The ponymatronics aren't evil. They're nice! That is, except Golden Pinkie....
Sound Boom was scared out of her mind on the first night. That was, until she learned that Pinkie Pie and her ponymatronic pals were quite nice! That was, except Golden Pinkie. Can Sound Boom and her robot pony pals, along with her best friend, Snowy, defeat Golden Pinkie, allowing the souls of the dead foals that inhabit the ponymatronics to leave, and for Sound and Snowy to survive?
This is an entry to the contest of MlpismyJoy. It's a work in progress, so if I win, then I will get more of the chapters up more quickly.
Sound Boom was enjoying some delicious banana swirl ice cream outside of Sugar Cube Corner. The ice cream dripped onto her dark orange fur and into her fuzzy green hair. The cold morning air made her wrap her wings around herself. They held the Equestria record of longest wings, allowing Sound Boom to fly higher than most pegasi without getting tired.
Though normally, she was teased for them. Some ponies didn't like difference, so they called her 'Big Wings'. Sound Boom hated that name.
She walked back into Sugar Cube Corner to give them their bowl back. Pinkie Pie greeted her with her usual big smile.
"Hi, Sound Boom!" she said. "Was the ice cream good?"
"Good as always," Sound Boom said, handing the empty bowl to Pinkie.
"Sorry about the job," Pinkie said. Sound Boom was a DJ, working with the famous Vinyl Scratch, but the office caught fire after Vinyl let her friend hold a seance there, and the candles caught onto the curtains, burning the office down. So until it could be rebuild, Sound Boom was out of a job.
"It's ok," Sound Boom said, taking a copy of The Ponyville Times. "Snowy's letting me stay in his apartment since my old one was in the same building as the office."
"Why did you live on top of you office?" Pinkie asked.
"I thought it would make things quicker. At least I didn't keep all my money in my apartment, right?"
Pinkie nodded. "You'll still need to get a job. There are always job ads in the newspaper. Try there."
Sound Boom turned to the ads. Plumber, Assistant at Carousel Boutique, Owl Trainer....
"Here we go!" Sound Boom said. "'Night Guard at Pinkie Pie's Pizza. Must Work at least 5 nights, Pay: $120!"
"I love that place!" Pinkie said. "It was based off of my friends and I. They have the coolest ponymatronics ever! You SO need to get this job!"
"Alright," the pegasus said. "Thanks for the tip!" Then, she hurried out the door.
*
*
*
Sound Boom looked at the pizzeria. It was brightly colored, pictures of the elements of harmony scattered around the outside. The words 'Pinkie Pie's Pizza' surrounded a picture of Pinkie Pie eating some pizza and smiling. It looked very foal friendly. Sound Boom passed through glowing doorways.
She entered the dining hall. The tables were covered with a pink table cloth and party hats. A huge stage faced the hall, and on it were six ponymatronics. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie. A gray unicorn was shining the hoof of the Rarity ponymatronic when he noticed Sound Boom.
"Hello?" Sound Boom said as the stallion walked over to her. "I want to apply for the night guard job."
"Great!" The unicorn said. "I'm Runaway, the manager here at Pinkie Pie's Pizza. If you'll sit down, we'll get started on the interview."
Sound Boom sat down at the closest table. Runaway grabbed a chart hanging on the wall and sat on the other side of the table.
"All right then," he said. "Name, age, and race?"
"My name is Sound Boom, I'm 22 years old, and I'm a pegasus." Sound Boom said, sitting up.
"Have you had previous jobs before now?"
"Yes, I worked as a DJ at Rockin' Sound with Vinyl Scratch, but the office caught on fire, so for now, I'm out of a job."
"Have you ever had insomnia or been sleep deprived in the last few months?"
"No."
"Describe a time when you had to work quickly to protect yourself."
"Once, during a performance at a club, one of the stallions got very drunk and attacked me. I had to jump away quickly to avoid getting hit."
"How did you handle the situation?"
"The drunk stallion ran after me, so I ran near the entrance guards and they threw him out of the club."
"How comfortable are you using computers?"
"Well, since I have to record my songs and 'sweeten' them up using a computer, it's natural for me."
"Really?" Sound Boom said. It seemed strange that she only had to do one interview before she was hired. It was almost like Runaway was desperate for a night guard.
