Clockwork Pygmalion - By Gear Sprung
An Open Letter to My Fiancée, and the Reader,
I will be upfront in saying that regarding stories concerning how ponies fall in love, mine isn’t what you would call a… typical romance. As far as I’m aware, I might be the only pony in the world with a tale like mine. Honestly, if I were anyone else who probably heard this for the first time, I would write it all off as fiction. Because yes, this does sound like what one would read out of a pulp fiction comic book or something like that. Yet, before anyone starts reading this, I must state here that not only is it true, but you will hear the story told from the point of view of the very pony who had done something that nopony else has ever done.
It should also be noted here that while this story is being published for all to see, this was originally intended as a wedding gift for my soon-to-be husband. He asked me to write this story down, and while I don’t consider myself a professional storyteller by any means, I did promise him that I would do the best I could. I’m doing so with the hope that I would do our story justice, as an inspiration and hope for generations to come. Whether I would accomplish this through this story alone, only time will tell.
This story is dedicated to Pygmalion. To whom I give my deepest gratitude and love. I hope my hard work will be up to your approval. I love you.
With Love,
Relationships are complicated. No matter who you are, there is this unspoken ritual where Pony A tries to give a good enough impression to Pony B to go out with them. The exact details and rules for what to do, what to say, how to act, and when to do certain things can be confusing to the uninitiated – like me for example.
Chances are, if you happen to live in the Crystal Empire, you might have seen me once or twice. Despite being here for a few years, I often get asked if I had recently moved here. But I can’t entirely blame them. I’m one of those stallions that has a forgettable face. One look and you don’t realize that I’m even there. Be it at the market, a restaurant, or any place really, I’m the kind of guy that easily blends into the background and you probably won’t spot me unless you’re really looking at me. If on rare occasions someone did notice me, they gave a: “Hey you, with the glasses.”
What do I look like besides having glasses? A plain face. Plain light blue coat. Plain copper mane and a cutie mark that has a gear… And you’re probably skimming over this. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I have lived long enough to know when somepony isn’t interested. I even struggle when someone asks to name something interesting about me. Until recently I would have a hard time coming up with something.
But I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself yet. My name is Gear Sprung. My job is a clockmaker and watch repairer. Professionally speaking, I deal with all things that keep time both great and small. I know by heart the mechanisms of how certain gears work, the function of cogs, the power of springs, and the steady tempo of that tick-tick-tick. It can be a tedious job, to say the least. Nothing much to talk about, or even tell a story about. A loner who knows clockwork.
I would even say the same myself about a year ago. But there is one unique thing about me that I haven’t mentioned yet. I might be the first pony in history to literally make a coltfriend.
Yes. You read that correctly. I made a coltfriend. From scratch.
But to understand why, I need to give a little background about myself.
I’m from a place called Sires Hollow – chances are, you probably never heard of it. A small old-fashioned town. Before I left, it was a place that I could only describe as suffocating. Growing up, I didn’t have many friends – if at all. You could probably guess that I was the solitary sort that paved the way for me for my special talent at clockmaking.
As soon as I had earned enough, I moved out from Sires Hollow and headed towards the Crystal Empire. Not only because it was cheaper to live there, but time-keeping technology was… non-existent. So, I opened a shop here, making, selling, and repairing clocks and watches. For me, coming here was a fresh start where I could be on my own and forge ahead with what I wanted to do. And with who I wanted to be. Being a gay stallion myself, I had hoped that the transition from a place where getting a date was next to impossible to where it’s commonplace was an improvement.
However… Things haven’t exactly worked out for me. Not without trying either. I went to the noisy rave gay clubs in the city, I went on blind dates, and I even tried going to bars. And yet, every single time I go, I come back home alone. Whatever it was that stallions had looked for in others, I don’t have it. At best, the stallions there look right past me like I’m made of cellophane; and at worst, they avoid me like I’m a giant spider. It got to the point where I simply stopped trying. I was tired. Tired of never being noticed. Tired of never being remotely attractive to anyone. Tired of thinking that I was the most hideous thing in the world and that the stallion who might come up to me would be doing so for a joke or just insane.
I was tired.
Yet, while I was moping at my shop one day, an idea started to form in my head. Here I was surrounded by gears, cogs, and springs – tools that are used to tell time. But I started to realize something. Everything I have there is just materials that can be shaped in many ways, not just in making clocks. These things are capable of doing amazing things. Perhaps if I can’t have a coltfriend, I’ll make one instead.
I know what you’re thinking: this idea is insane. Aren’t you just building a complicated doll for yourself? But here’s the thing, with the knowledge I have of what these materials can do, not only did it make sense, but it was plausible for me. To make a live-size pony, move like such, and even customize it to make it the perfect stallion. There were things I’d have to research like anatomy and even figuring out how it would see, speak, and even think. I would never think of doing this before that day, but that motivated me enough to do this.
In my off time, I would pour over into anatomy books. Learning how certain joints move, how to reverse engineer walking, and how a voice box works. It took me about six months to make the first draft of the blueprints alone, but once I had a good idea of how it should be put together, I set to work crafting my masterpiece. First, a series of metal frames were put in places from the ground up to act like bones, then followed some gears, chains, and cogs – and like that, I got the legs. Next with the mid sections, I assembled what would essentially be the heart. The source of its movement. Then connecting the head/neck to the torso, I put in place the most complex mechanisms. Mechanical glass eyes, a voice box that almost resembled a miniature organ, and then the most complicated of them all – a clockwork computer that acts like a brain.
But that wasn’t the only thing I did. Without anything to cover the gear work, he looked scary. So, I added memory foam for padding and yards of nylon and velvet to get him to look as close as realistic as possible. The face was the most difficult feature to get right so it doesn’t look like a Nightmare Night mask. For the mane and tail, I used several wigs and had to individually weave it on its head and dock with tweezers. It was of course back-breaking labor, but in the end, I had finished my masterpiece.
