//------------------------------//
// Halloween Special: 4Smarts 
// Story: Shy and Aggressive 
// by Johng117 
//------------------------------//

It was the early noon. Ponyville underwent a cool, breezy day. But that coolness was suppressed within the local mall. The multi establishment structure was crowded with people, young and old alike, though youngsters in particular were mostly present on this weekend.



Junior found himself seated at a table near the food court. A soda was in his hand as he looked through his phone, where a list was. This list comprised of items that his father and some of the other Guardians requested that he buy. The list entailed things like board games, batteries, walkie talkies, and a few other items. These likely related to the Guardians' line of work, with the exception of the board games. Junior imagined it got pretty boring in that cave.


While it was a chore to do on his weekend, Junior at least had a chance to relax a bit. With him were his friends, which included the Main 7, Mosura, Rodan and Angirasu. Junior had actually ran into his friends when he first got here. Apparently they were here to take part in some new attraction at the mall that's been creating a craze on the internet.


'"Funny. No one thought to invite their ol' buddy, Gojira?" asked Junior, sarcastically.


"What? Gojira, I called you this morning and invited you," said Twilight in confusion. She then pointed to him.


"You specifically said, 'Yeah, sure. I'll see ya-' And then you muttered something before you hung up," said Twilight, mimicking Junior's voice.


"And you believed me?" asked Junior incredulously. Twilight scoffed in annoyance.


"Of course I believed you, Gojira. You answered the phone!" said Twilight.


"Well you shouldn't have called so damn early in the morning! Whose brain functions at 5 AM?!" asked Junior.


"Look, Gojira, we would've called you back when the attraction opened if you weren't here. No harm done," said Sunset.


"I can't stick around anyway. I'm supposed to be getting some shit for the Guardians," sighed Junior.


"Aw. But Goji, it's gonna be fun!" whined Pinkie.


"Sorry, I can't. I still have homework that I need to finish too. I'll see you guys off though," said Junior as he finished his soda.


"Hey, we should get going right now. They just opened," said Angirasu.


"Oh where does the time go?" said Rarity in surprise the teens all got up, throwing away their trash into the garbage bin. They made their way out of the food court and down to the bottom floor of the mall. They made their way further down to a newly constructed area of the mall, which bore a sign that greeted the teens. The sign read, "4Smarts. An Interactive Fantastical Adventure".


"So what is 4Smarts anyway?" asked Junior.


"It's supposed to be an interactive game. I think you can say it’s something like one of those haunted house mazes. But instead 4Smarts plays out like an interactive adventure centered around a theme," explained Mosura.


"It's also supposed to test your intelligence with problem solving and puzzles!" said Twilight eagerly.


"Hm. Well they better make that interesting. Because I'm not sold on puzzles," said Junior.


The teens soon made their way into 4Smarts. Here, they found dozens of people spread out through the area in lines. Before them were three large buildings scaled down to fit in the mall. Each one had a unique look. One appeared as a castle, bearing a dragon statue looking down on the people in line from the entrance. Smoke flared from its nostrils.


The second building appeared as an ancient temple. It bore sculptures made to resemble stone snake statues. Hieroglyphs were sculpted into the walls and around the building were fake trees and grass. Resting above the entrance was an animatronic of a woman with dark hair, dressed in an 'explorer's' outfit, and carried a whip. The animatronic looked from side to side, as her cold plastic eyes blinked and darted. The sound of birds and monkey calls came from speakers hidden around the set.


The third building appeared metallic and science fictional. It was like a fortress in space. Lights glowed on it, and green alien animatronics creeped above the entrance. The sound of old school alien theme played over the speakers.


"So cool! The Daring Doo theme fort looks awesome!" said Rainbow with a grin.


"So, what's the plan?" asked Applejack.


"Well, we choose which ever we want to go in first. We'll meet back later," said Twilight.


"Daring Doo, here I come!" said Rainbow as she rushed in line. Rarity and Rodan followed.


"Space Adventure looks fun," said Pinkie as she tugged on Angirasu's arm.


"Alright, alright. Let's go," said Angirasu with a smile. Fluttershy was staring at the alien animatronic oddly as she and Applejack followed.


"You think they got robot space critters?" asked Applejack.


"If so, I hope they aren't too creepy," gulped Fluttershy.


Meanwhile, Junior stood with Mosura, Sunset and Twilight. The girls were making their way over to the medieval style fort. However, Mosura stopped and looked back at Junior.


"You sure you don't wanna do just one? It might not take too long," said Mosura.


"I don't know. I'm gonna be busy today. Besides, these puzzle games aren't for an idiot like me," said Junior with a shrug. Mosura looked at him in disappointment.


"Goji, you are not an idiot. You're smarter than you think," said Mosura.


"You don't have to try to make me feel better. I just accept it," said Junio with a nonchalant shrug.


"Hey, why don't I drop by later and help you with homework? I get the feeling that's causing your attitude," said Mosura.


"Sure, if you want. Now get going. Go have some fun, nerds," said Junior with a smirk. Mosura rolled her eyes in amusement. She joined Sunset and Twilight, where they entered the fort. Junior sighed as he turned and walked off.


"Time to get to it," said Junior. He then noticed a fourth fort, sitting further away. No line was formed for it, and it bore an 'out of order' sign. The attraction was called, "Attar's Abode". The fort appeared like jagged stones, with red lights running along it to give the illusion of lava. The entrance was that of ominous looking gates, framed by a large wide open mouth of a demonic head.


"Yikes," said Junior with a slight unnerved look. That particular fort looked perfect for a Halloween event.


Inside of the 'Dragon's Lair', Sunset, Mosura and Twilight found themselves in a cold stony room, appearing as a dungeon. A pit of fake flames appeared, distorting a holographic image of a beautiful princess.


"Brave Knights! I beseech thee to rescue me from the foul serpent that holds me captive!" cried the princess.


"Too bad it's not a handsome prince to save. I don't want a kiss from a princess as a reward," said Mosura jokingly.


"The effects are already immersive! This is exciting!" said Twilight with a grin.


"You must traverse this ghastly castle, overcoming obstacles and puzzles! Your wit is important! You must free me soon, before the dragon discovers you!" said the princess.


"First, you must untangle these chains that cling to these walls and find the key to unlock the door. Then you can move on," said the princess as she waved.


"Godspeed!" said the princess, who faded from sight. The girls began to search the chains and walls.







Meanwhile




Angirasu hummed to himself as he found himself at a computer console, where multiple large buttons and a joystick lied. He began to randomly hit the buttons, but nothing happened. Fluttershy was randomly flipping switches, hoping to cause something to happen. Pinkie giggled as she sat on a chair, where a screen meant to act as a window displayed the vastness of space. She began to repeatedly tap the buttons on the arm rest of the chair. Applejack sighed as she looked around the room, which was made to look like the bridge of a ship.