"Yes, and you can start tonight," Runaway said. "Shift begins at Midnight, ends at six. Bye!"
Sound Boom walked out of the restaurant. But if she had looked behind her, she would have seen Pinkie Pie smiling.
Sound Boom walked into the small office that she would have to stay in for six hours. There were two doors, each next to two buttons labeled Door and Light. A tablet lay on the desk, along with a cup, a fan, and a cupcake with blinking eyes.
She sat down in the chair and pulled herself close to the desk. A phone rang in the office, but Sound Boom didn't see one.
A recording came out. "Hello? Uh, hello? Um, hi. I'm recording a message for you so you can get settled in on your first night. I, uh, kinda worked her before you. Just finishing up my last week, actually. I finally got accepted into the Wonderbolts, oh yeah! Anywho, enough about me. I'm going to keep this short. So, you know, this job is no biggie really. Like, it can be dark, but there's nothing to freak out about. I mean, why would there be?"
"Of course, it's a foal's restaurant," Sound Boom said, glancing at the cameras over near Chaos Cove.
"So, yeah," the recording continued. "First off, there's this thing the Uppers wanted me to read. Kinda needed for newbies. 'Welcome to Pinkie Pie's Pizza, a fun filled place for fillies and colts alike, and where partying is all it's about. Pinkie's is not responsible for damage to blah, blah, blah, whatever.' So here's the down low. Don't break anything, and anything won't break you."
"What does that mean?" Sound Boom said.
"It's not like you're in any danger! Well, ok, maybe kinda. The ponymatronics have a free roaming mode at night to make sure their servos don't lock up when they get turned off. They used to walk around the place during the day, until The Confetti of 83! There was a chaos cannon, but that's been long gone. It's really cool how somepony can survive a blast of confetti to the face traveling at, like, 70 miles and hour, and only lose their frontal lobe."
"Wait, WHAT?" Sound Boom said, quickly looking again at Chaos Cove. Something was peeking through the curtains.
"So the only thing you really need to worry about is the ponymatronics. They might kinda sorta not recognize you as a pony in the dark. They might see you as an endoskeleton, and being out of costume is against the rules. Point is, if they get you, they shove you into a ponymatronic suit. It might not seem so bad if the wires weren't there. It's kinda painful to the point where you don't feel pain anymore, and you die."
"WHY DIDN'T THEY DISCLOSE THIS IN THE INTERVIEW?!?!?!?!?!?" Sound Boom yelled.
"It might not have been in the contract you signed, but you're here now. I'll catch you on the flip side. Hey, if you survive, feel free to come watch me at the Wonderbolts sometime. See ya!"
The recording ended.
"I have to survive till six!" The pegasus yelled. "How can I do that? I might as well check on the stage."
Sound Boom watched the stage. Were the ponymatronics... talking?
*
*
* "Did you guys see the new night guard?" Pinkie Pie said.
"We all did, Pinkie," Twilight sighed. "She got interviewed right in front of us."
"Let's throw her a party!" Pinkie said.
"That's a good idea, sugarcube," Applejack said. "Except for the fact that the guards always slam the door in our faces. Why did Original Rainbow Dash have to record that message?"
"Well, we should try," Pinkie said with a huff. "Fluttershy, can you tell Discord to go get Sound Boom?"
"Oh, um, sure." Fluttershy said, stepping outside into the dining hall.
*
"Crap, Fluttershy's out," Sound Boom said. "Oh, why do they want to kill me?"
*
"Discord?" Fluttershy whispered from the front of Chaos Cove. A goat head peeked out of the curtain. It has black eyes with red pupils, a blue horn and a deer horn, with goat ears.
"What is it, Fluttershy?" Discord asked.
"Can you tell Sound Boom to come down to the dining hall?" the pegasus said, fixing Discord with her hard gaze.
"For you Fluttershy," Discord sighed.
"Yay," Fluttershy said quietly.
*
"WHERE. THE HELL. IS DISCORD!" Sound Boom yelled. She looked over to the west hall door.
"HI!" Discord said. Sound Boom didn't scream like Discord thought she would. Instead, she passed out on the floor.
*
*
*
"I knew we should have never sent that draconequus!"
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"At least she didn't die of fright."
