//------------------------------// // Party time // Story: Brown Note: An Off-Color Love Story // by Starlitomega //------------------------------// For the next week before her promised party, Clockwork turned her attention to the cartload of books she had fetched from her mother’s house. Of course, Twilight stopped by a few times, asking to borrow a book or two she hadn’t yet read. In turn, Clockwork borrowed a couple books from Twilight as well, hoping they might prepare her for the upcoming event. Having never been to a party, Clockwork made sure to read up on the etiquette involved with attending one. While there were conflicting reports about what she could expect, the one thing she did garner was that a polite guest should bring something of their own to the party. Being the kind of procrastinator she was, she didn’t exactly have time to whip up something homemade. A quick trip to the store allowed her to score several bags of chips, some dip, and candy from a nearby shop. The books assured her these items would fit a party well, and maybe ingratiate herself to the host a bit more. Of course, she knew that wasn’t necessary as Pinkie Pie seemed like the kind of pony that other ponies would have to go out of their way to anger. Once again, as she found herself doing far too frequently as of late, Clockwork trotted toward Sugarcube Corner. Not content with just being a bakery, the store apparently also moonlighted as a party venue—which, if the flashing lights in the window were any indication, was already in full swing. I wonder if there’ll be dancing. I haven’t danced before. Oh Celestia, I hope they aren’t expecting me to dance! Swallowing her dance-related fears, Clockwork approached the door. Some sort of cloth had been draped over the glass, probably to keep the light inside. Should I knock? Do ponies knock at parties? The music from the other side of the door seemed loud enough to drown out any sort of noise she could hope to create with her hooves. Still, she rapped on the door five times, a little harder than she might otherwise. Taking a seat on the front step, she pondered if she had been loud enough. Raising her hoof once more, she was about to bring it down when the door flew open revealing a now-familiar pink pony. Pinkie stared quizzically at Clockwork for a moment until her smile returned. “Is that you knocking? You don’t need to knock, it’s a party! Come on in!” Flashing a brilliant smile, Pinkie put a hoof behind Clockwork and pushed her inside the bakery. Oh. Ohhhhh… ohhhhhh noooooo… The parties Clockwork had studied in her books mostly referred to small get-togethers and birthday parties amongst groups of tightly knit friends. What exactly was transpiring in front of her was nothing like she’d imagined. The only remaining evidence that this establishment was a bakery to begin with was the huge counter and double doors leading into the kitchen. All of the tables, chairs, and decorations were moved strategically to form long tables for refreshments along the left side of the lobby. Along the right was a dance floor, where at least twenty ponies were busy looking like they were on the last stride to a grand mal seizure. In the middle, ponies milled about. All of the talking, shouting, and cheering hit a fever pitch that made Clockwork uneasy. “Hey everypony! Look who’s here!” Pinkie shouted, pushing Clockwork further inside. “It’s the guest of honor: Clockwork!” In one announcement, Clockwork traversed the entirety of ‘uneasy’ and found herself squarely in the realm of ‘beyond terrified’. Ponies all over the bakery—at least fifty of them—all craned their necks to look at her. This is how I die. A cacophony of greetings hit Clockwork all at once. She would be hard-pressed to pull out even a single word from the mishmash thrown at her. The majority of the partygoers returned to their own activities, but a few gave their own greetings before returning to the throng of ponies. “So, whaddya wanna do?” Pinkie asked, her smile nearly splitting her face in half. Clockwork managed to pull the snacks she brought out of her saddlebags and pushed them toward Pinkie, like an offering to some ancient goddess. “Oh, yummy! You brought more food! I’ll put this out for everypony. Don’t go running off now!” Taking the snacks in her hooves, Pinkie ambled off on her hind legs like an inebriated moose wearing pants. Time to run off! Darting from her spot near the front door, Clockwork skirted around the crowd of ponies, careful not to be seen. While trying to find some corner to hide, she saw a fluffy pink tail bobbing over the top of the crowd. She’s coming back! Glancing around frantically, Clockwork saw only one chance to escape. She dove for the nearest table, her stomach sliding across the freshly-waxed floor. “Oh, ummm, hello there.” Clockwork’s eyes bulged. Looking beside her, she saw a familiar yellow pegasus with a pink mane taking refuge under the very same table. “Hi, Fluttershy. Fancy meeting you