"So we're supposed to fix the controls and the guns? How do we do that?" asked Applejack.


"These switches don't seem to do anything," said Fluttershy with a puzzled look.


"Man. They don't make it easy in the beginning," said Angirasu with an incredulous look.


"I have a bad feeling about this," said Pinkie, followed by a snort. She was clearly enjoying herself. Applejack hummed to herself as she noticed the mess of wires under the consoles.


"You don't suppose that..." Applejack knelt at the console and reached inside. She inspected the loose wires and saw them with different colors and markings near the tip. She smiled as she found ports labeled with colors and a certain number of stripes.


"We have to match these wires to the ports!" said Applejack as she began to carefully plug away. Angirasu and Fluttershy noticed the console on the left to be beeping and a reticle to be appearing on the left screen.


"Good job, Applejack!" said Fluttershy with a bright smile. She and Angirasu knelt down and began to inspect the console. Suddenly, an alarm blared.


"Warning! Alien ships detected! Controls require immediate repairs!" said a monotone feminine voice. On screen, dark jagged ships appeared. A text that read 'transmission received' appeared.


"Foul humans! You're trespassing on our controlled territory! Prepare for annihilation!" said a gruff alien voice.


"Game over, man! Game over!" cried Pinkie.


"Pinkie, stop referencing movies and help!" said Angirasu in annoyance. Pinkie quickly got on her knees and began to help Applejack.


"10 seconds before the enemy charges their super cannon," said the ship's A.I. as it began to count down. The immersive experience drove the teens to sweat as they frantically plugged the wires into their proper place.


"Navigation and Weapons systems are online. Evasive Action Recommended," said the A.I.


"Fluttershy, the control stick!" said Applejack as she pointed to the far right of the console, where a smaller screen displayed the ship as a 3D model. Text appeared that read, 'Turn Anywhere'. Without thinking, the girl just moved the joystick to a random direction. The perspective of the main screen changed, where the main alien ship disappeared. A bright flash appeared, blinding the screen.


"Evasion successful. Adjust ship alignment and fire at the enemy," said the A.I. Fluttershy gasped as she saw a second 3D model of the ship appear above the first. New text appeared above both ships. The top said 'Match', with the ship's underside to be facing the screen and turned with the nose pointed at the bottom right corner. Beneath that ship read 'You', where the second 3D model showed the ship's current position, with its nose pointing left, with the topside of the ship facing the screen.


"Oh my..." gulped Fluttershy as she began to awkwardly adjust the position of the ship.


"You can do it, Fluttershy! Man the guns!" said Pinkie excitedly.





Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Rodan were moving stone pieces around. There were a dozen at different shapes and sizes, meant to fit into a wall. The three stepped back and a mess of a distorted image that the stones made up.


"Ugh. That wasn't right!" said Rainbow. Rarity looked around the interior of this temple and found skeletons to be lying in corners, with arrows stuck in them. A look of discomfort was on her face.


"They uh... they certainty spared no attention to detail with this place," said Rarity.


"Ah don't be scared, Rares. Rodan's here to protect you," said Rodan with a suave tone. Rarity rolled her eyes in amusement.


"I just have minor discomfort from the atmosphere, darling. I don't feel in danger, but thank you," said Rarity. Then she noticed a skeleton to be holding a puzzle piece in its jaws. She looked back at the wall and found a missing space.


"A missing piece! We'd never move without it, even if we'd correctly assemble the other pieces," said Rarity as she approached the skeleton prop.


"I hope you won't mind, darling. We need that piece," said Rarity as she removed the piece from the mouth of the skeleton. As she retracted her hand, the skeleton suddenly turned its head, staring at her with its hollow sockets.


"Help me..." a voice wheezed ominously, as though the skeleton was clinging to the last strands of its life. Rarity gave a frightened cry as she stumbled back and latched onto Rodan.


"It's alive!" cried Rarity. Rainbow chuckled in amusement as the skeleton made a 'whirring' sound.


"Rare, it's just a robot," said Rainbow. The skeleton moved slightly as its jaws flapped.


"Help me. This place is cursed," wheezed the skeleton in a distorted voice. Rarity began to relax. She noticed Rodan smirking at her. The girl released him with an embarrassed laugh.


"Of course," said Rarity as she cleared her throat. She quickly went back to the wall to escape her embarrassed state. How silly of her to react that way. Of course it was a machine! As the teens continued to reassemble the puzzle, the animatronic still wheezed as it twitched.


"Help me... please." The animatronic whispered





Junior was looking through a shelf in a store. He looked over the board games that were displayed. At his side was a bag filled with the other items on his list to deliver to the Guardians.


"Let's see. Operation. Operation: Simpsons Edition. Shrek Edition. Jesus, how many freaking variations of this game based on different intellectual properties does one company need?" asked Junior incredulously. He then clicked his tongue as he continued to search the shelves.


"Sorry. Monopoly. Battleship. Ugh, the shitty movie edition too. I might as well just get a bunch of UNO cards and let them have some epic match or something," chuckled Junior. He could imagine the Guardians spiraling into a fit of rage as them spending hours on one game due to receiving additional cards. He then noticed an ominous box with a pentagram on it.


"Why the hell is Hasbro making creepy-ass Ouija boards?" asked Junior. He sighed as he scratched his head.


"I wonder if they even care what I get," said Junior. He sighed as he looked at the clock on his phone. He had no time to be indecisive. He still had things to do today and wanted to be free on Sunday. So, Junior grabbed poker and UNO card packages, and a couple of board games. He made his way over to the cash register, but found no one present.


"Uh... Hello? Hellooo?" called Junior. No one in the store responded.


"Dammit. Must be taking a shit or something," said Junior in annoyance. He then heard whimpering from behind the counter. Junior looked over and found a man huddled and trembling on the ground.


"Hey buddy, you alright?" asked Junior worriedly.


"They're trapped man! I can hear their screams!" cried the cashier as he shot up with a deranged look on his face. Junior slightly backed away in discomfort.


"Uh huh. Anyway, I need to buy this shit. So, if you don't mind pricing these for me..." said Junior as he slowly placed the items on the counter.


"What good are these games if they get you trapped for eternity?!" cried the man.


"Wait, are you saying these things are cursed or something?" asked Junior incredulously.


"Not the games, that place!" cried the cashier as he pointed at a 4Smarts poster behind him. Junior looked at him in confusion.


"What makes you say that place is cursed? Didn't it just open today?" asked Junior.


"It all started when the manager of that place asked some of us here in the mall to test it out," said the cashier. Junior almost wanted to ignore it, but he wasn't a fan of agitating a crazy person.


