Survive the Nightby WRLBChapters11:53 PM- The Main Six Display 12:15 AM-Security Office12:25 AM- Security Office12:30 AM- Upper Right Hallway12:50 AM-Fashion History Display Room12:56 AM-Lower Left Hallway1:00 AM-Parts and Service Room 1:13 AM-Upper Left Hallway1:18 AM: Lobby 12:20 AM-Upper Left Hallway 1:08 AM-Security Office 11:53 PM- The Main Six Display 11:53 PM- The Main Six Display Twilight gasped as a bright light completely filled her sight. She wanted to close her eyes, but when she did, the blinding light was still there. A high pitched sound shattered her eardrums. She tried to cover her ears, but she found that she couldn’t move at all. What the hay is going on? She thought to herself. Where Am I? And how did I get here? Suddenly, the blinding light, along with the defining sound, was no more. It was pitch black, with no sound at all. Twilight didn’t know which she preferred: blinding light and deafening sounds, or no light and no sounds at all. It was then that she realized that her eyes were closed. So, with great determination, she opened her eyes. She was in shock. Wherever she was, she was definitely not in Ponyville, or anyplace in Equestria for that matter. In front of her, about two feet away, was what looked like her loyal dragon assistant, Spike. He was standing, but not moving. His hands were in a holding position, as if he were holding scrolls from Princess Celestia herself. Two feet away from the figure resembling Spike, stood Rainbow Dash (or, at least, a pony that looked like Rainbow Dash). She was standing on a cloud against a painted background of other clouds. Her eyes were closed, so Twilight figured that she was asleep, just as she had been mere moments before. Twilight tried to lean forward so she could see where she was, but she found it impossible to move a muscle. She could only stand there in the dark room with her two friends, waiting and waiting. After what had seemed like an eternity, Twilight heard the sound of hoof-steps on the tile floor. But something was odd about the sound; instead of the graceful clop Twilight was used to, there was a great, ominous clang that reminded Twilight of pans constantly hitting one another. In the corner of the room, a leg appeared from behind the wall, and soon, a whole body emerged. Twilight couldn’t make out anything except for the eyes and the mouth of the figure, which glowed like two flashlights in the dark. Its eyes and mouth were colored bright green, red, and yellow-a color scheme which Twilight couldn’t understand. The figure walked menacingly towards Twilight. Finally, the figure stopped. It gave out a threatening chuckle, and then it spoke. “My, my. Look what we have here,” the figure said in a rasping, echoing voice. As the jaw of the figure moved, Twilight was blinded by the green, red, and yellow lights pouring from its mouth. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, we finally meet,” it said with a grin that made Twilight want to wince. She was about to ask “Should I know you?”, but found that no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not speak. “Go ahead and try,” said the shadowy figure chuckling. “It won’t work.” Silence followed. Twilight was becoming uncomfortable by the neon red, green, and yellow lights staring at her. Finally, the being spoke again. “You want out of here, don’t you?” it asked. Twilight struggled, but finally shook her head. Of course she wanted out, and the sooner she was outside, the sooner she could be searching for answers. “Well, I could just let you walk out. But honestly, what’s the fun in that?” it said, still staring at Twilight. “How about we play a little game? It’s like hide-and-seek, except the goal is to never, ever be caught. I’m it, and if I catch you, you lose. Reach the exit, and you win. Understand, your highness?” Twilight did not know how to answer. For one thing, the thing didn’t make it clear what would actually happen when she got caught and what the rest of the rules were. “Yes? Well then, good luck, your highness,” the figure said, backing away while laughing to itself. The figure turned around in an instant and faded back into the corner from which it came. Twilight blinked in surprise; she was worried, for she didn’t know what the figure wanted her to do. “The game will begin,” the figure’s voice said out of nowhere, which startled Twilight, “In 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1!” A loud click could be heard throughout the room. Twilight saw steam being released behind the pony resembling Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, the pony’s eyelids went up, revealing bright blue lights where the eyeballs were supposed to be. In a flash, Twilight closed her eyes, but she left a small portion open so she could see what was going on. She didn’t know if the pony in front of her was a friend or foe, and she wasn’t going to find out. The pony tilted its head, first to the right, then to the left. It then walked towards Twilight, giving off the same clanging sound as the menacing figure did. It looked closely at Twilight, as if it were examining her. Then, after what seemed like hours, it slowly trotted off to the left and exited the room. Twilight opened her eyes and was relieved that she hadn’t been caught yet. Right when she was congratulating herself, she heard multiple clanging sounds echo throughout the room. In fear, Twilight closed her eyes again, this time completely. When the sounds faded away, she opened her eyes again, this time she saw that the figure resembling Spike was gone. From what Twilight could tell, the room was now completely empty. Curious on whether she could move or not, Twilight thought of lifting her front left hoof. Her the hoof slowly moved up as if a giant horseshoe made of lead was attached to it. She didn’t remember it being so heavy, but she was glad that she could move again. As she plopped her front, left hoof on the ground, it made a rather jarring clang. To make sure she didn’t make too much noise, she slowly but steadily walked forward, cautiously listening to the noises her steps made. Moments later, she was off the wooden surface and on a tile floor. She turned around to see a wooden plank with text above a red button that read: “Princess Twilight Sparkle! Press button to learn more!” Twilight was tempted to press the button, but she decided not to. After all, she didn’t want to attract anymore attention than necessary. She walked around the room, noticing that each section had a different backdrop and a wooden plank with a red button below a line of text. It didn’t take time for Twilight to notice that each section was dedicated to her friends and their interests. For example, in Rarity’s section, there was a backdrop of various ponies wearing dresses in a ball room and a plank that read: “Rarity the Generous! Press button to learn more!” Fluttershy’s section had a painting of her cottage as a backdrop, and the plank read. “Fluttershy the Kind! Press button to learn more!” Twilight thought it was odd how in each section dedicated to her friends, there was a large, empty space right in the middle. But she didn't ponder it for too long, for she knew she had to find the exit, and no doubt the menacing figure would be back soon. Walking at a steady pace, Twilight exited the room. 12:15 AM-Security OfficeThe dial tone sounded while Secure Ard waited impatiently in his office. Finally, somepony picked up. “Who is this?” the pony on the other end groaned. “Y-yeah, Teleafana,” answered Secure, stuttering. “Secure!” the pony on the other end growled. “What do you want to talk about this time?” Much to Telafana’s annoyance, Secure Ard talked to her a couple of times each night. Unlike Telafana, Secure Ard found it comforting that he could do his job and still have somepony to talk to when the nights got unbearably quiet. In fact, Telefana was the only pony he’d felt comfortable talking to. Even though he never met her in person, her voice alone made her sound like a beautiful and stunning mare. Even during his shifts, he would fantasize about what she might look like. One image that stuck in his mind was a mare with long legs, a lean body, bright orange skin, light blue eyes, a long yellow mane, and a short yellow tail. He always meant to ask Telafana if they could sometime meet during the day, but he never had the courage to actually do so. But he wasn't just calling to hear Telafana’s voice; there was something that, to him needed direct attention. “Ummmm…” said Secure nervously “something weird is going on.” “What is it?” Teleafana demanded sternly. “Well,” Secure hesitated, “you know the animatronics in the Main Six Display? Well…apparently they’ve been activated. All by themselves.” “You’re not making this up are you?” asked Teleafana gravely. “Cause if it is…” “It’s not! I swear!” Secure swore pleadingly. “Was there anypony in the control room?” asked Telefana, thinking. “I’ll check,” Secure replied. He switched to the monitor displaying the Control Room. He then reversed the footage to the time before his shift had started. “At 10:00 AM, a pony-I assume it was a staff member-came into the Control Room and turned off everything.” Secure stated nervously. Then he fast-forwarded the tape a little more until he noticed something peculiar. “At 12:00 midnight, on the control panel, one of the lights flashed on.” Secure stated curiously. “Hmmm…” Telafana thought. “And that’s when the animatronics came to life?” “Well, sort of,” said Secure, “All but one: the Twilight Sparkle one. She turned on two minutes afterwards.” “Odd,” said Telafana, trying to find a rational explanation. “This is what I think. There’s probably some glitch in the system which turned the animatronics on. The animatronics are following their regular script, and they will continue to wander around as if they were giving their usual tour. By 6 AM tomorrow, their motors will lose power, and they should return back to their starting point to recharge. Sure, it will screw up the tour schedule, but other than that, there should be no problem.” “But what should I do if they come here?” Secure asked. “Don’t be ridiculous!” Telafana exclaimed. “It’s not in their programing! …But if, you know, another glitch happens, and they do find you, then you can either close the doors, or you could just…no. That’s not a good idea. Just close the doors if they come near, and that should be it.” “Alright. if you say so,” said Secure doubtfully. “Good. If something goes wrong, let me know,” said Telafana. “Good-bye.” Secure was about to say “Will do”, but Telafana had already hung up. Secure then turned his attention to the monitors in front of him. The last words rang clearly in his head: “If something goes wrong, let me know.” He started to wonder if Telafana thought the same way about him, but then reminded himself that he was nothing more than a measly security guard. So feeling a slight twinge of sadness, Secure busied himself by watching the monitors in front of him. 12:25 AM- Security Office“I didn’t know you were such a stallion of