~~
She forgot all about the little colt in the forest.
~~
Cherry Breeze grew up to adulthood, though she stayed at the wondrous mansion that was her home. The property sat on top of a lonely hill, making visitors climb their way up the dirt road and descend again. It had a marvelous view of the city of Canterlot, Like Emerald's, it was lined with the elegance of white marble that subtly masked any sense of imperfection of the building. At the front were statues that acted as devices to spew out water into a collection of fountains. They were posed as elegant mares although their faces were nondescript and barely comprehensible. The grass was well kept, and shrubbery was properly maintained.
At the back of the mansion was a beautiful garden. Flowers of every colour lined up and sprouted in different directions. It was a beautiful sight to behold for visitors that come from time to time. Everything about the mansion was amazing. It was astounding. It was brilliant.
To Cherry Breeze, however, it was her empty home.
Before dawns colours could illuminate the towering house, Cherry Breeze woke up in her bed. She felt an odd sense of discomfort that negated her will to sleep. Her eyes were only halfway open, but she was wide awake. Cherry stood herself up, and looked out the window. Through the window panes, the black night was turning a dim yellow and it was threatening to become morning in less than an hour.
Cherry did not bother to look at the clock that stood leaning against the wall. She also did not care to check herself in the mirror. She pushed the door open and started down the winding hallways of her mansion. The house was dark, with small lights on either side of the hallways glowing up only a fraction of the wall. Cherry did not mind this as she gotten used to it, as her night wanderings grew more frequent by the day.
Eventually, Cherry found herself exiting the house and setting foot into the garden at the back. A bee zoomed past her, causing her to gasp. She settled down and explored the garden. Each flower popped in dim colour from the moonlight, which gave them a darker shade. Cherry swiftly gazed at each flower, shifting to the next as she passed by them. It was a slow process that she almost felt like she was a small ballerina dancing in the night.
Cherry looked at one particular rose. It was slowly wilting away, but its colour still remained. The mare approached it, and breathed in its scent. It settled her sinuses, and ultimately comforted Cherry into a near comatose state.
A small creak snapped Cherry back into reality and she twirled her body to meet the gardener, an elderly old earth mare, standing in the doorway. She was thin and her skin was spotted with wrinkles, although a vibrant yellow dress blanketed the small flaws.
The gardener glanced at Cherry in surprise. "Oh! You are up awfully early!"
"Yes," Cherry said sheepishly. "I suppose I am."
The old mare chuckled softly. "Did you not get enough sleep?"
"I suppose you can say that."
"Ah. I guess the flowers are just too intoxicating to ignore, aren't they?"
Cherry returned with a small laugh at the joke. "Well, you do a very fine managing this garden I just could not keep away."
"Aw," the gardener blushed. "You don't have to compliment me."
The old mare approached Cherry and looked beyond her. She frowned.
"Something wrong?" Cherry asked.
"This one is starting to die." The gardener pointed at the rose that Cherry had been studying. Cherry nodded.
"Yes, I can see that."
The aging mare studied it more closely, then shrugged. She staggered off to the shed. "I suppose some things have to die someday, no matter how good it is."
Cherry took a quick look at the flower, then without a word entered the house. She did not recall having a more weird conversation with the gardener than before. Then again, Cherry hardly ever talked to the gardener at all. It was these thoughts that troubled her until she saw that a door had been left open. Cherry went to close it, until an odd sense of curiosity took over her.
Cherry did not realize she had entered her mothers room until it was too late. The room was bare and the paint chipped away, eventually falling into small strips on the dusty cherry red floor. Only a small carpet remained which lay on the centre of the room. Cherry walked towards it and picked it up. Something fluttered to the ground as she did so. Cherry tossed the carpet to the side and picked up the object.
It was a photo. It must have been left behind after the moving of all the furniture. The photo was of Cherry's mother. There was no colour to the picture, but Cherry could recall the colours of her mother. Her coat was a pale white, brighter than Cherry's own dampened cream colour. Her imperfections were masked with the help with a massive slab of makeup that set on her face and she wore an exotic hat.
