Pinkie Pie, I know you have this whole "a promise is a promise, and it's sacred above all else!" mentality going on, but I think you're taking this a little too far. Becoming a night guard? Working the graveyard shift?

Of course Twi, I promised the owner I would pay back for the damages. I did Pinkie Promise, you know.

I know you Pinkie Promised, but this is just ridiculous! You know I could have paid for all the damages your cake did to the restaurant, right?

But then I would be taking advantage of your status as princess. Ponies may call me crazy, but I like to cover up my own messes.

Yeah, but taking the graveyard shift!? Pinkie, you've never stayed past midnight your entire life! How do you even expect to stay awake all night?

Oh, you silly filly! Of course I've stayed up longer than midnight! In fact, I have gone exactly five days without sleeping without incurring any negative effects! Well, except for that batch of soiled cakes, but we don't talk about that anymore!~

I thought that was because of Applejack… Nevermind. Look, Pinkie, I just worry about you, okay? You're all the way in Manehattan to work your debt off. What if something happens to you? The girls and I won't be around to help you out! You're practically on your own for at least a day or two, and that's assuming we can take the express train.

Twilight, you worry too much. Come next week, I'll be back in Ponyville like nothing ever happened.

That's another thing. Don't you find it odd that despite your little cake of disarray incident, you're only being asked to work seven days to pay off the debt? And why the night shift? Couldn’t you work at baking the pizzas? Hay, even washing dishes! But the night guard shift?

I only have to work seven days because the owner and I go way back. I have been coming to this restaurant since I was a filly, you know. It's tradition to come at least fifty times a year! Why, I'm practically family to everypony working here! As for why the night guard shift… you got me there. Maybe it was the only position open at the time? Freddy’s is a very popular restaurant, you know.

I don't know... I still think something's up, Pinkie. Call me paranoid, but I have this feeling that you’re there for another reason other than just to pay off a debt.

Twilight, you think something is up with everything! Let's not forget the "future twilight" incident.

...Thanks for bringing that up, Pinkie. I still can’t believe I freaked out so much over such a stupid thing.

You’re welcome!~

Alright, alright! Look… you do your... job-thing, I guess. Pay back what you owe, and get back here as soon as you can—and... do be careful, okay? At the first sign that something's not right with anything, you give me a call. I'll fly myself there if I have to!

Gee... so dramatic. Everything's going to be okay! Just relax and let old Pinkie do what she has to do, okay?

Okay.

Well, my shift's starting soon. Can't be late for the first day, right?

Pinkie, it’s seven at night. You still have four hours before your shift starts.

I know. Better early than late, I always say.

Uh… nevermind. Again, anything happens, you let me know right away, okay?

Okey dokey then. Bye-bye Twi! I'll be seeing you before you know it!~

Take care, Pinkie...

Pinkie hung up the phone and turned around. Freddy Fazbear’s was still alive with the laughter of children, the sound of arcade machines, and the smell of freshly made pizza. The dining hall was packed to near capacity. Well, except for that one area marked off with caution tape. Behind that tape was a small crater – the remnants of a once firm pine wood table that was now likely frolicking among countless others in whatever kind of afterlife tables went to. Pinkie couldn’t help but feel her cheeks warm up at the memory. It was, after all, the reason she was about to start her new job at the pizzeria.

“Ah, miss Pinkie Pie. Very nice to see you,” an affable voice rang from somewhere near the dining hall. Pinkie turned and found herself face to face with the owner of the restaurant, a handsome stallion garbed in a suit, tie, and sporting a short but well-kept manecut. “We weren’t expecting you for another three hours, you know.”

“Hi Mr. Faz," Pinkie said. "I know I wasn't quite expected so early, but I like to be extra early to all my appointments though!" Pinkie berated herself internally for having used "early" twice in a row. "One can never be too early!”

