Clockwork Moon

Clockwork Moon (5)

Bedsheets.

Stiff. Sterile. Probably white or awful lime-green. Rubber?

So, he was in a hospital then. He was alive, was Luna? He had to find out. He cracked his eyes open and lifted his head off the pillow, taking in the hospital room.

It looked… standard. A few chairs. A couple cabinets, for spare medical supplies and medication. A vase with a couple of sorry looking flowers, on a table that seemed to be made of bright, multicoloured plastic. Next to the vase was a pile of charred, twisted metal, which he realized with a start was his saddle.

Essentially, like every hospital room that had ever existed, save his broken equipment. He’d been spending a lot of time in hospitals as of late.

He leaned over the bed to find the runes on the side. They were standard for hospital beds, and he could probably learn whether he was in trouble, and if so, how much.

Pain killer rune, which was normal. Hydration rune, which explained why his mouth didn’t feel like it was made of paper. Nutrition rune, so that he wouldn’t die of malnutrition. And an alarm rune. Buck.

He slid out of the bed, his legs feeling like jelly, and staggered across the room. He had been awake for what? A minute or two? He should still have time. He elected to leave his saddle. It would only weigh him down and single him out a crowd. He just grabbed the charred bowler hat from next to it, and dropped that on his head.

He made for the door, and grabbed the handle with his teeth, quickly pulling it open. He turned back to the doorway, and felt himself stop. The blade against his throat was the main cause of this. It was a double-edged blade, a broadsword. Normal size. Iron. He followed it back to the hilt, which was marked with the unmistakable symbol of the Solar guard. And the marking of the guard captain.

The sword was being held with a pink corona of magic, which similarly surrounded the horn of a heavily built stallion. His coat was pure white, and his blue eyes were focused on him. He was wary. His armor was polished to a high shine, the kind that could only be attained by polishing it every second he was not actively guarding something. His cutie mark was a shield surrounded by stars, leaving no doubt: He was on the verge of being stabbed by Captain Shining Armor himself. Again.

“Captain! Stand down.”

“No.”

“Have it your way.” A grey-furred unicorn pushed himself against the Captain, shoving himself around him. His horn lit up with magic as well, and Tinkertoy could feel tendrils of magic scanning him. He remained silent, in case the slightest noise could anger the Captain and cause him to stab him. He didn’t particularly like being stabbed. Or the thought of being stabbed. It seemed like the kind of thing to avoid right now.

“Hmm. Good. Broken bones healed, but that fracture in the front didn’t. Miscellaneous scratches might as well have never been there, and the teeth have healed or been repaired. No lasting damage from the concussion… Mister Smith, welcome to Canterlot Central Hospital. Sorry about the receptionist, he’s a bit annoyed at you.” With that, the Doctor walked back into the hallway and out of sight.

Tinkertoy decided to chance a sentence, directly to the Captain. “Why, precisely, are you annoyed at me? I mean, it's ...good to see you again, but...”

“I believe that he is angry because you single-handedly managed to destroy several parts of the palace, do a better job than his highly-trained troops, and save Lulu’s life. Which would, traditionally, be his job.” The voice came from the hallway, and it was unmistakable. It was a motherly voice, comforting yet young enough to be somewhat attractive as well.

It was, of course, Princess Celestia.

She stepped into sight behind the Captain. “Captain Shining Armor. Stand down.” He grunted, and hesitated before pulling the blade away from Tinkertoy’s throat. Tinkertoy felt himself carefully settle back down onto the floor, having arched his back to avoid the blade. The Captain stepped back and around Celestia, resuming his post in the hallway.

“I apologize, Smith. He is somewhat on edge. There has been a discussion about what to do with you, and his opinion was to have you in court for various assorted misdemeanors. It went primarily unheard, and he has been annoyed about it since.”

He was speaking to Celestia. Well. This week was full of surprises. “What… What were the other opinions?”

She looked directly at him. The feeling was not unlike standing in an arid desert, all the moisture completely gone from the air. “Well, the prevalent one was to send you off with a medal and forcibly relocate you somewhere else. However, somepony did not get a say. Two in fact, but I digress. I assume you wish to see Luna?”

“Luna! Er… Yes, please. It’d be comforting to know she’s fine.” His lack of concern about his fate did not go unnoticed by the Princess.

“Hmm. Very well. Come.”

