Cogs Machines

CHAPTER ONE: COG'S MACHINES

The bright Equestrian sun slowly arose in the sky over the quiet village of Ponyville, illuminating the pastel thatched buildings and awakening the residents of each dwelling in turn. When the the sun hit one shop in particular, a ray of light hit a prism mounted on the roof, propelling the light inside. A gear-shaped sign on this odd building proclaimed it to be "Cog's Machines and Repairs." The door, a worn wooden panel reinforced with an inlay of rusted iron, creaked on its ancient hinges. A display window on the front revealed the front room, a kind of organized messed of gears, springs and various machine parts. Crammed between a stack of copper rods and one particularly large silver gear was an oak desk, topped with a cashier bell and cash register. Behind this desk was a workshop, illuminated by an opaque white crystal in the roof. The daylight brought in revealed many cluttered tables of tools and parts, each work table centered with a machine of some sort.
Along the back wall were row after row of different sized boxes, each one similar in design with a single nub on the top. Adjacent to this display of boxes was a set of stairs, lined with more crystals lighting the way. This lead to a dim hall with three adjoining rooms: one to the left, right, and straight ahead. The sound of light snoring could be heard emanating from the door on the left. Hanging on one wall of the room, which was actually rather small, was a large map of Equestria with hoof written notes on several locations. Surrounding the map was a menagerie of posters of the Wonderbolts cluttered next to those of DJ Pon-3, overlaid with a smattering of machine schematics. Underneath the gaze of the best flyers in Equestria were many stacks of books, everything from a "Beginners Guide to Magic" to "Flying for Derps" The piles of books and papers was only broken by a desk cluttered with stationery and a large, plush, cream colored bed from which the snoring was originating. Curled up in the folds of the blanket was a light orange earth pony, her mane a tangled mess of dark blue. She moaned and rolled over, revealing a golden key with a gear for its handle emblazoned on her flank. She slept undisturbed for a few more minutes until a radio, covered by a diagram of what appeared to be a mechanical fish, sprang to life, playing an exquisitely loud song courtesy of Vinyl Scratch. The mare jolted awake, flailing groggily for the radio controls and finally whacking them with a final sweep of the hoof. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she strode out if the room and into the hallway, going straight into the bathroom to prepare for the day. She exited the bathroom, now fully awake and with a slightly less tangled mane, taking a left into the third door. Inside was a spilt room kitchen and living area, lit with more of the luminescent crystals. The room was the cleanest in the house, which wasn't saying much. The kitchen was equipped with a few machines that, for once, appeared to have purpose. She trotted to the kitchen, opening a few cupboards and removing oats, nuts and a few other various food items, and placing them carefully into one of the contraptions. A quick turn of a nob and the machine went to work. Exiting the kitchen, she passed a large clay fireplace, its mantle covered in photographs. She paused at one that showed an older colt standing in front of a much newer-looking machine shop.
"Hello, grandpa Cog," she whispered to the photo as if wishing it to respond. Turning her head, she glanced at another picture of a young orange foal cuddled between a red mare and a brown stallion. "Hello mom, hello dad," she said somberly, pulling herself away from the memories. Going past the fireplace, she entered the living side of the room and promptly flopped herself onto one of the three couches around the place, only to immediately jump up and inspect the seat, bewildered. There sat a heavy leather apron and a brass pair of googles, right where she'd left them last night.
"Gall darn tools," she mumbled, swiping away the bundle of leather and retaking her seat. There she waited impatiently, tapping her hoof on a side table until the cooking machine gave a whir and a ding signaling its completion. She quickly shot out of the cushioned chair and into the kitchen, grabbing a bowl from the sink as she went, and placed it under a nozzle on one side of the machine. The machine gave a soft buzzing and a stream of hot oatmeal poured into the bowl. She flipped a switch when the bowl was full, and quietly enjoyed her meal. Once she was finished, a great dong sounded from a half-constructed cuckoo clock standing next to the door, signaling the start of the work day. She looked up for a second and then quickly laid into the last bits of oatmeal. Finished, she tossed the bowl next to the sink and rummaged around until she found the leather apron she'd discarded earlier, slipping the strap around her neck and reaching back to tie another couple of strips around her midsection. Looking down, she found her goggles and slipped them over her ears, clamping a few locks of royal blue mane to her face. She started toward the door, adjusting her hair as she went. Pushing aside the door, she trotted down the stairs, nearly tripping over a pile of washers and rivets as she reached the bottom. As she strode into the workshop, a knocking from above brought her attention to the roof.
"Oh, the door battery's dead again," she grumbled winding her way past the piles of boxes to the rear of the building grabbing onto a large crank and going to work. Slowly but surely a large circular door opened in the roof.
"For Celestia's sake Clockchime, you forget that battery every week!" the dove-grey pegasus chided as she hovered toward the floor, her turquoise mane fluttering around her. She landed on the clearest section of ground, her back turned to Clockchime, showing the diamond surrounded by a white cloud that made up her cutie mark.
"Yeah yeah, Skyshade, I'll do that now. Why don't you go check the mailbox for today's orders?" Clockchime said, irritated that she and Skyshade had this conversation at least once every week.
"I'm on it" Skyshade replied, trailing into the front room.
Clockchime used a swift hind leg kick to open a panel next to the crank, revealing one of the peculiar boxes plugged into the door assembly. She pulled it loose and tossed it to the pile on her left, then dug around for a replacement in the pile to her right, finally coming up with a battery of the right size. She turned around and pushed it into place, and recovered the panel. She then pressed a green button on the opposite side of the crank, causing the above door to rev shut. "There," she said triumphantly, following Skyshade into the other room just as the front door opened, letting in a rather neat-looking unicorn colt.
"Oh, hello Emberglade," Clockchime greeted him with a smile. He nodded back, keeping his immaculate mane still, its deep purple always in the same pattern. His rust-red coat was as clean and clear as ever, only broken by the brass scale of his cutie mark.
"The empty battery pile's getting big again; can you go refill them?" she said, nodding toward the back room.
"Just as soon as I get the cash register going," Ember replied, setting his saddlebag by the counter and unlocking the register.
The door reopened, letting Skyshade in. "Looks like a busy day ahead of us," she stated while shuffling through a stack of orders. "Let's see... three repair orders, 8 battery replacements, and...well looky here, an order from Cloudsdale. Don't they usually use Mack's machines?" Skyshade said with a snicker.
"Why are you laughing? That means you have to fly there and back," Ember put in with some chuckling of his own.
"Oh, go file something," she snapped back.
"Break it up, you two" Clockchime said, swiping the repair orders from Skyshade. With a quick shuffle through, she sighed. "Dear Celestia, how often does that Vinyl break her turntables? Eventually I won't be able to fix them," Clockchime mumbled, glancing back at the other two orders; one stated a service request at the town library, the other the daily order to the post office.
"Got the shop handled, Glade?" she asked, trotting around the counter and stopping off at a work bench cluttered with tools.
"As always, Chime." he replied, joining her in the back, his horn coming to life with a red aura as he directed his attention toward the empty batteries. Clockchime filled the pouches on her apron with what she needed and started for the door just as Skyshade made use of the roof door, carrying her first delivery. Turning to the door, Clockchime stepped out into the light.
~ ~ ~
The air outside was crisp with the scents and sounds of morning, and the light was absolutely blinding. Blinking the spots from her eyes, Clockchime made for the back of the building, stealing her way through the alley between buildings and emerging in the cart path running behind the stores. Looking to the back of the shop, she trotted up to her own cart, which was mounted between two posts; it sat beside the prototype of some peculiar wheeled vehicle her twin uncles had had her help them make a few weeks before they left to wherever they had gone. She swiftly undid the chain and wriggled her way into the harness. Backing into the alley, she turned and set off at a gallop to her first stop. The back streets were rarely busy, that morning being no exception. Pegasi were out and about clearing the clouds, shaping the day into one of the best Ponyville had seen in a while. The thatched roofs were starting to darken with the collection of rain over the past week. Thankfully, there were also fewer puddles for the cart to catch in, cutting a few minutes from the trip.
The first stop was to the Post Office, which was also Clockchime's best customer, having to call upon the her services almost daily. Coming to a halt in front of the official-looking white building with a patchwork roof, she settled her cart by some bushes and trotted up the marble stairs to a set of brass push doors. She didn't get one hoof through the door before she was blown back by what seemed to be a concentrated explosion coming through the doors. From her vantage point on the floor, Clockchime got a view of the source of this destruction.
"Derpy! Try to watch where your going!" Clockchime scolded half-heartedly, knowing the clumsy pegasus never meant to do any of it on purpose.
