I woke up from a peaceful sleep, stretching my aching limbs. After my visit with Jet, I returned to the Party Palace, and Fluttershy had some bad news.

Before I get into anything… Jet and I only work Monday-Friday. Since the switch to the new location, there’s two other guys who work the weekends: Star Crystal, who works the days, and Golden Slumbers, who works the nights. Slumbers had resigned earlier in the day, and they needed someone to cover his shift. I didn’t want to come in, but I couldn’t resist a lady in distress. Besides, Faust help us all if the demon machines got loose without someone to mind them. So, here I was, waking up from an afternoon nap and getting ready for another night in the trenches.    

“Where are you going?” Cadence asked as I walked to the door.    

“I’m going to work.” I replied.    

“But it’s Saturday.”    

“I know, but Fluttershy asked if I could cover a shift until they find a new weekend night guard.” I said. “Besides, it’s extra bits.”  

“Can’t argue with that.” Cadence replied.

I didn’t really want to do this, but I had to. I wanted to stay home with my wife and relax, away from the pastel-colored nightmare that was Pinkie’s Party Palace, but Fluttershy needed me. I couldn’t let my boss and friend down. Not only that, but if nobody keeps an eye on the animatronics… I shuddered at the thought of what would happen if they got loose. I kissed Cadence like it was the last time I would see her and walked out into the evening air, heading to the Party Palace.  

I ran past the Stage and toward the security room at a speed normally reserved for someone in dire need of a bathroom. I flipped the tablet on and made a quick check of the area: thankfully, none of the mechanical bastards had moved.    

The phone rang, and I nearly jumped through the ceiling. After the shock had passed, I put it on speakerphone.    

“Hey, Jet.” I said.    

“Uh... hey, man…. Uh, what in Equestria are you doing there?” He said.    

“Working overtime.” I said, as I flipped the feed to the Party room to check on Toy Applejack.    

“Shining, didn’t you get the memo? Dude, the place has been closed down, at least for a while.”

“Wait, what!?”

“Yeah, there, uh…. It all happened today. A whole bunch of kids… they just up and dis… well, there’s a huge investigation going on. The Ponyville Police is trying to find them… Some ponies think it’s me… I think it might be the P-”

There was a long pause. I looked at the tablet. Toy Applejack wasn’t there. Oh, buck...

“That little son of a- HEY! Just… just try to finish your shift, okay? It’s a lot safer than trying to leave now. You’ll die for sure. Uh, don’t worry about winding up the music box, I’m going to go out in town and try to find it.” He said.    

“Wait, Jet…” I started. “If we’re closed, and I’m not supposed to be here… why did you call here?”

“I stopped by to talk to you. Cadence told me you left for work a little while ago.”

There was another pause. I grew worried.

“Jet? What is it?” I asked. “What are you thinking about?”    

“Nothing you need to worry about.” He replied.  “Just focus on surviving. Okay, pal? Oh... man, what am I going to tell Flutters?”    

“What the hay are you talking about, man? Talk to me!” I said. I finally found Toy Applejack, outside of a vent, staring into my soul.    

“Fluttershy came over for date night…  and now I have to go out and find it. Oh... man, this is going to be fun...” With that, Jet hung up.  

I put the tablet down and checked the vents: the right one was clear, but Toy Rarity stared at me in the left one. I put the head on and waited for her to climb back through the vent, something I had grown way too used to doing. As I removed the head,  I wondered whether or not I should wind up the music box. Jet did say that I didn’t have to worry about it, but after four nights of utter madness, I decided that I would rather play it safe than sorry. The music box was wound.    

I tried to focus. “Get a grip, Shining. Calm down… stay calm…”

I got out my wallet. There, next to my Equestrian Express card, was a picture of Cadence. Sweet, loving Cadence. Looking at her made the nightmares go away. I felt my heart rate return to normal and the fear disappear. I set the photo on my desk. I’d need it.

I took a deep breath and checked the hallway. Pinkie and Rainbow were there, smiling the biggest slasher smiles possible.

“I’m not in the mood tonight, girls. Please leave me alone.”

I flashed the light until they were gone and checked the vents: clear on both. I flipped to the prize counter and saw that the wind-up meter was nearly empty. As I started to wind up the music box, Toy Pinkie’s giant hoof wrenched the tablet away. I screamed as my hooves flew up and brought the head down. I watched Toy Pinkie and waited for the light switch rave to stop.

When Pinkie was gone, I took off the head and wound the music box. Rainbow took the time to position herself at the end of the hall. A couples of flashes from the flashlight stopped that. I put the tablet down and started thinking about what Jet told me earlier today.

“Flash Sentry… so he’s the sick bastard who mur… mur… murdered my sister…”

As I processed this, I felt the grief and anguish well up. The tears began to flow. I wiped them away as I realized I needed to keep calm if I was to get through the night. If I didn’t, I faced the threat of a cruel death and never seeing my lovely Cadence again.

“Okay, Shining Armor… welcome to the party, pal…”

I went to wind up the music box again, but stopped when I saw the meter was completely empty. Normally, I would freak out, but I remembered Jet’s words… he’d been right about everything so far. Okay, Jet. I won’t worry. I put the tablet down and checked the hallway. Rainbow was there, having finished her pre-flight checklist and started to prep for takeoff.

“Sorry, Rainbow, flight’s cancelled.” The flashlight made her scarce. I kept my ears out, listening for the telltale sound of “Pop Goes the Weasel.” Nothing.

