//------------------------------// // Clockworks // Story: Clockwork Wings // by Aphotic //------------------------------// (Corkscrew) I  awoke on the part littered ground of my shop. My body, apparently disagreeing with my sleeping options, screamed at me as I adjusted. I braced my legs underneath me and rose from my spot. My neck was chaffed, stiff, and contesting every attempt I made to crack it. My back followed suit and fought every movement I made to loosen up. I sighed as I walked outside to check the rain troth. It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining, the bird’s singing, and the dew was finally settling. I took in a deep breath, letting the cool air flood my muscles. They withheld their grip and loosened up enough for me to properly stretch. I soon finished my routines and went to inspect the troth. It was full of fresh rain water, about enough to last a week I figured. After I finished inspecting the troth I trotted back into the shop to finish the wings. "Food can wait," I thought to myself as I planted myself upon my stool. I turned on the mechanism again to see if it was still functioning properly. I watched intently as the gears clicked rhythmically, how the wing rod’s fluttered, and how the crystal shot sparks throughout it. I smiled in agreement with how the machine was working. "Magnificent, just magnificent. The crystal, gears, and rods all seem to be working perfectly! Hmm, what now? Ah, I know!" I said joyfully running over to the other side of the hangar. The gears on my back ticked as my wings sprung to life. I soon became weightless, gracefully flying through the aperture in my roof. I felt like I could reach the sky, but the thought of it made my heart become callous. I stopped myself and landed quietly on the rusted roof. I walked over to a pile of old parts from a steam ship I salvaged. It was a class 2 frigate that was mainly used as troop transport so there was a lot of food and parts. I diligently looked through the pile and found a piece of old body armor. It was silver, possibly a captain’s suit, and it had an eagle cut into its chest. "Perfect!" I yelled in excitement of the find. I grabbed the armor with my mouth and ran back through the whole. I shot like a ball of fire back to my desk, landing with such force that I left indents in the grounds. My legs buckled under the pressure and my wings convulsed for a moment. I grunted and shook my legs out to return the feeling before I continued to work. I carried the bulky metal armor over to the fire I started a day back. Red eyes stared at me through black ash as I got closer to the fire pit. I got up next to it, cocked my neck back and threw the armor into the fire. I grunted stressfully as I was throwing the armor into the burning ashes. Sparks shot from the area of impact. My eyes sparkled as I watched the delicate sparks float wistfully away with the wind. I let the armor remain in the pit as I hobbled back to my bench. My legs still battered a little from my "fireball" moment. I continued work bench, watching Fluttershy as she slept. She remained still in her peaceful slumber for she was unbound from her torment for now. I sat at my workbench and grabbed my tools before working. I pulled some silk out of an old dispensary unit I refurbished. It used to dispense food packets, but now it cuts silk for me in my decrepit hangar. I pulled a few feet of silk from the dispenser, working it slowly so it wouldn't tear. I set the delicate fabric onto the bench to start measuring. I grabbed some measuring rope from the drawer and placed it onto the silk. I counted out "1, 2, 3, 4...." as I marked the silk. Sweat speckled my brow as I concentrated. I wanted it to be a perfect fit with the rods on the machine. A little loose but enough left over to become more constricted. The silk made a subtle hissing noise as the blade cut through the fine fibers with an old URCF knife. The sharpened blade effortlessly followed the pencil marks on the silk. I stopped every so often to inspect my own work, looking for any imperfections. The silk was cut to perfection and should slide perfectly into the slots in the rods.  "Now comes the hard part," I said sliding the silk into the slots. I cautiously motioned it into the slots, praying it wouldn’t tear as I did. "It's good! The cr….nobody bucking cares but me!" I screamed upon completion. Fluttershy began to shift in her bed from the noise. I slammed a hoof on my mouth to muffle myself so she wouldn't wake up. I chuckled under my breath, finding humor in my own indulgences. Soon I settled and grabbed a screwdriver to tighten the screws along the rods. The screws squeaked painfully as I jerked them into the rods. Soon the rods were firmly gripping the silk, pulling it tighter until the wrinkles had vanished. I inspected the wings while pulling a bit out of my side pouch. I tossed it at the wings as a simple test. it shot back at me and landed on my lap. "Almost done!" I said smiling to myself as I reached down and touched the animator crystal. I gingerly rubbed the crystal, watching as life once again fired throughout the machine. The gears ticked rapidly as the wings sprung from their rest. The wings flapped forcefully causing a massive down force. The chassis carried me to the roof of the hangar before I shut it off. I figured that if it could carry my fat flank it would have no trouble with Fluttershy. I dropped with the machine, flapping my wings fleetly to prevent a heavy impact. The machine landed, as if in a whisper, on the bench. I rubbed my head airily to remove the beads of sweat. Smiling with glee, I began to walk out to the fire pit.  “Let’s get this done!” I thought to myself as I stirred into a steady gallop. Wind shot through my hair and my wings fluttered with glee as I quickly approached the pit. I slid to a stop next to the fire place, causing dust to rise from my trail. I stood up, shook my flank off and looked into the fire. The red hue of the pit was a calming sight as I reached for the balmy tongs. I used the tongs to reach into the black void of the pit. Sparks fired from the opening as I reached in further. My face and front legs burned from the intensity of the heat as the armor slowly rose out. It was glowing a vibrant red as the wind kissed it. I hissed in pain as the heat from the armor flooded through the tongs. I turned around and harshly slammed the armor onto an anvil.  I jump around rasping as my tongue burned. I slowly regained my composure with little grace before mending the metal.  I watched the metal light the surrounding area as the heat expelled from the steel platings. I reached into a water troth and pulled out a metal hammer. I reared my head up and slammed the hammer into the metal. It hissed as water droplets flew off it and onto the blistering metal. I continued this motion in the same area for a few minutes. “Celestia, please let this be quick,” I said praying as I moved to another part. I worked like a colt out of hell when it came to metal. The heat both bringing me closer and scornfully pushing me away. I worked the metal far into the day, watching as the moon slowly glimpsed over the horizon. I soon completed mending the metal armor and tossed it hatefully into the water. It screamed as it’s fire was quenched in purifying water. I waited a while for the bubbles to stop rising from the armor before grabbing it. I submerged my head into the warmed water and pulled the metal from it. I shook my head relatively dry before rushing back to the hangar. A feeling of intoxication came over me as I rushed back. The thought of finishing a project brought joy to my sunken heart. I quickly reached the hangar, hitting the turn to the work bench hard. My hooves kicked up dust as they coasted over the dirt. I slid at my desk with to much momentum to stop. I braced myself for the coming hit, tensing my frontward shoulders. I slammed into the desk and the metal shot out of my mouth onto the machine. My head hit the ground with such force it bounced a little. I laid on the ground dazed and disorderly as my head ached. It felt like I was thrown through the clouds again. I rubbed my head gently as I rose from the dusted ground. I peeked over the table top and saw the glimmering chassis resting perfectly atop the machine. I smiled in excitement, kicking a hoof into the air as I fell back towards the ground.  “Thank Celestia it’s done!” I said to myself as I laid on the ground. I was exhausted from the tedious day of work now behind me. I snuggled up in the dirt and drifted away, letting the cold touch of night follow me.