3. Gears and Tears
Wings of Tomorrow
Lament of the World
3. Gears and Tears
“Steel Gear was a pony from our time. I'd never heard anything about him back in that life, but in this one,” Twilight said, “there’s not a single pony who doesn’t know his name.” She narrowed her eyes and focussed on one of the books on the shelves. Her horn glowed as she picked it up with her magic and floated it towards her. She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. “Here, this is what he looked like,” she said, turning the book around so Fluttershy could see. She looked, but all that she saw was a picture of what appeared to be a normal unicorn, with a gear as cutie mark.
“Oh, ehm… I… I don’t really see what makes him special,” Fluttershy said carefully before she took another nibble from her sandwich. Twilight shrugged, signalling that it was okay to think so.
“I know, he doesn’t look very different from any other unicorn, does he? But appearances can be deceiving. It’s an undeniable fact that he was one of the greatest, most brilliant minds of all time. Even in our time, he would have been considered so, and no doubt would've been placed amongst other great names like Starswirl the Bearded, or Nebulous the Enlightened, just to name a few.” Twilight paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. “Now, I won’t bore you with a full retelling of his life, it’s not really important. What truly matters is what he did.”
“And… that is?” Fluttershy dared to inquire when Twilight didn’t immediately continue. Her friend appeared lost in thought, and was startled when Fluttershy called out to her. Twilight smiled apologetically and blushed.
“Oh... uh, well, as I was saying, Steel Gear was a genius. He was a great inventor, and his special talent was mechanical science. He excelled at it like no other. To this day, our greatest scientists still don’t understand how he came up with some of the ideas he did, that’s how brilliant he was. He developed the first steam engine, worked out how to use magic as an environment-friendly fuel source, discovered the magic-conducting ability of Orichalcon ore, and he drew the plans of the first airship, though he never got to build it in his life. And those are just the most important discoveries he made,” Twilight continued, her voice having taken on the tone of a teacher lecturing a new student.
To Fluttershy it was as if Twilight had said half of her words in a different language. The discoveries of this important pony, especially, just passed right over her, but she thought she got the gist of it. She understood that this pony had something to do with the machines she had seen, the things in the sky. She gave Twilight a nod to show that she understood and urged her friend to continue her story.
“But Steel Gear wasn’t just a great inventor, or good with wheels and gears. He was also a very skilful and very powerful mage. And that’s where things start to go wrong,” Twilight continued. She closed the book and levitated it back to its place on the shelf. “With his great inventions, Steel Gear would have had a big influence on the technological advancement of ponies even in our time. But then, for reasons that I do not know, Steel Gear did something that changed everything. Something that, as I learned firsthoof, shouldn’t be done lightly. Something that can have dire consequences, as evident by the fact that the entire world is now different from the one you and I remember.”
“What… what did he do?” Fluttershy asked, very curious and worried now.
Twilight gave her a serious look, making it instantly clear to her that whatever she would say next was not a joke, but the truth, and nothing less than that. “He travelled back in time, Fluttershy,” Twilight answered. “Five hundred and thirty nine years, to be exact. For what reason? I don’t know. Nopony knows. And I doubt anypony will ever be able to find out. Because nopony remembers that he travelled back in time in the first place. He never told anypony that little fact, so to the ponies from five centuries ago, he must have appeared as just another unicorn genius. Only ponies from the future, where he came from, would be able to remember, but in travelling to the past, he completely changed that future, and thus, all evidence of his trip back in time.
“But… then why do you remember?” Fluttershy wanted to know. It all didn’t make much sense, and the whole concept of time travel boggled her mind. She remembered very well when Twilight had gotten a visit from her future self, and everything that resulted from it. Pinkie had spared no details telling what happened in the Canterlot archives, or the lessons learned there. Do not mess with time, it was as simple as that.
Twilight sighed helplessly. “That’s what I would like to know, too. It doesn’t add up. It doesn’t add up at all and it makes no sense! Steel Gear altered time long before I was born, so I was born in a future that was already changed. I should have no memories of another life in a different future, because that life and future never existed in the first place!” She slammed her hoof on the couch in frustration, making Fluttershy jump up from hers, startled by the display of anger from her friend.
