"In a world where I feel so small,
I can't stop thinking big!"
<><><><>
Steel Wheel sat alone at the edge of his family's farm amongst the few corn stalks that hadn't been harvested yet, their shadows cast upon him by the setting sun. The wind blew through his gray mane and white coat, sending a chill up his spine. His flank was adorned by a gray wheel, much like that of a wheel on a ship. He had yet to discover exactly what it meant, but it was there, all the same. All he remembered of it was that it came after one his many childhood 'explorations' around the farm. But with the amount that went on during that day, it was hard to tell what the mark came from.
His visits to this spot were becoming a regular occurrence. It was the only place where one could get away from the endless chores of the farm; the perfect place let one's mind wander. But what drew Steel Wheel to this hideaway was the perfect view of the great city to the west, Crown City, his glacier blue eyes now drawn to its silhouette against the red sky.
Steel longed for a chance to go to Crown City. The quiet farm life was nice, but his youthful dreams could only be fulfilled there. Tales of its great monuments and relics fascinated him, but none so much as those of Chronos square, home of the angels themselves. The excitement of it all made staying at the farm nearly unbearable.
But all this dreaming had thus far been for nothing. His parents still needed him at home to help keep the farm running, and with the lack of funding to move out on his own, he was stuck here. But how close it all seemed. The steamliners that would take him there floated above him, trudging along the skies like the clouds they were level with. All the same, they reminded of just how far he was from making it.
Steel mused over this for a few more minutes. With the sun still casting enough light to see, he headed for home in hopes of getting back before the moon took its place amongst the stars.
<><><><>
The stars had just begun to appear in the night sky when Steel finally made back home. A soft, yellow glow came from the windows, welcoming him home after a long day's work. As he opened the door, the smell of his mother's cooking bombarded his senses, making him realize just how hungry he was. His stomach rumbled loudly at the thought, acting as the announcement that he was home.
"What the...Steel, is that you?" Steel's father yelled down the hall, startled by the growl, "It's about time you came home, colt! Dinner's been ready for an hour!"
Steel's father poked his head into the kitchen to inform his wife that they could finally eat, then headed over to the dining room with Steel in tow. The oak table, twice the size the family really needed, was covered in a frilly, floral tablecloth, with a small vase with roses sitting in the middle. Though Steel was fine with it, it seemed too formal given that it was a farm house. Even so, it did serve to liven up the otherwise mundane room.
The door to the kitchen opened, and his mother entered the dining room, carrying with her a tray with three bowls of soup.
"Welcome home, Steel," she said as Steel moved his chair out and took his seat, "You've worked so hard today; you must be starving."
"Ma, I'm not that-" he was interrupted by his stomach as it let forth another mighty rumble, "okay, maybe I'm a little hungry."
His mother placed the bowl of soup in front of him. It was a simple spinach soup, one of Steel's favorite meals. Even with all his griping about being stuck on the farm, he supposed that he would miss his mother’s cooking if he ever left. His mother moved around the table to serve his father, then moved to the other end of the table where she was to sit with the last bowl. As soon as she was seated, Steel nearly lunged at his soup, his hunger from the day's activities overriding his senses. The soup was half gone before he even realized what he was doing. Slowing down, he finally actually tasted his dinner; delicious as always.
Dinner progressed in near silence, each pony focused on their own meal. As the meal came near its conclusion, Steel's father finally broke the silence.
"Steel, we have some news."
"What is it, dad?" Steel asked, only half listening; the soup still had his full attention.
"We learned today that there's been a bit of a shortage of crops this year around other farms. Some sort of infestation to the east. I think they called the things parasprites."
"...So?" Steel was confused as to how this pertained to him.
"So, the price of crops is up. A lot. Steel...we're going to be bringing in almost triple our normal profits."
Steel's jaw hit the table with a loud thud. Such a thing was unheard of! It took a few moments for Steel to recover from his shock, but then his mind went racing. Soon enough, a familiar thought returned to Steel.
"So, if we have that many more bits, does that mean that I could...maybe..."
