An Automaton Called Svengali

by CrackedInkWell

Rating: teen
Tags: Thriller, Original Character, Slice of Life, Death, Gallus, Young Six, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 11235

The Student Six have their first Nightmare Night, Gallus volunteers to take part of a magic trick in which involves an artifact haunts him. Even after the show was drawn to a close.

Warning: the following story you are about to read contains disturbing material that may be unnerving to some readers.

It is (for some) the first Nightmare Night for the Student Six. They spend the evening in costume wondering the fairground of Ponyville enjoying the pony holiday. However, a magic show gets their attention in which the magician shows off a curiosity: a centuries-old automaton. Gallus is asked to come on stage in which, even after the show, the trick that he went along with, follows him back to the school.

A special thanks to LeylaQuartz for having this story finally be edited and inspiring to give an alternative ending.

And thank you to Zachmoviefan for his reading of this story.

Published 2018-08-17 02:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2022-02-20 21:55:07 UTC

Look into its Glass Eyes

In the town of Ponyville, Nightmare Night was a holiday that had been looked forward to by nearly every one of all ages. From the costumes to the mountains of candy, from the spooky houses to the festival with loud but creepy music, a majority of the locals looked forward to participating in its activities. No sooner have the leaves on the trees turn blood red that the town immediately begins to decorate the streets with paper bats and jack-o-lanterns.

On that autumn night, as the foals carried out the tradition of trick-or-treating, six creatures roamed about the fairground in disguise. For many of them, this was their first experience with the holiday. But they quickly grasped onto the idea of dressing up as the folklore of their places of origin.

The Dragoness named Smolder had on a black sheet that draped over her while wearing the mask of a grinning horned demon of white and crimson. Gallus the Griffon used a combination of cardboard armor and makeup to make himself look pale to resemble a ghost warrior. Ocellus, who was a Changeling that could easily shape-shift, went about as a Timberwolf. Yona the Yak, however, used a dusting of white powder and plastic teeth to try to present herself as a Yeti. The Hippogriff, Silverstream, dressed up in the scariest thing that she could think of: a paper-mâché shark. While Sandbar the Earth Pony decided to go with a pirate costume, complete with a three-corner hat and a black beard.

“So what else exactly do you ponies do?” Smolder asked as she popped another hard candy into her mouth. “I’d like to do something else other than eating.”

“There should be a ton of stuff to do.” Sandbar answered, adjusting his helmet. “We could always go through a Haunted Maze or play a few more carnival games.”

“I’m not sure if I want to go with something scary.” Ocellus admitted.

“And I’m not too keen on letting my bits fall through some of these scams,” Gallus said as he narrowed his eyes at a booth with ring tossing.

“What entertaining?” Yona questioned. “Do ponies put on show?”

“With a fair this enormous,” Silverstream observed, “there’s got to be like a concert or two that’s going on. Just going to any one of them has to be fun!”

As the six friends debated on what to do and where to go, Gallus let his eyes scanned around the fairgrounds this way and that until his eyes came across a solid black tent with a few posters up front. “Hey, what’s this?”

Observing where he’s pointing at, the students approached a tent with posters that made it clear that this must be a magic show. It had in each poster a thin looking Pegasus stallion in a sharp black and white suit and waistcoat. Some of the things the posters advertised were the typical tricks from sawing a mare in half to doing a straight jacket escape over a lion’s mouth.

However, there was one poster that caught their attention. It was the image of the magician looming over what looked like a life-sized doll of a colt. It wore clothing that was three centuries behind with a blank expression and glassy eyes staring back at them. Underneath were the words: “See Svengali Come to life! Only Here at Notturno’s Magic Tent!”

“The Magic Tent?” Smolder raised an eyebrow. “That’s kind of a dumb name if you ask me. How uncreative can you get?”

“What this?” Yona asked.

“I think it’s a magic show.” Sandbar said. “With all of these posters around, they look like some stage magic. Can’t say I’ve heard of the magician’s name though.”

Gallus walked towards the entrance, in doing so he found himself questioned as to where he was headed. “Let’s go see this guy. At least it would give us something entertaining. You guys coming?”

“I never saw a magic show before,” Silverstream said, “this could really be fun.”

The friends agreed to take a look, so they parted the flaps of the tent and entered. It was dark inside; the only lights that helped illuminate the small space were candles and a spotlight that shone on the magician on stage. The space they entered was crowded with curious onlookers who watched the Pegasus in the midst of performing a magic trick. As the students walked in, he passed through a frame that had a layer of paper which he was puncturing a hole through. The audience seemed at awe as he stepped through the other side of the torn paper, only to pull it off to reveal a mirror in its frame.

“Thank you,” he said as he took a bow while the magician’s assistants moved the mirror offstage. Looking up, he spotted the six students and spoke again, “Ah, I see some new faces in the crowd. Welcome to the magic tent, new friends! I am Notturno the Illusionist. And you are just in time for the final act tonight.”

Another assistant pushed a large, sheet covered object onto the small stage before Notturno turned to it. “I have saved the best for last. Before I can continue on, I must explain the brief history of what you are about to see. The name of Svengali is commonly known for being a fictional character in the 895 novel: Trilby, that spoke about an evil hypnotist. What many don’t know is that the name itself predates the book.

“The first ever mentioned name of Svengali can be traced to the eighth century to pre-revolutionary Prance, where a mute mind reader tapped on a board that correctly guessed the names of the audience and conveyed messages. It took on the form of a little colt. But what was extraordinary about Svengali is that he wasn’t a pony of flesh and blood. Remarkably, he was a machine. An early robot that is known as an automaton.

“The creator of this masterpiece, named L'horloge, used the mane and death mask of his son who passed away of Scarlet Fever at the age of six. Even with its completion in 783, it is said that he had spent years trying to tune and refine his creation to the point that he nearly went mad. The automaton went up the ranks of the royal courts in Prance, even to the King himself. However, what Svengali did was so shocking and frightening, that the King had its maker executed while keeping the automaton locked away.

“After the Prench Revolution, the machine was passed on to a series of collectors, mechanics, magicians, and occultists, all trying to figure out how exactly Svengali worked. Seventy years ago it disappeared, nopony knew where it went. Five years ago, it reappeared at an auction in Fillydelphia in which I bought it. During those said five years, I have spent some time taking apart and restoring it back to its originality. Here tonight, for the first time since 788, it is to perform for you exactly the way it was then.”

