Chapters Springtrapped 2: Blackjack Returns
I don't own the song in this chapter. It belongs to its respective creator
* * * * *
Below the Abandoned Pizzeria -
It's been a whole year, now. One whole year ever since that night. The night that rotting bastard Springtrap and his vermin friends fought him and caused him so much pain. And now here he was, lying in pain and fury.
He, Neighsay, or "Blackjack" now, tried his best for the benefit of Equestria by weeding out worthless students who had no chance of improving and this was his reward? Springlocked in a metal costume and trapped in this rotten state of perpetual agony. Every time he moved in the cramped suit, his rotting wounds would spike with pain. The felt of his suit had somewhat rotted over the year he'd been trapped down there, making his appearance only become more and more terrifying. Despite being trapped underground for a year, he no longer felt the need to eat or sleep.
Just like Springtrap, he too was physically dead, but his soul remained in his body and animated it. This and his immense hatred had kept him going all this time. And all this time, he was looking all over for a way out of his underground prison. Ever since he died, he lost his ability to use magic. He wouldn't stop until he got his revenge on Springtrap, and his friends, too!
Tonight, Blackjack was hammering away at the rubble when something finally happened. A large chunk of the the rubble fell away and a stream of moonlight shot through. Blackjack would've smiled underneath his mask if his lips hadn't rotted away. He laughed to himself with his robotically distorted voice.
"Haha! Now's my chance!" he said.
Blackjack set to work clawing away at the rest of the rubble until the opening was big enough for him to climb through. He shot his arm up through the rubble and pulled himself the rest of the way out, basking in the light of the moon. He was now free from his underground prison! And now to get down to business.
"Now that I'm free, it's time to get down to business!" Blackjack said. "It's time for revenge! Hope you miss me, Springtrap, because I'm coming for you!"
* * * * *
Manehattan, City Recreation Center -
The Glamrocks had brought in a large crowd. Ever since their first performance over a year ago, they've become extremely popular almost overnight. They've been getting contract deals left, right, and center. Springtrap was having a hard time keeping up with everything, but he managed. He was happy to be getting a gig at the Recreation Center.
Ever since his encounter with Starlight a year ago, his "life" has been changed for the better. He started seeing a therapist to talk about his problems. As it turns out, his therapist happened to be Starlight Glimmer. She really helped him get out of the bad place he was in, and he liked to think that she helped her out with her Glamrock friends. Now that he was able to put his past behind him, Springtrap now had an animatronic family to look after and had a blast being with them as a band.
The doors to the backstage areas opened and Springtrap saw the Glamrocks approach looking like they were all ready to rock. Freddy walked up and put an arm around Springtrap.
"You nervous, Springtrap?" Freddy asked. "This is your first time performing on stage with us, after all."
"Are you sure it's normal for a band manager to be singing with the band they're supposed to be managing?" Springtrap asked.
"Ha! Come on! We even wrote a song for you to sing and everything," Chica replied. "You have to sing at this point!"
"Well, as long as you all have fun out there, then I'm gonna try to best to rock this out," Springtrap said.
"Okay, we'll be heading out soon! Now, if I recall rehearsals correctly, I'm singing and the rest of you will be dancing," Springtrap said. "After that, it should be our usual routines, yeah?"
"Yep. And we'll be sure to give them an amazing performance!" Monty said.
The group waited until the announcer introduced them to the crowd and the curtain pulled back to introduce them. The ponies in the audience cheered wildly when they saw the Glamrocks and Springlock. Freddy walked up to the mic and spoke to the crowd.
"Thank you all for coming out here tonight!" he welcomed. "We have a very special song to start this concert with, performed by our very own manager, Springtrap!"
Springtrap walked up to the mic as the crowd cheered him on. He was happy to see that no one was bothered by his appearance anymore. He spoke quickly to get on with the concert.
"Hello, Manehattan! Thank you so much for coming to our show tonight and I hope you enjoy my performance!" he said.
The lights went off as Sprintrap began to sing while he and the Glamrocks began dancing.