here… underneath the table.” Fluttershy pulled her head back a little, her mane covering one side of her face. “I get sort of nervous in crowds...” Well, with a name like Fluttershy, it was sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. “What about you? Why are you hiding?” A blush spread across Clockwork’s features. “I’ve… I’ve never been to a party before. I thought there’d only be a few ponies, not half the town!” “I love Pinkie’s small parties,” Fluttershy said, her eyes growing wistful. “When it’s just Twilight and the others, we have so much fun. When she invites everyone, I usually hide until the inevitable.” Clockwork cocked an eyebrow. “The inevitable?” “Has anypony seen Clockwork or Fluttershy?” Pinkie called out. Fluttershy squeaked and scooted behind Clockwork. “Hide me!” Four pink hooves moved toward the table ominously. Clockwork gulped as one flipped up the tablecloth, revealing an annoyed Pinkie Pie. She turned her head and shouted into the crowd. “Ugh, Twilight! We got another shy one? I think your friendship-finding powers need to be calibrated!” Turning back to the two cowering ponies, Pinkie’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, you two, the party’s out here. Stop being a bunch of scaredy ponies.” Looking around nervously, Clockwork decided to improvise. “Oh yeah? Well, the party under here is pretty nice too. Right, Fluttershy?” The pegasus looked around in confusion for a moment. “Oh, uhh… yes! It’s lovely under here. That’s why we like it so much.” Pinkie’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’s why you two are under the table? Maybe I should give it a chance!” Clockwork and Fluttershy exchanged nervous glances as Pinkie dove under the table to join them. Lying down on her belly alongside her tablemates, the pink mare stared out from beneath the tablecloth. “Sooo, now what do we do?” “We can… count the other ponies at the party,” Clockwork said. “Yes,” Fluttershy agreed. “Or, we can play I Spy.” Pinkie scrunched her nose in confusion. “Girls, we can do that out there.” “It’s more mysterious down here! No one can see us, but we can see them. It’s like we’re cats, spying on our prey!” Clockwork explained. Luckily, this seemed to please Pinkie. Like a house cat ready to pounce on its next victim, Pinkie’s tail started swishing left to right in a deliberate manner. Clockwork and Fluttershy shared a victorious smile as their plan seemed to go off without a hitch. Alas, it was not meant to be. A purple aura engulfed all three ponies and yanked them from their shelter. Hovering in mid air, Clockwork and Fluttershy smiled nervously at their assailant, while Pinkie simply continued to smile at nothing. “No hiding under the tables tonight,” Twilight said with a firm tone. She lowered the three ponies to the ground gently, which in Pinkie’s case, elicited a mysterious honk. “Fluttershy, darling. Yoo-hoo!” Above the din of the music, a ladylike voice hit the pegasus’ ears. Pushing her way through the crowd in a civil manner, Rarity finally caught up with Fluttershy. “Darling, I’ve been looking all over for you. There’s somepony I’d like you to meet, oh and you simply must have one of these scones I brought. They’re to die for!” Fluttershy gave an awkward wave as she was pulled away by Rarity looking for all the world she might die, scones or not. Pinkie stood up and bounced toward the other side of the room. “All that stalking made me hungry. I think I’ve earned a cupcake or ten.” This left Clockwork to sit there awkwardly. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do with herself at a party, and she was afraid to move, lest she find out. All she really wanted to do was go home where she didn’t have to feel, well, anything. “I uhh, I’m sorry. I’m not used to being around so many ponies. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing here. Maybe I should go,” Clockwork said, turning to the door. “Wait! Don’t go,” Twilight pleaded. In that voice was a tone somewhere between sadness and desperation. It was enough to give Clockwork pause, her front right hoof hovering in mid-air. A pit of guilt opened in her heart, begging her to hear Twilight out. It won’t kill you to stay a little longer. Besides, what are you in a hurry to go home to? Another night alone? Swallowing her nervousness, Clockwork turned around. “Okay… but I still don’t know what I should do.” “Just... have fun! Let’s see, we can…” Twilight’s eyes danced across the room. “Bob for apples!” Clockwork narrowed her eyes. “Oh, right. The mask. We could-” At that moment, a new song started and ponies flocked to the dance floor. “We can dance!” Twilight announced cheerfully. My one weakness! “I don’t know how to dance!” Clockwork blurted out. “I guessed as much, that’s why I’ll teach you,” Twilight said with beaming smile. Suddenly, Cockwork wished she was as good at coming up with excuses as her mom made her out to be. At the moment, all she could focus on was the smiling mare in front of her, unaware