaugurate an event. The two ponies enter the portal, which for some reason remains open. Perhaps this simulation wants Sunny and Izzy to go back to Equestria of yesteryear?
Sunny eyes the crowd through the portal, and sees six very familiar ponies. “HOLY GUACAMOLE, IZZY, those are the Mane Six! This is a time travel adventure!” Izzy doesn’t know who Sunny is referring to but nods along. “Uh-huh, Sunny, sure. They're going through the darn portal. Let’s follow them!”
Izzy takes the lead and leaps through the portal, Sunny right on her tail. With the portal closing right behind them, they see young Clockwork in the audience. Meanwhile, his mother begins to speak to the crowd.
“Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces.” Nightmare says while the ponies in attendance are quite upset. One of them, a cyan pegasus, is the first one in the group to confront Clockwork’s mother.
Sunny taps Izzy on the shoulder and whispers. “That’s Rainbow Dash. She’s the element of Loyalty, at least she will be when this incident is over. Let’s see what she has to say!”
“What did you do with our Princess?!” Rainbow Dash says, pointing a hoof at Nightmare Moon. She is taking the role of the prosecutor, cross-examining the mistress of the night. An orange earth pony taps Rainbow Dash on the shoulder, and whispers “Whoa there, Nelly…”
Sunny smiles. “That’s Applejack. Element of Honesty. She sounds funny! What’s with that accent?” She asks Izzy. Izzy doesn’t seem to know, either. “Beats me. Clock’s mom is going to talk!”
Nightmare Moon is quite cross with a few of these upstart ponies and questions their knowledge of their history. She lets out a hearty chuckle, and asks: “Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?” Nightmare asks, rhetorically.
“ Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty!” A pink Earth Pony mare asks. Before Sunny and Izzy had any time to realize that this mare is none other than Pinkamena Diane Pie, Nightmare continues her monologue.
“ Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”
Finally, it was a very familiar purple unicorn’s turn to stand up to Nightmare Moon. The personal idol of Sunny Starscout, Twilight Sparkle, was about to correctly identify and confront the alicorn of the night.
“I did. And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon! ”
The gathering of ponies gasps in shock and awe. Was it really true? The very mare they learned about as foals in schools? The stuff of legends? It was all starting to come together for everypony.
“ Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here.” The alicorn questions Twilight. She struggles to come up with an adequate response because the poor mare is quaking in her hooves. “You are here to…too-.”
Nightmare Chuckles, and reveals her grand plan to the large audience. “Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever !”
Clockwork was clapping in the audience, while someponies gave the colt a look of contempt. Why would a pony be happy about his new overlady? That seems atypical, doesn’t it? Sunny and Izzy quickly gallop around trying to see what’s going on, but they begin to glow.
“Aw, shucks. We’re heading back.” Sunny moans, as the two of them are slowly thrust forwards in time, back to the parlor in Bridlewood. Just before they vanished, Sunny could have sworn that Clockwork turned his head back at the duo, and waved, knowing who they are…
All The Time In The World
Chapter 3: We Don't Talk About Clockwork...
The two ponies finally exit the book’s temporal simulation, where the former princess greets them. Alphabittle is still trying to wrap his head around what he just saw, so he’s still somewhat in a state of shock. Princess Luna warmly greets the two time traveling mares with a genial smile and proceeds to ask them some questions.
“Hello, Sunny and Izzy! What did you see?” Luna asks the mares with genuine curiosity. While the deity had known what the two ponies saw, thanks to that projector spell, she wanted to hear from their points of view. Izzy, being somewhat over-hyper, trots in front of her friend and starts spilling the beans.
“Well, we went on the moon, and the gravity was lower. We bounced up and down for a long long time, and had some fun! It was a bit weird to be on the moon and have the ability to breathe. I thought I’d have to use my natural unicorn talent to hold my breath for a long time!” She explains. Sunny sighs, knowing that this information is somewhat off-topic. Luna chuckles, and seems to appreciate Izzy’s upbeat demeanor.
“Wait, since when could unicorns hold their breaths for prolonged periods of time? This must be something new since I’ve retired to my homestead in the Sea of Maretime on the moon. Five millennia can change ponies, I guess!” Luna asks, not knowing this seemingly obvious unicorn factoid. Sunny takes the helm and steers the conversation towards the subject at hand, regarding the past of Ancient Equestria and her timekeeper, Clockwork.
“I don’t know. It’s just something that they can do. But…in terms of what we actually saw on the moon, We met your son!” Sunny says. Luna smiles and urges the earth pony to continue her explanation.
“Right, sorry, Miss Luna. It was his tenth birthday, and you looked taller and more muscular! Apparently, you used to be a badass alicorn called Nightmare Moon!” Sunny exclaims. Luna laughs and urges Sunny to continue with her explanation. “Go on. What other astute observations did you make?” Sunny continues to explain what she and Izzy saw.
“Well, you told Clockwork the story of how he was born, and it was rather depressing. I didn’t know that a nigh immortal Princess of Equestria could get into such a pickle. I am sorry that this “Sombra” fellow hurt you like that.” Sunny says, exhibiting a fair amount of empathy. Izzy frowns as well. “Yeah, a pony putting his thingy in another pony without asking is not cool!” She observes. Alphabittle looks at Izzy with contempt. “We don’t make light of situations like that. Even if it’s been over five thousand years.” He says sternly. Izzy whispers the word “sorry” and gives Sunny the floor again. “Right. You and Clockwork went back to Equestria to a small town, and you threatened to not lower the moon again. I actually don’t know what happens next, because the time spell deactivated, and we got sent back just now. Do you think we can keep “reading”?” Sunny asks the moon deity.
“I love your enthusiasm, but you two were out in the simulation for most of the day. If I was you, I’d get some rest, and come back in the morning. I might be a nighttime pony, but not everypony is. Get some sleep, Sunny, and come back. Izzy, you’ll get another turn, but it was Clockwork’s instructions to have a different friend come with her every trip.”
Izzy frowns but is still somewhat understanding. “If that stallion was able to accurately tell me what time it is five thousand years ago, I am not going to mess with that. Unicorns nowadays are very superstitious!” Alphabittle nods at that claim, affirming his friend’s statement. “Yeah…apparently we’re not as bright as we used to be.” He says sheepishly. Luna gives everypony a loving smile and reassures them.
“My son was a unicorn, like you and Alphabittle. He was capable of doing great things and may have saved Equestria from beyond the grave. If one unicorn was able to make a difference, imagine what all ponies can do when they work together in Harmony!” The very thought of ponies working together made Sunny smile.
“Thanks for the pep talk, Miss Luna. I’ll make my way home now. Izzy, where do you live relative to our current location? I can trot with you home if you want?” Sunny offers her friend. Izzy nods. “Sure, why not! I can tell you about my macaroni art, in the meantime! It’s really cool!”