Once he was done, the crowd was having a field day. They were cheering louder now that the song was over. Springtrap smiled under his mask and took a respectful bow. He was about to speak to the audience again when he noticed one pony in particular in the front row. It was a small Earth Pony colt with green fur and a brown mane and tail. The dark galsses and cane told him that this little colt was blind. And it looked like he was trying to get Springtrap's attention. He waited for the crowd to calm down before talking to the colt directly.
"Hey there, big guy! What's your name?" he asked.
"My name is Occipital Optics, Mister Springtrap," the colt replied. "I'm a huge fan of you and the Glamrocks!"
"Why thank you, kiddo! How old are you?"
"I'm turning seven today!"
"Wait, today's your birthday? Well, how about we all sing you happy birthday, then?"
Occipital smiled as Springtrap, the Glamrocks, and the whole crowd sang him "Happy Birthday". By the time they were done with the song, Occipital smiled with tears streaming down his face.
"This is the best birthday ever!" he cried. "I can't wait to tell my grandpa about this next month when I visit him in Ponyville!"
"Well, good thing you brought that up, because we're playing in Ponyville next month!" Springtrap said.
The boy was so excited that he actually fainted after hearing that. Springtrap chuckled and let his friends continue with their part of the concert. He smiled knowing that everything was looking up for him and his family.
* * * * *
Canterlot Train Station -
Blackjack had waited until the cover of darkness to make his move. He had heard that Spirngtrap and the Glamrocks were heading to Ponyville for a concert, and there was no way he was going to pass up his chance for revenge. He waited until the train had loaded up with passengers to make sure no one saw him.
Once he saw his opening, he climbed up onto the roof of the last car of the train and held on as the train sped away from the station. He now had a straight shot right to Ponyville. And to Springtrap. He smiled darkly.
"Hope you're happy, Springtrap! I'm going to enjoy making you suffer!" Blackjack said. "Once I'm done with you, you won't even remember what happiness feels like!"
Springtrapped 2: Blackjack Returns
-Ponyville (Nighttime)-
The train pulled into the station unceremoniously as Blackjack hung onto the roof out of sight of the passengers. He waited patiently until all of the passengers left before he crept off the train and made his way towards the Everfree Forest in the distance. The Castle of the Two Sisters would be the perfect place for him to hide out until he got his revenge on Springtrap and the Glamtronics. And maybe kill Starlight and her friends if he got the opportunity.
Blackjack hobbled his way through the undergrowth of the forest with great effort. The perpetual agony of his undead condition made movement extremely painful for him.
"Add that to the list of reasons to kill Springtrap," Blackjack muttered to himself. "I just need to get to the abandoned castle and plan my moves from there."
Now that he really had time to think, Blackjack began to think farther ahead. If he did kill Springtrap and the others, what would he do then? He obviously couldn't go back to his old life since all of Equestria now knows him as a child-murdering serial killer. But maybe he could do something else. He could continue his work from the shadows, weeding out the useless kids who would never be able to contribute to society full-time.
"Yes, that's it! My legacy will continue once Springtrap is gone!" Blackjack said.
A snapping twig in the distance alerted him to someone coming towards him. Blackjack quickly hobbled behind some of the bushes and waited to see if someone or something would pass by. After a while, someone did come by.
It was Zecora, the Elements' zebra friend. Blackjack forgot that she lived in the forest. If she spotted him there, his whole plan would go up in smoke. Good thing he remembered to bring his knife with him to begin his work. He had to take her out here and now if he was going to succeed. Blackjack waited until Zecora had passed him before making his move.
There was no hesitation from Blackjack and no screams from Zecora. All that could be heard was grunting, grinding metal, and the sound of a knife piercing flesh.
*****
-Ponyville (Daytime)-
The Glamtronics and Springtrap enjoyed the quiet and cozy atmosphere that Ponyville had. Twilight was gracious enough to let them stay at her castle while they were performing. Springtrap immediately made himself at home in Twilight's basement laboratory saying he wanted to work on something for "audience interaction". This left the Glamtronics wondering about what exactly their savior/manager was doing.
"You think he's making some kind of hologram projector to give audience members in the back the chance to see us up close?" Monty asked.
"Maybe he's making better speakers," Roxy said. "Some ponies have a hard time hearing our lyrics from way in the back after all."
"I just assume he's making some animatronic backup dancers or something," Freddy said.
