Clockwork stood just outside the entrance to the elevator used to transport scientists into the depths of the caves used to house the R&D. He felt more than a little unsure that the mare standing next to him (who was now wearing a studded choker, dark eyeliner, and semi-casual dress) really was his co-worker, and furthermore, if she really was the same mare who had asked him out on their sort-of-not-really-but-it-is-date.

"So. . ." Clockwork rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with the mare at his side.

"Umm. . ." Wetwork pawed at the ground just in front of her, desperately trying to hide the blush in her cheeks.

"Where. . . ahem," the pegasus coughed, trying to find a shred of resolve. "where would you like to go? I'm buying, so choose wherever you'd like."

The mare giggled and gestured towards the crowded streets as if to show him all the places they could go. "Oh, that's not needed, I have more than enough bits for the both of us and-"

"No, really, I could pay." Clockwork protested, shifting his weight back and forth to make the bag of bits under his real wing jingle loudly.

Wetwork gave a little smirk. “If we were really going out somewhere fancy, would we have dressed like this? Please, keep your money.”

Clockwork looked over both himself and his friend and saw that she was right. The vest he wore to hide his only wing and necklace made him look positively overdressed next to her. "I remember seeing a nice-looking café a few nights back. Maybe it's still open?"

Wetwork shrugged. "It's a better heading than just wandering aimlessly through the city. Know the way?" She paused for a moment, and after looking over the skyline, she grinned. “How about this; you pay at the cafe, but when we head downtown, I pay for everything. You can drink, right?”

Clockwork started to feel a little unnerved about lying. “Well, I-”

Wetwork waved her forehoof, laughing a little as she did. “Oh, I know you can’t; you're not old enough. You look like you probably could, though.”

Clockwork didn’t know what to make of that, so he just pointed the way to the little cafe he spotted during one of his few journeys outside.

The unicorn nodded, trotting a little ahead of him the whole way. Clockwork followed close behind, and before long the two were sitting down at a softly lit outdoor table for two. It was late summer, so the afternoon warmth was a much welcomed deviation from the mandatory 68 degrees Fahrenheit of the labs at R&D.

Much unlike the other occupants of the restaurant, the ponies did not speak much as they scanned their menus for something to eat. "See anything you like?"

"Can't say," Wetwork replied. "You know that weird feeling you get when you're hungry for something but you're not sure what?"

Clockwork laughed under his breath. "I'm feeling the same thing. Umm. . ." he hastily scanned the menu once again but was interrupted by a slightly high-pitched masculine voice. There was a barely noticeable prench accent in there as well.

"Have you determined what you wish to eat, this fine evening?"

Clockwork looked towards the voice, which turned out to be coming from a dark brown colored waiter who was staring at them expectantly. The earth pony brandished a notepad and pencil. "Sir and madam, if you wish, we have couple’s special today."

Both scientists' muzzles practically glowed red at the statement. "We're not together," they replied in unison.

"Right," the stallion said, pointedly frowning. "So, what will the two of you be having?”

"We don't really know, to be honest. What do you recommend?" Wetwork asked.

"Hmm. . ." the waiter licked the tip of his writing instrument. "I had the lily sandwich with bluebell sauce a few hours ago and it was simply divine."

Clockwork went catatonic, thus making his unicorn companion have to confirm the order before the stallion scurried off.

"Clockwork? Is something the matter?"

"Hmm? What?" The pegasus looked around like a paranoid squirrel. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Wetwork's voice weighed heavily with concern.

"Yeah. I'm probably just going stir crazy. It isn't right for a pegasus to reside in such a cramped space for so much time. It makes sense why every room in the royal sisters' castle has ridiculously high ceilings."

Wetwork blinked. "But you can't fly."

The pegasus sighed. "That may be, but I still have all the spatial awareness and such that comes with being a member of my species."

Wetwork paused for a moment, pursed her lips, and spoke very quietly. "If you don't mind talking about it, why do you have only one wing?"

Clockwork looked to the sky for a moment. The light pollution here was so bad he could only see the brightest of Luna's stars, and not very well either. "It's alright. Just try not to fall asleep on me, alright?"

