The air inside the pizzeria felt heavy. Everything was out in the open now. The real Kid Killer and the one truly responsible for Springtrap's death, Neighsay, was standing there with a sickening grin as he looked at everyone with bulging eyes. The silence was only broken by Starlight.
"Why... why would you kill innocent foals?" Starlight asked softly before screaming. "Why did you murder my friends in cold blood?!"
Neighsay stopped grinning and glared venomously at Starlight. "You wanna know why? I killed them because they were the most idiotic students I've ever seen!"
"What do you mean?! What did we do to you to deserve murder?!" Roxy shouted.
"Because you and your lot always managed to fail spectacularly in school! I had no other choice but to make sure you didn't grow up to become drags on society!" Neighsay replied. "My job is ensure that students grow up to become functioning and contributing citizens, but with you, I knew that it would've been impossible with you! I had to clean the slate, so I killed the infection that you are!"
"You told me you a part of the volunteer team investigating! Was that a lie?!" Starlight asked.
"No, I was. Not only was it a good cover, but it allowed to obtain and destroy any evidence I left behind. Pretty clever, huh?" Neighsay replied. "Now that you all know about this, I'm gonna have to kill you all."
Everyone was so shocked to hear his reasons for killing. He murdered innocent children in cold blood... simply because they weren't performing well at school. Starlight and Roxy were both furious with what he did, but none were more surprised than Springtrap.
"What about me? I saw you in the hospital thirty years ago and I tried to chase after you, so how did I fit into this?" he asked.
"Honestly, I got careless one night and and the authorities were on my trail," Neighsay replied. "I was quite happy when I saw you appear in the hospital that night and I knew I could get you to take the fall for me if I played my cards right. It was more of a happy accident, so I guess I should thank you for covering for me."
Springtrap was now stepping away from the suited Princesses and his now-red eyes turned to Neighsay with newfound hatred.
"You framed me and got me killed and cursed and you want to thank me for dying for your crimes?!" Springtrap shouted. "I suffered for thirty years because I took the fall for you! I'm gonna kill you!"
Brandishing his trusty kitchen knife, Springtrap leapt from the stage and ran right at Neighsay. The mad murderer read the oncoming attack and deftly dodged him, grabbed his head, and slammed him into the wall. Springtrap tried to attack him again, but Neighsay brought the taser up and shoved it into his mouth.
A humungous wave of shocks shot through Springtraps body, weirdly numbing his constant pain but preventing him from moving. He slumped to the floor in a smoking heap after Neighsay was done, with Neighsay picking up the kitchen knife. He glared up at Neighsay.
"You won't... get away with this!" he wheezed out.
"Really, now? Because from where I'm standing, I'm gonna get away with everything yet again!" Neighsay said.
Neighsay delivered a swift kick to Springtrap's chest, sending him flying back in front of the tied-up Starlight. Roxy took the initiative to attack Neighsay, but he holding his own. Despite this, Roxy's superior speed and agility kept her out of reach of the taser and knife.
"I'll rip you apart for what you did to us!!" Roxy shouted.
"Oh, please! I killed you all before and I can do it again!" Neighsay rebutted. "After that, I'll kill you all and say that Springtrap did it! Face it, girl. You can't beat me!"
As Springtrap was struggling to stand, Starlight took the opportunity to talk to him. "Springtrap, you have to untie me. Roxy can't win against him on her own. We have to work together to stop him."
Springtrap looked to Starlight and then back to the fight. After all these years, the one who framed him is right there saying that he'll blame him again and get away with his terrible crimes again. As much as he wanted to kill Celestia and Luna, he now wanted to kill Neighsay even more. Plus, he knew Starlight need this as much as him. Springtrap worked to untie Starlight and removed the black crystal from her horn.
Now free, Starlight and Springtrap faced Neighsay, who was about to place the taser into Roxy's neck. He grinned as he faced them.
"Oh? You think you all working together is going to stop me?" he asked mockingly. "I already took out the rest of your idiot friends, so there's no point!"
"Are you sure about that?" Springtrap asked before raising his hands in the air. "Wake up, children! We finally brought your killer here! It's time for your justice to be served!"
They all looked around and saw the downed animatronics twitching and coming back to life. Neighsay seemed to be anxious to see them all standing up now. The Glamtronics all now glared at Neighsay with angry red eyes. Neighsay gave a small laugh.
"So, you want to relive that day thirty years ago?" he asked mockingly. "Fine then! Let's do that!"
The Glamtronics, Springtrap, and Starlight all rushed Neighsay at once trying to pin him down. Neighsay was moving quite elegantly in the suit, dodging and attacking with the grace of a trained soldier. Even though he was fighting them off good, he wasn't able to put them down with the taser or the knife. Starlight tried to use her magic, but the only thing she managed to do was sputter a few sparkles. That black crystal must've drained her magic temporarily. Springtrap joined her and pointed at the suit.
"You see that suit?" Springtrap asked. "We can use that against him."
"How?" Starlight asked.
"When I was preparing for my revenge, I made a prototype springlock suit. That one. But the springlocks weren't as loose as I wanted. If we can damage it enough..."
