• Published 2nd Aug 2012
  • 1,785 Views, 29 Comments

Clockwork City - achu



Adventures, artifacts, steampunk, mysteries, dreams, visions and what not.

  • ...
1
 29
 1,785

A Day to Remember

“It’s pointless! I’ll never get off the ground!”

“I’m sure you will. Just be patient and practice.”

“How do you know? I’m worthless; I can’t even hover properly!”

“You will fly higher and farther than you could ever imagine. I promise.”

A grey pegasus stallion with a dark-purple mane walked the long hallway leading to the royal chambers of the Canterlot palace. Earlier that morning, a courier had woken him with an urgent message. Princess Luna requested his presence, before noon. He had been given a few days off after his last assignment, so it probably wouldn't be about work. But on the other hoof, if Luna wanted just a casual, non work-related meeting (which happened sometimes), she wouldn’t have sent him a wake-up call. They would usually meet in the evening, right after she’d raise the moon. So apparently, something big was happening this time.

“Hey Blackwing,” one of Luna’s guards and Blackwing’s friend, Comet, greeted him at the door to princess' private quarters. Like everypony in Luna’s “Night Guard,” he had bat-like wings and a dark coat. Comet was rather slim for a guard, with eyes that were gold-colored and whose irises reminded those of a cat. He was wearing a regular Night Guard armor, in various shades of purple and deep blue.

“Morning Comet,” Blackwing answered as he stopped by the door. When he was younger, the princess would make him practice and train with the guards. Blackwing had made some friends in the Night Guard back then and Comet was the closest to him. However, with their duties, they really didn't have the time to hang out as often as they had in the past. Blackwing preferred hanging out with them, rather than with the youth of the Canterlot aristocracy.

“Well it’s hardly morning anymore. You should probably hurry up, you know how Luna hates delays and latecomers. The clock is ticking Blackwing, clock is ticking...” The characteristic Canterlot accent both stallions had was making some of the hard consonants nearly inaudible.

“Stop that, you’re creeping me out. I’m not late yet and technically I’m still on vacation. By the way, where’s Fullmoon?” It was unusual for a guard, to keep watch by doors (especially important ones like this one) on his own and Blackwing couldn’t spot Comet’s usual partner anywhere.

“Chubby’s gone down to the lower levels; Luna sent him for some important ancient stuff that you should be discussing with her right now.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Comet opened the door and Blackwing entered. Luna was waiting for him in what could be called her living room, a large, but rather cozy chamber with three big windows and a balcony. Inside was a set of comfortable armchairs, a coffee table, a desk, and most importantly lots and lots of shelves by the walls. The shelves, the desk, and the table were all covered with books, scrolls and notes.

“Finally Crescent! I have been waiting for ages!” The Princess of the night looked intrigued, excited, and worried all at the same time.

Blackwing sighed at being referred to by his first name. “And good day to you too, Luna.” Over the years of their acquaintance (which had lasted for most of his life by this time) all of the formalities had vanished from their relationship. The princess never actually liked the official, excessively polite ways of the palace etiquette. It had no real functionality and made social interactions even more difficult than they already were for her.

“Yes, yes, good day. Now that we have passed the pleasantries, let us get to work,” Luna responded impatiently.

“But I’m on vacation...” Blackwing started.

“I know you are, but this is an emergency. It may be crucial for everypony in Equestria,” Luna firmly stated while in the midst of browsing through a large pile of notes on her desk.

“If I had a donut for every time you say that...”

“Do not get me started on donuts. I have not even had the time to have one myself all night.” She had been introduced to donuts by her sister years ago and by now everypony in the palace knew about her love of them. “We will eat something later. By the way, do you remember that book you retrieved for me a few weeks ago? ‘The Arcane Arts Academy Chronicles, Volume 74’?”

“That old tome? Yeah, I remember.” Tracing that long lost manuscript had been next to impossible. It was the original of the 74th volume of a great chronicle of the greatest magic school in the history of Equestria. This chronicle became a great source of information and a base for modern publications, especially about obscure unicorn history. It was special not only because it was a five hundred years old manuscript, but also because it contained personal notes and commentary on described events by the academy’s chronicler himself. After weeks of research and traveling across Equestria, Blackwing had managed to trace it to an abandoned mansion just a few clicks outside Trottingham. The locals had considered the residence haunted. “Took some effort to find, even more to get it back home. It was literally turning to dust under my touch.”

