A purple lump shifted in a patch of long, tangled grass. The thing took a few moments to pick itself up. Large ears stuck over the top of the grass.

Bonnie blinked his eyes wearily and glanced around. Trees surrounded him on all sides. There was no sign of any of his fellow animatronics anywhere.

“H-hello? Anyone there?” Bonnie called warily. He stood up shakily, his hands clasped to his chest. He took a few steps forward, eyes searching the murky forest. The bunny parted a clump of ferns and stepped past them. That was when he heard a snarl. He whipped around, eyes wide.

“Uh . . . hello?” he called. His voice was shaky. Another growl, but this time, it didn’t sound as menacing as it had at first. “Um, hello?” Bonnie began to follow the now familiar sounding voice, and eventually it led him to a small cliff—a narrow crack—that seemed to go on for a while in both directions. The edge of the ground dropped away sharply. Roots, small shrubs, and a various assortment of rocks littered the soil.

“Freddy!” Bonnie exclaimed, blinking. Blue eyes turned towards him, glowing brightly in the dim light. The faint outline of Freddy could be seen.

“Bonnie?” he called, confused. “Bonnie! Hey, hey, uh . . . there’s not a chance you could, um, help me up there, could you?”

Bonnie cocked his head. “Can’t you get out yourself? It’s not very far. Maybe a foot or two higher than you.” Freddy growled something, seemingly embarrassed. Bonnie leaned over the cliff farther. “What was that?” Another low grumble. “Freddy, come on. We have good hearing but you’re hardly pronunciating.”

“I said, I can’t!” Freddy snapped angrily.

“What?” Bonnie said incredulously. “Why?”

“. . . My leg’s falling apart.”

"W-what?” Bonnie seemed almost amused.

“You idiot, don’t you dare laugh at me.” Freddy was furious. “My knee broke, moron. Now get me out of here.”

“How’d you manage to do that?” Bonnie continued.

Freddy glowered up at him. I’m going to punch him. And then I’ll kill him.

“Listen, you oversized baboon, help me get myself up there. And that’s an order!”

Bonnie sighed. Freddy was probably going to punch him, seeing how angry he was, but it was kind of amusing to see their leader unable to do something.

“Alright, uh, grab my hand,” Bonnie suggested, sticking said appendage downward as far as he could. Freddy wobbled to his one good leg and stretched upwards, fumbling to get to Bonnie. His fingers twitched only an inch away.

“Come on, I can’t go up anymore,” Freddy huffed.

Bonnie frowned. “I can’t scoot over the edge anymore either. If I do, I’ll either fall or won’t have enough traction to lift you out.” He searched the slope for anything that could help them. “Hey, see that rock there? It’s flat—to your left.” He tilted an ear towards it. Freddy glanced over.

“Yeah, and it’s to my left. That certain leg is useless right now.”

“Come on, you’ve got to try. If you do step on it, it’ll only be for a second. I can haul you up as soon as I get ahold of you.” Bonnie twitched his nose, watching as Freddy contemplated.

Freddy hesitated. He couldn’t move in either direction, so using his left leg would be the only option to go with. He muttered a swift curse and braced himself. Bonnie’s hand was still there, waiting patiently.

“Best not be lying,” Freddy mumbled, then picked up his left leg, set it on the rock, and leant all his weight on it. He propelled himself upward, easily reaching Bonnie. Immediately, his leg gave out (he swore he could feel a screw fall out as well) and Bonnie grunting reached his ears.

“Alright, good, good . . .”

“Urg, j-just hurry.”

Bonnie grabbed Freddy’s arm with both hands and pulled as hard as he could. As soon as he was close to the top of the cliff, he reached out with his other arm and hefted himself out farther. Bonnie grunted and dropped him.

“At least your stupid plan worked,” Freddy groaned, laying on his back. He pulled himself into a sitting position and checked out his most likely nearly-in-two limb.

“I wish I had a screwdriver or something,” Bonnie said, rubbing his chin. The plate covering Freddy’s knee was gone, and one could easily see the support that connected both segments together. A screw was missing on one side and the whole thing was barely being held by the one still there.

“Yeah, me too.” Freddy glanced around, trying to distract himself from his mobile problem. “But I think we should probably find out where we are.”

Bonnie searched the trees. “Yes, that does seem like a good idea.” He stood taller, pricking his ears. “Do you think Chica is in here somewhere?”

“Since we’re here? Yes. Hopefully she’s alright.”

“Whee!”

