Five Nights at Equestria Girls

An 11-year-old Gabriel was chasing his friends around the tables at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. He was trying to avoid being tagged by Fritz, the same as Jeremy and Susie. Gabriel ducked just as Fritz tried to tag him. As he rounded the next table, he darted off in the opposite direction of his friends. After all the running, his lungs were beginning to burn. Between the three rounds with Susie and Jeremy and another four with Fritz joining in, Gabriel had gotten worn out because of the game. He watched as Susie sat down, just as exhausted as he was. A few seconds later, Fritz came running by and tripped over the leg of her chair.

“Ow!’ exclaimed Fritz as his knees slammed onto the floor.

Gabriel watched as Jeremy stopped running away and ran back to help Fritz up.

“Are you okay?” asked Jeremy.

Gabriel snickered as he saw the devilish smile appear on Fritz’s face. When Jeremy leaned down to help Fritz up, he saw him tag Jeremy.

“Yeah, and you’re it now!” shouted Fritz as he ran away from Jeremy, who was now it.

Gabriel chuckled as he heard Jeremy groan. He watched as Jeremy reluctantly ran after Fritz, clearly upset that he had gotten fooled. Though, his anger soon disappeared as he got into the game again. It was astonishing how Jeremy, despite being a few years younger than him, was always happy. Even when faced with the reality that their group would soon split, Gabriel knew that with him and Susie being the oldest of the group, they would soon be heading off to middle school. But he did share Jeremy and Fritz’s worries about their friendship getting torn apart.

As he saw Freddy, Chica, Foxy, and Bonnie walk past, that was his cue to join the group of kids gathering at the table. Gabriel took his seat near Jeremy, sitting next to Susie.

“Happy Birthday Jeremy!” exclaimed Freddy in his usual cheerful robotic voice.

Freddy set the cake down on the table in front of Jeremy. Gabriel noticed that the cake had a number 8 candle in the middle of a circle made of smaller candles. On the cake, it read ‘Happy Birthday, Jeremy!’ right below the characters of the pizzeria. The cake had obviously themed as a Freddy Fazbear cake, per Jeremy’s request. Looking over at Susie, he saw her giving Freddy a creeped-out look. It surprised him that she would ever set foot in the restaurant, considering her long rants about how stupid it was. But at the same time, Gabriel understood why she did it. It was Jeremy’s birthday after all, and she, like the rest of the group, wanted to be there for him.

“...Happy Birthday to you!” finished Chica.

Gabriel watched as Jeremy leaned forward, preparing to blow out his candles. His gaze shifted to Foxy when he saw the animatronic fox rest a hook on his friend’s shoulder. He heard the foxy say in his thick pirate accent, “Don’t forget to make your special birthday wish, Jeremy.”

A few seconds later, Jeremy made his wish, and Gabriel got his slice of cake. He was grateful that he and Jeremy shared a love for chocolate cake. Eagerly taking a bite of his cake, Gabriel missed the glare Susie was giving him. But he didn’t seem to mind that his manners weren’t refined like hers always were. Instead, Gabriel continued to gobble his cake down.

Two slices of cake later, Gabriel saw Fritz get up from the table. As he watched Fritz walk away, both he and Susie noticed their friend paused at the trash bins. That confused him and made him wonder what was going on. He realized that their friend was staring at something and tried to see what he was staring at. But he saw nothing, expect pitch blackness in a closed-off part of the building.

Gabriel heard Jeremy shout, “Hey Fritz, you coming to see the show or what?”

That made Fritz run towards Jeremy and join him at the Pirate Cove show. Gabriel turned to Susie and leaned close to her.

“That was weird, right?” whispered Gabriel, holding his hand to cover his mouth.

“Yeah, it was,” replied Susie.

“What do you think he was staring at?” asked Gabriel.

“No clue. All I saw was a golden glow before it disappeared the second I blinked,” Susie said, eyeing the show.

Gabriel watched as Susie took one last sip of her water before joining the crowd of kids near the stage area. He was aware that the show was the only decent thing about the franchise, according to Susie. That surprised Gabriel, to say the least. But it seemed that was the only thing she approved of in the restaurant. Seeing her run off to find a less crowded place to sit, he got up from his chair. After three pieces of cake, Gabriel was starting to crave some pizza. His mom always said that he was like a pig with the way he ate. But he couldn’t help it if he was hungry all the time.

The lights dimmed as he watched Freddy, Foxy, Chica, and Bonnie step on stage one by one. The screams that came afterward were drowned out by the wall separating him from the crowd.

“Yar, har, har, har me mates! Who’s ready for a pirate adventure with me, Foxy?” asked the pirate fox while he waved his hook.

“We are!” shouted the kids in unison.

Gabriel saw the pirate fox lift his hook as he said, “Well, good. Welcome to the Pirate’s Cove Treasure Hunt.”

Gabriel saw Bonnie start to play his guitar, the beginning chords of the first song playing over the speakers. Leaning against the wall behind him, he stood in the very back. Like Susie, Gabriel wasn’t a big fan of crowded places or large groups of people. He was more shy than outgoing when it came to meeting new people. Even more so than Susie was. While his thoughts flashed to when he had met his friends, a tantalizing smell wafted towards him.

“Hmmm, what is that delicious smell? Is that...pepperoni pizza?” thought Gabriel, inhaling more of the scent.

He followed the scent, his stomach growling in response to the thought of pizza. Walking away from the safety of the main area where the show was happening, he found himself walking down on a dark and dirty hallway. An eerie feeling washed over him as he turned the corner. There were feces, and old newspapers dispersed all over the floor. He tried to make out the headlines, but the lighting in the hall didn’t allow him to make out what they said. Several floor tiles were cracked and chipped by years of age and wear. A few puddles of a strange green liquid were also scattered all around him. Gabriel stepped around them, assuming it was water. He didn’t dare think of what else it might be, for fear that his gag reflex would kick in.

“Where am I? And why haven’t I found that delicious pizza I am smelling?” Gabriel thought as he looked down the dark hallway.

“Hello there, Gabriel,” said a voice, coming from the darkness. “Are you looking for that free pepperoni pizza?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am,” replied Gabriel, stepping back from the mysterious voice. “But um, who are you? And why are you hiding in the darkness?”