"He'll get springlocked just like you were!"
"Exactly! We have to do everything we can!"
"But how are we going to even damage him? He's too good at this fight!"
"I know what you can use! I keep cupcakes in my mane!" Pinkie offered.
"That could work," Springtrap said.
Starlight and Springtrap reached into Pinkie's mane and pulled out a few cupcakes, and a few pink strands of hair. They waited until Neighsay was facing towards them. When he did, the pair lobbed cupcakes at his face. The sweet confections completely covered his face.
"Why you little--!" Neighsay said before he got punched in the face by Freddy.
The punch sent Neighsay flying back a few feet away from them. Neighsay cleaned his face completely and picked up the mask to his suit.
"Looks like you're finally taking this seriously!" Neighsay laughed, his voice distorted by the mask.
Springtrap threw cupcakes at the mask's eyes, allowing the group to attack him all at once. They clawed, bit, punched, and kicked at Neighsay with everything they had. Neighsay meanwhile, tried and failed to fight back, even after removing the cupcakes from his eyes. He was pushed back to the edge of the stage, where his attackers surrounded him.
"It's over, Neighsay!" Starlight declared.
"You know, I think I should take a page from Springtrap's book," Neighsay said. "Since I'm wearing this suit, why not call me... 'Blackjack'?"
"Don't care, you're not getting away this time!" Chica said.
"We're gonna make you pay for this!" Freddy said.
"Let's just make sure this hurts!" Monty said.
"I'm not too sure about that!" Neighsay - "Blackjack" - said.
Blackjack suddenly grabbed Starlight by the hair and pulled her to him, pressing a kitchen knife to her neck.
"Now, then, you're going to back off and let me escape from here. If you try anything, Starlight dies!" Blackjack threatened.
"You coward!" Roxy yelled.
This wasn't good. Starlight still couldn't use her magic and Blackjack threatened to kill her if they tried anything. There had to be something they could do. Springtrap was trying to think when he noticed something.
Springtrap looked into the Blackjack suit and saw one of the springlocks in the neck loosen slightly. This meant that the springlocks have been sufficiently loosened. All he had to do now was do something to set them off without Starlight being killed in the process. He looked around and saw a bit lying lying on the floor in front of his feet. This was perfect! Picking up the coin, he showed to Starlight and Blackjack.
"Hey Blackjack, if you're planning to get out of town, then you'll need this for your train fare!" Springtrap said.
He then tossed the coin right at Blackjack. The coin flew through the air and hit the loose springlock with a small clang and dropped inside the suit. Blackjack laughed aloud.
"You actually thought that was going to do something, you stupid rabbit?!" he laughed.
His laughter was cut off by the sounds of metal groaning and clinking underneath the exoskeleton. Springtrap and Starlight smiled at the sounds knowing what they meant.
"It's about to do something," Springtrap said menacingly.
Metallic snapping sounds filled the air as the springlocks in Blackjack's suit began to go off all at once. His arms jerked away allowing Starlight to escape his grasp and joined the others in watching Blackjack's springlock failure.
Neighsay screamed in agony as the springlocks in his suit all went off. They started in his neck, cutting off his short-lived screams and worked their way down. He felt every bit of sharp metal piercing his body and rupturing his organs. He could feel his warm blood and intestines spilling out into the suit and he was jerked in every direction. This went on for maybe two minutes before he slumped to the ground twitching and jerking. The group saw the horrible display with an eerie satisfaction.
Once the springlocks were closed, the building they were in started to shake as if an earthquake had struck. The ceiling started to cave in and the walls started to crack. Starlight turned to the others.
"We have to get out of here! The building's starting to collapse!" Starlight shouted.
"I'll grab the Princesses and you untie the others!" Springtrap said.
They all set about their tasks quickly. Starlight and the Glamtronics untied the Elements while Springtrap wheeled out the Princesses on the gurneys. Once they were mostly out of the building, Springtrap looked back and saw Neighsay/Blackjack looking to him pleadingly and reached out a twitching hand to him.
"Please... help me!" he wheezed out with dripping blood. "I don't... want to... die here!"
Springtrap only stared back at him with cold silver eyes. "No. This is now your tomb. This is now your hell."
And with that, Springtrap ran out of the building with the Princesses and the Elements. They all watched as the building collapsed in on itself and all that was left was a pile of rubble. Everyone looked at the building expectantly.
"You think Neighsay died in there?" Rainbow asked.
"The Princesses thought I was fully dead thirty years ago, only for me to surprise them," Springtrap said before looking to them. "Speaking of which..."
The Princesses were still locked in their springlock suits when Springtrap approached them. Starlight and the others were going to try to stop him, but they saw that they didn't need to.
Springtrap cranked open the springlock suits and helped Celestia and Luna out of them. They seemed to be even more surprised than the Elements. Springtrap simply looked at them with a neutral expression.
"I can't bring myself to forgive you for what you did to me, but this encounter seems to have gotten rid of my hatred for you," Springtrap said. "I won't forgive you, but... I'll at least try not to kill you in the future."
