Plot Bunny Theater: The Clockwork Pony 2 · 4:48pm Jan 7th, 2020
Given the response to the previous blog, I decided to expand upon the Clockworks in a further post. I do want to stress, however, that my initial idea did not have Rainbow Dash be one of these artificial ponies. I just chose that artwork because I liked it.
The Clockwork Ponies were the brainchildren of a secretive order of Mages and Wizards, mostly Unicorns but with a few Earth pony Alchemists, scientists and engineers as well. This order was known as the Divine Machine Guild, and they were disturbed by Princess Luna falling and becoming Nightmare Moon. They felt that the world was out of balance-Their Guild held an almost religious belief that the world of Equus's mathematical laws of magic and nature were divine, and this disruption was even worse than Discord. Discord was just a creature of chaos, after all, but for one of the princesses to fall into evil...
It drove an obsession with the Guild, one that took them out into the distant Badlands on the frontiers of Equestria. In a secluded network of caves under a mesa, they began their work. They felt that it was only a matter of time before Nightmare Moon returned and the world was torn asunder by being out of balance for so long. So they sought to create a race of ponies that would survive this coming cataclysm and would not make the same mistakes.
So they created what amounts to souls/supercomputers in crystal form: Devised with arithmancy, thaumology, and alchemy, these crystals held artificial souls and minds they created with their own souls and magical energies. These Core Crystals could then be placed into artificial construct bodies made of wood, metal, porcelain, or anything else as long as the proper runes and mechanics were employed. They dubbed this new race the Clockworks, the Neo-Pony Race that would survive the coming cataclysms.
The Guild had set up an underground community for these new Clockworks to inhabit. They equipped them with reproduction machines-One mare and one stallion Clockwork crystal would be linked to give life to a new Core Crystal, creating a randomized merged copy of the "parents". This new core could then be placed into a new artificial body. Shops and manufacturing facilities were created to allow them to build more of themselves, to repair themselves, and to build new technologies. Recharging systems were created to charge their batteries and oil and other needed consumables were made available. Concepts of home, love, family, and harmony were put into a guide manual, as well as instructions on how to repair themselves-Their versions of holy books and medical texts. And most importantly, the Guild made sure to never show themselves to the Clockworks-They wanted to guide them in secret, allowing them to develop naturally.
Sadly, the Guild members who were still alive by that point all perished from a plague, and a subsequent cave in buried their bodies. The Clockworks were left on their own. At first simple machines, barely able to keep themselves going, they slowly learned over the centuries to make better bodies. To make more of themselves. To organize themselves into a basic society. To understand science and magic. They grew smarter, and began to improve upon their technology.
Even so, it still took them until the present day to finally get out of the vast, complex cave system. In all that time, they had never met other intelligent lifeforms. Many of their scholars thought that they might be the only intelligent things on the planet. So when they first saw other creatures using tools, clothing, and talking in language in their caves, they were excited. The Clockworks were not alone! Surely these other intelligent lifeforms were also lonely, seeking others like them to befriend!
So they attempted to make first contact.
Unluckily for them, they ran into savage Diamond Dogs. The Diamond Dogs smashed the Clockwork Pony emissaries to pieces, and tried to do the same to others. The Clockworks were frightened, confused... And angry. They managed to capture a Diamond Dog, and studied him. And from this captive, they learned much about biological machines. Namely, how to repel them.
The Diamond Dogs fled, as while the Clockworks were not much stronger than regular ponies, they were very clever, inventive, and adapted quickly. The Clockworks drove them out of the caves, and soon met another group of sapient lifeforms: Griffin Raiders. This first contact ended just as badly, and the Clockworks were now convinced that the warnings of their creators were true: The Ponies were extinct and it was a savage world they must bring peace to.
And so, eventually, reports of robotic ponies on the frontier fighting other sapients reach Princess Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville, just as a friendship mission is given to all of the Main 6 from the Table.
Yes, please.
MOER
Do continue please
Ahh, this stuff is awesome.