A figure wearing a Golden Freddy suit stepped out from the darkness. Their eyes were pitch black holes, no costume eyes or human eyes were visible. The outfit they were wearing had visible signs that it had endured years of wear and tear. It had also become covered in thick layers of grime and oil, which emitted a rancid smell. The smell itself was so strong that Gabriel had to cover his nose and mouth with his shirt.

“My name...is not of any importance to you. But you may call me the Purple Guy if that is easier for you.” The figure approached Gabriel, closing the space that separated them. “As for the reason why I was in the darkness, let’s just say the shadows are my friends.”

Gabriel gagged as the rancid smell from the suit intensified in the small area between him and the Purple Guy. This was when he noticed that Purple Guy didn’t have any pizza on him. His hands were sitting across his chest. That was odd to him. Very unusual, considering he could still smell the pizza over the suit’s scent.

“Hey, where is that pepperoni pizza?” asked Gabriel, his stomach growling as he asked the question.

“It’s another room,” replied the Purple Guy, walking away from Gabriel. “If you want it, I can show you where it is.”

Gabriel looked back at his friends and family. They were happily watching the show, unaware of the situation that was unfolding in the darkness. He looked at Jeremy, Susie, and Fritz. They all seemed happy and peaceful, like a perfect moment frozen in time. Susie had even moved closer to where Jeremy and Fritz were sitting as the second song began to play. Gabriel turned his attention back to the mysterious Purple Guy. Something, maybe the fact that he seemed to be up to something, made him feel uneasy as he stared at the eyeless costume head. But, for now, his growling stomach and the thought of a tantalizing pizza were enough for him to ignore his suspicions.

“Okay, sure. Show me where this pizza is,” said Gabriel as he started to follow the Purple Guy.

After turning down a few slowly decaying hallways, the Purple Guy stopped in a dimly lit area. It was the same as all the others they had walked through. Every single one was dirty, covered in feces and strange green puddles. And the smell of decaying animals slowly grew stronger with every hallway they went down. By now, that stench was so strong Gabriel almost decided to turn around and abandon the pizza. Though, he was too hungry to do that...yet. The newspapers had stopped littering the floor. Instead, they had gotten replaced by recent flyers of a missing girl. He looked at the picture on them; something about her seemed familiar to him. It was like he had seen her before, but where? Perhaps he had seen her at school or his way to school. Yet, before Gabriel could recall if he had seen her, a grime-covered paw grabbed his arm and yanked him away from the flyer.

“Don’t pay any attention to those scraps of paper,” said the Purple Guy.

“Why?” asked Gabriel, wondering what the Purple Guy was trying to hide.

“Because...it’s none of your damn business, kid!” shouted the Purple Guy, making Gabriel shrink away from him. Seeing that, he lowered his voice and said, “Sorry, I had a fucked up day with my piece of shit boss. I had to dress up as this dumbass mascot today. And then my wife…” he stopped when he realized that he was droning on.

“Oh…” muttered Gabriel, not sure what had just happened.

“Eh, you don’t need to know the details, kid,” said the Purple Guy as he continued walking down the hallway. “Come on, follow me. We’re almost at the room where your pizza is.”

That made Gabriel hesitate. He didn’t want the pizza anymore, despite his growing hunger. Now, he wanted to be with his friends and family, safe from any harm. Something about the drastic change in the Purple Guy’s behavior and the growing decrepitness of the building worried him. This part of the restaurant was clearly off-limits, but why? There had been no newspaper clippings or reports on it. Though, there was one police report that he remembered vaguely being about the restaurant. But that had gotten shut down after it began with no reason as to why. With that all swarming around in his head, Gabriel felt a migraine coming on.

“No, I am not following you anymore,” said Gabriel, stomping his foot against the tile floor.

The Purple Guy walked over to Gabriel, letting out a low growl as he got closer. His hand gripped the boy’s arm in a tight grasp. And without any warning, he lifted Gabriel by his arm, resulting in his shoulder dislocating.

“Listen here, you fucking brat, I have no patience for you. So, follow me, or I will have to do something you’ll hate,” hissed the Purple Guy, his masked face inches from Gabriel’s.

“Ahh-” Gabriel’s cry for help was cut off by a hand covering his mouth.

“Shut the hell up, kid!! I don’t want any attention drawn to us,” whispered the Purple Guy.

“Fine, I will follow you,” said Gabriel, his words muffled by the hand that was covering his mouth.

With that, Gabriel had gotten dropped back down. His shoulder throbbed as his arm returned to its normal position. He clutched it, hoping that it would ease the pain he felt. The pain was unlike any he had felt in his lifetime. It was worse than when he broke his wrist in a bike accident. Pushing his thoughts aside, Gabriel did his best to pay no attention to the pain in his shoulder. He followed the Purple Guy as they wandered further into the creepy hallways. When they saw a door labeled ‘Playroom,’ they stopped walking.

“Why would the pizza be in there?” asked Gabriel.

“Kid,” The purple guy sighed as he rested his hand on Gabriel’s back. “You ask way too many questions. Now, just walk in and eat your pizza.”

“Uh...okay,” said Gabriel.

Walking up to the old, rotting door, Gabriel gripped the doorknob and turned it. The door creaked and groaned as it swung on its hinges. Using his good arm, he wrapped his jacket tighter around his body. Stepping closer to the doorway, Gabriel saw an old golden animatronic sitting in the corner of the room. The stairs from the door led straight to the animatronic. Gabriel took a few cautious steps down the stairs and noticed something was very wrong. He couldn’t see or smell any pizza. Though, there was one overpowering scent — rotting human flesh. Before he had a chance to look around thoroughly, the door had gotten locked behind him.

“Hey!! Why did you lock the door?!” shouted Gabriel, to no avail as the Purple Guy walked away.

After a few seconds of sitting on the stairs had passed, Gabriel called out, “Can I at least have some pizza? I am starving.”

Still, no response came. Giving up, Gabriel decided to make his way down the stairs. His good hand followed the mold-covered wall as he struggled to see in the darkness. If it hadn’t been for the sliver of light coming from the bottom of the door, he would’ve missed the animatronic at the bottom of the stairs. Its joints were somewhat rusted, most likely because of the dripping pipes around him. He also noticed that the plastic was coated in the same grime and oil as the Purple Guy’s costume was.

“That’s odd,” thought Gabriel. “Why is that animatronic covered in the same stuff as the Purple Guy?”