Wetwork nodded, and the pegasus began his tale. "My mom and dad met during the height of the first revolution, the time when we were putting out smog faster than we realized and before we knew how harmful it was. My mom was an engineer, she still is. Guess where she worked."

The unicorn shrugged. "No idea."

"She worked a lot of jobs, mostly maintenance on a lot of the factories' really big machines. She didn't keep working on the behemoth engine for long once I became a visible bulge."

"Did she stop working?"

"Only on the really big stuff, yeah. By then my parents were happily married and settling into a house in Ponyville’s old quarter. She primarily performed a lot of minute maintenance tasks after it got hard for her to move around. A few weeks later, I was born, my mom was rendered sterile, and you know what happened next."

"The second revolution?" she hesitated before asking.

"Bingo."

Wetwork laughed, and Clockwork was surprised at how much he liked the sound. "I hate to admit it, but I've known you for a little under a year and I have next to zero knowledge of you folks beyond work. What's your story?"

The unicorn appeared shocked at the inquiry. After taking a hefty gulp of water, she replied. "I'm nopony special, really."

"Everypony's got a unique story behind 'em."

Wetwork shrugged. "I was born in Stalliongrad, but I was in my house on the far northern edge of the city a week later. My family survived by keeping the local railway station up and running, sometimes replacing old things that gave out from the cold. My family had been living like that for generations, imagine how they reacted when I got my cutie mark and it had to do with something other than railroad maintenance."

The mare stopped talking for a moment, giggled, and continued. "I was sent to Marenobyl to live with my grandparents when I was old enough. I joined the military just after my first year of college ended. Guns were practically the only thing I was good with. I should be up on the front lines, trudging through the mud and such.”

“So how’d you end up in Research and Development?”

“My grandad had some connections with the higher ups in Equestria’s brass. He pulled a few strings to keep his little girl out of harms way and I ended up here. See? I told you I was boring."

Clockwork forgot what he was going to say as the waiter returned with the couple's food.

We're not a couple, dammit!

Whatever.

The duo ate their meal in near-silence, their efforts focused more on digesting both their food and the new information they had garnered from one another rather than attempting to make further conversation. Needless to say, it was kind of awkward.

“The food’s good,” Wetwork remarked.

Clockwork nodded. “Very.”

“So, really, do you want to go to a club? I should've asked you before we left, sorry,” the unicorn asked with a bit of hesitation.

Clockwork swallowed the last bite of his dinner. “I’ll go if you want.”

Wetwork looked at her friend for a few moments, her lips upturned slightly. “There’s a really nice place with a great crowd not too far from here. It’s called Nightcore, have you heard of it?”

Clockwork nodded. “I’ve heard about it in passing. Some kind of high-quality jazz club or something, right?”

“That’s the place. I know a guy who knows a guy and I could get us both in there. If you don’t want to dance, they have, er. . . rooms?”

Clockwork couldn’t help but feel a little flustered even as she backtracked. As soon as Wetwork noticed a certain spot on her friend’s jacket bulge, she burst out laughing. “Like, private rooms to get away from the noise if it gets too loud” she explained. “What the hay were you thinking?!”

Clockwork let out a laugh himself. “Oh, nothing. You brought up the rooms, so you must be the one who’s thinking about it.”

At that, Wetwork’s face turned a deep shade of purple and, after a few moments of looking at Clockwork with wide teal eyes, she started to laugh again, though slightly less controlled this time. “Does one of those traits of being a pegasus include having a dirty mind?” she all but squeaked, getting up from the table and punched him lightheartedly on the shoulder.

Clockwork chuckled nervously to the mare who was standing in front of him. She was wearing nice looking clothes and actually laughing at something he had said. The pegasus began to wonder what he did to get into such a situation. “So where is this club you were talking about?”

Nightcore was busy, very busy in fact. The area outside of the building grew darker as the light from the outside of the club became much more prominent. By the time the duo had arrived, Clockwork noticed the bright amber sky lights that signified the building’s existence to all of Canterlot. Being further down the mountain than most of the older buildings in the city, it proclaimed itself as a place where one could enjoy the benefits of living like Canterlot elite without having to be one.