Luna begins to fade away, teleporting somewhere for the night. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sunny!” And with that, the Princess of the Night went back to the moon for a while. Mere moments after she disappeared, Clockwork’s journal begins to glow with cyan magic. The heavy tome levitates into the air, and rockets out the window, heading in the direction of Zephyr Heights. Sunny and Izzy’s mouths drop in shock and awe, while Alphabittle chuckles to himself.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Zephyr Heights is a day’s trot away, and I don’t even know when these fake wings will show up!” Sunny moans, clearly upset that she has to trek such a long way to time travel once more. Izzy wonders whether Zipp or Pipp will be the pony to travel back with her.
Today proved to be quite interesting for everypony. The real question remains. Will the rest of Sunny’s friends be as understanding or interested in Ancient Equestria as Izzy Moonbow was today? Only time will tell, right?
The Next Morning.
The sun begins to rise in Zephyr Heights. The pegasus royal family has been in quite a kerfuffle ever since it was revealed that Queen Maven lied to her subjects about the royal family’s ability to fly. She hasn’t been seen in public since then and is currently awaiting trial for abuse of power. Her two foals, however, were exonerated on behalf of their youth and considered to be pawns of their mother. Even after the magic was restored to Equestria, most pegasi still do not know how to fly. Zipp Storm proved to be a natural, very glad she did all of this pre-flight training for years!
Zipp wakes up in her room and sees a rather large book on her lightning blue shelf. She doesn’t have many books in her room, especially ones with an hourglass on the front cover. “Huh?” Zipp asks herself, moping out of bed and trotting over to look at the book.
“What in the hay is this? Did Pipp prank me again?” She asks herself, wondering what this book is doing in her room. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. I am going to the gym to practice flying. Maybe some of the foals from Zephyr Heights will actually show up to Flight School today?” She wonders, jumping out her window and zooming off to the Zephyr Heights Aerodynamics Gymnasium.
Being a flying wunderkind and STEM genius, Zipp took initiative upon the magic’s return and allocated funds from the Pegasus treasury to construct a flying center and gymnasium for all pegasi. To foster unity with the other pony races, there is some regular exercise equipment for non-winged ponies. As of yet, few earth ponies and unicorns have made the leap of faith. It took Zipp no more than ten minutes to fly to this gymnasium, and she quickly calibrated the wind tunnel.
“Aw yeah, I love this one. I need to work on optimizing my aerodynamics!” Zipp says, turning the massive wind turbine on with a few short keystrokes. The massive hydroelectric motor begins to run, spinning several massive fans at a moderate speed.
“Welcome, Wonderbolt Zipp Storm. Please select your difficulty mode for today.” An A.I. voice says. Zipp goes into the wind tunnel, and shouts “moderate, please!”. A few seconds of delay elapse, and the fans begin to spin significantly faster, providing more resistance to Zipp as she flies. She was very smart to don flying goggles today! She does a few drills, such as barrel rolls, wing flap adjustment, and altitude change, before turning this training up to the max!
“Modify velocity to extreme!” Zipp exclaims as the wind tunnel’s A.I. begins to exert maximum force on Zipp, pushing the athletic mare to her absolute limits. Sadly, this wouldn’t last very long, as the machine automatically turns off.
“Friendship detected. Your mandate as pegasus ambassador is required!” the A.I. says, launching the poor pony into the very fluffy cushions that act as a safety net for the wind tunnel.
“Feathering darn it! I was having fun!” She shouts, before noticing that an orange earth pony mare was staring at Zipp, laughing to herself. Zipp takes a moment to stand up and stretches her wings. “Oh…Sunny. I’m always happy to see you, but your timing today was horrible. What’s up?” Zipp says, quite annoyed that her flight training was interrupted so soon.
“Not much, Zipp. I was wondering if you or your sister saw a massive blue book with an hourglass on the cover. It’s magical, and it could prove to be quite useful!” Sunny asks her friend. Zipp takes a minute to think about what Sunny just asked her, before nodding.
“Yeah, it kinda just showed up in my bedroom in the middle of the night. Is this one of your new magic tricks that have been happening sporadically since you got those fake wings for five minutes?” Zipp asks accusingly.
“No, it wasn’t that.” A voice says. Princess Luna teleports into the gymnasium, surprising both ponies. Zipp was scared and bolted out the gymnasium door. Princess Luna casts a spell, bringing the pegasus mare back to where she started.
“I’m not a threat, dear. I’m a friend of Sunny’s…or a long distant ancestor if we’re being specific.” Luna says, teleporting all three of them back to Zipp Storm’s bedroom. Sunny and Zipp both felt nauseous after they teleported, and Sunny was a bit dizzy, with stars forming in her eyes.
“Sorry, I won’t do that again. I just really want you two to get with the program. I’ve been waiting for five millennia. That can make a pony quite antsy at times!” Luna says jokingly. Sunny goes over to Zipp’s bookshelf and grabs Clockwork’s journal. Zipp looks at it, while Sunny takes the liberty of sitting on Zipp’s bed, to open the book.
“Wait, why are there no words on this. Is this a joke?” Zipp asks, getting quite livid with Sunny. Princess Luna decides to act as a mediator and explains everything to Zipp. It takes a few minutes, and a bunch of redundant questions, but eventually, Zipp understands what the point is.
“So…you’re Sunny’s distant ancestor, and you are taking her on a guilt trip about your dead son? Seems a bit messed up.” Zipp says snidely. Luna is not amused and puts on a pouty face. “No, Zipp! Don’t you get it, we’re trying to restore the magic for real! Not just rudimentary stuff!” Sunny protests.
“Yeah yeah, the magic, I know all about it. I can fly now, which is really cool. So. Time travel? What’s the story?” Zipp asks as Sunny continues to read from the journal. This is what she says:
“Hi Sunny,
Glad to see that you got Zipp out of that wind tunnel in one piece! Alright, jokes aside, today we’re going to skip ahead a little bit in time from where you went yesterday. Back in my day, ponies were born without cutie marks. Now, ponies are born with them, and only on one side. Not so sure why, but I digress. When magic existed in Ancient Equestria, a pony got his or her cutie mark around the time of adolescence.”
“Wait, what’s a cutie mark?” Sunny asks, before looking at her flank and seeing a distinct symbol.
Luna laughs. “Ah, so much to learn, I see. Keep reading. I am sure Clockwork will explain it to you.” Sunny continues to read, hoping to learn more about what a “cutie mark” is.
“When magic existed in Ancient Equestria, a pony got his or her cutie mark around the time of adolescence. A pony got this cutie mark by discovering their innate talent. It could be anything, and it was the unique task of a pony to find out what made them special. Someponies had trouble with this, and a group of fillies helped them find out their talent. I wasn’t one of them, and those three troublemakers were most active when I was an adult. Today, you and Zipp will learn how I accidentally discovered my skill for reading the future. You’ll be dropped off in Sire’s Hollow, where I spent my teenage years. Because I am a bastard foal, I was nastily treated by Princess Celestia. She said my existence tarnished the legacy of her and my mother, so she cast me out of the family. As much as Luna protested, she could not overrule her older sister.”
Luna is holding back tears while Sunny is reading, and Zipp feels really bad for the mare.
“Is it true this stallion was a bastard?” Zipp asks. Luna sadly nods. “Yes, he was. I loved him anyway. The poor pony didn’t do anything to deserve it, either.”