Chica kicked her legs happily as her makeshift swing carried her back and forth. The tree branch the vine was wound around creaked forebodingly, but didn’t break. She laughed, watching the shadowy forest with enthusiasm. Eventually, she hopped off her swing and began to roam. Watery shafts of sunlight pierced the holes in the canopy, leaving random splotches of murky yellow. Chica stuck her arms out at her side as she crossed a medium sized creek, an impromptu bridge composing of a fallen log wobbling as she traversed the length. At the end, she sprang off it and followed a hidden animal trail through a thicket.

Wow, this is so cool! I wouldn’t mind staying here . . . Chica stepped around a root sticking from the ground. I wonder where Freddy and Bonnie are. She frowned. Oh no, what about Mike? Did we leave him at the restaurant? The boss is going to be so upset. I don’t envy Mike if that’s the case.

Sinister growling sounded from around them. Bonnie and Freddy sat on edge, their eyes searching the depths of the forest.

“We should get out of here,” Bonnie warned.

“Yes, I agree,” Freddy said in an innocent tone. His voice turned sour. “But wait! I’m stuck with one leg! How am I supposed to walk?!”

Bonnie flinched back, but regained his grace. “Hop on one leg?”

“I doubt that’ll work for long—if at all.”

“You’ve gotta try.” Bushes rustled close by. “And make it quick,” Bonnie gulped.

Freddy sighed, shoulders drooping. He stuck his arms up. “Help an old man.” Bonnie bent forward and snagged both of the bear’s wrists, hauling him to his feet. Freddy wobbled for a few seconds, but regained his balance and used Bonnie as a support.

The bunny perked up. “Hey, I think I’ve got an idea! You know when we see kids that have broken their legs, and they have those things that they use to get around without the broken leg touching the ground?”

Freddy paused. “Crutches?”

“Exactly!” Bonnie grinned. “Maybe we can make some real quick. That’d help you.” He carefully allowed Freddy to lean against a nearby tree and then poked through the surrounding bushes. His hand reached for a sturdy looking branch and nearly had a heart attack as it moved.

“Gah! What the heck?” Bonnie stammered, lurching backwards. Growls emanated from the “branch” and yellow eyes glowed fiercely. A lean creature burst from the copse, snarling.

“What is that?!” Freddy exclaimed, pressing himself farther against the tree.

“Uh, tree thing?” Bonnie guessed weakly, backing away. The faintly dog-shaped creature was soon flanked by two others. Each of them were panting, drool leaking from their open maws.

“Maybe now would be a good time to panic.”

“I agree.” Bonnie let out a wild yell as one lunged for him. The bunny hopped away, narrowly avoiding being bit. He reached for Freddy and pulled him towards the bushes, determined to get out of there.

“Where are we going!?” Freddy shouted as Bonnie all but pulled him along.

“Don’t ask me!” Bonnie yelped. “Sorry boss, but you’re going to have to pretend you can run! Or else they”—a volley of yips sounded close behind—“are going to pretend we’re food!”

Freddy let out something that sounded very much like a whine and braced for the shock of pain that followed immediately after he set the foot on the ground. He nearly collapsed straight away, but the hot breath puffing on their heels from the pack motivated him not to fall to the dirty ground.

The two of them crashed through the forest, trampling low growing plants under their feet. The wooden canines continued after them. Sounds of the branches that rattled against one another as they moved were prominent.

Bonnie noticed Freddy getting a little behind. He latched onto his hand and yanked. Freddy stumbled and nearly toppled forward, but managed to stay on his feet.

“Come on, Freddy,” Bonnie urged. He never thought he’d be the one telling what was technically his boss to keep going—especially when being chased by tree dogs.

“You try and run . . . with a broken leg,” Freddy growled. He shot a quick glower at the bunny.

Chica heard something. She turned in her spot, scanning the trees for what it was. Nothing caught her eye, however, and she went back to watching where she was going. That was when two blurs shot across her vision. They crossed her path, sprinting into the thick expanse of trees. Leaves and branches quivered where they’d disturbed their peaceful resting places.

“Freddy, Bonnie?” Chica called after a moment, her shock still fresh. She blinked repeatedly. Then three—wait, are those wolves?—leapt over the path, their sleek bodies streamlined, disappearing into the brush a moment later with no more than a rustling of leaves.

“Uh, okay then.” Chica started after them.

Twilight had split the ponies into teams: her and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack, and Rarity and Pinkie Pie. And as of now, she and Dash were trekking along a frequently used path—in fact, the one that led straight to the Castle of the Royal Sisters.