of how Clockwork wished to crush her dream. One look at the excited alicorn made this completely and utterly impossible. Her eyes just danced too much, her smile was simply too wide, and she was just plain adorable. “Oh, all right. I guess it can’t hurt,” the earth pony relented with a sigh. Twilight hopped in place, her wings allowing her a few more moments in the air. “Yes! This’ll be fun! You’ll see!” Trotting over to the dance floor, Twilight found a small section on the edge of the crowd with just enough room for them to dance without bothering anyone. Putting her hoof on Clockwork’s side, she moved her into place. “Okay, stay there.” Clockwork nodded and waited patiently as Twilight walked a couple paces away, then turned around to face her. “Now what?” Clearing her throat, Twilight adopted an authoritative tone. “Okay. What you need to do is identify the meter in the song. Listen carefully: Boom, boom, boom, boom. Now listen again. One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. Do you hear it? It’s in common time!” Clockwork’s ears twitched. In the song, she heard the pulse Twilight was counting along to. “I… do.” The alicorn’s smile brightened. “Great! Now that you have the beat of the song, you just need the steps. Follow my hooves.” Stepping forward, Twilight started her counting once again. “One, two, three, four… and now back.” Twilight swayed her hips as she stepped backwards to the beat. “One, two, three, four. Now you try.” The song echoed in Clockwork’s head, as did Twilight’s counting. Bobbing her head to the beat, she waited for the right moment to start, just like crossing traffic in Canterlot. “One, two, three, four.” Abruptly, she halted in place and then started walking backwards. “One, two, three, fo—oof!” Realizing what had just happened, Clockwork spun around to check on the pony her flank had just collided with. “Omigosh, I’m so sorry!” The other pony, a mint green unicorn, waved off the bump with a smile. “It’s no biggie! I know how it goes! Hey! I saw you at Bonnie’s shop buying candy earlier!” A cream colored mare with a two-tone mane poked her head around the unicorn’s. “Hi there! Didn’t expect to see you here at the party. My name is Bon-bon, and this is my marefriend, Lyra.” “Nice to meetcha!” The green unicorn said. She turned to her partner. “Looks like Twilight’s teaching her to dance.” Bon-bon laughed. “Don’t think too much about it and it gets easier to do, just follow your partner’s lead.” With a nod, Clockwork turned back to Twilight with a brave smile. “R-right. Thank you, I’ll take that to heart.” Twilight clapped her hooves happily. “See? You’re meeting all sorts of new ponies. Aren’t you glad you came?” “Twiliiiight. I feel dumb doing this,” Clockwork whined as she stared at her hooves. “You’re just not used to being in crowds,” Twilight reassured her. “Look, you’re comfortable being around me, right?” Clockwork nodded slowly, her eyes still downcast. A breath caught in her throat as Twilight’s hoof touched her chin until their eyes met. “Then just stare at me. Nopony else here matters but us. Got it?” While it was true that Clockwork was only even trying this to keep from looking like a hermit, something else made her want to stay. The smile on Twilight’s lips, the happy energy she was radiating… it was far stronger motivation than she would have imagined. “Okay. I’ll give it another shot.” The brightness of Twilight’s smile alone made her glad she chose to stay. “Alright. When you’re ready, give it another go, and don’t look at your hooves. Just go for it.” One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Clockwork managed to pull off the steps perfectly while keeping her eyes on the alicorn in front of her. “Excellent! Well done! I knew you could do it!” Twilight cheered. “Now that you have those steps down, we’ll move to the second part.” Taking each song one by one, Twilight taught Clockwork how to dance as Pinkie had shown her before. Several songs in, another song started playing, one with a slower tempo. The lights in Sugarcube Corner dimmed, and several of the ponies on the dance floor retreated, save for a few couples. Twilight’s brow furrowed. “Oooh, I don’t have much experience dancing to songs like this, but I think I remember how from my brother’s wedding. Cadence taught me this one. Here.” Reaching out to Clockwork, she pulled the earth pony close and put her head against Clockwork’s neck. “Uhh, Twilight?” “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Just lean your head against my neck and we’ll start slow.” Feeling Twilight’s muzzle touching her neck caused a crimson stain to grace Clockwork’s cheeks. Does this crazy pony even know what kind of song this is? “C’mon, Clockwork. If we wait too long, the song will be over, and you won’t know what to do next time,” Twilight complained. Oh Celestia, here goes nothing. Leaning her head against Twilight's neck, she let its weight fall upon her partner. “Okay, now this dance should be fairly easy, but it will take cooperation,” Twilight explained. “I’ll move left, and you move right. We’ll do this slowly so we can both keep up. Like this.” Lifting her front and rear left hooves, Twilight moved them over about half a foot and planted them on the ground. “And now you.” Having her head buried in Twilight’s neck distracted Clockwork for a number of reasons, so it was no surprise that her movement was shaky. Still, she managed to place her right hooves firmly on the ground. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall. And now, we move our other hooves to match.” With a graceful sway, Twilight’s right hooves shifted close to her left hooves. “Aaaaand, you.” This time, Clockwork’s footing was a bit more sure. She had no trouble in following Twilight’s movements until they were both in their original position, only now to the left of their starting place. Pulling her head up for a moment, Twilight beamed. ”Great job! Now, this time, we’ll move in another direction as well. I’ll lead, you follow. Okay?” Giving a nod, Clockwork barely had time to compose herself before Twilight leaned into her neck. Once again, Twilight shifted her hooves, but this time she moved slightly in another direction. Leaning against the alicorn, Clockwork found it easy to follow Twilight’s hoofsteps, even though they were taking them in a new direction. It was all going so very well… until Clockwork noticed the stares. Some ponies were staring in disbelief, while others were making doe-eyed grins. “Uhh, Twilight, I don’t think we sh—” “Just relax, Clockwork,” Twilight interrupted. “Ponies tell me this dance is better when you don’t think about it too much. Maybe some small talk would help. Did you get all your books sorted and put up?” Biting the inside of her cheek, Clockwork ignored the gawking ponies around them. “Yes, but it took me like three days to even make much progress. I think I unloaded a box and then just started reading one of the books.” A giggle found it’s way out through Twilight’s lips. “You know, your mother was right about you. You have to have someone sort books with you or you’ll never get it done.” “Heh, heh… yeah. It’s kind of a problem,” Clockwork admitted. “You know, I could stop by and help if you’d like. I’m never too busy… unless the map calls me somewhere… or a monster starts rampaging through Ponyville... or Applejack overworks herself again…” Clockwork let out a laugh of her own. “Hah! It’s a wonder your library is in such good shape. What’s your secret?” “I’m just really meticulous when it comes to books. That’s all.” “Mmhmm. Sure.” Silence crept in between them. “Okay, fine. Spike helps me out with the library. Happy?” “Hah! I knew it! There’s no way somepony as busy as you could keep a library looking that good without help. There’s just one thing I’m not clear on. How did a pony like you end up with a dragon anyway?” A contented sigh slipped through Twilight’s lips. “My mother pulled some strings and set me up with an entrance exam to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. An egg was brought into the room. I was told to hatch it.” “Really? You have to hatch a dragon to join Celestia’s school?” “Not usually. The pony who set up the exam wasn’t happy about the way I was chosen. She accused my father of pulling strings to get me to the entrance exam. Most of the time, prospective students are told to levitate heavy objects, or display fine control of their skills. They didn’t want me to be admitted, so I was forced to hatch a dragon egg.” “Is that hard to do?” Clockwork asked. “Very. My magic spiked after a… shall we say, incident? I lost control and blasted not only my parents and the faculty, but the baby dragon, too. He kinda grew to about one hundred feet and destroyed the ceiling.” “Is… is that a pass?” Twilight laughed, her hot breath clinging to Clockwork’s mane. “Not exactly. Princess Celestia returned everything to normal and reigned my power back in. My admittance was a… necessary case. Letting a unicorn with that sort of power go unchecked is a danger to all of Equestria.” A pregnant pause fell between the two ponies. Sometimes Clockwork had a nasty habit of pulling on strings she shouldn’t. However, at this point, she doubted there was much left she could do to make Twilight angry at her. “You say that as if the unicorn you’re talking about wasn’t you.” Twilight sighed. “You don’t know what it’s like to realize that you have incredible power. It might sound amazing, but if you slip up, if you lose control, it could spell disaster for those around you. As thrilled as my parents were about me being accepted into Celestia’s school, that exam frightened them. That night, when I woke up to get a glass of water, I heard them talking about me. They were frightened.” An uneasy feeling washed over Clockwork. “No… your parents… did they abandon you?” Twilight gasped. “Oh, no no no! Nothing like that. They were scared at first, sure, but they saw how much I wanted to learn