“But I do remember,” Twilight continued. “And so do the rest of the Elements of Harmony. Even the ponies here in Ponyville have some sort of memory from that other time. You’ll see once you go out, Fluttershy. Everypony you knew in Ponyville, they still know you. I still knew you, even though we never met in this life. That’s another oddity, mind you. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash… I know where each of them is and how they’re doing… but I never found any sign of you, Fluttershy. Not until today.”
“So you can imagine my surprise when I found you suddenly right in front of my nose, having seemingly been plucked from one time line and dropped into this one.” Twilight gave her friend a small smile. “You startled me you know, and added a lot more to the pile of things that don’t make sense. But I’m happy that you’re back. I’ve missed you a lot, Fluttershy. So did the others. Well, the ones I managed to meet did at least.”
Fluttershy answered her friend’s smile with one of her own. “I’m happy to see you, too, Twilight. This place is very scary, it’s a relief to have a friend here.” She put her now empty plate on the coffee table and picked up the cup of water, nipping delicately from it. “But I still don’t understand… How did the future change by Steel Gear going back to the past?”
“Well, it’s not him going back that changed the future. It’s what he did once he arrived there. You see, Fluttershy, when he travelled back, he took his inventions with him. He introduced his discoveries, his ideas, and his machines to the ponies from five centuries ago,” Twilight explained. “By doing so, ponies discovered technology they normally wouldn’t have for another five hundred years. That’s a disastrous change and you can see the results all around you. Because of the introduction, Equestria evolved and developed very differently than it would have without Steel Gear’s intervention.”
“But why would he do such a thing?!” Fluttershy cried out, unable to contain her outrage. Once she realised what she had just done, she blushed a deep crimson, squeaked, and hid behind her mane. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking that…”
“Actually, I’ve asked myself the same question. But there’s just no way of knowing. Only Steel Gear knows why he did what he did, and he’s, like I said before, been dead for quite a few centuries,” Twilight replied. “You’d have to go back in time to ask him, and thus risk doing even more damage to the flow of time. After my last fiasco with time travel, I’d rather not try.”
“Well, yes. I understand that… But why didn’t anypony stop him from going back? Or… or make him go back to the future all those years ago?”
“Because nobody in the past knew he was from the future,” came the answer. “But if you mean why nobody from the future tried to stop him, I don’t know. Is there anypony who could have? The Princesses, maybe. But I’m still puzzled by how he managed to go back in the first place. The time travel spell I used lasted only a few minutes and could only be used once. Steel Gear went back in time and stayed there. I don’t remember ever reading about a spell that could do that in my other life.”
“And, ehm… If… if you went back now and told him not to give ponies those things?” Fluttershy wondered. She didn’t say it out loud, but she was growing very worried. She might not have been a scholar, or very well-read like Twilight, but she was quite capable of realising what was being implied by everything Twilight had told her so far. Namely, that there was no way of turning the world back to normal. It was a frightening idea that she wasn’t ready to accept, and it was uncertain if she ever would be.
Twilight could guess what was going on in her friend’s mind. Fluttershy was smart, she knew that, and the look of worry in her big eyes told her everything she needed to know. It made it all the more difficult for her to say what she was about to. “Fluttershy, I’m not sure at all if that would put time back on the rails again. The time we remember came to be as it was by a nearly endless list of specific circumstances. Change one of those, and you might end up with a whole different future altogether. Even if we manage to remove Steel Gear from the picture, there’s no telling if something else will happen differently on the path to the time we knew.” She gave Fluttershy an apologetic look.
“And even if there wasn’t, there’s still the problem of going back in time in the first place. I don’t remember any spell that could do it, and I can’t look it up. I’m just a simple office clerk now Fluttershy. I don’t have access to the Canterlot archives here, or to a whole library of knowledge for personal use. I’m not very smart, I just remember being smart. And I’m not a talented magician either… I’m just… me.” Twilight hung her head and sighed once more. Speaking about what she had lost compared to her other life was never a pleasant topic, and it never left her in a good mood either.