“So that’s the only reason Princess Luna gave you?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight ducked under a low growing branch. “Yes,” she answered.

“Huh . . . I don’t know how I feel about this.” Dash frowned. “But if we find Freddy, the first thing I’m gonna do is punch him in the face.” She smashed one hoof into the other.

Twilight gasped. “Dash, you can’t go around hitting random . . .” She paused, admonishment trailing off. “Animatronics in the face.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Don’t lie; you totally want to hit him too.”

“Nooo . . .” Twilight glanced away. “Okay, maybe. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“Rainbow!”

Pinkie Pie bounced happily. Her tail waved in the air with each thrust off the ground. Rarity trotted in front of her, nose up and head held high. They were traveling through some sort of glade.

“Do you think the others are broken like Foxy?” Pinkie asked.

“I doubt it. Though we didn’t exactly see anything recent when we were in his head, so I suppose it’s entirely possible,” Rarity replied. She raised an eyebrow. “Pinkie, darling, why would you ask that?”

“I dunno! I was just curious I guess!” The party pony laughed at herself.

“Oh. Well, hopefully—if we run into one of them—we’ll be accepted. I’d hate to have to stand in this swamp all day arguing.”

“Yeah! I need to feed Gummy.” Pinkie gasped. “Oh no, I need to feed Gummy!” She then thought about it for a second. “Wait, never mind. I fed him this morning!” Giggling, she thought about her little alligator.

Rarity rolled her eyes and smirked. “I say, you and your little . . . critter. Opalescence is far more sophisticated, however. Why you can be happy with a . . . reptile is entirely beyond me.” The unicorn shuddered.

“Gummy’s great!” Pinkie cheered. “Oh, that’s a good one! Great Gummy, Great Gummy, Great Gummy!” She giggled. “Great Gummy garishly groomed Gertrude’s groaning grey gorilla!”

Rarity sighed. “This is going to be a long day.”

“Come on, ‘shy. We ain’t got time fer this.”

Applejack gently prodded the pegasus’ hindquarters with an orange hoof. Fluttershy squeaked and a tremble went down her spine. Squirming her hind legs, she wormed her way farther into the shallow growing bush. Applejack sighed and clamped her teeth down on the soft yellow tail, dragging her friend into the open. Fluttershy squealed and covered her eyes with her hooves, wings stuck tightly to her sides.

“Please, sugar cube. We’ve got to get movin’, else we aren’t gon’ find any of Foxy’s little robot pals,” AJ pressed, worry in her voice. “Nothin’s gonna get ya.”

Fluttershy quivered in fear. “B-but I heard a n-n-noise!” She pointed a shaking hoof towards a clump of berry bushes. Rolling her emerald green eyes, the farm pony swiveled around and approached the bundle. A hoof went forward and peeled the center apart, allowing them to see nothing but berries and branches.

“See? Nothin’ there. Now can we please go?” Applejack asked. She was beginning to get desperate. “Ah don’t want to make ya feel pressured, but we’ve still got a heck of a long way to go ‘fore we reach anywhere we might be able to find one of ‘em.”

The creamy coated pegasus warily got to her hooves, wiping her eyes. “I-I’m sorry—it’s just, you know, scary.”

Applejack smiled gently. “’s alright, ‘shy. Ah understand.” She patted Fluttershy on the back. “Now come on; we’ve got work to do.”

“And is this a good word to describe somepony? Surreptitious?” Pinkie Pie rambled on. Rarity felt like her mane was fraying from just being there. “Ooh, I don’t know . . . hey, hey, Rarity! Do you like the word beeswax?”

“Oh sweet Celestia kill me now and deliver me to paradise,” Rarity hissed under her breath. When she was prodded for a response, she stood straighter and cleared her throat. “Pinkie, I don’t—”

Thump

Rarity flinched as something bumped against her snout. Pinkie jounced into her rump, stopping in her tracks. The unicorn’s sapphire eyes blinked several times, then roved upwards. What appeared to be some sort of limb dangled in front of her face.

“AAAHH!” she shrieked and flew backwards, jarring Pinkie. The party pony merely jumped back a few paces, eyes bright and unsuspecting. Rarity screamed and reared up on her hind legs, forelegs churning at the air. Squeezing her eyes shut, she let out a series of “Eeewww”’s and scrunched her nose. Eventually, she tired of this and settled down. Rarity looked more intently at the appendage.