Taking part of the sheet, Notturno pulled on it to reveal a life-sized, almost lifelike, doll of a colt. The first thing ponies noticed right off was the clothing that had been out of fashion for centuries: a blue overcoat with breaches that had simple buttons with a white lace collar. The mane was a dull blond with a black bow that tied up in the back. But the most disconcerting feature of this doll was its face. Made of plaster, it was painted stone gray with blue glass eyes peering through. The expression on its face was perhaps the most unnerving part as it was on the one hoof emotionless – yet, on the other… there was something… ominous about it, about him. There was a sort of knowing look in his glassy eyes. In his left hoof, he held a stick while next to the machine was a board that had every letter of the alphabet with numbers.

“What makes this machine so remarkable,” Notturno said, "is that this is one of the very few surviving true automatons to exist. And what do I mean by that, you may ask?” As he said this, he walked over to the machine and opened up the face and barrel, exposing the complicated gears and springs.

“By its definition, a true automaton is one that once set in motion, operates completely on its own without any outside help. What you see of this small colt, is that he is made up of a total of over fifteen thousand individual parts! Among them are dozens of yards of copper tubing, six thousand cogs, four hundred springs, and about seven thousand gears. The winding itself takes half an hour. I’m about to make the last few tightening of a couple of springs…” The magician pulled out a key from his pocket which he then inserted in the chest of the machine, turning it a few times, resulting in several resounding clicks echoing across the silent audience. He then did the same to the face. Once he was done, he closed up both the barrel and muzzle piece. “And now, he’s back in his original, performing state.”

As Notturno backed away from the automaton, an assistant climbed on stage to give him a small bell. “At this point, all of you may rightfully be asking what exactly this thing does. What makes this machine so marvelous, is that he is perhaps the only one of his kind which response only to the sound of this bell. Watch…” Carefully supporting the bell by his wing, the magician held it up in the air for a tense moment before gently ringing it. The doll responded by looking up at him with undivided attention.

At this point, Gallus raised a claw. “Uh… excuse me.” All eyes turned to the young Griffon. “Okay, that’s impressive and all, but did you say this thing got its creator executed?”

“I’m glad you brought that up.” Notturno said, “In fact, if you could come up here with me, I’ll show you.” And so, Gallus flew up to the stage and stood next to the magician. “Now just to be clear,” he said, “you have never met me before or seen any of my previous shows.”

The young Griffon shrugged. “I didn’t know you existed until my friends and I walked by.”

Notturno turned to the remaining friends. “And you all can confirm this?” They told him it was true. “Perfect,” he said as he turned to Gallus. “Before I demonstrate what this automaton does, it should be said that after the Prench Revolution, rumors arose that the doll possessed supernatural abilities allowing it to possess members of the audience.”

Gallus folded his arms. “You’re kidding me, right?”

But the magician smiled. “Ah, a nonbeliever. Well, this will certainly make things all the more interesting, would it? Now then, if you kindly stand right here. Yes, like that. Next, I want you to look at the doll. Straight into his eyes and nowhere else.”

Although he rolled his eyes, the young Griffon went along with it as he gazed into the glass eyes of the automaton. For a long few moments, nothing happened. Everyone in that audience could see that the one having a staring contest with a doll wasn’t impressed.

“Okay, this is getting ridiculous.” He said at last. “C’mon guys, let’s get out of…” But when he tried to move, he felt paralyzed. As much as he tried to turn his torso, or budge his arms, or even try to turn his head away, he felt his muscles being locked into place. “Huh…?”

“So… are we gonna go or what?” Smolder questioned.

“Uh… G-Guys, I can’t move.”

“Oh, very funny.” Sandbar said sarcastically.

“No seriously guys… I-I can’t move! What’s going on!?”

“As you can see,” Notturno waved a hoof, “the doll has now taken hold of his body. Like him, he is powerless to move on his own.”

“Dude! This isn’t funny!” Gallus interjected.

Ocellus’s ears perked up. “Guys, he’s not lying. He’s afraid.”

“If you think about your right arm, for example,” the Magician explained, ignoring the concern of his audience, “you'll find nothing happens as it is locked into place. Keep your eyes open, I want you to see what’s going on. For if you try to move it like so…” He moved his right foreleg up and down. “It won’t budge. Yet, when I ring the bell,” lifting the bell up high again he said, “the doll’s right arm will come up. Now watch what happens to his.” Notturno rang the silver bell and in response, the automaton’s right hoof moved upward. At the exact same time, so did Gallus’s rise, shakingly upwards, a look of panic etched across his face.

“I’m not doing this!” He cried out. “I swear it! This isn’t me that’s doing it!”

“And his arm will lock into place if he tries to pull it down.” Another ring from the bell, and at the same time that the machine’s arm stopped mid-air, so did Gallus’s as it quivered stiffly. “If he tries to lower it on his own, it will only lock tighter. Yet, when I ring the bell again.” Another ring, both the doll and the griffon’s arms slowly came down.

As this happened, an assistant rolled a wheelchair behind the frightened Griffon as the Magician walked up to him. “Alright, I’m going to put you in the chair behind you and I’m going to help you into it. Don’t worry, this next part is harmless.” He did so, moving Gallus’ limbs for him as he lowered him into the chair. Gallus’ arms still remained locked. After he was turned away from the doll’s eyes, Gallus felt like he could move again.

“At this point,” the Magician said, “there is a legitimate way of explaining what just happened. Such as that it could have been done through the power of suggestion. That the reason why this fellow here moved his arm at the same time the doll, was that his mind unconsciously copied its movements. But what’s even more fascinating, is that things would happen when the machine and the subject weren’t looking at each other.

“In fact, such demonstrations became too much. So much so, that in 873, wizards were called to perform an exorcism on Svengali. Which is incredible, as, for the first time in history, the most powerful unicorns of the day had to perform all the rites of a full exoticism on a machine that is usually meant for possessed ponies or haunted houses. The following demonstration which you are about to see is one of the reasons why they did it.”

An assistant came on stage and handed Gallus a blackboard and a piece of chalk. “This must be for your eyes only,” Notturno explained. “I want you to write your name on that, and then immediately place it face down. And to be fair, I will turn around. While you must keep your written name away from the audience. And if any of you know his name, please remain silent in order for this to work.”

The Magician turned his back on the Griffon while Gallus scribbled his name down, out of sight of the audience before placing the board down. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Very well, you may now turn around,” Notturno instructed. After Gallus got up, keeping the blackboard face down in the chair, he turned to look at the automaton. “Now for the most remarkable part of this demonstration. When I ring the bell Svengali, would you please look into his eyes and correctly spell out the name of the individual that you see in front of you? Would you do that… now?”

With a ring of a bell, the machine moved its head to look directly in the eyes of the Griffon. A moment later, its left hoof rose up, lifting the stick which it held and tapped on the board. What it spelled out, made the young participant drop his beak.

G-A-L-L-U-S

“H-How?”