“That is why I copied the notes from the manuscript,” Luna said, putting a hoof on the big pile of papers she’d been browsing through earlier.

“That’s rather fast,” Blackwing admitted. It actually was fast, even for her. Usually when the princess acquired something relevant to her interests, she would be restless in exhausting the source of information. “But what about it? I don’t suppose you called me here just to show it.”

“Bah, of course not! You see...” Luna was interrupted by the loud noise of doors being opened, or rather, rammed open with a steel trolley pushed by a quite chubby guardpony. On the trolley, there was a large glass case. “Careful!” the princess exclaimed.

“Y-Yes your highness! I-I’m sorry y-your highness!” the Night-guardian stuttered, a look of terror beginning to cross his face.

“It is ok, just leave it here. Dismissed.” Luna sighed as the guard left. “I thought I managed to somewhat befriend most of my Night Guard, even the younger guards do not seem to be intimidated by my presence anymore. Except that one.”

“Fullmoon? Just try sharing some donuts with him,” Blackwing advised her as he examined the glass case. It contained the tome that had caused him so much trouble to find.

“What did I tell you about mentioning don... oh, never mind.” Luna decided to keep his idea in mind. “We’ve got more important tasks at hand. First tell me, what do you know about machine-magic? Or about the ‘ghost in the machine’ concept?”

“Machine-magic is quite old. It is used to make machines work faster, better, or sometimes to fuel them,” Blackwing replied. “But only a unicorn with really strong magic and an understanding of machines can pull it off. I recall it’s somewhat limited by the law, isn’t it?” Though Luna wasn’t an actual teacher, Blackwing had learned a lot from her. It was conversations like this that made him feel like being back at school.

“That is correct. Hundreds of years ago, Celestia decreed that any magic used on machines was to be limited to basic spells and simple mechanisms,” Luna confirmed “There is a reason why, but we will get to that later.”

“About the latter, the ‘ghost in the machine’ concept,” Blackwing continued. “I’ve heard the term before, but I don’t know much about it. Was that something about mechanisms doing unwanted or unexpected things? Like they had their own will.”

“Well, it is a wider, more philosophic concept than that, but it will suffice. For now at least.” Luna got lost in her thoughts for a minute before she recalled something (probably a title of some publication) and smiled to herself. “I will send you some literature on it later.” Blackwing scowled at her upon hearing that, as some literature usually meant about a dozen of books from her, but luckily, she didn’t notice. “As you mentioned, the idea of connecting magic and machine is probably as old as the first machines ever used by ponies. But it became more developed about five hundred years ago, with the development of technology, primitive engines, the first turbines, et cetera.”

“And the chronicle is dated back to that historic period,” Blackwing said, more to himself than to Luna.

“Exactly. I find that period most intriguing.” The Princess of the Night nodded as a grin crossed her face. “Unfortunately, the regular version of the chronicle starts a lot of plots, but leaves most of them unfinished. I hoped that this manuscript would hold some answers to the questions I’ve had after reading the reprinted copy from our library.”

“And, judging from your excitement, it does. Right?” There was still some hope that the princess found out about something interesting and simply wanted to share it. Then Blackwing could have his week off.

“Well, to some extent yes. But let me start from the beginning.”

“I thought that’s what you’ve been doing for the past 30 minutes...” Blackwing sighed, but Luna ignored that.

“Founded nearly one thousand years ago, the Arcane Arts Academy was the most important school of magic in Equestria,” she continued. “Every pony wizard wanted to learn there. All great wizards of that period worked in that school.”

“Where was it? I mean, I would guess, that a school of such renown would probably be in the capital, but if it was in Canterlot, I’d probably know about it. I know this town and its history quite well.” The grey stallion found himself a comfy place in an old armchair. It seemed, that the princess was just getting warmed up and this piece of furniture had become his favorite place in Luna’s chambers, especially for long hours of listening to her stories.

“No, it was not situated in Canterlot, or any other town,” Luna answered. “This mysterious place was purposely built in a remote location, far in the western parts of Equestria. And only those unicorns confirmed to posses a magical special talent were permitted to enter the Academy.”