Cherry remembered that hat. She was always curious of what kind of feathers populated the top of it. What birds were they from, she always wondered. Her thoughts wandered as she stared at the photo.
"Cherry, dear?"
Cherry looked behind her shoulder and saw that her father was in the middle of the doorway. His eye lines dropped down considerably, possibly because he was tired. He was wearing his morning clothes, coloured in blue that matched his own coat hue. He stared at Cherry's nightgown and raised a brow.
"What are you doing up so early?" he asked.
"I am sorry, father," Cherry replied. "I could not sleep."
Cherry's father gazed at her for a moment, then sighed. "Breakfast does not start until a few hours. Go back to your room and get some sleep."
Cherry nodded, and her father walked away. She travelled back to her room and locked the door behind her. Cherry leaped on to her bed and dug her face into the pillow. She kept the photo on her bed, then drifted back to sleep.
~~
After spending the morning performing trivial tasks and later finishing lunch, the mare chose to spend most of her time in the downtown district of Canterlot. Many beauty and dress stores operated in the district and many were reputable establishments. With her seemingly never ending flow of wealth, Cherry would buy any sort of dress she desired.
It also meant that the district was packed with shoppers at the same time. Canterlot's stores were some of the most notable ones in the entire nation of Equestria, and citizens from all over flocked to them with loads of bits in their brown sacks. Cherry did not seem to mind, having almost become numb to it.
That day was no different. Normally, a butler would accompany her on her shopping trips. On that day, however, she chose to travel alone, claiming that she could handle her own. With a small talk from her father, she ordered a carriage and travelled to the downtown district of Canterlot.
The sun shined down on the buildings of the downtown district brightly. Swarms of ponies travelled from one point to the other along the stone road, chattering voices filling the air. Populating the noisy streets were vendors selling high quality products behind makeshift counters. The downtown district connected to the market district, where several restaurants competed for the most patrons in an endless battle for profits.
It was an aggressive place, on the business side of things at least. For Cherry Breeze, it was candy for her eyes. Display windows showcased the most extravagant of products, things that only the most wealthiest kind of ponies obtained.
Ponies like Cherry, for instance.
Cherry Breeze exited her carriage, tipped the driver and continued down the downtown district. She walked to her right, remembering that it was the proper way of traveling down busy places such as these. Her dress, which was a shining white colour and matched the cadence of her hat topped with exotic feathers, rested under her knapsack. The knapsack contained an unimaginable amount of bits, all for Cherry's purchasing pleasure.
In the downtown district were more industrial vendors than before. Not long ago, more and more ponies discovered the use of coal and steel machinery that was on its way to replace magic. It was specifically useful for those who had no horns, however Cherry had a hard time figuring out how these vendors could sell to a unicorn dominant market.
Coal and steel had its uses, however. Whereas there usually had to be a magic user or a pegasi to operate travel machinery, with the latest invention it was useful for all races. Since there was high demand for this type of resource in earth pony populated regions, Canterlot entrepreneurs hastily opened up businesses capitalizing on the new discovery.
It was not before long until the industry took off, and the companies became huge in Canterlot. High profile unicorns worried about the city's image, concerned that it will (literally) stain the place and brand it for lower income ponies. But these worries were soon alleviated as the industry started making a large profit. Coincidentally, the image of the city was nearly untouched as a designated sector of Canterlot was instated outside the major streets.
It was also notable mentioning that the job market widened because of the industrial boom. As demand increased and supply decreased, eventually companies started building factories and hiring several ponies to work in those factories. It was a good time for many, but not all.
Cherry replaced her thoughts with ones about clothes and materials. She made dresses as a distraction for the formalities of her high class life. Cherry spent numerous hours in her room, perfecting her craft. Although she was not at a high level of skill, the dresses were considered exceptional Each dress were adored and cared for in the hands of Cherry.