“So things… will stay like this?”
The question was asked on a very soft tone, and yet Twilight involuntarily winced. She had never heard anyone who sounded so sad, so utterly unhappy and hopeless. She looked at her friend, but Fluttershy’s face was hidden behind her pink mane. Twilight swallowed hard and smiled awkwardly, feeling decidedly uncomfortable.
“It… it’s not all bad…” she began, but trailed of and stopped. Despite all the studies she had done in her other life on friendship, she had never learned how to comfort a friend who had just lost everything. What words could she say to make Fluttershy feel any better? She had just told her that she could never go back to the home she knew. Twilight had had the luck of being born in this time. Even if she remembered Ponyville like it was supposed to be, she had at least been eased into her new life and grown accustomed to it as the years went by.
Fluttershy, on the other hand, had literally been taken from one time and dropped in the other, with no way to return. And she had told her that; what could she possibly say to make up for that? Nothing, she realised. Any word she said now would only sound hollow. Fluttershy didn’t need words now. She needed a friend, and Twilight considered herself the mare for the job. Without wasting another moment she jumped off the couch and went over to Fluttershy, pulling the timid pegasus into a strong, warm embrace.
Fluttershy returned the embrace without a word. When Twilight felt the shy pony’s shoulder shake, however, she knew that her friend was crying. Her assumption was proven correct when warm droplets fell onto her neck, but she didn’t mind. She just held Fluttershy close and patted her on the back, like any friend would do for a friend in distress. The poor pegasus had every reason to cry, Twilight mused. She had more or less lost everything, just like that.
The ease of it surprised Twilight. One doesn’t lose everything during a dinner with a friend, does one? It seemed far too casual. Too simple for something so important. And yet here she was, holding Fluttershy in her arms as the timid mare wept over the loss of everything she had known.
“It’s not all gone, Fluttershy,” Twilight found herself saying, still rubbing over the pegasus’ back, between her wings. “You… You still have me and Applejack. And Pinkie Pie I guess… And I’m sure Rarity will be delighted to see you again if I inform her of your arrival.” The only reaction she got was a quiet sob.
Twilight bit her lip, uncertain. She wished Applejack was there, the farmer had a heart of gold and was much better at saying the right things to comfort ponies. Though she had to admit Fluttershy was taking it better than she had expected. She was crying, yes, but not even out loud, and she wasn’t screaming or throwing things or doing anything rash. Maybe it was simply the calm before the storm, but there was little she could do about that. She could only be there for her friend, and nothing more.
---
Gone. One simple word, consisting of just four letters. And yet its impact on her was terrible. Gone. Everything was simply gone. Everything she had known, her whole life, gone. Her house, all but her closest friends, Ponyville, Equestria… all of it, gone. All of it had changed to the point where she no longer recognised any of it. Just like that. From one day to the next. Without any warning, without knowing how or why. It had just happened. Yesterday she was living life like she always had, today everything was gone, taken away. For a moment she had thought it all a bad dream, a particularly nasty nightmare. But the pain in her chest, her tears, and the warmth of Twilight’s embrace, they were all too real. It wasn’t a dream. None of it was. It was real. She was here. And everything she knew had either vanished or changed. And it was here to stay. It wouldn’t go back to the way it was. All that she had known was gone. From now on, it existed only in her head, as mere memories.
How did one deal with something like this? Had anypony ever had to go through a situation like this? Twilight and her friends, maybe, but it was still different. They had had their entire life growing up to grow used to the changes. They were born into them. She had just been dropped into them, just like that, as easily as dropping a rock. What was she supposed to do? She was crying, she was unhappy, her chest hurt, but her head felt empty. Did she have to cry louder? Did she have to scream? At who? Twilight? Why? It wasn’t her fault. She was just as much a victim as she was. Deny everything? What good would that do?
