Of Magic and Clockwork

Chapters

Prologue: Scientia the Sorceress
Chapter 1: The Rising Tempest
Chapter 2: The Ebb of the Tide
Chapter 3: Without a Paddle
Chapter 4: The Skies the Limit
Chapter 5: Midnight Masquerade
Chapter 6: Up the Creek

Prologue: Scientia the Sorceress

Prologue: Scientia the Sorceress
(pronounced SKI-en-tee-ahh)
Deep in the libraries of House Scientia, a young colt removes a large and very old book from the shelves, his horn glowing a dull emerald colour as he moves to book over to the nearest desk. The book was covered in cobwebs and dust from decades of neglect, and it was locked with one of the families old clockwork locks. But that wouldn't deter him, he knew a great deal about those locks as they were designed by the mare he wanted to learn more about. Scientia the Sorceress, though commonly referred to by the rest of the magic community as Scientia the Mad or Scientia the Witch. The colt only wished to know the truth behind these slanderous titles, and this book was going to show him just that.

With a couple of picks, that he took from his brothers clockwork set, the colt easily managed to open the lock on the book and open it. He felt a rush of energy escape the book and flood over him, as if thanking him or greeting him in a way. His emerald eyes quickly began to look though the pages of the book, it was a documentation of every great wizard and sorceress within his House. He was getting vexed however, as the House members seemed to be in no particular order and there was quite a time difference between many of the documents. It took him a few hours of reading to finally find the pages he was longing to find, the sorceress Scientia. It was starting to get dark when he began reading, so he lit some candles to aid him. If it wasn't for the candles, he would be almost impossible to find in the dark. His coat was of such a dark blue colour that many believed it was black, but as he grew older his coat gradually brightened but mostly around his hooves which were only slightly more blue than the rest of his body. His mane feel before his eyes, but he almost didn't notice the cyan colour until he started to get a headache. He brushed his mane aside with his hoof and continued to read, ignoring all stimuli around him including his own hunger.

The article he read began with the birth of Scientia:
Scientia was born to two noble members of the Unicorn tribe and the Pegasus tribe. Her mother was a Unicorn of middle standing but was still very well respected, and her father was a member of the Pegasus General's Elite Guard. Little was known of how the two met as they both passed away when Scientia was still quite young, but we do know they were both very talented and those talents seemed to have been passed to their daughter.

Scientia had a grasp of magic that few had at her age and it helped her well without her parents around to guide her, she was also unimaginably intelligent for a filly. By the time she had gained her cutie mark, Scientia was already a prominent figure in the magic community. Though that didn't help in some cases as her age seemed to be keep several of the more influential wizards at bay. This was especially troublesome as the materials she used for her magic and later experiments could only be acquired through these wizards, that is until she gained her own ties to those wizards merchants.

Now Scientia was also a very impulsive 'sorceress', this term is used loosely as she is still too young at this point in her life to be called a true sorceress, that she was often placed on probation by the newly formed Magic Guild for the combination of magic and science. Science was a fledgling theory that was highly frowned upon by all wizards and sorceresses alike for being impractical and far too dangerous. But in the eyes of the young Scientia, science opened up so many new horizons that could never be reached with magic alone. So it was from this point on that Scientia left the Magic Guild and began her own experiments, utilizing both magic and the new theories that came from science and technology, and which would eventually bring about her own downfall.

The colt soon fell asleep afterwards, face down in the book, with a large smile on his face. His dreams filled with wild fancy and ideas of his ancestors adventures, as well as her experiments. Little did he realize that he was going to be to one to fulfill her final wish and experiment.

Chapter 1: The Rising Tempest

"...ig.t... M.d.ig.t... Midnight!!"

The shouting was enough to shake the young colt from his slumber, as well as leave him on the floor in a sudden daze.

"Midnight! What in the name of Scientia are you doing here?" The annoyed colt looked down at his dazed brother and just shook his head. "Don't tell me you were here all night, reading?" He looked over at the book and became even more annoyed than before. "Oh no... no no... you weren't actually reading that, where you? Please tell me you weren't!"

Midnight lifted himself off the ground and shook himself awake, as his brother grew more and more flustered. "Of course I was reading it, brother... We all know the stories behind our Matriarch, but they all sound so padded and flamboyant. I want to know the truth about her, I want to know her greatness and her mistakes. I also want to know why WE, our family, our house, are now nothing more than over-glorified clock-makers." His demeanor was very calm, cool, unlike his elder brother.

"Midnight... damn it... you know what father will do when he finds out. You'll be lucky if you aren't exiled from the House for this, we were explicitly told to NEVER read from this book. Yet, out of your own impulsive curiosity you went and read from it anyway."

"You worry far too much, Sun-rock. Father doesn't need to know about it, unless you want me to be exiled. It has taken me weeks to just find this book, it was obviously hidden from us and I intend to discover what has been hidden from us." Midnight quickly used his magic to close the book and immediately made his way towards the library doors. "I know that when you were younger, brother, you also had a curiosity about Scientia," he stopped for a moment and looked back at his brother, "so come with me and let us find out together. We almost never spend any time together since you began apprenticing with father." Midnight then turned and continued to leave the library.