“How elite. Wizards just enjoy being mysterious, don’t they?” Blackwing commented. “And that would be the reason why we know so little about the Academy, right Princess?”

“Exactly. Ponies from outside the Academy had no idea what was going on inside,” she nodded. “But let us move four hundred years ahead. The idea of using magic to enhance machines was getting popular. Some wizards took it to a whole new level when they started to use magic to create machines that normally would not have work without spells cast on them. They were ahead of their time, creating devices that were amazing even by today's standards. Then Celestia prohibited it – and that’s basically were my copy of the ‘Chronicle’ ended.”

“You mentioned she had a reason to limit the magic-enhanced machines to simple devices and weak spells.”

“I talked to my sister about it. Back then, the decree was perceived as a way to control the wizards. Of course there’s more to it than that, but my throat is getting dry. Would you like something to drink as well?”

“Coffee please.” The story was really interesting, but the armchair Blackwing sat in was getting too comfy and he had been struggling against his falling eyelids for the past few minutes.

Luna called for a guard’s assistance, and Fullmoon appeared in the room again. “Go to the palace kitchen and get us a pot of tea, a cup of coffee, and a plateful of donuts please,” Princess Luna asked.

Blackwing stretched out his legs a bit as Luna opened the window to let some fresh air in. It was quite windy outside, but the sun was shining, making it a warm early afternoon. She then returned to her desk and began to look through some of her notes and a few minutes later Fullmoon returned with the ordered goods and placed them next to the pile of notes.

“Oh great, thank you,” Luna said as Fullmoon made a hasty retreat. “One more thing Fullmoon.”

“Y-yes, your majesty?” he turned back to her, an expression of horror crossing his face.

“Take a pair of donuts for you and your partner at the door. You look... hungry.” The princess smiled at him, trying to look casually. Fullmoon carefully approached the table, grabbed a pair and mumbled his thanks as he moved backwards towards the door.

“Hungry's not the word I'd use...” Blackwing mentioned while reaching for his coffee cup as the guardpony closed the door behind him. Luna smiled again as she chewed on a donut.

After a couple more, Luna continued her story. “Now where was I? Ah, yes. Celestia told me, that she did not know much of the situation in the Academy, but she soon began to receive anonymous reports. I have reasons to believe that they were written by the Academy’s chronicler, Silverbeard. They stated that some of the experiments in the Academy were producing disturbing results. Some of the younger wizards were creating more complicated experiments with more complicated machines and powerful spells. The machines were somehow malfunctioning, and strange things would happen....”

“Ghosts in the machine...” Blackwing whispered. He was both terrified and excited to hear more.

“Yes. Celestia does not know what exactly happened, but the reports stated that the situation was getting more and more critical and out of hoof. Older wizards wanted to stop the experiments with machine-magic; they considered it too dangerous. The younger wizards thought that the elders wanted to control them and continued their work in protest.”

“Whoa, a conflict of the generations. That’s a classic. Now give me some misalliance...”

“This is no laughing matter Blackwing.” Luna sent him a cold look.

“Sorry Princess. Please continue.”

“She decided to visit the Academy and talk with its leaders. They stated that the situation may become dangerous not only to the academic community, but to all of Equestria.” Luna made a dramatic pause and took a sip of her tea. “Tia decided to trust them, as she knew some of them really well and trusted their judgment. After a long discussion, she agreed to sign a decree, one that limited the machine-magic in Equestria.”

“Did it work? Sounds like a risky move...” Blackwing pondered.

“In a way. Most of the experiments stopped. But almost half of the wizards working in the Academy resigned. The school never regained its reputation.”

“Wait... ‘Most’ of the experiments?” Blackwing raised an eyebrow at that. He had been taught that ‘the devil is in the detail’ and the pegasus had learned to pay attention to those little things. And this one just gave him a slight hint, of what his role could be in this whole story.

“Some of the wizards refused to stop their experiments on machine-magic, but they had to work in secret. I needed to find out more and finding no other source, I hoped that Silverbeard’s notes will explain something. For the sake of the Academy’s reputation, he wasn’t allowed to write about some inconvenient incidents in the official chronicles. Those books were printed and sent to libraries across Equestria, to advertise the school and keep its reputation.”