His father cut him off with a sigh, "As much help as you are around here, I suppose this was only inevitable. Steel," Steel was nearly hovering over the table by this point, despite his lack of wings, "I suppose that, if you really want to, and I mean only if you really want to, we could get you onto one of the steamliners that goes out to the city. We’ll give you money to get there and to get a place, but after that, you’re on your own."
"Or, you could stay here for a few more years, you know. The city's a dangerous place, and-"
"Dad, you're not going to convince me stay."
"Are you sure? I mean, all your...stuff is still here," he gestured something with his hoof, not really pointing at anything in particular.
"Dad!"
"Oh, all right. We just need you to stay until the we get all the crop to market, then we can get you outta here."
Steel nearly hit the ceiling as he jumped out of his chair. What was once thought impossible for him was now coming true!
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he nearly screamed as he took both his parents into his arms and wrapped them in a great hug. Jubilation filled the family's household that night, with Steel already beginning to pack for his long trip and telling stories of what he would be doing in the city. Outside, the city sat on the horizon, aglow in red from the lights of Chronos Square, awaiting its next tenant.
<><><><>
The week long wait for the crops to be sold couldn't have moved any slower for Steel. Hours seemed like days and days like weeks. He became restless as the week progressed, and started doing extra work just to make time move faster. At night, he could hardly sleep, his heart racing like that of a child on Hearth Warming's morn. But finally the day had arrived for him to leave.
They left early in the morning to the Barrel Arbor station, the closest station to their farm. Steel paced the platform in an effort to kill time waiting for the steamer to arrive. His patience had been worn thin from the long wait, and he was ready to erupt. Luckily, before he could reach this point, a whistle sounded from above. The steamliner had arrived in all its glory; the massive flying ship was a sight to be seen. It stood at least 10 stories tall at its highest and was long enough to dwarf a whale. Its gleaming bronze pipework shone brightly in morning sunlight, only serving to add to its regal appearance. It left Steel in awe.
The ship's crew appeared on deck. Two members heaved rope over the edge and onto the platform, while two of the station's employees waited for them. The two on the platform grabbed the ropes in mouth, brought each rope over to an individual pole on the platform, and tied the rope around them, securing the steamer to the platform while loading and unloading occurred. How earth ponies managed to tie knots was still beyond Steel; it was so difficult to do with only one's mouth.
A loud voice boomed from up on deck, ending Steel's thoughts on this, "Next stop, Crown City! We depart in one hour!" With that, the ship's entrance gate opened, followed by a narrow stairwell, wide enough for only one pony, descending from the same spot. Quickly, ponies began shuffling up the stairs, but already the bottleneck had caused a backup, leaving Steel with ample time to say his good-bye's to his parents.
"Well, this is it. Wish me luck," he said, picking up his luggage, but just as soon dropped it as his mother wrapped her hooves around his neck.
"We're going to miss you, son," she said as tears began to form in her eyes. Her embrace lasted for what seemed to be an eternity before she was pulled off by her spouse.
"Steel, good luck out there," Steel's father placed a hoof on Steel's back, "Just remember, don't do anything I wouldn't do."
The two shared a passing chuckle, then Steel grabbed his luggage a second time and headed up the stairs and boarded, finally leaving at last.
<><><><>
Steel made his way below decks to the guests' quarters. Due to the sizable distance between the farm town and the city, it was going to be an overnight trip. Unfortunately, the large number of guests mandated that two ponies be assigned to each room. It wouldn't be so bad if the rooms weren't already rather small as it was. Evidently, building a full size swimming pool was more important that providing guest rooms that were comfortable. On the other hand, it was better than those who had to stay in the quarters a floor below; supposedly, the ratio of ponies to rooms down there was four to one, sometimes even worse. Luckily, this year's profits allowed for Steel to avoid the sure chaos of that situation.
As he turned down the hallway, he quickly found the room he had been assigned to, number 2112. Opening the door, he found a very plain room. A twin size bed with white sheets sat at one end of the room. At the other sat two wooden chairs and a wooden table with a lamp on top, the only source of light in the quarter. In between the bed and the chairs was a door leading to a small bathroom. Steel peeked in and found only a sink, toilet, and shower.