Sun-rock stood in the library for a couple minutes, mulling over his brothers words and it only made him more aggravated. 'Curse you, Midnight... you'll live up to your namesake at this pace.' He quickly left the library, but did not choose to follow his brother.

'So, you've lost your taste for adventure. That is a shame brother, but you were always the one that had to make father proud.' Midnight knew that if he stayed in the manor, he would be discovered with the book. His brother was right in the fact that Midnight was a very impulsive youth, and within a matter of minutes he had tore every page that had any relevance to Scientia from the book. His next move would be considered the only sensible thing, after removing the pages Midnight returned to the library and placed the book back where he had found it, and with the lock repaired as well.

The day was quick to pass, as Midnight went about the manor grounds. Although he wanted to read the pages he had stored away, he had to still make it seem as though nothing was amiss. He went to his classes, The proper use of Magic and its Practical Applications, Family History throughout the ages, and Advanced Clockwork skills and Applications.

"You did very well today, Midnight. You seemed to be far more focused than usual, I am sure your father will be pleased to hear of this. You may go now, we will not have classes again until next week, but I expect you to continue your studies. Have a pleasant day, Young Master." Midnights professor then gathered his belongings and left the study, leaving the 'Young Master' alone.

'Finally, I will have the whole of the weekend to study the pages on Matriarch Scientia.' With great enthusiasm, Midnight collected his study notes and left for his quarters. Unlike the rest of his family, Midnight enjoyed the great heights of the manors older towers and could often be found up there daydreaming. But this time, he would not be found in or even near the manor for he had packed prior to beginning his classes for a trip into the mountains behind the manor. These mountains were some of the tallest in all of Equestria and on the clearest of nights, one could see for hundreds of miles.

The climb to the summit was treacherous and an endeavor that Midnight did not wish to undertake that night, so he chose to only climb to a spot that he and his brother used to climb many years earlier. An uninhabited cave, with excellent protection from the elements and a large drop-off about 50 feet from the entrance. It was something the two colts found when they were playing around with their magic, with Midnight suddenly vanishing and reappearing within the cave. The teleporting spell is a very difficult spell to use over great distances, and even more difficult for a filly or colt to attempt. It can also drain a pony of all there energy the great the distance traveled.

It took only a couple of hours to make his way up to the cave, using his teleporting spell to traverse the more impassible parts of the mountain. It was almost the witching hour when Midnight finally arrived at the cave, and what a wonderful time it was to be there. The sky was clear and the stars seemed as bright as the sun and even though the moon was only 3/4 full, the glow given off lit up all he could see. 'Wonderful, truly wonderful. A shame that Sun-rock couldn't share in this sight, but he has his responsibilities. I, however, do not have to share those responsibilities with him. Hmm? His thought was stopped for a moment, for in the distance he could see something truly rare. Canterlot, royal palace to Princess Celestia herself. He only remembers seeing Canterlot once before, the day he found the cave. With a large smile and a renewed energy Midnight unpacked the pages, and his supplies, and started reading once more.

He found more articles describing Scientia's 'adventures' and experiments, into a now forbidden practice.
Sorceress Scientia resigned from her place within the Magic Guild, after only being a member for a mere 5 years. Many found this to be acceptable, as these were the wizards, warlocks, and sorceress that disagreed with everything that the young Scientia was doing, yet it never stopped her from acquiring the materials needed for her experiments. Her ties with the Magic Guild were not cut with her resignation, and she was now able to pursue her passion without the bureaucracy and red-tape the Guild forced on every member.

Her experiments focused primarily on the theory that magic and the technology, brought about by science, could be merged to create something that would benefit all of pony-kind. A truly noble endeavor, but not without its flaws. Those flaws would become most apparent in the later years of Scientia's life, but at that time she would focus mostly on small scale improvements. Among these improvements were her 'Clock-work devices'. Machines that could perform menial tasks for what seemed indefinitely. Clocks were a common device for her to practice with, as they were small and very simple for her to manipulate with her magic.

Scientia had spent about 10 years perfecting her technique, when she finally decided it was time to take it to the next level. Large more complex devices, magic infused 'motors' that would propel an object forward. It was at this time that she began to have her first big failures, because of the size of the 'motor' it had to be merged with great amounts of magic and this led to problems. For instance, there was nothing to regulate the magic within the motor, so it would burst forth with a rush of power and then become empty and worthless. But the most dangerous of her failures as the 'motor' gathering more magic than it was originally infused with. Scientia discovered through 20 different trails, that almost half were pulling in more energy than they were made to hold. It was the last of those trails that injured her, and quite possible changed her life forever.

Midnight finished the article to see that it was already dawn, he had spent the whole of the night reading and was now granted a chance of viewing one of the greatest magic spells ever. The rising of the sun. He focused on Canterlot, which he could still see, and marveled at the glory the sun brought. It's light spilling across the land, bringing it's warmth and the promise of better days. When it was done, he returned to the pages and started thinking. Something he didn't seem to do very well at all. 'So, Scientia was injured by one of her trails. Something holding too much magic, how could that be considered dangerous?' He had packed some clocks and clock parts with his supplies, as he was going to study as his professor instructed, and quickly got one of the clocks running.

