Weird Science
The Clockwork Pony
Chapter 1: Weird Science
Spike paced nervously in front of the castle. He only calmed down when he heard the thundering sound of hooves and his name being called out.
“Spike!” Applejack exclaimed.
The young dragon let out a relieved sigh as the five mares came to stop in front of him.
“Thank goodness you’re here!” he remarked.
“Of course Spike dear,” Rarity told him but then gave him a curious look. “But whatever is the matter?”
“It’s Twilight!” he said quickly.
“What about Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked in concern.
“She’s been locked up in her lab for days!” he informed them.
The five let out a collective sigh and relaxed their stances.
“Uh, no offense Spike, but that ain’t exactly unusual for Twilight,” Applejack pointed out.
“Without stopping for a book break,” Spike emphasized.
This time it was a collective gasp of horror they all let out.
“Take us there, now!” Rainbow demanded, shoving her face right in front of Spike’s.
Spike nodded nervously then led them through the castle to the basement where Twilight had set up a lab a few months back. It was where she did her most important research. And as Applejack pointed out, it wasn’t unusual for her to get so lost in her work that she would forget about trivial things like eating or sleeping. And yet she never forgot to come out and take a few minutes to catch up with the latest book she was reading. Something had to be wrong with her!
When they reached the door for the lab, Spike reached up and jiggled the handle a bit but nothing happened.
“See? Locked. I’ve tried knocking and even shouting for her but nothing!” he informed his friends.
“Oh I got this,” Rainbow Dash said with an evil smirk.
“Rainbow what are you-?” Applejack started to ask.
Her question was cut short by a loud scream from the blue Pegasus as she flew towards the door at full speed. The lock quickly buckled under the sudden force and the door flew open, sending Dash hurtling inside. Naturally she was able to correct herself quickly enough that she landed on all four hooves. Maybe not as gracefully as she would have liked but she still stayed upright. Though for once she wasn’t concerned with self-congratulating herself as she had somepony much more important to worry about that moment!
“Twilight!” she called out anxiously.
She then paused when she saw her Special Somepony at the far end of the room working...on some kind of contraption. It kind of looked like a mare but made of copper plating and brass gears. Rainbow tilted her head in confusion as the others walked up behind.
“What in tarnation is she doing?” Applejack wondered allowed as she scratched her forehead under her hat.
“It looks like she’s making a...pony,” Fluttershy said timidly.
“Well that’s not how you’re supposed to do it!” Pinkie Pie blurted out in her usual tactless manner.
The other four and Spike stared at her for a moment before deciding it was better just to leave the subject alone for now. Instead they went back to watching Twilight work on her mechanical pony as if they hadn’t just barged in through the door. They watched as she worked meticulously on it, adding more wires and gears and bolts every so often. She carefully studied its form from every angle, including ones where she rightfully should have seen them but still gave them no acknowledgment. Even with Pinkie’s frantic gesturing towards her.
“Wow she really is out of it,” the pink pony remarked.
“And how long has she been in here?” Applejack asked Spike.
“About three and a half days,” the dragon answered.
“Well...I’ll give her points for being dedicated,” Rarity remarked.
Applejack glared at her.
“What?” the white unicorn scoffed. “Don’t you even dare to try and get self-righteous with me! There have been plenty of times when I’ve had to pull you away from your apple bucking just so you’ll eat something.”
“Fine, fair enough,” the earth pony relented. “But that just means that somepony has got to go over there and talk to her!”
“Oh I agree,” Rarity nodded.
“Yes, somepony should definitely go talk to her,” Fluttershy added.
“Yep! They sure should!” Pinkie said in her usually cheery tone.
“Uh huh,” Spike nodded.
“Yeah. Somepony’s gotta talk to her alright,” Rainbow Dash agreed with the rest of them.
It was then she noticed they were all looking at her.
“What?” she asked cluelessly before it quickly dawned on her. “Wait, why do I have to do it?!”