Steel's quarter-mate had not arrived yet, leaving Steel alone to think. He couldn't explore the ship yet, as the crew asked the guests to wait until the ship had started its voyage to start moving about the ship. And so he was left with his thoughts of what might await him when he reached the city, of the riches he could earn, of how he could make it big. He sat down in one of the chairs, and its comfort, combined with his boredom, lulled him to sleep.
Outside, a few stragglers made their way up the stairs to the ship. When the last one boarded, a crew man came to the rail a yelled toward the captain ahead, "All aboooooooooard!"
The ship began to lift from the ground, moving higher and higher, until one had to crane his neck just to see it. The sails were hoisted as the ship reached its peak, and with a small jerk, the ship began its journey toward Crown City.
<><><><>
“Hey,” Steel was drawn from his slumber by a voice from somewhere nearby. Steel started to open his eyes, but quickly shut them again as light flooded his sight. Life could wait a few more minutes while he caught a little more sleep. No sooner had he finished the thought, he was thrown from his resting place onto the floor.
“Get up, why don’t ya? There’s something happening on deck!” the unknown pony yelled at him. Steel obliged, only because of being drowsy from just waking up. He came stood up and finally opened his eyes again, revealing just who his tormentor was. He was a short, almost pudgy unicorn with a navy blue coat and a scarlet mane. A pair of rimless glasses adorned his face. However, the panicked expression on his face suggested now would not be the best time to ask any questions regarding his sudden appearance.
A groggy “what” was all Steel could muster in his half-sleep. The bed looked more than appealing at this point. Just thinking the thought of it caused Steel’s eyes to again grow heavy.
“I don’t have time for this! Come on!” The blue stallion picked up Steel with his magic and ran out the door.
“What the...? Hey, put me down!”, Steel, now fully awake, yelled at the stallion. But his cry fell on deaf ears; he was stuck like this until they reached their destination.
<><><><>
A large crowd had already formed by the time they reached top of the stairs. The blue stallion finally came to a stop after reaching the deck.
“Put me down, now!” Steel shouted at his captor.
“Okay,” the stallion said, a sly smile across his face. He released his grip all at once causing Steel to meet the deck with a splat, only inaudible due to the crowd’s murmuring. Steel quickly got to his feet, his face immediately reddening from anger.
“What the hell was that about?” he practically screamed at the other stallion.
“We needed to get up here quickly, something that you obviously weren't capable of doing. So, I took initiative.”
“Oh yes, dragging a pony somewhere by force is initiative? How about you take your “initiative” and stick it up your-”
“Whatever it is could be important!”
“It better be,” Steel rolled his eyes.
“Well lets find out, shall we?”
“And just who the hell are you to tell me what to do? What if I want to go back downstairs again and make this whole exchange pointless?”
“I can pick you up again, if you like...”
“Fine...” Steel muttered a few choice words under his breath as he followed behind the stallion. This was going to be a long day if it carried on at this pace. In his growing dismay, Steel at least had a right to know one thing, though.
“Before we go any further,” Steel broke from his mumblings, “who the are you and why the heck did you drag me out here, and not just leave me be?”
“So he can speak like a civil pony!” Steel glared daggers at him, “Well, I go by Cygnus, and I am your roommate for this trip , unfortunate as that is.”
“How did that warrant dragging me around with your magic?”
“Didn’t you ask that earlier?”
“Just answer it!” Steel was close to lose his temper for a second time in ten minutes.
“If the boat was about to, I don’t know, blow up or something, I wouldn’t want to just leave you there!”
“Touché,” Steel said. That had to be the first intelligent comment that this “Cygnus” fellow had made thus far.
“Okay, listen,” Cygnus raised a hoof and pointed at Steel, “I don’t like you; you don’t like me. We just gotta suffer through each other’s presence until we reach the city, then we’re all good. Think you can handle it?”
“Of course,” Steel made no effort to hide the malice in his voice.
“Good. Now can we finally go see what the hell is going on over there?”
The two moved their way toward the front of the crowd, barging through any pony that stood in their way. As the emerged from the throng, they finally saw what all the commotion was about. There, in front of them, stood a pony clad in a black robe emblazoned with a cog wheel with wings coming off of it. The pony itself was nearly completely hidden by the outfit.
