Of Magic and Clockwork

by Midnight_Tempest

Chapter 2: The Ebb of the Tide

Midnight awoke within the dimly lit room, his head throbbing and his sight blurry. "He... hello? Where... am I? Why does my head hurt so?" Yet he received no answer. He rocked his head back and forth on the pillow, in the hopes that it might alleviate the pain he was feeling. He quickly feel asleep to only be awoke once more, though it was not a face he was hoping to see so soon. "F... father..."

"Father? Is that all you can say to me? By the Princess, I should have you thrown out of our house for your recklessness..."

The words cut deep, and wounded Midnight's pride. "Father... I am sorry, I... I only wished to know the truth of our family."

"The truth? Was it worth it, son? Was the price high enough to satisfy your curious nature?" The look that was in his father's eyes were not just of anger, but mostly of worry. "If you had been anywhere else, besides that mountain, you would have surely perished." The fear could be heard in every word. "The doctor's assure me that you will recover, but... you will never be whole again. If your mother could see you know, it would have broken her tender heart. She coddled your curiosity, wanted it to blossom."

The mention of his mother was never a good subject for Midnight. "Don't bring mother into this. She wanted me to be like this, she loved the way I always asked questions. She wanted me to be just like Scientia..."

"Scientia was as mad as she was foolish! If I didn't love your mother so much, I..." He was cut off quickly by another pony entering the room.

"Father, now is not the time for such things. Midnight has only just awoke, we should let him rest for a short time." Sun-rock looked over at his bedridden brother, the shame on his face was obvious. "But I do have some things to tell him, I'll be out in a few minutes.

When their father had finally left, Midnight was quick to ask. "What did father mean by, never be whole again? What happened to me after the explosion?" He was afraid, and there was no way to cover it up.

Sun-rock turned to the window with a sullen expression. "You mean to tell me, that you haven't noticed since you woke? Your head must still be pounding, but how could you not notice..."

"Don't beat around the bush, brother. What is the problem with...!" Sun-rock quickly silenced his brother with a small mirror, and a feeling of despair quickly swept over Midnight. "My... my eye... what... where is it? Where is my eye! What happened to my eye!"

It was difficult to hold Midnight still, although Sun-rock was the elder brother he was always smaller than Midnight. "Brother! Please calm down! This won't help you at all. You lost your eye in the explosion. Part of the clock you used was lodged in the socket, there was nothing they could do but remove your eye completely."

"When... when do I get to return home... I already tire of this place." Midnight could only frown at the room around him. So white and sterile, he wished to return to the comforts of his family's manor.

"That there, would be the problem then. Father is considering banishment for what you have done. A formal hearing is to be had when you have recuperated to decide what shall be done with you. I'm sorry brother, I won't be able to help you this time." Sun-rock slowly opened the door, but before leaving he said one last thing. "I'm glad that you are alive, brother. I just wish it had never come to this." The door then shut and Midnight was left with nothing but silence, and his own thoughts.

~~~~

3 days later, Midnight was released from the hospital. Today was the day that the eldest members of his family would judge him, to determine if he would still be a fitting member of the family or nothing but a burden. The hearing began in the early morning, with arguments flying to and fro. Some members believe he should be given another chance, others believe he has had to many chances. Midnight was never given a chance to speak for himself until the hearing was nearing its end. Dusk was approaching and Midnight had watched and listened to everypony there discuss his future.

It was tradition to hold the hearing in the main lobby of the manor, under a large portrait of Matriarch Scientia. It did take time for the hearing to start, however, as many family members were uneasy with Midnight's disfigurement. That problem was solved with a simple eye patch. This actually made Midnight feel more at ease than the others, he could at least pretend that he was just covering his left eye and not missing it entirely.

Not once was Midnight ever asked to explain his actions, for everypony there knew what he would say. As the final decision was being weighed, his attention was drawn to the portrait of his ancestor. Beautifully painted, and masterfully framed, it was the last known likeness of Scientia before her 'fall into madness'. Her mane and tail almost matched his perfectly, as did her coat. It was something that he always considered to be just a coincidence, but the portrait also depicted her with an eye patch. 'She was injured, just like I was... that must have been what the article was telling me.' A small grin crept across his lips at the idea that she had made the same mistake as he did. He turned his head to the right and looked into the small mirror that was in the bookcase there. It was then that he noticed it, his cutie mark had finally appeared. 'How long have I had that, did it just now appear? A magic wand overlapping a metal cog. It looks so familiar.' He looked back up at the portrait, and that was when it jumped out at him.

"Midnight of House Scientia," His father's voice echoed through the halls, all other members were as silent as the night. "we, the eldest family members of House Scientia have come to a decision. All options have been thoroughly examined and re-examined. We have come up with two options for you to chose from, you will be forgiven your trespasses by all here if you denounce your curiosity with Matriarch Scientia. Or, you may leave this family, be striped of your title and never be allowed to return."

These choices were in no way meant to be fair, but Midnight didn't expect this to be fair at all. "Where are the pages that I took from the book? And the notes that I made from them?"

"You mean these?" Everything that Midnight was reading and writing was now hovering before his father. "They were recovered, intact, after your accident. Though I would not have been sad to see these pages destroyed, it would make your choice far more simple."

"I see. So that is how the family feels about this. Better to bury everything in the past and hope that time will leave it forgotten?" With a bright green flash, the pages were no longer before his father but now before Midnight. Another green flash and he was now carrying saddlebags. "If this is how you deal with things, then I want nothing to do with this family. I renounced my title, and this family. You are all cowards, afraid of what every other pony thinks of you. And unlike you, I realize that time will not hide the past. I will continue the work that Scientia began, and I will bring glory and honor back to this family. Even if it means my death." One last flash of green and Midnight was gone, in his place a small piece of paper with a short note written on it. A saying once thought to have been spoken by Scientia herself.

"History can, and mostly likely will repeat itself. Like the face of a clock, everything, including time, will come full circle."
Signed, Midnight Tempest of House Scientia.

Comments

o.o dang they just got served