The young mare walked alongside several ponies whose ages were higher than hers. Cherry felt that she was the only girl her age that made trips like this daily. Cherry kept her eyes in front of her, but subtly reminded herself to keep her eyes on the display windows. Thoughts turned to ways on how to save the most money on her purchases.
To her dismay, Cherry's favourite stores did not have the products that she desired in stock. She looked into the various stores, scanning the different displays and surveyed for good buys. Nothing turned up.
I need to find something, Cherry thought. Anything would be nice!
Cherry spent an entire hour in the downtown district, finding absolutely nothing. Clouds hovered above the sky, a dark shade of grey threatening to bellow a storm. The young mare knew that it was about to rain sooner or later and she wondered if the search was a lost cause.
It did not make things easier when Cherry felt the first drop of rain tap on her hat. She exhaled a small sigh as the rain picked up. Other ponies noticed and quickly shuffled out of the streets like a swarm of insects. Cherry looked for a place to escape the menacing rain. There did not seem to be too many options for her.
Made from a very quick decision, Cherry pushed her way through a door to a small shop. She had passed this store several times and never paid it any attention until now. The door bell gave an ambient cheer, reminding Cherry where she was.
With a quick look, Cherry saw that the store did not appear ordinary. The shelves were lined with odd bronze and silver gizmos, with varying shapes and sizes. Some appeared to be toys with windups, like the ones she saw in hobby stores. They were dimly lit only by the natural light coming from the windows that flanked the front door.
Cherry realized that she had an umbrella in her knapsack and that there was no need to be in this store in the first place. She opened up the knapsack and pulled out her umbrella. Seeing as the counter was absent of an attendee, Cherry went for the door and opened it mid way.
"Hello?"
A tired and scratchy voice called behind Cherry. She turned around and saw that an old earth stallion attended behind the counter. He had a grey beard that dropped down to his knees (or at least to Cherry's perspective). He was skinny almost to the bone, although it was masked by his ugly brown vest, contrasted by his grey colour. The vest matched the colour of his unusually large top hat with a pocket watch embroidered in the center.
Cherry gulped and stumbled on her words at first. "Um..,h-hello?"
The old stallion studied the young mare with squinted eyes. Cherry darted her eyes, never meeting eye contact with the stallion.
"Heavy storm, isn't it?" the stallion said.
"Uh, yes," Cherry said. "I do agree."
"I do not believe that your umbrella will be able to weather the storm," the stallion said. "Literally."
Cherry gazed at her thin umbrella and shook her head. "Well, I suppose it is a bit light. May I ask who you are?"
"Ah yes," the stallion answered. He cleared his throat and stumbled his way around the counter. "I have not seen you in my store before, and I would happen to know. I usually have a good memory on visitors."
The stallion gazed at Cherry. She stared with wide eyes as she closed up her umbrella. The stallion gave a small smile and cleared his throat again.
"My name is Bolt Lock. But nopony calls me that. Call me Gizmo, it's shorter."
Cherry nodded, placing the umbrella back into her knapsack. Gizmo made his way to one of the shelves and pulled a small windup toy off from them. He twisted the knob and placed it on the counter. The toy shook its way across the wooden surface and dropped off the edge. It shattered to pieces on the ground. Gizmo frowned and turned around to face a confused Cherry.
"Not all my inventions work," he said. "as you can clearly see. I am not entirely proficient with my hobby, but I get by."
"What do you sell here?" Cherry asked.
Gizmo studied the toys, focusing on different angles. "I sell whatever comes to mind."
Cherry raised a brow. "If you do not mind me asking, what does that mean?"
"I make metal toys and different inventions, then I sell them." Gizmo gazed at Cherry. "It is sort of like crafting dresses or something similar."
Cherry gasped. "That's what I do!" She noticed her outburst and composed herself. "I mean, I make dresses."
Gizmo nodded and made his way behind the counter. "Yes, yes, I understood what you meant." He crouched down out of Cherry's view. She moved in slowly as several gears and trinkets flew up into the sky, Gizmo grumbling to himself. He popped up and yelled out a cry of victory.
