One Year Later

Chapter One: A New Day

Stirred by the near magic-like precision of tiny, delicate cogs, gears, and other movable parts, a mechanism is set in motion. Creating a cascade of further mechanical movement throughout the device, more mechanisms still are forced into action. This entire process occurs at such a fast, detailed pace, that only a pony with a focused, efficient eye could detect it and truly appreciate the device for the level of technological accomplishment it truly represented.

The only thing that forcefully deterred one's attention away from the device being a marvel of what earth pony engineering was capable of, was the raucous, obnoxious noise it produced when the mechanisms finished their motions within it.

"Mmm, please your majesty you flatter me too much! No, your majesty, I actually didn't invent the toaster on my own... That was the automatic garment washer you must be thinking of, that I... invented. Why yes, Princess! I would adore another cup of tea..."

Snore.

"Oh, she is indeed the finest musician and cellist in all the kingdom, that's why she's my dearest..."

Muffled chuckle, snore.

"No, no, If I may...politely contradict you, your majesty... Neighkola Tesla's vision for Equestria's futuristic utopia far outshines those of Trotmas Edison, the Apple Family, and those slippery robber barons, the Flim Flam brothers! I'd even venture to say it's more plausible than even Doctor Twilight Sparkle's plans."

Gasp. Snore.

"Wha...? No, please Princess, not the Royal Voice! I meant no disrespect!"

Guuuh!..."

Oblivious to the world around me, I moaned dreamily in between loud snores, locked in my own personal dream wonderland. It was complete with scientific achievements, meetings with the royalty, and... Ringing bells?

RING! RING! RING! RING! RING!

I awoke with a startled swiftness quite unlike my usual modus operandi. In my haste to shake off the effects of sleep and investigate the source of the disturbance, I hit my head on my headboard, the pillows completely failing to dull the impact. Groaning, I half slid, half crawled out of the four-poster bed and onto all fours. Shafts of sunlight beamed through the partially drawn curtains, granting a little beauty to an otherwise purely chaotic environment.

Rubbing the drowsiness from my eyes with a hoof, I spotted the fiend responsible for awakening me from my wonderful slumber.

It was my alarm clock of course. One of my own inventions? I scoffed.

"Marvel of earth pony engineering my hind quarters!" I shook my head. "Never, ever draft your ideas for invention designs after a rough evening hitting the pub, it is a piss poor combination." I said aloud to nopony in particular.

I swiftly picked up the loud chiming clock and gave it a good, loud thunk. Ahh... peace and quiet.

The scant sunlight of the room blaring in my still drowsy eyes, I wearily trotted my way over to the vanity. Exquisitely carved out of marble enamel, and rimmed with gold filigree, the large mirror sat atop a handsome chest of drawers. Both bits of furniture were flanked on the right by a tall, imposing armoire of mahogany with ebony trimming.

Peering into the mirror's smooth glass, my reflection greeted me. My gaze was returned by a rather disheveled looking stallion of average height and build. His mane was a tousled brown mess, and his deep blue eyes bore into mine with haunting intensity.

A cutie mark, an hourglass symbol that denotes my original occupation as Timekeeper and caretaker of the Ponyville clock tower, completed the image that now reflected back at me.

I clicked my tongue and wolf-whistled, jokingly waving a hoof at the mirror like one of those Applewood movie stars that used to grace the silver screens. "Looking goooood..."

By Celestia's mane, it's been only around a year, yet it felt like an eternity ago. Just like...

No, no. I shan't let my wind wander like that, ever! I've got responsibilities to keep, and places to be. With a sigh, I looked away from the mirror and at the room around me.

It was a little messy and chaotic, but it was controlled chaos mind you. Nearly every little thing was in a certain place, for a certain reason. I only got near Octavia's possessions to wage my endless war against dust bunnies and the occasional spider.

This was true for much of my...our...house. Most things were just left the same as the day that everypony... Ugh, you know.

Anyways, I set about preparing for my daily routine. Last I checked, the nearest Canterlot pumping station still had proper power going to it, so running water should be as it always is. A bit of advice, never take for granted the value of a hot shower for a pony's mind, body, and mood!

After giving myself a thorough showering and a minute amount of personal grooming, I reemerged into the master bedroom. Settling for a business vest and simple necktie... a white one with smiling parasprites ingrained on it, I donned my fedora, and trotted downstairs.

The spacious kitchen, dining room, sitting room, library, and living room greeted me with the usual quiet serenity they had for so long now.

If I would but stand there and close my eyes, I could almost smell the aroma of the fresh jam, toast, and coffee wafting in from the kitchen. The sound of eggs sizzling on the griddle, and the angelic humming of a one mare symphony.

Memories, from brighter days, some would say.