Mr. Faz raised an eyebrow at Pinkie's words, but didn’t pay it much mind. He was used to the overly cheerful pony’s antics since he had had the pleasure of having known Pinkie from a very early age. In adulthood, Pinkie Pie had become one of his most trusted party planners, the most recent incident being an unfortunate – and costly – affair that had not quite mired Pinkie's reputation in his eyes. She was still the best party planner in Equestria, seconded only by Cheese Sandwich who, unfortunately, was notoriously difficult to get a hold of.

“Well, seeing as you’re here with five hours to spare, why don’t we get started on your training? Maybe even give you the backstage tour to our little place.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened “Really!?”

Mr. Faz smiled. “Of course, Ms. Pie. After all, starting tonight, you are a part of our staff. Only makes sense you’re introduced to how things work behind the scenes.” He straightened his tie and stepped beside Pinkie. “If you would follow me, there are three very important members of our family that are just eager to meet you.” Mr. Faz snickered at his own words for the faintest of moments before his composure returned to normal. He led Pinkie through waves of fillies and colts until they reached the very apex of the kiddie maelstrom: a stage upon which three larger-then-life bipedal figures stood, singing and laughing alongside the young-ins. Not two minutes later, the machines stopped singing and turned their attention to Mr. Faz and Pinkie.

“Ms. Pie, I’m sure you’ve seen them in the pasts, but allow me to formally introduce you to the stars that make our restaurant shine so bright: Mr. Freddy Fazbear, Ms. Bonnie Rabbit, and Ms. Chica Chick.” He turned to face the three figures standing on the stage. “Fellas, how about a bow for our newest family member?” At Mr. Faz’s words, the three animatronic figures took a bow, Freddy going so far as to take off his small top hat.

Pinkie Pie was so astonished by the sight that she had to fight extra hard to keep herself from bursting out into a din of laughter and chatter. Still, she could not contain some of her excitement, which gushed out in a torrent of laughter and shouting.

“OH MY CELESTIA! It’s so nice to finally meet you three! I’m Pinkie Pie, and I have been your biggest fan since I was a little filly! Oh, oh, oh, I know all your songs by heart! ‘Fazbear’s coming to town’, ‘Pizza eatin’ goodness’, ‘let’s all sing a song!’, ‘Toreador’, and-and-and so many others!”

Mr. Faz placed a hoof over Pinkie’s shoulder. “Ms. Pie, you do know the Fazbear crew can’t really reply to you, right?”

“B-b-but-but I just saw them bow to us!” she turned to Mr. Faz. “You asked them to bow, and they did!”

“That… that wasn’t because their alive…” Mr. Faz blinked a few times before turning back to the animatronics. “That was part of their programing. They are designed to respond to commands given by members of the staff. They also have a few other commands, such as…” Mr. Faz turned to face Chicka. “…Say, Chica, what time is it?”

Chica, the yellow chick robot with the 'let's eat!' bib around her neck turned to face Mr. Faz. The corners of her beak rose into what could have been interpreted as a smile… by robot standards, at least. “Why, it’s time to eat some delicious pi-pi-piz—” Chica said, her voice high-pitched and somewhat ditzy, yet mechanical and subtly off-putting. It wasn’t too noticeable thanks to the sounds of dozens of kids having fun at the arcade or loudly conversing, but Pinkie, who was paying extra close attention, couldn’t help but hang her full awareness to every words the robotic chick said.

That’s when Pinkie swore she caught the softest of whispers, one that did not sound at all mechanical, but almost like the voice of a filly:

“ponies.”

That word was instantly followed by Chica finishing her original sentence by saying, “p-pizza!” in a loud and theatrical voice, “And don’t forget to eat your vegetables too!” she finished, with a wage of her finger, almost as if desperate to draw attention away from her last words.

Mr. Faz placed a hoof on Chica’s mechanical arm and patted it a couple of times. Pinkie, meanwhile, racked her head as she tried to figure out just what she had heard. She could have sworn she heard Chica whisper the word ‘ponies’, but she chalked it up to a mixture of her imagination and the roaring din of the customers. For his part, Mr. Faz looked relieved… Pinkie wasn’t exactly sure why though.