“Is that your name?” Notturno questioned, “Gallus? What is written on the board?” The Griffon went over and showed the audience his name. “Isn’t that fascinating? That centuries-old machine has correctly guessed your name.”

“That's really creepy.”

Before the Magician could reply, a grinding of gears was heard as he and everyone in that tent turned towards the automaton that was moving its left foreleg on its own. Tapping out on the board to spell out, pausing now and then as it wrote out a message.

H-E-L-P

G-A-L-L-U-S

C-O-M-E

H-O-M-E

W-I-T-H

M-E

There was a stunned silence as the young Griffon roughly grabbed the magician’s suit. “Stop this right now!” He growled. “I admit this was pretty impressive at first, but this is going too far.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Notturno said, “I’ve never seen him do this before.”

“Well, whatever it is, stop it! I was willing to play along, but this crosses the line.”

“No really, I have never seen Svengali do this before.” The magician insisted.

Just as Gallus was about to march off stage, telling his friends that they shouldn’t waste any more time, the candles and the spotlights went out. In the pitch-black darkness, Notturno called out among the rising cacophony of voices that there was nothing to worry about, that his unicorn assistants would relight the candles. In a moment, the candelabras were lit, and everyone in the tent was still there.

All except for Svengali.

Much to everyone’s shock, even Notturno, the automaton was missing. All that remained was the board, and the stick he used to tap out with that lay against it. Fully creeped out, Gallus flew over to his friends and ushered them out while the audience started to panic.

“Okay, what just happened?” Silverstream asked the same question that was on all their minds.

“We should get outta here.” Gallus insisted and before he could move any further, Smolder stood in his way.

“What’s gotten you all spooked?” She questioned. “That was all an act, right?”

“Okay, first of all, I was telling the truth back there! I never saw the guy in my life or that… thing. And I swear on all that’s holy that I wasn’t making any of this up. I mean, you all heard what Ocellus said, right? I was and am getting really scared.” There was a moment of silence between the six of them. “You know what? I’m done.”

“Where are you going?” Silverstream asked as the young Griffon quickly turned his back and started to march out.

“To bed. I’m sorry guys, but I just had it with tonight. I don’t want to deal with any creepy dolls and all. Besides, I’ve read enough ghost stories to know that I shouldn’t provoke something this weird. So, if you don’t mind, I’m heading back to the school and straight to bed.”

Sandbar trotted up to him. “Hey, if you’re going back, then I’ll come with you too. It’s never a good idea to go out on Nightmare Night alone.”

“Whatever,” Gallus muttered as he rolled his eyes. His earth pony friend followed close by him as they walked back to Twilight’s school in silence. Soon the bright orange lights and grinning Jack-O-lanterns faded away with the laughter and screams of the fair as they walked down the streets of Ponyville. They continued at a trotting pace through a dimmer side of town where very few ponies were around and no trick-or-treaters in sight.

But as they walked on, Gallus’s ears perked up as they caught something. He didn’t notice it at first, even as they entered a quieter place in town; in fact, he wasn’t too sure if he was hearing it at all. He stopped suddenly.

“Gallus?” Sandbar asked when his friend held up a claw.

“Do you hear that?”

The pony stood there, too, in silence as his ears stood straight up. “Hear what?”

“I thought…” Gallus shook his head. “Never mind, let’s keep going.”

“Sorry but, hear what?”

“Forget it, dude. It’s nothing.” Gallus said; Sandbar remained silent as they continued on. For a minute, nothing seemed to happen until Gallus paused once more, looking over his shoulder. “What was…?”

“You okay dude?”

Gallus hesitated. “It must be that stupid magic show.” He grumbled. “This might sound like a really weird question, but do you hear any uh… grinding noise?”

“Nothin’. Just the wind and a few ponies talking.”

“Okay, it’s just me then.” He sighed. “I’m letting an ancient robot get to me. Maybe that’s it. C’mon, let’s get back to our dorm already.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re getting paranoid.”

“Whoever said I was?” The young gryphon questioned defensively. “Just keep moving, I just wanna go to bed.”

And so the two friends continued onward through the street. All the while, Gallus tried in vain to ignore the soft sound of gears and hoofsteps behind them. Though he continually looked behind him, nothing and no one was following them.

‘It’s just your mind playing tricks.’ He thought. ‘Keep it together, don’t freak out, you’re just hearing things is all.’

Unbeknownst to Sandbar, his roommate across the room couldn’t fall asleep. His mind kept forcing itself to return to that uncomfortable moment on stage. He shifted this way and that, trying and hoping that sleep would come at last.

‘How did the guy do it?’ He wondered. ‘I mean, that was just a trick, right? It has to be. Headmare Twilight did say that there are some ponies out there that put on shows like this for entertainment. If anyone looks behind it, they’ll find that it’s just a clever trick. That robot thing is a mechanical machine, after all, so something was controlling it to spell out my name. Maybe from behind or from the top of the tent with a mirror or something. Plus, it could have just slipped underneath the floor when all those lights went out.

‘But…

‘How come I couldn’t move? I really tried to move my arm, to get off the stage but… why couldn’t I? And why was the guy acting so uncomfortable when the doll thing disappeared? I mean, he could be acting but…’

Gallus finally cracked an eye at the glow in the dark hands of the alarm clock. It was past three in the morning, but he felt as if he had been laying there for much longer. He wanted to sleep, but his stubborn mind refused to do so. Another turn on the bed, he rested there for a minute or two.

Then his ears perked up as he heard the sound of something outside their door. It was a soft but unmistakable grinding with a few clicking sounds. Gallus sat upright as he rubbed his eyes, pausing to hear what crept in the dark. In the very dim light from the shaded window, he glanced around the room to be sure that nothing was out of place.

And nothing was. With piles of books and posters on the wall, everything seemed to be the same. But from behind the door, he heard the unmistakable sound of something being scratched across the wood. Gallus could guess that whatever was making the sound was small as it was only heard coming from the lower end of the door.

Tossing the blankets and sheets aside, he quietly got up and carefully walked over the floorboards to put his sensitive ear on the doorframe. He felt his blood become like ice; through the door, he heard the telltale mechanical sound of gears, like putting an ear to a grandfather clock. A rhythmic ticking with a few impatient clicks. As if the very grinding and moaning of gears and cogs were waiting on him.

Slowly, as not to wake his sleeping roommate, he turned the knob of the door with care until it couldn’t be turned. Gallus positioned himself at the door’s opening end as he gently cracked it open to see what was on the other side. Almost expecting that the automaton was right there with an evil expression and its dead, glass eyes.

