“I was kind of hoping you’d call,” the security guard said, relief in his voice. “We’ve been without a night guard for quite some time. I’ve had to fill in the position.”
“What do you need me to do?” I asked.
“You’ll be working as an after-hours security guard from midnight to six,” the guard explained. “Keep watch from a security office in the back of the building, making sure nothing goes wrong.”
“Sounds easy enough,” I nodded.
“You’ll be paid roughly 120 bits a week,” the guard continued. “Other information will be left to you by phone messages in the office. If you could come by now, we can get you started.”
“It is a Sunday, after all,” I shrugged. “May as well.”
“Sounds good,” the guard said. “See you soon.” The phone hung up and I left my house. As I flew to Adagio Dazzle’s Pizza, I took a glance at the Ponyville Clocktower. It was a quarter to midnight. I flew a bit faster as to not be late. Upon reaching the building, the guard was waiting for me at the front door.
“Good to see you, Braveheart,” he said. “I should have introduced myself earlier. The name’s Quick Thinker.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Thinker,” I said, shaking his hoof. He was an older unicorn guard with a bright tan coat and a light blue mane and tail. He wore a dark blue security guard outfit and hat with a gold badge on his chest.
“I should get you to the office,” Thinker said. “It’s nearly midnight.” We stepped inside the building, passing the show stage and Pirate’s Cove on the way to the office. The dormant animatronics looked rather creepy in the dark. Sonata’s taco seemed to be looking at me. When we reached the back of the building, Thinker guided me into a small security office.
“This will be where you’ll stay for the night,” he said. He gave me a small laptop. “That’ll be for checking the cameras,” he explained. “There are two buttons on each doorframe. One for a light, and one for a security door. Just in case. The recorded messages will record everything else. Oh, I should tell you that we have a limited power supply at night. Just so you know. I’ll leave you to it.”
“Thank you,” I said. Thinker took off his security hat and placed it on my head. We exchanged smiles, then Thinker left. I looked around the office. The wall clock read 11:58. There were foals’ drawings on the walls, a desk fan, humming with an ominous tone, and a replica of Sonata’s taco on the desk. I groaned.
“I really hate that taco,” I moaned. I looked back at the clock. The hands ticked for a few seconds before turning to the next hour. My job as a night guard had begun.
~~~~12:00 AM 1st Night~~~~
I took a deep breath before flipping open the laptop. The camera was focused on Adagio and Sonata, and was slowly panning from left to right and back again. The phone on the desk suddenly rang, making me jump about three feet into the air. I slowly recovered from the shock, and the answering machine picked up.
“Uh, hello?” a stallion’s voice said. “Hello, hello?”
“Hi?” I said.
“Uh, I wanted to record a message for you, to help you get settled in on your first night,” the message continued. “Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I’m finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I’m here to tell you, there’s nothing to worry about. Uh, you’ll do fine. So, let’s just focus on getting you through your first week. OK?”
“All right,” I said. “I’m really talking to a machine.”
“Uh, let’s see,” the message said. “First there’s an introductory greeting from the company that I’m supposed to read. Uh, it’s kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, ‘Welcome to Adagio Dazzle’s Pizza. A magical place for foals and adult ponies alike. Welcome to the Show. Dazzle Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or pony. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing pony report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced, blah, blah, blah. Now that might sound bad, I know. But there’s really nothing to worry about.”
“Bullshit,” I muttered. “Anything having to do with death has worry written all over it.”
“Uh, the animatronic characters here do tend to get a bit quirky at night,” the message continued. “But to I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for 20 years and I never got a bath, I’d probably be a bit irritable at night too. So remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of foals, and we need to show them a little respect. Right? OK. So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit.”
“What?” I asked.
“Uh, they’re left in some kind of free-roaming mode at night. Uh, something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to walk around during the day too. But then there was the Bite of ’87. Yeah, i-it’s amazing how the pony body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?” I held the front of my head, wincing.
“Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as a night watchpony here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours, probably won’t recognize you as a pony. They’ll most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on. Now, since that’s against the rules here at Adagio Dazzle’s Pizza, they’ll probably try to…uh…forcefully stuff you inside an Adagio Dazzle suit. Um, now that wouldn’t be so bad, if the suits themselves weren’t filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronic devices. Especially around the facial area. So you can imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort…and death.”
“No shit,” I said.
“Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when they would pop out the front of the mask, heh.”
“That’s not funny,” I shuddered.
“Y-yeah, they don’t tell you these things when you sign up,” the message said. “But hey, first day should be a breeze. I’ll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. All right, good night.” With that, the phone hung up.
“What the fuck have I gotten myself into?” I sighed. “Oh well, can’t be that bad, right?” I checked the cameras through the night, which dragged on slowly. After a while of checking the cameras, I glanced at the clock. It read 3 AM.
“Oh, for Celestia’s sake,” I groaned. “This is taking way to long.” I turned back to the cameras, only to find them glitching out in static. Confused, I tapped the screen a couple times, and the cameras came back on. I checked the stage, and found Sonata gone. My eyes widened in fear.
“Uh oh,” I gasped. I frantically flipped through the cameras, trying to find Sonata. When I didn’t find her, I started to freak out. I suddenly heard banging of pots and pans. I pulled up the kitchen camera, only to find it broken, only the audio working. The banging was a bit louder when the camera was active, so I relaxed a bit. Sonata must be making pizza or tacos or something. Upon checking Pirate Cove, Aria’s head was poking out, jaw open. Her pointed teeth shone in the silver light. I shivered for a moment. The banging in the kitchen stopped, and I quickly checked the cameras. Sonata had moved to the dining area. She was staring at the camera. I kept checking the cameras for other movement. For a time, none of the animatronics came near my office. I suddenly heard a series of chimes ring out. Checking the clock, it was 6 AM. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“At last,” I said. “I’m going home and getting some fucking sleep.” I left the office and walked out of the building, but as I passed the stage, I used my mechanical wing to flip off Adagio. As I exited the building, Quick Thinker came in.
“Hey, Braveheart,” he said. “How was your first night?”
“Interesting, to say the very least,” I muttered. “Why didn’t you tell me about the robots wanting to kill me?”
“I said that the Phone Guy would explain it,” Thinker said.
“That’s what you call the messages?” I asked. Thinker shrugged. I shook my head and flew home, ready to get some sleep.
Waking up, I checked my clock. It was a quarter to 5 PM. I got up, stretched, and walked downstairs to get something to eat. I had forgotten to stock my fridge the day before, so there wasn’t much. I slipped out an orange and started to peel it. When I finished, it was around 6 PM. I decided to get a little more sleep before I left for work.
I woke up around 11:30. I cast a light spell so I could see, and left my house for Adagio Dazzle’s Pizza. When I reached the building, I walked inside and into the office. I quickly checked the clock, which read 11:59. I took a breath, then flipped open the laptop.
~~~~12:00 AM 2nd Night~~~~
The phone rang, but this time, I didn’t jump. The message picked up, and Phone Guy started to speak.
“Uh, hello? Hello? Well, if you’re hearing this, you made it to day two. Congrats! I-I won’t talk quite as long this time, as Adagio and her friends tend to become more active as the week progresses.”
“Wonderful,” I grumbled.
“Uh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk,” Phone Guy suggested. “Just to make sure that everypony’s in their proper place y’know? Uh, interestingly enough, Adagio herself doesn’t come off stage very often. I heard she becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so hey, I guess that’s one more reason not to run out of power, right?”
“Sure,” I muttered, checking the cameras. Sonata had left the stage and was inside the storage room. Aria hadn’t moved, and neither had Adagio.