Luna was doing well, considering the circumstances. In the span of two days, the bullet wound and accompanying surgery cuts had sealed entirely. She was only still there due to a secondary infection, which she was already fighting off. Alicorns tended to do that. Her retinas had been severely damaged by the multiple flash-bangs, and were healing as well. She still had to wear bandages to prevent permanent damage from a visual overload, which were placed in a sort of X across her eyes and around her head.

This was explained to Tinkertoy by Celestia as they trotted to her room in the royal wing, as well as what had happened since he had been knocked unconscious. In a stroke of luck, nopony had been caught underneath when the roof collapsed, with Luna already having been moved to an ambulance.

They entered Luna’s room, Tinkertoy entering first, eager to see her. Celestia, then the Doctor from before, followed him in. The Captain followed behind, watching everypony that passed them in the hallway.

Inside, the Batponies had apparently been assigned (Or perhaps had assigned themselves) to guard Luna. One sat next to the door, and had blocked it when Tinkertoy opened it. It was the one with the eye patch again, but he recognized Tinkertoy. He moved aside and nodded to the other, who had been quietly humming to Luna. He looked up, surprised, and the humming stopped.

“Meadowlark? Why hast thou ceased?” Luna spoke, her voice calming Tinkertoy. Celestia entered, and moved next to her bed. Tinkertoy sat beside her. Celestia sighed, and then spoke. “It is I, Lulu. Tinkertoy has woken, and wished greatly to see you.” She spoke the last sentence with an emotion that Tinkertoy couldn’t quite identify. Disdain? Trepidation? Perhaps just curiosity.

Luna smiled, and spoke. “Thank you, Tia. Do not let us keep thou, as much as we wish that you could stay. Thou do hath a country to run, after all.” Celestia nodded, obvious relief crossing her face. “You are correct, Lulu. I almost always have time for you. Almost. But I fear that if I stay here any longer, one of those fools back at the Palace will try to claim control.” She turned to the Batponies. “I leave her in your very capable hooves.” As she walked out, Tinkertoy could just barely hear her whisper “Watch him.”

Luna reached out with a hoof, reaching to try and find Tinkertoy. He gently touched hers, and guided hers towards him. She turned to him, and spoke a with audible excitement. “Tinkertoy! Our savior! We are deeply sorry that we cannot lay our eyes upon thee, but apparently that would blind us permanently now. We must wait, and wait impatiently we shall.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Luna. It’s good seeing you again.”

“Indeed. But we art curious; thou doth not use the honourific?”

“Would you like me to?”

“No. ‘Tis refreshing, and we like thou all the more. Names art important things, things that tell stories. But still, there is only so much they can do. Please, Tinkertoy. Tell me yours.”

“Of course. Where to start…Well, I was born and lived in Las Pegasus…”

“But thou doth not live there now?”

“No. Too many bad memories, and my family is… Well, they don’t particularly want to see me at the moment. I’d…rather not explain it, it’s a bit troubling.”

“Of course. Please, continue, unless it doth cause distress.”

“It’s alright. Anyway, the thing about Las Pegasus… It’s a very bright city. Some call it the city that does not know darkness. Apparently, you can see the lights for thirty miles before ever arriving there. And they never go out.

“So, for the first twenty-one years of my life, I had never seen the night sky, save aside glances. I’d seen the moon, of course, as it’s glow overpowers the lights…but just barely. Then came the night the power went out.

“They were repaired quickly, as something like that couldn’t go without repair for too long before problems arose. But for an hour, I was in the dark, and the natural light was our only illumination. For that hour, on that night, for the first time in my life, I saw the night sky and how truly beautiful it was. It was amazing. It gave me purpose, though I didn’t know what it was yet.

“I’d heard of your return, and all that, but it hadn’t registered until I saw your sky. I knew you must be beautiful as well, to know beauty of that magnitude. So, with no other direction in my life, I moved to Canterlot, in hopes of seeing or even meeting you.

“I was already trained in fixing machinery by the owner of a thrift shop, who was of the opinion that stuff that worked was more valuable then broken clockwork. So, I opened a Workshop, and found an assistant of my own.” He blinked. “Heavens. Niles must be worried. Although probably more for his salary than anything else.”

“We canst have thine doctors send a message, if thou wish.”