"There were 6 of us. In our own pairs, we explored the forts. Me and my partner managed to complete our game. But, the others... they lost," said the man, distraught. Junior was about to question the man but remained silent.


"We never saw them again," said the man.


"Wait, you sure you didn't just miss them? And you can lose in those games?" asked Junior in confusion.


"Yes! The manager told us it was possible! But he never told us that we'd never make it out of the forts! Those missing workers were reported to be missing and haven't been found! I even went into the other forts myself to find them," said the cashier. His face then turned pale.


"But I heard voices. Their voices! They called for help in that dark fort! Their voices came from the animatronics and speakers of the fort! They were haunting the place!” cried the man.


"Look, maybe you were hearing things. Besides, the workers could have gone missing after they finished and you missed them leaving after completing the fort," said Junior. The man glared at him.


"You think I'm crazy, don't you?!" demanded the cashier. Junior forced a smile with a shrug.


"Eh... just a little bit," said Junior.


"Then go see for yourself! Look for someone that goes in and wait till you don't see them come out!" said the man. Junior sighed in annoyance.


"Fine, whatever. Can I buy this shit now?" asked Junior as he gestured to the items on the counter.


"Oh yeah, sure," said the cashier as he began to scan the items for their prices.





Junior was strolling through the mall in silence with his purchased items in bags. He still had the ramblings of that crazy guy on his mind. It was worrisome that someone off their rocker like that was still working. But as Junior kept thinking back to the story, he began to notice 'missing' posters to be attached on walls or certain stands in the mall. Junior made his way over to a stand and looked over the posters, were faces and names were present. They were young and middle aged individuals.


"What do you mean you can't find her?" asked a woman. Junior tore his eyes from the poster and turned to see a family.


"I don't know where she is! The last place she said that she'd be was at that new 4Smarts place! But it’s been two hours and she hasn't answered her phone!" said a teen girl. Junior's brows raised.


"That's gotta be a coincidence," said Junior as he began to walk off. But, Junior felt uneasy. Even his gut felt upset, and that wasn't the meal he had at the food court. Junior shook his head.


"Gojira, you're getting antsy over the ravings of a looney," said Junior with an embarrassed chuckle. But, Junior couldn't help but look to the sign that showed 4Smart's entrance. He sighed.


"I... guess it couldn't hurt to check on them. Maybe that thing is really fun," said Junior as he drew out his phone and called Mosura. After a few seconds of ringing, the call was answered.


"Y'ello?" answered Mosura.


"Mosu. Hey uh... just calling to see what's up. Still doing that 4Smarts thing?" asked Junior.


"Oh yeah, it's a blast! You really should've stuck around," said Mosura.


"Maybe next time. How far along are you girls?" asked Junior curiously. He did just call to put down his paranoia, but now he was curious about the attraction.


"I think we're almost through. This puzzle is pretty tricky though. We- Wait, what?" Mosura's voice seemed to grow quieter. Her phone must have been away from her and she was talking to someone else.


"We're what?! Oh crap!" exclaimed Mosura as the speaker muffled.


"Mosu?" Called Junior.


"Hold on, Goji! We're on a time limit and it's almost up!" said Mosura frantically. There was idle conversation among the girls on the other line that Junior couldn't help but be amused.


"You seem busy. I'll call you back," said Junior. He was about to hang up but heard frightened screams on the line, causing Junior to flinch with a start.


"What?! What?! What is it?!" Junior frantically exclaimed over the phone.


"Whew! Sorry. We just lost, and some scary dragon animatronic head popped out. Damn," said Mosura sounding disappointed.


From inside the fort, Mosura stood with her phone as Twilight held her chest as her heart was pounding. Sunset was laughing off the tension that was felt moments ago.


"We almost had it," pouted Mosura.


"Ah that's too bad," said Junior with a relieved chuckle.


Mosura was about to respond but heard the sound of stone scraping. The girls looked around and noticed the room to be shifting about. The teens stood close together, tensing as the walls shifted. Twilight suddenly yelped as the floor rose around their feet, separating them from each other. The stones created walls, trapping the teens in their own spaces.

The girls screamed in fright from this.


"Mosu! Mo- Are-" Junior's voice began to break up over the line.


"Gojira! Gojira, can you hear me?!" cried Mosura in panic.


"Hey, you two OK?!" called Sunset from her side of the wall.


"I-I think so!" cried Twilight, looking around anxiously, alone. Suddenly, lights shone on the ground, from LEDs on the floor.


"Thank you for playing. Please follow the lights to the exit," said a monotone voice over the speakers. Mosura loss some tension after hearing this.


"You hear that?" called Mosura.


"See ya outside, I guess!" said Sunset as she began to follow her trail of lights through the newly made hall. Twilight whimpered as she cautiously did the same from her hall. Mosura pocketed her phone and quickly followed the lights. Her footsteps echoed out in the hall. She had to admit, it was getting creepy to be in this dark hall in such a tight space. If not for the lights, Mosura might be panicking right about now. As Mosura walked, she noticed a light to be coming from the wall. Curious, she made her way over to it. She first looked to the side, finding that the hall way still went on.


"Wonder if this is the exit," said Mosura as she followed the lit door frame and entered. The girl suddenly found herself arriving in a ball room. Soft music played in the air. The girl looked around in confusion.


"What in the world?" Mosura walked to the center of the ball room, her footsteps echoing out. Statues of dragons perched were in each corner of the room, covered in gold and gems. Mosura drew out her phone to call Junior, but heard the soft music to be picking up in tone. She looked around in confusion and noticed a feminine mannequin to be standing at the other end of the room. Mosura stared at the mannequin, dressed in a beautiful silky gown. The teen found herself mesmerized by the gown as it seemingly glowed in the light. The mannequin began to gracefully approach, its blank face reflecting Mosura's. The mannequin began to dance to the music, with its gown flowing in the wind like hair with its movements. It approached the girl and held a hand out to her. Mesmerized, Mosura held out her hand and was pulled close. The two began to dance together to the music. They swayed, slid, twirled all around. Mosura's eyes were focused on the blank face of the mannequin. All she saw was herself, dressed in this beautiful dress and dancing with such grace that it rivaled the fluttering wings of a butterfly or even a moth. Mosura was twirled by the mannequin and began to dance on her own. The music picked up speed, as Mosura leapt into the air, kicking her leg. As she danced on her own, the mannequin seemed to fade, as the dress remained.


Meanwhile, Sunset found herself leaving the hall that she found herself forced into. She sighed in relief, finding more light and a more roomy area. She looked up and found an exit sign to be glowing near a door. She noticed Twilight to be rushing out of her own hall. She held her chest as she began to pant. Sunset looked at her in surprise.


