"A what?” I thought. “Why would this be a poor career choice? The pay's okay, and I don’t see anything wrong with this job...”

“Um, sorry for saying that... it was just how I was welcomed to the job and thought it would help you, or something.” The stallion said. I looked around the office and saw there was really nothing worth noting about it: It had a poster of the new animatronics, vents that had buttons that turned on hidden lights in them, a remote that had ‘hallway flashlight’ and ‘music box’ taped on it, and it had the large desk I was sitting at.

I took a look at the poster, seeing the new animatronics. They all looked somewhat the same as their predecessors, with just a few minor differences: Pinkie had a top hat, a bow tie, and a microphone, Rarity just had a purse and a lute strapped to her back, and Applejack just had a banjo.

I decided to pay attention to the caller and see what he wanted.

“Uh, hey... I actually worked in that office before you. It was really pretty easy.” I heard a nervous chuckle. “What? Uh, just hang on. I’m still getting ready!”

What the hay was he doing?

“Listen, I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you. You're utterly screwed if you're not careful.”

What?

“Okay... first off, the company welcome... thing.” He cleared his throat and spoke in a disinterested tone.

“Welcome to Pinkie’s Party Palace, a magical place for kids and grown ups alike. A place for friends who are loyal, generous, honest, funny and magical! Blah, blah, blah... okay newbie, listen up. The animatronics? Watch them. Also, you see that remote on the desk? Push the ‘wind up’ button on it. It’ll save your life.”

I picked up the remote and pushed the button. I held it down for a bit, then set it back down. “Well, that was utterly pointless.” I said.

“Oh, yeah! Under your desk there should be a tablet. Take that and turn it on by pushing the button on the side.”

I looked under the desk and found the tablet thing he was talking about, then did as I was told. The tablet turned on, showing me a live feed of the Stage area. My heart nearly stopped when the camera turned and I saw that Applejack was missing.

“By now, one of them is probably gone. That’s expected. I have been talking a while. Now, the building can’t run out of power. Make sure you remember that. Unfortunately, your flashlight can. Please be careful when using it, or else you won’t be able to... use it, for lack of a better term.”

I was barely listening. All I could do was stare, slack-jawed, at the stage where Applejack was supposed to be, but wasn’t.

“Uh... in order to use the tablet you have to push the buttons... well, duh. They're located on the map at the side of the screen."

I began pushing buttons in a mad fury, desperate to find Applejack. I nearly dropped the tablet in shock when I found her. She was staring with her blank, lifeless eyes at the camera in the third party room.

“Now, the animatronics might get in your room, which will definitely put you in great danger. That, newbie, is why I installed your very own Pinkie Pie animatronic head! Yay!” He said.

I looked at the head above me. I poked it, which caused it to fall down on my head. My head was enveloped by the animatronic head, and I realized that this thing was clearly made for somepony taller.

“Just put that thing on and whatever comes in will just waltz its merry way back out.” He said.

I removed the head and looked at the camera. Applejack was still standing there, as if the camera were the most fascinating thing in existence. “What happens if they get in?” I asked.

“Uh... they’ll shove you into one of the suits.” He replied.

“What!?” I said.

“Look, newbie, just calm the hay down. You’ll do fine on your first day. I’ve been talking for maybe an hour, so you're fine. Now, I’ll talk to you later, okay?” He said.

“Okay.” I said as I hung up. There is no way in Tartarus that I am staying at this job.

I checked the Stage and my heart vapor-locked. Rarity was gone.

Another panic attack began. I started to frantically check rooms and again nearly dropped the tablet. She was staring at me in the Main Hall. She had removed her purse and her lute, leaving them on the floor.

I flipped to the third party room and found Applejack was gone. I nearly had another freak out before I found her standing next to a vent, staring right at me. I couldn't make out her face from the camera, but I swear she was making the biggest frigging slasher smile she could.

I flipped back to the Main Hall and discovered Rarity was gone. I started another go-round of the camera feeds, only to find a room that had something called a ‘wind up meter.’ I eventually put two and two together and realized that it indicated how wound-up the music box was, and wound it up. I flipped back to the vent, and was relieved to see that Applejack hadn't budged from her spot. I flipped back to the Main Hall, and was doubly relieved to see that Rarity had stayed put. I began flipping through the feeds in a hunt for any more missing animatronics.

I stumbled upon a little dragon... thing... in the game room. It would have been cute, maybe even cuddly, if it wasn’t for his empty, soulless, unblinking gaze. I know he’s an animatronic, but I can still feel that dragon's soulless eyes boring into my soul. You’d think that the designers would make him look a little better than... THIS.

I continued to flip through the camera feeds and... Oh, Faust. Inside of the room I stumbled upon laid the lifeless suits of the old animatronics. Seeing the machines... no, the friends that made my childhood a happy one like this... just shoved into a room and left to rot... it nearly broke my heart.

