Acceptance
Twilight jolts at my sudden disappearance, before looking about to discover I had only moved within the room and was now accompanied by her young dragon.
"Clockwork, where...what just happened?" She asks, trying to keep up within the normal flow of time.
"Oh Twilight it was so cool! Clockwork just appeared out of nowhere and was suddenly like 'take my hoof if you want to live', so I did, and suddenly everything got all still and quiet, and you weren't moving and you couldn't see me and Clockwork told me he froze time and now my paper cut's all better, see?" He enthusiastically just forward his thumb for Twilight to inspect.
The cut, much to my own disbelief, was now completely invisible, and the effects of my change in flesh were seemingly reversed. Twilight eyes the cut before patting her dragon on the head before speaking, "That's nice, Spike. Why don't you go back upstairs and keep reading that book I recommended. I have to ask Clockwork a few questions."
"Aww.." is the only response the young one can seem to manage before begrudgingly trudging back upstairs.
Twilight watches him go, before turning back to me with a mixture of confusion and relief.
"Clockwork, what just happened? What did you just do?"
I sigh, this would certainly not be easy to explain, for even as I was the only pony to know myself deeply, even I was at a loss for answers.
"When Spike's paper cut wouldn't stop bleeding, I realized something. Much of the extent of my abilities is still unknown to me, and the implications they hold may be far more serious than I could have ever predicted."
Twilight raises an eyebrow, "Such as..?"
"From what I can gather, time is constantly working as a force of change within our world. When I changed something outside of its realm, it was almost like it couldn't recognize it. It wasn't a change of time, so it was rejected."
"Meaning?"
"The cut existed outside the normal flow of time. Our world didn't seem to be able to tell anything had changed, so it didn't know how to, well, fix it."
"So when time should have healed Spike's wound..."
"Not only could his body not recognize the wound, all of time couldn't. It would stay just the way it was, as far as I can tell, forever."
"So..." Twilight gasps as she realizes the implications and weight this withholds, "Spike would have bled out! He would have died from that tiny little paper cut!"
"Precisely."
"That explains why you were so concerned, but how did you heal it? And for that matter, how did I or Spike recognize it was there?"
"I'm afraid that by pulling you into this gap, and changing Spike's body outside the flow of time, I may have...tainted you, in a way. That which bound you so closely to the flow of time has been weakened by my interference. You've both existed outside of time, in a way."
"Does that mean..?"
"I believe so. Everything I change within my gaps becomes slightly detached from the flow of time." I hang my head low. The consequences of such changes stood so fierce now. My decisions were, and are, essentially eternal. While I may always open new gaps to try and 'fix' what is broken, after my passing, I will leave this world forever changed. Not only that, but the ponies and others I had so recklessly involved would now be, if only slightly, altered.
Twilight sits quietly, pondering this for a moment, whilst pressing a hoof to her chin.
"I can see now why you are so hesitant to do anything of significance within the gap. It's dangerous."
I nod.
"But Spike's cut healed within the gap didn't it? So the changes you make are not irreversible." She offers hopefully.
"I'm still not entirely sure how it works. Spikes wound healed within the gap, but not naturally. It was almost instantaneous." I reply, equally confused.
"That is peculiar," Twilight mused, "What of your drawings? Or the books you've read? Will they become timeless? Never deteriorating or rotting away?"
"Perhaps...I'm not sure. I haven't been alive long enough to see how inanimate objects are effected in the normal flow of time." I reply. It would not be so bad if these changes remained forever, to leave a legacy of the gaps which only I seem to have known upon this world, like ancient footprints, fossilized and preserved.
But even so, as much heartache as change may bring us, it must come and go for the world to progress, and I have little doubt that with enough time, the things I have left eternal will become drivel.
"I see." She replies, "Clockwork...what does this mean? I mean, if I'm detached from time..."
"Unfortunately, Twilight, this is another question I can't answer. I simply don't know."
"I guess time will tell." She offered.
"I guess so..."
"Also, I've been meaning to ask you something..."
"Yes, Twilight?"
She looks nervous, blushing suddenly,
"About our...um...about our kiss." She rubs her foreleg with her opposite hoof, while looking down at the floorboards.
I swallowed hard, "Yes?"
Why was she nervous? Was she ashamed? Regretful?
"I don't know why, but it felt so right to kiss you, then and there." I breathe a heavy sigh of relief, "Like, it was just the right moment..."
I clear my throat, "I know how you feel, I too felt this way."
"I barely knew you, and yet..."
"You felt something words can't quite describe." I finish. Somehow, just through her eyes I could see what it was she felt, and I knew the feeling well, for it resided within me the same.
"Yes, exactly...and...and I still feel that way now."
"The feeling has not left me either." I smile.
"Does that mean...that I'll feel like this forever? I can't explain it, but somehow, the moment you opened that door, I knew my life would be changed forever." She looks up, meeting my eyes.
I stare for a while, but look away with a sigh, "I cannot say, Twilight."
"But if it stays with me, it'll stay with you, right?" She asks, almost frantic
I turn back to her and smile, "I would think so."
I promptly receive the second kiss of my life.
"I think...I think I'm okay with that."
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… what? Twilight… how do you shift the topic in a conversation so quickly? Seriously, that was a good chapter, as usual, but that was the one thing that bugged me. I mean, c'mon. If some dude I just met told me I've been detached from the flow of time itself, I'd be at least a little freaked out. I mean, what could this mean? I age slower? Faster? Not at all? Backwards, even? Show a little bit of care for the fact that you've practically broken the laws of physics… the Newtonian police might come and arrest you.
