Chapter 1: Moving Pictures
How long has it been since you've seen this studio? Thirty years? Wow, was it that long? You remember it like it was yesterday. This old, run down place was once so full of life, filled with animators, actors, and a whole lot of story writers. You were one of those employees. You remembered all the cartoon shows that you helped make here. There was Transformers, that one was a classic favorite. And Beyblade, you always had trouble getting it's awesome theme song out of your head. But what you remembered most, was the show that put Hasbro on the map, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
When you first heard that Hasbro planned to resurrect that old show, you weren't exactly keen on the idea. But when you heard of the ideas that the story writers had in mind, what the woman named Lauren Faust planned to do, you were amazed! The stories that they came up with were amazing, along with some of your ideas as well. You served as Lauren Faust's right hand man. And as you two worked together, you formed some kind of bond of friendship with her, and she formed a bond with you. You helped write stories, gave her moral support when she was stressed, and even helped her fend off the fan boys that had fallen prey to this show.
You both liked that the show was getting attention, but the fandom consisted mainly of full grown men! It was crazy! You two used to joke around about how this fandom was a gay fest. Oh, that one always made you laugh. But you couldn't blame them, the awesome stories the writers came up with, the voice talents of Tara Strong and the rest of the gang, and the music by Daniel Ingram, was enough to draw in even the manliest of people to the show, and remind them that maybe, just maybe, this world wasn't such a terrible place after all. It was all a dream come true. But like all dreams, it had to end at one point.
The show wasn't bringing in a lot of viewers, the writers were experiencing a lot of Writer's Block, and the actors were no longer happy about being in the show, saying that they had a good run, but it was time to stop. Shortly after, the Magical World you helped to create crumbled before your very eyes. The show was cancelled, the writers quit, the actors left in search of new things, and that gay fest of a fandom withered away and died completely. It was a devastating blow for Hasbro, and unfortunately, it wasn't something they could bounce back from. Hasbro was disbanded, and the building fell into disrepair. And to top it off, Lauren Faust suddenly disappeared shortly after it all went down hill. There were some theories about what happened to her, some say she died, others say she's spending time with her family. You don't quite know what to make of it, you quit your job a month or two before the show collapsed, so you didn't know what happened to her. But you definitely know she's alive. You had this feeling in your gut telling you that she was still living, trying to figure out what to do next. And unless the letter you received was a practical joke, it only confirmed your theory that she was alive, and she might be somewhere in this building, that you were still staring at. You pulled out the letter and reread it one last time.
Dear Henry,
It seems like a lifetime since we worked on Pinkie and all her friends.
30 years really slips away, doesn't it?
If you're back in town, come visit the old studio.
There's something I need to show you.
Your Best Pal, Lauren Faust 
You quickly put the letter away, wondering what Lauren had in store for you. With one final deep breath, you open the rickety door, and stepped inside.
The first thing you noticed was how messy it was. Desks were turned over and there were some papers and some old film reels that littered the floor, and you think you saw a spider behind one of the support beams. Besides that, everything looked the same.
"Alright Lauren, I'm here." You say to no one in particular, knowing that she probably can't hear you, "Let's see if we can find what you wanted me to see." And with that, you stepped deeper into the studio.
You came across some old scripts and papers, you had no idea what you were looking for, so you had to look at every tiny detail for clues your old friend left for you to find. After some time, you noticed that the walls were decorated with old posters, and not all of them were about My Little Pony. You took some time to read them. Transformers, you heard that another company bought rights to it a while back. Then there was Beyblade, you still couldn't believe that comeback they made in 2017, but it didn't last long after Hasbro got shut down. And of course there was My Little Pony. You saw all the members of the Mane Six, sitting on a hill while looking like they were posing for a picture. You wondered how the actors were faring, Tara Strong, Andrea Libman, Rebecca Shoichet, all of them. You heard that Tara got a big role playing as a gothic demon spawn named Raven for a show called "Teen Titans Go!" You heard that the fandom community hated it, and yet it was still being aired. As for the rest of the gang, you didn't know what happened to them. You were sure that you could look them up and see how they were doing, but you couldn't focus on that now. With those memories in your head, you continue to press on. After a few minutes of searching, you came across something you hadn't seen in a long time.