“As much as Luna protested, she could not overrule her older sister. So, I was sent to live with a unicorn mare named Stellar Flare, who had a son named Sunburst. Sunburst is my best friend, and he helped me a lot in life. Now, it is your turn to see whether the Magic of Friendship is as good as ponies say it is.
Be back in time,
Clockwork.”
And with that final phrase, Sunny and Zipp are painlessly sent into the journal, thrust back in time to Sire’s Hollow. Luna is quite content with how this education is going for her descendant and casts the same projection spell as yesterday.
“Oh, Clockwork. You raised the fires of Tartarus that day. It’s one of the proudest of my life.” She whispers to herself, watching the two mares interact with the past.
***
Sunny Starscout and Zipp Storm are spawned into a quaint town named Sire’s Hollow. The place is rather neat, and there is plenty of foliage to spare. Sunny and Zipp take a moment to adjust to their surroundings, before Sunny spots the blue unicorn colt walking next to an orange one.
“I think that’s Clockwork!” Sunny says, dragging Zipp along with her to witness whatever this moment in time has to show them. They keep a fair distance, per Clockwork’s policy of noninterference; but are still able to overhear their conversations.
“Holy crap, Sunburst! Did you read the latest Daring Do comic?” Clockwork says, quite elated with the edition he’s holding in his magic’s grasp. Sunburst looks it over and nods.
“No kidding mate. Seeing Daring team up with Somanabula was awesome! I didn’t expect that. Now, mom is going to kill me if we don’t practice our magic. Duel in the square?” Sunburst asks. Clockwork nods and they gallop off to a town square not too far away from where they are. It looks rather neat, and there are many park benches for ponies to sit on.
Clockwork puts his comic on one of the benches and meets Sunburst at the center of the square. “Hey Clock. You’re thirteen, right? Any idea when you are going to get your cutie mark? I got mine a year ago. I know someponies are late bloomers, but I worry that your bullying problem will only get worse if you don’t get one. I care for you, man. You’re like my brother.”
Sunny feels incredibly bad for Clockwork, and Zipp also wonders what Clockwork could have done to warrant this bullying. “Sunny. What did Clockwork do to get bullied? Is it because his own mother had him sent away to appease his aunt?” Zipp asks Sunny. Sunny takes a minute to think about Zipp’s question, before noticing that Sunburst and Clockwork are setting up for their magical duel.
“I’ll give my hot take quickly. I want to see this. I think Clockwork might be struggling to fit in. If what he said about cutie marks is true, then not having one can only alienate a pony further!” Sunny reasons, before noticing that Sunburst and Clockwork both bow, beginning their duel. She pulls Zipp behind a bush, and the two ponies watch the bout.
“Basic rules, Sunburst. No spells to the head. Offensive maneuvers are allowed, but tactical, not brutal. Don’t even think about trying that Solar Flare again. You were in the hospital for a month!” Clockwork says, chuckling at the thought. His horn lights up, and Sunburst’s does as well.
“Yeah yeah, basic rules. I am not a foalish pony. Good luck, mate!” Sunburst says, beginning his match with a shadow clone spell. Three different Sunbursts appear, all tackling Clockwork at once. Clockwork quickly counters this with an ice spell, freezing all three ponies in a pony-sized pillar of ice. Zipp was astonished.
“Woah. if ponies in the past can do this, what could Izzy Moonbow do?” She asks Sunny, who urges her friend to keep quiet. Zipp has a volume control problem! This could be a problem if they get caught. Hopefully, that won’t happen! Sunburst quickly melts the ice with some fiery magic, and Clockwork quickly needs to come up with a game plan. Neither pony is paying close attention to their surroundings, and they are evenly matched in the magical arts. Spell after spell is negated, deflected, or countered, and both ponies are challenging the other in a battle of magic and wits.
What neither of them knew, however, is that a rattlesnake was slithering its way across the park grounds in Sire’s Hollow. It was on its way towards Sunburst, who would have almost certainly stepped on it, causing the animal to bite him. Clockwork was casting a focusing spell but accidentally screwed it up.
Clockwork vision became blurry, and he saw a vision of Sunburst stepping on the snake. The snake bit him, and the venom slowly seeped through the unicorn’s veins, paralyzing and then killing him. Clockwork wasn’t able to do anything, because he was too far away.
When this vision ended, Clockwork knew what he had to do. He galloped towards Sunburst and pushed him to the side, mere moments away from the snake biting him. Clockwork zaps the snake with an electricity spell, killing it instantly. Sunburst was caught by surprise.
“Woah, how’d you do that! There’s no way you would have seen that snake! What kind of trick did you pull, Clock?” Sunburst asks, quickly standing up, helping his friend get up as well. Clockwork’s flanks begin to itch, and a symbol begins to brand itself on him. An hourglass with sand particles falling down the top emblazons itself onto his body, glowing with magical energy.
Sunburst is the first pony to notice this and is both excited and horrified. “Oh…my…Celestia.” Sunburst screams and teleports the two of them somewhere.
Sunny and Zipp are promptly teleported to Celestia’s castle. There, Clockwork is in the audience of Princess Celestia, with Sunburst’s mother Stellar Flare reporting to her sovereign. Clockwork is sitting down in front of the sun deity, and he’s on the verge of tears.
“Bastard of Luna. You have doomed us all. Nopony can know the future. This is a power that not even the Princesses themselves have! Do you have any idea how much danger you have put yourself in? The “mother” you claim to love?” She says sternly. This doesn’t sound like the Celestia that Sunny heard about as a foal! What’s gotten into her?
“...Princess! I just wanted to protect Sunburst from a snake! He would have died, and-.”
Celestia slaps the colt across the face. She could do that and get away with it. She’s the Mane Monarch, after all! Sunny and Zipp were disgusted and were also smart enough to keep quiet.
“I said, nopony can know the future! I am going to remove your cutie mark, and you are going to try again!”
Clockwork had no energy or willpower to fight his aunt, the goddess of the sun. He resigned himself to fate, but something happened that changed everything.
“Princess Celestia! What are you doing?” A shrill voice says. A mulberry purple alicorn trots into the throne room, with a look of disgust on her face.
“Oh, Twilight. It’s nice to see you. What brings you here to Canterlot today?” Celestia asks. Twilight isn’t buying it, and goes straight to the point. “This colt didn’t do anything to you! It wasn't his fault he was born via rape! You taught me to love everypony, and I am sure this Clockwork pony knows what he’s doing!”
Celestia scorns Twilight and reprimands her. “Oh come on! You just deified this week. You don’t know jack about ruling or governance. I love you like a daughter, but know your place!”
Twilight wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer. “I won’t let you do this, Princess. Please, leave your nephew alone. Let him enroll in your School for Gifted Unicorns. Let his mother aid in his tutelage. This pony can do great things. Anypony can do great things. Give him a chance!”
Princess Celestia squirms on her throne and sighs. She wants to say no, but she has too much respect for Twilight Sparkle to do anything to upset her. “You win, Twilight. The bastard keeps his cutie mark and will go to my school. I will not teach him, and he will NEVER, I REPEAT NEVER reveal the future to anypony, under penalty of death! Nopony can or will know the future other than him!”