“Hey you’re datin’ her,” Applejack pointed out. “Thems the rules! Like when I gotta corral Rarity when she goes round the bend.”
The statement earned her not only a glare from the fashionista but also a quick kick in the back leg as well.
“Ow!” the cowpony cried out as Rarity walked past her.
“I think what Applejack’s trying to say, darling, is that Twilight might be more receptive to somepony she cares about,” she explained.
Rainbow Dash ran her front hooves down her face as she let out an annoyed groan.
“Alright, fine!” she sighed then started to walk over to Twilight. “Why do I have to have the high maintenance marefriend?
Applejack opened her mouth for a second like she was about to say something but then glanced at Rarity and decided it was best just to be quiet for now. Instead she, along with the others, watched as Rainbow Dash carefully walked up to Twilight who still didn’t seem to notice her.
“Hey Twilight, uh, sweetie? Whatcha doing?” she asked sweetly.
The alicorn didn’t respond and instead kept looking over her contraption much to Dash’s annoyance.
“Uh Twilight,” she tried again, a bit more forceful this time.
Still nothing.
Her brow furrowed. “Twilight.”
Nothing.
She scowled with a low growl.
“TWILIGHT!!!” she bellowed at the top of her lungs, causing the others to cover their ears.
“Oh! Hey Rainbow!” Twilight greeted happily and gave her a quick kiss. “When did you get here?”
“Uh, like, five minutes ago. With everypony else,” she replied and motioned to their friends.
“Oh hi everypony,” she said cheerfully before she blushed a bit and looked back at Rainbow. “Wait does that mean they just saw...?”
“They know about us Twilight,” Rainbow Dash replied with a deadpan expression.
“I know, I know but I’m still kinda embarrassed by stuff like that,” she admitted.
“Uh huh,” the Pegasus nodded before she flew over to the device. “So what the heck are you building here anyway?”
“And why has it kept ya so busy Spike had to run ta us like his tail was on fire?” Applejack asked as she and the others stepped closer.
Twilight tilted her head at the remark then gave Spike an annoyed look.
“Spike what did you tell them? I haven’t been in here that long!” she scolded him.
“It’s been three days Twilight,” Spike countered with an annoyed look of his own and arms folded over his chest.
“Really?” she asked back in genuine surprise. “Wow I guess time just flies when you’re really invested in a project.”
“And again, darling, what exactly is this project?” Rarity asked and cast a weary glance at the copper and brass pony.
“Oh this?” Twilight mused as she looked over at her creation. “Well you see the last time I was in the other world the other Twilight and I started talking about the similarities and differences between the literature in our respective worlds.”
“Of course you did,” Rainbow Dash said with a roll of her eyes and an amused smirk.
Twilight merely stuck her tongue out at her for a second before she continued with her explanation. “One of the genres she mentioned is something they call ‘science fiction’. Which we actually have something similar here but we call it ‘science fantasy’. I’m guessing that’s because we have magic here and they don’t. But really actually getting to know the real reason would be interesting.”
“Uh Twilight? Maybe just keep the story goin’?” Applejack suggested to hopefully head off a tangent from the purple alicorn.
“Oh right!” Twilight said with a small chuckle. “Anyway, one of the recurring themes in these science fiction stories is the idea of ‘robots’ and ‘A.I’.”
“Oooooh! ‘A.I’,” Pinkie replied an impressed tone then stared blankly for a second. “What does the ‘I’ stand for?”
“Intelligence,” Twilight explained.
“Oh. What does the ‘A’ stand for?”
“Artificial.”
“Aaaah. I gotcha,” the pink pony nodded. “What does the ‘I’ stand for again?”
“And what the hay’s a ‘robot’?” Applejack added.
“It’s an artificial life form created with metal and wires as well as things they call computer chips and circuit boards.”
“Whatis chips and whooie boards?” Rainbow asked and scratched her head in confusion.
