Rainbow Dash let out a relieved sigh as she snuggled comfortably on top of the cloud that she had made herself. As she looked up to the sky, savoring the beautiful sunny day that Celestia has made, one could tell that there was a good reason why Rainbow Dash was in a happy mood that day.
She had no reason to go back to Strickland Propane.
Strickland Propane was one of the best, and only, propane stores that Ponyville had. It was founded by four humans, Hank Hill, Dale Gribble, Bill Dauterive, and Jeff Boomhauer. However, after their deaths, they had been replaced with robotic versions, thanks to the art of animatronics.
Rainbow Dash had worked there as a night guard. At first, she thought it was a piece of cake, due to the simple job and excellent pay. That is, until she found out that late at night, they became murderous. They all thought that she was a robot like them, so they tried to refuel her by impaling a nozzle in her chest and filling her up with propane. After five nights of pure hell, Rainbow Dash managed to not only survive, but to get an excellent pay cheque.
It had been about two weeks since that incident, and Rainbow Dash enjoyed her time away from the store. She thought about switching to charcoal, but after having nightmares of being in a Tartarus that was fueled by propane, she immediately stuck with propane.
She looked down from her cloud to see a young pegasus cheering with a big smile. Rainbow Dash grinned when she recognized the pegasus; Scootaloo. She flew from the cloud to the ground where Scootaloo was.
"Hey kid!" Rainbow Dash greeted to Scootaloo as she patted her head. "What's got you worked up?"
"Rainbow Dash, guess what!" Scootaloo almost yelled in excitement. "I can finally afford that new scooter! I got myself a job that will help me pay for it!"
"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That scooter cost 200 bits! How much is this job paying?"
"50 bits a night!"
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
"That propane store."
Rainbow Dash froze with horror. A fear-induced whimper escaped from her lips. Scootaloo stared at her strangely as Rainbow Dash started to breathe heavily.
"Are you OK, Rainbo-"
"SCOOTALOO!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she grabbed Scootaloo's shoulders. "STAY AWAY FROM STRICKLAND PROPANE!!!!"
Scootaloo blinked and stuck her head in a saddlebag she carried with her. She took out an official looking contract with the Strickland Propane logo.
"But I already signed up for it." She said, her voice slightly muffled since she was holding the contract with her mouth. "I have to be there!"
She placed the contract back in the saddlebag and looked back to a terrified Rainbow Dash.
"What's wrong, Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow Dash sighed as she put a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder.
"Kid, sit down for this." She said as Scootaloo sat down. "I gotta tell you something."
Rainbow Dash then began to tell Scootaloo about her experience at Strickland Propane. As she told her story, Scootaloo became scared and regretful of becoming a night guard.
"W-What am I going to do?!" Scootaloo panicked as she grabbed Rainbow Dash. "I already signed the contract!! I have to be there!!!"
Rainbow Dash thought for a bit. She stared at the frightened Scootaloo. Feeling sorry for her, she had finally found the solution.
"You're not going to be the only night guard there."
Rainbow Dash shivered a bit as she and Scootaloo stepped inside Strickland Propane. She looked around, noticing that things haven't changed that much. The store building remained the same and there was still the giant storage tank, the word STRICKLAND was painted vertically on the tank. The only change outside was that there was another propane truck.
"Howdy."
She almost screamed when she heard the voice. She turned around, seeing a familiar figure dressed in his usual Strickland Propane uniform.
"Hey Hank Hill." Rainbow Dash quietly greeted the robot. "Where're your friends, Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer?"
Hank pointed to his left. Rainbow Dash saw Bill eating a cookie, Dale testing out a grill for a bunch of stallions, and Boomhauer flirting with a small group of mares.
"Rainbow Dash! It's been a while!"
Rainbow Dash turned around and saw the manager of Strickland Propane. He turned around and stared at Scootaloo.
"I see you met our new night guard, Rainbow Dash."
"One of the night guards." Rainbow Dash corrected, which surprised the manager. I want to be a night guard with Scootaloo."
"You know I can't pay you." The manager replied with a sheepish grin.
"I don't care. I want to see Scoots work for five nights." Rainbow Dash said with a smile as she ruffled with Scootaloo's mane.
Scootaloo smiled nervously. "A week."
Rainbow Dash's smile dropped. "You signed up for a week?"
Scootaloo shrugged, her nervous smile still plastered on her face. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh.
"OK. Seven days of being a night guard." She said calmly with a big smile. "No big deal. It'll be just like last time. Watch over four robots."
"Make that seven, sweet cakes."
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo turned around. To their surprise, they saw three robotic humans. One was notably short, due to the lack of shins. He had a wrinkly face and had grey hair. The other one was taller than the short one. He had black hair and was of Laotian descent. The last one was a young teenager, who was slightly overweight and had a haircut that looked like a buzz cut.
"Hi!" The young teenager greeted as he waved his hand at the mares. Scootaloo waved back before turning back to the manager.
"Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, I would like you to meet our newest employees!" The manager said as he pointed to the two robots. "The short one is Cotton Hill, the kid is Bobby Hill, and the other one is Kahn Sulfur-Tone!"
"Souphanousinphone." Kahn corrected with a blank face.
"Sorry." The manager apologized. "Some kind ponies donated these robots to us! Ironically, they seem to know who Hank and his friends are! Heck, apparently Mr. Kahn is Hank's old neighbor, the kid is Hank's son and the short guy is Hank's father."
"And Ah killed fiddy men!" Cotton shouted with pride. Ponies around him felt uncomfortable when they heard the word 'kill.'
Rainbow Dash blinked. "More robots?" She said to herself. "Maybe they're not that bad..."
"Just sign up on the night guard sign up sheet." The manager said as he walked out of the store. "It's in my office. And be sure to turn on the answering machine. It's from the previous guard."
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo went to the main office. Rainbow Dash noticed that it remained unchanged. She saw the answering machine and then turned it on as Scootaloo wrote her name on the night guard sign up sheet that was attached to the wall.
She heard a stallion's voice from the answering machine.
"So you're the new night guard, eh?" The pony said in a cheerful way, for some reason, "Alright, let me run some ground rules, because the place changed a bit."
Rainbow Dash wondered what changed as she wrote her name on the sign up sheet.