“Got anything to add to that, Mr. Freddy?” Mr. Faz turned and asked the bear. Freddy turned to face Mr. Faz, his snout rose into what could have also been considered a smile as he said in a goofy voice, “Make sure you have plenty of safe fun. Remember to listen to your parents and never ever go anywhere alone!”

Then, Pinkie noticed in a brief flash that was almost too swift for the average pony, that Freedy’s eyes flashed black as she heard the faint whisper of a young colt:

“Or else you may not ever leave again”

Once again, the words were instantly drowned out by the sounds of the restaurant. This made it all but impossible for Pinkie to take the phrase as anything other than her imagination playing tricks on her mind. Still, it somewhat unnerved her, a feeling she wasn’t all that familiar with, truth be told.

Before Mr. Faz could even give a command, Bonnie the rabbit walked forward, and wrapped Pinkie in a tight hug as she said in a soft, velvety voice, “Welcome to the team, Ms. Pinkie. Hope you have a good time here at Freddy’s!” The hug became tighter as Pinkie swore she heard someone whisper into her ear:

“Please, don’t lock us away.”

Bonnie released Pinkie, shooting Mr. Faz a glance that was almost too quick for the eye to catch, before returning to her regular position, leaving Pinkie a bit stunned by the event.

Mr. Faz cleared his throat and turned to Pinkie. “Well, seems like I forgot to tell the guys at IT to remove the ‘hug’ protocol. Sorry about that, Ms. Pie.”

For her part, Pinkie smiled as widely as she could manage. She could have never imagined that the animatronics at Fazbear Pizza were so advanced. That last hug had felt so warm and caring, almost as if it had been given to her by another pony. She had to tell Twilight all about it when she got back home at the end of the week.

“At any rate,” Mr. Faz continued, “I think it’s time I gave you the tour of the rest of the restaurant. You’ll need to know the layout, since you’re our new night-shift guard. The place’s not that big, so it shouldn’t take us more than an hour. After that, we can go over safety regulations, training on proper camera usage, and all the necessary information before you can relax until your shift begins at midnight.” Mr. Faz directed Pinkie out of the stage and towards the double doors leading to the kitchen. She turned and gazed at the trio of bots one last time, this time dead certain she had heard Bonnie say something to her. Still, she still chalked it up to her active imagination and not so subtle desire to believe the bots were somehow alive. After all, she had always kind of believed they were.

The rest of the night went by uneventfully. Pinkie was introduced to everypony in the restaurant, got a very detailed course on how to properly use the security system at the pizzeria, and was given her uniform. She did ask at least six times why the security office had a pair of hydraulically controlled blast doors seemingly thick enough to stop a direct magical attack, to which Mr. Faz said: “Oh, we had a bit of a break-in some years ago. Our previous night-guard, who was a wiz when it came to mechanics, installed them to make sure he had a nice and safe location to call the authorities from. In fact, he was the one to give our beloved animatronics their most recent upgrade.”

“What happened to the guard?” Pinkie asked.

“Well… let’s just say that he... moved on up in life. It was sad to see him go, but that’s life,” Mr. Faz said, his tone drifting away from his usual cheeriness. “Sadly, since his departure, the night-guards haven’t lasted that long. Seems like everypony nowadays is eager to move on up in life. But I guess that just means a job for those willing to stick with it.” Mr. Faz looked down at his watch. “Oh my, it’s almost eight! It will be closing time soon. Ms. Pie, you’re more than welcome to spend the rest of your free time in the employee lounger. Now, if you excuse me.” Mr. Faz turned and headed down the rightmost hall away from the security office, pace not quite a gallop, but certainly not a stroll either.

Having nothing left to do, Pinkie decided to take up Mr. Faz’s offer to see how the rest of the staff prepared for closing time. She decided to take the left hall instead. The hall took her right into the arcade, but not before passing a small curtained-off stage with a sign that read:

Curiosity got the better of Pinkie as she neared the stage, wondering just what was behind that curtain. Some looking around led Pinkie to a faded sign that said “pirate’s cove.” She wagered that the stage either led to another section of the restaurant that had been closed off for repairs or upgrades. With a shaky hoof, she reached for the curtain and parted it slightly to the side.