Gabriel decided it was best to leave the animatronic alone and not touch or disturb it. He made his way to a corner of the room, which seemed to have less mold than the other areas. Getting mold on him and being wet wasn’t something Gabriel planned on doing, especially since his day had already gone bad enough as it was. Sitting in the far right corner, he curled himself into a ball, being careful about moving his bad arm.

“Why me? I didn’t ask for this to happen to me…” thought Gabriel as a small tear rolled down his cheek.

A half-hour later, Gabriel heard what he thought to be two people coming towards the room. He sat up and tried to listen to what they were saying.

“Let me go!” shouted a familiar voice that had gotten muffled.

“Hmm, let me think about it.” Gabriel realized it was the Purple Guy speaking. “No, but I will gladly escort you to this deluxe room.”

Seconds later, the door was flung open, and Gabriel had become blinded by the light spilling into the room. He watched as Susie was shoved into the room with him. He saw her land next to the golden animatronic, almost slamming directly into it. Worry filled him as he heard her groan. Once more, Gabriel listened to the door slam shut and lock behind both him and Susie.

“Hey! Watch it, will you?” said Gabriel as he felt Susie’s hand push down on his hand.

Gabriel watched as Susie looked at him. He hoped he hadn’t spooked her, but it was impossible to see her expression. Moving his hand, he watched as she stepped around him in the small dark room. When she got closer, he looked at her and made the light from under the door reflect off his glasses.

“S-sorry, Gabe," apologized Susie.

Gabriel felt Susie’s arm brush against his as she sat down on the concrete floor next to him. As he looked at her, he saw a vague outline of her form. He instantly recognized the shorts she was wearing. Gabriel knew the only reason Susie wore shorts was that she had grown tired of him ruining her skirts. Though, he wasn’t trying to do that on purpose.

“Susie, is that really you?” asked Gabriel.

“Yeah, it is, you dummy,” replied Susie, playfully punching his arm.

“Yep, definitely you,” Gabriel said. “No one calls me a dummy, but you.”

He heard Susie chuckle before saying, “So...how did you get trapped in here?”

Gabriel turned away from Susie, ashamed of why he had gotten trapped. It wasn’t his fault that pizza tasted so good. Yet, that didn’t seem to stop her from teasing him relentlessly about it. After enduring years of Susie’s insults, Gabriel was beginning to grow annoyed by being teased.

“What? Did you get trapped for something stupid?” asked Susie.

“The Purple Guy offered me pizza. I was trapped...for free pizza,” replied Gabriel, keeping his voice low out of embarrassment.

“Wait. What? You were trapped...for pizza? Pizza?!” shrieked Susie as she jumped to her feet.

“Yes…”

“Should’ve guessed that was how you got trapped. You think with your stomach rather than your head,” Susie said, sighing.

“And what exactly led to you getting trapped with me?” asked Gabriel, his tone slightly accusing.

Gabriel heard Susie go silent. That made him curious to know why. It wasn’t typical for Susie — the chatterbox of the group — to go quiet, not unless she had a real reason to be quiet. In the dim lighting, he saw Susie getting ready to speak when the door opened, cutting her off. Two shadowy figures stood in the doorway. Silence filled the air as everyone waited with bated breath for what was going to happen. The second figure hesitated as if they were unsure of what to do. For a moment, they didn’t move towards the room. But when a hand encouraged them, they stepped into the room. Only for the door to slam shut and lock again behind them.

Something about the figure felt familiar to Gabriel. What it was about the figure, he wasn’t too sure. The longer he looked at the person, the more Gabriel thought he recognized them. Getting up from the floor, he walked over where Susie was. That allowed him to see the person better.

“Fritz?” asked Gabriel and Susie in unison.

“W-who’s there?” asked Fritz.

“It’s us, you dummy,” said Susie as Gabriel witnessed her angrily slapping Fritz’s arm.

“Ow, that is definitely you, Susie. No one else hits me that hard,” Fritz said.

“And it’s me, Gabriel,” said Gabriel.

“How did you guys get here?” asked Fritz, unaware that Gabriel saw him rubbing his sore arm.

Gabriel heard Susie scoff as she crossed her arms and said, “Well, I didn’t get here by being tricked with the promise of a free pizza.”

Gabriel was offended by Susie’s comment. She was usually never this mean or cruel to him or their friends. Yet, he knew this was an unusual situation for all of them to be in. And that the stress was likely getting to her, making her act meaner than usual. Though, that still didn’t give her any right to scold him like that even if he did fall for getting a free pizza.

“Hey! I was hungry,” Gabriel shouted, trying to defend himself against Susie.

Gabriel saw Fritz stand between him and Susie and rest a hand on his shoulder.

“Okay, so I know Gabriel was tricked by his stomach. But how did you get tricked, Susie?” asked Fritz.

The second Fritz asked that question, the room fell silent again. Gabriel’s curiosity to know what exactly brought Susie to this room was growing with every breath he took. He wanted to know how she allowed herself to get led to the same trap. A few minutes later and Susie threw her hands down, seemingly in defeat.

“I was lured in because of ...a free makeup kit. One that had gotten made especially made for me,” Susie replied.

“Really, Susie? A free makeup kit?” asked Fritz, sounding almost appalled by the fact she could’ve had gotten lured away from something as frivolous as a makeup kit.

“What?! I like wearing makeup,” said Susie, turning away from Fritz and Gabriel.

“Yeah, okay, whatever you say, Susie,” Fritz said. “Wait...where’s Jeremy?”

That made Gabriel wonder the same thing. If Fritz and Susie had gotten brought in, where was their other friend? There was one other question on his mind as well — why was the Purple Guy targeting them specifically? They weren’t anything special, right? His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open for the fourth time that night. Again, two figures stood in the doorway; one of them was the Purple Guy. The other one seemed very familiar. When he saw the all too familiar wavy hair of his friend, that let him know it was Jeremy. As his friend slowly walked down the stairs, he saw the light disappear again behind the locked door.

“Hey! What are you doing?” screamed Jeremy.

Gabriel watched as Jeremy approached the golden animatronic. He remembered that he had avoided it because of the stench coming off of it. And seeing his friend do the thing he couldn’t, it made his skin crawl. Gabriel didn’t want to be close to it when Jeremy opened it. Backing away, he covered his nose and mouth and prepared himself for the stench.