“Heh, what’s with this guy?” Steel asked, “I can’t believe that everyone’s getting worked up over just one... why are you doing that?” Steel looked over and saw Cygnus standing at an almost military attention.
“Get in line, its a clockwork pony!” Cygnus whispered, barely moving his mouth.
“A clockwork what?”
“A clockwork pony. He works for the watchmaker himself! Get in line if you don’t want more trouble!”
“...Watchmaker?”
“I’ll explain later; just get in or-”
“You there!” The clockwork pony’s voice resonated like a bass as he pointed at Steel, “At attention, now!”
“You can’t tell me what to do!” Steel yelled back.
“That was a mistake,” Cygnus whispered as he moved away Steel.
“Oh, really? Lets try this again, get in line!” the clockwork pony yelled again.
“No.”
“One last chance, colt, get over here now.”
“And what are you going to do, yell until your face is reader than that guy’s hair?” Steel gestured at Cygnus’s mane.
“I warned you.” the clockwork pony suddenly lunged forward. Steel felt something slam into the side of his head for a moment, then nothing. The world suddenly went black as consciousness slipped from him.
Author's Note
For your listening pleasure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO0ikbGvIY0
Many thanks to Silfir for taking time to give this a read through and giving some suggestions.
This is really my first attempt at writing, and I know its shaky at times, but I hope you enjoy all the same.
I'll be getting to work on chapter two soon.
“All is for the best
Believe in what we're told
Blind men in the market
Buying what we're sold”
<><><><>
Steel stirred a little as he finally came to. A sharp pain pierced through his head, making him wish he hadn’t woken up at all. He groaned as he turned over, the pain only amplified by the motion.
“So the little hero finally woke up,” a voice from the other side of the room said, “It’s about time too. It’s been a few hours, don’t ya know?”
“Not so loud!” Steel shoved his head into the pillow, “My head is killing me!”
“I should say! You took quite a hit back there. ‘Course, you’re lucky that nothing more came of that.”
“What?” Steel’s mind was incredibly foggy at this point, the headache only making matters worse.
“You don’t remember? I don’t blame you; like I said, that was a hell of a hit you took. Anyways, you decided it was a good idea to stand up to a Clockwork Pony and ended up being KOed for a good, lets see here,” the pony checked a clock sitting nearby, “5 hours.”
“Ugh,” Steel grunted. This was definitely not the way to start off a new life. Steel finally forced his eyes open, and looked around; he was back in his guest room, with a familiar pony sitting a chair across the room. “Wait, you’re that- Ci...Ci...Cig-errrr-ette guy, right?” Steel asked, trying to remember the stallion’s name.
“It’s Cygnus, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” Steel responded, not truly recalling. Suddenly, it clicked, and all the memories of the past few hours (well,that he was awake for) came back to him. “Oh yeah! You’re that asshole that dragged me up to the deck.”
“And he remembers. Though I wouldn’t go around calling the pony who got you out of that mess up there an asshole.”
“Wait, what?”
“Oh, yes. After you got knocked out, someone had to get you back to your room. Even though I don’t like you, I can’t just leave you injured like that.”
“Well, thanks, I guess...But you’re still an ass for that dragging me up there in the first place.”
“It could have been an emergency. Now can we get off that topic; that’s like the third time you’ve brought that up”
“Fine,” Steel was still irked at him for that, especially since it lead to his run in with the Clockwork Pony. Truthfully, Steel had no idea what a ‘“Clockwork Pony” was supposed to be, and the Cygnus’s mention of a “Watchmaker” ruling over everyone only further confused the matter at hoof. Cygnus seemed to know a bit about these ponies; perhaps he could explain it to him. A new wave of pain shot through his head again, delaying him a few moments; this was beginning to feel like a really bad hangover.
“What?!” The navy blue stallion nearly jumped out of his seat in shock, “How on earth could you have never heard of a Clockwork Pony before? They’re absolutely everywhere! Have you been living under a rock or something?”
“Hey! I came from a farm; there’s nothing interesting out there. Hell, I wouldn’t even call the town a town; its more like a group of houses. There’s only four houses that are even close to each other. We don’t even have any sort of local government. The only reason we got any traffic through there was ‘cause of the steamliner station being the only one for miles.”