Clockwork trots away in shame, and Stellar Flare hugs her guest resident. “Oh Clock…what did you get yourself into. Go find your mother, and then we’ll take the train back to Sire’s Hollow.”
And with that, Sunny and Zipp are transported back from the simulation. Just before Sunny leaves, just like last time, Clockwork turns around and waves at the two ponies. What does he know that everypony else doesn’t?
View Online
All The Time In The World
Chapter 4: Lord Tirek, I've Come To Bargain.
Just like yesterday, Princess Luna watches on as Sunny and her friend exit the temporal simulation. Once they exit, Luna puts on a grand smile and greets both mares with open hooves. “So? Tell me what you two ponies learned about my son?” Luna asks, eager to hear what observations were taken. Zipp is the first pony to provide answers.
“Well, I didn’t know that ponies were born without…uh…’cutie marks?’ Nowadays, we are just born with them. I don’t know why?” Zipp asks, being quite observant. Sunny adds on to her friend’s claim, as well. “I think cutie marks are something to do with individual talent, right Miss Luna?” The alicorn nods. “Yes, my dear. Individual talent and uniqueness are what make cutie marks unique. Now, I have a question for both of you. Do you think my older sister was right for what she did to Clockwork?”
The question takes both ponies by surprise, and Sunny is somewhat emotional. She has a soft spot for ponies who can’t stand up for themselves. Heck, her activism is based on this precept, is it not? She doesn’t answer right away, but Zipp is very brash and answers before Sunny has her opportunity.
“Look, Miss Luna. Let me put it to you straight. Your kid didn’t ask to be born like that, and it’s not his fault that somepony hurt you. Why did that horrible excuse of a ruler cast him out of your home? She doesn’t even love her own nephew! It doesn’t make any sense, none at all!” Zipp says, stomping her hoof on the ground with frustration. Princess Luna agrees with Zipp and smiles. “You are right that my older sister treated Clockwork poorly. However, what do you think about his power regarding time? Should anypony be allowed to know the future?” Luna posits to the mares.
Sunny isn’t totally sure how to answer this question. She saw that Clockwork got his cutie mark by saving another pony’s life. Isn’t protection a form of friendship? If Princess Celestia was supposed to teach everypony Friendship, why didn’t she laud his actions?
Luna was about to comment on this, but another pony just so happened to enter Zipp’s room. Pipp Petals was loudly awoken by all of this hubbub, and the sounds of magical time travel are certainly loud enough to awaken even the sleepiest of ponies. She trots into Zipp’s room and tries to put the pieces together. “Uh…Zipp?” Pipp says, alerting everypony to the younger pegasus mare.
Like her older sister, Pipp Petals is quite curious. When she’s not immersed completely in her phone or social media following, Pipp often sneaks around Zephyr Heights trying to learn new things. Of course, she films them, so it’s not totally unrelated to her ego. Thankfully, her phone is not in her hooves right now.
Sunny waves, and Zipp facehooves herself in frustration. “Pipp, can’t your sorry flank see that we’re in the middle of something here?” She says, clearly aggravated by Pipp’s arrival. Luna gives Zipp a stink eye. “Did you not hear my son’s instructions? A different friend is to travel with Sunny every time she goes back in time. Fate wills it so, and I guess Pipp is next on the hit list!”
“Wait, time travel?! This isn’t Terminator Judgement Neigh. What’s going on here!” Pipp asks, confused and also somewhat excited. Sunny climbs down from Zipp’s bed and grabs Clockwork’s journal in her hooves.
“This. Is a journal.” Sunny says, showing it to Pipp. “The mare you see with wings and a horn is Princess Luna. She’s a moon deity from a long time ago. She had a foal five millennia ago who was some sort of demigod time traveler, and he wrote a journal telling us how to rebuild Equestria when the magic returned. Want in?” Sunny asks. Luna can’t help but smile at this scene. It makes her happy to see that other ponies will know about her son and the good he did.
Pipp takes a minute to think about this proposition. She sits on Zipp’s bed and contemplates the option of traveling back in time. “So…we’re going back in time, right?” Pipp asks. Sunny and Luna both nod. “Okay…and we’re going to see what, exactly?”
“Actually, I don’t know yet, Pipp. I really don’t know. I need to go open Clockwork’s journal and see what he wrote for the next entry. The past two were about his foalhood and how he got his cutie mark.” Sunny explains.
“A cutie wh-.”
“Nevermind. I’ll explain everything later.” Sunny says. “When we’re done with this. I need you to make a group chat with the five of us. It’ll be much easier to relay this information if we all use our phones.”
Luna doesn’t know what a “phone” is, but she seems confident that Sunny knows what she is doing. Horn alight with magic, Luna gives Sunny the journal. “If you don’t see anything on the page, Pipp, that’s normal. Clockwork encrypted his journal for privacy. It’s some serious stuff.” Sunny explains, opening the tome to the next available entry.
“Sunny Starscout.
Two trips in one day, huh? You’ve got plenty of adventure in you. I like to see that. Now, tell Pipp to leave her phone at home. She won’t need it for today.”
Pipp giggles. “Oh, this stallion’s got a sense of humor now, does he?” She asks rhetorically. Luna pats Pipp on the head affectionately and grins. “Just go with it. He’s got a style.” Sunny and Zipp laugh, and the earth pony continues to read.
Now, tell Pipp to leave her phone at home. She won’t need it for today. We’re actually going back to the point in time you just were, Sunny. Right after I got my cutie mark, the one friend I had, almost a brother, was afraid to spend time with me. He reasoned that if I was able to predict the future about the snake biting him, then I could predict the future about anything, including when he will die. I lost the only friend I ever made at that point. While my mother was never the biggest fan of friendship, even she had a small group of ponies to confide in. I had none.
This made me incredibly vulnerable, and plenty of creatures wanted to take advantage of this. One of these was a centaur by the name of Tirek. Now, I should warn you, Tirek is a very evil creature, who preys on the most vulnerable in Equestria to steal their magic for himself. He wanted nothing more than total dominion over the land. However, as cruel as Tirek was, he wasn’t an idiot.
When he heard that one of the deities of Equestria sired a foal out of wedlock, he thought he could get that pony to join him in rebellion against the princesses since he would have been ostracized by everypony. This is my stint on the Dark Side. Hell, I still have my sympathies for this Tirek fellow. We had some disagreements later on, but today, I am going to show you how I abandoned my principles to feel like I was part of something bigger.
Be back in time,
Clockwork.”
Before the time pony’s journal was to send Pipp and Sunny back in time, Princess Luna put her hoof on it, pausing the magic for a moment. “Sunny, Tirek is a very dangerous creature. Even in this simulation, it could have negative effects on time and space. Clockwork’s magic could potentially leak out into our world. Are you sure you want to do this?”
Pipp didn’t care and put on a pleading face. “I want to see the past. Come on, Miss Luna, it can’t be that bad, right?” Luna clucks her tongue at Pipp in disapproval. “It’s bad. Trust me. This fellow took the magic of four deities for himself and became nigh unstoppable. If Twilight and her friends hadn’t opened that chest, Equestria would have been long gone, and none of you would exist. Choose carefully, Pipp Petals.” Luna warns.