The squeaking of plastic made Gabriel hold his breath. It was followed by a squishing sound, almost as if something was getting pulled from a half-rotted corpse. The putrid smell of rotting flesh intensified, making his gag reflex kick in. He heard Susie receding steps before they abruptly stopped. Gabriel saw her jump forward as he figured she touched the mold-covered wall. If he weren’t busy fighting his urge to vomit, he would’ve chuckled at her response.

Once his urge to vomit ad subsided, Gabriel glanced at the area where the appalling smell was coming from. What he saw was a decaying corpse of a teenage girl. Her body didn't have any signs of substantial decomposition, but there was enough decomposition to allow larvae to thrive. There was enough of her initial appearance left for Gabriel to realize she was the girl on the flyers. The one he had seen right before the Purple Guy had pulled him away. He also remembered that she was the girl who had disappeared from school two months prior. Her parents had been on tv trying to find her.

“Was she also one of his victims? Is that what he plans to do to me as well? To my friends?” thought Gabriel, his mind racing at the realization of what was going to happen.

The sound of someone retching broke through his thoughts. Gabriel turned to see it was Susie that was the source of the noise. He felt terrible for her. She was always the one who opted out of rides, like roller coasters and high rise rides. And whenever they went to watch a horror movie, Susie always seemed to have an excuse. At first, Gabriel had thought it was because she hated them. Though he soon learned that her stomach was sensitive to anything that would cause a dramatic change to her surroundings and emotions. Gabriel wasn’t sure if it was a medical condition or not. But every time he tried to ask her about it, Susie would always change the subject immediately. A few minutes of heaving later, Gabriel saw Susie make her way over to Jeremy, her arms clutching her abdomen.

“Jeremy!” exclaimed Susie, breaking the silence. “What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you,” replied Jeremy.

Gabriel saw Susie remove her hands from her stomach and hug Jeremy. He saw Jeremy join her in the hug. Though, he pulled away once he heard Susie groan in pain.

“Why did you guys get trapped in here?” asked Jeremy.

Gabriel knew why Susie fell silent. Looking at Fritz through the dim lighting, he saw that he knew too. Sure, he and Fritz knew Susie was no fan of Pizzeria. But Jeremy, who adored the restaurant and its mascots, didn’t realize how much she hated the place. It was their secret that they shared between the three of them. They all agreed not to say anything to Jeremy after he revealed that he was planning to have his 8th birthday party at the restaurant. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. But now, Jeremy was going to hear the whole truth right before they all perished. Gabriel sighed as Susie started to explain what happened, revealing her hatred of the place in the process.

A few hours had passed, and Gabriel was sure that all their parents had left the building. There were no sounds of bustling parents trying to find their lost kids echoing down the hallways. It was clear that everyone had left, leaving him and his friends at the mercy of the Purple Guy. Just as he started to ponder what his mother and father were thinking, the door was flung open. The dim light blinded him and his friends temporarily. Once he could see again, Gabriel saw a figure in the doorway, whom he recognized immediately. As the Purple Guy walked down the stairs, Gabriel’s eyes widened with fear.

“Hello, you sniveling hellish brats. Who is ready...to die?” asked the Purple Guy.

Without warning, Gabriel felt his friends huddled around him, forcing him into a ball as they closed in on him. Fear paralyzed him, just as his friends’ fear paralyzed them. Gabriel spotted the huddled figure of Jeremy. Helpless to do anything, he watched as the Purple Guy grabbed his friend by the arm. With a single tear shed and running down his cheek, Gabriel saw Jeremy getting dragged out of the room. A sickening feeling told him that was the last time he would ever see his friend alive.

Gabriel, still absorbed in knowing that he was going to die, didn’t notice that Fritz had broken off from the group huddle. Or that Susie had seen him move and understood that Fritz, like Gabriel, knew that his death was coming soon. All Gabriel could do was focus on not crying and not letting the building tears fall down his cheeks. Gabriel choked back sobs, too afraid to cry in front of his friends. Gabriel didn’t want to tell them that he wasn’t okay. He tried to remain strong for their sake.

A silent hour later, the door opened again. This time, Gabriel didn’t bother to watch as the Purple Guy stomped his way down the stairs. But to prevent himself from being blinded by the light, he had closed his eyes tightly. He heard the footstep approach one of his friends. That prompted him to open his eyes and see what was happening. In front of him, Gabriel saw the Purple Guy forcibly removing Fritz. When they reached the stairs, he saw Fritz was moving slowly due to his declining condition. That was when he saw Fritz mouth the word ‘goodbye’ to them. A few seconds later, Susie waved goodbye just to have the door slammed in her face. Gabriel would’ve waved too, but his arm was too sore for him to want to move it. Returning his gaze to the floor, he missed seeing Susie turning to him.

“Am I going to be next?” asked Susie, her voice quivering as she spoke.

Gabriel looked her in the eye. “Yes,” he said in a monotone.

The tone in his voice surprised Gabriel. It was shocking to him, especially as he was always one to give his emotions away. Yet, to hear no emotions, it was a stark realization. All the events that happened to him and his friends had begun to change him. Gabriel looked at Susie just as she turned away from his gaze. Gabriel figured she didn’t want him to see her crying. She was emotional, but she didn’t always want to show it.

“Sorry...I didn’t mean to sound so cold,” said Gabriel, trying to comfort her.

“I-it’s okay, Gabe. You’re probably just as scared as I am,” said Susie. “But if you tell anyone that I said I was scared, I will deny it.”

“If we survive this, that is,” added Gabriel.

“Yeah, if we survive this…” said Susie.

Gabriel watched as Susie leaned against the wall. He could see she didn’t care about the mold or dirt anymore. But what shocked him the most was the sound of her sobbing. It was the first time he had ever heard Susie cry. She always hid it from him and the rest of the group, saying she was too tough to cry. Now, her tough exterior was completely gone. It had gotten shattered by the events of seeing their friends carried off to their deaths. And seeing Susie no longer being her usual self, it broke Gabriel.

After a half-hour of listening to Susie sob, unable to do anything to console her, Gabriel heard her stop. He looked at her and wondered if she was okay. He was tempted to ask but thought better of it. Knowing that if he had asked, it wouldn’t have done any good. Besides, he figured it was better if he kept quiet. When Gabriel returned his gaze to the floor, he heard Susie scoot closer to him.

“Hey Gabe, mind if I use your jacket for a pillow?” asked Susie as she stifled a yawn.