Other than that, I really didn't see any problems.
Well said, Twilight.
Out of curiosity, what if he flipped a switch? Would that switch remain eternally on? What if he moved someone's leg up a bit? Would they be unable to move their leg ever again?
This is still good. I don't regret mistaking this for the other Clockwork. :mustache: (I don't know how I did. I just did. DON'T BLAME ME! BLAME MY COMMON SENSE!
)
I also noticed, when this gets featured, it's an update that I never see until it's featured.
More mustaches for you.
4134622
With the leg, Clockwork would have to interact with them, so they would be loosened from the bonds of time themselves, and thus, would be able to recognize the change, so they would be able to change it back themselves, just not eternally like Clockwork.
That was a glaring error on my part. Fixed.
And to answer your question, no not exactly. It's just nopony would recognize the switch was flipped if he hadn't interacted with them. So the next time they went to flip the switch, it would suddenly be inexplicably backwards. This is why the light switches in some buildings are reversed for some reason, accept it as fact
4134844 Oh, I see. So it would still be possible to interact with it, but it would be unnoticeable?
I am very ok with twilight loving this guy. This story makes it feel so righteous to me.
Well, no, now that I think about it... It's all very complicated, Clockwork, who's had this ability most of his life, is still unsure of the parameters, and honestly, so am I. I suppose a more accurate account of what would happen would be that everypony would be able to recognize the light switch being turned off or on, and their leg being moved, and change it back, as these are not changes to the itmes itself, but more it's position. So if he moved somepony, they would certainly notice, and be able to move. I suppose more accurately would be that the changes that stand eternal would be the ones influenced by time alone, not other ponies, such as wounds healing or emotions fading. I'm the author, and I don't know.
4134955
What about magic? Say that he brought Twilight into the gap with some sort of experiment and it needs power to run. Well if she powered it, it's techically (I think) on a timer I.E when the magic runs out. So if she made a reservoir and powers it with that and brings it back would it be an eternal power source since time wouldn't notice it continuously drain away or would it just react normally and run out of power?
4134844 Wait... so what if instead of "time" stopping for the gaps, it's instead pausing time in "equestria" and starting time in this "alternate realm", and then time in the alternate realm is paused when he switches back to equestrian time? So like two worlds in tandem. This would explain the permanence of his changes in equestrian time but they're normal decay resuming when he jumps into a gap.
4135115
Well if we're examining magic as a fuel source, we can assume the magic is what is being converted into some form of energy. Since the magic was created outside of time, it cannot be altered within time, thus, the conversion could not take place, and the conversion machine would shut down. However, for Clockwork to "bring" something into the gap, it has to not only be sentient, but at least vaguely aware of what Clockwork was doing, thus he could never pull an unconscious or unaware pony into the gap, as they have to "hold on" to him.
4135226
They don't decay though. He never ages within the gap, as he explains. He cannot bring inanimate or even unconscious objects into the gap with him, only change them outside of time, thus the object itself does not exist outside of time, only the change does, and only changes which are naturally reversed by the flow of time.
4135284
I see. Well what if she made say a small little windmill thing to provide a little bit of electricity and powered something with it. Since the energy was made in the gap but the components in time does that mean that the energy would dissipate and be controlled by time? Or since the energy was made in the gap does that mean its indefinite or at least frozen?
Also I feel like I am reading way too much into this, but I usually do when I read a good story that makes me think. Which is rare sometimes on this site.
4134955
So far I've been wondering one thing. What would happen if Clockwork leaves somepony behind within a gap? What happens to said pony?
4135371 he cant, its imposible. if he left somepony there, to them the universe will never move again. but for the outsiders time would still flow causing a paradox
4135894
Yet it all depends on one's perception. Every time Clockwork stops time his perspective is that the universe stopped, we can't assume that his perspective is the absolute singular perspective when it comes to stopping time as we saw that he can bring others into the Gaps.
I would also not call it a paradox since it is also a similar situation as someone falling into a blackhole. To the person observing it would seem like the one falling fell in an instant, while the one falling would see that time stopped for the observer. Since gravity slows down time and a blackhole essentially has a G-scale of infinity it is a very real life example of what would happen when Clockwork leaves someone in a Gap. Also, I think that our physical laws can take a break in the MLPverse since it has magic while our's doesn't
*sniff* Beautiful. Truly beautiful. (Liquid Pride)
4135315 ahhh you smart bastard, I forgot that he didn't age
Yup you just earned yourself another follower I'm loving this fic.
The d'awww is strong in this one
I love the philosophical aspect of this story, adds a great deal of depth that even professional writers can't handle putting into their own works. The consequences and mystery behind the power Clockwork has is also very, very intriguing. In the words of Rainbow dash, "So Awesome."
THE PHILOSOPHY. IT BURNS.
No, but seriously, this story is amazing! Really! I love it very much, and I'm happy it's doing so successful.
On that note, how is it that you manage to make this so thought-provoking?
Is someone majoring in philosophy?
4154799
but I am an avid reader of Nietzsche and Foucault. If your haven't read their works, I highly recommend them.
Psychology, actually
4155421
Ah, of course. Something about the brain and such.
Still, wonderful story!