"Happy birthday, Applebloom!", Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle shouted across the booth.
Applebloom smiled. "Aw, shucks, you two...", The farm pony said bashfully. "You didn't have to come. Scoots, I know you were planning on flying lessons with Rainbow Dash today. Why aren't you with her?"
The pegasus filly grinned. "Two reasons, Applebloom. One; I would never pass up a fellow crusaders birthday! Two; I love Freddy Fazgriffon's Pizza!"
Sweetiebelle looked at Scootaloo with a sly grin. "Then why didn't you show up to my party three months ago Scoots?" She said asked.
Scootaloo wore a grim expression and turned to her friend, "What?" She yelled.
"Relax Scootaloo", Applebloom said. "She's messin' with ya. Her birthday's not for another two months."
Sweetiebelle's grin turned into a huge smile as she began laughing at her friend. "Aw, man, Scootaloo! You should have seen your face. Priceless!" She wailed.
"You sound like Discord, you big jerk", Scootaloo growled. Turning her attention back to applebloom, the pegasus filly said, "Anyway, here's my present." Scootaloo reached under the table and produced a small box.
Sweetiebelle did the same and placed a larger box on the table. "You may want to open my present first, Applebloom. Otherwise, Scootaloo's won't make any sense." She said with a grin.
The farm pony reached towards Sweetiebelle's present and grabbed it. Slowly and carefully, she pried the lid from the box and gasped at what she saw. "A Neightendo 3DS!" Applebloom shouted as she pulled a packaged gaming system from the box. "Sweetie, how did you afford this?"
"Well, really it was Rarity who paid for most of it. She was really sorry she couldn't make it, so she helped me buy it for you." The unicorn filly explained. "Being the sister of generosity has it's perks."
"Speaking of family", Scootaloo began. "Where's Big Macintosh and Applejack? You'd think they would be the first ones here..." She asked.
"They had to finish up some chores down at the farm. Don't worry, they'll be here soon." Applebloom explained. "What about the others? Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Twilight?" The farmpony asked.
"Well... Twilight probably has some royal things to do, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash are probably on their way, and who knows with Fluttershy?" Sweetie said. "But enough about that, open Scootaloo's present!" She demanded, pushing the smaller box towards her friend.
The box was much smaller than the last one and wrapped in a significantly sloppier manner, indicating Scootaloo wrapped it herself. Applebloom picked the package up and tore away the paper covering. "Wow! It's the new Super Smash Sisters! Thanks Scoots!" She screamed.
The pegasus filly grinned. "Well, you know. What goods a game system without a game? I saw how much you loved playing Smash on my wii, so when Sweetie told me she bought you a 3DS, it was a no-brainer." She explained with a proud smirk.
"You girls are the best friends a pony could ask for!" Applebloom proclaimed as she looked over her gifts.
Just then a soft voice was heard from behind the group. "Happy birthday Applebloom!" The three fillies turned and saw Fluttershy carrying a box under her wing.
"Thanks, Fluttershy!" Applebloom said as Fluttershy placed her gift on the table.
The yellow pegasus grinned. "I hope you like it", She said. "B-but if you don't that's okay. I can take it back and exchange it for something else... If you want..."
"I'm sure it's amazing Fluttershy!" Applebloom assured the nervous pegasus as she opened the box. "Aw. What a cute teddy bear! Thank you, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy smiled as her ears perked up. "Y-You really like it?" She asked.
"I love it!" The farm pony said as she hugged the plush close to her chest.
"Oh, thank goodness. I was so worried you wouldn't like him", Fluttershy said.
Applebloom grinned. "Relax, Fluttershy. Have a seat."
"Oh. O-Okay", Said the pegasus as she sat down next to Applebloom.
Scootaloo turned around. "Ooh! Guys look! The animatronic show is starting!" She said.
Applebloom shuddered. "Ugh. Those things creep me out."
Sweetiebelle nodded, "I know, right? Those eyes... They're just so creepy."