He stood a little taller than I am. An earth pony who had a fit body type. His coat (or a bodysuit rather) was a velvet royal purple that hid nearly all of his body except for his cutie mark which was a clear crystal that showed the clockwork underneath. I also sewed on a suit collar around his neck to give him a classy sort of look. His mane, eyebrows, and tail were a shiny lavender with golden locks as highlights. Although his eyes were closed, I chose for him eyes of sapphire that shun in the sunlight. His face, from his withers to his ears I chose to cover with a synthetic latex so he could have more expressions. I sculpted his face which I saw as handsome. A pronounced jawline, but one that wasn’t too sharp. Lips that were smooth as polished marble but soft like a cloud. Cheekbones that gave a friendly face. And ears that were a little long, but you would know when you had his attention. And finally, his hooves were polished brass that you can see your reflection in.
On the back of his neck was a key. It was the kind of key that you would use for alarm clocks, that doesn’t come off but simply folds over.
On the evening that I nearly completed my masterpiece, I wondered about a good deal of things. I had essentially reverse-engineered a pony physically. In theory, it could do practically everything that a pony can except for eating and drinking. But with all the work I put into this, I wondered how it would act. You see, I wanted companionship that at least felt real. And you get it through personality. Despite having put in a mechanical brain, I wasn’t sure what it would be like once activated.
Then, the moment of truth. After making sure that every screw was tight, every gear lubricated, every part was attached, all that was left was to wind it up. Before I did, I said a quick prayer that this would run smoothly and wouldn’t blow up or something. And then I started to turn the key. Hearing the muffled clicking of the main power spring. I was hearing more of the machine starting to come alive as I heard the heart giving a muffled but noticeable tick-tock-tick-tock.
Then, he opened his eyes.
I stood back. Unsure what he’ll do next.
At first, he only looked around at his surroundings. At the spare parts, clocks, and watches of my shop. Then looking down at his hooves, he lifted one of them, examining at different angles. Unexpectedly, he sat down on his hunches and craned his head to take notice of that.
“Um…” His ears perked up, getting his attention. “Can you…?” What was I to say? I was more amazed that I was able to create mechanical life and it was moving all on its own. There was an awkward pause between us, he stared at me but now and then he would blink while he waited on me. “Do you… Understand me?”
He tilted his head, only now did I notice that his withers were moving like he was breathing.
“Can you talk?” I asked. “Can you hear me?”
He blinked, as though he was thinking for a moment. “I…” He spoke his first word! This is truly historic! “Can you… Understand me?” His voice… I was relieved that it came out like it did. While not perfect, he had a tenor-bass tone that was seductive by its smooth, soothing sound.
“Yes… Yes!” I was laughing. Oh Celestia, months of research and hard work had paid off! “Oh, I can’t believe it! I think I done it!”
“Done what?”
I was so overjoyed that I was laughing like a maniac. “You! I made you…” Then I paused when I realized something. “Wait… Wait a minute. You haven’t got a name yet.”
“A name?”
“Yes, what to call you. My name is Gear Sprung. I uh… made you, as weird as it sounds. I take it you don’t know what your name is?”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe I ever have one.”
“Okay… So uh… How about I call you… Tick Tock?”
His face squinted, displeased. “I don’t like it.”
Now this was surprising… “You don’t like it?”
“Seems a little… what’s the phrase…? Too on the nose.”
“What about… Cog?”
“That doesn’t sound like me.”
“Pendulum?”
“No.”
“Uh… Time Keeper?”
“Too cold. No, do you have a name that’s a little more dignified?”
“Okay… What about… Pygmalion?”
He blinked. “Pygmalion? Is that Equestrian?”
“No, it’s kinda where I got the idea to make you from. There’s an ancient Pegasi myth where an artist named Pygmalion carved a statue that he fell in love with, and later the Goddess of Love made her real. It’s where I got the inspiration from.”
He hummed, I noticed that he was tapping his right hoof as he was deep in thought. “Pygmalion… Pygmalion… I think I like that one.” He smiled… I was blown away by how simple but so lively that smile is.
“Great! Your name is Pygmalion.” I was about to walk away when I noticed he was still sitting there. “Uh… Can you walk?”
“Walk?”
“Yes. I think you should be able to do it. Here, try standing up.” He did so. “Okay now, walk over to me.”
He blinked.
“Um… Here, copy me.” I started, slowly, to walk toward him. He like a newborn foal raised one hoof, shifted his weight, and started to move forward. At first, he was wobbly, but he quickly learned how to walk. “You get the idea.”
“This… I like this.” Pygmalion’s smile grew wider as he walked around the shop. “This is amazing! One moment, I’m here. The next, I’m someplace else.”
This gave me a moment of pause, “You don’t know much, do you?”
He paused, lifting his hoof to his chin as though to think. “I mean… I know how to talk. And I know how to walk. I know that you made me… whatever that is.”
“Anything else?”
“Nope!” He smiled. “I guess everything is new to me.”
I should have known as much. I may have invented a brain of sorts for him and expected him to learn, but I didn’t think I would have to start things from scratch.
“What do you call it?” Pygmalion pointed.
I figured the best thing to do was to show him around the city, to give him an introduction to the Crystal Empire. The good thing about Pygmalion is that he learns very quickly, that once you explain something to him or show him how to do something, he remembers it. Yet, as soon as we stepped outside of the shop, he would just go off from place to place, asking me what this or that was.
“This is a shop that sells hats,” I explained to him. “See those things made of fabric on those stands? Those are hats.”
“What do you do with them?” He asked, pressing his face against the window. “And why are there so many of them?”
“Well, typically you put them on your head. Usually, to shield you from the sun, maybe the rain. And those elaborate ones over there are meant to be shown off.”
“Like that clothes shop over there?”
“I mean, yeah. Hats are clothing too, sometimes they’re practical and other times they’re to impress ponies.”
Pygmalion looked over his shoulder and would go galloping over like a curious but excitable foal. “Is this another shop?”