Applejack was missing the top part of her face, leaving a hollow spot where her face should be. The endoskelton's teeth were popping out of Rarity, making her look like a Xenomorph with it's inner mouth extended. Pinkie Pie... dear, sweet Pinkie Pie... there were holes all over her suit, making her look like Sonny Corneighone post-ambush. I hated seeing them in this state... after all those years of bringing smiles to children's faces, they were just cast aside like junk.

Okay, enough sorrow... onto the next camera!

I hoped they got the extended warranty on the tablet, because I nearly dropped it again as I heard... something... in the vent on the right. I turned to look and turned on the light, and was rewarded by the sight of Applejack's head right there, staring at me.

Oh, horse apples. I thought.

I fought through the panic attack to grab the animatronic head, and  managed to get it on. The lights started to flicker as Applejack's face, still sporting that slasher smile, slid back into the vents.

Soon, the flickering stopped. I decided to err on the side of caution and wait a little longer before taking the head off. After a few moments, the head was off and I was checking the music box, winding it up as I did. I then heard the most wonderful sound in the world... the sound of the clock chiming the hour... I turned and looked at the clock. It was 6 A.M.

"Thank Celestia." I thought, as I sighed and fell back in my chair. It took me a while to get up, but when I did I ran. I ran past the stage. I ran out the doors. I ran as fast as I could all the way home, bursting through the door completely breathless. Cadence, my darling wife, was awake and watching a movie.

“Honey?” Cadence asked. “What’s wrong?”

I opened my mouth to begin my rant-slash-freak out over my hellish new job. I was going to rant about how I faced death that night, but I was interrupted by a knock on the door. I took several deep breaths instead until I was calmed down, then turned around and opened the door.

There was a male pegasus standing there, looking to the side and rubbing his head. From the side he had the mane cut of a famous DJ whose name currently escapes me, but when he turned I saw his spiky mane barely covered the right side of his face.

“Oh, hey!” He said. His voice continued to ring a few bells, but for the life of me, I just couldn’t place where I’d heard it before.

“Uh, hi?” I said. “Do I know you?”

“Uh, yes-er, no! No, you don’t know me. M-My name’s Jet Black.” He held out his hoof and I shook it.

“Have we met before? I swear to Faust I’ve heard your voice before.”

“Oh, uh... you might recognize me as the guy on the phone.” He said, making a nervous smile.

My eyes went wide. Him!? Oh, I had a lot of questions for him.

"Uh, honey? Could you excuse me for just a second? I'll be right back..." I said with a nervous chuckle. I closed the door and turned to the Pegasus, filled with anger. "I have questions for you, and by Celestia, you ARE going to answer them. You got it?"

He shook his head, and I noticed there wasn't a trace of fear. It seems to be a side effect of the night shift: anypony working there and surviving the horrors it had to offer would never feel fear again. It made Lord Tirek look like Little Mary Sunshine.

“Okay, first off... WHY THE BUCK DO THE ANIMATRONICS COME TO LIFE!?” I screamed, getting dirty looks from some of the neighbors.

“Uh... oh, yeah!" There was a nervous chuckle. "Yeah... that. That might actually be my fault." He said with another nervous chuckle.

"'Your fault?'" I asked. "How is it your fault?"

"Thats really not important right now." He said. "But, what IS important is you keeping all of this a secret."

"WHAT?! I yelled in disbelief. More dirty looks from the neighbors. "OH, DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!"

"You know, a secret." He said. "As in 'confidential,' 'hush-hush,' don't tell any-"

I know what a bucking secret is!" I said, interrupting him.

“Okay... well, I just need you to keep this all a secret, okay?” He asked.

“Are you BUCKING KIDDING ME!?" I yelled. "We have to tell somepony about this! Anypony! And another nd another thing, why in the holy mother of Faust did you stay past your first shift!? You know, I don't even want to know, because I... BUCKING...QUIT!"

"No!" He said. "You can't tell anypony. If you do, then the place will be shut down. I can't let that happen... my dear Fluttershy... she loves that place more than anything."

"Are you high?" I asked, semi-serious.

"I can't let that place get shut down, it'll depress her." He said. "And I stayed because... well... I have to."

"What the hay does THAT mean?" I asked.

He just looked down, and I could tell from his teary eyes that he was on the verge of breaking down. He wiped his eyes and looked at me. "Just don't tell anybody, please?" He asked. "You shouldn't have even gotten my job..."

"What are you talking about?" I asked."What happened? And your job? Are you the new day guard?"

"Just don't. Tell. Anpony." He said as he started to fly away.

I stood there, watching him fly away. "Dont tell anypony?" Why? Why can't anypony know about this?

I walked back inside. I just wanted to sit next to my darling wife and watch TV. I didn't really pay attention to it. I was too preoccupied by the questions about the company swirling inside my brain. I planned on getting the answers tomorrow. Now, off to bed... Next Chapter: Night 2: The Mangled Rainbow Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 26 Minutes