class,” Telefana replied in slight shock. “I never imagined that you were so wealthy. Well, I did, but I never thought you were this rich!” Secure Ard was sitting with Telefana in Equestria’s finest five-star restaurant, Celé a Fluantru. Truthfully, Secure Ard had never actually tried the food here before, but the food wasn’t even a concern; it was Telefana who really mattered. She was tall as she ever could be, even when sitting down. Her long, orange mane flowed gracefully to the ground. “Well, I try not to act all snobby like those other wealthy ponies,” he remarked. “Oh, Secure, you’re too humble,” Telefana said, blushing. “But that’s what I like in a stallion.” Secure flashed a wide grin, and the two sat in such a state of pure bliss until he heard three sharp words that knocked him straight out of his daydream. CHECK THE MONITORS! Secure groaned dejectedly. He had been rudely awakened from his lovely, romantic daydream, and now he was back to his cold, empty reality. He proceeded to check the monitors one by one. From what he could tell, there was nothing strange or out of the ordinary. Then, he switched to the Upper Left Hallway Camera and saw the Twilight animatronic running frantically in the distance. She was running farther and farther away. Secure was now on edge; for he knew that the animatronic could appear near his office at any moment. But then, his mind reasoned that he had five more robots to worry about, so he ought to just wait it out and hope for the best. He really couldn't wait for his shift to be over. The next camera he checked was the Wonderbolts Display Room Camera. Everything looked normal at first, but then he looked closer. Lying on the floor was an animatronic, but he couldn’t tell what pony the animatronic represented. It didn't have a character suit on; just its metallic exoskeleton. It lay motionless on the floor, not even moving an inch. Also lying on the floor was what looked like metallic debris, as if the robot had just exploded. Right by the still animatronic was a rock of some sorts. It looked round, and it was apparently glowing. After observing the room for a couple of seconds he decided to move on to the next one. The next camera was the Party Room Camera. The Party Room was a VIP room where little fillies and colts could celebrate their birthdays at the museum. In Secure’s mind, he was hoping to see nothing but chairs and tables, but instead, he got the exact opposite. He looked at the camera, and what he saw made his face immediately turn pale. He breathed heavily. Why was the animatronic looking directly in the camera? Why was it smiling? Was it trying to scare him? Was it trying to tell him that it was on to him? With a heavy, pounding heart, he looked away from the monitor and looked at the ones after it, hoping to find some comfort. All of the other rooms were spacious and empty of any animatronics; it was exactly how Secure liked it. With a big sigh of relief, he leaned back into his chair and started telling himself that he would be alright. “Gotta stay optimistic,” he advised himself. Author's Note This came a little later than I said it would but here ya go! Enjoy! 12:30 AM- Upper Right HallwayTwilight slowed down a little, expecting to be breathing heavily. Usually, when she ran great distances, she would be left wheezing like no tomorrow. The fact that she weighed several hundred pounds more than usual wouldn't have helped either. But she soon noticed that she wasn’t breathing heavily, or, for that matter, breathing at all. She had taken it for granted before, but now she couldn’t help but question if she was even alive at all. She stopped in her tracks and lifted her right hoof up and tilted it up slightly. She then lifted up her other hoof and placed it on top of it. No pulse. She then put her hoof in front of her face. She opened her mouth wide and tried to breathe, but to her surprise, she couldn’t find the strength to breathe air onto her hoof. She tried with all her might, but all she got was a little squeak that sounded like it came from deep inside her. Her mind started racing. The only evidence Twilight had to prove that she was alive was that she was still completely sentient. What Am I? She thought to herself, looking at her two heavy hooves. The only thing she knew was that the figure could be catching up to her at that very moment. So at a brisk pace, Twilight trotted down the long hallway. A little while later, she came across what she recognized as the room that she had just come from. She looked around and saw that it was as empty as ever, but now there was a long length of rope hanging from the ceiling. Brushing aside the fact that the mysterious figure could still be behind her, she walk towards the rope. When she got nearer, she looked up and saw that the rope was hanging from an open space in the ceiling. Odd, she thought, but maybe I can use this to escape! She grabbed onto the rope and tugged at it. She then realized that she weighed too much, when the rope came falling down. Attached to the rope was what looked like a giant metallic hook. The hook gave out a loud clang when it landed on the floor. Uh, oh, thought Twilight, realizing the sound might have attracted her predator. With that, she galloped quickly, but quietly out of the room on the other side. This place is a maze! Twilight thought to herself. A little while later, she came across a plaque on the wall which read: PARTY ROOM:GUESTS ONLY! A place to hide! Twilight thought in relief. Next to the plaque was an opening which Twilight deduced was the “Party Room.” She took one peek and froze with fright. If she was alive, her heart would have definitely skipped a beat. In the left corner of the room, beyond the tables and chairs, was what looked like her friend Pinkie Pie, except her eyes were glowing pink! Twilight then realized that the figure had not noticed her. The pony-like creature was instead looking at a box that was slightly above her. Twilight slowly backed away, but then with a sharp, mechanical twist, the figure stared at Twilight. Twilight imagined herself gulping really hard. The figure’s bright pink eyes glowed and made Twilight feel uneasy. It was as if they were looking directly into her soul, if she had one. The figure’s eyes illuminated her big, skin-curling silver smile. The figure violently started running around the tables and chairs and was quickly heading straight for Twilight. Not again, Twilight thought to herself and ran down the hallway as fast as she could. She reached the corner, but the imposter Pinkie Pie was not faraway. Twilight ran down the second hallway again, barely noticing the metallic pony skeleton lying on the floor. She dodged it and continued going down the path. I’m going nowhere! Twilight realized; she had been running in circles the whole time. She had just run past the same slips of paper she saw before. As she was running, she saw another opening she never saw before. She turned and saw a flight of stairs going down. Hastily, she trampled down the stairs. When she’d finally reached the bottom, there was a door in front of her that had a plaque on it. The plaque read: Parts and Services: Maintenance Personnel ONLY! With great determination, she grabbed the door knob, only to find that she’d ripped it clean off. Clang, clang, clang, clang! As quickly as possible, she opened the door and closed it. She heard the metallic clanging of the Pinkie Pie imposter through the door. Twilight waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally, after some time, the figure left. The sound of its hooves faded away, and faint, eerie laughter lightly sounded along with it. Twilight imagined herself giving a sigh of relief. She thought about opening the door, but she felt she should stay a little while longer-at least until she was certain it was safe to go out. 12:50 AM-Fashion History Display RoomSpike woke up with a sharp pain in his neck. He was lying on the ground, not knowing what he was doing or where he was. There were dresses all around him. He was shocked to see that he was smaller than the last time he remembered. While his head pounded furiously, he started to remember the events that brought him there. He’d woken up in an empty room. Well, not completely empty: to his left there was what looked like Twilight, who was fast asleep. He knew he was looking at Twilight, but she looked so artificial. Maybe it was just him, but he just had to find out if he was looking at the real Twilight or not. He walked closer to his mentor. He leaned forward, ready to poke her. But then he realized that if it was Twilight, it would be rude to wake his own mentor from her calm and peaceful slumber. Still deciding whether to poke her or not, Spike heard the sound which reminded him of pans banging. He turned and saw a curvy purple tail leaving the room. There was only one pony who had a tail like that: Rarity! He rushed in the direction of the purple tail. He saw that there was a long hallway, and sure enough, there was Rarity. Spike wanted to scream “Rarity!”, but when he tried, his mouth just opened agape, with only a small squeak coming out. He shook his head, and it was then that he noticed his queer-looking body. He put his hands on his belly; he couldn’t feel anything except his own weight. He bent his elbows to find that his arms were connected by some black substance he couldn’t identify. He looked up and saw that Rarity was further down the hallway than a couple of seconds before. Maybe Rarity knows what’s going on, Spike thought to himself. With great determination that was powered by his love for Rarity, Spike walked down the long and enormous hallway. As he walked, he couldn’t help but feel terribly afraid. There was only one light illuminating the area, and everything was colored a dark shade of grey. A couple of seconds later, he came across a plaque that read: Fashion History Display Room Spike was confused. Everypony knew that Rarity enjoyed the recent fashions. The only time she even bothered with older trends was when they came back in style. He walked into the room and saw Rarity looking at each of the gowns. Knowing her, she was probably looking at them with the upmost attention to detail. He walked a little closer, and then he froze. Something was moving in the darkness, and he was surprised that Rarity didn’t take any notice to the sound of small hooves clopping against the hard floor. Spike looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Then, Spike heard a loud SMASH. He looked back at Rarity and couldn’t believe what he saw. A stallion dressed all in black had bashed Rarity’s head with a baseball bat! Spike wanted to help, but he was frozen in fear. He watched in horror as the stallion smashed and smashed his special somepony’s head into a pulp. He was even more terrified when bits and pieces of her face went flying off with each blow. He had to do something, but what? His gut told him to attack the stallion. He moved forward, and suddenly, the stallion turned his head and glared at him. Spike was ready to tear him to