I went over to see what he was looking at. “Oh no, this is called a restaurant.”
“And what do you do with it?”
“This is a place where ponies go to eat. One of many places actually.”
He looked on with fascination. Over at ponies that were focused on their meals or with each other. He observed them taking bites or gulping down drinks and asked. “What action is that?”
“Eating and drinking. It’s… It’s for taking substances that give us energy. To fill our bellies and quench our thirst.”
“Can we try eating and drinking?”
“Oh… I don’t think you can do that.”
He tilted his head. “Why not?”
“Well, you’re made out of gears. It’s not a good idea to give you food or drink anything. It might do some damage to your insides.”
“Oh…” Then his ears perked. “Can I watch you eat instead?”
For a moment, I wasn’t exactly sure what to say to that. Not just him asking if he could watch me eat, but in a strange way, it’s almost like him asking if he could take me out to dinner.
Pygmalion paused for a moment before adding, “Was that… not the right thing to say?”
“I… kinda? It is a little weird when you ask someone if you could watch them eat.”
“Oh… Then what’s the correct way to say it then?”
“I think… Asking me out for dinner might be more appropriate.”
“Ah, I see.” He smiled, “Would you like to go out for dinner?”
Accepting this, we walked into the restaurant together. At first, I thought for sure someone would be weirded out by Pygmalion’s appearance, but if anyone was… no one showed it. The waiter showed us to our table and menus were brought to us along with a glass of water.
Pygmalion, much to his credit, didn’t down the drink but instead examined it. Stirring the straw to watch the ice cubes circle in the glass.
“And what do you call these things?”
“It’s a glass of water with ice at the top.”
“What do you do with it?”
“Well… water is one of the things that we drink to keep ourselves hydrated, and ice, which is a much colder solid form of water, keeps the drink cool.”
He blinked. “What’s hydrated?”
I opened my mouth, only nothing came out. Of the hundreds of questions, he asked me already, this one I was stumped to explain what it is or why it’s important. “It’s uh… When you… I’m not sure how to explain it other than it’s necessary for life. How that works exactly… I don’t really know.”
“Huh… And I can’t drink this for hydration?”
“No. If you did, it might go right through you. Maybe cause damage to your cogs.”
He put the glass down and asked something unexpected. “Then why would you make me if I can’t eat or drink?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “That depends… How honest do you want me to be?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. An answer would be nice.”
“Okay… I guess it’s because I’ve been too lonely as of late.”
“Oh… What’s that?”
“Lonely is… I guess it’s this feeling you have when you have been by yourself for too long that you want to have someone there with you. It’s like walking down a street with all the doors and windows shut, with no one to come up to say hello or how you doing. It’s when you feel this empty, constantly unfulfilling pit deep inside you that you can’t fill by yourself. I don’t know if you get the idea, it’s difficult to describe something so abstract.”
Pygmalion didn’t say anything but nodded. As though he was pondering over what I said. “So you made me because you felt lonely?”
“Yeah.”
He looked around the restaurant. “How can that be when there are plenty of other ponies like you around?”
“It’s different. I’ve been lonely for a different reason. That I… Well… This is embarrassing to admit this out loud. But I never really had someone that I would call a coltfriend.”
“Coltfriend?” He tilted his head, curious. “What does that mean?”
“It means… To have someone that you can be personally close to. Not the same as friendship, I think. But a sort of relationship that is intimate, where you take a personal interest in someone, and you would have a personal interest in them. Where you can be yourself around, to care for their well-being, to not only be on their side but maybe show them how they could be their best self…” I laughed, “It sounds pretty hippyish, I know, but it’s one of those things that’s hard to get a solid definition on.”
“Wow…” Pygmalion leaned back in his seat. “What a fascinating idea! Can we try it?”
“What?”
“Coltfriends. Can we try it? It sounds amazing to me!”
To be honest, I was weirdly conflicted here. Yes, it was true that I had spent months creating Pygmalion to be my coltfriend. But the moment that he had started to move, talk, and think… I didn’t expect this would happen this quickly. And despite knowing what he was, there was a part of me that said that this was going a little too fast. Perhaps it was his naivety, or perhaps I had hoped this would be more natural, but I didn’t exactly feel right to simply jump on board just yet.
At the same time, even though he was a machine, he felt real. Yes, he’s someone who’s just happy to be alive, but I didn’t feel right in just turning him down either.
“Well…” I said, my cheeks feel like they’re heating up. “I’m not entirely sure. I think this might be too early to tell yet.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I mean, I haven’t gone on any dates but I think that maybe we should at least get to know each other before we reach that point.”
“Okay,” Pygmalion said happily. “Well. I don’t know if there’s anything new for me to tell on my end. I mean, I had gained consciousness about an hour, two minutes, and forty-three seconds ago. That, and you were there with me during that time. So, what about you?”
Just then, the waiter came back and asked what I would like to eat. I was so caught up in our conversation that I forgot to even look at the menu. So I randomly chose baked potato soup with a dinner roll before returning back to Pygmalion.
“Well, this is new to me. I haven’t exactly done this thing before. So, I’m not sure how to start.”
Pygmalion hummed thoughtfully. “You said you felt lonely. How come?”
“Oh… My, where do I start with that?” After thinking of how to even word it, I finally answered. “The thing with me is that I’m not entirely sure why nopony wants me. It isn’t that I didn’t at least try to reach out. When I grew up in a small town where I’m pretty sure I was the only gay stallion there, I moved here to increase my chances. And I did try to go on dates. I went to bars, clubs, blind dates but for whatever reason… nothing stuck. The stallions that I tried to go for are often bored by me as if I’m the least interesting thing in the world for them.”
“Really?” Pygmalion tilted his head. “How are you boring?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know… I just tell them that I’m a clockmaker, have a love for classical music, and I wish I could take a cruise somewhere to the South Luna Sea…” I paused. Usually, this is the point where all my past dates would be asleep by now but his body language said otherwise. His eyes were on me, ears perked up, body leaning forward a bit. “I’m sorry, am I boring you?”