"Oh, I hope she's all right."
Sound Boom opened her eyes and screamed. The ponymatronics were looking at her. Her screams slowly died down.
"Aren't you going to stuff me inside a Pinkie Pie suit?" Sound Boom asked.
"We don't do that! It's a myth!" Rainbow Dash said, hovering a bit in frustration.
Rarity sighed. "Honestly, ever since the original Rainbow Dash worked here, the night guards have been terrified of us, leaving them as easy prey for Golden Pinkie!" She gasped and put her hooves over her mouth as if she had just said something bad.
"Golden Pinkie?" Sound Boom said. "Where's she?"
"You wouldn't see her," Applejack said, cringing. "She was scraped a long time ago."
"Why would the night guards be easy prey for her?" the pegasus asked.
"It's a long story," Pinkie Pie said, her hair not quite as puffy.
"I have the time," Sound Boom said. sitting up on the floor where she laid.
"The best way to do that is show you," Twilight said. "I'll be with you in a moment."
Behind her, Discord grabbed the metal cupcake from the stands and slammed it against Sound Boom's head, knocking her out. Twilight placed her metal hoof onto the pegasus's head.
"Let's dream" the alicorn said, and closed her eyes.
Sound Boom was in the dining hall. How did she get here when she had just been in the office with the other ponymatronics? It was well lit, which surprised the pegasus even more.
"The year is 1984," Twilight said next to her.
"What!?" Sound Boom said. "Did we time travel or something?"
"It's just our memories," the princess said. "No matter what you see, you cannot change the past. I was given this gift along with my.. condition."
"Condition?" Sound Boom said. She couldn't ask more as it became brighter. She could see all the mane six had left the stage, and were chatting with somepony. A gray unicorn with a sleek yellow mane. He looked very handsome.
"That kinda looks like the manager of the building, Runaway," Sound Boom said.
"His grandfather, actually," Twilight said. "His name was Hard Core, unlike his grandson. Back then, he was just the night guard along with his best friend, Flash Light. Now, shh!"
"Ok, try to guess what I am," Hard Core said. He started quacking and flapping his front hooves.
"A chicken! No, a cow! No..." Pinkie Pie guessed.
"It's a duck, genius," Rainbow Dash said, nudging her friend. Everyone laughed.
"Hey, where's Discord?" Hard Core said.
"He's with Flash Light," Applejack said.
The scene sifted. A neon yellow earth stallion was talking with Discord. This must be Flash Light.
"I've seen the way you stare at Fluttershy," Flash Light said with a grin. "You like her, don't you?"
"That's crazy!" Discord quickly said. "She's a good friend, that's all."
"Yeah, and I'm Princess Celestia," Flash Light laughed. Suddenly, the lights began to flicker. If you blinked, you would have missed it. It looked like Pinkie Pie, but her hair was flat, and her face was in a crazed smile. Her fur was a golden color, and her eyes were dark holes. The figure quickly disappeared. Discord looked frightened, much worse than Flash.
"Discord, what was that thing?!" Flash said. A low, dark laugh filled the office.
"Run," Discord whispered. "RUN!!!"
The scene flashed back to the dining hall, where the others were still laughing. The same dry laugh from before filled the room. Discord and Flash came zooming in.
"No," Pinkie said, a terrified look on her face. "It can't be. She... She was scrapped. She's gone!"
"Rainbow Dash, you and Discord hide Hard Core and Flash Light. Protect them at all costs," Twilight said looking at the blue pegasus. Rainbow Dash and Discord hurried the stallions to Chaos Cove.
The strange ponymatronic from before reappeared has quickly as in the office, but this time, stayed. This must have been Golden Pinkie.
"Hello there, Jackie," Golden Pinkie said slyly, moving closer to the orange mare. "Miss me?"
"You aren't welcome here," Rarity said.
"Well, then, boo hoo," the golden ponymatronic said. "'Cause Goldie's here to stay!" She twirled around in a dramatic way, almost like a show pony. Sound Boom saw a pink hoof touch Golden Pinkie's shoulder.
"Ash, look at me, please!" Pinkie said. "I know you are angry at what Purple Mare did to us, but you mustn't take it out on the ponies! They had nothing to do with it!"