Pinkie yelped and took a step back in shock. Behind the curtain was another animatronic — a red fox with a pair of beige slacks. The poor thing looked to be in a state of complete disrepair, with patches of fur missing, revealing its mechanical endoskeleton. The one exposed eye glowed gold, the light almost piercing in nature. The other eye was covered by a mechanical eye patch on a hinge, implying it could rise to reveal the other eye. Instead of a left hand, the bot had a cruel-looking hook. The right hand was entirely devoid of fur, revealing a metallic and sharp hand. The feet of the machine were also completely bare.

Pinkie shook her head. “What happened to you?" Naturally, she got no answer. With a shrug, she returned the curtain to their original position. As she did, she heard what sounded like a faint voice in the air:

"Not one of them..."

Pinkie blinked a couple of times, slapping her left ear a couple of times. "Did I just hear you say something?"

The machine said nothing. In fact, the entire area seemed to grow quieter for a few seconds before the sounds of the departing guests returned. She once again placed the curtains back into their original position and turned to face the hallway.

"Never accept me... always alone..."

Pinkie stopped in her tracks and turned to face the cove. This time, she swore her left hoof that she had heard something. “...H-hello?”

No answer. Only silence. Pinkie blinked a couple of times, narrowing her eyes at the covered cove. Slowly, she backed away, never averting her gaze until she was in the main dining area again.

“Ms. Pie, there you are,” Mr. Faz's voice ran from across the room. “I thought you were in the lounge already. What are you doing out here?”

Pinkie turned to face Mr. Faz and smiled. "Oh nothing. Just walking around is all." She shot an aside glance to Pirate's cove before turning back to face her boss. A pirate… fox… that can talk...? she thought to herself. Fox… Fox-y…Fox? She stuck out her tongue at that. Nah, that can’t be his name; too lame a pun. I'll think of something later~ she giggled to herself. Now, ‘Hooky’ would be a better name for him. Yeah, Or maybe 'captain trousers'.

“Ms. Pie, what's... so funny?"

Pinkie waved her hoof and smiled. "Oh, just a funny thought crossing my mind is all!"

Mr. Faz raised an eyebrow. “Well… alright. If you need me, I'll be in the main office. Do try to not disturb the rest of the staff. They have a lot of work to get through before the night's over.”

"Okey dokey!"

Mr. Faz gave Pinkie a nod as he trotted down the next hall towards what would have been the main restaurant offices. Pinkie decided to look around the arcade a bit before resuming her tour of the restaurant.

Unseen by Pinkie, the curtain at Pirate's cove parted aside just enough to allow a single golden eye to gaze on at her as she walked away.

"Please... help us..."

Pinkie kept on giggling as she exited the arcade. In less than a few seconds, she had crossed the now empty dining area and once again stood in front of the animatronics stage. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica now stood still, eyes no longer alight. Pinkie felt herself deflate just a bit. "Awwww! I wanted to hear the last song of the night!" She stomped a hoof on the ground and sighed. "Oh well. Guess I'll just have to settle for the first song tomorrow morning then!"

Finally, she decided to turn to the kitchen to see, in Pinkie's own words, 'where the magic happened.' As soon as she entered the kitchen, however, she was almost run over by a cook.

"Hey!" the cook shouted, just barely able to prevent the metal dishes he levitated over his head, "Watch it, newby!"

"Sorry!" Pinkie replied, taking a step away from the middle of the kitchen and standing by the sink.

"Everypony, we have two and a quarter hours to get this place ready for the morning shift! I do not want to stay here after hours!" One of the chefs said. At his words, the workers almost seemed to enter a state of overdrive, working twice as fast at cleaning dishes, scrubbing floors, and organizing leftover ingredients.