'Alright, so she infused the object with her magic...' Midnight looked over the notes he had made as he read. It seemed simple enough, just envelope the object in magic energy the focus that energy into the object. 'I can do this, I am the 13th grandson of Scientia the Sorceress. I was born to do this.' The clock lifted into the air, surrounded in an emerald cloud of magic energy. It took a few minutes, but Midnight could see the magic flowing into the clock and the clock ticking away merrily. "YES! YES! I DID IT!" He bounced around gleefully. "Now if it was so simple to do, why would it been seen as dangerous and forbidden? I just don't understand..." His glee soon shifted to surprise as the clock continued to suck up magical energy, and although Midnight stopped using his own magic the clock was still gather energy from its surroundings. But it was already obvious that it couldn't hold much more, it was only a small clock and if the energy couldn't leave like it was originally meant to, it would have to leave by another means.

He made the choice to toss the clock from the cliff, but it was too late. As Midnight threw the clock, the clock exploded in a beautiful green and black cloud. Pieces of the clock went everywhere which, unfortunately for Midnight, was also the last thing he saw that day. He was struck by a large cog, and blacked out. His next waking moment, would also be the worst day of his life.

Chapter 2: The Ebb of the Tide

Midnight awoke within the dimly lit room, his head throbbing and his sight blurry. "He... hello? Where... am I? Why does my head hurt so?" Yet he received no answer. He rocked his head back and forth on the pillow, in the hopes that it might alleviate the pain he was feeling. He quickly feel asleep to only be awoke once more, though it was not a face he was hoping to see so soon. "F... father..."

"Father? Is that all you can say to me? By the Princess, I should have you thrown out of our house for your recklessness..."

The words cut deep, and wounded Midnight's pride. "Father... I am sorry, I... I only wished to know the truth of our family."

"The truth? Was it worth it, son? Was the price high enough to satisfy your curious nature?" The look that was in his father's eyes were not just of anger, but mostly of worry. "If you had been anywhere else, besides that mountain, you would have surely perished." The fear could be heard in every word. "The doctor's assure me that you will recover, but... you will never be whole again. If your mother could see you know, it would have broken her tender heart. She coddled your curiosity, wanted it to blossom."

The mention of his mother was never a good subject for Midnight. "Don't bring mother into this. She wanted me to be like this, she loved the way I always asked questions. She wanted me to be just like Scientia..."

"Scientia was as mad as she was foolish! If I didn't love your mother so much, I..." He was cut off quickly by another pony entering the room.

"Father, now is not the time for such things. Midnight has only just awoke, we should let him rest for a short time." Sun-rock looked over at his bedridden brother, the shame on his face was obvious. "But I do have some things to tell him, I'll be out in a few minutes.

When their father had finally left, Midnight was quick to ask. "What did father mean by, never be whole again? What happened to me after the explosion?" He was afraid, and there was no way to cover it up.

Sun-rock turned to the window with a sullen expression. "You mean to tell me, that you haven't noticed since you woke? Your head must still be pounding, but how could you not notice..."

"Don't beat around the bush, brother. What is the problem with...!" Sun-rock quickly silenced his brother with a small mirror, and a feeling of despair quickly swept over Midnight. "My... my eye... what... where is it? Where is my eye! What happened to my eye!"

It was difficult to hold Midnight still, although Sun-rock was the elder brother he was always smaller than Midnight. "Brother! Please calm down! This won't help you at all. You lost your eye in the explosion. Part of the clock you used was lodged in the socket, there was nothing they could do but remove your eye completely."

"When... when do I get to return home... I already tire of this place." Midnight could only frown at the room around him. So white and sterile, he wished to return to the comforts of his family's manor.