"Sorry Clockchime. Here, have a muffin!" Derpy replied with her usual apology and endless supply of muffins she kept in her satchel.
"It's fine, just don't blow anything up," Clockchime said with a laugh as she got back to her hooves and took the muffin.
"Don't worry, I haven't blown anything up in days." Derpy gave a lopsided smile and took to the skies, leaving Clockchime to pick some of her tools from the floor. After getting her belt in order, Clockchime turned her attention to the metallic doors, slowly slipping in to avoid a repeat of earlier. The inside of the post office was much like the outside; a common, official-looking building, pockmarked with broken masonry and damaged furniture.
"Ahhhhhh, miss Clockchime, wonderful," the postmaster Mr. Script greeted with his usually tired face. "Derpy kind of... well, derped."
"So what is it today?" Clockchime inquired, wondering what today's job would be.
"Oh, it's not too bad; she loaded the mail sorter backwards." He sighed and checked large brass clock hanging on the opposite wall.
"Ma'll hafe it done inth an hour," Clockchime replied, chewing through the muffin Derpy had given her.
"That'll be fine, but please hurry. If we don't get the mail sorted, we'll miss our quota," the old stallion reminded as he walked over to the clock, which had stopped not two hours ago. He examined it for moment, then reached for the clasp on the side of the casing, which upon its release let out a flood of muffins and gears.
"I'll throw in the clock for free," she added with a bemused smile.
"Thank you." he said with a tired look, as he turned toward the side door that led to his office. Clockchime set off to the sorter room, knowing the place by heart due to her several visits. The machine in question wasn't terribly hard to fix; all that needed to be done was to remove the dispenser and take out the letters. With the aid of her many tools, Clockchime had the machine going in record time. The clock, however, was a different story. All the pieces had to be cleaned and sorted, the pieces impossible to put together to the untrained eye. For Clockchime, it was merely difficult. When the job was finally done, she closed up the clock and set it to a pocket watch she produced from her apron. She sighed, looking toward the office, and grudgingly got to her hooves and stretched. Mr. Script was summoned with a quick knock to his door.
"All done." she reported, happy to be finished.
"Oh excellent. So that's 15 bits?" he asked, retrieving a coin purse and pulling out the glittering coins.
"Yes, thanks." She nodded, accepting them. "See you tomorrow," she added with a sly grin.
He gave a great sigh and started off for the now-working letter sorter. "I certainly hope not." He disappeared down the hall, giving a last glimpse of his cutie mark - a letter full of bubbles.
~ ~ ~
Clockchime trotted down the marble steps to retrieve her cart, securing the leather straps and again setting off into the day. Vinyl Scratch lived in a town house near the train station, due to her and her roommate's constant traveling. Upon rolling up Clockchime was relieved to find that the constant wubs that usually filled the building had fallen silent.
Instead, the light plucking of classical music could be heard emanating from the town house. Clockchime deposited her cart on the stoop, glad to be rid of the weight, and knocked at the door. She waited for a moment, wondering what Vinyl had managed do to her turntables this time,when the door suddenly slammed open.
"Clockchime, finally!" The white unicorn said as she grabbed Clockchime by the shoulders and pulled her inside.
"This classical is great and all, but there's nothing like dubstep," she said pulling her past the kitchen and into a rather spacious living room turned music room, littered with various musical instruments. One side of the room was strewn with keyboards, guitars and, above all, wires; everything needed to make electro music. The others side, a bit cleaner, had a multitude of stringed instruments and sheet music all over. Vinyl quickly lead Clockchime to the "dubstep" side in the center of which was the turntable in question. Surprisingly, it appeared intact.
"So what's wrong with it?" Clockchime asked.
"I don't know. I woke up this morning and they just wouldn't turn on."
"Are you sure you didn't spill something on them or fall on them?"
"Do you honestly think I'm so careless as to.."
"Yes." Clockchime cut her off. "I'll see what I can do"
"You're as much of a buzzkill as usual. Let's see if we can fix that." She let the last statement hang in the air as she strolled through another door.
Clockchime shrugged and set to examining the turn table. It didn't take long for her to notice what was wrong; the magical battery was missing. She was about to call for Vinyl when a brown earth pony quickly strode in, Clockchime quickly recognized her as Octavia, Vinyl's roommate. "Wait!" she said in a hushed voice.
"What?"
"Please don't tell vinyl what's wrong, this is the first quiet I've had in months."
"You took the battery!?" Clockchime asked, now confused.
"Quiet!"
"Why?"
"Vinyl never sleeps; she's always playing her music, and it's been driving me mad."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Please just tell her you fixed it, but she needs to wait a while to use it. I'll slip the battery in later."
"Ummmm..."
"Well look at that, Octy! You getting "friendly" with the repairmare?" Vinyl asked, bursting through the door with a smirk.
"Vinyl! Please don't scare away one of the few ponies who still dares enter our home."
"Hey, those spiders were only partially my fault!" Vinyl turned her attention to Clockchime. "So you got it working?"
"Ummm... yes, I did. You see, you've been using it too much; it's overheated. Let it rest for a few more hours and it should be fine." Clockchime said with a wink to Octavia, who looked relieved. "You really shouldn't play it so much."
"That's great! I can't wait to start jamming again!" Vinyl said in delight while doing a hoof pump. Clockchime watched her rub her beloved turntable fondly. "Thanks, Chimey."
Vinyl dug into a drawer on a side table and removed a hoof-full of golden coins which she tossed at Clockchime. The repairmare caught them in mid air, wondering what exactly was making the bits so sticky, before finally shoving them into her coin pouch.
She made her way back to the front door. "I'll see you two later!" she shouted, ducking through the door and into the street. Inside, the classical music started up again. Clockchime let out a sigh of relief as she hitched up her cart, thinking of her last stop. She started up and was about to take of when a dull throb of purple caught her eye. She skidded to a halt and examined the ground where a small pebble was glowing a dark violet. Puzzled, Clockchime scooped it up to get a closer look, but as soon as she did the glowing ceased, making it appear now as a normal pebble. She simply tossed the curious pebble into her belt, deciding to examine it later, and headed off to the library.
~ ~ ~
The giant, hollow tree that had been converted into a library years ago was outlined in the midday light. Clockchime gazed at the way the light shifted through the leaves as she strolled toward the door carved into the base between two roots. She shrugged off her cart and tied it to a low branch before entering the musty library. The front room, centered by the huge, carved wooden horse head, was empty except for the many books lining the walls. A purple radiance was emanating from a doorway to the left; she followed it down a flight of stairs and into a large, cavelike room filled with a menagerie of testing equipment, all belonging to the purple unicorn in front of her.
"Hello, Twilight," Clockchime greeted the unicorn, who set down the book she was levitating next to the sprawl in front of her.
"Oh good, you're here. I've just finished laying out everything you need."
"What?"
"I isolated the problem, got the manual, had Spike get the tools, and set out instructions on what to do."
"So why didn't you fix it?"
"Huh? Why would I? You're the professional." She said this as if it was common sense. Trotting toward the door she left her with a passing statement. "I'll send in Spike with some refreshments later. I know how much you like his cookies."
"Thanks," replied Clockchime, thinking of what she actually wanted Spike for. She looked down at the sprawl of books, all the organized schematics.
"Wow. I usually just bust it open and screw with it 'til it works." she remarked, brushing the neat piles aside and diving into the machine. The problem, as usual with things of Twilight's, was overuse. A few pieces had been worn down to bare metal. The replacements would have taken weeks to get. Luckily, Twilight had taken care of that. She scanned the discarded pile for needed parts, plucking them out one by one. The old pieces came out easy enough; the hard part was putting the new ones in. When she was about half way through, a purple and green dragon walked in, carrying a tray of cookies and a pitcher of punch.
"Hello, Spike," Clockchime greeted him.
"Hello. Hey, do you have any gems?"
"As long as you have some spare scales," she said, plucking a hoof full of glittering gems out of her belt and waving them in front of the baby dragon. He, in turn, produced a handful of purple scales.
"Hmmmm... Seems about even, and I'll make it uneven if you give me a hand with your fire."
"Yeah, sure," Spike was too distracted to care, drooling over the jewels.
"Okay, so it's a deal?"
"Definitely."
Clockchime scooped up the scales, pocketing them. They set to work, using Spike's flame to get the pieces in place. When they finished, Spike grabbed the pile of books and papers. He carried them off, happily munching on a gem. Clockchime closed up the machine and turned it on, soon greeted by the whir of magic energy that signaled her success. She let out a sigh and collected her tools. She left the machine and climbed the stairs to the main room of the library, where Twilight was sorting books with her magic. Clockchime paused and watched her for a minute, gazing with envy at the horn, thinking of how easy her job would be with magic. She shook the thoughts from her head, and trotted into the room. "All done, Twilight."
"Oh, excellent. That's 10 bits, right?"
"Yup."
Twilight levitated the coins toward her; she easily snagged them, slipping them into her belt, and started for the door. "See ya, Twilight. Call me if you need anything else."
"I certainly will, Clockchime."
She swung the door open and trotted back into the world.
~ ~ ~