The building was large and seemed to be composed primarily of redwood, a very rare material these days. The outer walls were dark brown; each little silver star inlaid along the charred black stripe that bordered the roof glimmered for a few moments out of sync with each other, giving it the appearance of a piece of the sky that had fallen and become host to numerous, surprisingly well dressed strangers that appeared no younger than twenty. However, Clockwork was more concerned about the line, and how it seemed to stretch into the horizon.

“How are we supposed to get in here?” Clockwork half-shouted when they got close enough to the club to where they could see the entrance. “We could never get in and be back in time for curfew!”

Wetwork rolled her eyes at the stallions words and walked to the side of the line, over to where a bison bouncer was looking over the crowd as they slowly trickled into the structure.

“Hey Hoss, care to let an old friend plus one through?” Wetwork asked the big lug at the front of the line. Much to Clockwork’s and more than a few of the ponies in the line’s surprise, he stepped to the side.

“C’mon!” the mare shouted over the dull roar of the crowd of ponies behind her.

Clockwork quickly passed through the small gap between the herd of complaining ponies and into the building.

The music suddenly became much clearer, and in turn a bit louder. Clockwork felt like he had been simultaneously transported backwards and forwards in time. The large central room felt much like something out of the history books, amber lights and dark red booths were more than plentiful. It smelt rather pleasantly of expensive tobacco mixed with a slight hint of wine. A well-dressed band was on stage, and while the song they were playing was somewhat enjoyable, it did little to settle Clockwork’s uneasy stomach. He had never been surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces in his life, some even looked at him with hostility as he looked to his companion.

“Wetwork, how do you know that buffalo if you lived in Marenobyl?” Clockwork asked the mare in an attempt to take his focus off of the intoxicating combination of loud music and total strangers.

“You want to dance?” Wetwork replied almost immediately, which signalled Clockwork that she most likely didn’t hear him.

“I can hardly put one hoof in front of the other, let alone-”

The mare cut him off with a wave of her hoof the pointed towards a counter devoid of drinks of any kind. “I know him from school. Say, you want that room?” Wetwork asked, seemingly unfazed by the noise.

“Uh, yeah, sure. I’m really sorry, I can’t dance.”

Nodding wordlessly, a grin spread over Wetwork’s muzzle as she trotted over to the counter. After a few moments of conversation and a quick exchange of bits, the grey mare came back with two keys in her magical grip and a gleam in her eye. Said gleam quickly faded when she saw her friend looking mildly dejected while practically clinging to a wall near an exit.

“Hey, what’s the matter?” she asked, leaning close enough to him so she didn’t have to raise her voice.

“I. . .” Clockwork was embarrassed to admit it. “I’ve never been to one of these before. I don’t think I like it.”

Wetwork winced. “Sorry about that. Look, I got us a private room for a while. Let’s just chill out for a few hours.”

Clockwork nodded, let a smile through, and followed Wetwork as she made her way through the crowd. After a while, the duo arrived at their destination.

The rooms that seemed to be for rent were almost sectioned off from the rest of the building; the one Wetwork had acquired could only be accessed by heading down two surprisingly sparse hallways and then entering through the door at the end of the second hallway. After Wetwork swiped both keys through the dual-slotted lock and the door opened, Clockwork realized something.

Wetwork had connections.

The interior resembled a very fancy hotel room, or something like a guest room in a royal palace. The walls were colored a soft cream and lined with something that felt like silk. The dark marble countertops were sprinkled with tiny silver flakes. The pool in the center of the room (oh sweet Celestia, there was a pool) was something akin to a shallow hot tub. . . built for only two or three ponies.

There was also the bed. It was huge, set against the wall, and was covered in white sheets that seemed to be made of silk. The bed posts were constructed of the same redwood that composed the club’s outer walls, and they extended all the way into the ceiling. A thin white veil bacted as a semi-opaque curtain to each of the bed’s three sides. Despite there being several dozen rose petals scattered about the bed, the scent of lavender was easily detectable.

“I did well, didn’t I?” Wetwork whisper the question teasingly into Clockwork’s ear.

The stallion’s only reaction was to yelp, followed by feebly flapping his one wing under his vest in an attempt to leave this place with his sanity intact.