Pinkie spotted one of the younger kitchen assistants, a pegasus colt who couldn't have been older than seventeen, and approached him. "Say," she started, "why is it that you all have to be out before midnight?"

The young worker went pale for a second before coughing, clearing his throat, and taking a deep breath to relax himself. He then formed a crooked smile and said, "Because we all strive to maintain our schedules nice and even!" He kept his smile up for as long as he could, but Pinkie could tell it was not genuine. She knew a real smile when she saw one.

"But wouldn't your schedules be more even if you all left at midnight?" Pinkie asked.

This time, the young worker did not say a word. Instead, it was the head-chef who answered. "Listen here, missy. Here at Fazbear's pizza, we have four rules: Be on time, service with a smile, the customer is always right, and never ever stay after dark." He shot a glare at Pinkie. "That's the turf of the night guards, and none of my boys here is a night guard."

Pinkie scratched her head. "But why—" she started, but was cut off my Mr. Faz, who walked into the kitchen.

"Ms. Pie, there are some things that are just tradition here at Fazbear's pizza. Punctuality is one of those. Now I said earlier that you could wait in the lounge until your shift started. If you are going to interrupt my workers, however, I'll have to ask you to wait in the backstage area instead."

At Mr. Faz's words, everypony in the kitchen stopped working and turned to face their boss. Mr. Faz returned the glare, at which point everypony swiftly returned to their assigned tasks. Pinkie thought it strange, but she figured that ‘employee lounge’ was codeword for some kind of company-related punishment. Maybe a time-out, she thought to herself.

"Now, I want this place all nice and clean by eleven forty-five sharp." Mr. Faz said as he exited the kitchen.

Pinkie looked on as the workers somehow double-timed their efforts. With a shrug of her shoulders, Pinkie decided to leave the kitchen, only to be stopped by one of the workers cleaning the floor. He looked around at his co-workers before saying, "Whatever you do, do not run out of power before six in the morning."

"Why?" Pinkie asked.

The worker's ears dropped as he backed away from Pinkie. "Just... d-don't run out of power!" he said before going back to work. Pinkie looked at the other workers, who actively tried to avoid Pinkie's gaze.

It was five minutes to midnight. Everypony else had left the restaurant. Some had literally raced out, keeping their stoic demeanor despite trotting. Mr. Faz had given Pinkie one last talk about safety precautions before locking the doors. His last words for the night had been, "Good luck." Under normal circumstances, the words would have been plain, but Mr. Faz's tone had been ominous, almost as if it was more of an extended farewell than just something to last until the next morning.

As Pinkie settled into her security office, she went over the checklist she had been given. As her eyes rose from the clipboard, she was met with a small room barely bigger than she was. It had a single table upon which various monitors laid, a metal fan, what looked like a speaker from a few decades ago, a poster with the Fazbear gang singing as the words “Let’s party!” almost leapt out at Pinkie, and a few dozen drawings of Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica made by various colts and fillies. In the middle of the forward wall was a large poster with four checklist points, the last one marked red and underlined for emphasis:

1. Conserve Power
2. Watch Cameras
3. Stay in office
4. SHUT DOORS IF THEY FIND YOU!!

Sitting on top of the monitors was a pink-frosted cupcakes— a pink cupcake that had a pair of wide staring eyes. A single unlit candle rested on top of it as it glared at Pinkie. Pinkie would have giggled at it, had it not caught her by surprise.

After giving it a light tap with her hoof, she smiled. “I think I’m going to call you Sergeant Sprinkles,” she said. She gave the cupcake a salute before turning her attention to the office doors.

There were two buttons on the side, and Pinkie pressed them both. The while one turned on the lights outside the office. Oddly, she could only keep one on at any given time. The red button, to her surprise, caused a sliding blast door to come down, sealing off the office from the rest of the restaurant. “Didn’t think they would close this fast and hard,” she said to herself.

She placed the clipboard on the table and checked the camera feeds. Every camera, except the one in the kitchen—which only had visual and audio feed—seemed to be working. Finally, she checked over the power supply.