Clockchime hooked up her cart, thankful that her out-and-about day was over. She started home, taking a route that brought her near the edge of town, allowing her an excellent view of Cloudsdale off in the distance.
She paused and marveled at the Pegasi in flight, wishing she could join them in the air.
"You can you know."
Clockchime looked around for the source of the voice, finding nopony nearby.
"Who are you?"
"Why, my dear, I'm your best friend," the voice answered, "and I'm going to help you. How would you like to fly?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Special thanks to
phynix05
RyllShados
And my editor
PrelateZ

Flight

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CHAPTER TWO: FLIGHT

"Honestly, flying is simplicity itself. Well, as long as you have wings, that is. Magic too, if you have the horn for it. Why, even your earth pony strength is available for those who know how to take it," the voice continued in its odd tone.
"Where are you? Who are you?!" Clockchime shouted again, looking around, confused.
"I'm right under your snout, silly filly. As to who... well, I'm a friend from a long time ago."
Clockchime looked down to see a purple glow coming from a pocket in her apron. Reaching a hoof, in she pulled out the pebble she'd picked up earlier, now alive with a purple aura.
"You're a rock?"
"No, I'm trapped in a rock," it replied.
"Then who are you?"
"I am - or was - Chief Magister Oakenbrook of queen Celestia's royal sorcerers, militant division."
"But Equestria hasn't had a military since the lunar uprising."
"Oh, I'm older even then that."
"You mean..... From the days when chaos ruled?"
"Right you are, and dark days they were. I was a master of enchantment, a now-forbidden form of magic. This brings me back to you, dear Clockchime. I'm touched by your desire to be more then you are."
"How would enchantment help me?" she asked, transfixed by the small, luminous sphere. After a second she noticed she had stopped moving, and started home again.
"Well, it could fix your 'wingless' dilemma"
"Are you saying that I could fly?!"
"Why, yes, my dear; fly, and much more."
"How?"
"Take me to your shop and I'll show you what you can do."
At this statement, her suspicion at the voice was overwhelmed by curiosity, and her desire to find out just what he was speaking of. Not wanting to wait any longer,
Clockchime set off at a gallop.