“I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights,” Phone Guy continued. “Uh, there are blind spots in your cameras’ view, and those blind spots happen to be right outside your doors. So if you can’t find something…or somepony…on your cameras, be sure to check the door light. You might only have a few seconds to react. Not that you’d be in any danger, of course. I’m not implying that.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said. Sonata had moved to the dining area, but neither Adagio nor Aria had moved.
“Also, check on the curtain in Pirate’s Cove from time to time,” Phone Guy said. “The character in there seems unique in that she becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess she doesn’t like being watched. I dunno. Anyway, I’m sure you have everything under control. Talk to you soon!” The message ended, and I checked the cameras again. Sonata had disappeared, and there were no clanging noises. Remembering what Phone Guy had said, I turned on the left door light. Nothing was there. I checked the second door light, and Sonata’s face lit up in the window. I jumped back and hit the door button. The iron security door slammed down, trapping Sonata outside. I breathed heavily for a moment, trying to recover from the shock of seeing her. I turned out the door light and picked up the laptop. I checked the cameras, and found the Pirates Cove curtain open, Aria gone. I checked the west hall, and saw Aria sprinting down the hall. I quickly pressed the door button, and the door slammed down. I could hear Aria pounding on the door furiously. I checked the other door light, and saw that Sonata had left. I opened the door as Aria’s pounding stopped. I opened the other door and checked the time. 5 AM.
“Geez,” I said. I checked the power, and my eyes widened in horror. I was at 25% power. The doors had drained a lot of power. I started to sweat. I checked the cameras again. Adagio was staring at the stage camera, and Sonata was in the equipment closet. I kept checking the cameras, ever careful. I suddenly heard the 6 AM chimes. I gasped in joy.
“Thank Celestia,” I whispered. I walked through the pizzeria to the front door. I flung it open and stepped out of the building. I took flight for home, ready to make up the sleep I had lost that night.
~~~
I landed at the front of the building at around 11:55. I quickly slipped through the building to the security office, avoiding eye contact with the animatronics. I sat down in the office chair and set the laptop down on the desk. I pulled it open and began the night.
~~~~12:00 AM 3rd Night~~~~
As I checked the stage, Sonata was already gone. I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed. The phone rang, and I waited for the message to begin. The phone picked up and Phone Guy’s voice was heard.
“Hello? Hello? Hey, you’re doing great!”
“Thank you,” I said, keeping an eye on the cameras.
“Most ponies don’t last this long,” Phone Guy said. I froze at that statement. “I mean, y’know, they usually move on to other things by now,” Phone Guy assured. “I’m not implying that they died. That’s not what I meant. Anyway, I’d better not take up too much of your time. Things are getting real tonight. Hey, listen. I had an idea. If you happen to get caught and want to avoid getting stuffed into an Adagio suit, uh, try playing dead. Y’know, go limp. Then there’s a chance that they’ll think you’re an empty costume instead. Then again, if they think you’re a costume, they might try to…stuff a metal skeleton into you. I wonder how that would work.” I cringed at the thought.
“Y-Yeah, never mind,” Phone Guy said. “Scratch that. It’s best just not to get caught. OK, I’ll leave you to it. See you on the flipside.” The phone hung up. I flipped through the cameras, making sure to keep an eye on Aria. After a time, I took a glance at the back of the west hall. The Adagio Dazzle poster had changed to an eyeless golden Adagio head. I shrugged it off and closed the laptop, only to see a slumped over, Golden Adagio suit. The words “IT’S ME” flashed in front of my eyes in seizure-inducing patterns. I closed my eyes, gripped my head, and opened up the laptop. I slightly opened my eyes to check the cameras, then closed the laptop. The Golden Adagio suit was gone. I sat in the chair, stunned, frozen.
“What the hell was that?” I whispered to myself. I shook my head to clear my mind and returned to the cameras. I noticed Sonata was missing, so I turned on each door light. She was peeking in through the left door. I slammed the door in her face and returned to the cameras. I suddenly heard Adagio laugh. Slowly, but maniacally. My eyes widened. I checked the show stage and found Adagio gone.