I snatched at a locket dangling around my neck, and opened it. A mare with intense magenta eyes, a mane of brilliant black locks, and a silvery-gray coat smiled lovingly back at me. My ears fell flat, and my muzzle quivered as I ran my hoof across the image longingly. My eyes grew misty, and were like a dam threatening to break.

"Octavia.." I whispered.

With a deep sigh, I shut my eyes slowly, closed the locket, and let it fall back to my chest under the tie and vest.

"AHEM! C'mon Hooves, no time for melancholy! The Sun's shining, and you have a bright new day ahead of you, get to work!" I told myself, trying to emulate a certain pegasus' haughty, insistent voice.

I strode into the kitchen, and opened up the fridge. "Hmm, let's see here. Gotta get some more orange juice...got plenty of jam, lettuce, spinach, other vegetables...check, check, and check!"

I put my hoof to my muzzle, feeling like I was forgetting something.

"NO EGGS?!" I exclaimed, finally noticing what was amiss. "I'll have to fix that soon. Hmm, need some more garlic and vinegar too, goes great with salad." Mumbling and taking mental notes, I snatched up my saddle bag, and stepped out into the pleasant sunshine of the Canterlot suburb.

The spires of the capital city and the castle themselves stood further up the mountain in the distance, looming over the land like some kind of titanic, silent sentinel of all ponykind. Almost ironically, it was a guardian figure for likely only one pony today. I kept that in mind as I made my way down the expansive, empty driveway. I have yet to find out what happened to our automobile, it's nowhere to be found at the moment.

Just before crossing the threshold of the manor gates, I looked back at my house.

Ah, Sunset Manor, such a fine work of architecture I had ever had the honor of living in! A personal gift from Princess Celestia herself for our contributions to Equestria, it was one of the largest dwellings in the neighborhood.

Its graceful white marble walls were accented by posh Prench wooden doors and tall platinum-framed windows. Imposing columns in the swirling pegasi style lined the main entry colonnade, a large garden, terrace, and a vibrant purple tile terra cotta roof quite literally topped off the mansion.

In spite of all the decorum and extravagance, I must confide that it's a relief to get out and away from the place as much as I can. Any rational mind could probably deduce as to why that is so.

Whistling a tune matching one of Sapphire Shore's hit songs, now one year outdated, I trotted down the boulevard, making my way out of the neighborhood and slightly towards Canterlot. The street, as always, was a complete mess.

Motor cars had been left abandoned everywhere and a few even crashed when their drivers suddenly... took a vacation to parts unknown. Several lawns on other various properties had been left to grow wild. Already, after just a single year without pony intervention, the forces of nature were already beginning to creep in with their efficient little ways, subverting the solid tangible aspects of Pony civilization.

Vines covered some parts of a few cars, and many yards had become jungles of weeds and overgrown shrubbery.

Due to the obvious absence of the Pegasi to manage the weather, the forces of last winter and the unregulated spring torrents were already taking their toll on things. Some of the buildings were even beginning to show signs of peeling paint.

Turning my scrutiny away from such depressing thoughts, I set my sights on a large structure just down the road. As I got closer, a massive panel sign, almost cartoon like, came into detail. It was an advertisement.

AppleMart

We Sell Just 'Bout Everything n' Here!

Accompanying the words was an image of Applejack, a prominent member of the Apple family and friend of Twilight Sparkle.

She was standing with a proud grin and a wink on her face, a barrel of apples on her right, and a tipped over barrel on her left dropping random goods–quills, pens, mane brushes, horseshoes, data discs, instruments, clothing, you name it. In the backdrop of it all was a circle with a golden russet apple dominating its center.

I raised an eyebrow at the large display of corporate power. After having beaten the Flim Flam Brothers in a competition over the apple cider market, the Apple Clan, finding itself with new momentum, had begun its fast track into founding a burgeoning commercial empire.

Flim and Flam, never to be discouraged by a few setbacks, and ever greedy in their never ending quest for the almighty Bit, instead began investing in the emerging railroad and steel industry. The big cities like Manehattan, Fillydelphia, and Los Pegasus began to expand evermore, and seek better connections with the rest of the country. In the face of our new Industrial Revolution, Princess Celestia had been all too eager to take all the investment money she could to modernize Equestria.

Well, I suppose it was all pointless now, seeing as how they've all up and disappeared. With a massive shrug, I pushed my way into the large department store, immediately greeted by a bizarre mix of smooth jazz music, and country bumpkin music. You know, with the acoustic guitars and all that.

I winced, regretting having left the automated PA system on when I had routed power to the place. "Note to self, turn that crap off when I get to the registers to check out." I muttered to myself.

When I had first entered here just after the Disappearances, it, like most other places, had become messy. Ponies had been carrying things when they vanished. Lots of things. It took me at least until fall of last year to clean it all up to a reasonable state of orderliness. It had been summer when everything went...weird, you see.

