I watched the fan blades spin around while I threw a ball at the wall, it rolling back, and then I throw it back.

I caught the ball and looked at the clock, it was 4:30. I still had a couple hours to go.

I continued in my cycle of throwing the ball and waited for the clock to change to 6:00 A.M.

This was my job now. I looked to the left and out the door, seeing the empty Pinkie Pie exoskeleton that was always right outside the door. I watched the animatronic, thinking it would move at any second and try to attack me, but it didn’t. It was just standing there, staring off into nothing as if it were in deep thought.

I felt the ball hit my side and it began rolling away from my grasp.

“Oh... Great.” I said.

I turned my head to the right and turned on the camera tablet, flipping through each camera. I didn’t see much. All I saw in the semi darkness was the animatronic heads hanging on the wall with lights glowing from their eye holes and mouths, illuminating the darkness somewhat.

I kind of felt myself getting sad seeing the animatronics in this condition, remembering there are the spirits of foals in the suits. But I quickly shook the feeling. They weren’t foals anymore.

But I still felt a small inkling of the feeling stay with me, no matter how much I tried to convince myself that they were monsters and didn’t deserve pity. But... They were still foals.

I turned off the camera tablet and looked left, looking to the reboot tablet. Everything was okay, nothing was broken and needed rebooting.

I instantly got out of my chair as soon as I heard the bell ringing, showing that it was time for me to get home.

“Thank Faust.” I muttered under my breath.

I walked outside and made an immediate turn left to the back door.

I opened the door and took a deep breath of the fresh air, which was a major improvement from the stinky air in the building.

I walked away from the building, but looked back to it and read the sign.

‘Pinkie’s Horror Attraction’. It read.

I turned back around and continued my journey home to Fluttershy. Maybe she made spaghetti and saved me some leftovers tonight. I could really use some.

This was my job now. Every night I would go to Pinkie’s Horror Attraction, which opens in a week, and I watch the place to make sure nopony breaks in. It would have been fine, mainly because I finally found the animatronics I had spent five years looking for.

But they couldn’t move. They were torn apart and empty exoskeletons now. Rainbow Dash’s head was now just a little light to create scares at the end of a hallway, Rarity’s head was just on the floor that glowed to illuminate the Puppet’s disembodied head, Pinkie Pie was now just an empty exoskeleton that just hung out by my door, and I had no idea where Applejack, or any of the Toy animatronics where. They probably scrapped the Toy ones. They scrapped Balloon Spike and kept his voice box for ambience in the attraction for when it opens.

I should feel happy about this. I could finally do my job without having to defend myself from the animatronics, but I just felt sad. They were all just foals. They didn’t deserve this, any of this.

I walked up the stairs to get home where Fluttershy was waiting. I opened the door and heard Fluttershy call out.

“Welcome home Jet,” she said, “How was work?”

“It was fine," I said, “The same as usual though, nothing happening.”

“Well I’m glad that you’re enjoying your new job,” she said, walking up to me and planting a kiss on my cheek, “I have some leftovers in the fridge for you.”

I smiled and walked to the kitchen, opening to door to see a little bowl of spaghetti sitting on the top shelf.

I hadn’t told Fluttershy about my new job, of course not. If I told her about my job at PINKIE’S Horror Attraction, then she would have a fit and probably wouldn’t even allow me to leave the house. I just told her I was just a janitor at the mall and, thankfully, she believed me.

I took the bowl out of the fridge and closed the door, walking to the microwave to heat it up.

When it was done heating up I put took the bowl, grabbed a fork, and got comfortable on the couch while twirling the fork in the spaghetti.

I watched Jet sit down and twirl his fork into his spaghetti.

When he finished his dinner I took the bowl and put it in the sink, washing it.

I was washing the bowl when I noticed I was smiling. I then noticed I was smiling because I was remembering five years ago. Back when Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack would ‘rock out their band’ as the fillies would say. I remember back when Pinkie Pie helped some poor innocent filly when he was lost... But then the Bite happened.

I often think about Pinkie Pie and her friends. Where were they? But a bigger question I had was how the Puppet was able to get to the Ponyville mall and kill that pony.

Nopony stole it, as far as I knew. Could it have moved there somehow? No... Somepony must have moved it. But who would do such a thing?

I turned my head to Jet as he sat on the couch watching the Equestrian Daily News Channel. I quickly turned my head back to the sink.

No! Jet couldn’t have done it! He’s not the type of pony to do that! I thought. I then began remembering back in the second location for Pinkie’s Party Palace, how Jet’s sanity seemed to threaten to snap at any moment. Could he have done it?