"Ah-ha! Found the piece!" Gizmo walked past Cherry, never making any contact with her. Cherry noted that for an old and frail man, he was surprisingly energetic. Gizmo walked to another toy and fiddled with it. He stuck out his tongue while focusing his eye. Cherry walked around the store and studied the various different things in the store.
"Where do you get all these pieces?" Cherry asked.
Gizmo snapped out of his hypnotic gaze and flashed a glance at Cherry. "Oh, I have a supplier of sorts. But I usually find the pieces myself." He continued his work on the gadget.
Cherry paused before continuing. "I hope this is not intrusive," she said. "but who is this supplier?"
Gizmo stopped and sighed a sound that could have came from a dust ball. He placed the gadget on a shelve and made his way back to the counter. Cherry leaned forward, awaiting his response. There didn't seem to be anything else that remotely interested her, so she thought it would be a nice idea to strike up some conversation until the storm withered away.
"I don't know quite how to explain him," Gizmo said, his eyes staring into space. "He is a bit eccentric, I would suppose. He is not like a regular pony, much like how you and I are."
Cherry leaned in intriguingly. "What do you mean by that?"
Gizmo scoffed at her. "My, you seem like a very snoopy mare, I see."
"I am not snoopy!" Cherry exclaimed. "I'm just curious."
"About what? What is so interesting about the supplier of my metal that fascinates you?" Gizmo looked at her up and down. "You're not a police mare, are you?"
"No!" Cherry sighed. "I just want to know who this 'supplier' is, nothing more."
"Alright then," Gizmo murmured. "If that is what you want, then I suppose there is no harm in telling you."
Cherry nodded and leaned her forelegs on the wooden counter. Gizmo cleared his throat one more time and then started speaking.
"He goes by the name of Sprocket. He is a unicorn who lives in the slums of Canterlot. Well, not necessarily in the slums, but in a more exotic location."
Cherry already decided that hearing about this stallion was nothing more than a waste of her time. She heard stories about the slums, stories that it was a dirty and poor place. It was described as a home for the drunks, wanderers and ponies with no future. Surely this stallion was nothing more than just another drunk scavenging for dated parts.
But what exotic place was Gizmo referring to?
"Exotic?" Cherry echoed.
Gizmo nodded. "Indeed. Sprocket does not live in the slums of Canterlot. Rather, he claimed Big Lulu as his own."
Big Lulu? As in the clock tower?
"The clock tower?" Cherry said. "But that big old piece of junk has not ticked for years!"
Gizmo nodded in agreement. "That much is true. You see, Sprocket has an obsession with clocks and working machinery, almost like me. But he has taken this obsession to much larger scale." He leaned in, inviting Cherry to come closer. "Sprocket's goal is to fix the clock and make it work once more."
Cherry's eyes widened. Sprocket sounded like a very interesting stallion. Her imagination started to swim in thoughts of what this stallion would be like. If he spent his life working on a goal such as resurrecting the oldest clock tower in all of Equestria, he must have been covered in dirt and not seem very charming.
"That seems like an awfully huge task," Cherry said. "Do you suppose he'll ever finish?
Gizmo shrugged. "He has the willingness to do it. I can see him completing the job in maybe a few centuries."
The old stallion chuckled with a slight wheeze. Cherry nodded and glanced at the window. The rain stopped and rays of golden sunshine seeped through the windows.
"I suppose the weather has cleared up," Gizmo said. "I suppose you must want to return home."
Cherry nodded absent minded. "Indeed."
She walked to the door and stood in the doorway. Cherry took one final glance at Gizmo. He had a tool in his hoof and fully concentrated on a toy on the counter. With one move, she exited the store.
~~
Cherry Breeze left downtown after a quick lunch and returned to her mansion on top of a lonely hill. She did not obtain some of the materials that she wanted, but the mare did not mind. Cherry headed back to her room and worked on her dresses for the majority of the afternoon. Afternoon came dusk and dusk became night shortly after.