"First off, do not leave your office anytime from midnight to 6 AM. The robots can also walk around the store. Servo motors, know what I'm saying? Thanks to that Propane Boom, the destruction of a barn, they can't leave."
Rainbow Dash shook her head, wondering why she would leave the office in the first place, knowing that it was the only safe place from those robots.
"Don't let them see you, or else they will think that you need refueling. I think that's supposed to kill you, so be careful! Oh, and you're given a mask to trick the robots into thinking you're one of of the 'new nighttime robots'' so they'll leave you alone, since they know that nighttime robots are refueled during the day and not in the night."
Rainbow Dash felt a bit relieved that she had at least something to defend herself from the robots.
"Oh, and there's a radio outside near the truck area, where Bobby is busy cleaning propane tanks. The camera controls allows you to power up a radio. I HIGHLY recommend that you power it up so that it doesn't turn off. The radio keeps the kid calm, so it's a good idea that the radio does not go off."
Rainbow Dash wondered why she needed to worry about that radio.
"You can have the mask on for as long as you want. You can't use the camera controls or power up the radio if you have the mask, though. Also, Hank Hill and Bobby are immune to the mask, so keep a close eye on them. You'll need these masks, since the propane store took down the doors. Need to save power, you know?"
Rainbow Dash almost had a heart attack. "NO DOORS?!" She thought fearfully. "JUST A MASK?!"
"Alright! Best of luck! Good luck! You'll need it..."
Scootaloo smiled a little as she quietly poured Rainbow Dash some coffee. They were both in the same office that Rainbow Dash was in when she was the night guard. The faint smell of blood was still there, along with a strong smell of propane. It looked like the light bulb was finally fixed. In front of the two girls was the same television and camera controls from before. The doors and the flashing red and blue buttons were now gone.
Next to them was a table which had two masks for them to use. One of the head masks is the face of a brown haired middle-aged lady with glasses and the other is the face of a young blonde. Rainbow Dash was told that the one with glasses is supposed to be Peggy Hill and the blonde one is Luanne Platter. She was to wear the Peggy Hill mask and Scootaloo was to wear the Luanne Platter mask. Both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo wore a night guard cap and a blue shirt.
"So, you use these controls to check on the robots, right?" Scootaloo asked as she fiddled around with the camera controls.
"Correct." Rainbow Dash said after sipping her coffee, savoring the taste. "Keep an eye on the robots. Don't let them get into the office. If the camera detects them, they'll go away. If they nearby, wear the mask so they won't get you. Doesn't work on Hank or Bobby. When it's 6 AM, these robots stop being homicidal. Got it?"
"Yeah." Scootaloo said as she turned to her idol. "Check up on robots, wear the mask in case of danger, keep doing watching the cameras until 6 in the morning. Got it."
Scootaloo switched the camera to the storage room, where she saw Dale counting how many valves are in the box. He had a fresh cigarette on his mouth.
"29 valves." He muttered as he wrote down the number on a piece of paper held by a wooden clipboard. "I think Sunset Shimmer is related to Twilight Sparkle. What I don't get is why there's no two versions of Sunset Shimmer and two versions of Twilight Sparkle. I think there is another version of Twilight, but I'm not sure. Eh, I need another cigarette. Thank goodness the ponies don't mind that I smoke. Also, why is it that Pinkie Pie is different from Maud Pie. I know it's not just the rainbow blast. Or is it?"
Dale immediately snatched a tape recorder from a nearby desk and pressed the record button.
"Note to self. Find a way to simulate a rainbow blast similar to the famous Sonic Rainboom. Have Maud Pie to witness it."
He looked at the back of the tape recorder and noticed it was devoid of batteries.
"Note to self. Get batteries."
He dropped it on the ground and took a valve and held it near his mouth.
"Note to self. Get a new tape recorder."
Scootaloo blinked as she turned to Rainbow Dash, who shrugged with a weak smile and a small laugh.
"He's always like this." She said. "I think it's the cigarettes."
Scootaloo let out a tiny giggle as she changed the camera to the back office. There, she saw Bill come into the room. He had a bowl of popcorn and a plate of nachos on his arms. As he sat down on one of the chairs, he placed the his snacks on the table. He grabbed a handful of popcorn and placed it inside his mouth with a delighted moan. He grabbed a nacho and took a bite out of it. He noticed that some of the nacho cheese had spilled on some of the popcorn. With a shrug, he took some popcorn covered in nacho cheese and took a curious bite. Immediately, with a goofy smile, he grabbed the nachos and dumped them on the popcorn. Without hesitating, he stuffed his face with the nacho and popcorn mixture.
Scootaloo put a hoof on her mouth to keep herself from vomiting. She looked at Rainbow Dash, who had a disgusted look on her face. Scootaloo decided to change the camera to something else.
She switched the camera to outside, where Scootaloo saw Boomhauer calmly washing one of the propane trucks. He had his shirt removed, exposing his chest, something adored by many mares. As he washed the truck, Scootaloo just stared at the screen in amazement. Rainbow Dash changed the monitor to the break room. Scootaloo groaned in disappointment, but Rainbow Dash had to remind her that even dragon-pony relationship work out better than robot-pony relationships.
As they both stared at the screen, they saw Hank in the break room, where is he sitting down on a chair near the table. He was sipping a can of beer. He stopped sipping for a moment as he looked up at the screen. Just like when Rainbow Dash was the night guard, he gave his signature emotionless stare. However, it was interrupted when Dale walked in.
"Did you win that Sapphire Shores concert contest?" Dale asked as he walked up to the fridge to get a can of hard cider. "If the can says that 'You Win!' inside the can, you get to meet Sapphire Shores!"
Hank sighed. "Dale, we're not even allowed to leave Strickland Propane."
Dale ignored Hank as he sipped the can of hard cider he just opened. "Pour it on the ground, see if you won!"
Hank's eyes brightened as he glared at Dale. "I HAVE NEVER. POURED OUT BEER. EVEN TO PUT OUT A GRASS FIRE."
Rainbow Dash blinked at Hank's devotion to beer. She changed the camera to the truck area, where she saw Bobby whistling as he used a towel to clean a propane tank he had. Near him was a radio sitting on a table, playing some music. Rainbow Dash powered up the radio through the camera controls, a small meter showed how much the power the radio had.