~ ~ ~

The door clanged against the wall, rattling several hanging parts and pieces, as Clockchime returned to the shop. Emberglede looked up from his book. "Job's done?"
he asked, levitating a quill and starting to jot down notes in one of the gigantic logs in front of him.
"Yup, all done. Is Skyshade in?"
"She just set out for her last trip of the day."
"Horse feathers" she cursed, leaping over the clutter, past him and into the workshop.
"What's got you so excited?" Ember asked.
"Oh, I've got... A new project," Clockchime quickly lied, deciding to keep the "pony in a rock" to herself.
He looked at her in mild suspicion. "Oh, whatever. Just don't blow anything up."
She ignored him and trotted to the largest workbench, right next to the great furnace. The bench was covered in a half-assembled clockwork toys, which she briskly brushed aside. Taking out the stone, she placed it on one of the many overhanging shelves, tossing her apron off to the side.
"Alright, we're here. What do we need?" Clockchime asked it expectantly.
"Ooh, straight to business, are we?" the voice responded. "Very well, you'll need gold, brass, silver, six small rubies..."
He went on to list several items, all of which she scrambled around the room collecting.
"There... Done," she huffed, examining the pile before her. "Now what?"
"Now comes the hard part. Try to keep up."
The voice in the rock started giving complex instructions for preparing the metal: heating it in the furnace, only to dunk it in water and back again; shaving brass feathers until they were ridiculously thin; making parts so small they barely fit on her hoof tips, all of which went into the contraption as it gradually took shape.
The flat iron panel was fitted into a saddle, the wire frame layered with brass until it resembled wings. It came together in two pieces: a saddle lined with straps and buckles, with two delicate but firm wings; and a golden neckpiece lined with gems, leading to an empty socket in the center.
"What goes here?" Clockchime asked, gesturing toward the vacant cavity.
"The one thing that has kept just anypony from doing this," the voice answered. "The essence of a Pegasus."
"How do we get that?"
"Simply by having your lovely friend, Skyshade, assist us."
Then as if by summoned, Skyshade dropped from above, softly landing a few feet away.
"Hello, Clockchime. Good to see that you're done."
"Good to see you too, everything go well?" Clockchime replied guiltily, not looking forward to taking advantage of such a sweet pony.
"Yes, all normal. Are you alright?" she asked, instantly picking up on the fact that something was wrong.
"Oh yes, everything's fine. You go rest up. I have one last job for you in a minute."
Skyshade paused for a moment. "Okay then," she said at last, "I'll be upstairs."
She relented, weaving through the clutter with ease and climbing the stairs.
Clockchime broke her gaze from her friend, and turned back to the pebble.
"What do you mean, with Skyshade's assistance?" she asked accusingly. The rock, in turn, continued to be a rock. "Hello? Oakenbrook?"
"Ahem... if you're done playing with your pet rock, I would like today's bits so I can put it in the books."
Emberglede had silently entered the room, as he had a habit of doing. In most cases, this ended up scaring the hay out of somepony, this time being no exception.
"Ahhhhh! Ember, for the last time, wear a bell or something!" Clockchime exclaimed as she jumped a few feet in the air. Ember held out a hoof expectantly.
"Fine..." she dug in her belt pulling out a coin purse and tossing it to him.
"Thank you. So, what's that?" he asked, flicking his tail toward the newly made wings.
"Oh, um... just a little side project."
"Well, make sure you work on that hot tub apparatus. The twins left last week."
"Yeah, I will..."
"Mmmmhmmm" Ember levitated the bits and went back to his station at the front desk. Clockchime sighed with relief and turned her attention back to the rock.
"Now, how exactly were you planning on attaining the essence of a Pegasus from my friend?"
The pebble again lit up with its purple hue and responded. "Oh, calm your bridle, my little pony. She'd be fine. You'd just be tapping into her natural potential and making a copy for your own use."
"So she wouldn't be affected at all?"
"Yes, yes, she'd be perfectly okay."
Clockchime grabbed the necklace section and held it in the pseudo-sunlight, examining it more closely. "So, how exactly would I do this?"
"Oh, that's simple. Have her wear the necklace and it'll do the rest."
"Are you sure?" Clockchime asked.
"Weren't you the on who was all hoof and holler a second ago? Do you want this or not?"
"Of course I do."
"Then go and give her the necklace."
Clockchime turned tail and trotted up the stairs, nearly tripping as she went.

She found Skyshade in the living and kitchen room, sipping a cup of tea.
"Hello, Clockchime. Are you alright?" she asked, noticing that her friend was slightly shaken up.
"Huh? Oh I'm fine, I was just bringing up that job I mentioned earlier," Clockchime responded, holding up the golden neckpiece.
"Oh, it's lovely! What is it for?"
"It's an experiment of mine. I just need you to put it on for a second."
"Oh of course, anything for you Clockchime," she said, lowering her neck to let Clockchime place the necklace. She gingerly held out the neck piece and draped it over Skyshade's mane before quickly turning away, expecting some sort of explosion. Skyshade lifted her head and glanced down. "It's really light. What did you make it with?"
Clockchime turned back and took a look at the center of the golden collar, inching closer to see if anything had mystically appeared in the socket.
"Umm... Clockchime, your a little close."
"Huh? Oh, sorry." She backed away, thinking about what to do next.
"Oh I don't mind..." Skyshade said with a blush.
Clockchime looked again at the necklace. "Hmmm, maybe it reacts to the wearer's abilities..."
"Uh, okay, so what do we do?"
"Let's go outside and have you fly around a bit." Clockchime whipped around and started leading Skyshade downstairs.