“Thank you. In the meantime, I’ll continue my story, if it’s not too dry?”

“Not at all. The dream, if thou please? I wish to know the full story behind that.”

“Ah yes. I had a childhood friend, Jeremy. Now, Las Pegasus is a mechanical town, with lots of machinery and engines everywhere. Pegasi could run the machines and work transport just fine, and Unicorns kept the machines running and invented new ones, but I was an Earth Pony, and had nothing to grow. I had no clue what I could do, and I met him. He helped me find a job with the afore-mentioned thrift store owner. He was my best friend.

“When old Mr. Price (Half Price) had his heart attack, we were out of a job. Insurance company got everything he’d owned but the land, which the Real Estate Company got. So, together, we bounced from job to job, trying to find something we could do. He managed to nab a job at a bakery, where he got his cutie mark in baking confectionary. I wasn’t so lucky, and frankly, couldn’t cook for crap.

I was working then at a smithy. That didn’t last long either, but learned a fair bit about alloys and metals. Around then, he’d managed to snag a girlfriend, which became a wife. Their daughter had just been born when there was that big food poisoning scare, and the bakery shut down. His wife left him then, and disavowed the child, wanting nothing to do with her. I helped him; got him back on his feet, found him a job when he started hurting for money, which was pretty soon.

“I actually quit my job then, ‘cause he sure as hell needed my support. His world fell down around him, he was feeding his daughter at the expense of his own food, and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have lasted long without me. I managed to snag us both a job at the Hoofer dam, which was good pay, and keep us working together. I fell into the position of ‘Uncle’ ass-first when Scoot had just learned the word. Fit me to a tee.

“Then…well…you saw what happened. He was gone, and I had to take care of her. Her Aunt showed up, a teacher. Good job, that. She had to move to Ponyville, though. So after she had to go, I had a bit of an…argument…with my family, and then the blackout happened. Must’ve been when they switched from reserve power to the new dam. Got that working far better than before, named it after him, and I got one hell of a settlement, but I wasn’t going back. I couldn’t just go back to working that job with a new partner.

“With the blackout, I moved here, and the workshop…Well… It hasn’t been going much better to be honest. I only take commissions I like, because otherwise I wouldn’t be arsed anyway. Pardon my language. Mostly, its lots of pocket watch repairs, maybe a couple interesting ones per month. I admit, I was excited when the commission for the Spinpistol and flash-bangs came in, ‘cause it paid a whole lot.

“Had I known what it was going to be used for, I would never have taken the commission, and likely done my best to track the messages. But I didn’t, not until it was too late. Had I just-“

“Hush. Thou could not have known, and we shalt be doing our best to track them down. And we do mean WE. You shall come along, for they have grievously insulted thou and I both.”

“Really? You don’t mind me sticking around? I mean, I’m hardly an angel, and admittedly a tad obsessed…”

“It doth not matter. Thou art a good pony, we can see that. ‘Twould be unfair to deny you, after all that thou hast done.”

“Thank you, Luna. Thank you!” With this, he gave her a tight hug, which she had not been expecting, but returned in kind. He felt her waving her hoof, and turned just in time to catch one of the Batponies closing a wing, which had what appeared to be a blade affixed from base to tip. It disappeared with a fwip.

“Perhaps some warning had best be in order, before our bodyguards nerves fray fully?” Tinkertoy nodded.

“Good. Now, from what I hear, they have our would-be assassin in another wing, under heavy guard. Perhaps thou had best question him, should he be awake?” Behind them, the door opened.

“Now seems like a prudent time to enter. Come, Twilight.” In stepped Celestia again, trailed by a purple Unicorn that Tinkertoy recognized from the papers. On her back rode a baby Dragon, which looked at the two. “Uh…are we interrupting something?”

“A bit. What dost thou wish, Sister?” Luna said, first to the Dragon, then to Celestia.

“Your suggestion to interview the assassin seems prudent, but we have just come from there. I shall let my Student explain.”

Tinkertoy spoke up. “And the Dragon? Is this unusual?”

“Not at all. Spike is my Student’s, and by extension, my assistant. He too, shall assist you. He can get messages to me instantly, and I encourage you to use him to send reports. But ask first. Anything else, before Twilight begins?”

Tinkertoy looked back at Luna. “Yes.” He leaned back in, and spoke clearly and lovingly to her.