Perusing the large store, I quickly found the orange juice I had sought, as well as some fresh garlic cloves and vials of vinegar. Feeling a wee bit contentious with myself today, I decided to buy some extra sets of spices, a couple packs of mushrooms, and a generous amount of canned tomatoes and packs of noodles.

With all of my groceries in a cute little shopping basket you could find near the front entrances, I set off for the checkout aisles.

Other customers stood around browsing goods, and I nodded at them politely as I trotted. "Good day misses Fleur de Lis! Pleasant morning we're having huh?'

"..."

"Ah, and hello to you as well, Mister Nandermane!" I said jovially, smiling like a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve.

"..."

Since I had moved most of shopping the carts all out of the way, maneuvering around the large supermarket section of the store had become a breeze. Approaching the aisle, I was greeted by the clerk, or rather, a ponyquin, representing the clerk.

"That'll be all my good man." I said as I put the goods onto the conveyor.

"..."

Pulling out my bit purse, I glanced back up at him. "So, how much we talkin' here?" The clerk ponyquin, with a crude smiley face painted on its front, and a cap on its head, stared at him mutely, unmoving.

"..."

"Alrighty."

I reached over the counter, put in the bits and rung myself up, all with an expression one would expect from any average, normal customer waiting in line.

I then turned off the speakers all around the store, silencing the dreadful musical combo, and whistled a little victory tune of my own. Following that, I reared up and pumped my hooves in the air like an over enthusiastic fan at a DJ PON3 performance.

"Score one for tasteful, decent music everywhere!" With goods in hoof, I made my way back out into the parking lot. Checking the time, I discovered it was just a quarter past nine. I still had plenty of time left in the day.

The cool Summer morning air whipped through my fur, and I tipped my fedora lower, to shield myself from the wind.

It would seem this gleaming sunshine is being deceitful, a rainstorm is coming. Scientist though I may have been, I'm no meteorologist, but judging by the color of the clouds composing the front moving in, I can safely bet it was gonna be a significant downpour.

It was coming in from around the mountainside to the East, likely a storm from the Ocean coming inland to throw a 'hurray for not having to fear the pegasi weather teams and we can flood and rain on whatever we want' party.

Expect strong winds, heavy rains, and a chance of a quick death via hale bombardment, electrocution, or drowning in rogue mudslides. With this under consideration, I made it my main point to get to Ponyville as quickly as possible, where the storm likely will not hit, assuming its heading Westward anyways.

'Borrowing' a random pegasi sky carriage–their fancy-schmancy versions of earth pony automobiles, that looked to be in good condition, I quickly made a beeline for Sunset Manor.

Since the storms had oddly become ever stronger since the Disappearances, I had to go to extreme measures to weatherproof the mansion, much like how some ponies use to have to batten down for typhoons down in the Southeast coast of Equestria.

That said, once I dropped off my groceries into the pantry, I checked on the chicken coops I kept near the garden, as the wind continued to pick up and the sky grew grayer. The hens were largely calm, but that would change once the rain started, I mused. Taking a few of their eggs for my kitchen stock, I then sealed up the windows of the greenhouse I had built around them and the terrace, and surveyed the area.

The windows were solid, sturdy plate glass designed to resist strong gale force winds, and could even stop a bullet from an Equestrian Army fifty caliber sniper rifle, or so the manufacturer, Iron Will Industries had so boldly proclaimed in the catalog I had read.

'This glass is absolutely guaranteed to be assertive against ANY type of storm, NO MATTER HOW STRONG THE WIND! How? BECAUSE IRON WILL PERSONALLY PEP TALKS EVERY PANE THAT COMES OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE, THAT'S HOW!' It had said.

Confident my house was 'nature-proof', I quickly galloped back to the two-door sky carriage, and then flew my way down to Ponyville, with my main goals still pending on my to-do list. The storm slowly shrunk in size in my viewing angle in the rear mirror.

As I flew down the mountain slope, the large network of streets, parks, and buildings that were the medium-sized town of Ponyville beckoned towards me. Like a maniac, I began singing the opera portion of Octavia's fifth symphony from memory, in the deepest voice I could manage.

The wind whipped through the rolled down windows

"Oh Princesse Luna, notre monarque de nuit plus belle!"

They gales threatened to nearly blow my fedora straight off my head and out of the cabin, as I searched for an appropriate spot to land.

"Chantez pour nous, une berceuse, si tranquille et le plus beau!"

The lyrics were in straight Prench, but no matter.

"Cher Luna, comment nous, vous et votre nuit adorons!"

When I landed and got out, approaching Ponyville Town Hall...and the Prometheus Engine within, the strangest, most amazing thing happened. Still singing the Prench opera of the symphony Octavia had written aloud to myself, I caught a glimpse of something moving.

It was fast too.

Something... That looked... It, it was pony shaped for sure, but... I have to be just hallucinating here!

But I swear on Celestia's name, it looked like Princess Luna herself!