Outside, the wind had picked up to a gentle breeze, tousling the grass around the two ponies' hooves as they trotted into an empty field a few blocks from the shop. Skyshade was still wearing the necklace, and Clockchime was now laden with a saddle bag containing the wings.
"What do you want me to do?" Skyshade asked, fiddling with the necklace.
"I don't know exactly. Try flying around a bit," Clockchime guessed at what would create the essence.
Skyshade took to the sky and started doing loops. a rare smile parting her lips; it was the kind she only got in the air, when she was free. Clockchime marveled at her happiness, trying and failing to forget the source of her sorrow.

~ ~ ~

The dark street, only lit by the occasional street light, was fenced on either side by towering buildings. Clockchime trotted briskly past the alleys, trying to avoid anypony else, fearful of those others who roamed with less desirable reasons. She was on here way to her hotel when she heard it; two gruff voices and a sharp crack, emanating from one of the dark alleys to her left. Clockchime paused and, being careful to avoid detection, started moving toward its source, listening in as she went.
"You know the deal, Shade. The boss needs to make sure you won't go running off."
This was met with only sobs as another crack sounded. Clockchime finally got close enough to see who was there. Two hulking brutes of ponies were standing over a single, crying figure.
"Come on, we should go. There are other ponies the boss needs...taken care of," one henchpony said with a raspy chuckle at his own poorly placed joke.
"Your not going anywhere!" Clockchime screamed from down the alley. She galloped at full speed toward them, ducking between them, and skidded to a stop between them and the crying pony.
"Who are you?" the first brute asked her.
"This is non of your business miss, don't go butting in," the second added.
Clockchime ignored them and turned to the pony on the ground.
"Are you alright?" she asked her.
"Run... Don't worry about me" the mare cried out between sobs. "They don't have a problem... with you." Clockchime looked her up and down, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. She didn't look like she'd been beaten too much, not bruised or bloody. Then she saw it, the source of the snapping sound. Wrapped up in bandages on her back, as if they'd been that way for a long time, were her wings. They had been bent askew, fresh blood seeping from the newly injured feathers. They were completely and utterly broken.
"Did... You... Do... This!?" she screamed, shuddering with anger as she turned toward the two brutes.
"Umm... what's it to you?"
"Did You Do This!" she yelled again. The two hulking behemoths gave a snide look and shifted from surprised to a cocky stance.
"Yeah, we did it. What're ya gonna do about it?"
His subsequent laugh caught in his throat as a hoof met the right side of his face. He reeled back, tripping over his own hooves as his partner rushed forward with a high kick. Clockchime took his first hit, but didn't give him a chance for a second. She ducked low, taking his hooves out from under him. The first crony got back up and charged, kicking with his front hooves. Clockchime brought him low with a swift buck; his partner was soon to follow.
"Filthy garbage," she cursed, nursing a large bruise forming on her right shoulder.
"Are you okay?" she asked the injured mare. She had gotten up and was staring, mouth agape.
"You... You saved me."
"Of course I did. They had it coming."
The grey mare carefully inched closer. She leaned her head on Clockchime's shoulder and started to cry.
"Come on, let's get inside and get you some help."

~ ~ ~

Skyshade touched down, bringing Clockchime back to the present.
"What's supposed to happen?" she asked, looking down at the necklace. Clockchime struggled a moment for the answer, trying to shake off the memory.
"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure we'll know when it happens."
No sooner then this left her lips, the necklace burst with a blazing, light blue aura. A bright beam of blinding light radiated from the center socket. Skyshade yelped with surprise, attempting to whip the thing off. She finally succeeded and sent it flying to Clockchime's hooves, where it stopped. The glow began to fade away, revealing a brilliant blue jewel where the empty hole had once been.
"Are you okay?" she asked warily, fearful that the voice in the stone had lied and Skyshade was hurt.
"I'm okay... just surprised. What did you make!?"
She joined Clockchime in staring at the necklace, neither of them daring to touch it. Clockchime turned away for a second, shrugging off her saddle bag and taking out the wings. She nudged at the necklace with a hoof tip. When she figured it was safe, she picked it up and connected it to the wings. They both marveled at the newly completed set.
"Are those... I mean, do they work?" Skyshade asked, unable to comprehend what she was looking at.
"Only one way to find out."
Clockchime nuzzled her head through the neckpiece, almost knocking off her goggles. She quickly strapped the rest of the buckles on. When she had finished, she felt a burning itch just below her shoulder blades as she became aware of her two new appendages. The wings felt as if they were flesh and blood; Clockchime had full control over every feather. She flapped them slightly, kicking up a little air. Looking forward, she moved her goggles over her eyes and started galloping, flapping desperately to gain altitude. She managed to jump only a few feet in the air.
"Uhh... Clockchime, that's not how you do it," Skyshade said, bringing her to a halt.
"You have to let your wings do the work. Your hooves are used for steering in the air."
Clockchime beat her new wing furiously, and ever so slowly began to rise into the air. Skyshade joined her, trying to help her keep steady as she bobbed from side to side. After finally getting her wings under her, Skyshade slowly inched away to let her hover on her own.
"This is so cool!" Clockchime squealed with delight, almost knocking off her own balance.
"Try leaning forward," Skyshade suggested. Clockchime did so, and was shot forward.
After a few more tips, and only two crashes, Clockchime was finally able to fly, albeit shakily.
"This is amazing Clockchime! How'd you figure out how to do this?"
"Uh... I looked at some older books and took some techniques from them," Clockchime replied. She tested a dive, pulling up as she'd been shown, at the apex of the drop.
Skyshade followed closely behind. "Can you touch clouds, too?" she asked excitedly.
"Ummm... I don't know. Let's see."
Clockchime awkwardly bucked a nearby cloud sending it spinning. "Guess that's a yes."
"Great! Lets go to Cloudsdale!"
"What? Now?"
"Yeah, sure. Why not?"
Clockchime relented, allowing Skyshade to lead her toward the glistening white city in the distance.