“No, go ahead,” said Gabriel as he shook off his jacket, being wary of his shoulder. “Here you go, Susie.”

As he handed her his jacket, he saw Susie roll it up into a ball. When she rested it on the floor, he realized what she was doing. Gabriel wished that he could sleep and forget the reality he was in. But a part of him wanted to stay awake and fight. To protect his last remaining friend, even if it was futile. She had been there for him, and he tried to return the favor. He rested his arms on his knees as he pulled them to his chest, wincing as his shoulder throbbed. His eyes never left the door as he rested his head on his arms. Silent and in the dark, Gabriel waited for the purple Guy’s inevitable return.

Not long after Susie had dozed off, the Purple Guy came into the room again. In his hand, Gabriel spotted a blood-covered ax. Blood was dripping off the blade, indicating that it was fresh. That made him wonder what the Purple Guy did to Fritz. Though, his curiosity faded quickly when darker possibilities slipped in. With narrowed eyes, he watched as he approached Susie’s sleeping form. A few seconds later, Gabriel heard the ax hit her knee with a loud crack.

Following the cracking sound, Gabriel heard Susie let out a guttural scream of agony as the pain awakened her. Covering his eyes, he continued watching the scene unfold in front of him. Gabriel watched as Susie reached out and touched her new wound, which resulted in her letting out another pained scream. It bothered him to see her injured and in pain. Yet, he knew that if he intervened, it would only make matters worse. And likely result in him getting hurt or Susie getting injured even more. In the dim light, Gabriel could see blood running down Susie’s leg and staining her hand.

“Oh great, you’re awake now. Now, walk you little fucker,” hissed the Purple Guy.

“How can I walk?! You injured my knee,” Susie shouted at the Purple Guy.

“Oh, come on! I know that you can walk. So, walk!” exclaimed the Purple Guy, his anger building with every word he said.

Gabriel, still eyeing the Purple Guy, saw Susie as she attempted to stand up. He saw her try to put pressure on her injured knee. Soon as she did that, her knee buckled and caused her to fall. He heard her knee hit the floor, landing in a pool of her blood with a squelch. Seconds later, Susie cried out. Gabriel cringed at the sound, unable to bear hearing her suffer. Before she had a chance to recover from falling, Gabriel saw the Purple Guy raise his ax once again. When he saw it strike Susie’s ankles, his gag reflex kicked. It was sickening to see what the Purple Guy was doing to his friend. The ax cut deeper into her ankles, making Susie scream louder than before.

“Okay, you little bitch, I am not going to carry you. So, get up and march up those stairs,” said the Purple Guy as he yanked Susie to her feet.

With teary eyes, Gabriel watched as Susie attempted to stand up again. This time, he saw that she managed to keep herself from falling. Though, he could hear her wince with every step she took. She twisted her ankle as she moved towards the stairs, making her rest her hand on the wall to keep from falling again. Once she regained her balance, Gabriel saw Susie limp out of the room for the last time.

Just before Susie left the room, Gabriel whispered, “Goodbye, my friends. I hope we see each other soon.”

Gabriel watched the door close once more, letting him know he was next. With his knees still pulled to his chest, Gabriel started to sob softly. It didn’t matter now. He was alone in the dark and silent room, which held his last memories of his friends. Deep down, he knew all his friends were dead. Tears streamed down his cheeks, staining his jeans and shirt sleeves in the process. His body shook as all his built-up sobs freed themselves. Every memory he had of him, and his friends played in his head, making him cry harder. For the first and probably last time in his life, Gabriel felt truly alone.

A half-hour later, Gabriel wiped the last few of his tears that trickled down his cheeks. His throat and mouth were dry from all his crying. He coughed into his elbow and got up. Grabbing his jacket from the floor, he held it close to his body. In a comforting way, it made him feel like Susie was still there next to him. Susie’s usual perfume still lingered on the fabric. Gabriel inhaled deeply, wanting to remember the scent. However, after holding the jacket for a little bit, he sat back down. His gaze was locked on the door, readying himself for when it would open again. When the Purple Guy returned, he vowed to fight until he couldn’t anymore – to fight for his friends to avenge their deaths.

An hour had passed before the Purple Guy opened the door again. Gabriel slid his jacket onto the floor as the Purple Guy walked up to him.

“Okay, fucker, get up now. And don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” said the Purple Guy.

Gabriel, weak from crying, got up slowly. He was forcibly marched up the stairs and past the door. Once he was standing outside the room, Gabriel heard the slam shut and lock behind him. He followed the Purple Guy down the hallway until he had gotten stopped in front of a white room. Pools of blood sat in various areas in the room. It seemed the plastic covering the room was doing its job. As Gabriel walked into the room, he noticed several areas of blood spatter on the walls. Gabriel looked around and noticed numerous tables sitting in the room. On each one were many types of tools, more than he had ever seen. Set aside from the other instruments were a few that had gotten coated in blood, including the ax used against Susie.

“So, Gabriel...which weapon do you wish to die by? Machete? An ax? Ooh, how about a slow, painful death by amputation?” asked the Purple Guy, his voice dripping with glee and excitement.

Gabriel looked around at the weapons laid out before him. His eyes settled on the ax, which had become covered in a mix of Susie and Jeremy’s blood. Taking the wooden handle in his hand, he felt the blood coating his palm. Usually, Gabriel would have been disgusted by what he had just done. But right now, the only thing he had on his mind was revenge. And with the blood of his friends on his hands, he was going to avenge them.

“How about the ax, you crazy asshole!?” shouted Gabriel as he swung the ax at the Purple Guy.

The blade of the ax sliced through his costume, digging itself into the Purple Guy’s abdomen. Gabriel heard him cry out in pain as he fell to his knees. The sight of seeing his captor injured pleased Gabriel. Yet, that was a fleeting feeling as he saw him look up at him. He staggered away from the Purple Guy as he removed the costume head. Gabriel saw him chuckling, the ax still embedded in his abdomen.

“Nice swing, you little motherfucker.” The Purple Guy gripped the handle of the ax and yanked it out, releasing a steady flow of blood from his wound. “But, uh, never give the weapon to the person who is going to murder you.”