“Luna. Your night sky that night, a year ago, the first I ever saw… It was beautiful, a true masterpiece. You’ve not been doing that anymore, I can tell. They don’t have the same magic, they’re just… There.

“Please… For me. Do those again.”

Silence reigned. Twilight coughed.

“Tinkertoy… Of course. We loved doing those. We were worried that they were not being appreciated, yet again. To know that even one Pony still loves our nights… It warms our heart. At our first opportunity, we shall bring the night, and do it properly.”

“Thank you, Luna.” Another hug, during which everypony else looked away.

“Alright, alright. Enough of the sappy crap.” Twilight began. “You,” She said, pointing at Tinkertoy, “Are a real terror. You should see the poor Pegasus. I didn’t let Spike see, and for good reason. Burns over ninety-three percent of his body. Hind legs badly burned, but recoverable. His left hoof was not, however, and was a charred mess they had to amputate. His right hoof was just… gone, when they got there. Not to mention his torso, or Light forbid, his face. What happened up there?”

Luna gasped, and looked back at Tinkertoy, who was equally shocked. “I…I think I hit him with lightning…He’s lost both front legs?”

“He’s crippled for life. Were he not going to prison anyway.”

Tinkertoy reeled. He’d… crippled somepony… He felt… Miserable wouldn’t convey it properly. He just stood there, looking down at the floor. “Tell… Tell him I’m sorry…” A hoof touched his shoulder, and he heard Luna’s voice once more.

“Tinkertoy. Please, don’t beat yourself up on his behalf. He tried to kill us both, and did kill several guards. Was there anything else?”

“I… I think… Yes! There was an Airship. Green envelope. Aluminum Gondola,” Celestia stepped in. “Madness. Nopony would be mad enough to fly an Airship in a thunderstorm. You must have hit your head harder than we thought, when you fell.”

“There was something else. It seemed to be covered in a metal framework, like a faraday cage, albeit a massive one.” The Baby Dragon (Spike?) spoke to the Mage. “Twilight? Would that work?”

“I… Don’t know. Maybe if it was well insulated… If there really was an Airship, we can check the Canterlot Aerial logs, which would record any Airship even passing near. They’d have the name, colour, cargo, and crew manifest, even whether or not they responded to their radio. We’d have everything.”

Celestia sighed. “My faithful student… Please. Do not get involved with this colts’ mad ravings. He seems unhinged, unpredictable. As it is, I would not be surprised if he imagined this Faraday Airship or even his whole rooftop battle. ‘Tis certainly easier to swallow than his having the ability to shoot lightning from his hooves.”

Tinkertoy stared at her. “…What? I saved Luna. At least three times within the space of five minutes. Were it not for me-“

“That is what she had guards for.”

“Yours were dead, and hers were blind and deaf.” At this, the Batponies looked at their hooves, embarrassed.

“Thanks to your machines. Your damnable devices. This is your fault.” Luna had been silent up ‘til now, but this last sentence was too much for her to ignore. A rage had been building up ‘til now, and it released explosively. “How… How dare thee, Sister! Tinkertoy risked his life for ours, and those of our guards! Even if he could not save everypony, had he not arrived thou wouldst not be standing in a hospital, but a graveyard!”

“Because of his devices! Had he not built them to begin with, the Assassin would never have gotten so far! You have applied unrealistic expectations to a mortal pony, made him out to be a hero that he is not! You look at him with lust in your eyes!”

“Tinkertoy has been naught but a perfect gentlecolt! Any feelings toward him are well-deserved, and thou art attempting to control thine life again!”

“That is hardly the subject of discussion. We were conversing about-“

“No, that is now the subject! For just as our mother thought she would rule Equestria forever and should set our lives with appropriate suitors, thou art now running my life as well! Dost thou remember that horrible King Blueblood that she arranged thy marriage to fifteen hundred years ago?”

Celestia responded as though clubbed in the underbelly, and whispered, hurt by the comment, “You promised that nopony would ever know about that. That it would never be mentioned again in our lives. That we would forget it ever happened.”

“It happened, Tia! Even today, one can find his detestable descendants wandering the halls, being horrible to perfectly fine ponies, such as our maids, who he has disrespected more times than any should be allowed! Was that tiny country worth it? Or did Mother’s scheme fall apart like all her others?”