“Ew—ew, ew—why is there a . . .” Rarity trailed off—she didn’t know what this was. Eyes narrowing in scrutiny, she hesitantly reached a polished hoof up and swatted the thing quickly. The limb swung slightly. “What is this? Are those . . .” As she thought more thoroughly about the subject, she realized she did indeed recognize this type of appendage. “This is a hand. Why—oh dear me—why, is there an arm hanging oh-so blatantly from this tree?” She gazed up at it.

Pinkie shrugged. “Maybe someone left it there. Maybe Lyra?”

“Pinkie, darling, I very much doubt”—groan—“please don't make such sounds, it's not very ladylike.”

Pinkie frowned, tilting her head. “I didn't groan.”

Rarity’s mouth dropped open just barely. “Uh, but I just heard you.”

“Are you sure you didn't hear the hand?”

Rarity and Pinkie both watched in stunned silence as the fingers on the limb began to twitch ever so slightly. The unicorn’s face turned to sheer horror and Pinkie’s mouth fell open. Now, not only was the arm moving, but it was pulling itself back into the tree!

If Rarity wasn't already white as snow, she’d be then. “Uh huh, well, uh, Pinkie, maybe we should back up”—the party pony leapt forward and snagged the hand, tugging it—“oh for Celestia’s sake, get over here!”

“Wakey wakey!” Pinkie called. She gave one more hard yank and the thing came crashing out of the tree onto the ground. Rarity squealed, jumping back.

“Pinkie Pie!” the unicorn screamed. She stomped a hoof in anger. Pinkie glanced over, then focused on the creature that had fallen out of the tree.

“I think he’s hurt, Rares,” Pinkie said with a frown.

Rarity hesitated for a moment. “How do you know it’s a he?” She stepped forward to gaze down upon him. It had the faint resemblance of one of the creatures from the other world—Zach, that was it. Only this one didn’t look as small.

“Helloooo?” Pinkie called, waving a hoof in front of his face. There was no response. Next, she tried to open his eyes—nothing there, they were rolled back in his head.

“We should get him back to Ponyville,” Rarity stated. She used her magic to prop him up, then allowed Pinkie to slide under his back. She stood up and his feet were still touching the ground. “Oh my, this one has long legs. Come along, let’s try something else.”

The dogs were still after them. Bonnie and Freddy—whose leg was very close to being ripped off—sprinted as fast as they could through the undergrowth. After him, Bonnie could hear Freddy falling behind little by little.

“Come on, Freddy. Keep going,” the bunny urged.

“Yeah, j-just you try and—” Freddy’s voice cut out with a yelp as he fell. There was a series of shouts and barks. Bonnie skidded to a halt and turned around, only for a wooden canine to leap at his chest. He threw a fist out and managed to catch the beast in the muzzle. It was blasted into hundreds of pieces.

“Whoa! Freddy!” Said animatronic’s form appeared from a bush, several new scratches coating his metal. He turned to look.

“Yes, I discovered that mere moments after I was tackled,” Freddy said, limping over to Bonnie.

“You okay?” the bunny asked.

“Not much worse than earlier. I’d just like to, you know, get out of here.”

“Me too.”

Freddy and Bonnie started off at a slower pace, since the canines were scattered all over the forest floor.

Chica wasn’t that far behind the two boys when she came across a footprint. It wasn’t exactly a foot, however—more of a U shape. She studied it briefly and then began to follow them. They weaved through a bramble thicket, and then there was some sort of clearing. And that was when another pair of tracks became visible. They appeared not a long distance away from the first prints.

“What’s going on here?” Chica asked herself in suspicion. She scrutinized the tracks and decided to continue following. As she came to the end of the clearing, the second tracks vanished again. Her eyes widened, then narrowed.

“Is this some sort of trick?” she hissed, placing her hands on her hips. She checked the canopy that loomed over her head. Leaves waved in the wind from above.

Fluttershy swooped over Applejack’s head as there was no need for her to walk down on the ground among the pokey thorns. As soon as her friend was out of the patch, she tucked in her wings and landed in the soft dirt. She took a few quick paced steps before falling into her cycle.

“I’m afraid that we’ll miss them,” Fluttershy said. “What if we walk by them and don’t even notice?”

“Ah’ll be the first to say that this here forest is darn annoyin’. Everythin’ we track ends up in here fer some odd reason. Dang coincidences,” Applejack growled. She shook her head in disdain.

“I agree.” She looked back where she was going. There was another narrow path, but thankfully, still room for her to fly. “I’ll take to the air again.”