She switched the camera to one of the offices, where she saw Hank Hill, seemingly hiding something near one of the desks. He stopped before slowly looking at the camera, giving Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo his signature emotionless stare. Rainbow Dash immediately switched the camera to another office and then let Scootaloo use the camera. As Scootaloo fiddled with the camera, Rainbow Dash wondered what Hank could be planning this time. Was he planning to cut off the power like last time? That was impossible! They were informed that the store has a new fresh amount of power and a backup power generator! However, her train of thoughts were interrupted when Scootaloo said:
"I can't find Cotton or Kahn."
Immediately, Rainbow Dash grabbed the Peggy Hill mask and put it on. Scootaloo did the same thing with the Luanne Platter mask. They remained silent until they heard a voice.
"Well, well."
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo immediately turned to the right doorway, where the red door used to be. They both saw Cotton Hill and Kahn Souphanousinphone, their eyes glowing green from the robotic eyeballs.
"That mask won't help. We know that you're ponies. Well, only Cotton and me, that is. The rest think you're robot ponies." Kahn said, his voice box did not contain that much static, thus making his tone more sinister.
Rainbow Dash placed herself in front of Scootaloo. "Careful kid." Rainbow Dash said to Scootaloo. "These robots want to refuel us."
To their surprise, Kahn and Cotton bursted out laughing. Cotton explaining through his laughter. "Refuel you?! Ha ha ha...We just want to KILL YOU!!!"
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo widen their eyes with horror. Rainbow Dash didn't expect that they would just admit that they wanted to kill them.
Kahn let out a grin. "I guess we gotta explain. Cotton?"
Cotton nodded. "Allow me, Mr. Kahn." He said as he held out a newspaper article, which looked familiar to Rainbow Dash.
"I know that newspaper article!" She said. "It talks about how Hank and his friends died of old age!"
"At the same time!" Kahn added. "Four men dying from old age at the same time? Doesn't that sound, a little off?"
Rainbow Dash thought for a while, eventually realizing that Kahn was right.
"Ya see." Cotton said as he leaned against a wall. "Ya ponies welcomed them with open arms and all of that. Well, most ponies."
"Some ponies hated their presence. Didn't trust Hank and his redneck friends." Kahn continued as he also leaned against a wall. "These ponies formed a group, calling them the Charcoal Society, since Hank hates charcoal."
"The old age death was really a cover up." Cotton said. "When they became old enough, the Charcoal Society secretly poisoned them. It was so easy. They thought their problem was finally over. They were wrong."
"Ponies who loved the hillbillies decided to build robot versions of them." Kahn said with disgust. "The Charcoal Society had to find another way to destroy them. They had an idea."
"They could create robots who would be Strickland Propane employees." Cotton continued with a smirk. "By stealing Dale Gribble's notebook of notes, they were able to create robots with personalities of people Dale knew. Mr. Kahn here has the personality of Kahn Souphanousinphone, Hank's neighbor. Ah have the personality of Cotton Hill, Hank's father. Bobby Hill has the personality of Hank's son. Also, Ah gots no shins."
"That explains why you're so short." Scootaloo uncomfortably said. "But why do you want to kill us?"
"Simple." Kahn said with a smirk. "They put a program inside me, Cotton, and Bobby that orders us to kill the robots during nighttime. They made an error in the program."
"Bobby doesn't have to kill Hank and his friends, but me and Mr. Kahn now have to kill ponies during nighttime instead." Cotton continued with a twisted grin. "So when we found out that two ponies are applying for a night guard job, we decided to go along with the 'refuel robot pony' thing."
"But you horses lucked out." Kahn muttered with a frown. "We have these new chips installed on our software. We can't leave the property. We can't get you if the cameras detect us."
"Nor can we stay here much longer." Cotton muttered as he started to walk away.
"Why didn't you try to kill us right now?" Scootaloo asked in fear.
"The chip disables us from harming anyone who is a robot." Kahn muttered as he walked away. "And the stupid chip makes us assume that you're a fully-fueled robot whenever you have a mask on."
"But when you have the mask off," Cotton remarked. "You're dead meat. The chip detects you as a robot pony that needs refueling. Thus, we can KILL you."
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo both gulped in fear. As Kahn and Cotton left the night guards' sight, Cotton said one more thing:
"Tell the Golden Hank I said hi."
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo tilted their heads in confusion as they turned around.
"What Golden Ha-AAAAHHH!!!"
Both of them screamed in horror as they saw a limp Hank Hill leaning on their camera equipment. He was devoid of eyes and was entirely golden. They both dropped to the ground and then quickly removed their masks, only to find that the Golden Hank Hill is gone.
Scootaloo hugged her idol as Rainbow Dash patted Scootaloo's head.
"Don't worry kid." Rainbow Dash said as she breathed heavily. "We'll make it seven nights..."
The rest of the night was uneventful, composing of powering up the radio to calm down Bobby and watching the robots doing their daily work, staring at the camera, and taking breaks. Cotton and Kahn, however, spent most of their time staring at the cameras, evil grins plastered in their faces.
Eventually, 6 AM arrived, ending the first night.
The second night started off alright. Scootaloo checked the television screen as Rainbow Dash leaned against the wall, yawning.
"The camera for the inventory room isn't working." Scootaloo said as she switched to the inventory room, only to just see static.
Rainbow Dash sighed as she picked up the Peggy Hill mask. "I'm on it." She said as she put on the mask and exited out of the office. "Make sure to keep the guys out of the office."
Rainbow Dash went to the east hallway and into the inventory room. There were boxes on the ground, some supplies spilled out. The light flickered from time to time. Rainbow Dash noticed that the camera in the inventory room looked disabled. She took off the mask, since she could not fix the camera with the heavy thing on her head. After gently tapping on it, it made a small beep and turned on. Satisfied, she left the inventory room, only to hear some noises from one of the storage closets. With a curious expression on her face, she put her ear on the storage room.
She heard Cotton talking to someone.
"Alright Boomhauer and Fatty. Here's the plan. Fatty will distract the two ponies. Make them think that Hank and Dale are planning to charge from the west hallway. Then, Boomhauer will sneak into the air ducts. Go for the kill."
"Yes sir!" Bill shouted.
"Dang ol' sir yes sir, major malfunction, yo!" Boomhauer shouted.
With her eyes widen, Rainbow Dash bolted to the office while holding on to her mask.