shreds, but then he felt a hard “WHACK” to his head. He fell down and hit the ground. “I did it boss,” a voice behind him said. “Good job,” the stallion said, “now help me with this one.” “Sure thing,” said the voice behind him. Then he blacked out. He remembered everything clearly now, as he stood with great difficulty. He held Rarity’s withered body in his arms. I should have known he wouldn’t be working alone, Spike thought to himself. As he brushed Rarity’s mane, he noticed how stiff it was, unlike how she usually had it. He didn’t care if she had a fake appearance; he swore that she would be avenged. He then heard voices coming from a small opening in the wall. He got in front of the opening and crawled into it. 12:56 AM-Lower Left HallwayAlright, stay calm, think happy thoughts, calm peaceful happy thoughts, thought Fluttershy as she walked down the long and cold hallway. She dreaded being alone in strange places. Earlier, she had been following Applejack, but Fluttershy had lost her a good long while ago. Other than the sound of a small “hummmm” and Fluttershy’s walking, the hallway was deadly quiet. Fluttershy was on edge. What if a monster appeared from behind the corner? What if a serial killer came behind her and sliced her neck open? The anxiety was killing her! There was only one goal that kept her moving. Find the exit! It was the only logical and reasonable thing Fluttershy could come up with. As she carefully treaded the hallway, she started thinking about Applejack and thought that maybe they could team up and find the exit together. But she thought of the daunting task of trying to find Applejack in such a horrid place like this. She didn’t have a clue where anything was, and she might as well have been blindfolded. She stopped walking and curled into herself on the floor. It was hopeless. She was lost in a strange cold, dark place, with no pony to help or guide her, and no pony to say everything was going to be alright. She wanted to cry, but there were no tears to shed, and she couldn’t find her voice to whimper. I might as well be dead! She wanted to scream. Somepony kill me already! Then a couple of feet away, she noticed a yellowish-orange light. She imagined herself gasping. It was a sign of hope. A light in the darkness, one might say. She got up and raced towards the light. She was inches away from the light when she noticed it was coming from a window. She looked into it and saw a pudgy looking stallion with dark green skin and a dark brown mane sitting on a red velvet chair looking at glowing boxes on the wall. Fluttershy’s eyes widened when she noticed that the stallion was in uniform. Surely, he would know how to help her. Next to the window was an entrance into the room the stallion was in. With a little self-coaxing, Fluttershy drew in the courage to walk through. She wanted to say “Excuse me kind sir, can you help me?” But instead of words coming out of her mouth, a loud “ARNRNGNGNGNGNGNGNGN!” could be heard which startled both the stallion and herself. Fluttershy jumped backward and a metal slab came down, making the room inaccessible. The stallion eyed her through the window. His face looked pale, and from the looks of it, he was hyperventilating. Fluttershy was distraught. She didn’t mean to scare the stallion; she just wanted some help. Ashamed of herself, she ran away in the opposite direction, crying deep down inside. She didn’t have any pony to rely on but herself now, and the mere realization of that fact made her anxiety even worse 1:00 AM-Parts and Service Room 1:00 AM-Parts and Service Room Twilight was still in the exact same spot for the past twenty minutes or so. A bright violet light from a part of her body was the only source of light in the entire room. Twilight theorized that the light must have been coming from her horn. Since the horn was used to shining in dark places, she didn’t need to command it to light up. The room was cluttered in metallic knick-knacks and shiny objects. She went deeper into the room and knocked into somepony. Startled, Twilight turned around only to see Pinkie Pie grinning at her. But as Twilight focused on the figure, she realized it was just a head similar to her friend’s. She turned her head to the left to find multiple replicas of the heads of the rest of her friends and, shockingly, her own. What type of sicko makes multiple heads of the same pony? Twilight thought to herself. She was beginning to leave the room when something clicked. She paused. The sound had come from a table in the center of the room. Then, there was a cranking noise, followed by dull wizzzzzzz. A figure with a long horn roes from the table, and with a few more cranks the figure looked directly at Twilight. The figure’s entire body was lopsided. On its right side, a metallic wing popped out. The wing was all bone and deprived of muscles, flesh, and feathers. But nothing caught Twilight’s attention more than when the figure looked at her with green, yellow, and red glowing eyes. It was the mysterious figure from before! “Well hello again princess!” it said, “It appears that I have caught you!” The figure cackled, before placing its two hoofs on the ground. Twilight rushed by the opposite side of the table. “Nopony can outrun me!” it bellowed. “You’re just making it harder on yourself. Don’t you want this to be quick and painless?” Twilight was many things, but a quitter wasn’t one of them. She pushed the door open with her head, and she was outside before she’d realized it. She galloped onward, knowing the figure would be catching up. She heard the door burst open and saw a horrendous monstrosity. She now knew why the figure was lopsided. One half resembled Queen Celestia, while the other half resembled her little sister, Princess Luna. It was as if somepony tried to sew the two sisters together and failed miserably. What pony would even dare to try a task such as this? Twilight brushed her questions aside and kept on running. The creature leaped with every second. While Twilight galloped two steps, the figure was galloping eight. She was close enough to grind Twilight’s tail to shreds. At least I won’t have to worry about hyperventilating or dying from a heart attack. Twilight thought to herself as she trotted. She looked straight ahead, only to come to the shocking realization that she was running out of hallway and fast. She turned towards a room labeled: Dragon Bone Room In the center of the room was a display of skeletal remains of a giant dragon. Twilight turned to one side, hoping the monster would miss her and keep going. Twilight looked behind her and saw that the creature was not falling for it. “YOU’RE AS GOOD AS MINE!” it yelled. Twilight bolted out of the room and made a left down another hallway. She came passed a sign reading: Restrooms Without even knowing what a restroom was, Twilight turned and headed for a door marked: Stallions Twilight rammed the door open and closed it on her pursuer. There was a big cylinder in the corner, and Twilight pushed it in front of the door, hoping to stall for time. She turned the corner to find a bunch of stalls in a row. She raced into the stall farthest away, closed the door, and curled as far back as she could go. In the middle of the stall was a white contraption that Twilight had never seen before. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to hide behind or under it. BAM! CLUNK! Twilight became motionless. “Twilight…” said the figure’s eerie voice. “Where are you? Come out…come out…wherever you…are! Hmmmm… are you in this one?” BAM! “Or this one…?” BAM! “How about this one…?” BAM! “Not enough stalls left…” BAM! “I have all the time in the world! But you don’t!” BAM! The last one sounded like it was right near her. “Last one!” Twilight could hear the figure say. This was the end. She was going to die a horrible death. If only she didn’t go into that room. If only she didn’t get the Pinkie Pie impersonator’s attention. In her worrying, she realized that the monster didn’t bash down the door yet. “D-d-d-d-ang-g-g, DANG, i-i-i-i-t-t-t, IT!” she heard it say before walking off. Twilight didn’t understand. Why didn’t the figure knock the door down? Not that she wanted the figure to bash in, but it was just something she wasn’t expecting. After waiting a couple of minutes she walked out of the stall. The cylinder shaped object was rolling on the floor, and the door was lying flat on the floor. Twilight walked outside of the corner and was in the hallway again. She looked to her left to see the monstrosity lying on the floor next to a contraption on the wall. The contraption had a curvy like object hanging from a cord that was attached to a plaque that had buttons with numbers on it. On top it read: Emergency Phone! Use for Emergencies ONLY! Twilight winced. She never heard of a phone before and was curious about how it worked. But then, she realized that she needed to get to the task at hoof. She decided to keep on trotting past the body at a normal pace. She wouldn't have to worry about the creature for long and that was enough time to find the exit. 1:13 AM-Upper Left HallwayFluttershy was wandering around the area, hopelessly trying to find Applejack, or anypony else for that matter. She could have sworn that she saw Applejack a moment ago but after a while she realized it could have been a cruel trick created by the light. What made her trek worse was that she had absolutely no pony to talk to. If she was in a nice cool, relaxing, and familiar environment, she wouldn’t mind this but now she was in a cold, uncomfortable, and unknown territory. She needed somepony to talk to, have a plan, and know what they were doing. As Fluttershy trotted down the hallway, a faint flashing blue light caught her attention. She was cautious due to her last experience with strange lights. After inching towards the light, Fluttershy heard the whistle of a faint breeze. As she listened closer the noise formed into a faint voice. The further she trotted the more it sounded like it was calling out to her in an indecipherable language. The light grew brighter and flashed more violently. As the hallway grew somewhat bright, Fluttershy was able to make out the body of a silver pony lying on the ground. Its eyes were closed; its legs looked like they were ripped right out of their sockets. A deep impression was visible on the pony’s flank. Fluttershy was expecting to see red blood and body tissue everywhere. But instead she saw nothing of the sort. Every second or so, tiny bright lights, like mini white fireworks, blew out of the pony and faded out of vision. Lying next to the pony was a shiny blue object. By the texture it looked like a stone. The breeze became stronger and the whisper sounded more demanding than ever. Fluttershy was hypnotized by the stone. She had no other choice than to touch it. The light of the rock consumed her vision and everything around her became as white as snow. Fluttershy closed her eyes. Strong winds were going up against her face moving her cheeks right and left. Then she heard a voice, no