"THEY HAD EVERYTHING TO DO WITH IT!" Golden Pinkie yelled, pushing the hoof off her shoulder and faced Pinkie. "ALL THOSE ADULTS LOOKED ONTO THE STAGE WATCHING A STUPID SHOW FOR FILLIES WHILE WE WERE GETTING SLAUGHTERED! ADULTS ARE SOULLESS, DESPICABLE BEASTS THAT HAVE NO RIGHT TO LIVE AS WE DIE! THEY NEED TO PAY! STARTING WITH THE ONES OVER THERE!" \
Golden Pinkie stared over at Rainbow Dash and Discord. She teleported in front of them, and flew open the curtain. A blast of energy shot out, making Golden Pinkie stumble.
"Flash, run!!" Hard Core yelled,. running headfirst to Golden Pinkie. Flash Light hurried out of Chaos Cove to the doors. He forgot that the manager locked the doors at night, as he couldn't get them opened.
Golden Pinkie grinned at the charging unicorn, and prepared to grab him. Suddenly, the ponymatronic no pony could have guessed jumped on her.
"Leave my friends alone!" Fluttershy yelled, louder than she had ever talked, which wasn't much. Golden Pinkie bucked the pegasus off, sending her flying into Discord.
"No!" Sound Boom screamed, and tried to attack Golden Pinkie, but was held back by Twilight.
""There's nothing you can do!" the alicorn yelled. "Even if I let you go, you'll just pass right through them! The timeline's been set!"
"But I have to do something!" Sound Boom screamed, tears welling in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Twilight said, a sad look in her eyes.
Suddenly, Golden Pinkie stared in Sound Boom's direction. Did she see her and Twilight?
"There you are, little filly," Golden Pinkie said. Sound Boom looked behind her. Flash Light was looking right at Golden Pinkie, near the doors. The golden ponymatronic teleported right in front of the stallion, grabbing him.
"Hard Core, help me!" Flash yelled, and disappeared.
"Where are they?" Hard Core said, looking around.
"Check the cameras!" Rainbow Dash said, flying to the office. The others, along with present Twilight and Sound Boom hurried after her.
Hard Core sat down at the seat and grabbed the camera.
"He's in the storage closet!" Hard Core, said, hurrying out the door. "I'm coming, Flash!"
The scene changed. Sound Boom was now in the storage closet. Flash Light was cowering in the corner, Golden Pinkie staring at him.
"You like ponymatronics, Flash?" Golden Pinkie asked, holding a Pinkie Pie suit. "Then why don't you become one!" Golden Pinkie grabbed Flash just as Hard Core entered the closet.
"NO!" Hard Core yelled, but a blast of energy from Golden Pinkie sent him flying away.
"Now, where were we?" Golden Pinkie said grinning. She opened up the top of the Pinkie Pie suit, angling Flash Light so he could fit.
"No, no no!" Sound Boom cried. Tears were streaming down her cheeks on as she looked away from the soon to come horror.
"Wake her up, now!" a voice yelled.
Suddenly, Sound Boom was lying on the floor of the office once again, still crying. Pinkie helped her up and gave her a hug. Sound Boom cried on her metal shoulder.
"I knew we shouldn't have shown her that," Applejack said, stomping her hoof.
"Different ponies react different ways," Rarity said. "Are you ok, Sound Boom, darling?"
"Yeah," Sound Boom, said, sitting in her chair and taking deep breaths.
"I'll get her some water," Fluttershy said, walking out.
"What happened afterwards?" Sound Boom asked.
"Hard Core called us things of hell," Applejack said. "Even after all the fun we had together. Then all the night guards only had to stay five nights here, since it happened on the sixth night on the job."
Silence. If the silence hadn't been there, you wouldn't had heard the small scream that could only come from-
"Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash said, flying out.
When they got there, the saw Fluttershy looking horrified, huddled in a corner, somehow crying black tears. Oil.
"Purple Mare's coming to get me, Purple Mare is coming to get me," Fluttershy whispered as Rainbow Dash sat near her. The scared ponymatronic was able to point at thye door. All the heads turned in that direction, and gave out a scream.
Outside was a stallion, face plastered into glass door, white fur covered in rain and... blood. His white horn used it's magic to opened the door, and he collapsed inside, only to get another scream from Sound Boom.