“Oh, shit,” I gasped. I quickly scrolled through the cameras, desperate to find Adagio. She was hiding in the fillies’ restroom, white pinprick eyes glowing from the door. In my haste, I suddenly remembered Pirate’s Cove. I checked the camera and found Aria’s head poking out. I barred my teeth and growled. I heard Adagio laugh again, and I checked the restrooms. Adagio was gone. I searched the cameras and found Adagio hiding in a dark corner of the dining hall. I was on edge. I heard clangs in the kitchen. I relaxed a bit, because all the animatronics were further away from the office. I noticed a picture of the animatronic Dazzlings on the wall. As I touched Adagio’s nose, a honking sound played. I gave a small chuckle. Strangely, the honking sound relaxed me. I checked the cameras and saw Aria run down the hall. I quickly shut the door, followed by the sound of Aria’s pounding on the door. Once the pounding stopped, I opened the door back up. I kept checking the cameras. Suddenly, without warning, the office went black. The laptop turned off, and the door buttons stopped working. I started to panic. I just ran out of power.
“I’m screwed,” I whispered. “I’m so fucking screwed.” I heard hoofsteps coming from my left, and I stayed quiet. Adagio’s eyes, teeth, and false amulet flashed in the hall as El Toredor played.
“Oh no,” I quietly moaned. “Celestia help me.” The power cut completely, and I was left in pitch black. I closed my eyes and waited. The 6 AM chimes suddenly played. I opened my eyes, slowly smiling. I took a deep breath and let it out. I turned on a light spell and walked down into the generator room. I turned on the daytime generator and walked out of the pizzeria, wings in the air in victory. I nearly tripped over myself as I took off for home.
~~~
At 11:50 the next day, I arrived at the pizzeria. I had been thinking of ways to conserve power and keep an eye on the animatronics all through the day after I slept. I finally found a solution. I walked into the office and began my night.
~~~~12:00 AM 4th Night~~~~
The phone promptly rang at the crack of midnight. The message started.
“Hello, hello,” Phone Guy said. “Hey, we’re on day four. Uh, hey listen. I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow.” “It’s…it’s been a bad night here…for me.” Knocking emitted from the recording. “I’m kind of glad that I recorded my messages for you when I did. Hey, do me a favor. Um, maybe sometime you could check inside those suits? In the back room?” More knocking. “I’m gonna try to hold out until somepony…checks. Maybe it won’t be so bad. I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads back there.” The El Toredor theme started to play from the message. “Oh no.” A piercing screech erupted from the tape, making me jump, and then static. The message ended, leaving me in shock and horror. Did Phone Guy just die? I knew these messages were prerecorded, but how did he die? Did he get caught by one of the animatronics? I shook off the thought when I heard fast hoofsteps outside. I had come to learn that those steps were Aria’s as she sprinted down the hall. I shut the door, and Aria pounded on it. I took a breath and executed my plan. It was simple: check the stage camera, check Pirate’s Cove, check the door lights, repeat. This way, I saved power while keeping an eye on Adagio and Aria. Sonata wasn’t that big of a deal anymore to check on. But if Adagio got off stage, then it was time to cut the sequence and search for her.
“Come on, Adagio,” I whispered. “Try and get me now.” I used my sequence of checks throughout the night, with Sonata occasionally popping up at one of the doors. When she did, I quickly closed the door. I was making progress. At around 4 AM, Adagio laughed and got off stage. I quickly searched for her, and found her in the dining room. I changed my sequence to wherever Adagio was instead of the stage now. This still proved useful. Adagio laughed and moved again, causing me to search for her. She ended up in the back of the east hall, face right up to the camera. I winced and quickly shut the right door. The remaining hours flew by quickly, and before I knew it, it was 6 AM. I breathed a sigh of relief and left the building.
“Just one more night,” I said to myself. “One more night, and then I get paid, and I can quit. I’m not living with the fear of death every night for six hours.” I flew home to prepare for the final night.