voices, lots and lots of voices, each with their own tones and volumes. Her body felt odd. She distinctly remembered touching a rock, but she was lying on what felt like a wall. A wall that felt soft, cold and transparent. She had no choice but to open her eyes. She was greeted by a bright blue sky filled with white fluffy clouds “Where am I?” she shouted when suddenly she realized that she could talk! She looked down. A stadium shaped cloud was directly below her. It was filled with uncountable amounts of Pegasi. She was about to scream. She was afraid of heights and by the looks of things there were no signs of ground anywhere. Surprisingly, however, she was distracted by her…blue hoofs…blue wings…blue body… rainbow mane… rainbow tail… “Sweet Celestia!” Fluttershy exclaimed in realization. It was then when she heard the screams of a pony from below. She looked down to see her friend Rarity falling to her death. Without hesitation Fluttershy turned her body around facing downward. “Don’t worry Rarity,” Fluttershy announced, “I’m a comin!” While she was going down and what seemed like record pace, she couldn’t help but feel the effects of déjà vu. The faster she fell, the more force she felt. Wind was blowing against her body at what felt like 100 miles per hour. As she passed through the stadium, she started feeling like she was being cooked in an oven. As what felt like electrical sparks flew, she gritted teeth and pushed forward. A big boom could be heard behind her, but that’s not what caught her attention. It was the voice of a pony above her screaming, “A SONIC RAINBOOM! SHE DID IT! WOO!” She picked up Rarity and a few other Pegasi as well. When she re-entered the stadium, she heard the cries of a voice she knew very well. She looked up and there she was, jumping for joy. “A SONIC RAINBOOM!” her other self said, “YEAH!” With that, her vision fade out to white and all was silent again. Fluttershy blinked for a second or two when her vision slowly came back. Her body was the same before she touched the rock which now vanished without a trace. She was back in the dingy, dark hallway next to the motionless pony. She was back where she started! But for some odd reason it didn’t bother her as it did before. She stood up and looked around. Yes, she was still in the same dilapidated environment, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. She was going to find Applejack, and she was going to find the exit even if it killed her. She felt the strength of a thousand horses. If somepony was going to slice her neck open, they better be prepared. She was going to knock him or her out like it was no tomorrow. Then, with a hint of realization, she thought to herself, That’s exactly what Rainbow Dash would say! 1:18 AM: Lobby 1:18 AM: Lobby Pinkie Pie looked around. She could have sworn that she saw her friend Twilight walking down this way. She went down the hallway that opened up into a big and open room. There were windows all over the place and in the middle of the room was a big, tall box. As Pinkie Pie got closer to the box, she was able to make out images plastered onto it. One side showed two ponies having a great time and at the bottom was some text that read: Discovery is fun when you’re at the Canterlot Museum! On the other side was a picture of a container of water and some text that read: Are you drinking enough? On the other side was a picture with a bunch of tree stumps next to a barren wasteland with text that read:' The Everfree Forest is in danger! See what you can do to help! Finally, on the last side of the box was a picture with 4 squares with lines, words, and symbols on it. Pinkie Pie could have made sense of it all if she had taken the time, but her attention was focused elsewhere. That elsewhere was a big sign with a green backdrop and dark red letters that read: Braeburn’s Casino. Pinkie Pie remembered Braeburn from her previous adventures, but he never mentioned having a casino named after him. It also got her attention because when there was a saloon, there were ponies. If there were ponies, then there was a good chance that one of them could be Twilight or somepony else who could fill in her about what was going on. Before she walked in, she noticed that there wasn’t any noise coming from the door. Maybe they’re quiet because they’re throwing a surprise party. she thought. Taking a final step forward, she passed through the two wooden doors. The room was totally dark. The only light in the room was a soft, pink glow that came from Pinkie Pie. She looked high and low trying to figure out where every pony was hiding. She checked behind the counter and even in the back. She started feeling nervous. Her surprise party theory was slowly being shot down. Where is everypony? Pinkie Pie asked herself. As her search continued in the back room, she found small collections of switches plastered onto the wall. Her curiosity sparked and with nothing to lose, Pinkie turned on each switch one by one. She looked back to the casino, which was now vibrant with lights and noises. With a taste of success and amazement, she trotted out of the back room and past the counter. The new sources of light showed that despite for the machines and poker tables, the entire room was completely empty. She started thinking that maybe the noises and lights could attract her friend Twilight or some other pony that could help her out. Pinkie Pie was amazed at the slot machines, they were more colorful, brighter, and noisier than she remembered. The one that stood out from the rest was a tall, black, and giant slot machine in the form of a mare with a pink and yellow mane and tale. The three reels were placed in the center of the figure’s chest, the winning line placed underneath it, the payout tray underneath that, the coin slot right next to it, the coin reject slot was placed near the top of the leg, and the bright red lever was placed on the figure’s side. As Pinkie trotted over to the machine, she noticed that right next to it was a sign that read: Does Mare Luck have her heart set on you? Test your charm and win MILLIONS Pinkie also began to notice that it was the only slot machine that appeared dormant. It didn’t make any noise, or flash any lights. It must be broken, Pinkie thought. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, an idea that could probably work. With all of her strength, Pinkie kicked the figurine right in the sides. SLAM! The three reels glowed with a blue fluorescent light that had Pinkie almost in a trance. The eyes flickered on. Pinkie then looked curiously at the figurines glowing eyes. Both eyes had three distinct colors. They were red, green, and yellow! 12:20 AM-Upper Left Hallway 12:20 AM-Upper Left Hallway Twilight walked down the hall with utmost caution. As she was walking, she wondered if this was how Luna felt after she was banished to the moon, for the place felt dark, ominous, and void of anything uplifting or happy. She looked to her left and saw pieces of paper attached to the walls. The slips had events written on them, some more distinguished than others. One stood out to her in particular, and it read: Missing: Faline Oyful, Last Seen: The Royal Canterlot Museum Description: Champagne skin, red and green tail and mane, and dark blue eyes. If found: Notify Canterlot Police immediately! As Twilight walked further down the hall, she found some more slips of paper that generally said the same thing: the name of a missing pony, the location they were last seen at, a description of what they looked like, and what to do if they were found. She couldn't help but notice how each pony was last seen at the Royal Canterlot Museum, wherever that was. She then began to wonder where she was. Could she be in a different world, continent, island, town, or city? She even reached the possibility that she was walking in the Royal Canterlot Museum, but then she heard a loud bang. Twilight jumped. What was that? She thought to herself. The loud noise sounded like it wasn't too far away. Her mind raced. It could have been the mysterious pony, or it could have been something else entirely. She was frozen; she had to make a decision, and she had to make it quickly. She could either run away, or she could do some investigating. She then realized that the mysterious pony could be galloping down the hallway at that very moment. Twilight quickly turned around, bolted down the hallway, and refused to look back. She just had to find a way out of this forsaken place! 1:08 AM-Security Office 1:08 AM-Security Office “Teleafana, I need your help!” Secure screamed into the phone. “Secure? What’s wrong?” Teleafana asked on the other end. “Well at first everything was alright,” Secure began, “but one of the animatronics, the Fluttershy one, came in and was about to kill me! Luckily I closed the door just in time.” “Odd...,” Teleafana pondered, “they’re not programed to do that.” “That’s not all,” Secure continued, “on several of the monitors I saw the Twilight animatronic being chased by some…creature. It followed the Twilight animatronic into the stallion’s restroom, came out when I was waiting for you to pick up, hit the emergency phone out of the holster, and plopped on the floor. It hasn’t been doing anything since.” “What does it look like?” Teleafana asked concerned. “Well…” Secure replied, “it looks like it’s half Queen Celestia and half Princess Luna. If you don’t mind, do you know anything about that monster of an animatronic?” Secure could hear Teleafana sighing on the other end. “Not long ago,” Teleafana explained, “the curator of the museum wanted an animatronic that during the day would resemble Queen Celestia and at night morph into the likeness of Princess Luna.” “We have the tec to do that now?” asked Secure. “Well not tec per say,” Telefan replied, “more like a night and day transformation spell. Like how some objects have spells cast on them to transform as the light of the sun and moon progresses throughout each day. That’s exactly what the curator wanted but for a ten foot tall, electronic, moving statue. Long story short, the magic was not compatible with the technology and the results show. Ever since then it’s been locked away in the parts and service room for scrap metal and hardware. It hasn’t been activated since.” “Well I don’t mean to sound rude,” Secure apologized, “but it looked pretty active to me.” “I know,” Teleafana replied, “which worries me. Stay there, and be safe, I’m coming over there right now!” “You mean it?” asked Secure. “I’ve never been more serious in my life,” she replied, “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Expect to see me in the back entrance. Keep your eye on that animatronic, don’t let anything distract you.” “Got it,” Secure replied. “Goodbye Secure,” Telefan said before hanging up. As if in response, Secure properly placed the phone back into its holster. He couldn’t help but to smile. Sure, his life was being threatened by killer, haywire animatronics, but on the bright side he was going to see the mare of his dreams for the very first time.