"That there, would be the problem then. Father is considering banishment for what you have done. A formal hearing is to be had when you have recuperated to decide what shall be done with you. I'm sorry brother, I won't be able to help you this time." Sun-rock slowly opened the door, but before leaving he said one last thing. "I'm glad that you are alive, brother. I just wish it had never come to this." The door then shut and Midnight was left with nothing but silence, and his own thoughts.

~~~~

3 days later, Midnight was released from the hospital. Today was the day that the eldest members of his family would judge him, to determine if he would still be a fitting member of the family or nothing but a burden. The hearing began in the early morning, with arguments flying to and fro. Some members believe he should be given another chance, others believe he has had to many chances. Midnight was never given a chance to speak for himself until the hearing was nearing its end. Dusk was approaching and Midnight had watched and listened to everypony there discuss his future.

It was tradition to hold the hearing in the main lobby of the manor, under a large portrait of Matriarch Scientia. It did take time for the hearing to start, however, as many family members were uneasy with Midnight's disfigurement. That problem was solved with a simple eye patch. This actually made Midnight feel more at ease than the others, he could at least pretend that he was just covering his left eye and not missing it entirely.

Not once was Midnight ever asked to explain his actions, for everypony there knew what he would say. As the final decision was being weighed, his attention was drawn to the portrait of his ancestor. Beautifully painted, and masterfully framed, it was the last known likeness of Scientia before her 'fall into madness'. Her mane and tail almost matched his perfectly, as did her coat. It was something that he always considered to be just a coincidence, but the portrait also depicted her with an eye patch. 'She was injured, just like I was... that must have been what the article was telling me.' A small grin crept across his lips at the idea that she had made the same mistake as he did. He turned his head to the right and looked into the small mirror that was in the bookcase there. It was then that he noticed it, his cutie mark had finally appeared. 'How long have I had that, did it just now appear? A magic wand overlapping a metal cog. It looks so familiar.' He looked back up at the portrait, and that was when it jumped out at him.

"Midnight of House Scientia," His father's voice echoed through the halls, all other members were as silent as the night. "we, the eldest family members of House Scientia have come to a decision. All options have been thoroughly examined and re-examined. We have come up with two options for you to chose from, you will be forgiven your trespasses by all here if you denounce your curiosity with Matriarch Scientia. Or, you may leave this family, be striped of your title and never be allowed to return."

These choices were in no way meant to be fair, but Midnight didn't expect this to be fair at all. "Where are the pages that I took from the book? And the notes that I made from them?"

"You mean these?" Everything that Midnight was reading and writing was now hovering before his father. "They were recovered, intact, after your accident. Though I would not have been sad to see these pages destroyed, it would make your choice far more simple."

"I see. So that is how the family feels about this. Better to bury everything in the past and hope that time will leave it forgotten?" With a bright green flash, the pages were no longer before his father but now before Midnight. Another green flash and he was now carrying saddlebags. "If this is how you deal with things, then I want nothing to do with this family. I renounced my title, and this family. You are all cowards, afraid of what every other pony thinks of you. And unlike you, I realize that time will not hide the past. I will continue the work that Scientia began, and I will bring glory and honor back to this family. Even if it means my death." One last flash of green and Midnight was gone, in his place a small piece of paper with a short note written on it. A saying once thought to have been spoken by Scientia herself.

"History can, and mostly likely will repeat itself. Like the face of a clock, everything, including time, will come full circle."
Signed, Midnight Tempest of House Scientia.

Chapter 3: Without a Paddle

Midnight's sleep was once again restless and in vain. Since the day he ran from his home, he hasn't managed a full night's sleep. However, it does help him stay out of reach of his family, a family that once cared and nurtured him but now treats him like a criminal. He has been hunted for 4 years, since that day, and it has only made him more determined. His studies into the experiments of Scientia have developed into a true passion, he has been duplicating her experiments and spells, improving them with more modern technologies. It wouldn't be long before he would be able to show off one of his greatest achievements.

The tavern in which he stayed was located near the northern most edge of the Ever-free Forest. A dark and foreboding place that few ponies dared to tread, but it made an excellent opportunity for Midnight. The tavern owner was surprised to see his most recent guest awake so early. "G' mornin', stranger. I hope the bed was to your liking."

"It was most adequate, thank you. Is it too early for a meal?" Midnight sat at the bar in front of the tavern owner, with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Not at all, stranger, but perhaps you would be more comfortable if you removed that cloak of yours. Looks mighty heavy." The owner placed a stein before Midnight and filled it was an odd smelling brew. "Care to try the new stock? Had it custom brewed for special occasions and I'd like to know how other ponies might respond to it." The owner then went into the kitchen, leaving Midnight with the sweet smelling liquid before him.

"It's fine, the cloak is actually very light." He didn't hesitate to take a sip from the stein and was pleasantly surprised. It was a very sweet tasting mead, he could still taste the fermented oats but it was slowly being overpowered by a berry flavor. "This is a very delicious drink, but it doesn't seem to fit in with the other drinks you serve here. It's more of a wine than a kind of mead." The owner returned with Midnight's meal with a satisfied smile on his face.

