I walked into the café for hopefully the last time. The night before, my boss caught me on my way home and said if I stayed a while longer, I could be given overtime. I have no idea how much. I only just realized that my pay was one hundred twenty dollars. I-I didn’t read the full ad. I just skimmed it. Anyway, I finally reached Rainbow’s Cove where only a harsh scraping noise came from inside. I shuddered as I listened to it and flattened my ears. It shut it out a little, but it still replayed in my mind. I snorted and kept walking. The animatronic characters were, as usual, sitting in place, staring at the wall. They would soon be up and about so I quickly rushed towards the office.

My magenta and green eyes were fixed on the phone, waiting for it to ring. The sound didn’t come so I put up my camera. It was twelve twenty-three, and Twilight and Fluttershy had already moved. I sighed and checked both lights and I quickly started to check the cameras. One week of doing this and I’m still stressed out. Pinkie still stood in place, her microphone tightly in hoof and her bow tie clamped around her neck. For the first time I actually realized she was wearing a small, blue top hat on her head, covering her pink mane.

I fixed my tie and started to look through cameras. Rainbow’s Cove was silent so I moved to the kitchen where I heard Fluttershy playing with pots and pans like a filly. Twilight was standing in the backstage room with all the ‘empty’ heads. I wanted to look inside the small animatronic heads, but I never got the chance. My drowsy eyes were closing slowly as I looked at the camera and my head began to fall. When I felt the tablet to my face, I snapped my head up and opened my eyes. The sound of the animatronics moving and giggling made me shudder. My blue uniform didn’t help. I felt claustrophobic in clothes; ponies don’t wear them like most of you do.

I kept flicking through cameras until I came to the backstage room. I stared at it. My heart pumped quickly in my chest as I stared at the small slumped over . . . thing in the room. There was a white pony sitting in the middle of the room. Her eyes were gone, only having two blue dots in the middle. I flicked to the next camera, still thinking of the blood covered pony on the camera. My trembling hooves reached towards the light on the side of me. I clicked it slowly and I saw Twilight staring at me, her eyes sinking to my skin. I closed the door, and looked at the percentage. It was at eighty-two percent! How did it do that at one fifty-two? I started to breathe heavily as I looked at the door to my right. Whispering came into my ears. I heard my name from outside the door. I started to hum the tune I would usually sing.

The cool air from outside the café must have seeped in somewhere, through a crack or something else. I was shivering, and almost thought my teeth were chattering. I wanted to turn around to grab my jacket, but after hearing noises, I didn’t dare. I checked both lights, seeing Fluttershy on her usual side. I clicked up the camera and went to the show stage. I noticed Pinkie Pie wasn’t in her usual spot so I started to check everywhere. Her small, fill-like giggle started to echo through the café. My ears twitched when I started to hear noises. They started to become louder as I twisted my ears one way then the other. If you can’t do that, you have no idea how terrifying it is to be able to hear every noise in the café.

I flicked up the camera, making sure the mare that stood in the backstage room was gone. I started to look through cameras. I heard Fluttershy and Twilight whining and sounding as if they were fillies who had lost their mothers. I flattened my ears to block out the noises. I didn’t need to hear the crying anymore . . . I hear it enough. My tensed shoulders soon fell to their usual places, and I started to feel less stress running through my body. It was calming, listening to the fan spin and only hearing the lights flickering throughout the restaurant. My ears twitched and I turned them towards the door where Fluttershy had been standing. I clicked the light to see she had left so I opened the door. Pinkie’s giggle slowly started to fly through the café once more and I started to fall asleep. Her tune came from the tablet in the kitchen. It was calming. Like a lullaby. I closed my eyes and when they opened, I only saw white around me.

I turned my head around and around. I heard nothing but the flickering light. Was I dead? Did one of the animatronics catch me when I closed my eyes? I heard groaning and whining and tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t. I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or dead in heaven. I felt something warm on my shoulder, but didn’t dare move my head. I twitched my ears back but heard nothing and felt nothing more than the warm hoof on top of my shoulder. The noise of a filly crying entered my ears and I tried to flatten them but they stayed where it was the loudest. Then I heard the noise of an animatronic groaning.

I couldn’t move or wake up. What was happening!? I couldn’t scream out to anypony to help me. Then I heard a familiar voice behind me.

Author's Note

Oh my Celestia a two parter! DASHIE WAKE UP! AHH! Anyway, I'm not going to update it until like two days-ish. maybe Idk.