11:53 PM- The Main Six Display 11:53 PM- The Main Six Display Twilight gasped as a bright light completely filled her sight. She wanted to close her eyes, but when she did, the blinding light was still there. A high pitched sound shattered her eardrums. She tried to cover her ears, but she found that she couldn’t move at all. What the hay is going on? She thought to herself. Where Am I? And how did I get here? Suddenly, the blinding light, along with the defining sound, was no more. It was pitch black, with no sound at all. Twilight didn’t know which she preferred: blinding light and deafening sounds, or no light and no sounds at all. It was then that she realized that her eyes were closed. So, with great determination, she opened her eyes. She was in shock. Wherever she was, she was definitely not in Ponyville, or anyplace in Equestria for that matter. In front of her, about two feet away, was what looked like her loyal dragon assistant, Spike. He was standing, but not moving. His hands were in a holding position, as if he were holding scrolls from Princess Celestia herself. Two feet away from the figure resembling Spike, stood Rainbow Dash (or, at least, a pony that looked like Rainbow Dash). She was standing on a cloud against a painted background of other clouds. Her eyes were closed, so Twilight figured that she was asleep, just as she had been mere moments before. Twilight tried to lean forward so she could see where she was, but she found it impossible to move a muscle. She could only stand there in the dark room with her two friends, waiting and waiting. After what had seemed like an eternity, Twilight heard the sound of hoof-steps on the tile floor. But something was odd about the sound; instead of the graceful clop Twilight was used to, there was a great, ominous clang that reminded Twilight of pans constantly hitting one another. In the corner of the room, a leg appeared from behind the wall, and soon, a whole body emerged. Twilight couldn’t make out anything except for the eyes and the mouth of the figure, which glowed like two flashlights in the dark. Its eyes and mouth were colored bright green, red, and yellow-a color scheme which Twilight couldn’t understand. The figure walked menacingly towards Twilight. Finally, the figure stopped. It gave out a threatening chuckle, and then it spoke. “My, my. Look what we have here,” the figure said in a rasping, echoing voice. As the jaw of the figure moved, Twilight was blinded by the green, red, and yellow lights pouring from its mouth. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, we finally meet,” it said with a grin that made Twilight want to wince. She was about to ask “Should I know you?”, but found that no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not speak. “Go ahead and try,” said the shadowy figure chuckling. “It won’t work.” Silence followed. Twilight was becoming uncomfortable by the neon red, green, and yellow lights staring at her. Finally, the being spoke again. “You want out of here, don’t you?” it asked. Twilight struggled, but finally shook her head. Of course she wanted out, and the sooner she was outside, the sooner she could be searching for answers. “Well, I could just let you walk out. But honestly, what’s the fun in that?” it said, still staring at Twilight. “How about we play a little game? It’s like hide-and-seek, except the goal is to never, ever be caught. I’m it, and if I catch you, you lose. Reach the exit, and you win. Understand, your highness?” Twilight did not know how to answer. For one thing, the thing didn’t make it clear what would actually happen when she got caught and what the rest of the rules were. “Yes? Well then, good luck, your highness,” the figure said, backing away while laughing to itself. The figure turned around in an instant and faded back into the corner from which it came. Twilight blinked in surprise; she was worried, for she didn’t know what the figure wanted her to do. “The game will begin,” the figure’s voice said out of nowhere, which startled Twilight, “In 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1!” A loud click could be heard throughout the room. Twilight saw steam being released behind the pony resembling Rainbow Dash. Suddenly, the pony’s eyelids went up, revealing bright blue lights where the eyeballs were supposed to be. In a flash, Twilight closed her eyes, but she left a small portion open so she could see what was going on. She didn’t know if the pony in front of her was a friend or foe, and she wasn’t going to find out. The pony tilted its head, first to the right, then to the left. It then walked towards Twilight, giving off the same clanging sound as the menacing figure did. It looked closely at Twilight, as if it were examining her. Then, after what seemed like hours, it slowly trotted off to the left and exited the room. Twilight opened her eyes and was relieved that she hadn’t been caught yet. Right when she was congratulating herself, she heard multiple clanging sounds echo throughout the room. In fear, Twilight closed her eyes again, this time completely. When the sounds faded away, she opened her eyes again, this time she saw that the figure resembling Spike was gone. From what Twilight could tell, the room was now completely empty. Curious on whether she could move or not, Twilight thought of lifting her front left hoof. Her the hoof slowly moved up as if a giant horseshoe made of lead was attached to it. She didn’t remember it being so heavy, but she was glad that she could move again. As she plopped her front, left hoof on the ground, it made a rather jarring clang. To make sure she didn’t make too much noise, she slowly but steadily walked forward, cautiously listening to the noises her steps made. Moments later, she was off the wooden surface and on a tile floor. She turned around to see a wooden plank with text above a red button that read: “Princess Twilight Sparkle! Press button to learn more!” Twilight was tempted to press the button, but she decided not to. After all, she didn’t want to attract anymore attention than necessary. She walked around the room, noticing that each section had a different backdrop and a wooden plank with a red button below a line of text. It didn’t take time for Twilight to notice that each section was dedicated to her friends and their interests. For example, in Rarity’s section, there was a backdrop of various ponies wearing dresses in a ball room and a plank that read: “Rarity the Generous! Press button to learn more!” Fluttershy’s section had a painting of her cottage as a backdrop, and the plank read. “Fluttershy the Kind! Press button to learn more!” Twilight thought it was odd how in each section dedicated to her friends, there was a large, empty space right in the middle. But she didn't ponder it for too long, for she knew she had to find the exit, and no doubt the menacing figure would be back soon. Walking at a steady pace, Twilight exited the room.
12:15 AM-Security OfficeThe dial tone sounded while Secure Ard waited impatiently in his office. Finally, somepony picked up. “Who is this?” the pony on the other end groaned. “Y-yeah, Teleafana,” answered Secure, stuttering. “Secure!” the pony on the other end growled. “What do you want to talk about this time?” Much to Telafana’s annoyance, Secure Ard talked to her a couple of times each night. Unlike Telafana, Secure Ard found it comforting that he could do his job and still have somepony to talk to when the nights got unbearably quiet. In fact, Telefana was the only pony he’d felt comfortable talking to. Even though he never met her in person, her voice alone made her sound like a beautiful and stunning mare. Even during his shifts, he would fantasize about what she might look like. One image that stuck in his mind was a mare with long legs, a lean body, bright orange skin, light blue eyes, a long yellow mane, and a short yellow tail. He always meant to ask Telafana if they could sometime meet during the day, but he never had the courage to actually do so. But he wasn't just calling to hear Telafana’s voice; there was something that, to him needed direct attention. “Ummmm…” said Secure nervously “something weird is going on.” “What is it?” Teleafana demanded sternly. “Well,” Secure hesitated, “you know the animatronics in the Main Six Display? Well…apparently they’ve been activated. All by themselves.” “You’re not making this up are you?” asked Teleafana gravely. “Cause if it is…” “It’s not! I swear!” Secure swore pleadingly. “Was there anypony in the control room?” asked Telefana, thinking. “I’ll check,” Secure replied. He switched to the monitor displaying the Control Room. He then reversed the footage to the time before his shift had started. “At 10:00 AM, a pony-I assume it was a staff member-came into the Control Room and turned off everything.” Secure stated nervously. Then he fast-forwarded the tape a little more until he noticed something peculiar. “At 12:00 midnight, on the control panel, one of the lights flashed on.” Secure stated curiously. “Hmmm…” Telafana thought. “And that’s when the animatronics came to life?” “Well, sort of,” said Secure, “All but one: the Twilight Sparkle one. She turned on two minutes afterwards.” “Odd,” said Telafana, trying to find a rational explanation. “This is what I think. There’s probably some glitch in the system which turned the animatronics on. The animatronics are following their regular script, and they will continue to wander around as if they were giving their usual tour. By 6 AM tomorrow, their motors will lose power, and they should return back to their starting point to recharge. Sure, it will screw up the tour schedule, but other than that, there should be no problem.” “But what should I do if they come here?” Secure asked. “Don’t be ridiculous!” Telafana exclaimed. “It’s not in their programing! …But if, you know, another glitch happens, and they do find you, then you can either close the doors, or you could just…no. That’s not a good idea. Just close the doors if they come near, and that should be it.” “Alright. if you say so,” said Secure doubtfully. “Good. If something goes wrong, let me know,” said Telafana. “Good-bye.” Secure was about to say “Will do”, but Telafana had already hung up. Secure then turned his attention to the monitors in front of him. The last words rang clearly in his head: “If something goes wrong, let me know.” He started to wonder if Telafana thought the same way about him, but then reminded himself that he was nothing more than a measly security guard. So feeling a slight twinge of sadness, Secure busied himself by watching the monitors in front of him.