"That would be the point, stranger. This town is growing almost every month, with more and more ponies moving here from the north and east. With the mines to the west, this town is going through a boom and many families have been showing up." The owner topped off the stein as Midnight started on his meal. "I reckon in a couple years, our humble little town will grow quite large and I'm preparing myself for the new patrons that will be gracing these walls."

As he finished his meal, Midnight nodded in consent. "I pray for your success, and thank you, the meal was delicious." He placed a few extra coins on the counter and readied himself to leave but, as if on cue, the tavern doors swung open and Midnight felt a chill run down his back. Three ponies entered the tavern, two of them were bodyguards clad in light armor while the third was dressed more heavily. Midnight turned his head just enough to get a look at them and a mix of emotions flowed through him, the heavily armored pony was none other than his own brother. "Sun-rock... you finally found me." Midnight was now facing the three ponies, his stance was casual as if he didn't expect a fight.

"You have nowhere to run now, Midnight. You will return home with me now, and face your punishment." Sun-rock signaled the pony bodyguards to apprehend Midnight, but it didn't end well as they were tossed out the windows because of Midnight's magic.

"After chasing me down for the last 4 years, when you manage to find me there is only three of you. You should have realized that those two didn't stand a chance, brother, they are only earth ponies after all." Midnight's stance became more aggressive while keeping his distance from Sun-rock.

"Of course I knew, I just wanted you to remove them from the picture. No need for any interferences." A ball of magic energy appeared before Sun-rock and was violently propelled towards Midnight, but was stopped by a very impressive barrier. "Impressive, brother. You were always very talented with magic, but can it withstand this..." Another ball appeared before him, and began to grow rapidly.

"Stop this madness, Sun-rock! If you release that here you will be killing innocent ponies!" Midnight's horn began to glow it's distinctive emerald color, but there was no ball of energy before him.

"Then their deaths will be on your head! You never should have defied the will of the family!" Suddenly, he was struck by a chair, then another and another. The magic that he had gathered began to fade away as his concentration faltered. "Damn you, Midnight. Fight me head on, not like a coward."

"You're right, brother. I am a coward, I have been running for 4 years but this is not an act of cowardice. You are willing to sacrifice others to just bring me home, that is the act of a true coward." When the ball of magic was nearly gone, Midnight propelled a large table at his brother and quickly followed behind it.

Sun-rock had no choice but to release the attack before being struck by the table. The table was easily destroyed and it caught Midnight off-guard as the attack grazed his face. The remains of the table knocked Sun-rock down long enough for Midnight to escape the tavern.

Bringing his hoof to his face, Midnight could tell there was no permanent damage done by his brothers attack. Without hesitation he galloped to the edge of the Ever-free Forest and waited. His brother had to see what he has accomplished. 'Just a little longer, the sun will rise in a few minutes and he will see my work.'

Sun-rock kicked the debris off and stumbled out of the tavern. He could see his brother just standing at the edge of the forest, waiting for him. "You cocky little..." He quickly pushed himself into a full gallop, he wanted to take his brother down so badly that he didn't realize the barrier was there until he smashed into it. The barrier then shifted shape to hold him down. "Curse you. Midnight! You are a blight upon our family name!"

Midnight shook his head and sighed heavily, turning to face his brother. "You forget, I am no longer of your family, Sun-rock. I renounced my title before the elders at the hearing. What you are doing now is nothing but petty revenge for making a fool of father." He looked up at the sky, seeing it brighten with the light of the sunrise. "Ah, it is time." The water tower of the town was the first to be lit up by the sun's rays, only to reflect that light in the direction of the forest and Midnight.

Pure shock covered Sun-rock's face. He had never seen such a thing in his life, and never thought it possible. "What... what have you done?"

Midnight smiled and pointed at his 'new' left eye. "A clockwork eye, designed by Scientia herself. A shame she never managed to make it, but she didn't have the materials needed to regulate the magic energy within it. I improved it and tested it for 4 years, and I never have to worry about it exploding either." He walked over to Sun-rock and removed a piece of paper from his saddlebags. "Show this to father, it explains how I've managed this little 'miracle'. Oh and one more thing, brother, this is just the beginning of these technological marvels. I am on the precipice of discovering my Magnum Opus, I will make something that will rival that of Scientia's designs. Goodbye, I suggest you don't follow me anymore." He turned away from his brother and vanished into the forest.

Sun-rock struggled within the barrier but couldn't do anything, his brother's magic was far more advanced than his. He looked down at the page left by Midnight. The page described the device that Midnight made to control the flow of magical energies within any object of any size. It worked like a funnel, but only a one way funnel. Excess magical energy would bleed out through the device while still maintaining a balance within the object itself. "Brother... when did you become so knowledgeable..." The barrier faded, finally releasing Sun-rock. He did as his brother asked, and returned home with the notes. But he knew that there father would not be so enthusiastic about this discovery.

Midnight would not be seen again for almost 15 years after these events.

Chapter 4: The Skies the Limit

In the following years that followed, after Midnight's final sighting, there were several reports of sudden explosions and fires within the Ever-free forest. Excursions would be mounted to discover the source of these explosions, several from the members of House Scientia, but no evidence was brought back from the sites. Each site was thoroughly destroyed, all materials either gone in the explosion or taken by the one that caused them. Sun-rock knew it was his brother, but had no means of tracking him. The forest was very large, with valleys and mountains that have never been charted. It was the ideal place to hide, and for a time Sun-rock believed he was going to catch his brother.