Twilight and Starlight came down the stairs after finally waking up. Since Springtrap and the Glamtronics didn't need food or sleep, they stayed up all night just wondering what Springtrap was working on. Twilight and Starlight walked up to their friends standing in front of the basement door. Starlight joined her old friends in a group hug at seeing them again.
"He's still down there working on his little project?" Starlight asked.
"Boss says that he wanted to make something to help with 'audience interaction', whatever that may be," Roxy replied.
"Has be told you what exactly he was working on?" Twilight asked.
"Nope. He's been pretty tightlipped about the whole thing," Chica replied.
Starlight walked forward and was about to knock on the door when the door suddenly opened on its own and Springtrap emerged from the basement. He seemed genuinely surprised to be seeing Starlight standing there for a moment before snapping out of it and giving her a hug.
"Starlight! It's great to see you again!" Springtrap said. "You look good!"
"Ha! It's great to see you again too, Springtrap!" Starlight said back. "What have you been working on down there?"
"Let me show you!" Springtrap said, his silver eyes glowing in excitement. "I think you're going to like it."
Springtrap led his friends down to the basement lab and showed them something laying on a table under a tarp. Springtrap pulled the tarp off and revealed something really unique. It looked like another rabbit animatronic with a few differences.
Laying on the table was indeed a rabbit animatronic, but it was definitely one that seemed more like a large stuffed toy than a true animatronic. There were no body segments like Springtrap himself and the Glamtronics. It was mostly white with a few gray parts here and there. The rabbit girl's head had a happy buck-toothed grin and two large red eyes. The white rabbit's chest had a bright blue bowtie and messy whiskers. Springtrap looked at his creation with pride.
"You like her?" Springtrap asked. "I put a lot of love and care into making her."
"She looks awesome, Spring! But, who and what is she supposed to be?" Monty asked.
"I call her... 'Vanny'. It's supposed to be a combination of 'vanilla' and 'bunny'. I thought she would be a good way for the audience to interact with us on-stage," Springtrap replied.
"Springtrap, I don't mean to question your managerial tactics, but how is another animatronic going to encourage audience interaction?" Twilight asked.
"I'm glad you asked. Let me show how Vanny works," Springtrap said.
He walked over to Vanny and touched something on the back of her neck. He unzipped the back of her outer felt covering and revealed that underneath the outer suit was a robotic shell that was hollow inside.
"Vanny is designed to be a special suit for a pony to climb into and actually use as a suit to interact with us on stage," Springtrap said. "Don't worry, there are no springlocks in this one."
It would indeed be interesting for the audience to be able to put on a suit and walk around on their level whenever they performed. And Vanny might be particularly popular with the kids in the audience. Springtrap held out a hand to both of his pony friends.
"Would any of you like to try Vanny on?" Springtrap asked. "I need to have a pony get inside and test out her movements."
Twilight and Starlight looked at each other with uncertainty. They knew that Vanny wasn't a springlock suit, but their experience with seeing Neighsay being springlocked in the Blackjack suit left them somewhat terrified of the idea of getting into one of the suits. But Springtrap needed someone to test it, so Starlight steeled her nerve.
"I... I'll do it, Springtrap," Starlight said.
"Alright, Starry! Just climb into the suit and see how good Vanny handles," Springtrap said. "I'll help you get inside."
Starlight walked towards Springtrap as he got Vanny to stand up. Springtrap opened up Vanny further and then grabbed his unicorn friend under her forelegs and lifted her towards the open compartment inside. Starlight had to maneuver her legs in order to actually fit inside and position her forelegs to fit into Vanny's arms. Soon enough, she was seated on the special seat inside and Springtrap closed the head over Starlight's. The red eyes glowed to life as Starlight worked the Vanny suit.
"Starlight, can you hear me?" Freddy asked. "Can you see us?"
"Uh, yeah. I can see and hear everything," Starlight replied, though with her voice robotically synthesized because of the mask. "I'm gonna try to walk around."
"Vanny" took a few tentative steps forward and gradually grew to be more comfortable with moving around in the suit. Very good sign for Springtrap's creation. Starlight was now moving around comfortably in the Vanny suit.
"This Vanny suit handles super-well, Spring!" Starlight said. "I think the audience will love walking around on stage in this suit!"