12:25 AM- Security Office“I didn’t know you were such a stallion of class,” Telefana replied in slight shock. “I never imagined that you were so wealthy. Well, I did, but I never thought you were this rich!” Secure Ard was sitting with Telefana in Equestria’s finest five-star restaurant, Celé a Fluantru. Truthfully, Secure Ard had never actually tried the food here before, but the food wasn’t even a concern; it was Telefana who really mattered. She was tall as she ever could be, even when sitting down. Her long, orange mane flowed gracefully to the ground. “Well, I try not to act all snobby like those other wealthy ponies,” he remarked. “Oh, Secure, you’re too humble,” Telefana said, blushing. “But that’s what I like in a stallion.” Secure flashed a wide grin, and the two sat in such a state of pure bliss until he heard three sharp words that knocked him straight out of his daydream. CHECK THE MONITORS! Secure groaned dejectedly. He had been rudely awakened from his lovely, romantic daydream, and now he was back to his cold, empty reality. He proceeded to check the monitors one by one. From what he could tell, there was nothing strange or out of the ordinary. Then, he switched to the Upper Left Hallway Camera and saw the Twilight animatronic running frantically in the distance. She was running farther and farther away. Secure was now on edge; for he knew that the animatronic could appear near his office at any moment. But then, his mind reasoned that he had five more robots to worry about, so he ought to just wait it out and hope for the best. He really couldn't wait for his shift to be over. The next camera he checked was the Wonderbolts Display Room Camera. Everything looked normal at first, but then he looked closer. Lying on the floor was an animatronic, but he couldn’t tell what pony the animatronic represented. It didn't have a character suit on; just its metallic exoskeleton. It lay motionless on the floor, not even moving an inch. Also lying on the floor was what looked like metallic debris, as if the robot had just exploded. Right by the still animatronic was a rock of some sorts. It looked round, and it was apparently glowing. After observing the room for a couple of seconds he decided to move on to the next one. The next camera was the Party Room Camera. The Party Room was a VIP room where little fillies and colts could celebrate their birthdays at the museum. In Secure’s mind, he was hoping to see nothing but chairs and tables, but instead, he got the exact opposite. He looked at the camera, and what he saw made his face immediately turn pale. He breathed heavily. Why was the animatronic looking directly in the camera? Why was it smiling? Was it trying to scare him? Was it trying to tell him that it was on to him? With a heavy, pounding heart, he looked away from the monitor and looked at the ones after it, hoping to find some comfort. All of the other rooms were spacious and empty of any animatronics; it was exactly how Secure liked it. With a big sigh of relief, he leaned back into his chair and started telling himself that he would be alright. “Gotta stay optimistic,” he advised himself. Author's Note This came a little later than I said it would but here ya go! Enjoy!
12:30 AM- Upper Right HallwayTwilight slowed down a little, expecting to be breathing heavily. Usually, when she ran great distances, she would be left wheezing like no tomorrow. The fact that she weighed several hundred pounds more than usual wouldn't have helped either. But she soon noticed that she wasn’t breathing heavily, or, for that matter, breathing at all. She had taken it for granted before, but now she couldn’t help but question if she was even alive at all. She stopped in her tracks and lifted her right hoof up and tilted it up slightly. She then lifted up her other hoof and placed it on top of it. No pulse. She then put her hoof in front of her face. She opened her mouth wide and tried to breathe, but to her surprise, she couldn’t find the strength to breathe air onto her hoof. She tried with all her might, but all she got was a little squeak that sounded like it came from deep inside her. Her mind started racing. The only evidence Twilight had to prove that she was alive was that she was still completely sentient. What Am I? She thought to herself, looking at her two heavy hooves. The only thing she knew was that the figure could be catching up to her at that very moment. So at a brisk pace, Twilight trotted down the long hallway. A little while later, she came across what she recognized as the room that she had just come from. She looked around and saw that it was as empty as ever, but now there was a long length of rope hanging from the ceiling. Brushing aside the fact that the mysterious figure could still be behind her, she walk towards the rope. When she got nearer, she looked up and saw that the rope was hanging from an open space in the ceiling. Odd, she thought, but maybe I can use this to escape! She grabbed onto the rope and tugged at it. She then realized that she weighed too much, when the rope came falling down. Attached to the rope was what looked like a giant metallic hook. The hook gave out a loud clang when it landed on the floor. Uh, oh, thought Twilight, realizing the sound might have attracted her predator. With that, she galloped quickly, but quietly out of the room on the other side. This place is a maze! Twilight thought to herself. A little while later, she came across a plaque on the wall which read: PARTY ROOM:GUESTS ONLY! A place to hide! Twilight thought in relief. Next to the plaque was an opening which Twilight deduced was the “Party Room.” She took one peek and froze with fright. If she was alive, her heart would have definitely skipped a beat. In the left corner of the room, beyond the tables and chairs, was what looked like her friend Pinkie Pie, except her eyes were glowing pink! Twilight then realized that the figure had not noticed her. The pony-like creature was instead looking at a box that was slightly above her. Twilight slowly backed away, but then with a sharp, mechanical twist, the figure stared at Twilight. Twilight imagined herself gulping really hard. The figure’s bright pink eyes glowed and made Twilight feel uneasy. It was as if they were looking directly into her soul, if she had one. The figure’s eyes illuminated her big, skin-curling silver smile. The figure violently started running around the tables and chairs and was quickly heading straight for Twilight. Not again, Twilight thought to herself and ran down the hallway as fast as she could. She reached the corner, but the imposter Pinkie Pie was not faraway. Twilight ran down the second hallway again, barely noticing the metallic pony skeleton lying on the floor. She dodged it and continued going down the path. I’m going nowhere! Twilight realized; she had been running in circles the whole time. She had just run past the same slips of paper she saw before. As she was running, she saw another opening she never saw before. She turned and saw a flight of stairs going down. Hastily, she trampled down the stairs. When she’d finally reached the bottom, there was a door in front of her that had a plaque on it. The plaque read: Parts and Services: Maintenance Personnel ONLY! With great determination, she grabbed the door knob, only to find that she’d ripped it clean off. Clang, clang, clang, clang! As quickly as possible, she opened the door and closed it. She heard the metallic clanging of the Pinkie Pie imposter through the door. Twilight waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally, after some time, the figure left. The sound of its hooves faded away, and faint, eerie laughter lightly sounded along with it. Twilight imagined herself giving a sigh of relief. She thought about opening the door, but she felt she should stay a little while longer-at least until she was certain it was safe to go out.
12:50 AM-Fashion History Display RoomSpike woke up with a sharp pain in his neck. He was lying on the ground, not knowing what he was doing or where he was. There were dresses all around him. He was shocked to see that he was smaller than the last time he remembered. While his head pounded furiously, he started to remember the events that brought him there. He’d woken up in an empty room. Well, not completely empty: to his left there was what looked like Twilight, who was fast asleep. He knew he was looking at Twilight, but she looked so artificial. Maybe it was just him, but he just had to find out if he was looking at the real Twilight or not. He walked closer to his mentor. He leaned forward, ready to poke her. But then he realized that if it was Twilight, it would be rude to wake his own mentor from her calm and peaceful slumber. Still deciding whether to poke her or not, Spike heard the sound which reminded him of pans banging. He turned and saw a curvy purple tail leaving the room. There was only one pony who had a tail like that: Rarity! He rushed in the direction of the purple tail. He saw that there was a long hallway, and sure enough, there was Rarity. Spike wanted to scream “Rarity!”, but when he tried, his mouth just opened agape, with only a small squeak coming out. He shook his head, and it was then that he noticed his queer-looking body. He put his hands on his belly; he couldn’t feel anything except his own weight. He bent his elbows to find that his arms were connected by some black substance he couldn’t identify. He looked up and saw that Rarity was further down the hallway than a couple of seconds before. Maybe Rarity knows what’s going on, Spike thought to himself. With great determination that was powered by his love for Rarity, Spike walked down the long and enormous hallway. As he walked, he couldn’t help but feel terribly afraid. There was only one light illuminating the area, and everything was colored a dark shade of grey. A couple of seconds later, he came across a plaque that read: Fashion History Display Room Spike was confused. Everypony knew that Rarity enjoyed the recent fashions. The only time she even bothered with older trends was when they came back in style. He walked into the room and saw Rarity looking at each of the gowns. Knowing her, she was probably looking at them with the upmost attention to detail. He walked a little closer, and then he froze. Something was moving in the darkness, and he was surprised that Rarity didn’t take any notice to the sound of small hooves clopping against the hard floor. Spike looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. Then, Spike heard a loud SMASH. He looked back at Rarity and couldn’t believe what he saw. A stallion dressed all in black had bashed Rarity’s head with a baseball bat! Spike wanted to help, but he was frozen in fear. He watched in horror as the stallion smashed and smashed his special somepony’s head into a pulp. He was even more terrified when bits and pieces of her face went flying off with each blow. He had to do something, but what? His gut told him to attack the stallion. He moved forward, and suddenly, the stallion turned his head and glared at him. Spike was ready to tear him to shreds, but then he felt a hard “WHACK” to his head. He fell down and hit the ground. “I did it boss,” a voice behind him said. “Good job,” the stallion said, “now help me with this one.” “Sure thing,” said the voice behind him. Then he blacked out. He remembered everything clearly now, as he stood with great difficulty. He held Rarity’s withered body in his arms. I should have known he wouldn’t be working alone, Spike thought to himself. As he brushed Rarity’s mane, he noticed how stiff it was, unlike how she usually had it. He didn’t care if she had a fake appearance; he swore that she would be avenged. He then heard voices coming from a small opening in the wall. He got in front of the opening and crawled into it.