Sunny gives Pipp a look and says “well if we want to restore the Magic of Friendship, we’re going to have to see everything, even the nasty bits. Miss Luna, we’ll do it.” Sunny says, affirming her decision. Princess Luna sighs and removes her hoof from the tome. It lights up with Clockwork’s signature cyan magical hue and painlessly transports Pipp and Sunny back in time. Zipp and Luna remain in the room, and Princess Luna activates the projector spell.
“You like cinema, right?” Luna asks as she sits down on Zipp’s bed, watching these events unfold.
“Eh, why not.” She replies, sitting down next to the lunar deity. The two mares would see some very consequential decisions!
***
Sunny and Pipp spawn in Sire’s Hollow, in front of a nice cottage. This is the house that Clockwork called home during his adolescent years, where he lived with Sunburst. Stellar Flare was comforting Clockwork, who was bawling his eyes out. Remembering the basic rules of time travel engagement, Sunny and Pipp go into a nearby shrub, observing the events unfold from a distance.
“Why is the colt crying?” Pipp whispers to Sunny.
“Because he was sent away from his mother again, and his only friend left him.” Sunny guesses. She shushes the both of them and listens in on the conversation between Stellar and Clockwork.
“...I saved your son’s life, and he told me I’m a freak!” Clockwork cries, hugging the unicorn mare.
“You weren’t there when he told me that Celestia was right, that I really am a mistake.” Clockwork sobs. Stellar Flare was aghast that her son would say such a hurtful thing, especially after Clockwork saved his life.
“Why would he say that? You two have been friends for almost four years. It doesn’t add up.” Stellar asks, wondering what went wrong.
“...because he’s right. I am a bastard. My mom didn’t want to have any foals, and she was raped. I am nothing but a tarnish on her and on the royal family.”
Clockwork sobs and buries his muzzle into Stellar Flare, who can’t do anything but feel pity for her foster son. She really wants to help, but she doesn’t know-how.
“I am going to have a long talk with Sunburst about what he said to you. In the meantime, would you like a popsicle? I’ll magick up the watermelon flavor. It’s your favorite, right?” Clockwork sniffles, and nods. “Yeah, I’d like that. One more thing, Stellar. Do you think my cutie mark was a mistake?”
The very thought of that made Stellar Flare shiver, and she hushed the colt. “No, of course not! Nopony gets a cutie mark they weren’t meant to get. You know that! Even if your talent is something existentially terrifying to most ponies, it’s still what makes you Clockwork. Even if Princess Celestia, who I admire, thinks otherwise.”
Stellar Flare lets go of Clockwork and teleports into her home. Clockwork can hear the mare yelling at Sunburst for being so inconsiderate and unkind, and he sits on the balcony, waiting for his popsicle. It is a hot day, after all. Even after that incident with the snake, Clockwork isn’t sure how he was able to prognosticate the future. It just sort of happened on it’s own.
The hatred and fear in Clockwork’s heart were enough to alert Lord Tirek to his location. A feeble, somewhat old centaur trots up to the cottage and sits down next to Clockwork. There are hints of red and jet black on his body, but it’s very hard to detect. He taps Clockwork on the shoulder, who quickly realizes that somepony…or somecreature came to see him.
“Poor colt…being forgotten and neglected by everyone and everything you held dear,” Tirek says, his voice very feeble, like an older pony’s would be. Clockwork turns around and sees the odd creature. He’s never seen anything like it.
“Who the hell are you? What do you want from me?” Clockwork says, quite irate at being interrupted in his own train of thought.
“I am someone you will need, bastard of Luna.” He says. Clockwork changes his position and looks at Tirek through the eye.
“Who told you that?” Clockwork replies. Tirek laughs and points at Clockwork’s cutie mark. “Nopony else can see the future. It made headlines everywhere. I could use a pony like you for what I’m planning.”
Clockwork is intrigued. What exactly is this creature planning. Sunny and Pipp were both very tempted to intervene, but Sunny held to her principles and stayed behind the bush with Pipp, both of them cowering in fear.
Tirek sits down on the stoop next to Clockwork, trying to put on a more paternal appearance and demeanor.
“Tell me, young one. Have you ever heard the tragedy of Clover the Clever?” Tirek asks Clockwork. The young colt shakes his head. “No, tell me.” The unicorn replies.
“It’s not a story that you’d learn at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. It’s a Legion of Doom legend. Clover the Clever was a gifted magician, so powerful and so wise he could use magic to influence Grogar's Bell to create life. He had such a knowledge of this power that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying. Grogar's Bell is a pathway to many abilities someponies consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful, that the only thing he feared was losing his power. Which, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice Starswirl the Bearded everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself.”
Clockwork took a minute to think about the tale that this centaur just told him. Saving ponies from death? Using his temporal magic to help ponies thrive? Could, could he even become an immortal alicorn like his mother?
Sunny is terrified. Even an Earth Pony like her knows better not to make a deal like this. “Clockwork is only going to hurt those he loves the most, especially Princess Luna. The poor colt is going to be used as a pawn!” Sunny thinks to herself. She’s seriously considering interfering.
Clockwork finally musters up the courage to ask Lord Tirek a question. “Wh…what’s your name?” He asks.
“Tirek, young pony.” The old centaur says. Clockwork asks another question, this one is a bit more audacious. “Is…is it possible to learn this power? The power that Clover the Clever learned how to use? I…I want to prove my worth to everypony.” Clockwork says, a bit scared. This is exactly the reaction that Tirek wanted.
He puts an arm around Clockwork and whispers in his ear: “Not with the Magic of Friendship.” Tirek casts a quick spell, his massive horns emitting a small amount of magic. A tiny bell spawns into existence and slowly flutters down onto the patio where the two creatures are sitting.
“This is Grogar's Bell. It has unlimited amounts of primordial magic, the purest there is. I’ve tried to siphon the power for myself, but the bell won’t give me the power. We have the same goals, you and I. We want to change Equestria for the better. You want to prove that you matter and that your unique talents can help. I want to bring order. We can do this together. Touch the bell. See if it chooses you.”
Clockwork lifts the bell up with his magical grasp and looks at it. The bell is metallic in color, slightly oxidized, probably due to its age. He is very tempted to touch the bell and see what kind of power the bell possesses. He is afraid, but this “Tirek” seems confident in him. Tirek sees the value Clockwork can provide to Equestria.
“Do it, bastard of the moon. Prove that the circumstances of your birth do not matter. Use the gift of life for something monumental!”
Clockwork is angry. He wants to kill King Sombra. Nopony can or will get away with hurting his mother! He hesitantly touches Grogar's Bell with his front hoof and experiences a massive surge in power. He is thrust up into the air, and a massive pulse of magic explodes around him. Clockwork’s mane changes color from black to cosmic blue, and his eyes change color from teal to pure white.