In the dim light of her room lit by a few candles that surrounded her dresser, Cherry wove the delicate fabric on her desk. Materials bordered around her in a circle, untidily blocking her escape from her work. Mannequins stood solemnly, only illuminated by the weak light. A medium sized machine rested on top of her desk and moved its gears into motion as Cherry guided the fabric with her hooves.
While she worked on her dresses, Cherry always focused on nothing more but her dresses. But that night was different. Her mind was on other things instead. Specifically, she was thinking about Gizmo and the stallion he described in the store. Cherry did not know why she gave it a second thought. There was something so odd about the stallion that it somehow held her mind hostage in a state of near obsession.
Cherry thought that she was growing delirious. His name was Sprocket. He lived in the clock tower in the poor district of Canterlot. For all she knew, Sprocket could be a drunk who somehow made the clock tower his home. As she worked on her project, Cherry contemplated whether or not thinking about this stallion had any logic to it. Everything seemed to point in the different direction, that this "Sprocket" was no more than a peasant living in something that has not worked for years.
Yet Cherry could not help but let this mystery pony intrude her thoughts. She stopped working and gazed at her closed window. The mare walked to her window and opened it. The cold evening breeze chilled Cherry to the bone, but she did not care. She forgot about her candles as they blew away and sent Cherry's room into darkness.
Now it was dark inside her room, the only source of light coming from the moon. Cherry looked at the sight of the magnificent evening. The moon shined its light down on the rich buildings buildings of Canterlot. They shimmered and glowed as the tall structures powered by potent magic towered above even her mansion on top of a hill. Cherry was blessed with the view of the entire city.
It also gave her a sight of the poor district. Thankfully, Cherry could not smell the polluting factories from her mansion. They bellowed large clouds of black foulness which smell compared to the district itself. It seemed as if every day it rot further, deepening into a gross yellow colour.
To Cherry, it looked like a disgusting place to reside. The residents of the district made poor life decisions and as a result lived in the dirty slums. Cherry tended to forget about the place and move on with her life. But more and more it became a bigger eyesore and the government officials of Canterlot were doing nothing about it.
Sprocket, Cherry thought. Why do I even care?
A knock on her door pulled Cherry away from her thoughts. She turned around to see that her father stood in between the doorway. His expression showed he was tired as the night grew on. Cherry perked her ears up. "Hello, Father. What is it?"
The old stallion cleared his throat and surveyed the room. "Nothing really. I wanted to see if you were doing all right."
"I'm doing fine," Cherry said. "How are you?"
"Fine," he said. "Doing just fine."
A silent ambience overtook the two. Cherry avoided her gaze and opted for the open window. Her father cleared his throat again and started for the door. "Well, I should be going now."
Cherry agreed with the statement. However, she wanted something from him. "Wait!" she yelled.
Cherry's father stopped and turned around. "Yes?"
"I was just wondering," Cherry started. "if I could make a trip over to the other side of the city for a few hours."
Her father blinked twice. "You mean the poor district?"
"Yes?"
"Why would you want to go there?" he asked. "There's nothing there to see except pollution and filth."
In her mind, Cherry agreed with what her father was saying and she wondered what was the point of stopping him. But there was something there that needed to be done. Cherry could feel it.
"I just want to check something out," she said, avoiding the real reason for her trip.
Cherry's father looked at her up and down. He squinted his eyes, making Cherry nervous. The old stallion sighed and nodded.
"Fine. You are grown up and you are of course allowed to go wherever you wish."
Cherry exhaled with relief.
"However, you are only allowed there for two hours and no more."
"Two hours?" Cherry said. "Why can I not stay longer?"
"Because you might catch something over there," her father replied. He turned around and looked over his shoulder. "And please, be careful. There are some odd ponies over there."
With that, Cherry's father exited the room. Cherry closed the door and went to her desk. She stared at her machine glumly. The mare lost motivation to finish her dress that night. She went over to the window and took one last look at the poor district of Canterlot.
"Sprocket," Cherry said quietly. "What an odd name for a pony."