12:56 AM-Lower Left HallwayAlright, stay calm, think happy thoughts, calm peaceful happy thoughts, thought Fluttershy as she walked down the long and cold hallway. She dreaded being alone in strange places. Earlier, she had been following Applejack, but Fluttershy had lost her a good long while ago. Other than the sound of a small “hummmm” and Fluttershy’s walking, the hallway was deadly quiet. Fluttershy was on edge. What if a monster appeared from behind the corner? What if a serial killer came behind her and sliced her neck open? The anxiety was killing her! There was only one goal that kept her moving. Find the exit! It was the only logical and reasonable thing Fluttershy could come up with. As she carefully treaded the hallway, she started thinking about Applejack and thought that maybe they could team up and find the exit together. But she thought of the daunting task of trying to find Applejack in such a horrid place like this. She didn’t have a clue where anything was, and she might as well have been blindfolded. She stopped walking and curled into herself on the floor. It was hopeless. She was lost in a strange cold, dark place, with no pony to help or guide her, and no pony to say everything was going to be alright. She wanted to cry, but there were no tears to shed, and she couldn’t find her voice to whimper. I might as well be dead! She wanted to scream. Somepony kill me already! Then a couple of feet away, she noticed a yellowish-orange light. She imagined herself gasping. It was a sign of hope. A light in the darkness, one might say. She got up and raced towards the light. She was inches away from the light when she noticed it was coming from a window. She looked into it and saw a pudgy looking stallion with dark green skin and a dark brown mane sitting on a red velvet chair looking at glowing boxes on the wall. Fluttershy’s eyes widened when she noticed that the stallion was in uniform. Surely, he would know how to help her. Next to the window was an entrance into the room the stallion was in. With a little self-coaxing, Fluttershy drew in the courage to walk through. She wanted to say “Excuse me kind sir, can you help me?” But instead of words coming out of her mouth, a loud “ARNRNGNGNGNGNGNGNGN!” could be heard which startled both the stallion and herself. Fluttershy jumped backward and a metal slab came down, making the room inaccessible. The stallion eyed her through the window. His face looked pale, and from the looks of it, he was hyperventilating. Fluttershy was distraught. She didn’t mean to scare the stallion; she just wanted some help. Ashamed of herself, she ran away in the opposite direction, crying deep down inside. She didn’t have any pony to rely on but herself now, and the mere realization of that fact made her anxiety even worse
1:00 AM-Parts and Service Room 1:00 AM-Parts and Service Room Twilight was still in the exact same spot for the past twenty minutes or so. A bright violet light from a part of her body was the only source of light in the entire room. Twilight theorized that the light must have been coming from her horn. Since the horn was used to shining in dark places, she didn’t need to command it to light up. The room was cluttered in metallic knick-knacks and shiny objects. She went deeper into the room and knocked into somepony. Startled, Twilight turned around only to see Pinkie Pie grinning at her. But as Twilight focused on the figure, she realized it was just a head similar to her friend’s. She turned her head to the left to find multiple replicas of the heads of the rest of her friends and, shockingly, her own. What type of sicko makes multiple heads of the same pony? Twilight thought to herself. She was beginning to leave the room when something clicked. She paused. The sound had come from a table in the center of the room. Then, there was a cranking noise, followed by dull wizzzzzzz. A figure with a long horn roes from the table, and with a few more cranks the figure looked directly at Twilight. The figure’s entire body was lopsided. On its right side, a metallic wing popped out. The wing was all bone and deprived of muscles, flesh, and feathers. But nothing caught Twilight’s attention more than when the figure looked at her with green, yellow, and red glowing eyes. It was the mysterious figure from before! “Well hello again princess!” it said, “It appears that I have caught you!” The figure cackled, before placing its two hoofs on the ground. Twilight rushed by the opposite side of the table. “Nopony can outrun me!” it bellowed. “You’re just making it harder on yourself. Don’t you want this to be quick and painless?” Twilight was many things, but a quitter wasn’t one of them. She pushed the door open with her head, and she was outside before she’d realized it. She galloped onward, knowing the figure would be catching up. She heard the door burst open and saw a horrendous monstrosity. She now knew why the figure was lopsided. One half resembled Queen Celestia, while the other half resembled her little sister, Princess Luna. It was as if somepony tried to sew the two sisters together and failed miserably. What pony would even dare to try a task such as this? Twilight brushed her questions aside and kept on running. The creature leaped with every second. While Twilight galloped two steps, the figure was galloping eight. She was close enough to grind Twilight’s tail to shreds. At least I won’t have to worry about hyperventilating or dying from a heart attack. Twilight thought to herself as she trotted. She looked straight ahead, only to come to the shocking realization that she was running out of hallway and fast. She turned towards a room labeled: Dragon Bone Room In the center of the room was a display of skeletal remains of a giant dragon. Twilight turned to one side, hoping the monster would miss her and keep going. Twilight looked behind her and saw that the creature was not falling for it. “YOU’RE AS GOOD AS MINE!” it yelled. Twilight bolted out of the room and made a left down another hallway. She came passed a sign reading: Restrooms Without even knowing what a restroom was, Twilight turned and headed for a door marked: Stallions Twilight rammed the door open and closed it on her pursuer. There was a big cylinder in the corner, and Twilight pushed it in front of the door, hoping to stall for time. She turned the corner to find a bunch of stalls in a row. She raced into the stall farthest away, closed the door, and curled as far back as she could go. In the middle of the stall was a white contraption that Twilight had never seen before. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to hide behind or under it. BAM! CLUNK! Twilight became motionless. “Twilight…” said the figure’s eerie voice. “Where are you? Come out…come out…wherever you…are! Hmmmm… are you in this one?” BAM! “Or this one…?” BAM! “How about this one…?” BAM! “Not enough stalls left…” BAM! “I have all the time in the world! But you don’t!” BAM! The last one sounded like it was right near her. “Last one!” Twilight could hear the figure say. This was the end. She was going to die a horrible death. If only she didn’t go into that room. If only she didn’t get the Pinkie Pie impersonator’s attention. In her worrying, she realized that the monster didn’t bash down the door yet. “D-d-d-d-ang-g-g, DANG, i-i-i-i-t-t-t, IT!” she heard it say before walking off. Twilight didn’t understand. Why didn’t the figure knock the door down? Not that she wanted the figure to bash in, but it was just something she wasn’t expecting. After waiting a couple of minutes she walked out of the stall. The cylinder shaped object was rolling on the floor, and the door was lying flat on the floor. Twilight walked outside of the corner and was in the hallway again. She looked to her left to see the monstrosity lying on the floor next to a contraption on the wall. The contraption had a curvy like object hanging from a cord that was attached to a plaque that had buttons with numbers on it. On top it read: Emergency Phone! Use for Emergencies ONLY! Twilight winced. She never heard of a phone before and was curious about how it worked. But then, she realized that she needed to get to the task at hoof. She decided to keep on trotting past the body at a normal pace. She wouldn't have to worry about the creature for long and that was enough time to find the exit.