Tinkertoy saw something that few ponies saw in their life spans. Celestia was crying. She stared at the floor, as Luna continued to shout.

“Wilt thou lord over our life like she did to thou? I say nay! WE SHALL HAVE OUR FREEDOM, AND THOU SHALT NOT INTERFERE-“ A hoof on her shoulder cut her off, brought her back to the room. Celestia had collapsed to the floor, Twilight beside her, Spike lying in shock from the royal Canterlot voice. She had reduced her big sister to a sobbing mess upon the floor.

She looked back at the hoof, followed it back to the pony at the other end. Tinkertoy was giving her a sad look, disappointment and fear and surprise all in one expression. “Luna? Don’t. Don’t speak. Just… You shouldn’t have done that.”

Around her, even the Batponies seemed shaken.

Slowly, Celestia’s head rose. “We…appear to have gotten off topic…”

“Indeed, Sister. We…I…apologize. ‘Twas uncalled for.”

“But necessary. You…Are right. I have extended a tad too much control. I… Must learn to trust you once more. Twilight?”

“Er… Yes?”

“You have my permission to investigate this mysterious Airship to the fullest of your abilities, with my authority. Assist Princess Luna and Mister… Smith, was it? With their inquiries.” She turned to Tinkertoy. “I apologize to you as well. Trust… is something that too many ponies take advantage of these days.”

Twilight nodded, and turned to Spike, before beginning to list off items they’d need and places they’d likely go. Tinkertoy turned to Luna as Celestia turned and left. The bandages covering her eyes were starting to become wet with tears, and a strange shadow seemed to recede back underneath them. “Luna? Are you okay?”

She slowly shook her head, and Tinkertoy hugged her lightly. “Luna… Please. It’s alright now. What was that?”

“’Tis not okay. We… I… Slipped. We made Tia cry, and… I almost lost control. I almost let the Nightmare slip, let her loose. She almost took control once more. I cannot let that happen.”

“Did she?”

“No… But just barely. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t worry. If it tries again… I’ll be here to pull you back.”

* * *

The last rays of the sun arched over the West Mountains. The tomato-red sky, shimmering against the last of the rain clouds, shrunk and disappeared like a curtain being drawn.

“Ready, Luna?”

“Indeed. A moment, if thou do not mind. ‘Tis been awhile since we have last done this properly.”

The moon, already visible, shimmered and began to glow like polished ivory. Around it, the stars began to blink into visibility, slowly, one by one at first, but picking up speed. They shined like they were meant to, gloriously and without shame or reservation. No, before they had simply been there, but now, they glowed and twinkled like candles in the sky.

Around them, the blue night sky receded, dimmed, and disappeared, no longer restricting Tinkertoys’ sight, as now he could see the sheer expanse, the sheer simplicity and beauty of the universe in its entirety. Every star was unique in its own special way, and Tinkertoy could see that now. He could’ve studied a single one for a hundred years, and even then he would not be ready to move onto the next. And there were millions.

And that was just the stars. The rest of the galaxy, all those galactic objects, they all whirled and spun around each other like a astrophysical symphony, in a dance that could not be replicated by anything but Equestria’s night sky, and only under Luna’s direction.

Supernovas glowed, expanding outwards.

Planets whirled about stars, and two stars whirled around each other like a pair of dancers.

Pulsars seemed to shiver with excitement.

Far away, a black hole only visible thanks to the asteroids and planets and stars whirling about a hole in which nothing existed.

A gas giant, not content by motion, simply hovered, the solar winds causing it to twist like dye in water, were the water the size of the universe and the dye the size of hundreds of solar systems.

Meteors blew past, almost too fast for the eye to track.

Even further out, Tinkertoy could see other galaxies, each whirling about their own centers with all their own unique features.

It was breathtaking.

And so was Luna.

The Princess of the Night, The Mare of the Moon, and the Mistress of Dreams stood before him, concentrating only on her beautiful night sky, the effort making her shake with the pure magic flowing through her. It shimmered around her, and Tinkertoy could not tell what was the magic’s’ power and what was hers.

The speckling around her cutie mark had expanded, crawling across her skin and coating it in a darker blue than he had ever seen before, and the crescent moon stood out with a white glow.