Gabriel turned to run away, but the ax hit his back before he had a chance to duck. As the blade cut through his skin, digging into his muscle, it caused a deep gash. He screamed out in agony and continued running. Reaching behind him, Gabriel used his good arm to grasp the handle of the ax and ripped it from his back. He tossed the ax to the side of the room, where it landed in a pool of Fritz’s blood. Ignoring the feeling of his warm blood pouring down his back, Gabriel grabbed a nearby hack saw. He spun around to see that the Purple Guy had removed most of the Golden Freddy costume. That revealed the dark purple security suit he was wearing. Where the ax had dug into him was dark and dripping blood onto the plastic floor.

“Fucker, drop the damn saw. It won’t do you any good now,” said the Purple Guy, his eyes pitch black and filled with rage.

“NO!!” shouted Gabriel as he charged at the Purple Guy, digging the sharp-edged saw into his chest.

The saw was pushed all the way in, making the Purple Guy scream through gritted teeth. He could feel the teeth digging into his muscle and shredding it with every breath he took. Once Gabriel started to walk away, he yanked the saw from his chest and lurched it at him. The saw hit Gabriel’s good hand, slicing straight through his palm. Staring at the saw now sticking out of his hand, Gabriel screamed.

There was a saw now going into one side of his hand and sticking out the other. Using his bad arm, he took the saw and pulled it from his hand. Gabriel felt every tooth of the saw slice through his skin and muscle as he pulled it towards himself. It felt like he was shredding his hand. When his hand jerked, the saw sliced through one of the bones in his hand and caused him to scream again. Finally, the saw came loose and clattered onto the plastic-covered floor.

Behind Gabriel, the Purple Guy took advantage of him being distracted and grabbed a shotgun. He approached Gabriel and was ready to hit him with the butt of the gun when he felt something slice through his pants and into his shin. Looking down, the Purple Guy found that Gabriel had shoved the hack saw into his leg and bolted towards the circular saw. Fighting through his pain, he removed the saw from his leg, causing blood to pour down his pant leg. With the saw gone, the Purple Guy’s shin had become exposed due to how deep the saw had gone.

Gabriel had been smart enough to listen to the sound of crinkling plastic. That is what allowed him to grab the hack saw and attack the Purple Guy. He quickly plugged in the circular saw, not wasting a second. The quicker he could attack his captor, the faster he could free himself. Besides, his strength was beginning to wane with his bloodloss from his multiple injuries.

“Why you little asshole! That was a big mistake,” said the Purple Guy as the hack saw clattered to the floor.

“Eat this, Purple Guy!” Gabriel shouted as he turned on the circular saw.

Gabriel, now with the circular saw in his hand, charged at the Purple Guy. He aimed the spinning blade directly at his knee cap and pushed. With a sickening crack, the blade chomped through the bone. Blood sprayed everywhere as the saw was continually shoved deeper into his knee. Gabriel held the saw there, hoping it would give him time to escape. Unfortunately, he didn’t hear the Purple Guy cock the shotgun over the roar of the saw. Seconds later, Gabriel was lying on the ground with the circular saw sitting next to him. The stinging sensation of gunpowder on his skin was the only indication he had gotten shot. His body, already in shock from his previous injuries, failed to register the multiple pellets in his body that shredded his abdomen.

“Now Gabriel, I hope I don’t have to teach you a lesson here, do I?” asked the Purple Guy as he walked up to Gabriel.

“I will avenge my friends!” shouted Gabriel as he tried to sit up.

That answer angered the purple Guy and caused him to grab the circular saw. Gabriel knew what was coming and prepared himself. Closing his eyes, he felt the blade of the saw slice through the skin on his abdomen. Gabriel could feel the saw cutting through his intestines and spraying blood on and around him. The Purple Guy moved the saw sideways, letting the jagged edges shred more of his abdomen. The saw remained there for a few minutes before it was finally returned to its original position and started heading towards his sternum. It was like a shark feasting on his insides. With every agonizing second that passed, Gabriel wished he was dead. Having his body ripped and shredded was the worse pain he ever felt. The closer the saw got to his ribcage, the more he felt the vibration in his bones.

Looking at his abdomen or rather what remained of it, he almost threw up. There were bits and pieces of his intestinal lining that were mushed and mixed in with his tissue and muscle. It looked like a blender had gone to town on his abdomen. Seeing his blood mixed in with the ground-up parts of his innards, it looked similar to a smoothie. Only a smoothie a vampire would love. Gabriel saw the blade approaching his ribcage and rested his head against the floor. By now, he knew it was too late for him. His vision had begun to grow blurry from his bloodloss and pain. And his strength had altogether disappeared with his last effort to attack the Purple Guy. When he felt the blade slowly begin to dig into his sternum, his already exhausted body gave up, and Gabriel soon passed out.

“That’s a good little fucker. Pass out for me so I can murder you…” whispered the Purple Guy as Gabriel slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

Half an hour later, Gabriel felt himself getting dragged by his shirt collar. He watched as the room where he tried to fight for his friends disappeared. The rough tile floor scraped against his jeans as he was continually dragged up the stairs that led to the stage. Every bump in the stairs made him wince in pain. Glancing up, he saw the vague forms of the animatronics on the stage. Through his hazy vision, Gabriel could make out each of his friends’ corpses. He saw the damage the animatronic parts had done to their bodies. It disgusted him and made him look away. Yet, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, telling him that he was going to suffer the same fate soon.

“Why? Why would you murder us? We did nothing to you,” asked Gabriel.

The Purple Guy groaned. “Fucker, I am murdering you because it’s fun, and I love the sight of your body getting mutilated. And when you scream, it’s like every angel above is singing to me.”

“That is not a valid reason, you freaking sicko!” shouted Gabriel as he felt his weakened body getting lifted off the floor.

“Yeah, well, say ‘hi’ to Freddy for me,” said the Purple Guy as he shoved Gabrel inside of the animatronic body of Freddy Fazbear.

“I will avenge my friends’ deaths!” exclaimed Gabriel as he saw his face moving into the animatronic.

The mechanical gears slammed into his skin, tearing it away and exposing his pink muscle underneath. It felt like a thousand hot knives were slowly peeling his flesh away. Blood poured from the areas where his skin once was. Little by little, pieces and chunks of his skin fell to the bottom of the animatronic with a slick plop sound. Gabriel looked to his side, watching as his bad arm was ground into by the various gears. When a gear slammed straight into his shoulder, all he could do was let out a low groan. As the gear continued to push into his shoulder, Gabriel felt his bone crack seconds before it shattered under the pressure.