“It’s...kinda hard to explain actually,” Twilight said with a sheepish grin. “It’s part of the technology they have over there that’s way different than what we have over here. But still the idea was intriguing enough to me that I wanted to see if I could make a robot over here with what we have.”
“What are you going to do with it if you can get it to work?” Fluttershy asked.
“I dunno. I’m still on the ‘see if I can do it’ stage,” she answered as she idly levitated a few more nuts and bolts into place.
“So what usually happens in the stories with these...robots?” Rainbow asked.
“Well they seem to follow two distinct variations,” Twilight began while she continued to work. “Either the robot learns to become more human, or in this case pony, and become a loving friend to whoever made it or it goes crazy and tries to destroy the world.”
The others all took a giant step back after that statement. All except Rainbow who was too busy glaring daggers at her marefriend.
“So wait, you mean to tell me you know this thing could go crazy and try to kill us and you’re still building it?!” she asked incredulously, stamping a hoof on the floor for emphasis.
“Oh come on Rainbow, how many times has a spell or invention of mine gone wrong?” Twilight asked with a dismissive wave of a hoof.
When she didn’t immediately receive an answer she turned around to find the blue Pegasus giving her a deadpan look. One shared by all their other friends as well. Except for Fluttershy who was down right glaring at her.
“Um...on second thought, don’t answer that,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“Just tell me you’ve got a plan in mind in case this goes wrong,” Rainbow insisted as she sat on her haunches and crossed her forehooves over her chest.
“Since when did you become the cautious one?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Since apparently I have to keep my marefriend from building a metal pony that could go crazy and try to take over the world!” she countered.
“To be fair, I think we’re all worried about that,” Fluttershy added quietly.
The others gave their nods and words of agreement. Much to Twilight’s annoyance.
“Look it’s not even my spell I’m using!” she pointed out as she floated an ancient looking book in front of her. “It’s one of Starswirl the Bearded spells!”
“Would that be the same Starswirl who made a spell that switched our Cutie Marks around and thus caused havoc on the town?” Rarity asked.
“Well to be fair she was just finishing up that spell,” Spike pointed out. “And she completed it by getting everypony back to normal!”
“Still not much of a confidence builder,” Applejack retorted.
“This spell is completely different from that!” Twilight insisted. “For one it’s finished and tested! It’s call the ‘Awoken’ spell and it’s used to give nonsentient animals the ability to speak!” She looked over at Fluttershy. “Haven’t you always wanted to know just what Angel was thinking? Well will with this spell you could just ask him!”
“Um, Twilight, you know I can just talk to animals already, right?” the yellow Pegasus pointed out.
“Argh! Fine! But you know what I mean!” she said with an exasperated sigh.
“So what has that spell got to do with that contraption?” Applejack asked, pointing to the metal pony again.
“Well since we don’t have computer chips and circuit boards here, I’m going to use this spell to try to bring her to life,” Twilight explained.
“‘Her’?” Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, ‘her’. In case you hadn’t noticed, the body is designed like a mare’s after all,” she pointed out.
“So aside from the spell, how is it going to work?” Rarity asked. “From the way you described it, it only gives animals the ability to talk. Not bring pieces of metal to life.”
“I’m glad you asked!” Twilight beamed then trotted over to a nearby worktable where she placed a hoof on a large object covered with a sheet. “I’m going to use...this!”
With a quick swipe of her hoof the cover flew off to reveal a cylindrical glass jar with two plugs on the top filled with dozens of buzzing insects that occasionally shot out bolts of electricity.
“Twittermites?” Applejack gasped. “Twilight, you know how dangerous these things can be?”
“Only if they get out. But I’ve modified this jar to fit into the robot’s body. Like so.”
She then levitated the jar with her magic and walked back over to the robotic pony. A flip of her hoof opened up a panel on the side and revealed the gears and wiring within. It also revealed a cavity just the size of the jar in the main section of the body. Sure enough Twilight floated the container inside the hole and after a few quick adjustments with her hooves, it was securely in place. After which she closed the panel again and tightened all the screws and knobs holding it in place.