“I suppose you make a valid point,” Cygnus said, bringing a hoof up to his temple, “This will be a little while to explain. Though, maybe I should wait until later with the bit of a headache you got.”
“No, no, I’ll be fine. Just, let me get some water first.” Steel got up from the bed and walked over to the bathroom sink, each step spiking the pain in his head. Hopefully, drinking some water would help to reduce this. He took a glass a filled it, then came over and sat in the chair across from Cygnus.
Cygnus let out a sigh before starting, “To understand what the Clockwork Ponies are, we have to start with the Watchmaker himself. Since its obvious you don’t know about him either, it’ll be a good start for you.”
“No one’s really quite sure how the Watchmaker came to power, but the accepted story starts many, many years ago. Our world was ruled by a monarch tyrant who allowed chaos to overrun the land. Some say her name was Celestia, but there is no evidence to prove it. The ponies of the time lived in fear and misery, worried that each day could be their last. Monster attacks ravaged the country nearly every day, from hydras to timberwolves and everything in between. The weather was volatile, much like that of the lands that lie far to our west, across the sea. Storms could pop up at a moments notice, and revert just as quick. But perhaps worst of all was the constant anger every pony held toward each other. It became so bad that violence became prominent. It was a dark time for ponykind.”
“Then, one glorious day, the pony we know today as the Watchmaker said enough was enough and began a revolution. Slowly, his rebellion grew. It became a formidable group that not even the tyrant’s own personal army could stop. One by one, the cities of the old country fell, until, with a final push, the tyrant was overthrown. The people, in their great gratitude, immediately made the Watchmaker their leader for life.”
“Wait,” Steel interrupted Cygnus’s explanation, “They made him ruler for life? What sense does that make?”
“Will you let me continue or not?” Cygnus shot a glare at Steel, “Now, as I was saying, the Watchmaker was made leader for life. Under his rule, positive changes took effect almost immediately. The monster attacks were ended, the Watchmaker vanquishing most of them himself. The weather was then kept in check by Clockwork’s weather patrol, ensuring no more of the horrific storms of the past.”
“Finally came the most difficult challenge; removing the ill will that had grown through the years of disharmony. And so the Watchmaker created his own philosophy, stating that instead of hating everypony for what they are or what they have, ponies should accept their fate, for whatever happens to them is what they deserve. Thus, those who were successful were the just, while others confined to slums deserved their hell. This became a main principle in his ruling.”
“Of course, when first implemented, there was much resistance; ponies believed that this system could too easily be abused by a select few to keep them at high ranks permanently. Some even went so far to say that there was really no chance to improve one’s situation outside of extreme means. The Watchmaker’s response was the Clockwork Ponies. They make sure that everyone follows the ideal the Watchmaker set. Of course, there are still those who go against it, but for the most part, they have been effective. Over time, they have also become messengers for him, relaying new laws, which was what was occurring on deck. There are also those who say that they work as spies, but the Watchmaker has said otherwise. I’m more inclined to believe that Watchmaker than a bunch of conspiracy theorists.”
“So, that’s the story of that,” Cygnus said, slinking back into his chair, “Satisfied now?”
“Not quite.” Steel replied, somewhat confused. “First, the hell gave the Clockwork Pony the right to punch me?!”
“They’re directly controlled by the Watchmaker; you want to complain, go talk to him,” Cygnus quickly and bluntly replied.
“Point taken.” Steel moved a hoof to where he had hit, a bruise starting to from at the area of impact, “But, more importantly, are you telling me that someone tells you how to live pretty much every aspect of your life, and you’re okay with it?”
Cygnus responded with a quick nod.
“Are you insane!?” Steel jumped out of his chair, “You should be able to do what you want, not sit around and be content with a shitty life.”
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t use such language...you.”
“You?” Steel was confused by the sudden end to Cygnus’s sentence.
“I never bothered to learn your name,” Cygnus said calmly.
“Oh, its Steel.”
“All right then.”