However, that increasing dread turned into confusion as there was not so much as a shadow in the very dimly lit hallway. He swung the door wider as there wasn’t anything there except near darkness. Even the noise seemed to have stopped, leaving nothing in the air but silence.

“Hello?” Gallus asked as quietly as he could. He poked his head out but saw no one. “Anycreature here?”

But all was still. As much as his eyes adjusted to the dark, his ears twisted this way and that, there was nothing out of the ordinary. No hint that anything was out of place, even as he walked down the hall, almost expecting something to come out and scare him.

He checked the Student’s lounge, but even among the fake cobwebs, the black and orange streamers, the carved-out pumpkins and the candy wrappers, everything looked like the way he came in. With a sigh, he went over to the kitchenette area to get a glass of water.

“You’re just getting worked up over nothing.” He muttered to himself. “I’d bet by morning; all of this creepy stuff will just go away. I mean, what do I have to worry about?"

After taking that drink, he shrugged it off and began to make his way down the hallway. However, before he could reach his room, he found himself petrified as a small bell was heard. Gallus could not move anything except his eyes, as he looked down at his claw that only trembled. Even when he tried to call out for help, he found that even his beak was sealed shut. Another ring and he witnessed his own claw move down to the floor, almost mechanically as if some force was making him stand at attention like a guard’s statue.

But still, he could see no one as fear took a piggyback ride. The sound of a little bell rang again and he turned around to face the other direction. Another ring and his claws and paws were carrying him forward like a marionette as his limbs moved forward while his mind was screaming to stop. He wanted to claw into the floor, run into a wall, bite onto an edge, just so that he would gain control of his body again.

Another ring and he froze in the middle of the Student’s Lounge where his ears picked up the sound of gears grinding. He felt something heavy climb up onto his back, all the while, hearing every click and reeling of cogs and gears that Gallus realized that the machine had climbed onto his back. As much as he wanted to turn his head to look at the automaton, his neck was still locked into place.

Gallus heard another ring as he involuntarily moved forward again, this time towards the front doors and into the main courtyard of the sleeping school. The griffin felt his heart beat rapidly and his breathing hyperventilated as he could not call out for help. Every so often, that tiny bell would ring for him to turn this way or climb up these stairs. He prayed that someone would still be awake, that someone might be able to help him. Yet, as he was forced to walk and climb ever upwards from one floor to the next, there was not a soul anywhere as the doll on his back controlled his every movement.

‘Where is this thing taking me?!’ His mind screamed. ‘Help me! Somecreature wake up! Help me!’

Gallus was unable to force himself to stop as he climbed up to the roof of the school. He climbed up higher to one spire, towards a window which overlooked the sleeping, unsuspecting town. It was only then that he stopped.

He felt that weight climb down off of him before hearing the bell again. To his horror and helplessness, he realized what this machine wanted him to do. His limbs grabbed on the stone as he climbed up to the window seal, standing on his hind legs looking down to several floors of nothing between him and the ground.

‘No! Oh Goddesses no!’

Another ring from the tiny bell and a hind leg was lifted up while his wings remained firmly shut. There was nothing he could do as he felt his own center of gravity being shifted forward. Another ring of the bell and he screamed all the way down.

Notturno was horrified as he picked up the morning local paper. There on the front page was the headline: Sleepwalking Student Killed After Jumping off Roof. What shocked him wasn’t the headline, but rather the name of the student that leaped to his death. Gallus. The Griffon from his show last night was found dead on the rocky ground.

“Not again…” The Magician turned towards the automaton that sat there in a corner of his tent between all the other props of his show. “Svengali, you’ve promised that you wouldn’t do this! This is the third time this month. Third! You gave me your word that you would leave their minds once the show was over!”

The doll gave no reply.

“I should have listened to those warnings.” Notturno vented. “That you were far more valuable in pieces than causing one death after another. No, this is the final straw! I cannot put you on stage anymore! I refuse to take care of you rather than just let you rust!” Before he could reach for something blunt and heavy to smash the antique machine into bits. His body was suddenly paralyzed.

By the ringing of a bell in the Svengali’s hoof.

Look into its Glass Eyes (Alternative Ending)

In the town of Ponyville, Nightmare Night was a holiday that had been looked forward to by nearly every one of all ages. From the costumes to the mountains of candy, from the spooky houses to the festival with loud but creepy music, a majority of the locals looked forward to participating in its activities. No sooner have the leaves on the trees turn blood red that the town immediately begins to decorate the streets with paper bats and jack-o-lanterns.

On that autumn night, as the foals carried out the tradition of trick-or-treating, six creatures roamed about the fairground in disguise. For many of them, this was their first experience with the holiday. But they quickly grasped onto the idea of dressing up as the folklore of their places of origin.

The Dragoness named Smolder had on a black sheet that draped over her while wearing the mask of a grinning horned demon of white and crimson. Gallus the Griffon used a combination of cardboard armor and makeup to make himself look pale to resemble a ghost warrior. Ocellus, who was a Changeling that could easily shape-shift, went about as a Timberwolf. Yona the Yak, however, used a dusting of white powder and plastic teeth to try to present herself as a Yeti. The Hippogriff, Silverstream, dressed up in the scariest thing that she could think of: a paper-mâché shark. While Sandbar the Earth Pony decided to go with a pirate costume, complete with a three-corner hat and a black beard.

“So what else exactly do you ponies do?” Smolder asked as she popped another hard candy into her mouth. “I’d like to do something else other than eating.”

“There should be a ton of stuff to do.” Sandbar answered, adjusting his helmet. “We could always go through a Haunted Maze or play a few more carnival games.”

“I’m not sure if I want to go with something scary.” Ocellus admitted.

“And I’m not too keen on letting my bits fall through some of these scams,” Gallus said as he narrowed his eyes at a booth with ring tossing.

“What entertaining?” Yona questioned. “Do ponies put on show?”

“With a fair this enormous,” Silverstream observed, “there’s got to be like a concert or two that’s going on. Just going to any one of them has to be fun!”

As the six friends debated on what to do and where to go, Gallus let his eyes scanned around the fairgrounds this way and that until his eyes came across a solid black tent with a few posters up front. “Hey, what’s this?”

Observing where he’s pointing at, the students approached a tent with posters that made it clear that this must be a magic show. It had in each poster a thin looking Pegasus stallion in a sharp black and white suit and waistcoat. Some of the things the posters advertised were the typical tricks from sawing a mare in half to doing a straight jacket escape over a lion’s mouth.

However, there was one poster that caught their attention. It was the image of the magician looming over what looked like a life-sized doll of a colt. It wore clothing that was three centuries behind with a blank expression and glassy eyes staring back at them. Underneath were the words: “See Svengali Come to life! Only Here at Notturno’s Magic Tent!”