1:13 AM-Upper Left HallwayFluttershy was wandering around the area, hopelessly trying to find Applejack, or anypony else for that matter. She could have sworn that she saw Applejack a moment ago but after a while she realized it could have been a cruel trick created by the light. What made her trek worse was that she had absolutely no pony to talk to. If she was in a nice cool, relaxing, and familiar environment, she wouldn’t mind this but now she was in a cold, uncomfortable, and unknown territory. She needed somepony to talk to, have a plan, and know what they were doing. As Fluttershy trotted down the hallway, a faint flashing blue light caught her attention. She was cautious due to her last experience with strange lights. After inching towards the light, Fluttershy heard the whistle of a faint breeze. As she listened closer the noise formed into a faint voice. The further she trotted the more it sounded like it was calling out to her in an indecipherable language. The light grew brighter and flashed more violently. As the hallway grew somewhat bright, Fluttershy was able to make out the body of a silver pony lying on the ground. Its eyes were closed; its legs looked like they were ripped right out of their sockets. A deep impression was visible on the pony’s flank. Fluttershy was expecting to see red blood and body tissue everywhere. But instead she saw nothing of the sort. Every second or so, tiny bright lights, like mini white fireworks, blew out of the pony and faded out of vision. Lying next to the pony was a shiny blue object. By the texture it looked like a stone. The breeze became stronger and the whisper sounded more demanding than ever. Fluttershy was hypnotized by the stone. She had no other choice than to touch it. The light of the rock consumed her vision and everything around her became as white as snow. Fluttershy closed her eyes. Strong winds were going up against her face moving her cheeks right and left. Then she heard a voice, no voices, lots and lots of voices, each with their own tones and volumes. Her body felt odd. She distinctly remembered touching a rock, but she was lying on what felt like a wall. A wall that felt soft, cold and transparent. She had no choice but to open her eyes. She was greeted by a bright blue sky filled with white fluffy clouds “Where am I?” she shouted when suddenly she realized that she could talk! She looked down. A stadium shaped cloud was directly below her. It was filled with uncountable amounts of Pegasi. She was about to scream. She was afraid of heights and by the looks of things there were no signs of ground anywhere. Surprisingly, however, she was distracted by her…blue hoofs…blue wings…blue body… rainbow mane… rainbow tail… “Sweet Celestia!” Fluttershy exclaimed in realization. It was then when she heard the screams of a pony from below. She looked down to see her friend Rarity falling to her death. Without hesitation Fluttershy turned her body around facing downward. “Don’t worry Rarity,” Fluttershy announced, “I’m a comin!” While she was going down and what seemed like record pace, she couldn’t help but feel the effects of déjà vu. The faster she fell, the more force she felt. Wind was blowing against her body at what felt like 100 miles per hour. As she passed through the stadium, she started feeling like she was being cooked in an oven. As what felt like electrical sparks flew, she gritted teeth and pushed forward. A big boom could be heard behind her, but that’s not what caught her attention. It was the voice of a pony above her screaming, “A SONIC RAINBOOM! SHE DID IT! WOO!” She picked up Rarity and a few other Pegasi as well. When she re-entered the stadium, she heard the cries of a voice she knew very well. She looked up and there she was, jumping for joy. “A SONIC RAINBOOM!” her other self said, “YEAH!” With that, her vision fade out to white and all was silent again. Fluttershy blinked for a second or two when her vision slowly came back. Her body was the same before she touched the rock which now vanished without a trace. She was back in the dingy, dark hallway next to the motionless pony. She was back where she started! But for some odd reason it didn’t bother her as it did before. She stood up and looked around. Yes, she was still in the same dilapidated environment, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her. She was going to find Applejack, and she was going to find the exit even if it killed her. She felt the strength of a thousand horses. If somepony was going to slice her neck open, they better be prepared. She was going to knock him or her out like it was no tomorrow. Then, with a hint of realization, she thought to herself, That’s exactly what Rainbow Dash would say!
1:18 AM: Lobby 1:18 AM: Lobby Pinkie Pie looked around. She could have sworn that she saw her friend Twilight walking down this way. She went down the hallway that opened up into a big and open room. There were windows all over the place and in the middle of the room was a big, tall box. As Pinkie Pie got closer to the box, she was able to make out images plastered onto it. One side showed two ponies having a great time and at the bottom was some text that read: Discovery is fun when you’re at the Canterlot Museum! On the other side was a picture of a container of water and some text that read: Are you drinking enough? On the other side was a picture with a bunch of tree stumps next to a barren wasteland with text that read:' The Everfree Forest is in danger! See what you can do to help! Finally, on the last side of the box was a picture with 4 squares with lines, words, and symbols on it. Pinkie Pie could have made sense of it all if she had taken the time, but her attention was focused elsewhere. That elsewhere was a big sign with a green backdrop and dark red letters that read: Braeburn’s Casino. Pinkie Pie remembered Braeburn from her previous adventures, but he never mentioned having a casino named after him. It also got her attention because when there was a saloon, there were ponies. If there were ponies, then there was a good chance that one of them could be Twilight or somepony else who could fill in her about what was going on. Before she walked in, she noticed that there wasn’t any noise coming from the door. Maybe they’re quiet because they’re throwing a surprise party. she thought. Taking a final step forward, she passed through the two wooden doors. The room was totally dark. The only light in the room was a soft, pink glow that came from Pinkie Pie. She looked high and low trying to figure out where every pony was hiding. She checked behind the counter and even in the back. She started feeling nervous. Her surprise party theory was slowly being shot down. Where is everypony? Pinkie Pie asked herself. As her search continued in the back room, she found small collections of switches plastered onto the wall. Her curiosity sparked and with nothing to lose, Pinkie turned on each switch one by one. She looked back to the casino, which was now vibrant with lights and noises. With a taste of success and amazement, she trotted out of the back room and past the counter. The new sources of light showed that despite for the machines and poker tables, the entire room was completely empty. She started thinking that maybe the noises and lights could attract her friend Twilight or some other pony that could help her out. Pinkie Pie was amazed at the slot machines, they were more colorful, brighter, and noisier than she remembered. The one that stood out from the rest was a tall, black, and giant slot machine in the form of a mare with a pink and yellow mane and tale. The three reels were placed in the center of the figure’s chest, the winning line placed underneath it, the payout tray underneath that, the coin slot right next to it, the coin reject slot was placed near the top of the leg, and the bright red lever was placed on the figure’s side. As Pinkie trotted over to the machine, she noticed that right next to it was a sign that read: Does Mare Luck have her heart set on you? Test your charm and win MILLIONS Pinkie also began to notice that it was the only slot machine that appeared dormant. It didn’t make any noise, or flash any lights. It must be broken, Pinkie thought. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, an idea that could probably work. With all of her strength, Pinkie kicked the figurine right in the sides. SLAM! The three reels glowed with a blue fluorescent light that had Pinkie almost in a trance. The eyes flickered on. Pinkie then looked curiously at the figurines glowing eyes. Both eyes had three distinct colors. They were red, green, and yellow!
12:20 AM-Upper Left Hallway 12:20 AM-Upper Left Hallway Twilight walked down the hall with utmost caution. As she was walking, she wondered if this was how Luna felt after she was banished to the moon, for the place felt dark, ominous, and void of anything uplifting or happy. She looked to her left and saw pieces of paper attached to the walls. The slips had events written on them, some more distinguished than others. One stood out to her in particular, and it read: Missing: Faline Oyful, Last Seen: The Royal Canterlot Museum Description: Champagne skin, red and green tail and mane, and dark blue eyes. If found: Notify Canterlot Police immediately! As Twilight walked further down the hall, she found some more slips of paper that generally said the same thing: the name of a missing pony, the location they were last seen at, a description of what they looked like, and what to do if they were found. She couldn't help but notice how each pony was last seen at the Royal Canterlot Museum, wherever that was. She then began to wonder where she was. Could she be in a different world, continent, island, town, or city? She even reached the possibility that she was walking in the Royal Canterlot Museum, but then she heard a loud bang. Twilight jumped. What was that? She thought to herself. The loud noise sounded like it wasn't too far away. Her mind raced. It could have been the mysterious pony, or it could have been something else entirely. She was frozen; she had to make a decision, and she had to make it quickly. She could either run away, or she could do some investigating. She then realized that the mysterious pony could be galloping down the hallway at that very moment. Twilight quickly turned around, bolted down the hallway, and refused to look back. She just had to find a way out of this forsaken place!
1:08 AM-Security Office 1:08 AM-Security Office “Teleafana, I need your help!” Secure screamed into the phone. “Secure? What’s wrong?” Teleafana asked on the other end. “Well at first everything was alright,” Secure began, “but one of the animatronics, the Fluttershy one, came in and was about to kill me! Luckily I closed the door just in time.” “Odd...,” Teleafana pondered, “they’re not programed to do that.” “That’s not all,” Secure continued, “on several of the monitors I saw the Twilight animatronic being chased by some…creature. It followed the Twilight animatronic into the stallion’s restroom, came out when I was waiting for you to pick up, hit the emergency phone out of the holster, and plopped on the floor. It hasn’t been doing anything since.” “What does it look like?” Teleafana asked concerned. “Well…” Secure replied, “it looks like it’s half Queen Celestia and half Princess Luna. If you don’t mind, do you know anything about that monster of an animatronic?” Secure could hear Teleafana sighing on the other end. “Not long ago,” Teleafana explained, “the curator of the museum wanted an animatronic that during the day would resemble Queen Celestia and at night morph into the likeness of Princess Luna.” “We have the tec to do that now?” asked Secure. “Well not tec per say,” Telefan replied, “more like a night and day transformation spell. Like how some objects have spells cast on them to transform as the light of the sun and moon progresses throughout each day. That’s exactly what the curator wanted but for a ten foot tall, electronic, moving statue. Long story short, the magic was not compatible with the technology and the results show. Ever since then it’s been locked away in the parts and service room for scrap metal and hardware. It hasn’t been activated since.” “Well I don’t mean to sound rude,” Secure apologized, “but it looked pretty active to me.” “I know,” Teleafana replied, “which worries me. Stay there, and be safe, I’m coming over there right now!” “You mean it?” asked Secure. “I’ve never been more serious in my life,” she replied, “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Expect to see me in the back entrance. Keep your eye on that animatronic, don’t let anything distract you.” “Got it,” Secure replied. “Goodbye Secure,” Telefan said before hanging up. As if in response, Secure properly placed the phone back into its holster. He couldn’t help but to smile. Sure, his life was being threatened by killer, haywire animatronics, but on the bright side he was going to see the mare of his dreams for the very first time.