"Hey, here's my old desk." You exclaim, "Ha, I wasted so much time in this chair." You took a seat in the old chair, remembering the stories you created and edited here. You and Lauren would spend hours here, drinking coffee and discussing the next episode. This old desk meant a lot to you and Lauren.
Then an idea popped into your head, this desk held a special place in both your hearts! So maybe she left something for you in here! You foraged through the drawers, hoping to find some kind of clue. All you found was an old bottle of expired strawberry syrup and some old papers. You slumped back, believing that your theory was a farce. Then you noticed something on one of the papers. You'd know that handwriting anywhere! You quickly pulled out the note that Lauren left you and began to read.
Dear Henry,
If you are reading this, then you have successfully gotten my message.
There is an old Cake Machine I installed somewhere here in this studio.
Could you turn it on for me? If you do, you'll see what I wanted to show you.
Good luck.
Your Best Pal, Lauren Faust
P.S. Keep the Strawberry Syrup. You'll need it later.
You didn't know what this Cake Machine was. You imagined that it was a stove of some kind, that dispensed cupcakes and other pastry treats. You think you'll know it when you see it. And why did you need this bottle of syrup? You didn't know, but it obviously had some kind of importance. So you took the syrup from your desk and continued to look for this "Cake Machine".
Turning around, you saw this new kind of room. Strange, you don't remember that being there. A little curious, you went inside. It was filled with old desks and story boards. Most of them containing unused film, or scenes that didn't make it into the show.
"Looks like they knocked out a wall or two after I left." you observed, then you chuckled, "I guess it took a few dozen people to replace me." And it was true, your commitment to the show was one of the things that made it so great. And something like that could not be replaced. But enough about that, you had to keep moving to find this Cake Machine Lauren mentioned.
You looked around the rest of the studio to see if you could find this machine. But so far you've come up with nothing. But there was some old radio that you found, playing a song that you think the fandom made a while back. But you couldn't understand what it meant.
These treats that come from the Cake Machine
Give life to our little friend moving on the screen
She's got Cotton Candy mane and can be seen
Bouncing in the halls behind the scenes
She's listening, and always moving
Partying and Choosing, Sensing and Improving
Then one day you pulled the spring
And you reanimated our little Pinkie
(Chorus:)
Pinkie and the Cake Machine
In a way you've never seen
Pinkie and the Cake Machine
Better watch out, or she'll make screamdcjbdsgrbhjzzzhfggf
*static*
You couldn't understand how the fandom would know something about this "Cake Machine". From the secrecy of the note you received, you assumed that nobody else would know about this. Maybe the late fandom didn't make it. But if they didn't make it... who did?
But concentrating on that didn't get you any closer to solving the mystery Lauren left for you, you had to keep moving. You turned off the radio and continued forward, still wondering what that song meant, and who wrote it. You just broke out of your thought process when you noticed a door to your right. It had a sign on the top that said: Cake Machine. If that wasn't what you were looking for, you didn't know what was. Cautiously, you walk over to the room.
The room was far from generic. There were wires, switches, and chains everywhere. And a huge hole in the floor that seemed to go down for miles. In fact, the only thing preventing you from falling in that dark abyss was an old balcony that looked like it wouldn't hold. You figured that it was probably not a good idea to lean on it, just to be safe. You looked around some more and saw an old switch built into the balcony, as well as a old looking generator that was a few batteries shy.
"Hmm, this generator could use a few power cells," you thought to yourself. And speak of the devil, there were a few power cells on a shelf nearby. Removing them from their resting places, you placed them into their appropriate slots in the generator. "Let's see what your hiding down there, my old friend." you said, even though she couldn't hear you. Crossing your fingers, you pulled down the switch.
Nothing happened. Nothing special, anyway. Everything was normal. Well, almost everything.
It was then that the chains began to move. They appeared to be pulling something out of the endless abyss that stood before you. Then you saw it, this bulky looking machine. It had gears surrounding every part of it. And on the side, was a small furnace with built in trays for pastry dishes to go in. This was obviously the Cake Machine you were searching for. But why did it look and feel so... menacing?