I turned my head again to him to see him sitting back on the couch. I turned to the TV and saw he had put in our copy of ‘Ghost Pony Rider’. He seemed to be obsessed with that movie these days.

“Um... Jet?” I said.

“Yeah?” He answered, keeping his attention on the TV but raising an ear. “What’s up?”

“Why do you always watch that movie?” I asked. “It’s pretty much the only movie you watch these days.”

“.... I just like it,” he responded, “I feel like I can relate.”

“.... Jet?” I said.

“Yeah?” He said.

“How do you think the Puppet got to the mall that day? When that pony died?” I asked.

Jet didn’t answer. He just continued staring at the TV with a blank expression.

“Jet.” I said.

He continued to ignore me.

“Jet!” I said.

He looked down with his eyes then looked at me. “I don’t know... Somepony could have put it there.”

“But what pony would do that?” I asked.

“I don’t know... But somepony must have done it.” He said.

“Well how do you think that stallion died?” I asked. “The Puppet couldn’t have done it.”

Jet looked down. “I don’t know Flutters... I don’t know.”

He got off the couch and took the movie out of the VHS player.

“I’m gonna watch this in our room.” He said quietly, walking down the hallway.

I continued washing the dishes, trying to find some way to disprove my suspicions. But no matter what I tried I just couldn’t.

I closed the fridge, a small bowl with a salad in my magical grasp. I walked over to the couch and sat down next to my darling wife who had fallen asleep.

I picked up the remote with my magic and levitated it to me, pushing the button to turn the TV on as it landed next to me.

I levitated a fork to me and stabbed it into the salad, lifting the fork to my mouth. But I stopped as soon as I saw what was on the TV.

“Come be part of the new horror icon of the century!” I heard a voice say as the commercial showed a building that, while it’s structure looked unfamiliar, had a sign on top of it that I could read clearly.

“Pinkie’s Horror Attraction!” The voice said. “A fun new attraction based off the horrors of the Pinkie’s Party Palace, back when a child was murdered there mercilessly.”

I began to remember my, thankfully short, time working at the Pinkie’s Party Palace. I remember when Balloon Spike cornered me along with Mangled Rainbow.

I dropped the fork, hearing the dull thud it made as it hit the floor below the couch.

The commercial went on to go inside the building, showing a Rainbow Dash head hanging from a wall, only one of her eyes shining with a light, illuminating the area around her. It then moved on to show a Rarity head on the floor, both her eyes and mouth shining light, illuminating the head of the Puppet on the wall in front of her. It then showed the feet of something that resembled a pony, but was unmoving.

The camera slowly panned up and confirmed to me that it was a pony. But it was metallic and creepy. It panned up to the face and showed an obviously hollow Pinkie Pie animatronic suit.

I stared at the Pinkie Pie suit, it looking straight at the camera. I know I shouldn’t think this because it’s hollow, but it looked as if it were staring straight at me. I felt my breathing becoming frantic and my heart beating faster at the sight of the Pinkie Pie animatronic.

I looked out the window to the sun, which was now rising, hoping that wherever they were Fluttershy was stopping Jet from watching this commercial.

“This new horror attraction is now the top interest of Ponyville as ponies here all can’t wait until the new attraction opens up in a week.” The TV announcer said.

I began spazzing again....

I didn’t mean to do it.... It just happens.... Probably due to some faulty wiring or something....

But.... “I’m here.... I’m still here old friend....” I thought.

“I never left….”

“And I know you’ll be back.... You always do....”

I began twitching my yellow... tentacle things on my hooves. I could feel my bunny ears twitching as well...

I couldn’t take it anymore... Today is the day I’ll escape…

I put my hoof things with tentacles on the top of the head, trying to lift it off my head.... I quickly put it down when I started howling in pain, only for it to come out as some garbled mess due to the broken voice box…

I dropped my arms, submitting to the pain…

“I’ll get you back for doing this to me old friend... Soon...“ I said, but the broken voice box made it come out as a garbled mess.

My one broken ear twitched as soon as I heard something rustling around outside the room I was in. I heard voices, somepony was coming. I couldn’t close my eyes as the door was opened and a bright light was shone in my face, threatening to blind me.

“Guys,” I heard somepony say, “We found one! A REAL one! Oh ho man! It’s so creepy!”

They walked towards me and I watched as they inspected me. I felt myself unable to move because I was still going through the pain from the gears. I didn’t know who they were, or what they wanted to do to me, but I couldn’t do anything to stop it.

“I’ll get you some time, old friend...” I thought. “And you’ll regret putting me in this suit... Next Chapter: Not Alone Anymore (Night 1) Estimated time remaining: 39 Minutes