"Scoots!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she reached the office. "Bill is going to create a distraction while Boomhauer is coming in the air ducts! Quick, put on your mask!"
Bill happily went into the break room, a big cheerful smile was on his face. "Let's see, what to do with those ponies? Maybe Hank and Dale should go through the west hallwa-Crap."
He stopped and waited, knowing that Boomhauer was in his way. His thoughts were confirmed when he heard a faint noise up in the ceiling. Boomhauer quickly crawled through the air ducts, a vicious grin on his face. Eventually, he came up the air grate. He busted through it, crashing to the ground. He quickly got up and let out a vicious grin.
"DANG OL' DEE DOO DOO DUM MAN-oh, hey Peggy and Luanne."
His aggressive expression dropped as he gave a friendly wave to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, both of them were wearing their masks.
"Hey Boomhauer." Rainbow Dash greeted, her nervous smile hidden by her Peggy Hill mask. "How's it going?"
"Oh, not much man, talking about, sequel man, dang ol' it's me, Mario yo man and dang ol' seen any two pegasi man, talk about refueling and dang ol' fatty belt buckle man and the golden bear or in this, dang ol' case, a Hank Hill or something, yo."
"That's...nice to hear?" Scootaloo replied as she sweated inside her Luanne Platter mask.
"Dang ol' take care! Gotta refuel some ponies, yo, gotta go fast man." Boomhauer said as he calmly left the office.
As soon as he was out of their sight, both the ponies took off their masks, letting out a big relieved sigh.
"That was a close call." Scootaloo muttered as she ruffled her mane. "For a second, I thought he would-"
"Bobby!" Rainbow Dash almost shouted as she dashed to the camera controls and switched to the truck area. The radio was dying out, the music can be heard faintly. Bobby was staring at the camera, his green eyes flashing aggressively. Rainbow Dash quickly used the camera controls to power up the radio, calming down Bobby, who sat back down in the ground and continued wiping propane tanks. He acted like nothing happened as his eyes stopped flashing aggressively.
Both the ponies let out a relieved sigh. Rainbow Dash let out a yawn as she sat down one of the chairs.
"I'll gonna take a nap. Wake me up if something happens, OK kid?"
"Sure thing Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow Dash let out a yawn as she closed her eyes.
A green stallion took a huge bite of his hay sandwich as he stared at the television. He switched the camera to the truck area, where he saw Bobby wiping propane tanks. Forgetting to power up the radio, he switched the camera to the break room. There, he saw Cotton and Kahn in the break room, sipping a can of beer.
Kahn frowned as he started to whisper at Cotton.
"The pony is looking at us."
Cotton let out a tiny smile.
"We'll get him. You know why?"
"Why?"
"Ah can hear the music fading away."
Kahn let out a smile, knowing that the pony forgot to power up the radio.
"Distract him with your singing." Cotton ordered.
Kahn smirked and stood up, clearing his throat.
"That's what I like about you! You really know how to dance!"
The green stallion smirked, ignoring the red warning sign flashing on his screen.
"She blinded me with science, doo doo doo, she blinded me...with science!!!"
The stallion broke into laughter, oblivious to the disappearance of the flashing warning sign. After he calmed down, he changed the camera to the truck area. To his confusion, Bobby was gone, leaving behind his towel. The stallion checked the break room to see if Bobby was there.
"Vhat are you talking about?"
He stopped, wondering who said that. It had a Yiddish accent. Shaking his head, he checked the bathroom, wondering if Bobby is in the toilet stalls.
"Vhat are you talking about?"
He froze. The sound was getting closer. He checked both hallways but found nothing. He scratched his head, wondering where Bobby was. He turned around, only to see Bobby jumping on top of him with a savage grin on his face.
"VHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"
The stallion's cries for help can be heard through the hallways.
Rainbow Dash gasped as she woke up from her slumber. She noticed that she was still in the office with Scootaloo, who turned around to face her idol.
"You OK, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow Dash let out a weak smile as she walked up to Scootaloo and ruffled her mane.
"Just a small nightmare Scoots." Rainbow Dash replied. "It's gonna take more than a dream to stop me."
Cotton and Kahn both wiped propane tanks out on the front, not paying attention to the cameras that were watching them.
"So, what happened?" Kahn asked Cotton, focused on the propane tank he was cleaning.
Cotton grunted. "Ah told Boomhauer and Fatty to create a distraction and then kill those ponies." He replied, not taking off his eyes off the propane tank.
"Those ponies dead?" Kahn asked with raised eyebrow.
"Nope. They caught Boomhauer and Fatty just in time."
Kahn smiled. "Good. She barely noticed that I went into the office, rummaging the computer?"
Cotton chuckled. "TOO focused on those two robotic idiots."
Kahn smiled sadistically as Cotton grinned evilly. "It may take time." Kahn said. "But they WILL die."
Eventually, 6 AM arrived, ending the second night.
Scootaloo shivered as Rainbow Dash checked the cameras. Seeing how her biggest fan was freezing, Rainbow Dash opened her right wing and wrapped it around Scootaloo to keep her warm. She couldn't blame Scootaloo, this third night was pretty cold.
Rainbow Dash switched to the hallway, where she caught Boomhauer running towards the office, only to stop when he noticed the camera. He shook his fist at the camera before retreating.
A noise was heard from one of the hallways, causing Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo to quickly put on the mask. Bill immediately bolted inside the office, only to stop to politely greet the ponies. Eventually, he left the office. Rainbow Dash wondered why he seemed nicer to her the most. She thinks that he liked Peggy Hill.
Rainbow Dash took off her mask as Scootaloo switched the camera to the truck area. There, she saw Cotton and Bobby cleaning propane tanks. Cotton patted Bobby's head from time to time. Maybe Cotton seemed to like Bobby more than his son, thought Rainbow Dash. She powered up the radio to calm down Bobby.
She switched the camera to the office, where Hank stared at the camera. It looked like he was hiding something. Scootaloo did not know what he was hiding.
"Need to use the restroom." Rainbow Dash muttered as she left the office with her mask.
"Stay safe, Rainbow!" Scootaloo shouted back.
Rainbow Dash put on the mask as she flew to the bathroom. She went into the stalls, took off her mask, and then started her business. Time passed and Rainbow Dash sighed happily as she finished her business. Immediately, the door opened and both Kahn and Dale walked inside.