“Alright, ‘shy. Keep an eye out.”

“I will.”

“Right through here . . .” Chica murmured to herself, following the solo set of tracks. She quickened her pace, determined to find the source of the prints. They seemed to get fresher and fresher (though she was no expert on how that really worked), so she was sure the owner was nearby.

“. . . anythin’?”

Chica focused in on the voice. The accent sounded faintly like her pirate friend. Her curiosity now peaked, the animatronic rushed forward in a quirky run.

“No. I don’t see—” Another voice cut off. “Wait, I hear something.” Chica stopped and approached more slowly.

“Ya think it’s one of those robots?” asked the first voice in its now identifiable female accent.

Chica gasped. They were looking for them! Maybe these were nice . . . whatever-they-ares! She quickly went to confront the speakers.

“Oh—oh!” came the second voice, which belonged to a yellow horse . . . with wings. Chica stopped, confused.

“Uh, hi?” she guessed.

The orange one smiled. “Well, howdy there! Ah reckon you’ve saved us a ton ‘a time.”

“Here, let’s rest for a little bit,” Bonnie said. He led Freddy into a small alcove in the side of a sudden drop-off. The bear slumped down immediately, sighing. His eyes closed, and he allowed himself to rest for a little while. Bonnie sat down next to him, hands on his knees.

“Is . . . is it dark yet?” Freddy asked, cracking one blue eye open after a few minutes of silence.

Bonnie glanced up at the sky. “No.”

“Ugh.”

Bonnie blinked and looked over at Freddy. “You okay, boss?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He rubbed his face. “I’m just . . . tired. I mean, just look where we are right now.” He gazed wearily at Bonnie. “Just let me think.” Bonnie hummed in reply and glanced away, keeping an eye out for any wandering beasts. It wasn’t that much later when a rustling of leaves sounded from the surrounding trees. Yellow eyes glowed in the bushes.

“Uh . . . Freddy?” Bonnie asked quietly.

Freddy grunted. “W’t?” His eyes were still closed.

“Do you happen to remember what color the eyes of those doggy things were?”

“Odd question.” He thought for a moment. “Yellow, I think.”

Bonnie frowned. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

Finally opening his eyes, Freddy glared over at Bonnie. “What are you—” He stopped. One of the lean creatures snuck from the edges of the forest. Two more made themselves visible as well. Freddy jumped, straining to get himself to his feet. Bonnie followed after, eyes wide.

“I thought we killed those things!” Freddy exclaimed. Bonnie grimaced.

“I thought we did too,” he replied. The dogs closed in, rancid-looking saliva dripping from their parted jaws. Their paws carried them across the leaf-strewn forest floor. Bonnie glanced around, searching desperately for an escape route. There seemed to be none.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Timber-wolf Vanquishers, YAY!”

Three small creatures—one orange, one yellow, and one white—flew from the trees, vines in their grasps. They fell from the vines and each landed on a wolf, crushing them into bits. Once done, they turned to Bonnie and Freddy.

“Come on, there's no time to lose!” the orange one yelled. She turned to the side and the others followed, exposing small wings on her back. The white one had some sort of protrusion sticking from her head, and the yellow with a large pink bow.

“Them Timber-wolves will be up 'fore ya know it!” cried the yellow one.

“Yeah! We've got to get to safety,” agreed the white one in a squeaky voice. Bonnie and Freddy exchanged glances. The three equines raced off, tails and maroon capes flying behind them. Not wanting to be left behind, the animatronics ran after them. They could faintly see the shapes of them running through the forest, ducking under branches and leaping over protruding roots. Finally, dim sunlight poured in large quantities through the trees. The exit was close by.

“We’re out!” Bonnie exclaimed in surprise, a grin spreading across his face.

“Finally,” Freddy groaned, sinking into the grass. He fiddled idly with his leg.

“Is your leg okay?” came the yellow one’s voice. Freddy glanced up into the sunset eyes of the girl.

“No. I can’t exactly say that it is.”

“Sorry.” She paused. “Well, Ah’m Apple Bloom!”

“I’m Sweetie Belle!”

“And I’m Scootaloo!”

“Bonnie.”

“Freddy.”

Sweetie tipped her head. “I’ve never heard the name “Freddy” before. Though I know a mare named Bon Bon.”

“How did you know we were there?” Bonnie asked.

Scootaloo turned around. “Well, Foxy has been here for a while. We’ve never been allowed to meet him (Rainbow Dash says he’s dangerous for our age) but we kind of . . . overheard that the ‘others’ were here. So we had to come and check it out!”