It was clear all of this was very real. Living in denial wouldn’t change that. Unless all of this was one big, elaborate prank, or somepony had put something in her food to cause her to see these things… No, no, she shouldn’t think such mean things. Nopony would be so mean to her. Even Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash didn’t prank her, not wanting to hurt her feelings. They would definitely not do something as mean as this.
But what did she have to do then, now that all of this was real? Fluttershy didn’t know, she couldn’t think clearly. Her brain seemed numb still because of the shock of the revelation. Her head was empty, nothing she tried filled it. It was a terrible feeling, one she didn’t enjoy nor want, but neither did she know what to do about it. Never before had she felt so entirely, utterly, hopelessly lost. It was all too much for the poor little mare, who didn’t know where to take herself. So she simply wept, clinging tightly to Twilight, who was so nice to be there for her and hold her. She was glad her friend was there for her, for it was all she had left, and maybe all that stood between her and a mental breakdown.
---
Twilight held Fluttershy for a long time, during which not a single word was spoken. There was only silence in the room, save for the occasional sob from Fluttershy and the ticking of the clock. She didn’t mind. She was prepared to give Fluttershy all the time she needed, be it hours or days. When her body began to ache from standing, she merely moved a little bit so she could lay down next to Fluttershy on the couch, putting one leg over the timid pony so their embrace was never broken. Fluttershy was grateful for her friend’s efforts, and snuggled closer to her. Had anypony seen the two friends like that, they might have thought Fluttershy was sleeping, as she laid there with her head against Twilight’s chest and her eyes closed, with the lavender mare watching over her friend like an older sister over her younger sibling. Only the tears gave Fluttershy away as being awake.
Twilight didn’t mind the close contact. She hadn’t seen her friends in a while, and even then there never was much hugging, for various reasons. It felt refreshing and heart-warming to be so close to somepony again, and to comfort them that way. So she laid there, caressing gently over Fluttershy’s back or through her mane, supporting her friend simply by being there. Her kind gestures were much appreciated, and went a long way to calm the timid pony.
Finally, after more than an hour had passed in total silence, Fluttershy opened her eyes again, and wiped her tears away with a hoof. But she did not remove herself from the comfort of Twilight’s presence, finding it… nice.
“Everything is gone,” Fluttershy said, quietly. It was a statement, not a question. Her voice still trembled a bit, but sounded less hopeless. It sounded more like a pony who had begun to accept something.
“Not gone,” Twilight corrected her gently and smiled. “Changed. And well, not everything is different. It’s like I said before: there are a lot of oddities in this world that don’t make sense. But they might help you to feel better.” Fluttershy tilted her head a bit so she could look Twilight in the eyes, silently asking her to clarify her statement. “Well, the library is still the same. For some reason, it hasn’t changed at all. The only thing that’s different is that I don’t live there anymore. And Sugarcube Corner is still the same candy house you remember it to be, as are the Cakes running it. The only thing missing from it is… well, Pinkie Pie, but I’ll get to that later.”
Hearing that two of Ponyville’s most iconic buildings were still the same did manage to lift Fluttershy’s spirits somewhat, even if she had to agree with Twilight that it didn’t make sense that those were left unchanged. It didn’t end her unhappy feelings, but it managed to prevent it from getting worse, and a tiny smile broke through her mask of sadness for a few seconds. Twilight took it as a good sign nevertheless, and gave Fluttershy another hug.
“Sweet Apple Acres is also mostly unchanged. Well, nothing could really go around the conveniences of the new technology, but the Apples have prided themselves for generations on their traditional ways, and kept the industrialising to the minimum,” she added, hoping to further brighten Fluttershy’s spirits. “Applejack and Big Macintosh keep that tradition more alive than ever. They’re really the same ponies you know from Ponyville. Granny Smith is still around as well, often complaining about ‘those young'ens with their fancy machinery’.” This managed to get a giggle out of Fluttershy, and Twilight happily laughed along with her.