"Excellent! It would be nice to see how the audience reacts to the opportunity to walk among us," Springtrap said.
Starlight got out of the Vanny suit with Springtrap's help and hoisted the empty suit over his shoulder. He then turned to the other Glamtronics.
"Alright, guys. Tonight's the night we'll be unveiling Vanny to the public during the concert. I'll get her set up backstage while you all go and practice. I'll join you afterwards," Springtrap said.
"Got it, buddy," Chica said.
"We're gonna rock out so hard, the audience will need hearing aids!" Monty said excitedly.
"No one's going to rock harder than me!" Roxy said proudly.
"We'll get everything ready for tonight, Springtrap," Freddy said.
Springtrap followed the Glamtronics out of the basement and Twilight and Starlight followed behind Springtrap. Twilight spoke to Springtrap with a hesitant voice.
"Uh... Springtrap? There's something I need to tell you that you may not like," Twilight said.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Um... the Princesses are coming here for the concert," Twilight said.
Springtrap nearly tripped and dropped Vanny at hearing that bit of news. Just from the mere mentioning of the Princesses, the painful memories of Springtrap's past flashed in his mind in excruciating detail. His failed attempts to reason with them, his springlock failure, the decades spent trapped in agony and not being able to escape, and his obsession with revenge on them. After the fight with Blackjack, he had finally confronted them and lost his desire to kill them. But that didn't mean he could forgive them for what they did to him. Springtrap sighed to calm himself.
"As long as they don't try to talk to me or even get close to me, we'll have an uneventful night," Springtrap said.
"Whew! That's good to hear," Twilight said. "I'll try to convince them to have their VIP seats placed in the back."
The group made their way to the concert venue unaware of the eyes watching them from the shadows. The eyes of a familiar enemy from the past. An enemy that was about to make his presence known once night fell.
Springtrapped 2: Blackjack Returns
3) The Glamtronics Ponyville Show
Author's Note
I don't own the songs in this chapter. They belong to their respective creators. For the sake of fun, I recommend you listen to these songs because they're bangers.
3) The Glamtronics Ponyville Show
Ponyville - With Springtrap and the Glamtronics
The crowd that formed at the town center for the big concert was massive. Ponies started to bring their own chairs from home in order to fit everyone there. Springtrap would've smiled if his flesh hadn't rotted. That changed when he saw the two Princesses sitting at the front with a cadre of guards around them. Even though they couldn't see him and he lost his desire to kill them, Springtrap still wasn't happy to see them. Taking a breath that reverberated in his rib cage and chest plate, Springtrap walked backstage to join the other Glamtronics.
"Okay, guys, group huddle!" Springtrap said. He hugged them all as he got them in a huddle. "I am so proud of you guys for all of you've accomplished since we met. I know you'll kill it out there."
"We couldn't have done this without you, though, Springtrap," Freddy said. "Without you, we'd still be spirits haunting the pizzeria and Neighsay would still be free."
"Yeah! You gave us these rockin' bods and you put that creep Neighsay in his place!" Monty said.
"And you were our friend, a friend who reunited us with our friend Starlight," Chica said.
"You're the best friend a spirit-possessed animatronic can have," Roxy said. "Besides, we couldn't manage this band without you."
Springtrap held them a bit tighter. He would've cried had his tear ducts not rotted away. He spoke to his friends in a voice that wavered like he was either about to burst out laughing or crying.
"I love you guys. Okay, I'll get the crowd warmed up for you and you come out when I say," Springtrap said. The others gave their confirmation and Springtrap walked out onto the stage. Some of the foals started crying at seeing the wretched state of the older animatronic. A few other ponies turned away and were visibly gagging. Spirngtrap ignored that and tapped the microphone.
"Hello, Ponyville! I am Springtrap, and I am honored to introduce you to my dear friends: The Glamtronics!" Springtrap said as the band walked out on stage to the applause of the crowd. "Being the chivalrous gentleman that I am, we're going to be having the ladies of our band perform first, Roxanne Wolf and Glamrock Chica!"
Springtrap walked off the stage and watched as Roxy approached the stage to the microphone and she began her performance.