"Twi, are you claustrophobic?" asked Sunset.


"No. Just heard some creepy sounds," gulped Twilight as she looked back at the dimly lit hall that she had emerged from. She then began to look around in confusion.


"Where's Mosura?" asked Twilight. Sunset looked around as well.


"Huh," said Sunset as she began to look around. She peaked outside of the exit door, expecting to find Mosura to be standing outside, but no one was there. She looked back at Twilight.


"She might still be inside here," said Sunset as she approached the hall that Mosura seemed to be meant to go through. As she and Twi walked through, they began to call out to her. They noticed doors to be present along the wall. Curious, Sunset opened one of the doors, finding a pile of props from chains to decorations. As she closed the door, Twilight opened the next door further down.


"Mosura?" called Twilight, finding a room where a generator hummed. There were some tools to be lying around, but nothing that pointed to Mosura's presence could be found. The girls flinched as the sound of a door creaked. They turned and found a door further down to be slowly opening, revealing a soft orange light. Twilight gulped nervously as Sunset took the lead.


"Mosu?" called Sunset as she began to approach the door. She opened it further, finding a fancy medieval bedroom. As if it were fit for royalty. A fire place burned at the far end, and a large bed was present. A feminine figure, dressed in a bright white dress. A crown sat upon her head, as her back was turned.


"The princess?" asked Twilight in confusion.


"I'm very disappointed in you. You were supposed to be the brave knights that rescued me from this prison," said the princess in a disappointed tone. Sunset bore a confused look.


"What the hell is going on here? Why is she here now when she could've rubbed it in our faces when we first lost?" asked Sunset incredulously.


"Yeah, and where's Mosura?" asked Twilight as she looked around the room. Sunset looked up to a camera that was looking down on them.


"Hey! What gives?! You're game is busted and we're missing our friend!" yelled Sunset.


"Oh woe is me. Now I will never have a happily ever after, because of your failure," said the princess in dismay. Sunset groaned in annoyance as she approached the princess.


"Stupid robot! I bet they did a half assed job on your face!" said Sunset as she grabbed the princess by the shoulder and forced her to face her. Sunset's eyes widened in horror.


"Mosura?" Sunset said breathlessly. Before her was Mosura, dressed as a princess. Her expression was cold and her face deathly pale. She suddenly grabbed Sunset by the neck, causing her to gasp and wheeze as Mosura raised her up into the air. Twilight stared in shock. Mosura threw Sunset across the room and against a wall, where a mirror sat. Sunset slammed into the mirror, causing it to shatter on impact. She fell to the ground, where her head began to bleed from the cuts caused by the glass. Twilight screamed her head off as she saw Sunset lied on the ground unconscious, bleeding. Mosura raised herself up and looked to the girl with a cold dead stare. Twilight continued to scream as she ran out of the room. The girl tripped, falling on the ground. She whimpered as she struggled up to her feet, but the hall suddenly began to rumble. The walls began to sink into the ground, revealing a large room. Twilight breathed in panicked as she attempted to stand up. She felt something clamp down on her leg, causing her to cry out in pain. She turned and found the dragon animatronic head from earlier to be biting down on her. It rested on a mechanical cart, where the head was held up by the animatronic parts. The dragon began to drag Twilight, as the wheels carried it across the room. Twilight screamed her head off as she dug her nails into the ground.


"No! Let go! Help!!" screamed Twilight as she pulled into the shadows.







The Space Adventure fort was filled with panicked screams. Angirasu, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were running through the metal hall of the fort. Behind them followed robotic insectoid aliens that screeched as they chased after them.


"This is not what I had in mind when I mentioned robotic space critters!" yelled Applejack.


"I knew that stupid piece was the wrong one!" cried Angirasu.


"Wesa gonna die!" cried Pinkie.


"Pinkie, as God as my witness, if you-!" Applejack glared at Pinkie.


"The door!" cried Angirasu. Ahead down the hall, a blast door began to lower as an alarm blared. The teens cried out in panic as they began to pick up their pace. The alien animatronics suddenly lunged for both Fluttershy and Applejack, pinning them to the ground. Fluttershy screamed as Applejack struggled under the animatronic. Both Angirasu and Pinkie were unaware of this, as they had run ahead much further and with a greater pace. They had made it passed the descending wall and turned. Their eyes widened in horror as Applejack fought off one of the animatronics and rushed to help Fluttershy.


"Applejack! Fluttershy!" cried Pinkie as she and Angirasu rushed back. But the door had already locked itself down, blocking the hall. The two began to bang their fists on the door, crying out to the two girls on the other side.


Meanwhile with Applejack and Fluttershy, they were attempting to flee from the alien animatronics. But, the wall opened up, revealing a large mechanical clamp that caught Applejack. The cry cried out as she was pulled behind the wall, leaving Fluttershy alone to fend for herself. The girl screamed as the animatronics held her down and drew out a syringe. The needle pierced her shoulder, injecting her with a metallic fluid. Fluttershy screamed in agony as the metal began to seep out of her flesh, encasing her body. As she struggled, she found herself consumed by the metal. Her eyes turned to a teal flat color as they bore a cold blank stare. Her body went limp as the animatronics knelt down to pick her up.


Angirasu and Pinkie continued to slam themselves against the door, but were unable to break it down. They cried out to their friends as they struggled to break through. Suddenly, they heard a hissing sound.


"What's that?!" exclaimed Pinkie as she turned. Angirasu turned with a look of shock. A green gas began to flow out of the vents and filled the hall. The two began to cough as they breathed in the gas. The toxins began to suffocate them and crush their lungs. Pinkie knelt to the ground, coughing.


"Angirasu, I'm scared! Ack!" Pinkie coughed as Angirasu knelt down, wheezing. The boy held her close as she coughed. The two collapsed on the ground, falling into unconsciousness.


"I'm right here..." wheezed Angirasu, his vision growing dark.


Angirasu's eyes shot wide open. He found himself lying down on a cold table. A pair of grey alien animatronics looked down on him. Their glowing eyes whirred as the optics focused on him. He couldn't feel his limbs. In fact, he felt nothing. But he knew that he was alive. Angirasu found himself being raised up as the table he lied on rotated. He was secured via clamps that kept him from falling over. The alien animatronics sparked as they left him alone. Angirasu's eyes glanced and found Pinkie to be lying on a table, unconscious.


"This one is ready to be converted," said an alien in a distorted voice. It raised a syringe and injected Pinkie with an unknown substance. Pinkie's body began to thrash as she cried out in pain. Her body was slowly consumed by metal. Angirasu stared, unable to react, cry out or help. Soon, he saw Pinkie lied still on the table, which rotated to raise her up. She stood as a metal figure with cold dead eyes. Her eyes softly began to glow as the animatronic aliens inspected her.