"So this is The Cake Machine, huh? Wonder how you turn it on." you wondered aloud as you looked for some kind of button, or switch to activate it. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything on it signalizing that it could be turned on manually. You theorized that there must be a more complex way to start it. That's when you noticed a lone gear, and a messy piece of writing on the wall. The gear was old and beat up, like it was a part for the Cake Machine, as the Cake Machine also looked old and beat up. But it looked like it was of some importance, so you put it with the bag you used to carry the Strawberry Syrup. (Oh yeah, you did bring a bag with you to the studio.) The writing on the wall was big and sloppy, and looked like it was written in some kind of pink frosting. It spelled out three simple words:
DREAMS COME TRUE.
Dreams come true? Sounded like an old friendship lesson from one of the My Little Pony episodes. But where have you heard that before? You'll have to ponder that as you're looking for a way to turn on the Machine. After turning down a few corners and passing a few old working desks, you found yourself in what used to be The Break Room. Where there once was lounging couches and espresso machines now was a big ugly switch fastened to the wall with a electronic sign saying "Low Pressure". And to the other sides of the walls sat six ancient looking pedestals, three for each wall. And behind the pedestals were pictures that you guessed described what was supposed to go there. You read through them carefully...
The Sweetness of Generosity
The Hard Work of Honesty
The Music of Laughter
The Functions of Loyalty
The Comfort of Kindness
The Knowledge of Magic
What were these things? You knew they were referencing The Elements of Harmony, but still what did it mean? The Elements didn't exist in this world, so they may be mentioning items that represent them, and the function that each item plays. "Alright, how do I get this to work?" You ask yourself, knowing that it took certain items to activate it, but what were they, and where were they? You were just about to leave the room as you noticed something blocking your path.
You jumped slightly as you saw a life sized cardboard cut out of Pinkimena Diane Pie herself, stand in your way.
"(gasp) Whoa, who put this here?!" you asked. You didn't see that as you were entering the room, and you were pretty sure you were the only one on this floor, maybe even the whole building. Did Lauren put it there? Or has the building become so run down and creepy looking that your mind has started to play tricks on you? And something was weird about this cardboard cut out. For one, Pinkie's eyes looked like black Pac-Mans. And her smile looked more creepier than usual. She looked like she would come to life at any moment and jump at you. You were a little afraid of this Pinkie Pie, and the more distance you put yourself from it, the better.
Slowly moving around the cardboard, you caught glimpse of another room. What you saw in there only increased your fear. What you saw were seven operating tables, all moved around the room. Three were on one side of the room, three in the other, and the seventh was placed dead smack in the middle. And on those tables, were The Mane Six themselves, their open ribs showing through their severed skins, as if their insides were ripped out of them. "Oh my God. Lauren, what were you doing?" you asked her, you had to stop doing that. Was this what she wanted to show you? If it was, what drove her to do this? She was so nice and caring, she couldn't do something like this. You came across the characters, reciting their names as you walked past them:
"Twilight Sparkle"
"Rainbow Dash"
"Rarity"
"Applejack"
"Fluttershy"
"And Pink-... huh?"
Pinkie wasn't there, all that was in her place was an empty table, a bunch of ripped open restraints, and a music disc. Where was Pinkie? And what was that disk doing here? Then you remembered what the descriptions said:
"The Music of Laughter"
The disc is on Pinkie's table, Pinkie is the bearer of Laughter, and the disc produces music. Now the clues were starting to make sense. The strawberry syrup jar you found contained something sweet; "The Sweetness of Generosity"! And the gear was supposed to help function The Cake Machine and The Cake Machine alone, as if it's loyalty for it was absolute; "The Functions of Loyalty"! And now you had the third piece; "The Music of Laughter"! You put it in the bag with the rest of them and quickly checked to see if the other items were with their owners on the operating tables. The only things on them were the rotting corpses of The Guardians of Harmony. (That's what you liked to call them that one episode where they leveled up to beat Tirek.) But then, you focused on the seventh, and final operating table.
You thought that you were going to find Sunset Shimmer on it, in her pony form. As technically, she was the seventh Element Bearer. But instead, you found a completely different character in her place. It was a male pony, that had a yellow shirt, poofy hair just like Pinkie's (except it was brown), and a cheese sandwich for a cutie mark. "Who the heck is this?" you ask, trying to remember, "Hmmmm. Oh, now I remember! Your name is Cheese Sandwich." You remembered when Weird Al came to make a small appearance on the show. You heard a lot of things about him, and it was an honor to meet him in person. Ah, good times. Then you noticed something stuffed into his open ribs. A double sided wrench, and a big one at that. Could it be an item? Only one way to find out. You reluctantly put your hand in the decaying skin, and pulled out the wrench with all your might. Had there been no restraints, the body may have fallen on you because of how hard you pulled. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. You held the wrench in your hand, wondering what it meant.