Unforgivingly, the gear shoved the broken bone pieces into his muscle. Every jagged piece felt like a razor blade cutting through his body. Blood oozed out around the gear, lubricating it. By now, most metal surfaces in the animatronic had become painted a lovely shade of red. Several more gears dug into his shins and tore his skin and muscle open, exposing the bone underneath. Gabriel felt the pressure of the gears as they shoved themselves on his exposed bone. He moved away, trying to get rid of the gears against his bone. Unfortunately, that only made the gears dig deeper into his body, causing him more pain.

While the gears ground and dug their way into his body, Gabriel watched as the first series of beams made their way towards him. As if sensing a weak spot in his abdomen, one beam shoved itself right through it. The remains of his shredded insides fell out around the pole, pushed out by the force of the beam going in. He could feel the metal dig into his intestines, shredding more of them in the process. That caused more blood to pour out of his body and drip down into the interior of the animatronic. With the metal pipe now embedded inside of him, Gabriel’s range of motion had become severely cut off.

Several more beams slammed into his body. He felt one insert itself right between two of his lower ribs, cracking them as it did so. The pain was immense, almost enough to make Gabriel want to vomit, but he kept himself from giving in to that urge. The smell of his vomit in the cramped space sounded appalling to him. As it was, the scent of his blood was intense, almost overwhelming. But he didn’t have time to ponder how much worse his situation would’ve been if he had vomited as another beam slammed right into his back.

The beam made quick work of his muscle and tissue, tearing it apart as if it was just tissue paper. When it hit his shoulder blade, the beam crushed it to pieces and continued traveling through his body. Seconds later, the first beam had gotten joined by a second one. But this one made its way into his lower back, narrowingly missing his spine as it dug deeper into him. A weak moan slipped from Gabriel’s lips as he felt ligament after ligament tearing and ripping inside of him. The pain was enough to make him wish he had died before he'd entered this death trap of torture.

Just then, he heard a series of clicking sounds, followed by three beams all slamming into his body at once. One aimed for his spine, successfully hitting and snapping it. Another aimed for his pelvic bone and dug itself into it, cracking it and causing more pain to wash over Gabriel’s already worn-out body. The third one made its way for his skull but missed it by just a few centimeters. Sadly, the relief didn’t last long as a fourth beam found Gabriel’s shin and proceeded to snap it in half.

With his shin snapped in half, Gabriel had gotten forced to stand on his other leg. But with his one leg down, he had to rest what remained of his leg on the beam. As a result, his pain increased, making his vision swirl as Gabriel struggled to stay conscious. Gabriel swallowed and forced himself to stay awake, knowing that if he fell asleep, it would most likely be the last time. The beam in his abdomen shifted and broke one of his ribs. He heard the bone clatter to the bottom of the animatronic. That had gotten followed by two more rib bones, which had gotten broken earlier.

Now, the mechanical parts moved in, bringing all sorts of wires with them. Every wire dug into Gabriel's skin, pressing hard enough to break through what little remained. Blood fell from his body like a river, covering his skin and clothes in a layer of red. Gabriel’s vision started to grow black and hazy as he continued to lose more of his blood volume. A couple of wires strung themselves in between his ribs. Wires also went through the injury on his back, coating their rubber covering in his blood. Several cables wrapped around his throat, cutting off his air slowly.

Gabriel swallowed for the last time as the wires started to get tighter. He looked out through the eyeholes of the animatronic. In front of him was the room where Jeremy’s birthday party was. There were still remnants of the wrapping paper of Jeremy’s presents still lying on the floor. Streamers even lined some of the walls, though some were barely hanging on. The room still looked like a party was going on, only now no one was there. Looking around, Gabriel saw himself and his friends hanging out as he slowly started to fade away. While his body began to die, his mind tried to offer one last refuge before his inevitable demise came. His eyelids drifted closed as he saw his friends in front of him, smiling and not in any pain. The sound of Freddy’s face clicking back into place echoed in Gabriel’s ears as he drifted away.

Gabriel took one last shaky breath as the wires tightened even more around his throat. He knew his time was coming soon. One final thought crossed his mind before he exhaled for the last time.

“Susie… Jeremy… Fritz… I will avenge your deaths one day. I will make this right. Even if I lose myself to it…”

*** *** *** ***

Sunset Shimmer flew back as she exited Gabriel’s memories. Her back hit a tree, knocking the air out of her lungs. The rough bark dug into her back. Thankfully her jacket acted as a buffer. She blinked, trying to get rid of the images in her head. To her surprise, it was getting easier to push the visions aside with each kid. Soon, Sunset Shimmer was able to catch her breath, and she looked over at Gabriel. It seemed he had remained contained by Rarity...for now. Looking down at her geode, she saw it was sparking, just like it had been doing all day.

“What the-? Why is my geode sparking again?” thought Sunset Shimmer as she looked away from her geode and at Twilight.

Twilight Sparkle glanced at Sunset Shimmer, seeing her geode giving off the same sparks as hers. That made her look down at her own. Her mind began to race with the idea that Sunset’s geode was doing the same thing, fritzing out just before it would cause her to return to her demon form. Yet, that raised the one question she hadn’t gotten an answer to. Had Sunset Shimmer gone through a demonic transformation? Twilight didn’t know if she had. If Sunset had, why would she keep it from her? Again, she wasn’t sure. Before her mind wandered down the path of possible reasons, she shoved the thought from her head.

Sunset Shimmer braced herself against the tree, trying to regain her balance, but the surface of the tree was slippery. Whatever the substance was, it was slimy and covered the entire surface of the tree. The gooey substance felt similar to slime, though it was more like a jelly-like material. The gooey substance coated her hands and made her slip and lose her balance. Sunset Shimmer began to fall, unable to regain her balance again.

Twilight Sparkle felt her feet move towards Sunset. Before she had time to register it, the redhead was leaning against her arms. Her wings had become spread out as if she was defending Sunset Shimmer from an aerial attack. Twilight’s heart was pounding as an adrenaline rush washed over her as she stared into two grateful cyan eyes. Something made her freeze when she felt a hand rest on her arm. Twilight’s tail flicked behind absentmindedly as she helped Sunset stand back on her feet.

“Thanks, Sparky,” Sunset Shimmer looked at Twilight, giving her a grateful smile. “I guess I am not quite able to stand just yet.”

“Y-you’re welcome, Sunset,” muttered Twilight, a feeling of unease slowly creeping up on her.