The crowd was absolutely wild hearing Roxy's singing and seeing her robotic dancing. Roxy took a bow, and a rose from a stallion in the crowd, and went to the back where Chica took her place at the mic. Chica cleared her throat as Freddy and Monty started beatboxing.
Chica took her own respective bow and Monty took her place with his bass guitar in hand. The next thing anyone knew, he started beatboxing with expert precision. The crowd was enraptured by the robotic alligator.
Freddy took the mic after Monty waved the crowd goodbye and stood with the others. Freddy cleared his throat and started his own song with the crowd going silent.
Everyone was cheering for the big bear as he finished his song. Freddy took a respectful bow as Springtrap turned to speak to Starlight as she stood next to Vanny. Springtrap put a hand on Starlight's shoulder.
"You ready for your performance?" Springtrap said. "It's not too late to back out."
Starlight chuckled. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm just happy that I can perform with my friends. I can do this easily."
Starlight climbed into the Vanny suit as Springtrap closed the opening in the back and zipped up the outer suit. "Vanny" hummed to life as Starlight got a feel for the suit.
"Now you wait here while I introduce you," Springtrap said.
Springtrap walked out onto the stage and took Freddy's place by the microphone. "Alright, folks, I know and appreciate the love you've shown the Glamtronics, but we have a new friend who wants to perform a song of her very own. Introducing our honorary member: Vanny the Bunny!"
Starlight, now Vanny, walked out onto the stage and waved at the audience as they offered a fair amount of cheers her way as she walked over to the mic. Using her new synthesized voice, Vanny spoke in a rather dramatic way.
"Good evening, mares and stallions! Who's ready to rock?!" she called. The crowd responded with a chorus of cheers and clapping. Vanny nodded her head for the others to begin playing.
Springtrap came out clapping along with the audience as Vanny walked over to the other Glamtronics. Springtrap took the mic and spoke in a cheery voice.
"Alright, folks, that was an amazing performance, don't you think?" he asked. The crowd cheered in response as Springtrap continued speaking. "And let's give our dear friend Vanny some love!"
The crowd cheered for Vanny as she took a bow. She hugged Springtrap and joined the rest of the Glamtronics.
"Now we're going to have a fun meet-and-greet with our beloved band to raise money for the animal sanctuary run by the dear Element of Kindness herself, Fluttershy!" Springtrap said. Fluttershy flew up to the stage and gave a shy bow while Springtrap stroked her mane lovingly. Springtrap still found these ponies cute despite being around them a lot.
The band made their way over to a set of tables to greet the children in the audience. Springtrap was watching everything to make sure everything went smoothly. And it did for the most part. Apart from the occasional shoving and screaming fan the whole crowd was pretty well-behaved. Springtrap noticed one of the little fillies accidentally drop her Monty Gator flag on the ground in a mud puddle. Just when she's about to cry, Springtrap rushed over and cleaned off the little flag before handing it back to the little filly. The small thing looked away from him in fear and snatched the flag right out of his hand. He knew that his appearance was terrifying, but now he was truly aware of how he looked to others. Springtrap left and went straight for Twilight, who was standing with the other two princesses. Ignoring his killers/former enemies, Springtrap spoke directly to Twilight.
"Hey, Twilight, can I speak to you for a bit?" he asked.
"Of course, Springtrap. What did you want to talk about?" Twilight replied. Springtrap led Twilight away from the princesses and spoke to her a fair distance away from them and the crowd.
"See, with how busy I've been organizing gigs and performances for the band, I now see that the other ponies are... scared of me," Springtrap said, looking down at himself. "Being an undead being possessing the springlock suit I died in would make me pretty terrifying, huh?"
"Yeah. I gotta admit, even I get a chill down my spine when I see you sometimes," Twilight said.
"That's the thing. I want you to help me actually look... presentable," Springtrap said. Twilight looked at this goofy as if he just sprouted two more heads.
"Uh... isn't your... body ... in that suit?"
"Yes... it is. I'll help guide you through the whole thing. I'm not asking for anything too extreme. I just want to change my exo to one that isn't tattered and showing my bones and shriveled organs."
Twilight thought about for bit before she nodded. "Alright, I'll help you with your exo. I just hope I can get through it while seeing your... corpse."
"You'll be fine. Think of it as like... dissecting a frog in biology."