"Hmm, let's see." you thought, "A wrench is used to help build something. Usually, the job it's used for requires a lot of honest hard work. Wait, 'Honest Hard Work'. And wasn't Applejack handy with tools?" Suddenly it became obvious as to what this was; this was "The Hard Work of Honesty".
"Four down, two to go."
You put the wrench away with the others and began to leave the room when suddenly...
"Who's Laughing Now?"
You were startled by the creepy toddler voice that spoke to you "Who's there?!" you shouted, searching the room for someone. Then you noticed the writing on the wall.
Who's Laughing Now?
"That wasn't there before." you thought to yourself. This was starting to get creepy, and the dead equines surrounding you were not helping. The sooner you turned on this Cake Machine and saw what Lauren left for you, the sooner you could get out of here! So you quickly left the room, making sure to tip toe around the Pinkie cut out. But the strange thing was, it wasn't there. You didn't know how that happened, you were sure it was there before. Did Lauren move it again, or was it the creepy toddler voice? You didn't know and you didn't care, all that mattered was getting the rest of the items to start the machine so that you could get out of here!
After walking for a bit, you noticed a small, old chair, right in the open. You would've just shrugged and moved on had it not been what was on the chair. Looking closer, you saw that it was a tiny black book. Picking it up, you examined the title:
The Illusion of Living
&
The Falsehoods of Friendship
By Lauren Faust
The Illusion of Living? The Falsehoods of Friendship? The Lauren Faust who wrote this book didn't sound like the Lauren Faust you knew. And you noticed that this book looked like it was written recently, but if that was the case, where was she? There had to be a mistake. But you know one thing that wasn't a mistake, this was an item. Books gave you Knowledge, and one of the items were "The Knowledge of Magic". Not to mention Twilight liked to read books, though you doubted that she would read a book like this. Carefully, you put the evil book inside your bag. You were about to leave to find the last item when you saw something on the wall, next to the chair. It was an old tape recorder. You hadn't seen these in like forever. Interested to hear what it had to say, you turned it on, instantly recognizing the person the voice belonged to.
Voice of: Vincent Tong
At this point, I don't get what Lauren's
plan is for this company. The show sure
isn't as popular anymore. And I certainly
don't know why we need this... machine.
It's noisy, it's messy, and who needs that
much cake anyway?
Also, get this... Lauren has us each donate
something from our work stations, we put
them on these little pedestals in The Break
Room. To help "Appease the Gods", Lauren
says, "Keep Things Going".
I think she's lost her mind. But hey, she
writes the checks. But I tell you, if one more
of these ovens explode, I'm outta here!
*click*
Hearing one of your friends again made you feel a little better, but the fact that he was talking about the Evil Lauren Faust who wrote the book increased your uncertainty about your friend. And that's what the pedestals were for? It seems that Lauren started putting her faith into a new religion, but did she start becoming a bit too serious about it's worship? Was that why she sounded so crazy? "Is he right, Lauren?" you asked her, even though she had not shown any signs of being here recently besides the book, "Have you really lost your mind?" You hoped that wasn't the case. But everything you've seen, the bodies, the book, the tape, it all pointed to your former friend being this insane, heartless monster. Hoping that she could tell you what this was all about when you finally see her, you move on, looking to find the last piece.
It wasn't hard to find the last item, it ended up being a Fluttershy doll put on one of the shelves. This made sense, she was the embodiment of Kindness, and a doll offered comfort. "The Comfort of Kindness". With the last piece in the bag, you headed back to The Break Room.
"Okay, that's all of them." you say as you put each item in their proper places, "Now I just need to get the cake batter flowing somehow. Should be a switch around here somewhere. Then, I can start up the Main Power." You had realized shortly after putting the items in place that they alone were not enough to start the Cake Machine. You also had to restore pressure to the pipes connecting to it, so that the ingredients could flow into it. Having a good idea where it was, you trekked down the hall to where you could find the machine. Then for a split second, you saw something peek around the corner, and disappear again.