“The Magic Tent?” Smolder raised an eyebrow. “That’s kind of a dumb name if you ask me. How uncreative can you get?”

“What this?” Yona asked.

“I think it’s a magic show.” Sandbar said. “With all of these posters around, they look like some stage magic. Can’t say I’ve heard of the magician’s name though.”

Gallus walked towards the entrance, in doing so he found himself questioned as to where he was headed. “Let’s go see this guy. At least it would give us something entertaining. You guys coming?”

“I never saw a magic show before,” Silverstream said, “this could really be fun.”

The friends agreed to take a look, so they parted the flaps of the tent and entered. It was dark inside; the only lights that helped illuminate the small space were candles and a spotlight that shone on the magician on stage. The space they entered was crowded with curious onlookers who watched the Pegasus in the midst of performing a magic trick. As the students walked in, he passed through a frame that had a layer of paper which he was puncturing a hole through. The audience seemed at awe as he stepped through the other side of the torn paper, only to pull it off to reveal a mirror in its frame.

“Thank you,” he said as he took a bow while the magician’s assistants moved the mirror offstage. Looking up, he spotted the six students and spoke again, “Ah, I see some new faces in the crowd. Welcome to the magic tent, new friends! I am Notturno the Illusionist. And you are just in time for the final act tonight.”

Another assistant pushed a large, sheet covered object onto the small stage before Notturno turned to it. “I have saved the best for last. Before I can continue on, I must explain the brief history of what you are about to see. The name of Svengali is commonly known for being a fictional character in the 895 novel: Trilby, that spoke about an evil hypnotist. What many don’t know is that the name itself predates the book.

“The first ever mentioned name of Svengali can be traced to the eighth century to pre-revolutionary Prance, where a mute mind reader tapped on a board that correctly guessed the names of the audience and conveyed messages. It took on the form of a little colt. But what was extraordinary about Svengali is that he wasn’t a pony of flesh and blood. Remarkably, he was a machine. An early robot that is known as an automaton.

“The creator of this masterpiece, named L'horloge, used the mane and death mask of his son who passed away of Scarlet Fever at the age of six. Even with its completion in 783, it is said that he had spent years trying to tune and refine his creation to the point that he nearly went mad. The automaton went up the ranks of the royal courts in Prance, even to the King himself. However, what Svengali did was so shocking and frightening, that the King had its maker executed while keeping the automaton locked away.

“After the Prench Revolution, the machine was passed on to a series of collectors, mechanics, magicians, and occultists, all trying to figure out how exactly Svengali worked. Seventy years ago it disappeared, nopony knew where it went. Five years ago, it reappeared at an auction in Fillydelphia in which I bought it. During those said five years, I have spent some time taking apart and restoring it back to its originality. Here tonight, for the first time since 788, it is to perform for you exactly the way it was then.”

Taking part of the sheet, Notturno pulled on it to reveal a life-sized, almost lifelike, doll of a colt. The first thing ponies noticed right off was the clothing that had been out of fashion for centuries: a blue overcoat with breaches that had simple buttons with a white lace collar. The mane was a dull blond with a black bow that tied up in the back. But the most disconcerting feature of this doll was its face. Made of plaster, it was painted stone gray with blue glass eyes peering through. The expression on its face was perhaps the most unnerving part as it was on the one hoof emotionless – yet, on the other… there was something… ominous about it, about him. There was a sort of knowing look in his glassy eyes. In his left hoof, he held a stick while next to the machine was a board that had every letter of the alphabet with numbers.

“What makes this machine so remarkable,” Notturno said, "is that this is one of the very few surviving true automatons to exist. And what do I mean by that, you may ask?” As he said this, he walked over to the machine and opened up the face and barrel, exposing the complicated gears and springs.

“By its definition, a true automaton is one that once set in motion, operates completely on its own without any outside help. What you see of this small colt, is that he is made up of a total of over fifteen thousand individual parts! Among them are dozens of yards of copper tubing, six thousand cogs, four hundred springs, and about seven thousand gears. The winding itself takes half an hour. I’m about to make the last few tightening of a couple of springs…” The magician pulled out a key from his pocket which he then inserted in the chest of the machine, turning it a few times, resulting in several resounding clicks echoing across the silent audience. He then did the same to the face. Once he was done, he closed up both the barrel and muzzle piece. “And now, he’s back in his original, performing state.”

As Notturno backed away from the automaton, an assistant climbed on stage to give him a small bell. “At this point, all of you may rightfully be asking what exactly this thing does. What makes this machine so marvelous, is that he is perhaps the only one of his kind which response only to the sound of this bell. Watch…” Carefully supporting the bell by his wing, the magician held it up in the air for a tense moment before gently ringing it. The doll responded by looking up at him with undivided attention.

At this point, Gallus raised a claw. “Uh… excuse me.” All eyes turned to the young Griffon. “Okay, that’s impressive and all, but did you say this thing got its creator executed?”

“I’m glad you brought that up.” Notturno said, “In fact, if you could come up here with me, I’ll show you.” And so, Gallus flew up to the stage and stood next to the magician. “Now just to be clear,” he said, “you have never met me before or seen any of my previous shows.”

The young Griffon shrugged. “I didn’t know you existed until my friends and I walked by.”

Notturno turned to the remaining friends. “And you all can confirm this?” They told him it was true. “Perfect,” he said as he turned to Gallus. “Before I demonstrate what this automaton does, it should be said that after the Prench Revolution, rumors arose that the doll possessed supernatural abilities allowing it to possess members of the audience.”

Gallus folded his arms. “You’re kidding me, right?”

But the magician smiled. “Ah, a nonbeliever. Well, this will certainly make things all the more interesting, would it? Now then, if you kindly stand right here. Yes, like that. Next, I want you to look at the doll. Straight into his eyes and nowhere else.”

Although he rolled his eyes, the young Griffon went along with it as he gazed into the glass eyes of the automaton. For a long few moments, nothing happened. Everyone in that audience could see that the one having a staring contest with a doll wasn’t impressed.

“Okay, this is getting ridiculous.” He said at last. “C’mon guys, let’s get out of…” But when he tried to move, he felt paralyzed. As much as he tried to turn his torso, or budge his arms, or even try to turn his head away, he felt his muscles being locked into place. “Huh…?”

“So… are we gonna go or what?” Smolder questioned.

“Uh… G-Guys, I can’t move.”

“Oh, very funny.” Sandbar said sarcastically.

“No seriously guys… I-I can’t move! What’s going on!?”

“As you can see,” Notturno waved a hoof, “the doll has now taken hold of his body. Like him, he is powerless to move on his own.”

“Dude! This isn’t funny!” Gallus interjected.