"Metal and magic properties successfully bonded. They're ready," said one of the animatronics. One of them drew out a wooden hook, with a gem imbedded into it.


"Prepare to harvest remnant," said the alien as the second drew out a similar hook. This one approached Angirasu, as the gem on the hook glowed. Angirasu's eyes moved from side to side, trying to get an indication of where he was. Then, he noticed a mirror. He found himself reflected. A horrible sight befell him. He was encased in pure metal as well. His eyes fell on a coffin-like case that was empty. It bore his name on it. He turned his eyes back to the alien, finding him to be driving the hook into his chest. Angirasu was unable to react as he felt himself slipping from consciousness.


In the Daring Do fort, Rodan was held down by animatronic skeletons. Rainbow cried out as she attempted to free Rarity from skeletons that pulled her to a pit. Rarity screamed as she was pulled into the pit, while Rainbow fell in with her. Rodan panted as the skeletons stared at him. One of them reached for his face as he cried out in terror.


Back outside, Junior held his phone against his ear, waiting for Mosura to answer. However, no answer came. He sighed as he hung up.


"Come on, Mosu. I've been calling you for five minutes. Yet you and the others are nowhere to be seen," said Junior anxiously. The screams he heard from Mosura drove him to worry. He didn't know what the hell happened and what caused his call to cut off. He pocketed his phone and began to make his way over to the forts, hoping to find his friends out already. As he stopped at the Dragon's Lair fort, he noticed an employee to be walking by, carrying some items. He made his way over to a middle aged man, dressed in a uniform that depicted the 4Smarts logo. The man was shown the items. Junior noticed something that made his blood ran cold. He saw that he carried what looked to be Fluttershy's sweater. The older man held the butter yellow sweater out, while looking at a butterfly hair clip. The employee then handed what looked to be a pair of orange thigh high stockings. Junior immediately recognized them as the kind that Mosura wore.


"The fuck?!" asked Junior. He gasped in shock as the older man laughed and began to sniff the items rather provocatively


"I have more than youth, today!" said the man with a predatory smile on his face. Junior's blood pressure spiked as his eyes hardened. As the man's filthy tongue lapped over one of Mosura's stockings, the boy snapped. He rushed to the two in a blind rage. He punched the older man in the face, causing him to fall to the ground and drop the items.


"You sick fuck!" shouted Junior in rage. The employee was about to lunge at the boy, but Junior quickly backhanded him, causing him to drop to the ground. People looked over to the scene in shock. Junior didn't care. He grabbed the older man by the collar and raised him up with a glare.


"Where did you get those items, you sick bastard?! Where are the girls that they belonged to?!" demanded Junior. The man bore a shocked but also enraged look.


"You bastard! Who do you think you are?!" demanded the man. Junior snarled as his irises expanded and his eyes bore a reptilian look.


"I'm the guy that's gonna disembowel you if you don't tell me where my friends are! Why are their clothes here?!" demanded Junior as he pointed to the items on the ground. The man smirked.


"I guess the secret's out," said the man. Junior noticed that everyone seemed to be frozen in place, save for the employee that rose to his feet with glowing red eyes.


"The hell?" asked Junior.


"I've frozen time in this space. Everyone here is unaware of our conversation. We wouldn't want you to look mad now do we?" asked the manager with a chuckle.


"Who are you? Where are my friends?!" demanded Junior as he shook the man.


"If they were the last ones to participate in my forts, then they belong to me. Their souls are harvested and their bodies are now going to be re-purposed for props and animatronics for my game," said the man with a dark smile, shoving the Transmutant back. Junior's eyes were wide with horror.


"They're... dead?" asked Junior.


"No, they're in between. A limbo if you will," said the man. Junior hardened his expression.


"Bring them back. NOW!!" roared Junior as he rushed towards the manager. As he swung his fist, the man suddenly vanished. The boy stumbled and found his target behind him.


"Afraid I can't do that," said the manager.


"Wanna consider it?!" yelled Junior as he turned and sent a flurry of punches. The man teleported away from each strike. As Junior sent another punch, he found himself striking a man in the face.


"Shit!" Winced Junior, realizing he struck an innocent man in his blind rage.


"I need their souls, my boy. For they fuel my power and immortality," said the manager as he appeared. Junior turned and found the man to now be dressed in dark robes and wearing an inverted pentagram amulet around his neck.


"I was a great Warlock, Thanatos, who roamed the earth for centuries. I've staved off death with souls. Unfortunately, souls could remain in this realm for only so long before their ties to the earth is severed, allowing them to pass on," said the Warlock.


"You also seem to enjoy getting off to a teenager's clothes. I don't care about your life story. I want you to let my friends go," growled Junior.


"I can't. You see, my youth is already fading. I'll be dead without them. But... we could work something out," said Thanatos with a dark smile. Junior narrowed his eyes, suspicious. He knew there was going to be a catch to whatever he was going to propose. But, his friends needed him.


"Let's hear it," said Junior.


"If you can complete my most challenging fort, I will set free your friends' souls and their bodies. Only your friends, no one else. No strings attached," said Thanatos. Junior felt sick about the idea of not being able to free other souls that were unfortunate to be stolen by this monster, but he had to pick his battles. Playing this fort was already out of his league.


"But if you lose, your soul is mine," said Thanatos with a sinister smile. Junior hardened his expression. He knew the price was high. But the idea of losing his friends was too much to bear.


"Do we have a deal?" asked Thanatos as he held his hand out. Junior reluctantly shook his head.


"I'm an idiot to make a deal with the Devil," said Junior.


"You know nothing of the Devil, my boy," said Thanatos with a grin. He was about to pick up the items on the ground, but Junior stepped in front of him with a glare.


"How about I take those off your hands? They're gonna need them back when I get them out," said Junior with a low tone. He wanted to stomp this creep's body into paste for what he was doing, aside from stealing the souls of his friends.


Soon, Junior found himself standing outside of the demonic fort. He had Fluttershy's hair clip and Mosura's stockings in his pocket, as he had Fluttershy's sweater tied and clinging to his shoulders. He stared into the gaping jaws of the demonic head, where a tunnel lied with stone walls was present. Thanatos stood by with a laugh.


"Enjoy yourself in, 'Attar's Abode'," said Thanatos. Junior gulped as he clenched his fists, knowing the risk he was taking. But still, he mustered up his courage and began to enter the fort. As he did, time resumed outside as normal. Junior found himself in darkness, as his footsteps echoed. Junior heard the sound of distorted laughs further down the hall, causing the boy to tense. He heard agonized cries and shrieks of terror.