~ ~ ~

By the time they were in range of Cloudsdale, Clockchime looked less like a flying cart and a bit more like a young foal, unsure of her new wings. The city in the sky was just as Clockchime imagined it to be; glistening white sky marble made every building. She was amazed at the fact that she was finally seeing this up close.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Skyshade said, chuckling at her friend's obvious awe.
Clockchime gently touched down on cloud's surface, wary of falling. The cloud held firm under her hooves. She looked around, fascinated by the strange constructions. Pegasi were all around, going about their business, not paying the two friends any attention.
"This is awesome!" she shouted with joy before taking off, galloping through the street.
"Wait!" Skyshade yelled, trotting off as she tried to keep up. "Clockchime, stop! You're going to run into somepony!"
Clockchime turned back to her. "What?" she let out before colliding full-speed with another mare, sending both sprawling.
"Sorry!" Quickly apologizing, Clockchime looked directly into the cross-eyed gaze of Derpy Hooves . "Sorry, Derpy. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"That's okay, Clockchime. Neither was I." Derpy said with a smile. "You must be lost too, if you're in Cloudsdale "
"Pardon?"
"Well, earth ponies can't get into Cloudsdale, so you must be lost."
"Oh, I made myself a little loophole for that" Clockchime explained, splaying a wing in front of her as she sat up.
"Whoa, that's so cool! Did you make those?"
"Yes, I did."
Clockchime heard voices nearby, along with a few whistles of approval. Surprised, she looked around. A group of well-meaning pegasi had surrounded them after the crash and were now all admiring her. Clockchime got up from where she had been laying, nervous of the many prying eyes.
"An earth pony in Cloudsdale! Amazing!"
"Without magic!"
"Did she make those wings?"
The crowd murmured excitedly, pressing in for a closer look.
"Skyshade, let's go!" she shouted, jumping and gliding over the pressing crowd. Skyshade jumped to her side as she sailed over the edge of the cloud, spiraling back toward Ponyville.
"That was nuts!" Clockchime sighed, steadying herself in the air.
"Why'd you run?" Skyshade asked, confused by her friend's sudden stint of shyness.
"Oh, uh... I didn't want them to steal my design." she responded, half-lying, still unsure about the newfound source of invention. Skyshade nodded in response.
They flew back to the shop in silence, landing on the small platform in front of the roof door.
"It's so weird to be on the other side of this thing," Clockchime mused, hitting the control fob. The door rattled open, allowing them entry. Skyshade hovered and carefully landed on a clear spot in the center of the room. Clockchime came in next, crashing into a pile next to her. She got up, shaking off screws and bolts.
"Well that was fun," she exclaimed heading over to the big bench. She unclipped and wriggled out of the wings, feeling a slight ripping sensation as it went. She laid it on top of her leather apron and turned back toward Skyshade. "All done for today. Maybe we'll go flying again tomorrow."
"That'd be nice," Skyshade said wistfully, grabbing her saddlebag and walking her way to the front door. Not ten minutes later, Ember followed her out, done for the day.
When she was sure that they had gone, and that she was alone, Clockchime went back to the bench and uncovered the rock.
"I want you to tell me how to use magic."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Phynix05
RyllShados
And my editor
Prelatez

Smoke and dogs

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"Pardon?" the pony in a rock asked in a coy voice.
"Please, tell me how to do magic" Clockchime repeated, laying emphasis on the word please.
"Oh, so now you trust me?"
"What?"
"I don't think I want to share my secrets with somepony who believes that I, of all ponies, would ever dream of hurting anypony else."
"I could drop you in a well, you know," Clockchime flatly replied.
"...like I was saying, I'd love to share my secrets with such a nice, caring pony."
"I thought so." Clockchime sat down in front of the bench and dug around until she produced a short pencil and a sheaf of paper. Pencil in mouth, she began to draw. She sketched quickly, looking down every once and a while to study the wings. Finally she spat the pencil onto the bench and checked her work: a complete diagram of the wings lay in front of her.
"I'm impressed that you were able to remember all of that," the rock said, a touch of genuine awe in its voice.
"Well, I'm not called the best mechanic this side of Equestria for nothing," she replied indignantly, folding up the specs. "Wait, how did you see what I was doing?"
"How am I talking to you?" the rock answered.
"Good point."
"Now then, to make a horn is a bit less difficult. However, it can end up being much harder to use, just as certain unicorns have a proficiency, or lack thereof, with magic."
"Okay, so what will I need?"
The stone began listing items as it had before. Clockchime scrambled around the shop, digging up bits and pieces until everything was gathered on the workbench.
"Next, a cylindrical sapphire approximately 10 centimeters long and 4 centimeters in diameter"
Clockchime dove into the jewel pile, tossing aside several oblong sapphires before realizing that she didn't have one of the size needed.
"Horse feathers," she cursed, weaving her way back to the bench. "Hey rocky, I don't have that kind of sapphire at the moment."
"The sapphire is the base of the horn and is completely necessary for its construction. Ah, and don't call me rocky!"
"Relax, I know where I can get one, but it's too late today. I'll have to get it tomorrow." Clockchime glanced back to where the wings lay, considering a quick flight before the sun set, but thought better of flying in the dark. Covering them with a sheet of burlap, she yawned and started toward the stairs.
"Don't break anything, you!" she shouted to the rock.
"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied with a drawn-out chuckle.
Clockchime yawned again and followed the stairs up to her rooms, then to the kitchen for dinner. The rock waited for a few hours, until it was sure she had gone to sleep. Satisfied, it lit up with a radiant light and began levitating pieces of clockwork to itself, assembling his new toy.

Clockchime woke to Vinyl Scratch's latest near-deafening track on her alarm clock. She waited for a while, letting the sound wash over her, making sure she was fully conscious before turning it off. She trudged into the bathroom and out again in record time, looking almost exactly as she had when she entered, and after a quick breakfast of porridge she went down into the workshop.
The supplies for the charm were still laid out on the bench as she had left them. Clockchime walked to it and looked it over. She glanced at the annoying pebble and turned back to the shop. She scooped up her smock and goggles, pulling the smock over her mane she made her way to the center of the room. There was a rattling sound as the roof slid open, letting in more light and showing Skyshade's silhouette as she flitted gently to the ground.
"Morning, Skyshade."
"Good morning, Clockchime. Want to go out for a flight?"
"Maybe after I finish today's work."
Skyshade looked a little put out, but quickly recovered. "Okay, later then," she said confidently, trotting off towards the front room. Clockchime looked after her, shrugged and finished buckling into her apron. She turned her head to where the wings lay.
"Later," she muttered, imagining again the amazing feeling of being in the air, deaf to the world. She shook her head clear and tried to focus on the tasks ahead.
The front door swung open behind her as Skyshade returned, mail in hoof.
"So what is it today?" Clockchime questioned, turning and springing over a pile and into the front room. Skyshade answered by flinging a single letter through the air, which landed neatly at her hooves. Clockchime leaned down and read the order before picking it up gingerly with her teeth.
"Only Derpy's place today," Skyshade explained, placing her own hoof full of letters into her saddle bag.
Clockchime nodded, wondering what Derpy had managed to demolish today.
She deposited her own parchment into a pocket on her smock just as the door opened again, allowing Emberglade inside. He glanced at the pair before slipping past them and into his nest at the desk, where he started levitating books and quills.
"See ya later, Clockchime," Skyshade called as she took a few steps and took off through the ceiling portal. Clockchime watched her leave and turned to Ember, side stepping the desk and coming to a halt a few feet behind him. "Ummm... Ember, I need 50 bits, please."
He looked up from the tome he had his nose in. "Why, pray tell?"
"I need a jewel from the boutique, for one of the machines."
"You don't have one here?"
"Not the kind I need."
He contemplated it for a second, weighing the options in his head. "Fine," he relented, lighting his horn and levitating the large, hammered metal box that sat under the desk. he concentrated for a second and a stream of whirs and clicks emanated from the box. The top panel levered open with a final click, revealing the shop's finances. Ember brought out a stack of bits, counted them carefully and gingerly deposited them in Clockchime's waiting coin purse.
"Thanks, Ember!"
"Just bring back the change," he replied with a sigh.
"See you later!"
"Don't blow yourself up, alright?"
"You know I'd never do that twice in a month," Clockchime said, suddenly quite serious. She double-checked her belt to make sure she had what she needed, and strode out the door.