“Heh, gotcha good!” the mare chimed happily as she undid the studded choker on her neck and let it fall to the floor. “Ugh, I don’t know why I even wear that thing.” she mumbled as she walked towards a padded section of the floor surprisingly close to the hot tub.

Clockwork was quite unsure of what to do other than to follow the mare. Luckily for him, there were two of the padded things, each on opposite sides of the pool. He took a seat on the plushy ground and stretched a little.

“Wetwork, how much did this cost?” Clockwork breathed as he took in the entirety of the room. He wasn’t sure if that silver lining on the pool’s edge was really silver or platinum, but the gold inlay was definitely gold.

“Oh, only a couple dozen bits. I know the mare who owns the place.” she replied, trailing off on her last words.

Clockwork did a double take. “Really? Who?”

The unicorn shrugged. “A mare called Nightcore, duh. We used to hang out in college, but she dropped out and started this a few months later with her trust fund money. I called her crazy, but we made up.”

After a brief struggle, Clockwork managed to remove his vest while sitting down. He was almost ashamed that he did it right then and there, but it was getting too warm in the room to have it on and not sweat like a boar.

“I didn’t know that. Just how many ponies do you know, anyway?”

Wetwork, for whatever reason, blushed. “Oh, a few here, a few there. . .”

Clockwork, noticing that the mare looked nervous, chose not to press the question any further. Instead, he dropped his gaze from her lying on the padding to the pool. The music, while faint, had melted into a much slower tune.

“You know, I understand. You not wanting to be out in that crowd. Don’t feel bad, I can barely stand the ponies in there either, no matter how cultured they are,” Wetwork suddenly spoke up, sounding both understanding and a little concerned for her pegasus friend.

“Thank you, really; I know you were probably planning on dancing,” Clockwork responded. “This is some not-date, huh?”

Wetwork shook her head and bit her lip lightly. Clockwork couldn’t help but notice the way her teeth touched the ring on her mouth, a little bit of white on a little bit of silver.

“Clockwork, you might be one of the sweetest colt’s I have ever met. You. . . well, you can tell this room is not really. . .” she stopped for a moment and Clockwork realized that she was probably as unsure of what was going to happen next as he was. “We’ve known each other for a while, right?”

He could only nod.

“We are both decent ponies. We are both reasonably intelligent and neither of us are as caught up in this. . . cold war as most of the other ponies we know, and we respect each other for that. We have supported each other for a while and, well, have gotten to know each other a bit. We have also checked each other out, don’t try to deny it.”

Clockwork gulped, but Wetwork just waved a her hoof to cut out any retort the pegasus could’ve made. “That’s not a bad thing at all, Clockwork. It’s. . . nice to know some ponies think I’m pretty, you know? I know my hair fits my eyes and I look good with that choker over there because I have tried to get noticed and people say that what I wear works. But you. . . ”

Wetwork shifted her weight on the cushions, almost like a cat settling in a spot. “You’re different. It’s not. . . that your vulnerable, really. I know that wing. . . it’s caused you a lot of hurt, right? You’ve probably had to deal with a lot of bullies. I had to deal with a lot of punks when I was in high school, and they barely let up when I joined the things that have led me here. Even here at our work, I never got much attention from anyone, positive attention anyway.”

Clockwork realised he hadn’t breathed in a while.

“But there was you, and Haywire. You two are, really, my only real friends in this city. I don’t have many friends, but you two are wonderful ponies. I like Haywire, but you, Clockwork?” Wetwork took a breath deep enough that it made her shake a little. “You are really the only stallion who’s ever been kind to me without any real motive for a long time. I know it was just work, but you never were unkind to me, ever. This isn’t about you just being nice, though. You really are smart, you know?”

Clockwork nodded. “I’ve been told that, though I don’t believe it.”

The mare emitted a tense giggle. “You are a little funny, and you are really nice, and it’s not that your lean, but you. . . look great. I noticed you looking at me before I was looking at you and. . . ” she stopped for a moment to inhale. “At first, I didn’t know what to do, but we worked together for a while and I now know that I can say that I really respect you.”

Clockwork felt as though his brain had melted and trickled out of his ears. “So. . . what do you want to do?” he asked very slowly and very quietly.