“Well, don’t keep me waiting. What did you find out, and what do I have to do with it?” Blackwing was eager to find out why his first day off had been interrupted. However, he had to admit that an afternoon spent with Luna, stories, donuts, and coffee wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was one of his favorite things since he was a young colt. Through all these years, the biggest change that happened in their little get-togethers was his cocoa being replaced with white coffee.

“Notes about one pony in particular, skilled engineer and talented wizard known as Steamwand, were most disturbing.” Luna seemed excited as she described him. “Even though his experiments ended in the most disturbing ways and his magical machines constantly malfunctioned, he did not perceive any of it as ‘wrong’ or ‘dangerous’. It was all just a way of improvement and learning to him. The chronicler also mentions, that for Steamwand, his machines were more important than magic, or anything else for that matter. He saw magic was only a tool and even created a device – a wand – to intensify his magical powers.”

Blackwing had to strain his memory again. Wands were not something common among ponies, even pony wizards. “I’ve heard about wands before... but I don’t think that anypony uses them nowadays.”

Luna nodded. “They’re extremely difficult to make. And my sister’s ‘machine magic decree’ forbids such devices,” Luna explained. “Even after the decree, Steamwand refused to discontinue his work and vanished.”

“So, you want me to find him then? Or rather, find his remains?” The usual job. Find a forgotten tomb. What could be so urgent about that?

“Not exactly. You see, before he left the Academy, Steamwand told the Academy’s elders something that disturbs me.” She levitated one page of her notes to her. “According to the chronicler it was: ‘You won this time you old nags! But in the end, I will be triumphant; when you’re all long gone! Everypony will see. In five hundred years the power of the Steam Key will throw all of Equestria at my hooves!’”

“And what exactly is this ‘Steam Key’" Blackwing seemed intrigued and excited by this. It had been sometime since Luna had seen him this way.

“I’m not quite sure. But the chronicler added some drawings of Steamwand’s devices. I managed to copy the text, but I didn’t have enough time to copy the drawings.” Luna approached the large glass case. The tome was in it and there was enough space inside so she could turn the pages freely with her magic. She showed Blackwing the original drawings. “I will copy these as fast as I can, so you will be able to use them during your search.” Luna was keen on arts and a few hundred years of practice had made her a really skilled artist.

“So we still don’t know what it is or what it does, but you want me to look for this ‘Steam Key’ anyways?” Blackwing guessed.

“I shall remain here and try to find out more. I have already sent requests to the libraries in Fillydelphia and Manehattan for assistance on this matter. You will go to Shadington.”

“Yeah... wait, where?” Blackwing stared at her blankly.

“A small town on the river, by the southern end of the Everfree forest.”

Blackwing sighed. “Fine, but why there?”

“Well, I was looking for records of Steamwand throughout the Canterlot libraries and archives, and the only thing that I have found so far is that the first mayor of that little town was known by that name. I do not know if that is our wizard, his relative, or simply a coincidence, but it is in the same time frame,” Luna explained impatiently. She was eager to finish her lecture and take a nap as normally, she’d be asleep at this hour. “It is the only lead we have as of now.”

“Alright, I’ll go to Shadington and find out if it’s the same guy. But you owe me my vacation.” Blackwing finished his coffee, said goodbye to Luna, and flew away through an open window. He still had one more appointment to keep this day.

He was supposed to dine with his parents. It was a special occasion: his older brother Sky was visiting. Blackwing had taken the week off because of that visit and he hoped he could delay the trip to Shadington for a couple more days to spend some time with his sibling. Sky had become a successful businesspony in Fillydelphia. Their parents, both diplomats, were always very proud of his brother and wanted Blackwing to learn by his example. Luckily, when he had become Luna’s protégé, their parents were satisfied enough to stop mentioning Sky’s success in business all the time. Blackwing was always happy for his brother’s prosperity, even though their parents could be restless in their attempts to make him a reflection of Sky. Actually, it was Sky who was more upset about it. Sky was humble and realized that he and his brother had radically different interests. In his childhood, before Blackwing had met Luna and later the young Night Guardians, Sky was his only friend.

