It's always been the solitude.
The reason why I don't utilize my gift to the fullest extent, as some ponies would say.
As she's pointed out, I could do anything. I could get away with anything.
But to what end?
Nopony would know I had done it, or even that it was done.
It would wash along with time, unnoticed and unappreciated.
Perhaps that is why I don't. Why I do nothing but that which fills my time and occupies me. For as nopony would like to admit, there is an underline reason we all aspire for greatness.
Recognition.
We all crave it, desire it, need it. To be recognized, to have another confirm that our existence has meaning. That we stand above the rest as someone, or something spectacular. We bloody our hooves and break our backs over a simple 'good job' or 'thank you'.
We desire to be more than accepted.
We desire to lead by example.
And in these gaps I lead.
In here I am the king of my own land.
With not a subject to lead.
So I let it come back to me, time, rushing like a whirlwind of energy and smile.
I smile at her, and she's smiling back.
"Can you take me with you?"
I blink. "You mean, into the gaps?"
"Yes."
"I...I don't know."
She grabs my hoof in hers and whispers
"Try."
So I focus. And she focuses. I focus just in the way I would to stop the world normally. And I can feel her. Feel her holding on while I try to break free from the stream. Into a gap. But it's harder. I have to hold onto the gap much tighter.
"You have to hold on tight..."
My eyes clench shut.
And I begin to pull.
At first all is quiet, as it normally is. Perfect silence. I crack open my eyes and begin to look around.
Sure enough all is still. Completely stopped. Existing within my picture in time
Until I feel something for the first time. Something new, something foreign
A movement within the gap.
Her hoof slowly unclasps mine and retracts to her body.
Her lips move, but no sound comes out, as if she's trying to speak
She turns to me, a look of amazement, of bewilderment in her eyes.
The sun still reflects off of them exactly the same. Glistening, like magic almost.
Her smile is radiant, and she opens her mouth to speak.
But not a sound escapes her.
All is quiet. Perfect silence.
Her eyes wander about the library, admiring as I do. Seeing as I do.
Understanding as I do.
The fleeting beauty in every second of time.
The beauty of a single jewel in a river of diamonds.
She walks towards the window, eyeing the particles of dust floating in the sunlight, before gently tapping one with her hoof. And slowly, it drifts away. She walks around some more, even peaking out windows to catch some of the truly more wondrous things.
A bird, suspended mid-flight.
A child's smile, frozen in time.
Even the simple clouds, resting, perfectly still.
She returns to me and sits down on the couch, but her eyes continue to wander, drinking in information. It truly is amazing how much detail there is here. And to think...
We're just in one little gap. What of the infinite number of others we have lost?
What of time itself?
How can we possibly hope to comprehend all the information being thrown at us with a new gap every passing moment, when it takes hours to properly see one?
How much information, emotion, feeling, and reality is lost in every passing second?
But it really isn't any of my concern, because here, I have all the time in the world.
We have all the time in the world.
And suddenly, it matters.
It matters that I have this gift, or this curse.
It matters that I can do what I do.
Because I can do this with somepony.
I can do this...
with her.
Her eyes meet mine once again, and her mouth opens to speak.
Yet I am greeted by silence.
She tries again, but once more, not a sound.
Then she simply smiles, as if she understands.
She understands the gaps.
She understands me.
She feels the stillness of the world.
And the stillness of my mind.
The peace.
The panic.
The fear.
The comfort.
The power.
The weakness.
She understands all of it. Every conflicting thought rushing through my head because of the absolute nothingness of it all.
But now, there is less nothing.
There's something.
There's her.
Once again, I am the king of my own land.
But now I have a queen.
Someone to face the tempest of time with, to be with, to fight alongside.
My wildest dreams and nightmares have been proven to me, have become reality, dancing in front of my very eyes.
At least for now.
But now is forever.
And now I am king.
King of my gaps.
King of my mind.
But not of her.
For now that we are here, and not just me, she can do whatever she wants.
And right now she wants to smile.
And this makes me want to smile.
Her hoof touches mine.