The gray mare bit her lip again, much harder this time. She stood and began walking to the far end of the room, past the pool. Much to Clockworks surprise, shock and perhaps enjoyment, to the bed.

“Wetwork, what are you doing?” the pegasus asked, voice barely hiding the varied array of emotions he was experiencing.

The unicorn pulled one veil aside, placed both forehooves on the bed, stretched her back a little, and climbed up on it with little fanfare, besides Clockwork’s heartbeat drumming along.

“Clockwork, words are failing me right now. I know you like me the same way I like you, and I know this is sudden.” she looked to her right for a moment and quickly ended up on her back, legs crossed and her forehooves the same, head resting on one of the big pillows behind her. “Please, I am not a vulgar mare, but I know you want this too.”

Clockwork understood what was happening on a functional level. A very attractive mare was on a bed and wanted him to join her. Very logical, very easy to understand. However, the thing that was making him dizzy was what he was considering.

“Wetwork, I. . . I really would, but-”

“I am not doing this because of anything else, you know. This isn’t because I pity you, this is because I really appreciate you. It’s sudden, I know, but we are both consenting adults here.”

Clockwork felt himself brushing up against the bed, finding it softer than the most well prepared cloud. The pegasus could only help but notice the sight before him; Wetwork’s mane lay flat on the bed, making it seem like it had more volume than it really did; her large teal eyes, framed by small but thick black lines, were wide and full of something like hope, the little smile she had was completely and utterly honest. She had a gently curving body, from the base of her neck to her slim shoulders to the little curve of her belly to the blue-green spark icon on her flanks.

Wetwork was, in essence, wanting Clockwork to sleep with her. There weren’t really any other words for it. Actually, that wasn’t correct, as there were plenty other words for what the unicorn wanted him to do to her. Really though, Clockwork wasn’t a vulgar stallion. So, he laid down next to Wetwork, feeling a few of the rose petals moving under him. He wasn’t sure what to say, until he suddenly was. “Wetwork, I can’t.”

The mare blinked, but gave him a reassuring smile. “If it’s your. . . first time, don’t worry too much. It's mine too and I’m not in heat.”

Clockwork shook his head. “It’s not that.”

A great pause hung in the air.

“Oh,” Wetwork finally responded, sniffling as she did. “I would’ve-, I. . . oh.”

The pegasus could clearly detect the pain in Wetwork’s voice. After a moment of thought, he brought a hoof to meet her shoulder. “I am sorry, but I can’t do this, Wetwork. I don’t know you that well, I don’t. But I do want to know you better, especially after today.” he smirked.

As Wetwork sniffled again, Clockwork realized he just turned down one of the nicest mares he ever knew for a little romp in the hay on his own terms. He wrapped both forelegs around her and pulled her close, feeling warm water drip onto his neck.

Wetwork returned the gesture without hesitation, both ecstatic and sorrowful that she had managed to get this close to the pegasus in one go, but no further.

“It’s alright.” Clockwork stroked the unicorn’s mane, then brought his muzzle to her ear for a moment. “Maybe when we know each other a little better, and when I’m paying for the room.”

Wetwork gave one last gentle laugh before falling asleep. Clockwork wasn’t sure when he followed suit.

Clockwork woke up a few hours later. He quickly realized that he was alone in his bed.

However, when he looked across the room, he found Wetwork near the pool lying on the cold marble, soaking wet, and much more alarming to Clockwork, with what seemed to be the collection of the mini-bar in the back of the room next to drained of all contents.

After making sure that Wetwork was still alive, though she was almost unable to walk, Clockwork gathered his things and began the task of lifting a moderately sized, drunken pony out of a room and getting home. Luckily, there were plenty of wagons and small carriages outside for ponies who needed quick lifts, and while he did get several strange looks from passersby who saw that the mare next to him was out cold, such was the night life of Canterlot and none bothered him about it.

The trip to the small grey building that was the entrance to their current residence and workplace was short but memorable, considering that it was the first, and possibly only time where Clockwork was seated next to a drunken, half-awake mare on a public transportation unit who tried to have sex with him.

It wasn’t much longer before the scientists stood in front of a large metallic shack. Well, one was leaning on the other, both ponies knowing that an elevator awaited them.

“Thanks for. . . taking me out tonight,” Wetwork mumbled, still a little out of it.