"Actually, I dissected a rat, but I can try regardless."
Springtrap laughed with Twilight as they headed back to tend to the meet-and-greet. They were so distracted by the crowd that they didn't see the tall figure watching them from the shadows of an alley with glowing red eyes.
"I hope you're happy, old friend, because it's about to get really sad around this town really soon," Blackjack said, eyeing the various colts and fillies in the crowd.
Springtrapped 2: Blackjack Returns
4) A New Look & Missing Foals
Ponyville - The Next Morning
Springtrap was having a great time. He made his way over to Twilight's basement lab to replace his moldy and tattered exo with a more approachable one. Springtrap laid down on the same gurney he used to make Vanny and cast his silver eyes to the stairs to see Twilight descending them. Twilight chuckled at seeing him.
"I see you were eager to do this, huh?" Twilight asked.
"Of course I am. It'd be nice to go on stage and not have foals cry at seeing me," Springtrap replied. "So, shall we get started, my dear?"
Twilight walked over to a tray with a few knives to help her cut through the felt. She held a knife firmly in her magic and started her work. Twilight would've asked if it hurt, but Springtrap assured her that he can't feel pain anymore since he was dead and his Agony was completely gone now. He kept a close eye on Twilight's face as she cut through the felt. She visibly gagged when she cut off a large section of the chest. Next thing Springtrap knew Twilight hovered over a spray bottle of freshener and sprayed the inside of his suit.
"I'm guessing the smell of a rotting corpse doesn't smell the greatest, huh?" Springtrap asked. Twilight simply responded by swallowing vomit and nodding her head. She finished spraying his corpse and continued her work.
Twilight had to make sure to cut off the plastic that helped form the base of the exo. After a few more minutes of cutting through felt and plastic, Springtrap wasn't recognizable anymore. Twilight looked at him with eyes of both shock and morbid curiosity.
Springtrap looked at his reflection in a nearby mirror and didn't expect himself to look this grotesque inside. His flesh and organs had the appearance and consistency of beef jerky. His bones and what little remained of his flesh were broken shards pierced by metal spikes from the springlocks. But it was his head that was the worst of it. His skull was nothing like it was supposed to be. His skull was a mash of bone shards and worthless yellow teeth with metal spikes shooting through both sides covered in old dark blood. His bulbous silver eyes were held firm in his shattered eye sockets. He was an unholy amalgamation of corpse and old animatronic technology. Good thing he could still speak with the old voice box.
"Now we can really get started with this little makeover, huh?" Springtrap asked. Twilight just stared at him with wide eyes and nodded without even blinking.
The two now began working on a new exo. This one would be made of plastic plate, like how he designed the Glamtronics' bodies and it would fit over his now-clean endo. Springtrap focused on the painting while Twilight did measurements and fitting for the plates. The both of them worked together to affix the plates to his body. Twilight pulled up a mirror for him to see his new look. And Springtrap liked what he saw.
His new body was sleek and clean in new plastic plate. He made sure to give his new look a similar glamrock style to the other Glamtronics. He kept his bright yellow body and purple bowtie, but he now had purple lightning painted on his face and chest. His was shirtless except for the dark blue jeans (at least, he looked like he was wearing jeans) with black tiger stripes on the calves. Springtrap's now full ears had black earrings near the base. He replaced his silver eyes for updated ones that still glowed silver. Springtrap smiled with better looking teeth than his original mask's.
"Ha! I love this new look!" Springtrap said. "I don't think I'll look like a Nightmare Night ghoul to the crowds anymore."
Twilight simply looked at the newly-remade Springtrap with a strange look. When she finally spoke, her voice was tentative.
"Uh, Springtrap? Was that how you... died... when you first came to Equestria?" Twilight asked.
The memories of the springlock failure flashed in Springtrap's mind like a lightning flash. He could still recall the pain of being crushed and skewered by the springlocks as they snapped shut all around him. Springtrap instinctively twitched as though he were being springlocked all over again. He held his right arm as he looked at Twilight, who looked like she regretted asking.
"Yes, Twilight. A springlock failure is one of the worst ways to die that I know of. You saw for yourself," Springtrap replied. "Imagine your entire body being stabbed and crushed by metal spikes and drowning in your own blood. You can't scream because your throat is crushed and you can't move because your spine is shattered. All you can do is sit in agony and pray death takes you."