“Now where was I, oh yes...How the hey can you stand living with someone telling you what to do!?” Shock returned to Steel’s voice as the conversation was brought back on track, “There is no way you can be fine with that!”
“Oh, but I am.”
“How!?”
“It easy. The path we are going down is what we deserve. If it changes, well, then we did something noteworthy. But for when it remains the same, well, it’s where we are entitled to be. Simple as that.”
Steel stood in silence a few moments before speaking up. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard! You can do something about being a bad situation! Hell, my family came from poverty up to being one of the biggest farms in the country. You can’t tell me that there’s nothing you can do about your life!”
“But that change would just be in your destiny, not a change by something you accomplished yourself.”
“This is going nowhere.” Steel sighed, “how long has this be going on.”
“What been going on?”
“People believing this load of crap? Like, length of time, not just ‘When the Watchmaker took over.’”
“Oh. Some 200 years or so.”
Steel blinked, “Wait. Wait. Just wait. Are you suggesting the Watchmaker has been alive for over 200 years?”
“Yes.”
“That makes even less sense! There’s no way-”
Steel was interrupted by a loud whistle bellowing through the ship, stopping him from making what was sure to be another tirade. Suddenly, a monotonous voice came over the intercom.
“We have arrived. Thank you for flying, please come again.”
The city was finally here! Steel turned a moved to the windows to get his first real glimpse. The great skyscrapers towered high above everything, even the ship itself. It left him in awe. He would have stayed longer if not for a hoof pulling him away.
“We need to get going, okay?” Cygnus said.
“Geez, couldn’t have given me a few more moments?”
“The ship crews tend to use force to get stragglers off. Now, lets go, shall we?”
“Fine.” Steel moved to the space beside the bed and picked up his suitcase. With that, he and Cygnus moved out the door and made their way toward the exit.
<><><><>
Steel and Cygnus reached the platform, which had three steamliner docked at it. Looking around, Steel saw more ponies just in this offload area then he ever had in his entire life. Endless streams of them came and went, almost like a river. With this many ponies just here, the amount that lived in the city as a whole was almost unfathomable.
But his excitement soon faded as his thoughts drifted back to the conversation that Cygnus and he had had. All these ponies were living their lives as if there was only one way that they could be. It just didn’t seem right at all to Steel; his parents had always taught him that the could be anything that he wanted to be. To see everyone else like this just confused him. But what really topped it all off was that everyone was fine with it. They all walked about happy as can be, with no worry that there might be something wrong. It frustrated Steel to no end thinking that ponies could go along to something like this so willingly.
These thoughts could wait for a while longer, but a more pressing matter was on hoof; finding somewhere to live. He decided it would be best to just look around the city; it would give him a chance to explore and help him find a place. But no sooner had he taken his first step, an increasingly familiar voice yelled out behind him.
“Hey, what on earth are you doing?” Cygnus asked.
“Going to look around, find a place. Why do you ask?”
“And he has no idea what he’s doing! Just great!” Cygnus ranted to himself, then turned to address Steel, “Listen, you can’t just run around in the city. Even with Clockwork Ponies everywhere, its still a dangerous place.”
“Then how the hell am I going to get a place!?” Steel yelled back.
“Do you know where to look?”
“No...”
“Dear lord, help me,” Cygnus muttered under his breath, “If I helped you get to the real estate manager, would you leave me be?”
“Sure!” Steel was much too enthusiastic in his response.
“Let’s get this over with. Follow me.” Cygnus lead Steel off the platform and onto the street. Immediately, the duo had to weave their way through the sea of bodies, Steel struggling to keep up with Cygnus. Finally, after several minutes of walking, a lapse in the crowd occurred, allowing Steel to draw up beside Cygnus. Steel was already tired; dodging that many ponies was more than a workout.
“How much longer, Cygnus?” Steel asked, panting between each word.
“Oh, about half an hour.” Cygnus had hardly broken a sweat at this point. Steel attributed it to him just be accustomed to the masses on the streets.
“Where the hell are we going that it takes that long?”
“To get the real estate management facility,” Cygnus gestured forward, “One must go to Chronos Square!”
Author's Note
For Your listening pleasure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mu6-jeydvo
Thanks for reading!