“Hey, you made the offer.” the pegasus at her side chuckled. “I only accepted.”

“I’m glad that you did.”

Clockwork would’ve responded had it not been for the gentle hum of the elevator grabbing his attention instead. As the door swung open, he turned back to Wetwork, only to feel her lips press against his nose. It lasted no longer than a second or two, but it was more than enough to render the pegasus near-catatonic as he helped the mare into the elevator, and later to the infirmary.

The stallion smiled in a half-daze, legs prepared to give out, as he descended back down into the depths of the caves. Maybe now he could finally tell Moppet he had made a new friend.

The week afterwards, Clockwork hadn’t gotten the chance for more time with Wetwork even if he had the spare time to do so. Taffy was currently going nuts over a new shipment of something as Clockwork toiled away on another prototype artificial wing.

“Ooh! Mithril?! Seriously?! I can’t believe we actually got that much to work with!” Saltwater Taffy bounced up and down as she looked over the new supplies they were allotted for the week.

Clockwork looked up from where he was working at the moment. “Myth-real?”

Taffy broke from her joyous inspection of wooden crate to lock eyes with her pegasus co-worker for a moment or two. “Not myth-real, silly. Mithril! You mean to tell me that a genius of your caliber doesn’t know what this stuff is?”

Clockwork shrugged. “I don’t consider myself to be a gen-”

“Whatever!” Taffy interjected. “It’s super strong, super light, and super cool!” The mare pried the lid off of the container and peered inside, grinning from ear to ear. Clockwork trotted over to her side and looked over the crate’s contents as well. The metal inside didn’t seem to fit the bouncing scientist’s description at all. It seemed like regular iron with hints of steel mixed in for good measure. He shrugged before lifting one of the sheets out. He immediately recoiled at the material’s lightness, causing the sheet to be flung across the room and violently come to a halt in a pile of spare parts that promptly collapsed.

Clockwork hurried over to the sheet of metal and frantically dug it out. He laid it under a desk light, inspecting it for dents, scratches, or nicks. Much to his shock, there was no damage whatsoever. When he went back to inspect a few of the spare parts, he found them completely deformed.

“Super durable, remember?” Taffy reminded her partner. “The only thing that can damage the stuff is a direct hit from an airship cannon projectile!"

The pegasus spun around and looked his teammate dead in the eye. “Where did we get this stuff?”

“Somepony high up in the chain of command put in a special order for this stuff, direct from Stalliongrad!”

“How difficult is it to manufacture? How expensive?”

Taffy scratched at her mane for a second. “Umm. . . I’m not too sure of the specifics, but all I know for sure is that it takes time to prepare, and it ain’t cheap. I think they mine it, actually. Something about a underground city called Mareia. I hear the chamber they mine this stuff from is really big and really deep. Dunno why they can’t get pegasi to do it. ”

“Dammit.” Clockwork slammed his hoof into the sheet currently in front of him, ignoring the pony’s quip about their species. “So which other projects got this stuff? How much?”

“Can’t remember off the top of my head, but this stuff is pretty exclusive. Just us and some ponies testing its use in airship hulls over in D Wing.”

Clockwork inspected the metal once more before turning to rummage through a drawer for something. “Care to give me a little while alone? I think I have an idea.”

“Sure! Just don’t go crazy again!”

With that, the mare skipped out the door to whereabouts unknown. Clockwork found the schematic he was looking for, rolled it out onto the floor, and began to work.

“Clockwork? You’re not usually this late for project meetings unless you’re-”

“On the verge of a breakthrough?!” The pegasus interrupted. He took a gulp from a nearby glass of water. “Sorry. I’m just really excited over this new stuff I got earlier today. It’s called Mithril and if I can just figure out which spots on the artificial wing work best with the metal, I could create a prosthetic that might actually work for once! Actual flight instead of just dead weight! Can you imagine it?!”

“Are you alright?” Haywire was both concerned and scared as she noticed the look in her friend’s eyes.

“I’m better than alright! I’m great! I’m wonderful! I’m fantastic!”

“Using this metal for the artificial wing would make it far too expensive to mass produce for wounded soldiers.”