You jumped in surprise. You quickly went over to see what it was. It was that creepy Pinkie Pie cut out from before! But it looked a little different. The smile was much wider, and those Pac-Man eyes now looked like they could peer into your soul. You did not like this thing. Slowly moving around it, you entered another room, where you found exactly what you were looking for: The Pressure Button.
Quickly, you went over and pressed the button. Suddenly, one of the pipes burst, flooding the room in thick and sticky cake batter. You were not happy about this. This jacket was brand new! "When I find you, Lauren, you're paying for this jacket." you thought to yourself as you tried desperately to scrape the batter off your clothes. But on the bright side, the creaking within the building's pipe lines informed you that pressure had been restored. You were just about to leave, when suddenly a projector turns on.
On the screen next to you was a small animation of Pinkie, bending her knees to the rhythm of the music that she was whistling. How did it turn on? Did the Pinkie cut out do it? You were starting to contemplate whether or not that thing had a mind of it's own. You didn't want to stick around to find out. Cautiously moving away from the room and the Pinkie cut out, you ran all the way down to The Break Room.
(stop music)
Finally, everything was ready. The Items were in place, the Pressure has been restored, the Cake Machine could finally be turned on. You were just about to pull the handle when something crossed your mind, "Should I really be doing this? The Lauren Faust I've learned to love is not the same one who installed this machine. Is this really the right thing to do?" You pondered about this. This machine felt kind of off, and everything that you've heard or seen points to this thing being bad news. But then a different voice spoke in the back of your head, The Evil Toddler Voice, "Come on, what are you waiting for? You're finally here! After all this running around, you're just gonna give up like that?! Lauren wanted to show you this for a reason, didn't she? So pull the switch, and finish what she started!"
As soon as the voice stopped talking, you saw that you already pulled the switch. But you don't remember doing that. You also noticed that the Items were gone. As if their purpose had been fulfilled, and their time on this plane of existence was over. You stared at the electronic sign that now read: Running. You looked off to the entrance of the room, hearing strange rattling noises. No doubt the Cake Machine was fully operational now.
"Well, I've gotten this far, I might as well go all the way." you said to yourself as you walked out of the room, ready to face what this Cake Machine had to offer.
As you walked to the room where The Cake Machine called it's home, you saw that the entrance was now all boarded up. How could that happen? You found a small opening through the boards to peek through, you at least wanted to see the result of your hard work. The Cake Machine was working. The gears were turning, the pipes filled with cake batter were flowing into it, and cupcakes were coming from the built in oven. Nothing looked out of place, it actually seemed kind of cute. You wondered why you even considered that there was anything dangerous about this thing. But that thought process was short lived after something jumped at you, causing you to fall on you butt, screaming at the horror you were beholding.
The monster was Pinkie Pie! Or sort of. Her hair has down, like it was when she was sad or angry. A thick blot of deep red syrup was leaking all over her upper face, covering her eyes. At least, you hoped that crimson red stuff covering her face was syrup. Her front hooves had long sharp claws on them, and she was using one of them to reach through the opening and grab you. And her muzzle barely covered her dark creepy smile, with new pointed and sharpened teeth. Then you reached a conclusion, this thing was not Pinkie Pie! The Pinkie Pie you knew could never be the monster that you were seeing now. Then you snapped out of your stupor as you realized that the boards were loosening under her weight. If you stayed any more, you would die!
"I'm getting the hell out of here!" you shouted as you quickly got to your feet and bolted for the exit. You ran with all your might, noticing that your feet were dragging on something. You looked down to see that the entire floor had flooded with frosting and cake batter. It was weighing you down, but you had to keep moving. The place was like a maze, you kept bumping into walls and dead ends. You couldn't remember which direction you came from or where you were going, and these flashing lights were not helping you at all!
"WHERE IS THE EXIT?!"
And suddenly, as if fate had been listening, the door to the exit had revealed itself! Had you not been frightened out of your skin you would have made a silent prayer. But that could wait. "Pinkie" had finally broke free from the boards and was right behind you!