Twilight wrapped her hooves and wings around Springtrap in a hug. "I'm sorry that you went through that. And I'm also sorry for asking."
Springtrap simply petted her like a cat. "It's fine. My new friends helped me get rid of the Agony and Blackjack is now rotting in his own springlocks."
The group hadn't spoken about Neighsay, or "Blackjack" for the whole year since the fight in the old pizzeria. Twilight looked at Springtrap with seriousness screaming from it.
"Do you think Neighsay's gone for good?" Twilight asked. "If he's now an undead being like you, shouldn't we be worried?"
"If he does come back... I'll just have to bury him even deeper," Springtrap said, cracking his metal knuckles.
The door to the basement lab suddenly burst open and Starlight zoomed down the stairs to speak to Twilight and Springtrap. She completely ignored Springtrap's new look.
"Guys! You have to come outside!" she said.
"What's wrong?" Twilight asked anxiously.
"It's Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon! They've been reported missing!" Starlight replied.
"WHAT?!" Twilight and Springtrap yelled at the same time.
Town Center
Poor Mayor Mare was having a hard time keeping the crowd calm as she stood at the podium. A squad of Royal Guards stood stoically behind her. The Princesses had long since returned to Canterlot, so this was left to the Elements. The Glamtronics sat at the front of the crowd. Princess Twilight went to join the mayor while Springtrap went to join his bandmates and the Elements. Chica whistled seeing Springtrap's new look.
"Looking good, Springtrap!" she said.
"Nice new paint job, dude!" Monty said.
"You look like a real rock star, now," Freddy said. Roxanne Wolf gave him a sly wink.
"You do look a lot easier on the eyes, handsome," Roxy said.
Springtrap didn't know how to react to that, so he was thankful Twilight spoke to calm the crowd.
"Everyone! Please calm down and we can get this underway a lot quicker!" Twilight called. The crowd immediately settled down and cast their eyes towards the Princess of Friendship.
Twilight shuffled around a few papers provided to her by the mayor as well as the current Guard captain helping with the investigation until she cleared her throat to speak.
"As we all know, two young fillies, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, were reported missing late last night by their parents after the Glamtronic concert. The Royal Guard garrison here investigated the homes of the missing fillies as well as the surrounding area and have determined that this was the work of a single perpetrator," Twilight said. "The Elements and the Royal Guard will be working closely together to find the girls and bring this criminal to justice. For the time-being, there is to be a curfew that requires everyone to be in their homes before sundown and no one is to go anywhere by themselves. I appreciate you for being here to hear us and please go about your business."
The crowd dispersed with worried murmurs. There were two couples that were crying and struggling to move. Springtrap knew that they had to be Diamond's and Silver's parents. He met Filthy Rich at one of the concerts in Manehattan when he was on a business trip. A kind and generous stallion, though his wife Spoiled Milk was another case entirely. Springtrap looked to his bandmates and saw the haunted looks on their faces.
"I wonder if there were press conferences like this when we were reported missing," Freddy wondered.
"Man, my parents would've been bawling like yearlings," Monty said.
"My parents would've cursed out the police until they got a lead," Chica said.
"I'd be lucky if my dad was sober enough to actually realize I was missing," Roxy said, hugging herself and looking away from the group.
Meanwhile, Twilight joined the rest of her friends while Springtrap got up and clapped his hands together.
"Hey guys, why don't we head back to the castle? We can try to rehearse our next set for our next concert in Las Pegasus," Springtrap said. "Music can help take our minds off this."
"But shouldn't we help find those missing fillies?" Freddy asked. "What if they're hurt? Or worse?"
"Guys, Twilight and her friends are working with the Royal Guard to track down the fillies. We have to leave this to the professionals and stay out of their way," Springtrap said. "I understand your feelings, but we need to let them handle this."
The Glamtronics weren't happy about this, but they nodded reluctantly. Starlight came up them before they could leave and gently pulled on Springtrap's arm.
"Hey, Springtrap, could you and the others stay here?" Starlight asked. "We may actually need your help with this."