The first few explosions were relatively close to the edge of the forest, as well as some small towns. Unfortunately for Sun-rock, the pattern of the explosions changed shortly after he had discovered the first pattern. Afterwards, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. The explosions were now very random, some in the south, several in the north, and some that seemed to happen at the exact same time but at opposite ends of the forest. It was decided at this point that Midnight had left Equestria, leaving devices in the forest to distract from his escape and to reinforce the belief that he was still in there. But Sun-rock knew his brother, knew that this reaction was what he was expecting. While all other search parties left for the lands beyond Equestria, Sun-rock remained to scour the forest with hopes of finding even the smallest evidence that Midnight was still there.

In the deepest reaches of the forest, Midnight stood silently in his final laboratory with a sense of pride and satisfaction. The final adjustments have been made and the objects magic bleeders properly attuned to all forms of magic. It was for that reason he took such a long time in perfecting his final device, there was a magic so powerful in the forest that Midnight could not adjust the bleeders appropriately. Each attempt ended in a catastrophic explosion, which he began to use as cover for his escape to another lab. His travels through the forest had brought him rather close to an ancient ruin, it seemed to have been abandoned almost 1000 years prior and was adorned with the symbol of the Royal Princesses. 'Amazing, this site was to have been lost entirely. Historians could only surmise that its location was in the forest, but to find it.' He set up his final lab only a few miles from the ruin, and quickly discovered that there was a massive magical source in the area. He spent months searching the surrounding forest and the ruins themselves, but could not find the source and this infuriated him. His smaller devices could not withstand the amount of magical power that was in the area, even their magic bleeders couldn't regulate. The only device that was unaffected by the overwhelming amounts of magic, was his clockwork eye. The only logical reason behind this had to be because it was using his body as an extra magic bleeder, or perhaps a magic repository. Every year that Midnight remained in the forest, the stronger his magic had become but he also noticed that he had become more wise to the dangers that his experiments possessed.

It was now the 1000th year of the Summer Sun Celebration, for a full millennium Equestria has been justly ruled by Princess Celestia. Midnight knew of the 'prophecy' that came true that day, the return of Nightmare Moon. He did nothing but watch the events unfold, the trials that Nightmare Moon placed before these six young ponies. He was impressed with how they managed to overcome all the dangers thrown at them, but was a little surprised when one of the ponies burst into song. The surprises just kept coming when he realized that their destination was the ruins he had discovered only a few months prior, and those surprises culminated with the sudden appearance of the legendary Elements of Harmony.

Suddenly, inspiration struck like a bolt from the sky. Midnight hurried to his lab and gathered all the devices he could, when he returned to the ruin it was once again empty. Except for a fragments of Nightmare Moon's armor. This was the break he had been searching for. He spent days studying and experimenting on each fragment, discovering the magical wavelength that was wrecking havoc on his devices. It was almost a year and a half after the Elements had been rediscovered that his final clockwork miracle was finally complete. 'At last... nearly 20 years of excruciating labor, of failed experiments. 20 years of blood and sweat, my Magnum Opus... our Magnum Opus... Matriarch Scientia, I have finished your life's work. Now all will see that you were not as mad as they believed, and neither am I.'

Midnight's lab went up like a meteor had crashed in the forest, the explosion was the largest and most noticeable to date. The magic that was released could be felt across half of Equestria, something that Midnight had counted on. What he didn't count on was getting the attention of not just his brother, Sun-rock, but also the inhabitants of the town of Ponyville and of Princesses, Celestia and Luna. His pride in his work had blinded him to the dangers of what he now possessed, something that could change the face of Equestria forever.

Chapter 5: Midnight Masquerade

It was only a matter of hours before any pony arrived at the scene of the explosion, though it was unexpected to see the royal guards there. More surprising was that the group was being lead by the Princesses themselves. A most interesting development, but very unexpected. 'This was not foreseen. I never expected that the rulers of Equestria would take an interest in my work. But this may be fortuitous, I have the chance to show them the fruits of my labor and they may repeal that forsaken ancient law.' Before Midnight could even set foot before the Princesses, they left and he was unable to follow them through the heavy overgrowth of the forest. 'They must have returned to Canterlot, and that means I must go there as well. Unfortunately, I don't want to just appear out of nowhere. I need to find transport to the city.'

His only chance of finding transport to Canterlot in any form of expedience, is to go to the closest town. Ponyville. He had never once set hoof in the town, but has watched it from a distance. Just from observations, it seemed like a normal quiet town. So he left the forest, some distance north so not to bring much attention to himself. Entering the town from the forest would be a dead giveaway. It was evening when Midnight finally arrived at the edge of Ponyville. 'This may be more difficult than I anticipated, how am I going to find somepony here that has been to Canter-' "LOT!" Midnight was bowled over by the sudden appearance of a very energetic pink pony.

"Hi, how you doing? Sorry about knocking you down, but I wanted to get your attention and nothing gets a ponies attention like a good tackle. You must be new in town and that means you don't know anyone here, which is sad but you won't have to be sad cause you know me now! I'm Pinkie Pie and to celebrate us becoming friends, I'm going to throw you a party and I'm going to invite everypony in town and your going to have lots of friends. Oh boy this is going to be great!"