Junior found himself in a room, covered in decorations made to look like brimstone. Pits were in corners of the room, where paper fire blew via fans, creating a hellish effect. Junior spotted animatronic damned souls to be hanging from chains above the pits.


"Oh, the pain!" cried an animatronic.


"I gotta give Thanatos credit. He knows how to create atmosphere," said Junior warily. Suddenly, a pit in the middle depicted a hologram of a smoky demonic head with a reptile and humanoid face and the horns of a ram.


"Welcome, wretched soul! Have you come to play? We're going to have so much fun!" The demon laughed maniacally.


"Wow. If this wasn't aimed at stealing my soul, I'd be into this," said Junior with a grimace. He suddenly heard the sound of drum beats in the air, causing the boy to whip his head around to look for the source. Suddenly, he found a legion of demonic looking animatronics. They were all humanoid in appearance, but bearing horrific appearances. Some looked to be anthropomorphic goats, reptiles, some looked to be pale and hideous humans, and a few looked so alien that Junior couldn't begin to describe them. The drums beat as the animatronics stood ominously, staring at the Transmutant. They suddenly all began to perform tribal-like dance with almost fluid motion, and began to chant in a foreign language.


"Arehi yo uwai dose' Pa pide' pava gadede' Te heniyo ha brekole'. This is what we Demons sing!" the demons chanted in satanic harmony. Junior gasped as he suddenly found a group of demons appearing behind him. One of them dressed in a dark robe as it appeared as a mix of a human, a bat and a scaled cat.


Arehi yo uwai dose' Pa pide' pava gadede' Te heniyo ha brekole'. This is what we demons sing!" the animatronics began to approach Junior as they continued to dance and chant. The drum beats continued and grew in intensity. Junior found himself getting backed into a wall, where demonic hands suddenly appeared and grabbed him. Junior grunted as he attempted to free himself, causing the mechanical arms to whir as they pulled.


"We serve Attar, so will you!" chanted the demons as Junior was pulled through the wall. He found himself tumbling down a hill, grunting in pain as he stopped. He shook off his disorientation as he stood up.


"I already hate this place," said Junior as he dusted himself off. He then looked around worriedly.


"Don't tell me I lost already," said Junior.


"Welcome to the first level, filthy soul!" said a demonic voice. Junior looked around but found no one. The voice sounded as though it were coming from speakers.


"Before you, a damned soul has been broken. My fallen angels had a bit too much fun with this one," chuckled the demonic voice. On the wall was a skull with eyes present in its sockets. The eyes were blood shot and looked around.


"Save me from this Hell!" cried the skeleton in anguish. Junior felt his stomach tighten. From what he remembered from the cashier, the souls were haunting the forts. Wherever they were, their voices must be transferred to the animatronics. This made the cries of this machine to sound more tragic than it meant to be.


"Assemble the bones back into their proper place. This realm will restore the rest," said the voice. Junior noticed that there were piles of bones everywhere on the ground. But the bones were in numerous pieces, almost to the point where Junior didn't recognize them.


"Ah hell," said Junior as he slumped his shoulders.


"You have five minutes. I'll be sorely disappointed if he's not put together again," said the voice. Junior sighed as he quickly knelt down to the piles of bones. He was already overwhelmed by the pressure of this puzzle and what was at stake.


"Calm down. It's all plastic and they have pegs that fit into these holes. Nothing to worry about. Aside from losing my soul for eternity," said Junior with a forced chuckle. He began to start with dividing the pieces by groups. Each group was based on a general idea of each part of the human body. Junior placed the spine aside and began to place the ribs, the chest cavity, and the shoulder blades together.


"OK, torso. Should I put it together now or wait till I have everything grouped up?" asked Junior as he scratched his head. He groaned as he began to grab pieces of the arm.


"Fuck it! Group it is!" said Junior as he began to place the humerus bone and grabbed an elbow piece. The Transmutant grabbed the pieces for the hand. He spent the next minute grouping the pieces of the legs, the hips, and feet.


"OK, time to piece them together," said Junior as he glanced at a clock made up of flames, counting down.


"Got time to spare," said Junior. He quickly began to assemble each piece of bone together, based on their group. He had successfully assembled the rib cage and spine, shortly. He then began to assemble the legs, the feet, the hands, etc. Now it was time to piece everything to together.


"Thigh bone connected to the hip bone~" Junior anxiously sang to himself. He began to piece the limbs together.


"Hip bone's connected to the back bone.~ Back bone's connected to the shoulder bone,~" said Junior as he glanced at the clock, finding that he was down to his last minute. Junior yelled as he picked up the pace.


"Dem bones, dem bones~!" sang Junior frantically as he finished connecting the body. He laughed victoriously.


"Connect the neck bone to the head bone!~" yelled Junior as he attached the body to the skull. He looked to the clock but still found it counting down. His eyes were wide in horror.

"What the fuck?!!" shouted Junior, spiraling into a fit of confusion, rage, and anxiety. He began to look over the skeleton.


"What am I missing?!" exclaimed Junior, finding his time down to ten seconds. His eyes darted quickly on the skeleton. He then spotted the problem. The feet were connected to the wrong legs.


"Oh come on!" yelled Junior as he knelt down and yanked off the feet. The clock began to tick down to five seconds. Junior panted as he struggled to connect the feet in their proper place. With the last click of the last foot, he looked back at the clock and found the timer stuck at one second. Junior gave a sigh of relief, dropping to his knees.


"Ah. Oh god. Thank you, God," laughed Junior in relief.


"Excellent work, mortal! You've successfully put this damned soul back together! Now, off he goes!" said the demonic voice. The skeleton animatronic found itself descending down an open pit in the ground, which glowed from an orange light.


"No!! Don't send me back to the pit! No!!" wailed the skeleton down below. Junior slumped his shoulders.


"That is fucked up," said Junior. Suddenly, a wall opened up, revealing another room. Junior moaned in dismay.


"There goes my victory high," mumbled Junior. He then hardened his expression.


"I'll fuck your shit up when I get out, Thanatos!" yelled Junior. He began to make his way into the room.


Junior found himself spending the next several minutes, moving pieces around to form images, place cogs to drop souls into dark pits, and even searching the guts of a soul for a key. Junior hoped it wasn't real, given the grotesque smell and the texture and detail. All of this during an absurdly short time limit.


Eventually, Junior began to wander through the fort in a dark cavern. But as he walked, he noticed some misty clouds to be flowing about. The air was a bit thick, carrying an almost metallic taste. His body began grow hot. Junior stopped as he heard giggling in the air, causing him to tense. He looked around, hearing the giggles to echo.


"Who's there?!" demanded Junior. He gasped as he felt hands grab him and cover his eyes.