He sees everything. He sees the past, the present, the future, the beginnings, and the ends of time and space. Clockwork is everywhere, and Clockwork is also nowhere. He was expecting to sprout a pair of wings, but sadly that did not occur. He lands on the floor, and the magic subsides. His body ingests a mere fraction of the bell’s magic, and the rest returns to the bell, which promptly teleports away, like a computer glitch editing its own code on the fabric of reality. Lord Tirek lets out an evil grin and wonders what will happen to Clockwork Relativity now. His mane remains cosmic blue, but his eyes return to their teal color.
“So. You have been chosen by the bell, child. How do you feel?” Tirek asks. Clockwork looks at Tirek with admiration.
“If you are planning some sort of coup, spare my mother. She didn’t hurt you. I see your past. You can kill them all, but don’t kill my mother.” Tirek is surprised at the extent of the power his potential protege now possesses. He takes a deep breath, and a small morsel of Clockwork’s magic is siphoned out of him. The once feeble centaur now is more athletic and youthful, but not too powerful.
“A small fee for my service, child. You retain a vast swath of magic. It is yours, a gift from your Lord. Use it wisely.” Tirek says, before teleporting away with a maniacal laugh. Clockwork now has near godlike power in regards to time and space. The problem is, he doesn’t know how to use it.
“...I’m going to kill him. I am going to kill King Sombra. I owe my mother nothing less. Friendship has failed me. I want justice.”
Clockwork was about to go inside, but he spotted Sunny and Pipp. He looks at them for a moment, staring into their eyes, before turning around and going inside. His horn flashes and the two ponies are thrust back to present-day Zephyr Heights.
Luna and Zipp look at these two ponies with sadness. “Sunny, tomorrow you are going to learn why my son made a very careless mistake,” Luna says, hugging her descendant. Pipp wanted to cry. She feels so bad for Clockwork and how he was mistreated.
“Does this story have a happy ending?” Pipp asks everypony in the room. Luna doesn’t answer but points to his tome. “Go back in time and find out.”
All The Time In The World
Chapter 5: The Battle of Brothers
By now, three of Sunny’s friends have had the merit of traveling backward through time in Clockwork’s simulation. Each of them has been able to form their own opinions on Ancient Equestria, and aid their friend Sunny in her goal to reunite all of ponykind. The adventures, while informative and somewhat leisurely, have left a mark on Sunny’s mind. She is distraught that a pony would be treated so poorly by his own family, and left to side with a demonic creature who only thought of himself. It really didn’t sit right with her.
As she lay in bed the night after showing Zipp and Pipp Clockwork’s journal, she reminisced on what could lie ahead. The very ideas she machinated were disturbing to the earth pony mare.
“What crazy antics could Clockwork get up to tomorrow? Is he going to hurt himself, his mother, his only friend? I just don’t see how Clockwork ended up getting to the place where he saved Equestria from beyond the grave. Something’s not right.” Sunny thinks to herself as she looks at the crystal emitting magic from her lighthouse. “Clockwork’s Gem”, she dubbed it upon learning of its origin. There’s definitely something in this equation that she doesn’t have yet, and she is yearning to discover it for herself.
“Sunny…Sunny” A gentle voice says, while she’s in her R.E.M. sleep. The consciousness of Sunny Starscout spawns into a vast spatial plane, and she looks around. The mare is somewhat terrified of where she is. She looks around, and accidentally hits herself in the face with her wings!
“Woah, the wings came back. Awesome!” Sunny says, steadying her center of gravity in this mysterious dream world. Trotting along a literal star-studded path, Sunny wonders where she is. “This doesn’t seem like somewhere in Equestria, both modern or ancient.” She thinks to herself. A quiet clipping sound is heard, which could only be the sound of horseshoes. Another pony is in this weird dream realm! With a hint of hesitation in her voice, Sunny whispers.
“...h-hello?” Sunny asks, slightly afraid of who might be coming. The trotting sounds gets louder and louder until the figure of a mulberry purple alicorn slowly visualizes. It was none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle! She looks much taller and regal than her figurine was, and resembled a literal deity!
“Ah, I knew I could get this dream thing to work. Luna, you taught me well!” Twilight says, snickering to herself. She spots Sunny, and waves. “You must be the pony who did the impossible, right? Hi! ”
Sunny is elated. Her own idol is appearing in front of her? She doesn’t deserve the honors! What could Sunny have done to merit the personal audience of Twilight herself? “Ohmygosh! It’s you, it’s really you! What are you doing here, Your Majesty? Why did I-.”
Twilight trots in front of the partial alicorn and places a purple hoof, laden with a silver shoe over Sunny’s muzzle. “Ssssh. Don’t get overhyped. Also, Twilight is fine.” The alicorn says, removing her hoof and letting Sunny calm down. After a few awkward moments, Sunny finally introduces herself.
“Sorry about that. I’ve always wanted to meet you. My name is Sunny Starscout.” Sunny says, quite happy to finally meet her mentor.
“Oh, don’t worry. I used to be like that when I first met Princess Celestia. It’s totally normal!” Twilight reassures the young mare.
“I have so many questions for you, Miss Twilight. Here’s one. Why did Miss Luna show up on Equestria, but you and Princess Celestia didn’t come home yet?” Sunny inquires, unintentionally making Twilight upset. The Princess of Friendship knew that Sunny would ask this direct, compelling question, but still, the hesitation to reply lingers in her mind.
“It’s complicated, Sunny. Seriously. After Equestria fell, all of the alicorns lost their physical bodies. The very fabric of harmony that kept us alive was no longer viable, so we became entities of pure thought. Same with Princess Luna. She merged with the moon itself. Princess Celestia became one with the sun, and I…well I just became one with Equestria. I always existed, but the magic to keep me here wasn’t there.”
“Wait, you all become ghosts?!” Sunny asks, quite shocked by this seemingly uncanny revelation. Twilight laughs at the very idea. “No, I’m not a ghost. I just told you. I’m an entity of pure intelligence. No physical body. You still have work to do in Equestria before there is enough magic to bring me and Princess Celestia back to our corporeal bodies.” Twilight explains, quite lucid and calm.
“Hold up…so why did Miss Luna show up, then? What was it that reactivated her body, but not yours?” Sunny follows up. Twilight casts a spell and shows a visual diagram of the massive crystal that is perched atop Sunny’s lighthouse.
“Clockwork Relativity,” Sunny says, quickly jogging Twilight’s memory.
“Oh yeah, that guy. Real pain in the neck. Still, Celestia went over the line with how she treated him.” Twilight says, trying to remember more about Clockwork and his adventures.
“Did you know that he wrote a journal that prognosticated the future with 100% accuracy?” Sunny asks Twilight, eager to hear if another alicorn knows about Clockwork’s journal. Twilight nods her head in affirmation. “That idiot always had that book with him, scribbling his predictions down whenever he had an idea. The pony sacred me. He might have been a mortal unicorn, but in a way, he was more powerful than any of us alicorns could ever fathom.” Twilight says, trying to explain her point of view.