"Whoa, wait a moment. Hold up." He picked himself off the ground and brushed himself off. "It's nice to meet you, Pinkie Pie, but I'm very busy at the moment. It's also getting late so a party... might not be a very good idea right now."

"Yeah, your right. We can have the party tomorrow, you won't be busy then and there will be tons of time to play games and eat cake and make friends. Cause that's what a party is about having fun and making friends, lots of friends. Oh yeah, why did you say LOT when I knocked you over? You looking for something? Like a lot of something? Maybe cakes, or shoes. No, hats! Nah, your not even wearing a hat. Books, yeah books! You look like you like books, and lots of em too! Books from all over, even Canterlot!"

"What? Canterlot, you say? Is there a place in town that deals with Canterlot often?" Midnight was now intrigued, he didn't actually expect to find any connection between this town and Canterlot.

"Well, not really. Once in a while the Princesses come down and we have this great big party that lasts all day, with music and games and cake and dancing, its awesome when they come here. But mostly me and my friends send letters to the Princesses, but only when we learn a lesson in friendship. That was how I first met Princess Celestia, when she sent Twilight here! It was the best day ever, I saw her on the street and she said 'Hi' and I went 'GASP!' and I had to hold a party for her cause MM-MPH!"

Midnight had his hoof over Pinkie's mouth, her constant talking was giving him a headache. "So this friend of yours, Twilight, would it be possible for me to meet her? I'm actually quite interested in getting to Canterlot." Pinkie nodded and pointed at a tree in the middle of town. "There? She lives over there?"

"Mm, mph mmphs mmhn..." Midnight took his hoof away from Pinkie's mouth, as it was now very wet from her trying to speak. "No, silly. She lives in the tree, its the town library and she's always studying or reading something in there. It's also where she sends the Princess most of her letters. Now I'm going to go and start on the party decorations, this is going to be so much fun we're gonna have cake and punch and pin the tail on the pony and..." Pinkie blissfully bounced away from Midnight, planning his apparent welcoming party.

"What a strange pony. How can she have so much energy in such a small body." He brushed the last of the dust of his coat and cloak, and cleaned of his hoof in a nearby stream, then made his way to the Ponyville library. When he arrived he was happy to see the lights on inside. "Excellent, she's home." He walked up to the door and knocked.

There was a sudden 'eep!' from inside, followed by some shuffling of papers. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Um, perhaps you can. I am looking for a Miss Twilight, would she be in by any chance?"

"Yes, I'm Twilight. What can I do for you?"

'She sounds nervous, I must interrupted her studying.' "I'm sorry for disturbing you so late, could I come in? There are some questions I need to ask, that only you may be able to answer."

It was silent for a moment. "Yes, you can come in. The door is unlocked."

Midnight smiled and opened the door. "Thank you, again I am sorry for disturbing you..." He closed the door and turned to face his hostess. "But there are some questions I would like... you to answer... about... Canterlot..." His smile was gone and was replaced with a look of worry. He knew from Pinkie that Twilight had ties to Canterlot and the Princesses, but he never expected to see the Princesses in her home. "By Scientia..."

"Guards, seize him immediately!" The order was carried out almost as quickly as it was given, with Midnight being dragged to the ground by several royal guards. He never even managed to get a spell off before being knocked unconscious.

"Oh my goodness! Was that really necessary, Princess?" Twilight was just as surprised as Midnight was at the order.

"Have faith in me, Twilight. I believe this stallion to be dangerous, and he will be treated as such. Guards, return to Canterlot with him and place him in the dungeon. I also want all his possessions to be removed from him and placed under protective care, they may be dangerous."

"As you wish, your Highness, but what of his eye patch. There is clear signs that it covers a very aggressive wound."

"Let him keep it then." The guards then dragged Midnight out of the library and into a carriage. Princess Celestia then followed the guards. "To Canterlot!"

Princess Luna followed her sister but stopped at the door, only to turn to Twilight for a moment. "We are sorry for this disruption, Twilight. My sister is very worried about the rumors from the north and she feels that this stallion will have answers for her."

"Princess Luna... I have never seen Princess Celestia so angry before, and what are these rumors you speak of? Is there something dark coming?" Twilight could tell that Luna was just as worried as she was, as tears began to swell in her eyes.

Princess Luna was silent for a moment as she looked out the door, then back to Twilight. "Yes, Twilight. Something very dark might be coming." She left the library, with Twilight standing there with a horrified look on her face.

"War."

Chapter 6: Up the Creek

The air felt damp, heavy and there was the sounds of creaking metal all around him, yet it was the slamming of the cell's door that brought Midnight back to consciousness. His head throbbed from the blow he took, but that didn't bother him. His personal effects were gone, all but his eye patch. 'No, not like this. It wasn't supposed to be this way. My cloak, its gone!' He looked himself over, multiple times, and calmed down slightly. 'What luck, the spell is still unbroken.' Midnight attempted to use his magic to teleport himself to safety, to only find that he couldn't even lift a feather from the ground. Something was sealing his magic away.

He had plenty of time to think, now. There were no guards outside his cell door, no guards in the hall either. 'It's the cell, made of a rare metal that nullifies magic. It seals away the use of magic, but does not break spells that were cast before entering the cell.' His analysis was correct as he had worked with a small amount of the material in his experiments, to think there was a cell made completely of it was astounding. The minutes and hours dragged on as Midnight attempted to discern the reason behind his current predicament. His temper finally reached its boiling point after the 5th hour in that cell. "I demand to know why I have been imprisoned! Where is my trial! I've done nothing wrong!" His words rang through the halls of the dungeon, and not another thing would be heard except for sobbing.