For Blackwing, meeting Princess Luna had been a turning point, that had set the course of his life. It had happened over a decade earlier, soon after her return to Equestria. They had met accidentally, when she had been wandering the palace gardens, where he had sneaked in. Despite the immense age difference, the little pegasus colt and the immortal princess had had more in common than one would think. They had shared love for the night, the moon, the stars, and the particular peace it offered. She had been lonely and bored, the only nocturnal in the palace, as the night guard hadn‘t been formed yet. He had been lonely too, a night owl with a set of sneaking skills, that most grown-ups usually had perceived as wrong rather than admirable. Luna had stories to share and Blackwing had been eager to listen. Stories of old days, forgotten heroes and magical artifacts. And there had been one more thing - time. Luna had had lots of it, while other grown-up ponies had had none, at least for Blackwing. They’d started to meet regularly, several nights a week. She had taught him about ancient history and astronomy. It had given her the feeling of being needed and Blackwing’s enthusiasm and curiosity had made her nights a lot more joyful. Soon Luna had officially made him her protégé, to the displeasure of most unicorns from high society.

Blackwing flew at full speed towards his parents’ home, the Blackwing family residence. He was in such a hurry to see his brother for the first time since his last visit during Hearth’s Warming Eve. Close to his destination, he spotted an open window. There was no reason bothering with the door, so he just accelerated a bit and folded his wings to fit through the window frame.

“CRESCENT MOON BLACKWING!” He stopped about an inch from a pale purple-coated pegasus stallion with a dark grey mane. He was standing in the dining room, holding a full teacup. “Just when I’m starting to think that finally both of my sons have grown up to be respectable stallions, you have to go and jump in through a window like some crazy teenage ruffian!”

“Actually, I wouldn’t call that jumping.” Blackwing, lying on the carpet, raised a hoof at his father’s comment.

“Do not interrupt me! And the worst possible thing, I could have spilled my tea!” Featherlan Blackwing, a tall and strong pegasus could look intimidating, but when irritated, his voice sounded very theatrical, which always made his sons laugh. This time was no exception as Blackwing tried his best not to burst out laughing.

“Oh papa, stop yelling at my favorite little brother.” A light blue pegasus with a white mane entered the room. “You know it’s not effective when you do that.”

“Sky!” Blackwing, back to his hooves in a flash, dashed across the dining room to hug Sky. Their father could not force himself to stay angry as he saw his sons in a brotherly hug. With Sky and Crescent here, the family finally felt complete again.

“Well, since I finally managed to push my older son out of the pantry, and the younger one, for the first time, isn’t late for dinner, maybe we should benefit from this double miracle and sit down at the table.” A pale cyan-coated mare with light yellow mane, holding a tray of daffodils, entered the dining room after Sky.

“Just let me get my father to join us Northstar,” Featherlan said as he headed towards the stairs in the hall only to be stopped by an old gray pegasus.

“What, did you think I would need somepony to come and get me, huh? Dreadnaught Blackwing is never late! Besides, I was eager to see my only grandchildren together, and when I heard them, I rushed downstairs... as fast as I could.” Grandpa Dreadnaught said, scowling at his walking stick.

The Blackwing family, now complete, sat at the table. Both sons were really hungry but they tried very hard to eat slowly and elegantly, keeping to the aristocratic etiquette. In the past the Blackwings had been one of the greatest aristocratic families in Canterlot, especially among pegasi. But that was centuries ago, now the family had only five members left, and they weren’t as influential or rich as their ancestors. The importance of the aristocratic class in Equestria had become very reduced in the last century or two. However, Dreadnaught and Featherlan insisted on keeping to the aristocratic traditions and customs.

“So Sky, how did you manage to escape your Fillydelphian company and visit us?” Blackwing decided that if he cannot fill his stomach as fast as he’d like to, he could at least talk with Sky. A polite conversation during a meal wasn’t forbidden by the etiquette.

“Well, I've had this cough, for about six months now. Nothing serious, though it’s been irritating,” Sky answered after he finished chewing on some hay fries. “I decided that it was the perfect excuse to take a week off. I went to the doctor, he did some tests and about an hour later I was already on the train to Canterlot.”

“Oh, I remember you coughing all the time during your Hearth’s Warming Eve visit, but you refused to see the doctor back then. When will you have the results?” Northstar was really worried.