"Guess who~," said a distorted voice. Junior's heart raced with anxiety as he recognized the voice.


"Mosura?" asked Junior as the hands released him. He turned and found the girl to be dressed in some skimpy clothes that were torn.


Mosura appeared pale like a ghost. Her eyes glowed a hellish red as dark spots formed around her sockets. She gave a distorted giggle.


"That's right Goji. Yours truly," said Mosura as she licked her lips. She ran a hand on his chest seductively.


"You like my outfit? It's pretty naughty to stare," said Mosura as Junior found himself staring at the girls figure. He had to admit, Mosura looked drop dead sexy. Something about her dark look was hot. Fluttershy appeared from the shadows, pale with glowing eyes as well. The girls surrounded Junior, rubbing their breasts as they looked at him suggestively.


"You know you want us, Goji," said Fluttershy in a breathy voice. She rubbed her large breasts against Junior, causing him to blush. He felt Mosura pull him close and guided his hand onto her ass.


"You can have us, Gojira. We want you too," said Mosura as she brought a hand to his waist. Fluttershy took Junior's other hand and placed it on her breast. She gave pleasured moans as she blushed. Junior felt himself in a daze, drawn in by his lust. The bodies of the girls drove him mad. Fluttershy moaned as she began to suck on Junior's fingers, while Mosura reached for his jeans. The boy was so lost in the lustful atmosphere that he felt himself removing Fluttershy's sweater from his shoulders. But as his eyes fell on it, his mind snapped back to rationality.


"No, this is wrong!" said Junior as he forced himself away from the girls. He pointed to them with a glare.


"My friends are in trouble! No slutty imitations of them will stop me from getting them back!" said Junior with a glare. The girls glared him. Their appearance began to grow more demonic. They sprouted fangs and their ears grew pointed as they approached.


"You think you have a choice?!" demanded Mosura as she lunged for Junior, pinning him to a wall.


"We will take you for ourselves! We will pleasure ourselves with your body and you will either enjoy it or hate it!" said Mosura as she grabbed Junior's cheek and brought his face close. The boy bore wide eyes as she rubbed her chest on him.


"But if you scream too much, then we'll have to silence you!" said Fluttershy as she pulled Junior to herself with a glare.


"We'll end your life and then we'll have our way! We'll fuck your corpse until it's nothing but dust! We'll even make your mother watch!" hissed Fluttershy. Junior bore a shocked look.


"What the actual fuck, dude?!" exclaimed Junior with a disturbed look. He began to shove the girls away.


"At least take me to dinner first!" said Junior with a glare as the demonic imitations approached.


He heard deep chuckles in the air, prompting him to turn to see a massive animatronic demon to be rising out of a pit. It stood to be 12 feet tall, bearing a humanoid body. It was Attar, with a dark reptilian appearance and a tail that was a snake. His limbs bore exposed mechanical segments as he sparked. Junior's jaw dropped as the demon stood tall with a mechanical grin.


"It’s play time, little soul," said Attar with a chuckle. Junior turned and found the girls hiss at him as they disappeared. He turned and found Attar stomping over to him. The boy began to run through the fort as Attar chased him, laughing.


"You can run, but you can't hide!" said Attar with a cackle. Junior panted as he hid behind a boulder.


"Wait. Can I fight? It is just a machine," said Junior as he raised his reptilian hand. Attar stalked the area, searching for the Transmutant. As he peaked over the boulder, Junior rushed to his legs and slashed his claws against the back of his legs. The animatronic twitched as it fell to its knees. Junior jumped onto the shoulders of Attar and drove his clawed hand into the neck. Attar sparked and twitched.


H-Hey! Th-Th-That's not very nice!" said Attar in a distorted voice. Junior yelled as he tore out the wires to the neck, causing Attar to drop on the floor, twitching. Junior sighed in relief as he climbed off the animatronic.


"Huh. Easier than I thought," said Junior. He then noticed a door to be at the far end of the room. He narrowed his eyes as he made his way towards it. It was hidden by the boulder he hid by, hinting that it must have not been part of the attraction. Junior attempted to open the door but it was locked. He rammed himself into the door, causing it to break off the hinges. Junior found stairs to be leading down below.


The boy cautiously walked down the steps. He remained as silent as possible to avoid attention. As he descended, he heard the sound wailing, causing Junior to tense. He found himself in a chamber, where a large crystal stood, planted on a platform. The crystal glowed softly in the dark room, dimly lit by ceiling lights. The wails seemed closer, prompting the boy to follow the source. Junior gasped as he spotted limp bodies to be lying in glass coffins. They contained the bodies of his friends. Except they looked to be like animatronics, save for Pinkie, Angirasu, Fluttershy and Applejack. They looked more like advanced chrome androids.


"That must be their bodies being repurposed for props," said Junior as he gritted his teeth. He turned as he heard doors open. Junior retreated over to the platform, where the crystal lied. Down below, Thanatos entered the chamber. He approached the coffins with a chuckle.


"How are we today? I see the magic metal has successfully transitioned you into machines. So much easier than building them from scratch," said Thanatos with a sigh.


"Won't be long now. Your friend will be joining you soon," said Thanatos with a sinister smile. Junior narrowed his eyes in response. He then took notice of the crystal he hid by. It was the source of the wailing. He saw that mist and forms of light were swirling in the huge crystal. His eyes widened as he saw faces in the crystal. This was where the souls were. His heart sank as he saw Mosura's soul. She was a ghostly apparition. She planted herself against the wall of the crystal with a look of desperation on her face. She banged her hands on the wall, trying to get Junior's attention. The boy placed a hand on the crystal, over Mosura's. Mosura looked to be crying in relief to see him. Junior had to hold back his own tears but smiled nonetheless. Mosura was suddenly swept away with the sea of souls.


"No!" Mosura's voice faded. Junior gritted his teeth as the souls cried out in despair. He began to slam his fists against the crystal, grunting each time. Thanatos took notice of the sounds and turned in shock, finding Junior on the platform above.


"You?! Get away from there!" roared Thanatos as he fired a lightning bolt at Junior but missed. Junior grunted as he slammed into the crystal, knocking it out of its place and off the platform. Thanatos screamed as he realized the crystal was falling towards him. He was then crushed beneath the boulder sized crystal. Junior stared wide eyed.


"Well that's unfortunate," said Junior. He shrugged, not complaining about the happy accident. He then noticed that the crystal cracked, where mist leaked out. Suddenly, the souls burst out of the crystals, cheering as they swirled around the room. Junior smiled in relief. From beneath the crystal, purple magic sparks burst, rushing out of the fort and also towards the animatronic bodies of Junior's friends. The bodies softly glowed as they returned to normal. Junior rushed to the bodies as several souls flew by, flowing through the nostrils of the bodies. Junior knelt next to Mosura, who shot up with a deep gasp, startling Junior. She turned to him and wrapped him into a tight hug. Junior returned the hug but suddenly found himself wrapped into a group hug by the rest of his friends.