“Now, there’s something else that’s entirely unchanged, though it’ll probably need a good cleaning. I’m sure it’ll do a lot to make you feel better, though,” Twilight continued. She smiled brightly at her friend. “Your cottage is still right there where you left it Fluttershy. How it got there when you were never really here until now, I have no idea. Just another one of those oddities that doesn't make a single bit of sense, I suppose. Everypony around here says it’s been around as long as Ponyville itself.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened considerably upon hearing this news, and she looked as if she barely dared to believe what Twilight was telling her. She noticed it and had to laugh, despite everything.
“It’s true, you can believe me,” she said with a wink. “Though I’m not sure what state it is in. Like I said, it might need a good cleaning. Nopony has ever entered there, as far as I know. The ponies you remember from Ponyville also remember you, even if they don’t remember Ponyville was once different. They always knew it was your house. Around these parts, the general belief is that you had left on a journey, but would come back someday. That’s why nopony ever tried to move in there. That, and Angel wouldn’t allow it. Not sure how long he’s been there, but for the past few years he’s been assaulting everypony that dared come close with carrots. He has good aim, did you know that?”
Fluttershy’s head was spinning as her brain tried to think of a million things at once. Her cottage, her own house, the place she called home, the place where she felt safe… it was still there. And Angel Bunny was there, too, watching over it in her absence. Even though he had never met her yet in this life. And the ponies from Ponyville: Lyra, Carrot Top, Bon-Bon, Colgate, and all the others, they remembered her too! They didn’t remember how it had all once been, but they did remember her. She wasn’t a stranger to them. They would recognise her if she walked up to them. Twilight was right, this news did make her feel better. Even if she had still lost so much, even if the whole world had changed and she had to relearn everything in it, there were still things left to her. The things that mattered the most: her friends, her animal companions, a place to call home.
The realisation brought forth a feeling of warmth to her chest, and relief flooded her senses. For the first time since she had woken up in this altered world, Fluttershy felt genuinely happy and at ease. The tears came back spontaneously, but they weren’t an outing of sadness this time around. They were tears of relief. The kind of relief that only someone who had thought she had lost everything, only to discover something valuable had survived the destruction, could feel.
The feelings were so overwhelming that the timid pegasus couldn’t put them to words, all she could do was embrace her friend tightly. Twilight didn’t mind. She understood what was going through Fluttershy’s head, and how she felt. Fluttershy didn’t have to express it through words, Twilight understood even without those. And so she simply hugged Fluttershy back, happy that her friend had found something to support herself with again. It was a start, a small step forward. Her friend still needed her support, and still needed her help. But for now, Fluttershy felt happy again, if only hesitatingly, as if she was afraid to feel this way. It was a start, and for now, it was enough.
End of chapter 3.
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Thank the author... I love friendshipping but romance... particularly MLP romance (because it is so often one-gendered, and that's not my preference) is just... something I get edgy around.
458082
Amen...
Mild Hetero-ship is fine with me, but homo-ship makes me cringe...
*flees incoming crap-storm
458346
We shall weather it together my straight friend! Stand with me against the hate!
458360 I care not who is being shipped with who except for Fluttershy. I can't read shipping about Fluttershy.
But, she has to get back.
460530 Ah, I can understand how you would have difficulty with any shipfics of the universe's resident shrinking violet.
Don't get me wrong, I know it's not my place to judge the author and other readers' views on shipping, and I am far to aware of the insufficient ratio of stallions to mares that lends itself to homo-shipping, but at the same time... the story, and the characters, all points in the opposite direction in terms of relationships. Girls still universally swoon over the guys, and guys are still clueless.
If anything, this just makes me think that the majority of the stallions in Equestria are in the military and far away, or in the big cities. Makes finding the right guy all the more special of a story.
Do you understand my POV here?
460593 Yes, I do.
460598 Well then we are at least on the same... well, webpage.
It's nice to be able to talk about this kind of thing without suffering backlash though. I thank you for that. Most people would have just raged, at least from my personal experience.
Not to be a grammar nazi or such, I noticed a cople of times you forgot to ponyify nobody to nopony along with some other terms
also great story
Well that was...convenient. You're lucky there 'Shy, how many ponies do you know that have this happen to them?