All traces of the rain had been purged from the land by Celestia's warm sun, and a light breeze was making the morning quite comfortable. Clockchime gazed at the beauty of the scene for a few seconds before heading down the well-trodden path to the post office.

The doors of the post office were opened wide, and smoke was billowing from the opening. Clockchime paused a second, examining the smoke. It didn't look too dangerous, but she decided to be safe and donned a cloth mask to cover her nose and mouth before she entered.
Mr. Script came trotting from somewhere in the back, parting the haze as he went.
"Oh thank Celestia! Clockchime, you're here. Derpy wanted to try and bake her own muffins, and well..." he let out exasperatedly.
"Don't tell me you let her?"
"She wanted to try so badly... I couldn't just say no."
Clockchime let a sad smile slip across her lips, sighing at the old stallion's sentiment.
"Come on, we should take care of it before the building burns down."
He nodded and led her through the mail room to where the pair lived, smoke thickening as they went farther into the building. The "door" to the kitchen was a wall of solid black.
"So where's Derpy?" Clockchime asked, slipping her goggles down over her eyes.
"I had her go out with today's deliveries."
"Good." Clockchime headed straight into the smoke-encased room. Even with such low visibility, she knew where the stove was, having installed it not a month before. After smashing her shoulder into the table in the center of the room, she managed to find the oven in question. Despite the haze pouring out from the over, she could see the dim glow of the heating element through its open door. Silently cursing to herself, she brought her attention to the top of the stove. She flicked open a panel next to one of its two burners to reveal a glowing mana battery. Clockchime swore a little less silently before shoving aside the mask. Now gagging on the ever-invasive smog, she bent her head toward the mana battery's handle before latching on for all she was worth and swiftly yanking it free.
The magic glow in the battery faded as she carried it back to where Mr. Script waited, but not before stubbing her hoof on the table.
"Mother of a Manticore!" Clockchime screamed, almost dropping the battery. She held the hoof up for a moment, waiting for the intense pain to slowly fade as it always did. She continued on, making her way into the hall, which had already begun to clear. Mr. Script was waiting a little farther down, coughing into his shoulder. When he saw her approaching, he nodded behind himself, toward clean air. She nodded back and they continued into the lobby.

Clockchime deposited her bundle onto a table and flopped onto one of the sofas situated around the room.
"Was there any damage?" Mr. Script asked timidly.
"I couldn't tell with all the smoke, we'll just have to wait until it clears" she replied, making herself comfortable. "Do you mind if I take a nap while I wait?" she asked, regretting having stayed up so late the previous night.
"Oh, of course. I have some work to get to in the back, so you go right ahead."
"Thanks." Clockchime closed her eyes, letting loose her grip on consciousness as blissful sleep took hold.

~ ~ ~

Clockchime was curled up with a book, holed up in her room as she was most days, since her parents' deaths. She'd left their home in Fillydelphia and had to move into her grandfather's machine shop. She didn't care, of course. what did it matter? She was alone now. The only comfort she found was in the books; she could be anywhere, anyone, at the simple flip of the page. A sound broke her concentration, bringing her back to reality. Squealing gears and clanking metal sounded from the shop downstairs. With a sigh, she marked her page, got to her hooves and went for the door. She briskly trod down the stairs and entered the workshop.
The floor had been freshly swept, and the materials were neatly stacked along the walls so that each gem, gear, and sprocket had its place. In the center of it all a large box lay, its insides strewn out in front of it, the noise emanating from its innards. Her grandfather, Cog, appeared from behind it, wrench in mouth, a flummoxed look on his aged brow.
"Confound this blasted machine," he cursed around the tool, before looking up to the stairs and meeting gazes with his granddaughter. "Oh, sorry Chime. Did I disturb you?"
She nodded.
"Well, don't worry. I'm stopping for a while. I need to go get some parts for this darned machine," he said, giving it a swift kick with his hind hoof. "Can you manage on your own for a bit?"
Another nod.
He sighed. "Of course you can."
Trotting toward the door, he gave a final look back before heading out on his way.

Clockchime stared at the noisy box for a while, eventually deciding it to be a threat to her peace. No hero in her books would stand by and let a terrible beast run roughshod over them, and neither would she. Picking up the wrench Cog had discarded moments ago, she edged her way toward the open side of the beast. The gears and cogs formed swirls and patterns; she followed them in their delicate dance, looking for the spot where the swirls broke. There, near the edge of the box, a sprocket was in the wrong slot, knocking the whole assembly out of alignment . She swung the wrench like a sword, knocking it loose, before swiftly pushing it into place with her hoof. The swirls joined and became whole again.
"Haha!" Clockchime exclaimed with triumph, for she had tamed the mighty beast.
Looking around, she found the switch that would give it life, and gave it a flip. The defeated monster let out a sedated hum, the gears spun and blew cool air back at her. It was working, but she still saw a slight kink in the swirl, a few of the gears that had been ground down from strain. They would need to be fixed as well. Clockchime brandished her weapon and set to work.