"Sister, it has been 5 hours since we brought him here. Should we not be speaking to him?" Princess Luna looked to her sister as they stood on the terrace.

"Not yet, Luna. But I do wish to inspect the belongings we took off of him." Luna nodded and walked back into the palace. "I have already taken the liberty of moving them to the general study, sister." Celestia smiled. "Very good, now we shall see if this stallion is guilty or not."

It was another 3 hours before the guards finally came for Midnight. He was held down and a 'cap' was placed over his horn, it was made of the same material as his cell. His hooves were cuffed and his mouth bound, and he was then dragged from his cell to meet with the Princesses.

The sun had already risen when he was brought before his jury. The looks on their faces told him all he needed, they had already found him guilty. Guilty of a crime he was never even told about, but a crime none-the-less. More tears began to fall from his face and his sobs were the only sound heard in the throne room. Princess Luna motioned for his mouth to be unbound.

"You truly are a coward, aren't you?" Celestia's words cut Midnight, but also confused him. "Your plans, your devices. You had been plotting this for a very long time, haven't you?" His tears stopped and his mind began to race, what is it that she is speaking of. "I'm sure you must know what happens to traitors..."

Traitor? The word danced around in his head and left a bitter taste on his lips. "I am no traitor."

"Do not speak your lies here, warmonger!" His notes and plans, all the pages about Scientia and her experiments, fell before him. "You seized the blueprints to your weapons when we captured you, you have been designing these devices for the ponies in the north and they are now on the march!"

'What? No... this cannot be possible...' Midnight struggled as the princess continued to describe his crimes. The guards gave him a firm hit that brought him to his knees. "These are not weapons! They were never meant to be weapons! I only wanted to make devices to make pony lives simpler, I would never make these into weapons!"

"Enough with your lies! How many of these devices does Sun-rock possess? How many flying contraptions did you make for his army!"

The mention of his brother was like a dagger to the heart. Why would he be mobilizing an army, what would make him do such a thing. Then the answer came to him, along with a feeling that he was drowning. "No... no... no no... no no no... nonononononono..." He slammed his head against the floor in anger, but not at his brother but at his own foolishness.

Midnight's reaction was too sincere, to pure to be faked. Princess Luna could sense this. "Sister, these actions do not seem to be of a warmonger or an arms dealer. I believe we may have the wrong pony..."

"No..." Midnight's voice was shaking with sadness and anger. "No... it was me... it was... me..." This confession came as a shock to Princess Luna, she was absolutely adamant that he was no criminal. "Look... look at my notes... pages 52 and... 53..." Luna walked over to the pile of paper and searched for the pages he mentioned, and showed them to him. "Yes... those... please read them aloud..."

Luna looked to her sister, searching for her approval. Celestia sighed and gave a nod. 'Item number 591, a device that I have dubbed the 'Magic Bleeder'. This device is made of a special metal that I have discovered in the Ever-free Forest. It can be found naturally in deep caves and needs no refinement, it can be used as is. The metal his an amazingly unique quality in that it can absorb magical energy at a uniform rate, as well as release that energy at the same uniform rate. This astonishing metal has brought my work to a new level, for now I have no fears of my devices exploding anymore...' The princesses were silent afterwards, it seemed that they had missed that important piece of information. "So what does this have to do with Sun-rock's army?"

Midnight lifted his head enough to look at the younger princess. "It is probably the reason behind the formation of his army. He would never do something like this without justifying it. He was always smart but I never thought he would be violent..."

Luna stepped closer to Midnight, kneeling down so she could hear him better. "You speak of him as if you know him, were you an acquaintance of his when you were younger?"

"I do know him, Princess. I know him quite well, or at least I thought I did." His eye locked with Luna's and his expression became very serious. "For you see, I am his brother..."

Luna stepped back in shock and Celestia began to deny his claim outright. "Impossible! Sun-rock had but one brother and he was declared deceased over 15 years ago, there is no way that you could be his brother." She ordered the guards to drag Midnight back to his cell.

He struggled, there was no way he was going to remain in that cell if war was going to engulf Equestria. "I am Midnight Tempest of House Scientia!" Princess Celestia turned away from him as he yelled out his name. There was only one thing she would respond to now. "History can, and mostly likely will repeat itself! Like the face of a clock, everything, including time, will come full circle!"

'Only a blood member of that family could know that saying. But he was declared dead. Was it all just a cover up for war?' Celestia stopped the guards and order the shackles removed, as well as the cap that was placed on his horn. "I must apologize for how we have treated you Midnight. The only time I saw you was soon after you were born." Her tone was full of regret and sorrow. "Oh... you have your mother's eyes... um... eye..."

"Thank you, Princess and no apologies are necessary. You are only doing your duty to keep Equestria safe, I am the one that should apologize. My ambition made me blind to the true dangers my experiments posed." He cracked his neck and raised a hoof to remove the eye patch. The sound of ticking and the turning of gears began, as the Princesses looked in shock. "But rest assured when I say this, I will stop this madness. Even if it's the last thing I do. Sun-rock only has one of my designs, and it is only a half finished design at best." A rush of magic energy began to form around Midnight. "I have the only completed device that has come from my experiments." The energy faded and revealed his final secret. "This, is my 'Ace in the Hole', your majesties."