And mine touches hers.
Her eyes meet mine.
Mine meet hers.
And I do what I want most in the world.
And finally...
she does so back.
Well done.
A chapter beyond comparison, I am really looking forward to the next update.
please don't make us wait so long this time and keep up the good work!
Wow... that's deep. I like it!
You sir, have left me without words. This story's amazing!
This is back! YES! I love this story!
Great as always :D
Liked, favorited, shared, printed out on paper and posted on street corners and bus stops.
I love this! I think I'm going to feature it on my page. One little typo I think.
"Feel her holding on why I try to break free from the stream"
I feel like that "why" should be a "while".
Please update again soon!
This be some deeep shit, dude.
Like, you could make age old philosophers pause and wonder.
Keep it up.
~Skeeter The Lurker
yes! An update! So much win
A fine chapter, really pulled you into it.
Incredible. Simply amazing.
DEEP DEEPNESS WITHIN THE DEEP ABYSS OF FRIVOLITY AND MADNESS THAT BURST FROM THE SEAMS IN THE PIPES OF REALITY.
OR SOMETHING
Wow, it's back, and its great as ever! Please continue.
This story has captured my interest. Very good, sir, very good.
polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=63829334
I'm stunned. Like really bloody stunned.
Listened to this while reading until reaching M83 - Outro
I just want to say that I love this story.
3207079
But i shall answer nonetheless
Author said in descip:
I quoted the opening lines to the game "Prince of Persia: Sands Of Time"
In other words, my name is a fitting description for how time flows.
Well fuck. That was good. *Claps*
This story was absolutely wonderful. Interaction just seems so realistic between these two, and the thoughts as well. Great job!
You broke my damned feels...AGAIN.
I'm not cleaning that up just so you know, I hope you have a good lawyer, CUZ IMMA SUE
Time is not "Constant. Flowing. Unchanging. A river undamable, a force unstoppable." It's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff.
I love and hate you for this. It has been far too long since I read this, and I was nearly brought to tears at this chapter. I had forgotten how beautifully poetic this story is. Bloody hell...
Ever played TIMEframe?
It's basically this story turned into a game
I rally enjoy this story because of how the main character thinks. All the time in the world, yet it's no time at all. You can do anything you want, yet it wouldn't matter if no one knew you did it in the first place. He see's the world in a completely different way compared to everypony else, giving him the ability to see the whole world, do the most daring of feats, even do illegal shit, but his sense of morality also stops him from doing anything wrong and allowing to better himself. Instead, he draws, because he see's every stopped moment as a gap, a precious memory that he can record, then for it to be whisked away in literally no time at all.
That is why this is one of my absolute favorite stories. Hope to hear from you soon mate, because I gotta know how this ends.
It's short, and sweet, just the way I like it.
It's really great. You can feel... the Time... in this story. Great work, can't wait for moar!
The music served well for about minute, but, after that, I kind of felt like silence would have done a better job.
This is one of the deepest, most intricate, and most intensely felt story I've ever read. And this chapter is the deepest, most intricate, and most intensely felt chapter to this point. The song just gave me the chills. It climaxed as the narration climaxed and calmed when the narrative calmed and created some incredible imagery for me.
On the one hand, feels. On the other, an annoying little voice in my brain wouldn't shut up about why if air was frozen in time and couldn't vibrate, why was light still bouncing around?
Also, Clockwork? Nah. That doesn't describe his abilities.
More like...
Clockblocker!
This one is beautiful. Simply beautiful.
I love how your mind works on this.
reading something so fundamental is... inexplainably interesting. but of course, that's all the explanation you need, it accounts for all those words you don't have to describe something like this. at least i think. maybe i am just a deep thinker like clockwork sometimes.
That was... truly mind-bogglingly beautiful. The feeling of comfort with someone that truly understands who you are and what you can do for both yourself and others. This chapter is perfect, in both thought and action of the two characters. Your mind is like a maze, both predictable and unpredictable.
Disclosing feelings through such powerful words and ideas... I found it completely enticing. Well, onwards!