Cog briskly trotted back toward home, starting to worry about little Chime. She was sad and lonely more often than not nowadays, and he didn't want to leave her alone any more then he had to. He hurried along, finally turning toward his shop and making his way in. Just as he did so, he heard fevered hoof steps coming toward him.
"Grandpa, grandpa! I fixed it!"
He stared dumbstruck at her. She was smiling wide... Smiling!
"Oh, did you now? Lets see it then," he responded, still amazed. She lead him by the hoof through the front shop and to the workshop.

He set his bag down and trotted over to the machine to examine it closely.
It certainly looked right, all the pieces aligned in the proper order. He looked back at Chime, who was still smiling and staring at him expectantly. Turning back to the machine, he looked around for the switch. Finding it, and flipping it, he watched as the machine gave off a calm hum for a second, before making a loud bang as several gears came loose from their moorings. Cog quickly turned it off and turned back to chime.

It... Broke. I failed, were the only thoughts to run through Chime's head. The hero had been beaten by the monster. She hung her head low and felt the sadness take her again, washing away any ideas of triumph.
"Hehehe...hahahahah."
She looked up, Is he...chuckling? But I failed, she thought, gazing at her grandfather.
"Pretty good, for a first shot," he said meeting hers eyes, which had begun to tear up. "You forgot to fit a countersink in the gears. Without it they'd just pop off."
Clockchime wiped her eyes and looked back at it, realizing her mistake.
He came over to her and took her in a warm embrace. She immediately grew stiff from his sudden contact.
"To merely be able to make it work for a second is an extraordinary feat. I couldn't do it. But you did," he comforted her, rubbing her back with a hoof as she gradually relaxed.
"You just need to give it another go, and eventually you'll get it."
She thought for a moment. Yes, he was right. She would never give up, never let the monsters beat her. She would fight with all she had, and defeat them. She stopped crying and looked back at him, nodding to tell him she was feeling better. He let her go and she steadied herself. As she did, Cog got a look of surprise on his face and began chuckling again.
"What?" She pleaded for an answer.
"Look," he replied simply and pointed toward her flank. Clockchime turned her head swiftly and was greeted by the sight of something amazing: her cutie mark.
A golden key with a gear-shaped handle was now emblazoned where it had once been blank. She sharply gasped, and let out a cheer.
"Grandpa?"
"Yes?"
"Will you show me what I did wrong?"
He gave her a smile and replied, "Of course I will."

~ ~ ~

The dream faded as Clockchime returned to the present.
"Oh good, I was just about to wake you. The smoke has cleared."
"How long was I out?" she asked groggily.
"Oh, a couple hours."
She got to her hooves, and stretched her back in the manner of a cat. The smoke had indeed dispersed and the air was clean again. Clockchime turned toward the now clear hallway and made her way to the kitchen. After cursing at the table, she turned to examine the oven. Besides the large mass of charred muffin, there didn't seem to be any problems with the machinery. She backed away from it and made to leave, but not before bashing her hooves into a table leg.

Back in the lobby, she strode out just as Derpy flew into the door, carrying an empty mailbag.
"Clocky!" she exclaimed as she caught sight of Clockchime
"Hello, Derpy. I was just fixing your oven."
"Really? That's great! I can try and make muffins again!" Mr. Script suddenly looked afraid.
"Oh, and Derpy, why did you use so much batter?" Clockchime asked.
"Well, I was thinking, what's better than one muffin? Two muffins, and what's better than that?"
"Four?"
"No, silly, that doesn't make sense. The answer was a giant muffin!"
Clockchime sighed. "We'll next time use only as much as your supposed to, we wouldn't want to waste muffins"
Derpy got a serious look on her face. "Oh no, never waste muffins!" she exclaimed.
Clockchime laughed and trotted over to Mr. Script. "It just needs to be cleaned," she reported.
"How much do I owe?"
"Ehhhh, five bits."
He went off to his office and returned with the glittering coins. "Here you are." He gave a stack of coins to her. She counted them out and stuffed them in a pocket. Remembering what else she had to do today, she thanked him and made her way to the door. As she was about to leave, Derpy called to her.
"Hey Clocky!"
"Yes?"
"Cloud Chaser was looking for you"
"Why?"
"She wanted to see your wings. A lot of ponies do."
"Ummm, well, I'll go see her later," she responded before closing the door behind her. Ponies are asking about them? That can't be good, she thought to herself while walking toward the northern side of town. She continued debating why ponies would be talking about the wings, beside the obvious reason of a non-flying pony, flying.

She was about a block from the boutique when her thoughts were interrupted by an odd whispering from a dark alley.
"Always an alley," she muttered to herself, sneaking closer to listen in.
"When are we's is going to gets to the whiny pony?" one voice rasped.
"I told you, stupid, we's is gonna nab her now during day." That one was probably the leader.
"Can we's do it soon? I wants the pretty gem stones." This other voice was deeper then the others.
"Ya, let's attack now!" the first shouted.
"Fine, let's go."
The trio came into light close to where Clockchime was crouching. Diamond dogs, of course, she thought as she readied herself to confront them.
Just before they entered the street she revealed herself, jumping out in front of them.
"What exactly do you three think you're doing?" she asked them, quickly summing them up. The first voice was a stupid but tough-looking dog. The deep-voiced one was rather large, even for a dog, and the leader was an average dog with slobbering chops.
The big one started, "We's is going to kid nap—"
"Sheeeeeeesh," the leader stopped him.
"We's is going to go meet with the white sparkly pony," he finished.
"Sure you are," Clockchime replied. "Well, I'm a friend of the white sparkly pony and I don't think she wants your company."
The leader thought for a moment. "Then we take smart talking orange pony as well. Always need more work ponies. Get her!"
He stepped back and his cronies lunged forward. Clockchime sidestepped their first attack and turned behind them, bucking out with her hind hooves and sending them sprawling. She charged the leader, but he was quicker then she'd expected. He backhanded her across the face, dazing her for a moment, just long enough for the big dog to regain his footing. He charged her and she went low, kicking for the stomach. Her hit landed, but it earned her a solid hit on her back that knocked the wind from her lungs and drove her to her knees. The dogs were just about to descend upon her when they all suddenly stopped and began clutching their heads.
"The noise! Retreat! Retreat!" the leader yelled.
What noise? Clockchime got back to her hooves and looked around. The dogs were fleeing back down the alley. She watched them run, before turning toward the outlet. There she could see the black silhouette of a pony clutching a whistle in her mouth.
"That's right! Run, you ruffians!" she hollered after them.

The Clockwork Alicorn Book One: Charms

by Clawgerber

Cogs Machines

Flight

Smoke and dogs