You bolted with everything you had, your fear of "Pinkie" and your desire to live fueling your drive, despite how tired you were. "ALMOST THERE!" you screamed to yourself, the escape from this hell hole just a few feet away from you. "Pinkie" was a few inches away from you! You weren't gonna make it! With everything you had, you jumped out of "Pinkie's" reach, reaching for the door knob. Everything entered slow motion. Jumping out of "Pinkie's" clutches, reaching for the door handle, the trap door opening out from under you... wait, what?!
Your fingers had just missed the knob as you plummeted down below, "Pinkie" roaring furiously, as you escaped out of her arm reach.
(stop music)
You slowly got up from the spot you landed on. The room you were now in was flooded knee-deep in frosting and cake batter. That helped break your fall a little bit, but did nothing to stop the pain of the descent.
You checked to see if you were still in one piece. You were bleeding a bit, you had bruises and scrapes covering your body, and cake batter and frosting coated your clothes, but other than that, nothing broken. You looked up at the ceiling, where you fell. "Pinkie" seemed to have given up chasing you, as she did not jump down to persist you and you could hear the clomping of her footsteps becoming fainter. But this was no time to rest, who knows when she might come back?
There didn't seem like any way to climb up, and to attempt it would surely lead to a broken back. And you didn't see any stairways that could lead you back up. There was one door that you assumed could take you there, but it was barricaded with desks and drawers, and probably for a good reason.And assuming you did make it back up, how were you going to get past "Pinkie"? There was no getting out the way you came in, the only thing to do was to delve deeper into the studio and hope to find another way out. After, wiping your pants and patching up your cuts, you decided to walk down the stair case that would take you farther into the building.
But first, you had to get rid of all this gooey cake supplies. You then noticed a small valve on the side of the wall, maybe that could get rid of all this? Turning the valve with all your might, you quietly shouted "Eureka!" The batter slowly began to get sucked up by the pipe, leaving a trail to safely go down the stair case. You were just about to head down when you noticed another tape recorder, and it looked like it was in working condition. How that was the case, you didn't know. Curiously turning it on, you listened to what this one had to reveal.
Voice of: Andrew Francis
When I took the job of voicing Shining Armor
for this show, I wasn't under the impression that
I would also have to do Construction work. But
that old hag upstairs says that if I want my full
paycheck, I'll have to do exactly what she says.
There's gotta be some bill that makes this illegal,
I tell ya. Makes me grateful I took that Home
Repair class in college, though.
But still, this stinks. It's dark, it's cold, and it's stuck
behind every single wall now. I swear, that in some
places it's clear up to my thighs. Who ever thought
these crummy pipes could hold under this kind of
pressure either knows something about pressure
I don't, or he's completely thick in the head! And do
you know what the worst part about it is? All those
weird noises the system makes, like a dying horse
at its last breaths. Make no mistake, this place, this...
machine, hell, this whole damn thing! It's just not right.
Something is completely off with all this.
You can bet, that after my contract expires, I won't be
doing any more voice work or repair work,
for Mrs. Lauren Faust.
*click*
"Wow, you've stooped that low," you thought, "to the point where your threatening people with the pay checks? What happened to you, Lauren?" True, Lauren was a little strict when it came to getting work done, but she would never do this. At least, you thought she would never do this. You began to wonder if you ever really knew her at all, or if she was truly your friend. You pondered this as you continued to move forward.
After some time you came across a boarded off hallway blocking your path. How were you going to get through? Then if it was just your luck, you found something hanging on the wall that could assist you in your escape. It was a big, double handed axe. In Case of Emergency, said the sign over it. Well, this was definitely an emergency, so with that out of the way, you removed the axe from it's place on the wall.
"This will definitely come in handy." you tell yourself. You would need it if you came across anymore barricades, or in case that monster came back. Using the axe, you made quick work of the wood that was in your way. After repeating this process, you cam across a boarded off door. You effortlessly demolished the boards and opened the door. What you saw resurrected your old fears, as what lay out before you was a satanic ritual circle, eerie candles and everything. Then your vision began to shake as you head began to feel fuzzy. You grabbed your head as you were struggling to keep sanity. You screamed as visions began to play in your head...
"Pinkie"
"Wheelchair"
"Little Miracle"
The Creators lied to us!
(stop music)
And with those words in your head, your axe fell to the ground with a clang, and you tumbled to the floor, dead to the world.
To Be Continued