“Though we had to keep it secret because we didn’t want any of them to get mad at us, plus we didn’t even know who ‘others’ meant,” Sweetie added.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yup! And when we saw the Timber-wolves closin’ in on ya, we couldn’t waste a single second!” She quickly checked her flank, as did the others. They shared brief looks of disappointment.

“You guys are so cool, too. Wish we could hang out with Foxy,” Scootaloo complained. Her wings drooped. “Anyways, we should get you back to Ponyville. I think Spike is still at the library.”

“Yeah. Let’s go,” Sweetie agreed.

“Wait, a what?” Freddy asked, confused.

“A library?” the filly guessed. She cocked her head.

“Come on, Freddy. Let’s not waste any more time,” Bonnie urged. Freddy glared up at him for a brief moment, then stuck up his arms. Taking the hint, Bonnie stooped over and hauled him to his feet.

“Hmm . . . maybe Ah could help ya?” Apple Bloom suggested.

“How are you going to help me?” Freddy asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Ah’m really good at buildin’ things. If Ah could just take a quick glance at your leg, Ah’m sure Ah could help ya.”

Bonnie looked at Freddy. “Wouldn’t hurt to try.” Besides, they were forced to trust these little girl horses, and apparently they had Foxy.

Grumbling, Freddy rolled his eyes, “Fine.”

“Alright! Just stay still . . .” Apple Bloom instructed, standing on her hind legs. She eyed his broken left knee carefully, then dropped to all fours. She quickly trotted off, going into the forest with no explanation. The filly returned a minute later, a long expanse of vine in her mouth. She spit it out at his feet and looked over to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

“If you gals could find two very long and sturdy branches—preferable with a y—it’d be much appreciated,” Apple Bloom said. Nodding, her friends galloped off into the forest. Once gone, the yellow filly then pulled the bow off her head. She unraveled it and then made it into a sort of padding.

“Ah’m gon’ put this on your knee and then fasten it with this here vine,” Apple Bloom explained as she pressed her dismantled bow on his knee. She wrapped the strong vine around it, using hooves and teeth to get it tied. Once that was done, Freddy tried to move his leg, which she grunted at.

“Don’t move your leg. It’ll undo mah work.” Apple Bloom glanced towards the tree line. “Ah hope those gals get back here soon. And hopefully they’ll have known what Ah was lookin’ fer.” She looked back down at the extra amount of vine she had at her hooves. While they were waiting, she collected a few thick sticks, testing their strength.

“Are these good enough?” came Scootaloo’s questioning voice.

Apple Bloom looked up. “Yup, those look just fine. Bring ‘em here.” She padded towards Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were carrying the branches across their backs. They were shaped quite nicely, so Apple Bloom began comparing the sticks to the branches, adjusting the length, and lashed them all together. Once she was done, they looked quite well put together.

“Are those crutches?” Bonnie asked, pointing.

“Why, yes. As ponies, we don’t really use ‘em, but Ah’ve read books on the subject. They’re mostly used for upright walkers—minotaurs are the only ones I’ve seen usin’ ‘em—an’ that was only one time.” She held them up to Freddy. “Here ya go. Try ‘em out.”

“Oh. Alright,” Freddy said warily, taking them, leg sticking out awkwardly. He positioned them how he remembered the several kids did. He glanced over at Bonnie. “This look right?”

“Yeah, I’d say so,” was his reply. “Boss, why don’t you take a little stroll?”

“If I can even move with them.” Freddy wobbled a bit as he stood straighter. Then he used his weight to propel himself forward.

“Hey, you’re doing pretty well,” Scootaloo complimented.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle agreed.

“Ya feel comfortable?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Think so,” Freddy replied. “Nice handiwork, kid.”

“T-thanks. It was really no problem.” She smiled, a light blush on her cheeks. “Alright, why don’t we head to Ponyville?”

Author's Notes:

I gotta say, I loved writing this chapter. And my my, last chapter you got the other animatronics, and now the Cutie Mark Crusaders the very next chapter? I'm on a roll here. And you didn't guess it, but Freddy and AB are gonna be the cutest friends! Maybe take a little time and guess the other pony-animatronic pals in the comments? *smooth, me, smooth*

I also want to take the time to thank every one of you from the bottom of my heart for actually liking this! I never expected it to get so popular. Nineteen chapters in, and we're not even close to done. Hopefully I'm not disappointing anyone so far. Peace out~