"Alright, here's the plan Gribble." Kahn said to Dale. "You go inside the vent quietly and wait inside until I tell you to come out, OK? I'll go to the right hallway and Dauterive will go to the left hallway. When I give you the signal, you come out of the vent and kill, I mean refuel, the ponies."
Dale saluted to Kahn. "I will follow your instructions, my dear Japanese neighbor!"
"How many times do I have to tell you, stupid? I'M LAOTIAN!!!" Kahn roared at Dale's face as Kahn left the bathroom. Dale shrugged and went to the sink to wash his hands.
Rainbow Dash gulped. Another plan to try to kill them? At least she knows what to do...
"PEGASUS!!!"
The stall room broke open as Dale pushed his way into the stall Rainbow Dash was in. She let out a horrified shriek as Dale stared at her and then the mask.
"YOU KILLED PEGGY?!?! Good riddance. I never did like that woman. Well, time for your refueling."
Rainbow Dash bolted out of the bathroom with her mask on her back. Dale tried to chase after her but ended up tripping over what looked like pee pee. Rainbow Dash bolted into the office, breathing heavily. Scootaloo ran up to her idol.
"Are you OK?!" Scootaloo panicked.
Rainbow Dash calmed herself down and looked at Scootaloo. "I'm OK, squirt." She said as she hugged Scootaloo briefly. "Just overheard another plan."
Scootaloo nodded, knowing what to do now. She picked up her mask as Rainbow Dash put on her mask. A few minutes later, they both sat in their chairs with their masks on, waiting.
"PONIES!!!"
Bill and Kahn rushed into the office, savage grins on their faces. They stopped when they saw the mask-wearing ponies.
"Oh, hi Peggy and Luanne!" Bill greeted with a friendly smile.
"Yeah. Hi..." Kahn muttered while giving the ponies a death glare. "You seen any ponies that need refueling?"
"Nope." Scootaloo nervously answered.
"Oh well." Kahn said as he leaned against one of the shelves. Bill smiled as he gave Rainbow Dash some nachos.
"Here you go, Peggy!" Bill said with a giant smile. "You like nachos, right?"
"Uh, yeah?" Rainbow Dash answered with an uneasy expression plastered on her face.
"Good!" Bill said as he walked away. "Have a nice day! Or night in this case!"
As Bill left, Kahn gave the ponies an evil grin as he also walked away. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo just sat there, knowing that Kahn's plan wasn't over yet. Dale quietly came out of one of the vents.
"SHI SHI SHAWWWW!!! What? Where are the ponies?"
He blinked as he looked around, searching for the two ponies. Instead, he just found two ponies wearing masks. He gawked at Rainbow Dash.
"Wait, you're not dead? Goddam-I mean, that's good! That you're not dead. Yeah..."
He walked out of the office with an upset look on his face. As soon as he was out of their sight, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo removed their masks and bumped each other their hooves.
"You did good, kid." Rainbow Dash said with a smile.
Scootaloo smiled back as she turned to the camera controls. She switched the camera to the truck area. As she powered up the radio, she noticed how Bobby had his shorts up to his shirt and walking around while he waved his arms in the air.
"Vhat are you talking about?" He said in a Yiddish accent. Cotton chuckled as he gave a thumbs up.
Scootaloo giggled a bit and turned to her idol. To her surprise, she saw Rainbow Dash with a horrified look on her face.
Just like from that nightmare of Bobby killing that night guard...
"VHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"
She shook her head and then smiled weakly at Scootaloo.
"Heh. Don't worry about that kid. It was jus-AAAAHHHH!!!"
Both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo screamed in horror as they saw the same golden Hank Hill body from the first night. He was leaning on one of the walls in the office. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, expecting the worse.
She felt nothing for some reason. When she opened her eyes, she let out a loud gasp. Her entire body, eyes, face, wings, everything, was completely 8-bit. She looked around, seeing nothing but an infinite darkness. An image suddenly appeared in front of her. It was a room with both Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer, all of them drinking coffee. Rainbow Dash noticed how old they were, ranging to about 80 years old.
She immediately appeared in the office, dressed up as a maid. She heard a beeping noise and saw a message pop up in front of her.
ENRICH THEIR COFFEE.
She noticed how a pot of coffee appeared into her hooves. Shrugging, she went up to the guys and poured some coffee into their coffee cups. Eventually, the guys calmly drank their coffee.
To Rainbow Dash's horror, she saw them, without a single sound, choking, vomiting, and then falling down to the floor dead. Their eyes were replaced with X's and their tongues stuck out of their mouths. A message suddenly popped in front of her.
SUCCESS. CHARCOAL SOCIETY IS PLEASED.
"Charcoal Society?" Rainbow Dash wondered if it was the same Charcoal Society who got Hank and his friends killed? Was this the exact way they killed them?
Her thoughts were interrupted when Cotton Hill burst from the 8-bit dimension. With a savage grin and angry flashing green eyes, he grabbed the screaming Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash woke up with sweat on her face. She noticed that she was lying down on the floor. She looked to her right, where she saw an unconscious Scootaloo.
"Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash nearly shouted with a worried expression on her face as she flew to Scootaloo.
Scootaloo woke up, groaning. "Ugh. I had this weird dream where I attended the funerals for Hank and his frien-UMPH!!!"
She did not finish speaking as Rainbow Dash gave her a tight hug.
"Oh thank Celestia you're OK!" Rainbow Dash nearly screamed as she cried a bit on Scootaloo's mane.
"Uh, are you crying, Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow Dash suddenly realized she was crying and then quickly wiped away her tears and let out a brave grin as she patted Scootaloo's mane.
"Heh. Nope. Just really happy to see that you're fine, squirt."
Scootaloo smiled before she gasped.
"Bobby!" She shouted as she switched the camera to the truck area.
There, she saw Bobby smiling evilly at the camera as the radio was almost dead. Scootaloo quickly powered up the radio, calming down Bobby, though his evil smile remained on his face.
"Close call." Rainbow Dash sighed as she leaned against the wall. "I had this weird dream too."
"Tell me about it and I'll tell you about mine's." Scootaloo said as she continued to switched the cameras and checked up on the robots.
Cotton and Kahn were busy checking inventory. Kahn sorted out the spatulas while Cotton wrote down how many valves they had.
"Gribble and Fatty failed at killing the ponies, Mr. Kahn?" Cotton asked as he wrote down some numbers.