"What? Wimps", Scootaloo said with a grin. "Who's the chicken here now?"
"Now, Scootaloo, that was uncalled for." Fluttershy scolded. "Everypony is scared of something. You shouldn't make fun of them for it."
Scootaloo bowed her head. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry, you two", She said. Turning back to the stage, Scootaloo said, "Wait a sec... Isn't there supposed to be a fourth robot?"
She was right. On the stage sat a mechanical griffon in a top hat, a phoenix wearing a bib that read "Chow Time", and a large purple rabbit. There was supposed to be a robotic dragon wearing a viking helmet that covered it's right eye.
"Maybe it was shut down for maintenance?" Sweetiebelle suggested.
Applebloom's ears perked up. "Oh! There it is!" She said pointing a hoof towards a green dragon robot walking towards the stages. "Weird... It looks like it's broken" Applebloom said as the animatronic's head twitched slightly, sending sparks a few inches outwards.
Fluttershy looked around. "Hey... Did anypony else hear that?" She asked.
"Hear what?" All three crusaders asked in unison.
Fluttershy looked at the three fillies. "It sounded like somepony laughing", she said.
Scootaloo listened carefully for a sound. "I don't hear anything weird..."
"Huh", Fluttershy said as she looked around again. "It must have been my imagination."
As the four looked back at the green dragon-bot making it's way to the stage, a small little earth pony filly approached it and stuck it's hooves out as if asking for a hug. The dragon stopped and looked at the tiny filly, it's head still twitching.
Just then, a lightbulb above the stage shattered and a black shadow orb of oozed out of it. Several tendrils grew from the mass and stuck themselves into the neck of all four animatronics, like strings on a marionette.
The dragon shook violently while the tendril struck it's neck. Once it stopped shaking, a black crystal sprouted from it's forehead, as one did with all the other animatronics. The animatronic looked down at the little filly. It's head jerked once more as it leaned down and took a large chunk out of the front of the filly's head, causing it's lower jaw to break. The filly dropped to floor as blood poured from her open skull.
An eruption of screams was heard as Fluttershy nearly fell to the floor trying not to vomit at the grotesque sight.
"Come on everypony!" Applebloom shouted with more than a hint of panic in her voice. "Let's get out of here!" She grabbed the gifts off the table a took off for the exit, Scootaloo, Sweetiebelle, and Fluttershy close behind.
As several ponies ran for the door, a wall of crystals not unlike the kind that sprouted from the animatronics foreheads. Ponies began banging on the door and crying for help as the dragon-bot slowly followed behind.
"Guys! Over there!" Scootaloo shouted only loud enough for her friends to hear. "We can hide in there!", she said as she pointed to a door.
The group ran to the room and shut the large metallic doors once they were inside. Inside the room was a single security monitor and a chair.
Fluttershy began to hyperventilate. "Giggle at the ghosties" She kept saying as she rocked back and forth.
A tiny whimpering could be heard from the corner. Applebloom went to the corner of the room and found a small, purplish-grey unicorn filly huddled up. "Dinky?" Applebloom said. "What are you doing here?"
The unicorn turned to the farm pony. "Applebloom?"
"Scootaloo, Sweetiebelle, and miss Fluttershy are here too." Applebloom said as she nodded. "But that doesn't answer my question."
Dinky stood up and wiped her eyes. "M-My mommy dropped me off here so I could play while she delivers the mail... I hid in here when I saw the dragon bite that poor filly" Dinky explained.
"It's okay, Dinky. The dragon can't get us in here. We just have to wait for one of our friends to come and rescue us", Applebloom said to try and comfort the shaking filly.
"Hey, girls", Scootaloo said. "What does 'Door Structural Integrity' mean?" she asked.
Sweetiebelle answered. "It means how sturdy the doors are. When it says the doors are at a hundred percent, that means the doors are as strong as they can be."
Applebloom looked at the clock on the wall. "It's five P.M. Looks like we may have to camp out here" she said.
End of day one