“Alright everypony, stand back,” she advised as she stared intently at her creation.
The others did exactly what they were told, taking another large step back in case something went horribly wrong. Except for Rainbow Dash who stayed by Twilight’s side. Albeit just a little bit behind her just in case. Still her presence brought a small smile to Twilight’s muzzle just before she lit up her horn again. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the spell she memorized earlier. Her horn glowed brighter and brighter as the words flashed over and over in her head. Eventually she unleashed it in a pointed beam concentrated on the robotic pony. It twitched a few times as the purple beam surrounded it, infusing it with hopefully life-giving magic. There was one last bright flash before the spell dissipated.
A heavy silence fell over the six ponies and baby dragon as they waited to see what would happen. After what seemed like an eternity, especially to Twilight, the silence was broken by a soft, steady ticking from the pony’s clockwork heart. The camera shutters Twilight used for its eyes opened to reveal two lenses glowing a bright yellow from the light bulbs behind them. A blue light came out of the slot she had for a mouth as if she were trying to say something but only garbled static came out. Her head turned from side to side with an audible clicking as she looked over the group. More clicks and pops could be heard as she tentatively raised one finely polished brass hoof and started to take a step forward.
“She’s alive! She’s alive!” Twilight yelled hysterically then grabbed Rainbow Dash and pulled her close to her. “In the name of Celestia she’s alive!”
Her jubilation came to a screeching halt, however, when the lights from the mechanical pony’s eyes suddenly went off and she fell over with a loud “clang”.
“Or...not,” the princess muttered in a dejected tone as she lowered her head and her ears drooped.
“There there,” Rainbow Dash said, giving her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “You almost had it.”
“Yeah I’m sure you’ll get it next time Sugarcube,” Applejack added.
Twilight let out a soft sigh just before she picked her head up, a lot of determination etched onto her face.
“You know what? You girls are right! I will get it right next time!” she declared triumphantly.
Unfortunately her inspirational moment was ruined by a loud growl emanating from her stomach.
“Right after I get some lunch!” she quick added.
A round of laughter came from the other girls just before they all started to head out of the lab, Rainbow having to support Twilight as the full weight of three days without food started to finally catch up to her. As they exited the lab, Spike made sure to turn off the light and close the door a bit.
The room was left dark and silent for several hours. A darkness that only increased as day turned into evening. While much of the castle was filled with the laughter of the princess and her friends, the lab remained eerily quite. That is until a slow, steady ticking started to echo throughout the room. On the floor, the almost forgotten robot pony began to stir. Her copper and brass limbs started to twitch and spasm almost violently. It continued on for several seconds before her head snapped up and the lights in her eyes flashed on to shed a little bit of light in the darkened room. With a bit of effort she got to her hooves and took a few unsteady steps forward. Her eyes scanned the room until they fell onto the door. Her metal hooves made a slight clanking sound on the polished, crystalline floor as she walked towards it. She stumbled a few times but thankfully caught herself before completely falling over again. Walking actually got a bit easier by the time she made it to the door and she stood steadily enough to push it open and enter the hallway. The ear shaped receivers on the top of her bald head shifted from side-to-side when she heard voices some distance away. Once she determined which direction they were coming from she turned and walked towards them. The light that represented her mouth flashed on and off but still only static and a few garbled words came out. It seemed learning to speak was going to be a bit more challenging than learning to walk. She just hoped she would get it figured out by the time she reached the sources of the voices though. She had so much to talk about after all...
( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )
In the main throne room of the castle, the six ponies, and Spike, sat around the Table of Friendship talking and laughing. As what usually happens when she made a meal, Pinkie had gotten the group into a cheery mood that left what they had been doing before mostly forgotten. Twilight knew she should get back to the lab to try her experiment again but at the moment it just didn’t seem that important. She was having too much fun with her friends! Especially listening to Pinkie Pie’s latest crazy adventure.