Ocellus’s ears perked up. “Guys, he’s not lying. He’s afraid.”

“If you think about your right arm, for example,” the Magician explained, ignoring the concern of his audience, “you'll find nothing happens as it is locked into place. Keep your eyes open, I want you to see what’s going on. For if you try to move it like so…” He moved his right foreleg up and down. “It won’t budge. Yet, when I ring the bell,” lifting the bell up high again he said, “the doll’s right arm will come up. Now watch what happens to his.” Notturno rang the silver bell and in response, the automaton’s right hoof moved upward. At the exact same time, so did Gallus’s rise, shakingly upwards, a look of panic etched across his face.

“I’m not doing this!” He cried out. “I swear it! This isn’t me that’s doing it!”

“And his arm will lock into place if he tries to pull it down.” Another ring from the bell, and at the same time that the machine’s arm stopped mid-air, so did Gallus’s as it quivered stiffly. “If he tries to lower it on his own, it will only lock tighter. Yet, when I ring the bell again.” Another ring, both the doll and the griffon’s arms slowly came down.

As this happened, an assistant rolled a wheelchair behind the frightened Griffon as the Magician walked up to him. “Alright, I’m going to put you in the chair behind you and I’m going to help you into it. Don’t worry, this next part is harmless.” He did so, moving Gallus’ limbs for him as he lowered him into the chair. Gallus’ arms still remained locked. After he was turned away from the doll’s eyes, Gallus felt like he could move again.

“At this point,” the Magician said, “there is a legitimate way of explaining what just happened. Such as that it could have been done through the power of suggestion. That the reason why this fellow here moved his arm at the same time the doll, was that his mind unconsciously copied its movements. But what’s even more fascinating, is that things would happen when the machine and the subject weren’t looking at each other.

“In fact, such demonstrations became too much. So much so, that in 873, wizards were called to perform an exorcism on Svengali. Which is incredible, as, for the first time in history, the most powerful unicorns of the day had to perform all the rites of a full exoticism on a machine that is usually meant for possessed ponies or haunted houses. The following demonstration which you are about to see is one of the reasons why they did it.”

An assistant came on stage and handed Gallus a blackboard and a piece of chalk. “This must be for your eyes only,” Notturno explained. “I want you to write your name on that, and then immediately place it face down. And to be fair, I will turn around. While you must keep your written name away from the audience. And if any of you know his name, please remain silent in order for this to work.”

The Magician turned his back on the Griffon while Gallus scribbled his name down, out of sight of the audience before placing the board down. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Very well, you may now turn around,” Notturno instructed. After Gallus got up, keeping the blackboard face down in the chair, he turned to look at the automaton. “Now for the most remarkable part of this demonstration. When I ring the bell Svengali, would you please look into his eyes and correctly spell out the name of the individual that you see in front of you? Would you do that… now?”

With a ring of a bell, the machine moved its head to look directly in the eyes of the Griffon. A moment later, its left hoof rose up, lifting the stick which it held and tapped on the board. What it spelled out, made the young participant drop his beak.

G-A-L-L-U-S

“H-How?”

“Is that your name?” Notturno questioned, “Gallus? What is written on the board?” The Griffon went over and showed the audience his name. “Isn’t that fascinating? That centuries-old machine has correctly guessed your name.”

“That's really creepy.”

Before the Magician could reply, a grinding of gears was heard as he and everyone in that tent turned towards the automaton that was moving its left foreleg on its own. Tapping out on the board to spell out, pausing now and then as it wrote out a message.

H-E-L-P

G-A-L-L-U-S

C-O-M-E

H-O-M-E

W-I-T-H

M-E

There was a stunned silence as the young Griffon roughly grabbed the magician’s suit. “Stop this right now!” He growled. “I admit this was pretty impressive at first, but this is going too far.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Notturno said, “I’ve never seen him do this before.”

“Well, whatever it is, stop it! I was willing to play along, but this crosses the line.”

“No really, I have never seen Svengali do this before.” The magician insisted.

Just as Gallus was about to march off stage, telling his friends that they shouldn’t waste any more time, the candles and the spotlights went out. In the pitch-black darkness, Notturno called out among the rising cacophony of voices that there was nothing to worry about, that his unicorn assistants would relight the candles. In a moment, the candelabras were lit, and everyone in the tent was still there.

All except for Svengali.

Much to everyone’s shock, even Notturno, the automaton was missing. All that remained was the board, and the stick he used to tap out with that lay against it. Fully creeped out, Gallus flew over to his friends and ushered them out while the audience started to panic.

“Okay, what just happened?” Silverstream asked the same question that was on all their minds.

“We should get outta here.” Gallus insisted and before he could move any further, Smolder stood in his way.

“What’s gotten you all spooked?” She questioned. “That was all an act, right?”

“Okay, first of all, I was telling the truth back there! I never saw the guy in my life or that… thing. And I swear on all that’s holy that I wasn’t making any of this up. I mean, you all heard what Ocellus said, right? I was and am getting really scared.” There was a moment of silence between the six of them. “You know what? I’m done.”

“Where are you going?” Silverstream asked as the young Griffon quickly turned his back and started to march out.

“To bed. I’m sorry guys, but I just had it with tonight. I don’t want to deal with any creepy dolls and all. Besides, I’ve read enough ghost stories to know that I shouldn’t provoke something this weird. So, if you don’t mind, I’m heading back to the school and straight to bed.”

Sandbar trotted up to him. “Hey, if you’re going back, then I’ll come with you too. It’s never a good idea to go out on Nightmare Night alone.”

“Whatever,” Gallus muttered as he rolled his eyes. His earth pony friend followed close by him as they walked back to Twilight’s school in silence. Soon the bright orange lights and grinning Jack-O-lanterns faded away with the laughter and screams of the fair as they walked down the streets of Ponyville. They continued at a trotting pace through a dimmer side of town where very few ponies were around and no trick-or-treaters in sight.

But as they walked on, Gallus’s ears perked up as they caught something. He didn’t notice it at first, even as they entered a quieter place in town; in fact, he wasn’t too sure if he was hearing it at all. He stopped suddenly.

“Gallus?” Sandbar asked when his friend held up a claw.

“Do you hear that?”

The pony stood there, too, in silence as his ears stood straight up. “Hear what?”

“I thought…” Gallus shook his head. “Never mind, let’s keep going.”

“Sorry but, hear what?”

“Forget it, dude. It’s nothing.” Gallus said; Sandbar remained silent as they continued on. For a minute, nothing seemed to happen until Gallus paused once more, looking over his shoulder. “What was…?”

“You okay dude?”