"Those stupid ponies put on the masks just when we attacked." Kahn muttered as he put the spatulas back in one of the cardboard boxes.
"And that little thing from that office bookshelf?" Cotton asked as he faced Kahn.
Kahn took out a small electronic device from his jeans pocket. "Got it. Those ponies were so focused on the robots, they didn't see me take this little gizmo."
Cotton grinned. "It's as if they're letting us kill 'em!"
The two let out an evil laugh as Hank calmly walked into to one of the offices, a green propane tank in his hands.
The rest of the night consisted of only checking up on the robots and preventing themfrom entering the office.
Eventually, 6 AM arrived, ending the third night.
"It's the fourth night, and we still have not refueled those ponies!" Dale shouted as he slammed his fist on the table. He had arranged a meeting in the break room with the other robots except Bobby, who was outside doing his job.
"Dale, calm down." Hank deadpanned.
"How are you calm about this, Hank?!" Dale shouted as he shook Hank's shoulders. "It's like you don't want to refuel them!"
"Dang ol' calm down Gribble man." Boomhauer muttered as he pried Dale from Hank. "Panicking never dang ol' solves something, yo."
"Anyone want some pretzels?" Bill asked as he offered his bag of pretzels.
"Mah good-fer-nothing boy's right!" Cotton shouted as he slammed his fist on the table. "Panicking ain't gonna get those ponies a single drop of propane! So shuddap!"
"Besides." Kahn muttered as he sipped a cup of coffee. "We'll just think up of new plans this time. Make sure those stupid ponies aren't around to hear it."
"Bobby!" Dale exclaimed as he snapped his fingers. "We'll distract the ponies long enough for Bobby to get them!"
"Nah." Cotton muttered as he grabbed some pretzels from Bill. "Let's just do what mah boy says to do."
Hank raised an eyebrow. "Since when do YOU actually believe in what I do?"
Cotton finished the last of the pretzels. "Let's be honest. Yer the only true propane salesman outta all of us."
Hank stared at Cotton before leaving the break room. Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer eventually followed him.
"Ah'm not gonna lie." Cotton muttered as he put a hand in his forehead. "That wuss sure is a good propane salesman. Ah'd like to think that our plan is more like a Plan B, Mr. Kahn."
"All I care about are those ponies who should be dead by now." Kahn muttered as he and Cotton both stared at the camera that was staring back at them.
Scootaloo shivered, switching the camera to the truck area. Both were taking a nap on one of the propane tanks. Nevertheless, Scootaloo powered up the radio to calm down Bobby.
She turned around and saw that Rainbow Dash was taking a nap. Scootaloo turned back to the camera and switched to the break room, only to find static. Not wanting to disturb Rainbow Dash's peaceful sleep, Scootaloo quickly left the office, hoping to fix the camera and get back to the office in time.
She arrived at the break room, which was thankfully vacant. She picked up a chair and placed it near the camera. She stood on the chair and tapped the camera, which made a small beep and turned on. Scootaloo smiled and looked back to the refrigerator. She smiled, knowing that she still had time for a soda.
She opened the refrigerator and saw cans labeled "soda" and "beer," fruit salad, and a cheesecake. She grabbed the soda and opened it. As she closed the refrigerator door, she took a sip of the soda, sighing in relief.
As she left the break room, she felt metal arms around her. Scootaloo screamed for help as she struggled to break free.
Rainbow Dash woke up, only find that Scootaloo was missing.
"Scoots?" Rainbow Dash said as she turned around to find Scootaloo. She stopped when she sniffed a bit.
"What's that smell?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "Smells like...propane and...what's that other smell?"
As she wondered, she looked into the television screen, where she saw the break room. She noticed how the refrigerator is open, yet no one is in the room. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes as she saw something there. It was hidden behind the table.
"It looks like...something lying down?" Rainbow said as she put a hoof on his chin. "Wait...that other smell. I know what that smell is. It smells like...blood?"
Rainbow Dash widen her eyes as she bolted to the break room. When she arrived, she gasped loudly as tears formed on her eyes.
She saw Scootaloo lying on the floor, deceased. There was a hole on her chest and a shocked expression stuck on her face.
"NOOOO!!!!" Rainbow Dash screamed at the top of her lungs as she fell to the ground and wept bitterly.
She bowed her head in shame as she let tears fall from her face. She looked up, staring at Scootaloo's face. Rainbow Dash placed her hoof over Scootaloo's face and closed Scootaloo's eyes before she fell to the ground crying.
"I'm so sorry, Scootaloo..."
She felt a metal hand grab her shoulder, causing her to turn around and see Hank Hill with a savage face. Rainbow Dash screamed in terror.
Rainbow Dash almost shrieked as Scootaloo woke her up by shaking her.
"What the...Scootaloo?! I thought you were dead?!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she grabbed Scootaloo.
"You were having a nightmare, Dash!" Scootaloo replied. Rainbow Dash then gave Scootaloo a tight hug as she started to weep.
"Just remember Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash cried. "I'll protect you, no matter what!"
Scootaloo smiled and nuzzled her idol. However, she let out a gasp, remembering the robots they had forgotten to check on.
Scootaloo broke the hug and quickly ran to the television screen and switched it to the left hallway, where she saw both Cotton and Kahn running. They stopped and then stared at the camera. As they made a cutting motion with their right hand across their throats, they left angrily.
Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. Scootaloo looked up to her idol and smiled. Rainbow Dash smiled back as she wiped a tear from his left eye.
They did not notice Hank in one of the offices, who was hiding a green propane tank he had from the third night. He quietly hid it behind an office and closed the value. He placed a trash can and some trash in front of it, making the propane tank not visible to the naked eye. With a small smile, he walked out of the office.
"Now you know why you should calm down, Dale?"
Eventually, 6 AM arrived, ending the fourth night.
"It stinks that the fifth night could have been our last night to work here." Rainbow Dash sighed as she stared at the television screen.
"Sorry." Scootaloo apologized as she bowed her head in shame. Rainbow Dash just let out a caring smile and nuzzled Scootaloo.
"Don't sweat it, squirt!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "We can make it seven nights!"
Rainbow Dash stared back at the television screen and switched the camera to the inventory room, where she saw Hank standing next to one of the vents. He seemed to be hiding something green behind him. As Rainbow Dash wondered what he was doing, both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo started to close their eyes and cough violently.