about my magic and bring it under control. They were there for me every step of the way.” Everything about Twilight sounded like something out of a fairytale. A down-to-earth unicorn with nothing more than her own strength and a loving family rising to the status of Princess. Clockwork couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. Every time she saw a father hug his foal, or a brother and his sister playing, she wondered why that couldn’t be her. Why did her life have to take those horrible left turns? So it was that she raised her head and stared wistfully at the far end of the wall. Except, something else caught her gaze. Several ponies were staring at Clockwork and her dance partner. A few of her friends that stood by the refreshments table were whispering and smiling. Pinkie Pie even gave her a suggestive wink, which caused the earth pony to freeze in place. “Clockwork, why did you stop?” “I think we should call it quits on this dance. Maybe for the rest of the night, even.” Twilight pulled away from Clockwork’s neck and let out a haughty huff. “Are you still worried about everypony else. Look, just focus on you—” “Twilight, we’re slow dancing!” The outburst was enough to make the alicorn’s eyes bulge. Stepping back, she dusted herself off and cackled nervously. “Heh, heh, heh! I uhh, think that’s it for our entirely impersonal and completely educational dance lesson, don’t you?” Nodding furiously, Clockwork backed away. “Yes! It was very uhh, impersonal. I especially liked the whole history bit where you taught me that uhh… ponies danced like this! Who’da thought, huh?” “I’m just going to go grab something to drink,” Twilight said, retreating from the dance floor. “Wait,” Clockwork called out, extending her hoof. “I had fun, but, I think I’m gonna go home for the night.” Twilight turned once more. “Really? But it’s so early! This party is supposed to be for you.” Hanging her head, Clockwork sighed. “I know, I just feel so out of place. I’ll try to stay longer next time, okay?” Twilight’s ears drooped and her head dipped a little low to the ground. “Okay. Have a good night, Clockwork.” “You too, Twilight,” the earth pony said, offering the biggest grin she could. Avoiding the crowd, Clockwork squeezed through and made it to the door. Opening it, she cast one last longing stare at the alicorn before walking out into the night. Applejack didn’t waste any time with subtleties. She marched right up to Twilight and gave her a nudge. “Those were some smooth moves out there, Sugarcube.” Still a little hot in the cheeks, Twilight did her level best to ignore her stetson-clad friend. Grabbing a fresh cup, she poured herself some punch just in time for Rainbow Dash to lean a hoof against her. “That was one saucy history lesson, egghead. If that was how you taught me, I probably would have had an easier time learning the history of the Wonderbolts.” Gulping her punch, Twilight set her cup down somewhat forcefully, nearly crushing it. “Rainbow, it was just a dance lesson. I taught Clockwork just like Pinkie taught me.” A fuzzy pink mane appeared abruptly, causing Twilight to jump. “I didn’t teach you that last dance.” “Indeed,” Rarity chimed in. “That last dance seemed a bit more, shall we say, extracurricular?” Tossing her mane, Twilight scoffed. “Girls, it was completely impersonal. I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal out of this.” Pinkie scrunched her nose. “Impersonal? What does that mean?” Stepping next to Pinkie, Rarity cleared her throat. “It means to not be influenced by emotion.” “Ohhhh. Well, that wasn’t what that dance was at all. Is Twilight playing a joke on us?” Pinkie asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. Applejack walked over and nudged Twilight in the side. “Nah, sugarcube. The only joke here is that Twilight thinks she can get away with such an obvious fib.” “Is this the strongest drink you have here tonight, Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked while gesturing to the punch. Pinkie nodded furiously. “Yup! The hard cider experiment didn’t go very well. Don’t you remember?” Crimson further stained Twilight’s cheeks. “No I don’t, actually. Maybe that’s a sign.” Try as she might, the alicorn couldn’t shake the feeling in her chest. Her heart raged against its bony prison. Putting her hoof to her chest, she took a few deep breaths, but even that failed to have any significant impact. Applejack removed her hat and waved it toward Twilight. “You alright, sugarcube? Maybe you need some fresh air.” Catching the cowpony’s hat, Twilight put on an apologetic smile. “I think I’m having a panic attack or something. Sorry, girls, but I’m going to call it a night. Have fun, okay?” The group of ponies offered her their good nights and well wishes, but one comment from Rainbow—just a little bit louder than a whisper—made Twilight blush even harder as she retreated. “Man, somepony’s got it bad.” Clockwork’s eyes fixed on the horizon, staring off into the midday sun. She idly sat on a park bench, watching the ponies walk by. One by one, she counted them as they went about their business. “Hey there, Clockwork. How are ya?” Looking up at the rainbow maned pegasus hovering above her, Clockwork offered her a warm smile. “Hi, Rainbow Dash. Just enjoying the day. Great weather, by the way.