I checked the prize counter again and turned on the flashlight. Where the puppet once was, there was a naked endoskeleton standing there, staring at me. I stood there, staring at it. The impromptu staring contest stopped when I turned the tablet off and turned on the light. Mangled Rainbow was there, staring at me in her deformed, patchwork glory. Due to the noticeable lack of a flamethrower, I flashed her with the light until she made herself scarce.

I checked the vents. the right one was clear. I checked the left vent and CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP.

There was the endoskeleton from the prize counter, staring at me with its red eyes, looking very much like the Terminator without skin. I put the head on and prayed to every deity that I knew of that the Pinkie head trick would work on it. As the seizure-inducing light show ended, I heard something crawling through the vent. I looked: the endoskeleton was gone.  

I sighed in relief as I lifted the head, doing a pre-emptive light flash in the hallways and a check of the vents. All clear. I picked up the tablet and started flipping through the feeds. The animatronics had been busy, scattering themselves throughout the building. I put the tablet down and checked the hallway. The Rainbows had decided to double team me. I discouraged them with a flash of the flashlight.

Flipping through the feeds again, I found Toy Rarity staring at the camera in the main hall and Toy Pinkie hanging around the game corner. I wouldn’t have let that bother me... if she wasn’t alone. Balloon Spike was nowhere to be found. Horse apples.

I soon heard something skittering in the vents. I checked the left vent and there he was, the bastard son of Barney, staring daggers into my soul. I put the head on and waited for him to leave, lifting the head when he did so and making a check of the cameras. That’s when I heard it.

Oh, crap. It’s radio static…

I put the tablet down and looked around, there was nothing… but I still heard the static…  I looked up and my heart stopped: hanging from the ceiling like a giant, misshapen, cybernetic spider… was Mangled Rainbow.    

I pulled the tablet up as fast as I can. Out of sight, out of mind... after a moment, I set the tablet down and… she was still there, now accompanied by long peals of creepy laughter.  

I looked down and saw Balloon Spike. The demon dragon  was standing there, laughing at me. He was soon joined by the hole-ridden Pinkie Pie. I tried bringing the tablet up in a feeble defense. I would have… if Pinkie hadn’t decided to wrench it from my hooves.    

On instinct, my hooves shot up to bring the head down, but my hooves slipped and…

CRACK…

The head broke off the chair.  

“Oh, Faust.” I said as the lights flickered. I was stuck. Mangled Rainbow, Balloon Spike and Pinkie Pie were now in the room with me. None of them were moving, just watching me. Then they started laughing. They let out long peals of demonic laughter. The flapping jaws of the animatronics, the mocking laughter… it was too much. The laughter entered my soul, ripping what was left of it and my sanity to pieces.

Soon, another laugh joined the cacophony: mine. I laughed long and loud… the laugh of a stallion who knew he was doomed. I matched their laughter volume for volume, peal for peal.

I laughed as I held my head up high, shutting my eyes as tight as I could. I braced myself, trying to prepare myself for my fate as an animatronic. I waited for them to pounce… and then heard the sound of fluttering wings coming from the end of the hallway.

Rainbow Dash was coming for me. We have liftoff...

I shut my eyes tighter and waited for Rainbow to finish it…

I’m sorry, Cadence. I’m sorry. Don’t cry for me. I love you… I flashed back to our first date, wanting her smiling face to be the last thing I saw…

Then I heard it…

The sweet, beautiful, amazing sound of the clock ringing.    

It was 6 A.M. I had won. I fell back into my chair, sighing.    

I opened my eyes. The animatronics were gone.

I hauled flank out of Pinkie’s Party Palace and all the way home, flying through the door, leaping toward Cadence, kissing her passionately and giving her the biggest hug I could muster.    

“Shining?” She asked, understandably rattled. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”    

“I couldn’t take it anymore, Cadence. I quit! I love you so, so much, honey...” I kissed her again as if it were the first time.  

Don’t worry Jet. The secret is safe with me.

“I mean, why aren’t you at the mall?”    

I stopped, confused. “Hon… why would I be at the mall?” I asked, breaking the hug.    

“I don’t know. Your boss… Fluttershy, I think it was... said that somepony stole one of the animatronics.  They found it at the mall.” She said.    

“What?”

I kissed her and ran out, heading straight for the mall.    

The Ponyville Mall was a simply designed place with four levels of stores and the only elegant thing about it the ornate fountain in the center of the first level. I soon realized that my search wouldn’t take as long as I thought when I saw a crowd of ponies circling… something.    

I pushed through the crowd to find Jet and Fluttershy talking to a couple of cops. It wouldn’t have truly been bad... if the Puppet wasn’t standing with them.

“Shining!” Jet said.    

“Jet? What’s going on?” That’s when I saw the body. I did a double take. Oh, Faust. It was Star Crystal. He was slumped against the fountain. His head was bent at an odd angle, his neck obviously broken.

“What the hay happened, Jet?” I whispered.

“The Puppet happened. Don’t tell anypony. Let me handle this.” He replied.    

I looked up at the Puppet. It’s dark, black, dead eyes stared straight forward. I couldn’t tell, but I think it’s face was one of joy. It was happy.    

I looked at Jet and Fluttershy. I couldn’t make out much of the conversation with the police, but I could tell it wasn’t good. Fluttershy and Jet were hugging, Fluttershy gently sobbing into Jet’s shoulder while Jet gave the Puppet an angry look.

The Puppet didn’t care. It looked happy.