~~~
I arrived at Adagio Dazzle’s Pizza at 11:53. I gave Adagio and Sonata a death glare as I walked by, and I opened up the Pirate’s Cove curtain and gave the same glare to Aria. I walked into the office with time to spare. I stretched my wings and my legs before sitting down. I waited for a moment before pulling up the laptop at the stroke of midnight.
~~~~12:00 AM 5th Night~~~~
I used the same strategy as I did yesterday. However, the animatronics were a hell of a lot faster, keeping me alert for movement. I decided to take a quick peek for Sonata, and I found her at the back of the west hall. But something was different. Her head was glitching out, making jerky movements at the camera while an evil, garbled voice was heard. I shut the door. The phone rang as I did so. I kept my eyes on the cameras. The phone picked up, and louder evil garbles were heard. I was surprised, but my eyes stayed fixed on my sequence of checks. The garbles were cut off by a few short screeches, then the message ended. I shook my head, ignoring the strange message. Adagio had disappeared.
“Oh, great,” I growled. I found Adagio in the restrooms. Sonata was making a racket in the kitchen, so I opened up the door. Aria hadn’t gone anywhere yet, but Adagio had moved to the dining room. My strategy was working. I smirked for a moment, but then I heard fast hoofsteps. I slammed the left door shut, trapping Aria outside. She pounded on the door before going back to Pirate’s Cove. Adagio was very active, trying to get me. But every time she tried for my office, I shut her out. I could tell that the animatronics were getting mad, even if they didn’t show it. The hours passed. Slowly. My strategy had kept the animatronics at bay, so I was left with nothing else to do. After a long while, the 6 AM chimes rang. I threw my hooves up into the air and walked out of the office.
“Go home, go bed, fuckers!” I cried. As I reached the dining room, Quick Thinker was waiting for me.
“Hey, Braveheart,” he said, uncertainty in his voice.
“Mr. Thinker,” I said. Thinker gave me a check for 122 bits.
“There’s your weekly pay,” Thinker said. “But, I have a favor to ask you.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I…I’m not sure if you’ll like this,” Thinker stammered. “But, I need you to work another night.”
“What?” I asked. “Why?”
“We’re trying to stay open for just a while longer,” Thinker said. “The company’s going out of business by week’s end.” I gave this matter some thought.
“Very well,” I said. “I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Braveheart,” Thinker said, smiling. He patted my shoulder, and I left the building.
~~~
Upon reaching Adagio Dazzle’s Pizza, Quick Thinker was at the front doors. He nodded and left as I walked inside. It was 11:50. I sat down at one of the tables and looked up at the animatronics.
“You guys are awfully lucky you get another try at me,” I muttered. “Too bad I’m not backing out either. Just try to stop me.” I stood up and walked into the office, ready to begin my overtime night. I cracked my neck and sat down, pulling up the laptop.
~~~~12:00 AM 6th Night~~~~
All of the animatronics were gone by the stroke of midnight. I quickly shut the door to keep Aria out, and turned back to the cameras. Adagio was in the dining room, and Sonata was right outside my right door. I shut it, and closed the laptop for the time being. With both doors shut, my power was draining fast.
“Oh boy,” I sighed. Tonight was going to be rough. Aria stopped banging, and Sonata was gone, so I opened up the doors. Adagio had moved to the restrooms, as had Sonata, who was standing outside the doors. I kept my eye on Aria, who seemed to be much more active than before, constantly trying to get out of Pirate’s Cove unseen. Once or twice, she did just that, but I always shut her out when I heard her hoofsteps in the hall. Sonata moved fast, quickly alternating between my two doors. My power was dying. After a time, Adagio returned to the dining room. I checked the clock. It was 5:58 AM.
“Come on,” I said. “Come on.” With a groan, the power went out. I pursed my lips and closed my eyes. I heard El Toredor start to play. Right as the theme ended, the chimes began. It was 6 AM. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and stood up. I watched Adagio and Sonata return to the stage. I walked out of the building and took off.