“...then I said to him, ‘The frosting? You’re wearing it’!” Pinkie just barely finished her story before falling out of her chair in a fit of laughter.
The others laughed along with her for nearly a minute or so before they finally had to stop to catch their breaths. After calming down enough, Rarity used her magic to lift a teacup to her mouth to help sooth the somewhat sore throat she had from laughing so much. As she took a sip her left ear twitched a bit as an oddly rhythmic sound reached it.
“Twilight, dear, when did you put a clock in here?” she asked as she set her teacup down.
The alicorn tilted her head to the right in confusion.
“I...didn’t,” she remarked.
“That’s strange. I could swear I hear a clock ticking away,” the white unicorn mumbled.
“Actually...Ah hear it too,” Applejack revealed.
“Oh please, you’re just agreeing with her cause you two are dating,” Rainbow Dash teased her friend.
“Like you don’t agree with Twilight more often nowadays,” the cowpony shot back.
“Trust me, she really doesn’t,” Twilight muttered in an annoyed tone.
“Yeah! Besides I-” Rainbow started then stopped and rubbed her right ear. “Huh. I heard it too.”
“Told you!” Applejack and Rarity said in unison.
“I hear it too. And it sounds like it’s getting closer,” Fluttershy spoke up even as she slowly started to slide under the table.
The rest of the group looked between themselves before they determined the sound to be coming from the door right outside the throne room. In addition to the steady ticking of a clock they could also hear a few more sounds like soft clanging and clicking noises. They steadied themselves as it reached the door itself. Their muscles tensed. Twilight and Rarity readied their horns incase they needed to blast whatever it was. Rainbow Dash had her wings extended and ready to take off at a moment’s notice. Applejack kicked a hind leg against the floor in preparation to do some serious damage. Pinkie had her party cannon at the ready to make somepony’s day. Spike stood up on the table itself and got a hot blast of green fire ready in the back of this throat. And Fluttershy...really wished she was home at the moment.
Despite being ready, they all still jumped a bit from the tension when the door slammed open. Their guard mostly dropped, however, when they saw Twilight’s robot pony walking into the room. Though they were filled with amazement that it was walking around on it’s own and therefore the spell actually had worked, Twilight’s summary of what could happen with it sat in the back of their minds. So while they relaxed a little, they were still ready for a fight should it be needed.
At the moment, though, they watched as it walked towards them in a slow and steady manner, its lens eyes studying them. When it about reached the table, the blue light that was its mouth began to light up again.
“I-I-I-I,” she repeated with a few twitches of her head. “W-w-waannnaaaa...” she paused. “Talk a little bit about what’s going on in this room, because I have so many questions I’d like answered! Like who am I? What am I? How did I get here? What is here? Where are my pants? What is life? And why are you all looking at me like that?”
The camera shutters that were her eyelids closed and opened in a second in her form of a blink as she looked at the collection of ponies, and one baby dragon, that were all just staring back at her in slack jawed wonder.
“What? Was is something I said?”
To Be Continued...
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First comment!
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Nice so far except for shipping with no explanation what-so-ever.
6674211 Actually the shipping is set up in my other stories "Love and Chocolate" and "It All Started With A Nap". I should probably should have mad a note of that but I'm honestly not used to having to do that. Glad you liked the story regardless.
Interesting beginning so far - it will be very interesting to see how Twilight will raise this A.I. (at last, I hope that she is more willing to accept the responsability for her than Dr. Frankenstein was in the story of the same name - after all, the robot (equinoid?) is kinda of her daughter...)
Since that you mentioned the Sci-Twilight, I wonder if we can see some messages between Twilight and Sunset/Sci-Twilight about these developments...
Tracking!
This... just, this...
Twi/Dash is so cute
Oh Twilight. Fiction and Fantasy just about the same word. With only the tiniest minute differences.
Also the robot wants pants...