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. “Heh, thanks. I was just working on my routine. Gotta be ready for the Wonderbolts when tryouts come. I’ll catch you later, okay?” “Bye, Rainbow!” Clockwork watched as she tore off, a blue blur amongst the similarly-colored sky. She returned to her task of sitting around and staring aimlessly. It wasn’t long before another pony approached her. Applejack, with her blonde mane hidden beneath a stetson, marched up to her with a warm smile. “Howdy there, Clockwork. I ain’t seen you around in a coon’s age. What have you been up to?” Clockwork shrugged. “Not much, really.” “I see. Well, things are moving on at the farm. Little Apple Bloom is moving to Manehattan to go to college. Can you believe that? Our little Bloom. She’s gonna make us all so proud.” “I bet she will.” With a courteous tip of her hat, Applejack walked off. “Take ‘er easy there, Clockwork. See ya ‘round.” Alone again, Clockwork stared off into the sky once more. The sun started to set at an incredibly rapid pace. Seconds later, the moon rose into the sky. One by one, the celestial bodies clashed with one another, until sunsets and sunrises were less than a second apart. “Good morning, Clockwork.” The timid voice shook the earth pony from her reverie. “Good morning, Fluttershy. What’s up?” Fluttershy chuckled, a gleam twinkling in her eye. “Nothing much, really. Just enjoying the married life. Oh! I got a letter from Pinkie Pie yesterday.” Clockwork leaned forward. “You did?” “Yeah. Her circus in Fillydelphia is huge! She says it’s full of sold out crowds every night. She promised she would get us all tickets one day. I’m sorry, I forgot I was supposed to be shopping. I’ll talk to you later, Clockwork. Bye!” Waving the friendly pegasus off with a smile, Clockwork sighed. She was happy for Fluttershy. Getting married was exactly what she needed. The cosmic ballet between the sun and moon resumed in the sky above her. Her legs felt numb, and she needed to give them a good stretch, so she left her bench and walked about town. Looking around, she saw flashes, snapshots of everyday life for mere moments. Ponies living, ponies having fun, funerals, marriages, houses being built, houses burning down, and then darkness. “This isn’t right…” Her eyes traveled as far as they could, scanning the vast wasteland. Spinning around completely, she finally saw a welcome sight: her home. Galloping for the door, she pushed it open and went inside. To her surprise, everything was left the same as it was so many years ago. Walking to her workroom, she poured through all the projects she had been working on. All of it remained the same. “How… How did I end up here?” The shadow on the wall cast by her desk lamp lengthened. Stretching itself like a blob of ink, it grew larger until it separated from the wall altogether. From the shadow stepped forward a tall cloaked figure, ominous and stoic. Clockwork stepped back slowly until she hit the wall behind her. Standing on shaky knees, she mustered enough courage to find her voice. “Who are you?” The figure approached her, its hooves echoing against the hardwood floor. Finally, it cast aside its cloak, revealing a dark blue alicorn with a shimmering mane. “Greetings, Clockwork. I am Princess Luna, but you may call me Luna.” “Soooo, you’re not a shadow monster that’s come to eat me?” Clockwork asked. “No. We are in the dream world, specifically your dream. Or rather, nightmare. Tell me, how do you feel?” Clockwork sat on her haunches. Her eyes traveled to the floor. “Alone. Everypony is gone. Everything is gone. I’m the only one left. It’s like I have no future.” Luna nodded. “Your mind is trying to tell you something. Something you’ve been avoiding. You’re missing something everypony should have.” “What’s that?” “A future. Tell me, what do you want out of life?” Clockwork shrugged. “I don’t know.” Luna raised her eyebrows. “You answered that very quickly.” “Because I already knew the answer. I don’t know what I want. I just know… something’s missing.” Luna turned and started sifting through the piles of broken gadgets scattered on the desk. “Perhaps you thought toiling with knick knacks would amuse you for the rest of your days?” “I don’t know.” “I see. Well, perhaps the answer will come with time. I implore you, however, not to wait too long. Otherwise, you might wake up and realize you have no future left.” Just as that last word left the alicorn’s lips, the entire world went black. Hovering in the void, Clockwork’s heart began to pound. “Princess Luna? Princess Luna! Help! Somepony! Anypony! Don’t leave me here all alone! Please! Somepony save me!”