Springtrap's eyes twitched in confusion. "Us? Why do you need our help?"
"Because we may know who's behind this," Starlight replied. Springtrap got a bad feeling in his rotten stomach. Him and the other Glamtronics walked over to the Elements and a few Guards where Springtrap saw that Twilight was holding something in her magic. It was a plastic bag with a small object in it. The aura of Twilight's magic made it hard for Springtrap to make out exactly what it was until Twilight handed it to him. Springtrap's eyes widened when he and the Glamtronics saw what it was.
The bag contained a golden bit. But this bit was mostly covered in old dark blood and had a deep scratch on it. It was like it was scratched by something else made of metal. Springtrap's eyes glowed a dangerous shade of purple and his hands were shaking in anger. The rest of the Glamtronics looked at the bit with eyes that now shone red.
"NO!! NOT HIM!!" Springtrap shouted. He knew what this meant: Blackjack is back.
Diamond Tiara's head was pounding more than a pair of drums when she opened her eyes. She couldn't remember most of what happened last night. All she could remember was getting ready for bed when she saw what looked like a pair of red eyes watching her from her closet. Next thing she knew, everything went black.
The filly looked around to see that she wasn't in her bedroom. She was in what looked like an old cellar, with dusty boxes and crates and shelves. The only light that could be seen came from several lanterns set up in one part of the underground cellar leaving the rest of it in darkness. Diamond couldn't even tell where the exit was. She tried to get out of her only to see that she was tied to a chair by several heavy chains. Diamond Tiara would've panicked if she didn't shoot her head to her right and saw Silver Spoon in the same condition she was.
"Silver! Silver! Wake up!" Diamond called frantically. Silver Spoon's eyes slowly fluttered open and started to panic.
"DT, what happened?! Where are we?!" she shouted.
"I can answer that, my dears," a creepily robotic voice answered from the shadows. Both fillies looked into the darkest section of the cellar and saw a pair of red glowing eyes that hovered six feet above the ground.
"Wh-who are you?" Diamond demanded fearfully.
"And what d-d-do you w-want from us?" Silver added.
The eyes stared at them nonblinking as loud footsteps slowly carried the eyes towards the pair of bound fillies. The body that the eyes belonged to was soon fully cast in the light of the lanterns and both girls were horrified by the sight. A large animatronic jackal loomed over them looking like a demon from the depths of Tartarus.
The jackal had a black felt outer casing with several holes in it, showing both animatronic components and well as rotten flesh and organs. Dried blood left streaks coming out of the various joints that made the girls think of the myriad zombie movies they've seen before. Danderous claws tipped the jackal's hands and a red bowtie was the only other thing apart from the eyes that gave the jackal any real color. The teeth in the jackal's jaws were sharp and glistening in the lantern light and his ears stood up like demon horns.
"I'm so happy you two are here," the jackal said. "See, you two are going to help me with a special game I'm playing."
"Why do you... look like Springtrap?" Diamond asked. The jackal's eyes glowed furiously.
"BECAUSE HE'S THE ONE WHO DID THIS TO ME!!" the jackal shouted in a horrifying voice before calming himself. "Anyway, I simply need you two hear to help me. I want Springtrap and his little playmates to pay for what they've done to me."
"What did they do to you?" Silver asked cautiously. Instead of answering with words, the jackal pried open in jaws with his hands. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were shocked.
Inside the head of the jackal was that of a rotting corpse. What little skin remained was gray and sagging and his flesh was starting to look like dried meat with shattered skull shards held together by metal spikes and cage-like metal strips. The red animatronic eyes were fixed deep into the broken orbital bones and cracked yellow teeth made the corpse look like it was grinning. A few strands of a black mane and goatee clued them in on who this was.
"You... you the Kid Killer! Neighsay!" Diamond Tiara shouted.
"They said you were dead and buried!" Silver Spoon yelled.
"Dead, yes. But not buried, my lovelies," Neighsay said, closing his jackal head. "Now like I said, I need you two to help make Springtrap suffer."
Now the two girls were scared. They looked to each other and then back to Neighsay.
"How... are we supposed to help you?" Silver Spoon asked. Neighsay reached behind him and pulled out a large kitchen knife before replying in a low voice.
"Suffer in agony."