“I don't think so. I do want to know more. Please, keep going.”
“You sure?”
He nodded excitedly.
One would think that trying to teach a mechanical coltfriend about some of the more basic things to take an eternity, but in reality, it took about a few weeks. For example, when I showed him and explained what a library was, and the purpose of books, he was interested to know how to read. All it took for me was to read him some basic foal books, and he was able to pick up the language very quickly. He was even excited to move on to even more difficult books to the point where a half a week I introduced him to the library, and he could read at a high-school level.
Pygmalion was fascinated by everything and everyone around him. One day he came back to my workshop from the library with a stack of books. Pushing through the door, he said, “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can.” I was focusing on repairing a watch where I had my headset of magnifying glasses on.
“How come all the gay romances are in the adult section?”
Blinking, I look up from my work. “Excuse me?”
“I mean, the love between male partners. For some reason, they’re all in the adult section. And this confuses me.”
"Could you elaborate?"
“You see, I have noticed that when it comes to romance books or books that have loving couples in them, the ones that end up in the foal or teen section are all between a male and female. Every single one! But when I asked the librarian to show me where they keep stories for male-only partners, they got embarrassed and pointed me to the adult-only section in the basement. And I checked, nearly half of them could be placed in the foal or teen section. I fail to understand the logic behind this.”
Setting my work aside, I took a moment to choose my words. “I guess there might be several reasons. For one, not everyone is… well… like me so they can’t relate. Another might be because the ones who put those books there are adults who think that having a same-sex attraction is an adult-only idea. Personally, I think the idea that foals and teens are these perfect angelic things, and should be kept as pure as possible is unrealistic. When the reality is that they might welcome something that will challenge them and even give a point of view they might not have considered before is more important. I can’t speak for everypony, but what you must know is that emotion for ponies is faster than reason or logic.”
“Huh…” Pygmalion blinked, “I think I now understand why the Prince said that grown-ups are very, very, very strange.”
“What prince?”
“Oh! The book I found at the library today.” He sat on his hunches, letting the books fall of him before reaching out to one of the smaller ones. “This one!”
“Oooh, The Little Prince. Okay yeah, that makes sense now.” I nodded. “I remember reading that when I was little. How far did you get?”
“I’m at the part where the Prince has reached the desert and talks to a snake. This might be one of my favorite books and I haven’t even finished it yet.”
“Maybe you could read it to me.”
Pygmalion beamed, his eyes shining over his infectious smile while his tail wagged like a puppy. “You mean it! I would love to.”
It’s funny, there are times when I keep forgetting what Pygmalion was. There was something so lovable with him willing to share something he discovered with child-like excitement.
“Can I read it to you now?”
I shrugged, “Ya know what? Why not? I still have this watch to fix so I’ll listen to you. Is that okay?”
“But there are pictures in the story.”
Oh yeah, that’s right it did have pictures. “On second thought, can you read me the story until after I get through with this watch? I think this will take me about half an hour.”
He nodded. “I can do that.”
At home, I thought it was a good idea to show him how to do household chores such as how to sweep, when to take out the trash, and how to make a bed. These tasks he only needed to be shown once and he could do them perfectly. Then one day, he asked if I could teach him how to cook. This surprised me because I didn’t think he would be interested given that I made clear to him that he can’t eat or drink. But I showed him my basic knowledge of how to handle a kitchen and how to make simple meals.
“Next we strain the pasta.” I carefully poured the salty water over the sink and over a strainer. “Now when I do this, I pour it partway because of the steam, like so.” I pulled back just as I said this. “Okay, now you do it.”
I gave him the pot and standing on his hind legs, he repeated my actions. “And how long do I do this for?”
"Until you can pour the noodles through the strainer.”
This took him a moment or so until the spaghetti fell out, dumping the rest of the hot water on it.
“Now we lift the strainer like this and give it a few gentle tosses. This is to completely drain the water before we stir it in with our sauce.”
He nodded, watching my action.
After I put the noodles in with the sauce, mixed it up, and put parmesan on top, I stood back. “And that is how you make spaghetti and red sauce.”
He applauded. “Amazing! Can we do it again sometime?”
“Well, let’s wait for about a week or so. I can show you how to cook other meals as well. Still, do you have any questions?”
Pygmalion shook his head. “No, it’s all right here in my head.”
We sat down at my table and I dished myself some dinner.
“Do you do this every night?” He asked me.
I shrugged. “It depends. When I’m not tired or anything like that, I would make myself some dinner. Other times I would either go eat out, or bring home something that’s already readymade. I know it’s not exactly impressive, but I can only do the very basics.”
“Maybe I could go to the library and find books about cooking.” He paused, blinking a few times. “Do those exist?”
“Cookbooks? Yeah, that might work. Although, at least let me show you what I have in my kitchen and how this stuff works before you start planning anything.”
“Hopefully I can make you something like what you had at the restaurant. Maybe better.”
“I mean… It’s a nice thought.”
“Nice nothing! You deserve the best, and I want to make it good enough for you.” He paused when I gave him a look. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, sorry. I’m just not used to hearing that.”
His facial expression changed to concern. “Why not?”
“It’s just…” For the first time since he came to life, I was at a loss for words. I didn’t know what to say. Yes, it’s true that I’m unused to hearing someone saying that, but being asked why. And I come up with nothing.
“Forgive me, but it just seems horrible to me,” Pygmalion said. “The idea that someone as interesting and wonderful as you are to not being rewarded for what you do seems wrong to me.”
“Maybe, but life isn’t exactly a fairytale.”
“Says the clockmaker who made a coltfriend.”
I opened my mouth to object something… only nothing came out. I hate to admit it, but he’s got me there.