“Hey, wait up!” a voice said. I turned around to see Quick Thinker.
“Hey, boss,” I waved. I landed in front of him. “What’s up?”
“Today’s our last day,” Thinker said. “If you wouldn’t mind working just one day shift with me, that would be much appreciated.” I hung my head and sighed.
“Sure,” I agreed. “Why not?”
“I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Thinker said.
“No, no,” I said. “I’ll do it.”
“Thanks, Braveheart,” Thinker said. “This really means a lot to the company.”
“Sure,” I nodded. I walked back inside with Quick Thinker. “What do you need me to do?” I asked.
“This may sound strange,” Quick Thinker said. “But I need you to go into the bathroom hall. When you reach the hall, make a left. You’ll hit a wall. You’ll be able to take hold of it with your magic. Pull on the wall, and it should come free.”
“What’s behind it?” I asked.
“It should be a safe room,” Quick Thinker said. “They were used for storage and other things. They were hidden to customers and invisible to the animatronics’ programming. There should be an old suit inside. A Springlock suit. I need to make sure it’s still there.”
“On it,” I said.
“Just make sure nopony sees you do it,” Thinker reminded. “Not that it’ll matter if they do.” I nodded and walked into the bathrooms. I made a left at the hall and saw a dead end. I heard hoofsteps, and a filly passed me on her way to the restroom. I waited for the filly to pass, then I checked the dining room for other customers coming by. There were none, so I focused my magic toward the wall. My magic engulfed the entire section of wall, and I carefully pulled on it. The wall came away, and I slipped inside, putting the fake wall back. The safe room was dark, so I cast a light spell so I could see. There was a light switch next to me, so I turned it on. The room was humid, there were puddles on the ground, and it smelled like a dead body.
“Sweet Celestia,” I mumbled. “It reeks in here.” I looked around the safe room. I stepped in a puddle, but it wasn’t water. It was blood. I followed the blood trail with my eyes, and was met with a horrific sight. I nearly threw up at the sight of it.
“By Starswirl’s beard,” I gasped. In front of me, slumped against a wall, was a golden Sonata suit. But the gold color was rotted and bloody. I carefully stepped closer. The suit was in worse shape than Aria, with wires hanging out, and animatronic parts visible through the ragged holes. I reached out to the suit, and the suit jerked, reaching out for me. I gave a small scream and stumbled back. The suit’s eyes were white and blurred. The suit was twitching, severely so. I breathed heavily, trying to recover from the shock of seeing the suit try and grab me.
“H-help…m-me…” the suit spoke, in a raspy, mechanical voice. “P-ple-please…” I took a step back, frightened at this monstrosity of a suit. I quickly left the room, leaving the living Springlock Sonata suit alone again. I slid the false wall back into place and walked into the colts’ restroom to wash the blood off my hooves. I couldn’t stop thinking about the suit. I walked back into the dining room and sat down. I held my head, shaking. Quick Thinker walked up and sat down as well.
“You saw it?” he asked. “You saw Springlock Sonata?”
“I didn’t just see it,” I whispered. “I nearly felt it. It jolted awake and tried to grab me. And it spoke. It was saying ‘Help me.’ What is that monstrosity?”
“The springlock suits were something that we came up with 40 years ago,” Thinker said. “They were suits that were both animatronics, and a suit to wear. We made an Adagio and a Sonata suit. But after an accident involving both suits, we decommissioned them. Removed Springlock Adagio’s endoskeleton, and put Springlock Sonata into the safe room. They were never to be spoken of again. But I wanted to make sure that they were still there.” It was near closing time. Quick Thinker stood up and pulled out a check from his shirt pocket. He gave it to me. It was for an additional 25 bits.
“Thanks,” I said. I stood up and shook Thinker’s hoof.
“Thank you, Braveheart,” he said. “For everything.” I nodded and left the building. Left Adagio and her friends behind, and leaving behind the monster that was the Springlock Sonata suit.