Gallus hesitated. “It must be that stupid magic show.” He grumbled. “This might sound like a really weird question, but do you hear any uh… grinding noise?”

“Nothin’. Just the wind and a few ponies talking.”

“Okay, it’s just me then.” He sighed. “I’m letting an ancient robot get to me. Maybe that’s it. C’mon, let’s get back to our dorm already.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re getting paranoid.”

“Whoever said I was?” The young gryphon questioned defensively. “Just keep moving, I just wanna go to bed.”

And so the two friends continued onward through the street. All the while, Gallus tried in vain to ignore the soft sound of gears and hoofsteps behind them. Though he continually looked behind him, nothing and no one was following them.

‘It’s just your mind playing tricks.’ He thought. ‘Keep it together, don’t freak out, you’re just hearing things is all.’

Unbeknownst to Sandbar, his roommate across the room couldn’t fall asleep. His mind kept forcing itself to return to that uncomfortable moment on stage. He shifted this way and that, trying and hoping that sleep would come at last.

‘How did the guy do it?’ He wondered. ‘I mean, that was just a trick, right? It has to be. Headmare Twilight did say that there are some ponies out there that put on shows like this for entertainment. If anyone looks behind it, they’ll find that it’s just a clever trick. That robot thing is a mechanical machine, after all, so something was controlling it to spell out my name. Maybe from behind or from the top of the tent with a mirror or something. Plus, it could have just slipped underneath the floor when all those lights went out.

‘But…

‘How come I couldn’t move? I really tried to move my arm, to get off the stage but… why couldn’t I? And why was the guy acting so uncomfortable when the doll thing disappeared? I mean, he could be acting but…’

Gallus finally cracked an eye at the glow in the dark hands of the alarm clock. It was past three in the morning, but he felt as if he had been laying there for much longer. He wanted to sleep, but his stubborn mind refused to do so. Another turn on the bed, he rested there for a minute or two.

Then his ears perked up as he heard the sound of something outside their door. It was a soft but unmistakable grinding with a few clicking sounds. Gallus sat upright as he rubbed his eyes, pausing to hear what crept in the dark. In the very dim light from the shaded window, he glanced around the room to be sure that nothing was out of place.

And nothing was. With piles of books and posters on the wall, everything seemed to be the same. But from behind the door, he heard the unmistakable sound of something being scratched across the wood. Gallus could guess that whatever was making the sound was small as it was only heard coming from the lower end of the door.

Tossing the blankets and sheets aside, he quietly got up and carefully walked over the floorboards to put his sensitive ear on the doorframe. He felt his blood become like ice; through the door, he heard the telltale mechanical sound of gears, like putting an ear to a grandfather clock. A rhythmic ticking with a few impatient clicks. As if the very grinding and moaning of gears and cogs were waiting on him.

Slowly, as not to wake his sleeping roommate, he turned the knob of the door with care until it couldn’t be turned. Gallus positioned himself at the door’s opening end as he gently cracked it open to see what was on the other side. Almost expecting that the automaton was right there with an evil expression and its dead, glass eyes.

However, that increasing dread turned into confusion as there was not so much as a shadow in the very dimly lit hallway. He swung the door wider as there wasn’t anything there except near darkness. Even the noise seemed to have stopped, leaving nothing in the air but silence.

“Hello?” Gallus asked as quietly as he could. He poked his head out but saw no one. “Anycreature here?”

But all was still. As much as his eyes adjusted to the dark, his ears twisted this way and that, there was nothing out of the ordinary. No hint that anything was out of place, even as he walked down the hall, almost expecting something to come out and scare him.

He checked the Student’s lounge, but even among the fake cobwebs, the black and orange streamers, the carved-out pumpkins and the candy wrappers, everything looked like the way he came in. With a sigh, he went over to the kitchenette area to get a glass of water.

“You’re just getting worked up over nothing.” He muttered to himself. “I’d bet by morning; all of this creepy stuff will just go away. I mean, what do I have to worry about?”

After taking that drink, he shrugged it off and began to make his way down the hallway. However, before he could reach his room, he stopped as he heard the whirling of gears again. Looking over his shoulder in the dark, he was absolutely certain that he heard it that time. Yet, scanning the shadows, nothing was out of place.

“Hello?” Gallus moved down back into the student’s lounge. Once again, nothing seemed to be moved out of place. However, before he could go back to his dorm room, he noticed that one of the windows was ajar. Perhaps his tired mind was playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn that everything was shut up when they got back. Naturally, he went up to close it, but as he did so, there was the noticeable sound of mechanical clicking that was coming from outside.

So pushing the window open, he stuck his head out to look down, almost expecting to see the decaying automaton there. Only… there wasn’t anything except darkness. He could write all of this off as the result of his unsettling event earlier that he was becoming paranoid. Except, that grinding sound of gears and springs was still there. Whatever it was, it was on the move.

‘That can’t be the creepy doll.’ He thought, ‘It couldn’t just walk all the way out here all on its own… could it?’ For all he knew, this might be a late Nightmare Night prank that his friends were pulling. But to do so this late? And the sounds to just match that thing? Even if this was a prank, there was a part of him that just had to see who was doing this. Maybe try to catch them in the act too.

So out the front door, Gallus went on the hunt. His ears perked to listen to where the mechanical sounds were coming from. It didn’t take long as he picked up the noise of aged cogs and clacking gears. He followed the sounds through the school but couldn’t see it. Whatever this was, it was fast. Even when he seemed to be getting near, it was as if the machine was always one step ahead.

It wasn’t until he chased it to the school’s front gates that he saw it in the moonlight. Given the size and form, it looked like a young colt that was galloping off towards the fair. In any other circumstance, Gallus would have thought that it was just a kid that was probably doing some late trick-or-treating. Only… this kid had on the same outfit as the automaton had on. Down to the white lace on its blue overcoat.

“Hey!” Gallus, taking to the air, went flying after it. None of this made any sense, that couldn’t be the same ancient robot from before, right? Perhaps it was just some colt that happened to dress like the machine? But as Gallus tried to keep up, he knew that didn’t make sense either. After all, the town was practically dead. None of the ponies were out at this hour.

Even as he went through the town, it was clear that Nightmare Night was over. All the lights from the windows were out and curtains were drawn. The candles from jack o’lanterns were darkened. The streets were empty save for the figure that Gallus chased that just made all the left-over decorations seem eerier in the dim moonlight. Even the more goofy cut-outs of skeletons and skulls had a sense of foreboding like they were foreshadowing something sinister that was just around the corner.

Gallus kept going until he reached the fairgrounds among the tents where he saw the machine going past the attractions. To the griffon’s mind, beneath the moonlight the tents swaying with the wind were like ghosts that lined all along the trail. Yet, he continued on now with an idea where all of this was headed towards. And spotting the shadow of that thing as it went into one particular tent only confirmed his suspicions.