“I may be naïve, but I wouldn’t call myself dumb either. Yes, life is a completely different genre than fantasy, but I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit either. How many clockmakers in the whole world could make automatons like me? Or could get close to what I’m doing right now? I am proof of a fairytale come true, that is why everything is so amazing to me. To me, this is a fairytale, and I want nothing more than to see to it that even you would get that happily ever after.”
Two things happened at once in that moment while I was sitting there with a plate of spaghetti while Pygmalion said the most comforting, heartfelt thing I ever heard in my life. One of them was that for him I felt… it’s difficult to explain, but I felt more than just appreciation. It was being wanted, being assured, being… loved. Whatever I thought about Pygmalion before didn’t matter because as crazy as it sounds… I fell in love with him. The other thing was that I was tearing up at what he was saying.
“Oh no!” Pygmalion got up from his seat, snatching a napkin. “I’m so sorry, are you okay!?”
I took the napkin to wipe my eyes. “You did nothing wrong.”
“But you’re about to cry. That’s a bad thing, isn’t it?”
I chuckled, “Why do you think tears are bad?”
“Well ponies cry when something horrible happens, they feel sad, angry, depressed, or any number of negative emotions. Even pain too. I thought tears meant that something was wrong.”
“Yes, but there are also tears when something overly positive happens.”
“Oh?” He tilted his head. “Like what?”
“Like when a coltfriend says that he cares.”
“‘Father, Father, what has happened? Tell me if you can,’ cried Pinocchio, as he ran and jumped on his Father’s neck.
‘This sudden change in our house is all your doing, my dear Pinocchio,” answered Geppetto.’”
I was overall surprised when one day, Pygmalion brought home a book that he was excited to read to me. The librarian had recommended it to him, and I was taken aback at what it was: The Adventures of Pinocchio. Yet, as Pygmalion started to read the book of how after a marionette had come to life and learned how to be good the hard way, it was interesting to see how he identified with Pinocchio, despite being a total brat at the beginning.
And yet, as we lay in bed and Pygmalion had got to the final chapter, it was something that I would never forget.
“‘What have I to do with it?’
‘Just this. When bad colts become good and kind, they have the power of making their homes gay and new with happiness.’”
I chuckled at that.
He continued reading aloud:
“‘I wonder where the old Pinocchio of wood has hidden himself?’
‘There he is,” answered Geppetto. And he pointed to a large Marionette leaning against a chair, head turned to one side, legs hanging limp and twisted under him.
After a long, long look, Pinocchio said to himself with great content: ‘How ridiculous I was as a Marionette! And how happy I am, now that I have become a real boy!’
The End.”
After closing the book, Pygmalion flipped over to the front cover and stared at it for a moment. Thinking. Setting the book on the nightstand, he stared at the ceiling for a good few minutes. At first, I thought he must have wound down but I was close enough to hear his clockwork heart ticking.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
He turned his head towards me. “Can I ask you a silly question?”
I sat up. “I don’t see why not.”
“Aren’t you… bothered that I can’t age?”
Now this was a reaction I didn’t expect him to have after reading Pinocchio. “Sorry?”
“I mean, I know that I physically can’t. After all, I know what I’m made of. Some cloth, some rubber, memory foam, a steel frame with a system of gears. But after reading that, I wonder if it’s… fair that I can’t age and die like you.” He laid back down, looking right up at the ceiling. “I never thought of it, but I do wonder if you’re bothered that at the end of the day, I’m not a real pony.”
“Do you… want to be?”
He glanced at me, “Most of the time, even I keep forgetting that I’m not real. But I want to.”
“Really? Why would you want to be a real pony? Compared to you, you’re practically immortal as long as you’re well-kept.”
“You make it sound like it’s a good thing that I’m not an actual pony.”
“It’s not that. Just… Well, I don’t know if you notice this, but ponies are more fragile than you think. Not only do our bodies change with time, but we fall prey to all sorts of illnesses, injuries, and even death. Unlike you, once we wind down… there’s nothing in the world to wind us back up again. Where you in theory could go on and on.”
“That might be true in a way.” He nodded. “On the other hoof, when you wind down for good… What’s the point of me going on and on if you’re not there? Where’s the fairness of watching you change and grow older, yet I remain the same? What good is there if I don’t get to change at the same rate as you do?”
I had no response to that. At all. In a strange way, he’s a thousand percent right.
The only answer I could give was after I laid my head back on the pillow. “In the future, when there are more machine ponies like you around, maybe Pinocchio should be a banned book.”
“Banned!” He asked in alarm. “Whatever for?”
“For giving those like my mechanical coltfriend an existential crisis.”
Now there is one thing I forgot to mention. The reaction of Pygmalion from everypony else. At first glance, ponies assumed that he was just an earth pony. After all, he looked, sounded, and walked like a normal stallion. But sometimes there were those who took a second or third glance they started to figure out that he’s really made of clockwork.
For example, the first time when I showed him the library, the mare behind the desk suddenly said, pointing at Pygmalion, “Excuse me, do you have a key sticking out of your neck?”
He smiled back and replied. “Yes I do, is it wonderful to be a walking clock?”
And before you ask, yes, he actually said that.
There were other times when Pygmalion, through no fault of his own, would find that his springs had wound down. It doesn’t happen often, but there were a few times in public when we would be walking and talking together when suddenly he would stop and he would either drop his neck down or fall over. Then I would have to wind him back up, and he would continue talking as though nothing happened.
But there was one incident where he did unwind, and I wasn’t there to help. While I was at work, he went to the library as usual. Hours later, he returned with another stallion close by.
“Hey Geary, I brought a friend with me this time.”
That got my attention. He walked in through the shop door with a stack of books as usual. But right behind him pushing through that door was someone I didn’t expect to walk in. It was the Empire’s Crystaller, Sunburst. There was no question about it. The same wizard blue starry cape. The same fiery goatee, glasses, and scraggly mane.
“Huh, hello there.” He greeted me. “I’m sorry if I’m bothering you, but your uh… coltfriend had temporarily lost consciousness while at the library.”