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and gasped when she saw that was completely 8-bit. She turned around and saw infinite darkness and an 8-bit Scootaloo.
"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo said as she stared at her idol. "Is that you? Wow...this looks like my nightmare where I saw that funeral for Hank and his friends..."
Rainbow Dash looked around and saw an image suddenly appeared in front of the her and Scootaloo. It looked like the inside of a barn with Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer inside. They were not old, but instead in their normal ages. They seem to be installing a propane heater inside. They were all wearing Strickland Propane employee shirts.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo wondered what was happening until they immediately appeared inside the barn, both of them were wearing Strickland Propane employee shirts.
GIVE DALE GRIBBLE DUCT TAPE ROLL.
They stared at the message that appeared in front of them and then at the grey duct tape roll that appeared on the ground. Scootaloo wordlessly picked up the duct tape and handed it to Dale Gribble.
Dale Gribble taped the nozzle improperly as Hank sighed as he leaned against the wall.
An 8-bit speech bubble appeared next to Hank, which read, "Dammit guys. The Sweet Apple Acres barn needs a propane heater, so it's important that it must be installed properly!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." An 8-bit speech bubble appeared next to Dale. "Alright, let me turn on the gas..."
He took out his cigarette that was in his mouth and flicked it to the ground.
Hank widen his eyes. "DALE, NO! YOU DIDN'T ADJUST THE NOZZLE THE RIGHT WAY!!!"
RUN! RUN! RUN!
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo gasped as they escaped from the barn, Hank and his friends were behind them.
The top part of the barn exploded with a big BANG phrase coming out of the top part of the barn as the rest of the barn became engulfed in 8-bit flames. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stared in amazement at the burning barn.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she stared at the burning barn. "That's Applejack's barn! Wait a minute..."
She stared at Hank, Bill, and Boomhauer, who were all standing there with shocked faces.
"I heard that they couldn't leave the night because they caused a barn to explode. Is this the Propane Boom?"
Before Scootaloo could say a word, the flames of the barn turned into Kahn, who turned to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo with an evil grin. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo screamed for help as Kahn's hand grabbed them, engulfing the ponies in flames.
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. She found herself in one of the offices. She searched for her mask but couldn't find it. As she exited out of the room, she heard a faint sound. As it became louder, Rainbow Dash identified it as a saw. She frantically turned around and saw Cotton Hill running at her with an electric saw.
Rainbow Dash screamed frantically as she flew away from Cotton, who was almost catching up to her. As she ran into the hallway, she heard a screaming Scootaloo from the break room. She quickly flew there to find a frightened Scootaloo, trembling in fear as Kahn approached the filly with a three-hole-puncher.
"Rainbow Dash! Help!" Scootaloo screamed with tears on her face.
Kahn turned around and scowled at Rainbow Dash. "Get out before I three-hole-punch your face! I'm dealing with this orange one while Cotton deals with you!"
"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she flew under Kahn's legs and grabbed Scootaloo with her hooves. Kahn tried to jump on her, but Rainbow Dash bolted off with Scootaloo on her back. With an angry frown, Kahn chased after them. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo left the break room with Kahn chasing after her until he crashed into Cotton.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo finally reached their office, where she saw the masks sitting on the table. They quickly put on their masks and stood calmly near the doorway. Cotton and Kahn finally reached there, only to find the ponies with their masks on.
"Weeeeell, Mr. Kahn!" Cotton sarcastically said to Kahn. "Thank you very much for helping me chop the ponies up!"
He rudely pushed Kahn aside as he walked away. "You owe me two dead ponies."
Kahn followed him after he gave the ponies a dirty look. As soon as they left, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo took off their masks and let out a relieved sigh. Immediately, they looked at each other and gave each other a hug.
"Thank you, Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo whispered as she cried on her idol's mane. "You saved my life."
Rainbow Dash smiled sweetly as she nuzzled Scootaloo.
Thankfully, the rest of the night was pretty calm. The girls spent it by checking up on the robots and powering up that radio. Rainbow Dash, however, wondered what the deal with those 8-bit nightmares was.
Eventually, 6 AM arrived, ending the fifth night.
"So what's the progress?" Kahn asked Cotton as they both drank beer outside in the front. "It's the sixth night and I want those ponies DEAD."
"It's almost done, Mr. Kahn." Cotton mumbled as he took a sip from his beer can.
Hank went outside and saw Kahn and Cotton drinking beer outside.
"Dad, Kahn, as much as I love beer, I need you two to check inventory tonight."
"Yes, Hank." Kahn and Cotton replied with a bit of malice in their tones. Hank nodded and went back inside the store. He stopped a moment to suddenly glare at the camera, which freaked out Rainbow Dash. She switched to the truck area and used the camera controls to power up the radio.
Scootaloo sighed as she took a sip from her coffee mug. "So, what was that barn explosion dream about?"
"I dunno, squirt." Rainbow Dash muttered.
She yawned and switched the camera to the truck area. There, she saw Bobby calmly cleaning tanks. After powering up the radio, Rainbow Dash switched the camera to the bathroom. However, the camera controls did not work. As Rainbow Dash wondered what was happening, Bobby stared at the camera with a giant grin.
Immediately, a giant Golden Hank head appeared in front of the ponies, scaring them and making them close their eyes. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves 8-bit again. Their office and everything around them became 8-bit.
"What now?" Scootaloo moaned as an arrow pointed to one of the hallways appeared out of nowhere. Curious, the ponies followed the arrow, which floated to one of the rooms. Rainbow Dash recognized this room as one of the offices. She noticed something lying down on the ground. Rainbow Dash, after learning that it was a green propane tank, read the label.
"Hallucination Gas? Wait. Does this mea-"
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo screamed as they clutched their heads in pain as the 8-bit dimension slowly turned back into the real world. It quickly switched back to the 8-bit dimension, this time with Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer standing in front of them. The green propane tank was gone.
"No wonder we got these nightmares!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "It was that hallucination gas!"
"By his majesty." Bill replied as he pointed to Hank. "It's amazing how a propane fanatic knows how to make hallucination gas..."
Hank grew an evil smile on his face.
"REFUEL THEM!"
They jumped at them until Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo switched back to the real world, witnessing Hank running away with his green propane tank in his arms.