“When I return to Fillydelphia. ,” Sky answered as he took a bite of a roasted eggplant.

“Don’t worry mom, Sky’s unstoppable. Some silly cough is nothing to him, right?” Blackwing assured his mother while patting his brother on the back.

“Mfmf.” Sky nodded with a mouthful of eggplant.

The dinner continued as Sky described his work in Fillydelphia and grandpa Dreadnaught told interesting stories about his time as a general for the Equestrian Guard. As they finished grandpa Dreadnaught decided it was time to head to bed.

“I’ll help you upstairs father,” Featherlan offered Dreadnaught a hoof, but the elder pegasus ignored him. He started walking towards the stairs, but realized after a few steps that it would take him quite a while on his own.

“Okay, okay, help me,” he admitted his defeat. “Not that I can’t get to my room without help! I’m just tired and I want to get there today.” Featherlan placed a hoof around his father’s shoulders and the two of them left the room.

“It’s good to be back, you know,” Sky started as his father and grandfather left. “I heard you’ve taken a few days off too Cres?”

“Yeah, but Luna told me today that it’s not gonna happen.” Blackwing sighed at that. “She needs me to do research in some remote town, so I’ll be leaving in like, two days.”

“Emergency sightseeing? Well, I never claimed to understand the royalty. But I think it’s time for dessert .” Northstar trotted off to the kitchen, leaving her two sons alone.

“Sightseeing?” Sky raised an eyebrow at his brother.

“Oh, you know what it’s like; you sneak into dragons’ caves, steal artifacts from Diamond Dogs, run from goblins. And then you get back home and your mother yells at you about all that and gives you the lectures about what’s reckless and stupid.”

“Not that I know what it’s like, but I suppose I could try and imagine it.”

“Well, I might have told our mother that Princess Luna assigned me to some safe historic research jobs on my request.” Blackwing gave a quick nervous glance in the direction of the kitchen. “Which may, or may not, be true.”

“Okay, and what do you do when she asks about your job? Mom can be very nosy.”

“ Oh I just tell her that my work is classified. Which may —”

“Or may not.”

“—be true. But it usually is. The Princess never likes it when ponies ‘babble’ about her interests and work, as she puts it; especially when it’s about powerful or valuable artifacts. She doesn’t usually tell me that it’s ‘top secret’, but if I start talking too much about my work she’ll probably have her sister send me on a different kind of assignment – on the moon.”

“Yeah... so what is it?” Sky asked.

“What is what?” The younger stallion raised an eyebrow.

“Your assignment of course.”

“I’m not going to tell you!”

“Oh come on! Of all the ponies in Equestria, you can tell me!”

“Tell you about what?” Northstar just returned from the kitchen, holding a tray full of cupcakes. Two brothers exchanged terrified stares.

“A mare!” Blackwing exclaimed in desperation.

“His crush!” Sky joined him, trying to help.

“Oh, Crescent, I didn’t know you had a marefriend...” Northstar felt pleasantly surprised.

“I don’t... it’s just that...”

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me just now who it is if you don’t want to. You have a right to have some secrets sweetheart.” His mother smiled. “Here, have some cupcakes!”

-----

Blackwing trotted through the door of his apartment. It was a small flat, a loft of an old building, close to the palace and city center. It was late afternoon and like it or not, he had to start packing for his assignment. Blackwing had spent most of the day with his family. They had walked through parks, visited the newly opened music section of the Equestrian National Museum (Sky was very interested in the history of music, from Neighthoven to John Colt-rain and Nat King Colt) and had had lunch downtown. Unfortunately, Luna’s messenger found him during the meal. The princess requested his presence immediately. Two days (or rather nights) had been more than enough for her to copy the drawings. In the palace, Luna gave Blackwing the copies and a ticket for an evening train to Balefast.

“Wake up Cam!” Blackwing grabbed the saddlebags hanging on a hook by the door. Cameron, a small chameleon, was laying on a windowsill. The afternoon sun made this particular spot perfect for naps. “We’re leaving tonight. We’ve got a train to catch at 10 o’clock.” Cam let out a big yawn.

“Come on! The adventure awaits!”

The chameleon gave Blackwing a skeptical look, yawned once more and fell asleep again.

“Whatever. Into the saddlebags you go then.”