“Oh Goddess!” I stood up, putting my tools aside to rush over to Pygmalion. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
He shook his head. “No. But this pony wound my key back up. He’s nice.”
“Yeah uh…” Sunburst cleared his throat. “Long story short, I was at the library when I heard this… sudden loud clanging sound a few isles over. And I just found him there on his back, a book in his hooves, and was unmoving. It wasn’t until I noticed the stitching on his joints that I realized that this pony wasn’t a pony at all, and I ended up finding the key on the back of his neck.”
“Uh-huh.” Pygmalion nodded. “He picked me up and we introduced ourselves. He was surprised that I’m made of clockwork so he asked if he could meet you.”
Glancing over at Sunburst, I took off my headset, “I think I could use a break, uh… can I get you anything?”
Shaking his head, he looked between me and Pygmalion who was choosing a book to read. “If it’s alright, can I talk to you in private?”
I said of course and showed him the back room of my workshop. As soon as the door closed he said to me, “You know, when I first woke up this morning, this wasn’t what I would find today.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Not really, no. It’s just… to be frank, I have never seen anything like this before. Really, I have done my fair research on antiques, and now even read a few books on automatons. But this… I don’t know if you know this, but that’s the first time I’ve ever seen one that behaves and acts like… Well, a real pony. I am stunned by how well you pulled it off. It’s like, the ultimate dream of every clockmaker and you’ve done it. A true, self-moving, self-thinking automaton. You ought to be proud of that.”
“Well yes, it did take a long time.”
“Buddy, that’s the understatement of the millennium. I mean that… that’s gotta be a wonder of the world! I’m more shocked that you didn’t unveil this for a press release or something because I’m just blown away.”
“To be honest, I didn’t make him for fame. I just… Well, see I’ve been lonely and I made someone that could fill in that void, ya know? And look, before you ask, he’s not for sale.”
“Wh- Oh no! No no no! I’m not asking to buy him. But what I am asking you is to present him to the Princess.”
This gave me pause. “The Princess?”
“Uh-huh. What you have is a remarkable talent. To me, you’ve earned more than enough for what you’ve created to earn a royal patronage. And look, I don’t do this often unless I have a good reason, and trust me, your coltfriend is a pretty good enough reason.”
“… Royal patronage…” I whispered. Of course, I knew what this meant. With my business having backing from royalty, it means that my shop would be a beacon for any wealthy clients with their clocks and watches. Who knows, perhaps this would open new doors for me. If I could make Pygmalion, what else would others commission me to do?
“Hello? Anypony home?” Sunburst waved a hoof in my face.
“Huh? Oh. Yeah uh… Sorry it’s… a lot to process all at once.”
“No, I get it. I’m aware of how sudden all of this is but, with what I’ve seen, I think Princess Cadance would be interested in what you’ve made.”
Then after a beat, I raised an eyebrow. “What’s the catch?”
He blinked. “Catch?”
“Look, even I know that something like this doesn’t just fall from the sky. Is there something you want from me to have an audience with the princess?”
He hesitated. Looking over his shoulder, he said. “Okay, before I say anything, just to be clear, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. It’s just after I helped bring Pygmalion back here in how… well, life-like he is. I had wondered if it’s possible to… maybe commission you in making me one.”
Now it was my turn to be caught off guard. “Pardon?”
“Thing is, I haven’t been successful with getting a date either so… if it’s possible, could you maybe make me one too? I’ll pay you, of course, but I had no idea if you would even want to do it.”
“What? Make you a mare-”
“Coltfriend, yes.”
Huh… So it turns out the Royal Crystaller is gay too… Who knew?
“Of course, I don’t want an exact copy of Pygmalion either – don’t get me wrong, he’s gorgeous. But when it comes to how he might look, maybe make him more like a… zebra?”
I blinked again. “I mean… no promises or anything. It was a complicated process to just get to where Pygmalion is right now. I wasn’t even sure what his personality would be like until I wound him up for the first time. But since I still have the original blueprints and small-scale model with me so… it might be possible.”
“Oh, thank you!” He grabbed my hoof and shook it. “I promise you that I’ll collaborate and pay you every step of the way.”
There was a part of me that hoped that this wouldn’t become a regular thing.
In the Crystal Empire, there are three reasons for the average citizen to be granted an audience with royalty. That being you were in major trouble; that you’re about to be rewarded for something, or you have a genuine complaint. One can always go up to the great palace in the center of the empire to see the Crystal Heart, but there are more hoops to jump through if you want to see the royal family. So getting inside isn’t quite so straightforward. That is, of course, unless you were invited.
Pygmalion and I arrived at the palace, showing the guards a written invitation that Sunburst gave me to be let in. We climbed up the staircase and were escorted down a cavernous hall towards the Throne Room. All the while, Pygmalion looked up curiously at the high vaulted ceilings.
“Is the princess a giant?”
This question caught me off guard and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry?”
“If she is, it would explain why the ceiling is so tall. And so is… Well, everything else.”
“No, no. Princess Cadance isn’t a giant. It’s just the way this place was made is all.”
“Why?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know… I guess it’s to give whoever is coming to see them a sense of awe that this space is so huge. I guess that the bigger the place you live and work in, the more powerful and important you seem to be.”
“Oh…” This answer seems to satisfy him. And then he asked another question. “Why does the Princess want to see us? I understand that Sunburst invited us, but why exactly?”
“Didn’t I mention it already?” He shook his head. “It’s mainly to see you. No one has ever successfully made a being like you before. This is just to introduce you and hopefully get a patronage for the business.”
Then we arrived at the twin doors of the Throne Room. Once a herald pronounced us, they were opened up and we were led inside. There on the other side, sitting on a magnificent crystal throne was the pink alicorn of love herself. She was flanked by her husband, Shining Armor, and Sunburst.
“Do what I do.” I whispered to him. We took our first few steps and bowed. Walked toward the center of the great hall and bowed again. And then, as soon as we got close enough, we bowed for the third time.
