//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Time alone 
// Story: Light in the Darkest hour: Revamped 
// by DerpyEngi and Redd 
//------------------------------//

Alone. First time in a while I’d been alone, it felt like ages had passed. No noise, no movement, everything still and the only company was the sound of my own thoughts, aside from Starswirl’s constant humming.


I was in Starswirl’s lab, which at the time I knew it as the room with wooden contraptions everywhere. He had been examining me for quite some time, going about it quietly which was somehow unnerving and calming at the same time, he poked me with various rods and was looking at me with many odd contraptions, lifting me up with his magic and much more.


This gave me time to think about various things like, 'What are these wooden contraptions?' And 'How is it that they can lift me without touching me?' And finally the most important one, 'Why am I here? Why don't I just leave? Why did I turn around when they released me?' I never thought about this, I never had the time but now when I thought about it I did want to leave, I did want to be free but a part of also wanted to stay I didn't want to just abandon Philly, or I guess it was more I didn't want to be alone.


As I continued to think Starswirl seemed to stop examining me and started working on the wooden contraption next to me.


I continued thinking, ignoring Starswirl’s loud hammering. I thought about the first time I was alone, I didn't think much of it I didn't know better I guess but now, the thought of just being outside with no one? It scared me more than anything really. 'But what if the angry one throws me out? what if I make a mistake and they have to get rid of me?' all these things and more started flowing through my head like a tsunami of anxiety.


But just as I was about to panic, I heard a strange noise coming from Starswirl’s direction. I looked over to see him cranking up the contraption, a giant wheel with tiny pricks poking out of it at seemingly random spots began to turn and a bunch of small round marbles began to move upwards into a sort of dispenser. Shortly after that, Starswirl pressed a lever and a melody began to emit from the contraption a soothing melody which was soon contaminated with the sound of laughter from Starswirl as he began cheering.


My panicked thoughts were now replaced with curiosity for the machine before me. I looked it over and noticed that the marbles were falling down on some sort of metal plates at the bottom which created the melody. Starswirl seemed ecstatic and left the room in a hurry, leaving me in the room alone with the machine and it's calming melody, I closed my eyes and rocked my head back and forth while listening.


Some time later Starswirl returned with the company of everyone I had met except the angry one, I opened my eyes and looked over to them Philomena rushing over to my side, landed then gave me a nudge on the shoulder. "Enjoying yourself?"


I only nodded. 'Maybe it won't be so bad' I thought to myself before closing my eyes again listening to the music the machine created.