Her hair was like the gas giant, and it billowed out from the same unseen solar winds, and it curled without a care in the world. And yet, the night sky that she carried within glowed brighter than the sky above and was a million times more beautiful. The stars in her hair formed into recognizable constellations and then dissolved, forming more and dissolving again into constellations never seen before and never again.

Her armor, decorative in nature, changed as well, revealing it’s true nature and changing from its painted disguise into a tall pair of obsidian leggings, the gaps showing her skin underneath while covering enough so that she would be protected from any attack. Her necklace too, became obsidian, with the moon upon it gleaming like the polished silver it was, the two materials forged together in ways that were thought to be impossible. Finally, her small tiara became a dark crown that seemed to absorb light itself as it wrapped around her horn, the black metal decorating it with a thin wire covering. Underneath, the sheer amount of magic was making the horns’ central crystal glow from effort, making it visible through the bone spire. Her nerves and veins stood out against it, strict control of her power keeping them unharmed.

Her eyes had been closed until now, and as she opened them, they filled with blue light that pierced the darkness around her, a thaumic circle spinning into existence at her feet. Unfamiliar shapes seemed to be in place of lettering, and the circle whirled, glowing and spitting with pure power as she gritted her teeth.

A minute or an hour or a millennia later, she exhaled, and the circle dissipated, the magic fading harmlessly. Her armor returned to normal, and the darkness of her cutie mark receded until it was just that. Her hair didn’t billow quite as much, and her eyes simmered down into a reasonable shimmer. She collapsed to her belly, lying upon the ground with an exhausted air.

Tinkertoy was instantly at her side, making sure she was okay, and holding her close in case she wasn’t. She rested against him, and looked upwards at her sky.

“We picked one of our favorite memories, from before we learned our craft.  We learned another that we need to relearn, and enjoyed it as well.” Tinkertoy followed her eyes back to the stars. Now, several stars had begun to glow just a bit brighter than before, and Tinkertoy searched them all out, found them, and looked at as a many as he could. The pattern was purposely unusual, and something clicked inside Tinkertoy’s mind.

It twisted his mind, and his eyes were no longer his own.

He was now in a garden, a garden in the courtyard of a castle that was very distinctly not anywhere near Canterlot. A small hedge maze, complicated but easy to learn, took up most of the garden. It was octagonal, and perhaps thirty metres across.

A pair of fillies, one pure white with pink hair who was larger than the other, who was blue with dark blue hair, chased each other around and through the hedge maze. He started as he realized he was looking at a young Luna and Celestia, before either were the living goddesses he knew now. No, now they were just tiny Alicorns.

An adult, female Alicorn sat off to the side on a bench, an ambivalent expression on her face as she watched the fillies. Her fur seemed to glow with pure light, and her hair was a natural white that only a god could acquire without dye or overbearing age. Was that the Princesses’… Mother?

A door across the courtyard opened, and a black Alicorn walked out, a knowing smile across his face as a dark purple Unicorn wearing a star-studded robe and a typical wizard’s hat followed him. He managed to catch a bit of the conversation:

“And then Luna doth told me that thy homework wast a waste of time! ‘Twas incredibly insolent, and without even an inkling of practical Magick, how canst I hope to teach her the truly powerful Magicks required of an Alicorn?”

“I think, and soon shalt thou, that thine younger daughter ‘tis more capable than she wouldst have thou believe. Daughters Luna, Celestia! To me!” With this, the two fillies ceased running, and trudged solemnly over to their father. Well, Celestia trudged solemnly. Luna seemed to trudge as though she had done something wrong, and was trying to take more time so that she wouldn’t have to face it.

“Luna, have thou been putting off homework?” She nodded. “For what, forsooth?” “Playing with the servant’s children.”

“I see. Luna, dost not look so solemn. ‘Tis doth not suit thou. I’m going to teach you some more Magick, some that only I know and that only thou canst learn. I shalt teach thou how to remove thineself from other’s vision.” At this, Luna perked up, her ears twitching from excitement. Doubtless, new ways to use a power like this for pranking arose in her mind. Celestia looked up, but for a different reason.

“Father! How canst thou reward her for such insolent behaviour and leave me behind, despite all that I have done?”

“Who said that I wouldst not teach thou something as well?” He smiled at her, while the teacher similarly started to sputter.

“That Magick is far beyond her abilities! She might be able to do such a task, had she been studying, but without, she shalt simply hurt herself!”