Sunny doesn’t buy it. She’s more of an activist pony, and she doesn’t like it when anypony gets mistreated, especially because of how they were born. “Miss Twilight. That doesn’t change the fact that Clockwork never got to experience the Magic of Friendship for himself.” Sunny says, advocating for her ancestor’s behalf. “Why didn’t you intervene and make his life easier? You had the power to do so, alicorn notwithstanding!”
Twilight was aghast, but understanding at Sunny’s rage. She knows where these feelings come from, and doesn’t want to exacerbate the problem. “...You probably didn’t read the rest of the journal, did you?” Twilight says with a hidden smirk.
“No, I didn’t.” Sunny replies sheepishly. Twilight tries to act more maternal, and sits down on her haunches, trying to be more direct and personal with Sunny. “How far along in his life did you get. If you tell me more, it’ll help with my memory. Five thousand years is a long time, even for a pony like me!”
“Well, I just went back in time with Pipp and we saw that Clockwork absorbed some magic from Grogar’s Bell. He made a deal with “Tirek” because the creature claimed he could make Clockwork feel part of something bigger than himself.”
Twilight thinks about what the newly minted “alicorn” had just told her. She spends a good minute or two in pensive thought and then comes up with her response.
“Well, I can’t send you back in time, but I can show you what happened next. He got into a HUGE fight with Sunburst, and almost died. I know about this because my friends and I were fighting Tirek at the exact same time . He took all of the alicorn magic in Equestria and was almost too powerful to defeat! That pony’s mother taught me a thing or two about dreams. Hold still…”
And with that, Twilight Sparkle slowly disappears, and the cosmic scenery changes. What was once a beautiful cosmic mosaic turned into a volcanic, desolate landscape. Clockwork looks a few years older than the last time Sunny saw him. Clockwork looks like he’s in his late teens. He was in full battle armor and was in a confrontational argument with Sunburst. Sunny, in her partial alicorn form, was able to hover over the scene, and act as an impartial observer. This is what she saw:
“I’ve failed you, Clock. I’ve failed you.” Sunburst says, with tears in his eyes. “I tried to show you what Friendship could bring, and you didn’t listen. You listened to that crazy centaur!” He says, trying to hold back his emotions. His glasses are getting foggy with tears.
“I should have known the Elements of Harmony were planning to take over,” Clockwork says cynically, spitting into the ground with disgust. Sunny wonders what could have happened in between the last time travel trip and this dream sequence. “Nopony other than you ever offered me their hoof in Friendship, and my own mother was forced to cast me out. How can I believe in such an ideology?! Bastards like me aren't worth a second thought!”
“Clock, Lord Tirek is evil!” Sunburst pleads, trying to change his foster brother’s mind. All the while a battle is occuring overhead where Tirek is fighting Twilight, now with the power of four alicorns at her disposal.
“Well from my point of view, Friendship is evil!” Clockwork replies, trying not to cry even more. Sunburst takes a deep breath, and his orange horn ignites with magic.
“Well, then, you are lost!” Sunburst says while Clockwork’s own cyan horn lights up with magic. The two ponies immediately begin dueling, fighting over the war zone that surrounded them.
“What are you doing?!” Sunny screams, not able to communicate with either of them. She could only watch in horror as the two former friends duke it out, lobbing spell after spell at each other. Clockwork and Sunburst were in a battle for their lives.
“Hey, no fair!” Sunburst says, casting a healing spell which mends his broken ribs. Sunburst casts a massive solar flare spell, which Clockwork easily douses with an ice pulsar. Jumping from falling rock to falling rock, the two stallions are fighting neck in neck, and nopony seems to be winning over the other.
Meanwhile, Sunny’s attention is quickly brought to the other battle happening across Equestria. Tirek and Twilight both counter each other’s attacks, but the centaur has one trick up his sleeve. All of Twilight’s friends are confined in magical bubble cells, and nothing Twilight Sparkle can do will release them. “It appears we are at an impasse. How about a trade, Princess Twilight? Their release for all the Alicorn magic in Equestria.” Tirek proposes, scaring the living daylights out of the Princess of Friendship.
All of Twilight’s friends shout in protest, begging and crying for her not to do it. This goes on for several minutes. Sunny is very interested in seeing how this battle plays out, but she knows her main priority is following Clockwork’s story. She refocuses on the two stallions fighting for their lives.
“This is the end for you, Sunburst. I wish it were otherwise.” Clockwork says, quickly charging a final spell powerful enough to neutralize Sunburst. Sunburst acts quickly and zaps the rocky floor they are fighting on, splitting it in two. Clockwork is shunted downward, and Sunburst looks at his friend with pity.
“It’s over, Clockwork! I have the high ground!” Sunburst declares. Clockwork scoffs at the thought.
“You underestimate my power, Sunburst.” He says, charging a massive attack.
"D...don't try it!" Sunburst warns, trying to reason with his friend turned adversary. Clockwork didn't listen.
Clockwork’s battle armor is mostly destroyed, and the young stallion’s blood and viscera are sprayed everywhere. Clockwork tries to move his body, but he can’t. He doesn’t have any feeling in his body at all!
“You were the chosen one, Clock! You were supposed to use your time magic to spread Harmony, not destroy it! It was you who was supposed to uphold Harmony, not leave it in darkness!”
Clockwork is an immense physical and emotional pain. “I HATE YOU! You told me three years ago that I was nothing more than a bastard, unworthy of Friendship. Lord Tirek told me I could be something more…”
Sunburst looks at Clockwork one last time. “You were my brother, Clockwork Relativity. I loved you.”
To make Clockwork’s situation even more precarious, the magma surrounding him slowly eats away at the unicorn’s body, burning him severely. Clockwork is screaming and crying for help, but Sunburst trots away, unwilling to provide him with the Friendship he so desperately needed at this time.
“...mommy! I need you!” Clockwork cries as the lava burns away at his body.
Sunny couldn’t help but cry. The poor unicorn was being abused by Tirek, and he wasn’t able to see the value of Friendship. However, in regard to the other battle, the sky begins to clear. Sunny refocuses, and sees Twilight.
“You're wrong, Tirek! I may have given you my Alicorn magic, but I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!” Twilight says, with all of her friends now “rainbow-fied” and powered up.
Sunny always like seeing the good guys win, but why don’t the Mane Six use this Magic of Friendship to help the pony who needs it now, more then ever!
“Help Clockwork, you idiots!” Sunny screams across time and space.
Almost as if like magic, Discord, the eldritch avatar of chaos and entropy, hears the scream. He quickly flies away, much to Twilight Sparkle’s dismay.”
“Where the hay do you think you’re going?!” Princess Twilight asks Discord.
“I am going to help somepony who needs it. Somepony broken and damaged beyond repair.”
Sunny panics. Did she just break spacetime?
“ Oh shit!” Sunny says, promptly waking up in her bed, now a regular earth pony once again.
“What. The. Fuck. Did. I. Just. Do?!”
All The Time In The World
Chapter 5.5: A Discordant Redemption Arc
Clockwork Relativity is in immense pain. His body is charred and maimed beyond recognition. He can’t feel anything in his body, and he is fading in and out of consciousness. He has been immobilized for over a week, starving and parched beyond repair. It looks like the time pony is going to die.