"Thank God," said Junior with a tremble.


"Goji, are you crying?" asked Pinkie in surprise as the teens released him. Junior cleared his throat as held his hand over his brows while rubbing them.


"Of course not," said Junior as he cleared his throat. The girls were grinning at him while Rodan bore a teasing smile.


"Oh, darling," said Rarity with a warm smile.


"What the heck happened?" asked Applejack.


"Some Warlock stole your souls to fuel his power and immortality. I killed him. Well, not exactly. It was actually an accident that worked out for us," said Junior nonchalantly.


"Where is he?" asked Angirasu. Junior pointed to the broken crystal ball.


"Oh," said Angirasu with a nod.





The police were surrounding the forts. Over a dozen people were clothed with blankets. The forts were closed off and some customers that were hoping to get in were unable to. But they witnessed the police conduct their investigation. Junior stood with his friends and a few officers.


"4Smarts was drugging people with fumes in their vents to knock their customers unconscious to steal their money. That gas in that space fort is one of them," said Junior as he pointed to the fort he brought up, where green gas leaked out of. The thought had occurred to him that the gas in the fort that he was in must have been involved to try and get him to lose. It likely caused him to hallucinate those demonic versions of Fluttershy and Mosura. It proved to be the perfect cover when when Angirasu and Pinkie mentioned the green gas in their fort.


"You said the manager was the mastermind of this. Any clue where he is?" asked officer Blaire.


"Dead. One of his uh... props fell on him," said Junior. Junior was holding a lot more facts back than he would have liked. But he'd be deemed insane by the police if he were to start bringing up all of the mystical bullshit that was going on in this place. Best to get it shut down after classifying the situation as an elaborate kidnapping. Blaire nodded as another officer took notes.


"I'll check with you kids later. For now, get some rest," said Blaire as she walked off. Junior sighed in relief as he picked back up his bags of the items he purchased. He was glad to have hid the items before going into that fort.


Soon, the teens, and the victims that had went missing were taking the lead to leave the area. The victims were scarred by the horrible events and what they had been through. The teens weren't doing too well either. The rest of the people were pissed that they didn't have a chance to participate in the forts. Angirasu stopped walking as he saw a 4Smarts poster. His anger swelled in him as he sprouted claws and snarled. He tore the poster with a slash, shocking most who witnessed it. The victims however felt that they would've done more to that poster.


The teens continued to walk together. However, they noticed the Dazzlings to be walking by. Adagio bore a confused look as she saw them leaving the 4Smarts area.


"How was that new attraction? We were just going to-"


"Trust me, it's not worth it. Haunted houses are safer," said Junior, interrupting Adagio.


"Oh," said Adagio. The teens stood in awkward silence.


"Oh. Before I forget," said Junior as he dug into his pocket, drawing out the stockings, Fluttershy's hair clip, and removed the sweater on his shoulders.


"They took your stuff," said Junior as he handed the girls' belongings back to them.


"Thank you," said Fluttershy graciously. Mosura eyed one of her stockings oddly.


"Why is my stocking damp?" asked Mosura.


"Gojira, you didnt..." said Rodan in shock. Junior looked at him in confusion.


"What?" asked Junior.


"Ugh, sick!" said Aria in disgust. Junior noticed the girls to be slightly backing away from him with looks of disgust and uncertainty. Mosura held her stocking with her fingers away from herself with a cringe.


"Why is everyone looking at me like that?!" Asked Junior incredulously. Adagio giggled with a blush.


"Gojira, if you liked stockings that much, I would've let you borrow mine," said Adagio. Junior's eyes widened.


"What the fu- No! God- Fuck no! I didn't do that! That's not even what you think! That fucking Warlock was licking them!" said Junior defensively.


"That man does protest too much..." muttered Rodan next to Rainbow. Junior grabbed him by the collar.


"Fuck you, mother fucker! I'll fucking kill you!" yelled Junior as he shook Rodan.


"Help! He's gone crazy!" cried Rodan as Rainbow and Applejack pried Junior off of him.


"I didn't do anything! You gotta believe me!" cried Junior desperately.


"I believe you," said Mosura, prompting Junior to look at her with hope filled eyes. Mosura grimaced as she tossed her stockings in the trash.


"They smell like bad breath. It’s like someone hadn’t brushed in years. Damn, now I gotta replace those," said Mosura in annoyance.


"I can't believe you guys would think I'd do something like that," said Junior as he looked to the others with a glare. They bore sheepish looks.


"I should get home. It's been an intense day," said Angirasu as he walked off. Sunset joined his side.


"I'll go with you. Wouldn't want MONARCH to get the wrong idea," said Sunset as she pointed at the paw that Angirasu formed. Soon, the teens began to bid each other Farewell.


Today has been a bigger hassle than Junior would've liked. He carried the bags of the items he was still supposed to give to the Guardians as Mosura and Fluttershy followed. The boy wanted nothing more than to get away from this place but he was too exhausted. So, Junior made sure that he was just far enough from 4Smarts. He sat down on a bench with a heavy sigh and lied his head back, wanting to catch his breath and recharge. He found Mosura and Fluttershy to be sitting next to him on each side. The girls leaned against his shoulders with tired expressions. Normally, Junior would be blushing. But he was too tired to care. He instead closed his eyes, relieved that his two favorite girls were safe.


Meanwhile in Attar's Abode, a voice was crying out. It was in desperation and was distorted.


"Help me! Don't leave me here! Help!" Thanatos cried out. His voice came from a limp animatronic skeleton. His cries echoed out through the fort. The Attar animatronic sparked and twitched. It slowly began to rise up, restored. The gaps were suddenly closed as scales covered the mechanical pieces. The whirring stopped, and Attar bore a more fluid muscle based wicked grin. From the shadows emerged the demon animatronics. However, their bodies appeared whole rather than robotic. They surrounded Attar and Thanatos. Drum beats filled the air as the ground began to chant.


"Arehi yo uwai dose' Pa pide' pava gadede' Te heniyo ha brekole'. This is what we Demons sing!" chanted the demons. Attar picked Thanatos up into the air with a dark smile.


"Looks like your time is up, Thanatos," said Attar. He began to laugh maniacally. The demons continued to chant as the floor gave in. Below, a pit leading to a dark void was seen. Thanatos began to cry out in panic, pleading to be spared. Attar laughed as he held Thanatos over the pit. The cries of horror and the evil laughter echoed through the fort