“Hello, Your Highness.” I greeted.
She nodded. “Gear Sprung, I presume?” Turning her attention to my coltfriend, she added. “And this must be Pygmalion? The stallion that I’ve heard so much about.”
“How do you do?” Pygmalion waved at her. “I take it that Sunburst told you about me?”
“Yes, he has.” Cadance got up from the throne, walking over to him. “You know, this is a first for me. I never encountered anypony that’s a machine before.”
“You’d be surprised how often I’m being told that.”
Shining chuckled. “You’re right, Sunburst. This is incredible.”
Candace circled around Pygmalion, pausing for a moment at his flank to see the gears turning underneath the crystal dome. Once she did this, she asked him, “Just to make absolutely sure that this is real, would it be alright to see you without the skin on?”
Pygmalion looked surprised at this request. He looked over to me to see if this was okay.
“I can show you,” I turned to my coltfriend. “Would it be okay if I just peel back from your head to your shoulders for a moment? Just to show them the gears underneath.”
Although he gave a look of discomfort, he nodded. Sitting on his hunches, I reached over for one of the zippers that was just above the key behind his neck. Pulling it upward until it reached just the back of his head, I then gently peeled the fabric off to show them the machine underneath. His face still had the rubber padding on his skull, and his ears flicked over his head, yet they could see the mechanical parts of him. The turning of his gearbox, the tubes, bellows, and pipes of his voice, and the cogs that controlled the movement of his neck.
“I know, I’m pretty ugly like this.” Pygmalion said shyly.
“Are you kidding?” Shining walked up to him, eyes wide. “That is absolutely incredible! If my sister were here, she’d probably want to write a book on how you work.”
“Can uh… Can I put my face back on now?” He asked.
Nodding, I helped put the fabric over his head. Taking a moment to make sure that everything is all in the right place before zipping it back up again.
“I’m sorry about that.” I apologized.
Sunburst cleared his throat. “Excuse me if this might seem personal, but why is he embarrassed to show his gears?”
“It’s because it feels so… personal to show something so private.” Pygmalion answered.
“Now that’s interesting,” Cadance said. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a machine having feelings. I didn’t know that was possible.”
“Oh, but it is,” I answered. “I don’t know if Sunburst has told you the reason why I created him in the first place.”
“Well… kinda? Something about him being your coltfriend?” I nodded. “Only briefly, but could you please explain to me how this came about?”
And so, Pygmalion and I started to tell our story. Of how lonely I was, how he came to life, his growing love of reading, and the relationship that has been growing between us. More or less the story that you’ve been reading.
After we did our best to explain everything, Cadance, Shining, and Sunburst excused themselves to talk in private. And I noticed that Pygmalion was in deep thought, eyeing the princess for a good long while.
“What are you thinking?” I asked him.
He didn’t answer me at first, but turning to me, he wondered, “Geary, do you think that fairytales can be real?”
I was confused by that. “What do you mean?”
“Well, Cadance is an alicorn, right? One that has great magical abilities.”
Raising an eyebrow, I asked him: “Where are you going with this?”
He only gave a smile, “You’ll see.”
The three returned, with Cadance pronouncing, “Firstly, as the Princess of Love, I want to say that it is tragic that you couldn’t find that special somepony. At the same time, I’m also amazed that you used your talent and skills to craft a stallion that has independent thought and has come to love you through his own free will. You seemed to be someone who not only possesses great creativity, but ingenuity for something purely wonderous. So, as the Princess over the Crystal Empire, I and my husband would gladly give you our support for your business, and your relationship.”
“You’re so generous, Your Highness.” I bowed graciously, but Pygmalion did not.
“Pardon me, Princess, but there is something that I want to ask you.”
Cadance tilted her head, “And what’s that, Pygmalion?”
“Is it possible for you to turn me into a real stallion?”
Now this caught me completely off guard. Indeed, the Throne Room went quiet for a good couple of moments.
“Wait, really?” Sunburst blinked.
He nodded. “I know it’s a strange request. Maybe it’s possible that even you couldn’t do it – which I accept if that’s the case. But I want to explain why if that’s alright.”
Cadance and her husband looked at one another. “Okay, why do you want to be a real stallion?” Shining asked.
“Let me say that I’m aware of what that will intel. It would mean that I would be more fragile. That I would risk many things such as getting sick. It would also mean that I will most likely age and eventually die. Yes, that is true. But I want to become real for one, specific reason. I want to officially become real, for him. For you see, we haven’t had our first kiss yet. And how can we since my lips are made of rubber and I have no feeling for my face? I am sensitive to him emotionally and mentally, but not for him physically.”
He reached over, running his hoof through my mane. “Please don’t misunderstand, Gear is talented, but there are certain senses that even he can’t reproduce mechanically for me. Like the sense of touch. Or a sense of taste. I want to be with him so that when we eat out, I’ll be able to taste those wonderful meals with him. To understand things like what savory pasta or sweet ice cream feels in my mouth. I want to experience what kissing him is like, what making love really means. Yes, maybe I will change how I look with age, but more importantly, I want to do so together. That way, even if one of us dies, at least we’ll be comforted that we will at least find each other on that other side.
“I want to be real because loneliness is cruel if it’s involuntary. This remarkable stallion who put me together doesn’t deserve to live the rest of his life in a fantasy. He has a deep wish that someone out there could appreciate and tell him that yes, he does have that right to exist after all. Nopony should go through their lives without someone there to let them know they’re loved. But above all, with all the time he’s put in and the lessons he gave, there is one that I want to teach him.”
He closed his eyes and recited a line from The Little Prince. “It’s the time that you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important. Ponies have forgotten this truth, but you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you have tamed. You’re responsible for your rose.”
Opening his eyes, he said to me. “I want to teach you that because you spent so much time making me feel like the most important stallion in the world I too will become just as responsible for you as well. I wish to become real so that I can finally give you that happily ever after.”