“Don’t be daft, Clover. Your name seems to suggest otherwise. Besides, how couldst she hurt herself via invisibility? No, the only one that couldst possibly hurt herself is Celestia, for I will be teaching her teleportation.”

“Thou art the daft one, for that is too dangerous for a filly her age!”

“But she ‘tis prepared, is she not?”

“Possibly…”

“Good.” With that, he leaned down to whisper into Luna’s ear, saying something that Tinkertoy couldn’t hear. She appeared to listen intently, and nodded. She stepped back, and then concentrated, her horn glowing. She seemed to ripple, like the air around her was water disturbed by a stone, before fizzling out of existence.

Her father looked confident, smirking at the Mage, who looked surprised, and not happily. Her mother looked annoyed, and was giving the father a look that said, “Really? Thou decide to teach her that? Dost thou know how much trouble she shalt cause now?” While Celestia, annoyed as she was, was now looking about the courtyard in wonder.

Then she jumped as though something or somepony had touched her flank, as a voice came in on the breeze, masked by magic with an echo. “Tag.”

“By the Light, Luna! Thou doth not fight fair!” She shouted, the chiding somewhat reduced by the fact that she was now giggling like a madpony, happy with her new challenge.

“Satisfied, Clover?” The father spoke once more to the Mage. “She hast been learning, even if thou doth not see it. She will surprise thou, given the chance. Perhaps for the sake of surprising thou. She hast mentioned many a time that you wear a hilarious expression whilst confused.” He looked at the Mage carefully.

“Yes, truly that is an interesting expression. What say thou?”

“…Very well. I shall let her dereliction of duty pass. For the moment. Thou still insist on teaching Celestia to Blink?”

“But of course, Clover. What thou canst teach thine apprentices, thou canst teach thine daughter.“

“Daughter? Singular?” The father leaned in and muttered loud enough to Clover just loud enough for Tinkertoy to hear.

“I shalt not teach Luna that trick. It requires a dab hand at subdimensional travel, and were Luna to acquire access to another dimension, who knows what mayhem she couldst cause. No, only Celestia shalt be taught that, but Celestia shall not be taught to render herself invisible, to balance out the power.”

“Wise. And I used to wonder why thou wert so loved among the population.”

Tinkertoy began to notice the edges of the memory fraying, and the sound distorting. Without a sound, it receded, and he was next to Luna once more, staring at the sky. She was looking at it, with an expression of…Sadness? Reflection? Tinkertoy couldn’t place the expression, but it wasn’t outright unhappiness.

A pity, because he might’ve been able to do something about it. She shook herself out of it, and looked back to Tinkertoy.

“Tinkertoy… ‘Twas not as educational as we had hoped. Instead, ‘tis raised more memories, some not as pleasant.”

“It was too faint?”

“Indeed. We could only catch a small portion of what was said, and ‘twas maddeningly vague.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be more help, Luna.”

“Doth not apologize, Tinkertoy. ‘Twas naught thou couldst do, and I shalt puzzle it out eventually.”

“Hey! Space Princess! Mechani-colt! Get your plots down here; we need to plan out our investigation! And get the buck off the roof, you’re going to fall!” The sound of Twilight Sparkle’s voice rang out through the air, and they both stood to walk to the edge of Luna’s roof.

It sloped slightly, but a flat platform had been mounted up top so that she would have somewhere to raise the Moon. They stepped onto the slope and looked over it.

“Yes, you! Get down here!” Tinkertoy shrugged, and slid over the lip onto the balcony. Luna took to the sky, and circled slowly around to the balcony. At the last moment, she clutched the bandages across her barrel with a gasp, and landed rather badly onto the railing before falling firmly onto the balcony.

Tinkertoy was by her side in an instant, making sure she was okay and helping her up. Concern even shot across Twilight’s face for a moment, but as she realized that Luna was alright again, it was replaced with annoyance. “Are you going to injure yourself again?”

Tinkertoy sighed, but didn’t comment. “Luna, are you alright?”

She nodded, and allowed Tinkertoy to pull her back into a standing position. “Good. Careful, now. You wouldn’t want to open up your stitches again. Can you walk?”

“Y…Yes. Thank thou, Tinkertoy.”

“You two lovebirds done? Good. Let’s go.” With that, the purple Mage led the Goddess and the Mechanical Colt down the stairs.