Pushing through the flap, he was once again in the magic tent where on the stage, Svengali sat there next to the board, holding the stick in his hoof. This time he could have sworn that the machine was looking directly at him with its glassy eyes. Gallus looked this way and that, almost expecting the magician might pop out at any moment, but he never did.

“Okay, am I being pranked?” Gallus asked aloud. “If so, then it’s not funny.”

The mechanical clicking caught the griffon off guard as Svengali, all on its own, turned its head towards the board and started tapping away a message.

N-O

J-O-K-E

Gallus blinked, “I… what? I’m sorry, is anyone here?”

Svengali spelled out:

O-N-L-Y

U-S

When the machine finished, it looked directly at Gallus.

The Griffon stepped back. “Wait… you can hear me?”

Moving its wooden arm, it spelled out:

Y-E-S

“Are you really a machine or… something else?”

S-T-U-C-K

“What does that mean?”

For a long, tense moment, the machine didn’t move. Almost as though it was thinking of an answer. Eventually, it tapped out its reply.

M-A-G-I-C-I-A-N

L-I-A-R

“What does he got to do with it?”

N-O-T

D-E-A-D

P-L-E-A-S-E

H-E-L-P

“Wait… you’re alive?” Gallus got closer to the stage. “But I saw that you have nothing but gears and stuff inside. How can you be alive?”

S-P-E-L-L

“Oh yeah… pony magic and such.” Climbing up to the stage, he asked, “But I’m not a unicorn, how am I supposed to help?”

B-O-A-R-D

At first, Gallus was confused. All there was on the board was just letters of the alphabet and a set of numbers.

But Svengali explained:

T-A-P

M-Y

N-A-M-E

T-H-E-N

S-A-Y

I

A-M

F-R-E-E

Gallus raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

Y-E-S

Of course, this was deeply suspicious. An automaton that apparently is alive somehow got his attention in the creepiest way possible. First the possession stuff, then the unnerving message, now it apparently followed him back to the dorm room so it would lead him back here to set it free by tapping on a board? It almost sounded like a desperate scam that he would hear back in Griffonstone. Then again… Even if this wasn’t true, what did he have to lose? As far as he could tell, all this mechanical doll wanted was to be set free.

If it was true, what would Gallus be losing anyway? The thing wasn’t asking for bits or to join the circus. It was not even asking him to sign a contract to sell his soul - just tap on a board. If this wasn’t a scam, the griffon could only imagine the positive outcomes from doing so. Perhaps at the School of Friendship, he might get some extra credit for freeing a trapped soul from a secret evil magician.

Maybe… there could be a reward from this.

So moving towards the board, Gallus tapped on his talon the words: “Svengali is free.” Then waited to see what would happen next.

The automaton then stood up - a feature that the griffon was sure he didn’t see the machine do from the show - and it hurried to tap out the words that filled him with dread.

G-A-L-L-U-S

I-S

T-R-A-P-P-E-D

“Trapped?” Gallus stepped back. “Hey wait, what does that mean?” Without warning, his hind legs were petrified. As though every muscle had suddenly tensed up and constricted solid was creeping upwards from his toes to his neck. In his horror, he was being paralyzed again, only this time without the bell. He couldn’t move his talons, his neck, not even his face. He couldn’t even scream as even his breathing suddenly froze. And his vision too, he could swear that everything was getting darker. What was going on? Was he dying? He couldn’t even feel anything. Not the cool night air, not the constricting lack of air, even the tears that he was sure had formed in his eyes.

And yet, his hearing did not die out. As much as he wanted to scream his head off from being completely paralyzed, his ears still sensed some unsettling sounds that morphed from mechanical tickings and grindings towards something wet, organic, heaving, whizzing, lurching, pulsating from Svengali. Near the end, it sounded like someone that struggled to breathe until… a gasp. A loud inhale of air as though the thing was breathing for the first time.

Worst of all, Gallus couldn’t see. It was already terrifying that he couldn’t so much as lift his eyelids, but more so that he’s still aware that whatever this thing did to him, it took its sweet time to just… breathe. What was it doing? What was it going to do to him?

“So that’s what I look like.” It spoke above a whisper in a voice that was simultaneously foreign and recognizable at the same time.

Suddenly, Gallus’s eyes were opened. Peering out to see… himself. If Gallus could scream, it would probably be a demand to know what was going on. His double seemed to look down at him, feeling around the clothes, the face and - seeing his face come off! Only it wasn’t fleshy but made out of plaster. While Gallus could look on in horror, his double peered with fascination.

“I’ve always wondered what I looked like inside.” It commented before placing the plaster face back on. “But look at me now! I can breathe and feel again. And this face,” his double felt around its new head, smiling. “I’ve finally grown up, and I have friends and…” It laughed joyfully, “I’m alive again!”

If Gallus could wet himself from the utter shock, he would. No matter what, he could not move. Not even his eyes, he couldn’t even blink.

“Oh! I’ve been wanting to try this,” his double reached behind the board to bring out the tiny silver bell. Clearing its throat, it commanded, “Svengali, raise your hoof!”

Against his will, when the bell rang, all he could do was raise his left arm. He could hear gears whirling inside of him as the arm went up higher and higher.

The double giggled. “Alright, that’s enough, you can lower it now.” Another ring and his arm obeyed. Putting the bell back, his double said to him, “You have no idea how long I wanted to get out of that doll. And guess what? It’s your turn now. You get to go around the world in a musty dark box while I finally get to live! So thank you Gallus - or shall I say, Svengali?” It winked. “So goodbye forever, enjoy your life as an automaton.”

Waving, his double left the stage, leaving him in the spotlight.

For hours, he tried all he could to force his mouth to form the words to cry for help. Pleading to the Gods to let someone - anyone come take pity on him. But no matter how much willpower he had, nothing about this new body did what he wanted it to do. By morning, all he wanted to do was to break down and cry, but his plaster face wouldn’t allow it. Not even to shed a tear.

Eventually, finally, someone did come. It was the magician. At first, Gallus wanted to do something to get his attention. Hopefully, give a clue of what had happened last night.

“Alright Svengali, let’s get you in your box and start heading towards Baltimare.” As the magician picked the machine up, he paused for a moment. “Is it me or is there something different about you?” He asked, mostly to himself. “Nothing has changed but it looks almost brand new somehow…” After giving a bit to think, the magician eventually shrugged and proceeded to pack the automaton up.

Any sense of hope that Gallus had was snuffed out when the lid of his new box was closed for the next several days to a new magic act in Baltimare.