“Ugh…I did what Lord Tirek asked me. I…I told ponies their fates to make them at ease, and I got shunned.” Clockwork reflects, expecting to succumb to mortality within the next few moments. “I just…I just want ponies to know that their fates are predetermined. I don’t…I don’t believe that my Lord would hurt ponies like this.” Clockwork reflects, somewhat remorseful that he became the centaur’s pupil for the past three years.
“I had a good run, didn’t I? Seventeen years and change, and one friend. He…he killed me out of love.” Clockwork cries softly, hoping that Sunburst would come back to redeem him. Each painful second that elapses makes Clockwork realize that he’s not going to be rescued by his brother in hooves. His already cynical mind drifts further into hate and destruction, livid that the Mane Six used the Magic of Friendship to aid themselves, rather than everypony around them.
“They are a bunch of selfish pricks…” Clockwork coughs, praying that his mother will find him and nurse the stallion back to health.
“I wouldn’t go that far. They’re annoying, but they are in the right place, for the most part,” A voice says, apparating into view. The avatar of chaos seems empathetic and looks at the unicorn stallion with both contempt and pity.
“I don’t think we’ve been acquainted yet.” Discord says, literally removing his front lion’s claw to shake hands with Clockwork. He quickly realizes that Clockwork is incapacitated and unable to move his limbs or cast magic with his horn. He reattaches his claw and snaps his fingers. Clockwork’s body slowly reconstructs itself, and he slowly tries to stand up. His body is very shaky, and he still feels pain from the magma, which had subsided before.
“Don’t think I healed you because I like you, Bastard of the Moon. I did it because chaos needs to be challenged by order.” Discord says, somewhat unsure if healing the stallion was one of his better choices. Clockwork is a bit confused by Discord’s statement. Why would Discord refer to him as an avatar of order?
“Hold up. Discord, right?” Clockwork asks, remembering his mother’s history lessons. The draconequus nods.
“What do you mean that chaos needs to be challenged by order?” The cyan unicorn inquires, wondering where Discord is going with this novel idea.
Discord brushes off the solid rock on Clockwork’s body armor, and taps the stallion’s horn, recalibrating it. “What I mean is, my goal is to ensure instability in the universe. Yours is to monitor time and protect the natural order. We cancel each other out. You cannot provide perfect order, and I cannot make the universe my chaotic plaything.”
Clockwork is stunned. Why is Discord messing around? This is something one shouldn’t take lightly. Clockwork almost died!
“I heard a voice, young pony. It reached out from far ahead in the future. You aren’t the only creature who can turn the wheels of time, Clockwork.” Discord explains. Clockwork takes a minute to process this information and still doesn’t totally get where Discord is coming from.
“A voice? From the future?” Clockwork asks.
“Yes. She wanted to save you. Knowing a bit about your fate, young one, I decided to protect the natural order and intervene, even if I personally find your ideals of order and predeterminism to be abhorrent. Besides, your mother would crash the moon into Equestria if you died prematurely. I really wouldn’t want to be held liable for that!” Discord chuckles, finally noticing that Clockwork’s horn is done calibrating. Time to spill the beans!
“I’ll do you one more favor, time pony. You absorbed magic from Grogar’s Bell. I can taste it!” Discord says, licking the air and seemingly tasting the primordial magic around the stallion.
“Yeah, what about it?” Clockwork pesters, wondering what the point of this tangent is.
“You only received the magic pertaining to your unique talents; time and space.” Discord explains, pointing to Clockwork’s flank.
“This means you have magical properties far exceeding a normal unicorn pony. Take a moment to scan all possible futures. You will find your purpose."
“Wait, you know the future?!” Clockwork asks, stunned. Discord doesn’t reply.
“I cannot confirm or deny what I know. All I know is this: Find your foster brother Sunburst. Make amends with him. Friendship might not be Magic for you, but you need somepony to rely on. My views on the matter have evolved, ever since I met one pony named Fluttershy. Also, if Tirek finds you again, you are to refrain from communication. Talk to him, and I will give you a fate worse than death.”
Discord maniacally laughs and flies away. Clockwork is left in complete bafflement, wondering why and how the avatar of chaos decided to save him. Clockwork sits down on the jagged rocks and takes a deep breath.
“Look at alternate futures, he says? Might as well.” Clockwork’s horn lights up, and the unicorn pony sends a massive burst of pure white magic toward the heavens. The unicorn levitates in the air, and his mind is thrust into the domain of the infinite.
He sees everything but is unable to fully process what he sees. He starts with the first future he sees, where Twilight Sparkle dies at the hooves of a corrupt version of Princess Celestia, named “Daybreaker”. He names this “future #1.” The second future he sees is one where his mother makes a temporary truce with the griffon nation, and maintains a century of harmony; only for the griffons to attack in the one hundred and first year. This is “future #2”.
For a literal eternity, Clockwork curates each and every future he sees, up to and including the infinite. The only aspect of the future the time pony cannot see is anything pertaining to his own. Even with this caveat, a near-infinite sea of time and potential lay in front of him. Thanks to the laws of relativity, the eternity Clockwork spent curating futures, without food, water, or sleep, appeared to be a mere moment of real time.
The massive pillar of white magic dissipates, and Clockwork slowly floats down back towards the volcanic surface. His eyes return to their hazel color, and he takes a deep breath. There is a lot of stuff on his mind, most of it macabre. Out of the literally infinite outcomes he saw, every single one resulted in the complete collapse of Equestria!
“Oh…fuck…” Clockwork whispers in abject horror. Each and every outcome had Friendship failing. While at face value, this seemed to be harmless for Clockwork, the ripple effects of no Friendship led to abject poverty, baseless hatred, and needless destruction, death, and suffering.
“That…that dolt was right. We do need Friendship! But still, it doesn’t matter, it will fail! How do I ensure that my mother and aunt won’t rule over a kingdom of bones!” Clockwork panics. Thanks to his eidetic memory, Clockwork combs through his thoughts and tries to remember one possible future where Friendship survives.
There is one. Exactly ONE future where Friendship survives, but only after five millennia of absence.
“Show me that future, darn time magic!” Clockwork shouts, casting a spell to review that one future. He is thrust back into his inner thoughts, and witnesses five ponies: Sunny Starscout, Hitch Trailblazer, Zipp Storm, Pipp Petals, and Izzy Moonbow reunite ponykind and restore Friendship.
It is at this moment that Clockwork develops resolve. He finally knows why he was given the solemn gift of monitoring time. He has to make sure that the lessons of the present are remembered for the future. No greater honor can be bestowed.
“I…I can fix this. I can give ponies in the future something I will never be able to get for myself. I have to make sure I don’t blow this possible outcome. No more telling people about their future. I have to make sure they HAVE a future! I can…I can even get vengeance for Mom, and still, do something good. I’ve got one shot to make this work. I need to find Sunburst…. , I need to find Twilight Fucking Sparkle!”
Clockwork removes all of his battle armor from his days of serving Lord Tirek, and gallops off toward Sire’s Hollow like his life depends on it. Clockwork Relativity is determined to make sure that his goal in life is to make this one future THE future of Equestria. Can he do it?