Sunset Shimmer noticed the slight quiver in Twilight’s voice, giving away that something was not well with her. Her mind wanted to know what happened, but her heart knew the reason. Yet, Sunset’s mind refused to believe it. Whether it was because she didn’t want to acknowledge the pain or because she didn’t want to see Twilight Sparkle turn away from her, she didn’t know. She stepped closer to her, reaching for her hand. Yet, all Sunset Shimmer got was Twilight Sparkle turning her back to her and pulling her hand away. That action took Sunset by surprise. She hadn’t expected that from Twilight, not after what happened earlier. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

“Twilight, are you okay?” asked Sunset, worried that Twilight might walk away from her. "I can see something is wrong.”

Twilight Sparkle pulled her wings close to her body as she heard Sunset Shimmer’s voice. Her hands had begun shaking. If it weren’t for the size of her massive wings, she wouldn’t have been able to keep them hidden from the redhead. She blinked, trying to ease the burning in her eyes from unshed tears. As much as she wanted to, Twilight couldn’t allow herself to be vulnerable to Sunset Shimmer. Not with her knowing that Sunset was deliberately hiding something from her. Yes, she had said that she would wait, but that didn’t mean she was obligated to be close to her. Emotionally and definitely not physically. A single tear made its trek down her cheek as Twilight prepared herself for what she was going to say. Being close was not something she was willing to do, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t support. Well, at least to a point, that was.

“Sunset...I have decided that I can’t be near you right now,” said Twilight Sparkle in a quiet voice, much like Fluttershy’s.

“What? What exactly do you mean by you can’t be near me, Twilight?” asked Sunset, now confused by what was happening. “Was it something I did?”

“Yes, Sunset. When you admitted that you were hiding something from me, I got hurt,” Twilight Sparkle couldn’t look Sunset in the eye. “And because of your refusal to admit the truth, I am left with this as my only choice.”

“With what?” Sunset Shimmer asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

“Sunset, I can’t be near, not with you being secretive about your past. I think it’s better if we don’t hold hands, stop being close to each other, it’s just too much for me to handle. I can’t…” Twilight Sparkle looked at Sunset Shimmer but took a step back from her. “But, that doesn’t mean I won’t support you still.”

The words from Twilight’s mouth cut Sunset Shimmer like the saw that destroyed Gabriel’s intestines. Now she saw how much her admittance of hiding something and refusing to say what it was hurt Twilight. It damaged her friend, something she had tried to avoid. Guilt washed over her as she saw the tears well up in Twilight’s eyes. For a fleeting moment, she reached out her hand, instinct making her want some form of physical contact. She didn’t like feeling as if Twilight was pulling away from her. But she stopped herself from acting upon it and looked down.

“Okay, Twilight. I will keep my distance from you. I am sorry that I hurt you by not being fully honest,” said Sunset, her voice soft.

Sunset Shimmer knew there was no way she could take back what she had said. She hoped that her apology would help, even if it was futile. Though, deep down, she knew the only way to fix her mistake was to admit the truth. And that, at the moment, was something that Sunset was struggling with. She couldn’t be honest now, but for Twilight’s sake, she knew she had to try. Clutching her arm, Sunset walked over to Gabriel, needing something to take her mind off the situation.

“Gabriel, are you there?” asked Sunset, her voice now dull and broken.

Gabriel looked up at the redhead. He didn’t know who she was or where he was. This world looked nothing like what he was used to. He didn’t recognize the forest around him. Nor did he recognize the girls standing around the mysterious redhead. His confusion got the better of him and made him stagger away from Sunset. As his memories started to return, the first to hit him was his memory of him crushing the night guards skull in. Gabriel’s eyes went wide, and he stood up from the ground.

“I killed a night guard…” muttered Gabriel incoherently.

‘Okay, so you are back, right, Gabriel?” Sunset Shimmer asked as she took a few cautious steps away from him.

Gabriel glanced at her and said, “Yes, I am. But, who are you, and why am I here?”

“I am Sunset Shimmer, and these are my friends; Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Rarity,” replied Sunset, motioning to her friends around her. “I brought you here because of your friends, Susie, Fritz, and Jeremy. Do you remember them?”

“Yes, I do remember them. Are my friends here?” asked Gabriel, excitement in his voice.

“Yeah, they are at AJ’s farm right now,” said Sunset.

“Barn? Where I am, exactly?” asked Gabriel.

“Excellent question, dear. But, right now we must go see if the rest of our friends need us. Right, Sunset?” Rarity asked, reminding Sunset that they needed to hurry.

“Oh, yeah!” said Sunset, realizing what Rarity was hinting at. “You and your friends can reunite when my friends are safe too, okay?”

“Okay,” said Gabriel. “Let’s go help friends now.”

Rarity and Sunset Shimmer led the way out of the forest, retracing their steps out of the forested area. None of the girls looked around for very long. After the scary and creepy experiences they had in the forest, they weren’t willing to stay any longer. When they passed by the rotting deer carcass, they all covered their mouths and tried to hold their breath for as long as possible. Gabriel was just right behind them, leaving Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy as the last ones to leave the forest. Eventually, the group found the tree Sunset had marked and made their way out of the woods and headed towards Applejack’s farm.

Fluttershy, happy to be free of the forest, looked at her friends. They all seemed just as relieved as she was. But when she looked at Twilight, she saw that something appeared to be bothering her. She had noticed that neither Sunset Shimmer or Twilight Sparkle were very close to each other anymore. Almost as if something had between them. Fluttershy decided to check on the bookworm, wanting to make sure that she was okay.

“You okay, Twilight?” asked Fluttershy, noticing Twilight’s pained expression. “ I saw what happened earlier between you and Sunset.”

“No, Shy. Sunset is keeping something from me...willingly,” replied Twilight. “And that bothers me. What did I do to deserve that?”

“You didn’t do anything, Twilight. I am sure she’ll tell you soon.” Fluttershy rested a hand lightly against one of Twilight’s wings. “Just give her time to come forward.”

“I have been waiting for a while, Fluttershy. I am not sure how much more time I have left,” Twilight Sparkle replied, still walking behind her friends, keeping her gaze off of Sunset Shimmer. “I hope you are right, Shy. The longer she keeps it hidden, the less I feel she’ll come forward. If I give her too much time, she may close it off and never let me get close to it again.”