“I know. If I can just figure out the best places to use the metal selectively, I could revolutionize this realm of science! Better yet, the prosthetic could be interchangeable for both military and civilian use! Heheh. . . if only I could just-”

Haywire rushed to catch the pegasus as he briefly lost consciousness. “When was the last time you ate?”

The stallion returned to the world of the awake. “Ate?”

Haywire sighed as she began dragging Clockwork out of the room. “You need to sleep, eat, and-”

Clockwork struggled weakly. “I’m on the verge of a breakthrough! Now is the absolute worst time to stop!”

“You need to take a break!”

Without warning, Clockwork wrenched himself from the mare’s grasp and stood ramrod stiff. Memories suddenly flooded his mind. Through all of them though, a single word shone brightest.

Home.

“I want to go home.” Clockwork repeated the phrase as he was hauled into the infirmary. He didn’t notice the elderly nurse measuring different aspects of his health and such, nor the questions she asked him. It was only when the mare slapped him lightly across the muzzle that he returned to the current world.

“Severe sleep deprivation, mild malnourishment, no signs of self-harm though. Mental stress is evident enough.” she listed the pegasus’ symptoms with a practiced grace.

Clockwork laughed under his breath as he hung his head. “What the hay is wrong with me, doc?”

“The most basic description is two words, really. You’re homesick. Do you have a home to head back to? Family? Friends?”

The pegasus nodded. “Ponyville.”

“I see. Haywire, could you retrieve a copy of the next dozen airship and locomotive departures to Ponyville?”

“What?” Clockwork looked up as Haywire hurried out of the room. “R&D doesn’t permit extended leave out of Canterlot, even if it is to treat a medical condition!”

“Actually, it does.” the nurse retrieved a small but thick book. She flipped it open to a certain page and gave the item to the pegasus. “Article eighty-seven, section sixteen.”

Clockwork scanned the page. If any active member of the Research and Development branch of the Equestrian Armed Forces is deemed temporarily unfit to perform necessary tasks, they are allowed access to extended leave in order to recover.

“Hah. I know more than a few ponies around here that need this more than I do.” Clockwork gave the little book back to its owner. “How long do I need to be out for?”

“I’d say two weeks tops.”

Clockwork nodded. “Fourteen days of rest and relaxation? Sounds too good to be true.”

“Trust me, you’ve earned it.” Haywire returned with several sheets of paper in her grasp. “The earliest train to Ponyville leaves just after breakfast.”

“Then that’s the one you’ll be taking. Sound good?”

Clockwork laughed under his breath. “Sounds great.”

The Emperor's eyes opened. Behind the platinum mask that adorned his head, his eyes glowed with the combined fires of a hundred lifetimes. Experience, anticipation, and calm fury present all at once. He looked to his left and placed an armored talon on a button connected to a small radio nearby.

"Warfather," the Emperor spoke. Despite his relatively quiet tone of voice, the single word echoed into the deepest reaches of the castle he called home. “Respond.”

“My Lord.” the warrior on the other end responded.

“How were the most recent bout of negotiations?”

A sigh was clearly detectable from the other end. “Laughable. The Federation has promised us a large section of land to the south of the Spine. The Consortium’s scientists have already been there and have tested the soil. We could grow nothing but the most hardy vegetation. There is very little vegetation there as well.”

“What about the other nations?”

“Thunderhooves is still as stubborn as before, Mfalme is still silent but no less hostile. The dogs are still clawing at our legs to signify their undying support. The royal sisters are becoming more suspicious of us with every passing day.”

“Hmm. . .” the Griffon Emperor interwove his talons and rested his beak on the combined fists. He closed his eyes, determined the best course of action, and opened his eyes once more.”

“Orders, my lord?”

“Call for a peace conference. Ready the seventh and tenth legions.”

“As you wish.”

Both griffons ended the transmission with a single phrase, uttered ever since their species had been gifted with the ability to speak.

Imperii gloria, gloria Carniferous.

Author's Notes:

My Co-Author/Editor Pokonic specifically requested that I tell you all that he wrote 90% of the club scene. I say 90% because I have edited it slightly (perhaps more than he wanted). He wanted to know your reaction towards it. Oh, and P? Sorry again for having to put up with my shit.