"You have every reason to never forgive us, Mister Springtrap, but we appreciate you not trying to kill us," Celestia said.
"We will humbly bear your hatred for as long as we live," Luna said.
Starlight turned to her Glamtronic friends. "What now? Neighsay's gone, so what's next?"
"Honestly, we haven't thought that far ahead," Freddy said.
"I'm not sure either," Roxy said.
"I thought we would move on to the afterlife," Monty said.
"Maybe it's because I had your souls possessing those animatronic bodies," Springtrap said. "Those bodies must be infused with your Remnant."
"What's Remnant?" Twilight asked.
"It's a substance that is the very essence of life itself," Springtrap replied. "If it bonds with an object, the soul will possess that object."
"So, does that mean that these bodies are permanent?" Roxy asked.
"It would appear so. The only way to free your souls is melting the metal down with fire," Springtrap replied. "What happens next is completely up to you."
The Glamtronics weren't really sure what to do until Freddy snapped his fingers. His blue eyes lit up with an idea.
"Hey guys, remember when we said that we were going to start a band? Maybe we should do that!" Freddy said.
"That was a long time ago. You think we can do that after all these years?" Chica asked.
"You kidding, we'd be the best band in the land with these rocking robo-bods!" Monty said.
"Starting a band does sound like fun!" Roxy said before turning to Springtrap. "Do you want to be our band manager?"
Springtrap's damaged ears perked up at the offer. "You want me to be a part of this? Why?"
"You're really good at planning and organizing things, so you'd be perfect for the job," Freddy said holding out his hand. "Besides, you helped us avenge our deaths, so we want you around. We are friends, after all."
Friends. That was something that had never even crossed his mind for the past thirty years. Then again, he had to admit that did enjoy the Glamtornics' company. Now that he didn't feel a desire for revenge, being the band manager for the Glamtronics seemed to be very enticing to him, now. Springtrap smiled and shook Freddy's hand.
"I'd love to be your band manager. And your friend," Springtrap said.
The moment they shook hands, a strange glow came from Springtrap's chest. The light shone for a few seconds, but he noticed something spectacular flooded Springtrap's body.
It was gone. The constant pain of his failed springlocks was gone. For the first time in thirty years, he felt sweet relief wash over him. He had long forgotten what it was like to not be in agony. This feeling of relief brought tears to Springtrap's silver eyes.
"It's gone! The pain is finally gone!" Springtrap shouted. "My pain is finally at an end!"
"You mean from the springlocks?" Starlight asked.
"Yes! After all these years, my suffering is finally over!" Springtrap said.
"I think this is a cause for celebration!" Pinkie said. "Let's throw a party!"
"That sounds like a lovely idea, Pinkie," Rarity said.
"After all this, I could use a hard cider or eight," Applejack said.
"Then let's get back to the palace to plan for it!" Twilight said. "Springtrap, you and your friends are the guests of honor, so come on!"
Springtrap and the Glamtronics walked along with them to the palace. Before they could walk past the nearest street corner, Springtrap looked back to the demolished pizzeria.
"Hopefully you stay buried, Blackjack," Springtrap thought. "If you come back, I'll just bury you even deeper."
He joined the rest of his friends with that determined thought in the back of his mind. Even if Neighsay went through the same process he did, he couldn't dig his way out of that. Besides, he now had friends and his unlife was finally starting to look brighter. His existence would now be one he wanted to live: peacefully. And he now had friends to boot.
"By the way, is Springtrap your real name, or is that a name you gave yourself?" Starlight asked him. "I had a feeling that 'Springtrap' isn't your real name."
"You'd be correct, that's not my real name," Springtrap replied.
"Then what is it? I'd like to know the name of the guy who helped avenge my friends."
"While I prefer to be called 'Springtrap', my name used to be 'Anon'. But even that name was fake."
"So... what's your real name?"
"My name is Afton. Wilson Afton."
*****
The Demolished Pizzeria - The Maintenance Tunnels
After the building collapsed, the only thing that wasn't completely destroyed were the maintenance tunnels underneath. In the dark underground, Neighsay/Blackjack sat in the dark twitching and jerking from the failed springlocks. It was a miracle for him that he was able to drag himself down into the tunnels before the ceiling could crush him.
Neighsay was still alive somehow, but he was trapped and in a mountainous amount of pain. All he could do was sit there and wait for death to come for him.
He was beaten. Him, one of the greatest minds in Equestria, was springlocked and beaten by the ghosts of children of all things. And they were children that he worked so hard to make sure would never become societal parasites! Blackjack focused all his anger on this failure.
"How could... I have lost?!" he wheezed. "I was trying to... keep Equestria's schools and... society healthy, and THIS is... the thanks I get?!"
Neighsay cast his mind back to Springtrap, the one who activated the springlocks in the first place. Hatred and malice filled his body as he remembered the coin he tossed to set them off. Clenching his fist in anger, he hissed out his last words.
"I'll be back for you someday, Springtrap! I swear it!" Blackjack promised. "I'll always come back!"