"Power supply?" Pinkie said to herself. At her words, the clock struck midnight. Every single light except the ones on the office shut off. Only a few faint flickering light bulbs remained, shrouding almost everything in a deep murk. The once cheery pizzeria suddenly took on a sinister facade as a deep silence broken only by the buzz of the fan, the humming of the light, and the faint hissing of hydraulics filled the air.

Pinkie looked at the main monitor. There was a little battery symbol with a 99% written on it. At that instant, the meaning of "power supply" became obvious. The restaurant ran on battery power during the night shift.

"Mr. Faz didn't say anything about this..." Pinkie said to herself as she tried to get used to the newly dark environment.

Without warning, the phone rang. One ring... two rings... three rings... Where is the receiver!? Pinkie thought to herself as she frantically searched the office. Finally, on the fourth ring, the phone picked up itself.

"Hello? Hello? Hi, this is Mr. Faz speaking."

"Hi Mr. Faz," Pinkie started, "Listen, there is s—"

"If you're hearing this, don't bother trying to carry a conversation. It's all pre-recorded, so you'll just be talking to yourself."

Pinkie frowned, crossing her hooves at being tricked so by a recorded message. She made a mental note to try it on Dash next time she saw her though. It would prove to be a pretty awesome prank.

"Alright, there are some things I should tell you now that you've taken up the job of Security guard. I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. You'll do fine! So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay?

"First things first: the customary greeting for all new night shift guards. I apologize in advance if you've already heard this directly from me before. It's kind of a legal thing, you know.

“ 'Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza—a magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death have occurred, a missing pony report will be filed within ninety days to the Royal Guards, or as soon property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced.'”

"Say wa…?" Pinkie asked. Before she could formulate a thought based on the rather odd 'greeting' the automated voice of her boss had given her, Mr. Faz's recording continued.

"Now that might sound bad, I know... but there's really nothing to worry about! The animatronic characters here do get a bit… quirky at night, but do I blame them? No! If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years without ever getting a bath, I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too! So, remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of many fillies and colts, so we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay.

"Now then, the office you are sitting—as you have no doubt discovered for yourself by now, is a reinforced box with two magnetically locking hydraulic doors. They were installed by... and old guard of ours. He's... no longer with us, but his contribution lives on in all our hearts. The doors are also soundproof. More on that later."

"Soundproof?" Pinkie said to herself. Before she could ponder further on the meaning of that last statement, Mr. Faz's recording continued.

"Why does the office have heavy duty blast doors? Well, the characters... do tend to wander a bit. They're left in a free roaming mode at night. It's really the least we can do for them after a long day of singing and entertaining. Also, it helps with their servos. They used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was The Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the equine body can live without a part of the frontal lobe, you know?

"Now concerning your safety. The only real risk to you as a night guard—if any—is the fact that the characters... uh... if they happen to see you after hours, they probably won't recognize you as a pony. They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now, since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to... forcefully stuff you inside the spare Freddy Fazbear suit in the back. Or any spare suit, for that matter

"Now, that wouldn't be so bad... if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and other aracano-tech devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having you body forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of... discomfort…”

Well, that doesn’t sound so bad…

“And death…”

Okay, that’s… bad.

“The only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they... pop out the front of the mask, heh...

“Y-Yeah, sorry I didn't tell you this earlier. In my defense, you probably would have run away screaming had you known that little fact, and I don't blame you in the least. But hey, first day should be a breeze! I'll chat with you tomorrow morning soon as your shift ends to give you a few more details. I'll also send you another message tomorrow night, in case you aren't around during the day. Check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only

The phone hung itself up. Ten seconds later, the doors automatically sprung open, allowing the eerie silence of the restaurant to fill the small office. Once again, only the humming of faint lightbulbs and the occasional snap from the infrastructure filled Pinkie's ears. Pinkie looked down at her clock.

S"Six more hours to go, I guess." she took a deep breath. Giggle at the ghosties~