A noticeable sniff was heard, and we turned to see Shining and Sunburst in tears while Cadance had her hoof over her mouth, wide-eyed at what she and they had heard.
“That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard!” Sunburst exclaimed, using his cape like a handkerchief to wipe his tears.
“Wow… Just wow…” Cadance said, looking between us. “Gear Sprung, if I could make him into a real stallion, would you want that?”
“You mean…” I blinked. Is she asking what I think she’s asking? I looked into Pygmalion’s sapphire eyes, so filled with hope. “If it’s possible…” I nodded. “Yes, I wish he would be too.”
“Okay…” Cadance nodded, “Unfortunately, I don’t know the spell to do it… but there is someone who knows how.”
While it would been poetic to have Cadance give the honors of turning Pygmalion into a real stallion. But the truth was that she had to send a letter to another Princess – Twilight Sparkle for her to do the honors. We were told to come back to the palace in a couple of days, both of us eagerly awaiting that magical moment when my fantasy and hard work would meet reality. As soon as we got word of her arrival, we rushed over.
It should go without saying that Princess Twilight was fascinated by Pygmalion. As much as she wanted to study my coltfriend, she was professional enough to get started right away.
“Before anything happens,” Pygmalion interjected, “I have one more request before you bring me to life.”
“Oh? And what’s that?” She asked.
“Would it be alright if you do so in a specific place?”
“Really?” I tilted my head, “Where?”
“Well, I figured if I was to be brought to life, I think it would be appropriate if it’s done in your workshop. To return to the same place where we first officially met.”
Fortunately, Princess Twilight was accommodating enough to accept this request.
On the way back, we walked side by side. Pygmalion having a spring to his step, were I with nervousness. As exciting as all of this was, I was also worried. Worried about what the future may hold for us once he became a real stallion. I was unsure about a lot of things, how would he handle being alive, would he want to become a machine again, would his view of me change… We were going into unknown territory, but to have Pygmalion be this hopeful, I decided to swallow my concerns for his sake. This is what he wants more than anything in the world.
As soon as we walked into the shop and headed to the back, Pygmalion stood in the exact place where he was first brought to life. Looking over at me, he smiled. “I think I’m starting to understand what it was like for Pinocchio at this moment.”
“You read Pinocchio?” Twilight asked.
“Oh yes, I’ve read many books from the moment I knew what they were. I think when I become real, I want to see if I could become a writer of children's stories. I hope to inspire others the way that they inspired me.”
He looked over to me, “Remember that scene when the fairy brought Pinocchio to life and the spell she cast on him? I think I made up my own version for this moment.”
“Really?” I asked, “And what’s that?”
Closing his eyes, he recited to me: “Tall metal stallion of gears. May I raise at the crack of dawn. May I move with the free spirit I have. Have my soul intertwine with yours. Bring ceaseless days of joy. So he may never be alone.”
Twilight cleared her throat, getting our attention. “Are you ready Pygmalion?”
With a smile and a nod, Twilight’s horn glowed bright. Her aura enveloped him, I watched on as he began to change. The stitches faded away. The fabric became fur, his face became smoother, cleaner with flesh. The light surrounding him glowed brighter to the point where it was blinding and I had to look away. Then, a moment later, I heard something metallic fall to the floor.
As soon as the light dimmed, I realized that it was the key from the back of his neck. It had dislodged itself, landing next to him. From that point on, he didn’t need it anymore.
Like something out of a dream, there he stood before me. Not as a clockwork puppet covered by foam, rubber, and velvet – but flesh and fur. Pygmalion opened his eyes, his real eyes now. When Twilight finished the spell her aura faded away, and he reached up to feel his face. Taking in a moment to experience his first real breaths, the warmth of his cheeks, and the strands of his mane.
“I’m… I’m alive.” Pygmalion said with astonishment.
I walked up to him, my hoof reaching up to his neck. I nearly gasped myself because I felt something that I couldn’t replicate – a pulse.
“You’re real.” I whispered; I was just as astonished as he was.
Pygmalion reached for my face. His hooves felt my cheeks. He smiled before he laughed. “I can feel you! I can feel you!” He embraced me in a hug. “Geary! I can feel you!”
I hugged him back. For the first time, there was no imitation of his breathing or his heartbeat. I felt it. The stallion I crafted from my imagination was made real. It truly felt something like out of a fairytale. And Pygmalion, who was so overjoyed to be alive that he did something that up to that point we never did.
He kissed me. I felt his lips pressed against mine that wasn’t made of latex. That warmth of feeling his smooth lips that made time take a moment to pause was something that I can’t begin to describe. Yet, as cliché as it sounds, the closest thing I could put into words was that it was simply… magical. Where any hint of looniness I may have felt, disappeared with that kiss.
In fact, as soon as he pulled away, the first thing he asked was: “That was amazing! Can we do it again?”
This time, I took the lead.
And like a fairytale, this one does have a happy ending.
Pygmalion took lessons in creative writing, and as soon wrote stories for foals. Coming up with ideas for fairytales and even drawing the illustrations himself. When he finished writing the manuscript for his first book, he earned his cutie mark – an open book with a rainbow quill filling in the blank pages.
My business as a clockmaker has bloomed enough for me to hire ponies to not only make watches and clocks but to make plans for making automatons for wealthier patrons. And yes, even Sunburst has a clockwork coltfriend of his own. The form of a zebra that he named Mrembo, meaning Beautiful One.
For us, Pygmalion and I became closer. With him being able to feel, he loves giving and receiving hugs, holding hooves, kissing, and a few other… intimate things. For the past three years, we have been dating. And last year, I was able to pop the question to him. He said yes.
As of this writing, we are about to be married in a month with much planning to finalized. I do hope that when we walk down the aisle and say our I do’s, this will be a new chapter in our lives.
I do not know what the future may hold for us, but regardless of what happens next in our story, we’ll be facing it together.
I love you, Pygmalion. No matter what changes come our way, I’ll always be grateful that you’ll be there with me.