"Come on Scoots!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Let's get rid of that darn propane tank!"
Scootaloo climbed on Rainbow Dash's back as she flew at a great speed. They chased after Hank in the hallway. Just when she was about to grab the propane tank, Rainbow Dash grunted in pain, experiencing visions of the funeral for Hank and his friends. She shook her head and focused on Hank.
He quickly ran inside the storage closet and locked it. Rainbow Dash angrily tried to open the storage closet. Scootaloo whimpered as she saw a vision of Hank stabbing a pony with a propane tank nozzle. She growled and focused on opening the storage room instead.
As they struggled to open the door, Hank grinned evilly as he released more of the hallucination gas. Both of the ponies screamed as they saw their own funerals. They saw how open caskets showed their shocked expressions. They could even smell the propane fumes from their bodies.
"Fight it, Scoots!" Rainbow Dash hissed as she rammed into the storage room.
"I will not die until I get my cutie mark!" Scootaloo roared as she charged at the door, finally breaking it open.
With a furious scowl, Rainbow Dash snatched the propane tank and threw it into the window, landing a few yards from the property.
"Damn it!" Hank yelled as he tried to retrieve the gas, only to stop when he saw that it was officially out of the Strickland Propane property.
With a growl, he turned around, only to see the ponies flying away. Hank chased after them, but stopped when he stared at the camera. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo grinned as Hank shook his fist at them.
"There's still this night and tomorrow night!" Hank hissed. "You will be refueled! I tell you what!"
As Hank left the hallway, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo exchanged a hoof bump. The rest of the night was nothing other than watching over the robots and making sure they didn’t reach the ponies’ office.
"Well, that plan failed." Kahn mumbled as he checked the number of nozzles there were. "I'm not surprised. Hank always screw things up."
"We're not going to screw this up." Cotton replied as he placed some valves in one of the boxes.
"Is it done?" Kahn asked as he faced towards Cotton with hope in his eyes.
Cotton grinned sadistically at Kahn. "Tomorrow night."
Eventually, 6 AM arrived, ending the sixth night.
"Thank Celestia tonight's the last night!" Rainbow Dash cheered as Scootaloo checked the inventory room.
"I should get my cutie mark at this." She said with a grin. She switched the camera to the truck area, where Bobby was doing his usual work. Scootaloo calmly powered up the radio until she heard a noise in one of the vents.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo quickly put on their masks as Dale and Bill burst out of the vents.
"Ponies!" Dale shouted. "Where are the ponies?! Peggy! Luanne! You seen the ponies?!"
"Nope." Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo replied at the same time.
"Rats." Bill mumbled as he and Dale went to the right doorway to leave the office.
"Not so fast, Fatty and Gribble."
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo turned to the right doorway and saw Cotton, Kahn, and Boomhauer standing there. Boomhauer seemed to be confused about why Cotton and Kahn bugged him to follow them.
"Congrats 'Luanne' and 'Hank's wife.'" Cotton said to the ponies. "Ya made it seven nights! How does dat feel?"
Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash with a confused expression hidden behind her mask as Rainbow Dash glared at Cotton.
"What are you talking about?" She scolded Cotton.
Cotton smirked as Kahn took out a small device the size of a book and pressed the green button that was on the device. Immediately, Dale, Bill, Boomhauer, Kahn, and Cotton twitched violently. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo gawked at what was happening. Scootaloo looked at the television screen and gasped at what she saw. Not only did she saw Bobby twitching violently, but the radio next to him immediately explodes, leaving behind just the burnt parts of the radio.
Soon, the robots stopped twitching.
"All this time." Kahn explained. "We distracted you with idiotic attempts to get into your office. But, Cotton and I were only focused on these device parts that were found in Strickland Propane."
"We were able to make a device." Cotton continued with a sinister grin. "A device that reprograms all of the robots in this propane store property to have their software be similar to Hank's. Translation: THE MASKS ARE USELESS."
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo gasped as they saw Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer staring at them menacingly, Hank and Bobby, who came in during the explanation, stood next to them. Both ponies removed their masks, knowing that they are useless now.
Cotton let out a twisted grin. "Let's kill, I mean, 'refuel' these ponies!!!!"
The ponies screamed in complete terror as Rainbow Dash flew past Cotton and Scootaloo ran past Hank.
"Dad, Bobby, and Kahn, go after the rainbow one." Hank ordered. "Me and the guys are going after the orange one."
"With pleasure." Cotton replied as he, Kahn, and Bobby ran after Rainbow Dash. Hank and his friends ran after Scootaloo, savage expressions stuck to their faces.
Scootaloo ran as fast as she could as Boomhauer was catching up to her. She crashed into a water cooler, which allowed Boomhauer to catch up. Scootaloo quickly grabbed the water jug and threw it at Boomhauer, which twisted his head around. He quickly twisted it back, his eyes glowing red and a savage grin growing in his face.
Scootaloo kept running until Bill charged at her, causing her to land in the inventory room. She quickly grabbed a spatula and whacked Bill on the head with it, buying her enough time to escape the room.
Rainbow Dash flew through the hallway, sweat coming out of her forehead. As she felt metal arms around her, she turned around slightly, only to see Cotton with a vicious grin.
"It's gonna be fiddy men and two ponies now..."
Rainbow Dash immediately grabbed a picture frame that was hanging on the wall and threw it at Cotton, shredding some of his face. Rainbow Dash gasped in horror as she stared at Cotton's half-torn face, his endoskeleton face was far creepier than Boomhauer's.
Bobby immediately charged at Rainbow Dash, who quickly dodged in time. Bobby crashed into a wall, piercing his head and revealing the robot hardware in his head. His sinister smile made him look more gruesome.
Rainbow Dash bolted past the two, also narrowly avoiding Kahn's attack with a kitchen knife. Kahn gritted his teeth and threw the knife at Rainbow Dash, chopping off a part of her left wing. Rainbow Dash widen her eyes and let out a pain-filled cry as she gritted her teeth, continuing on and ignoring the vicious pain.
Scootaloo stopped for a brief moment to rest her legs, sore from running. Suddenly, she felt something grab onto her on her leg. She saw Dale grabbing her and bringing her to Bill and Boomhauer in the kitchen. Hank walked up to them, a propane tank with a nozzle in his hands. Scootaloo began to cry, pleading for help before Dale covered her mouth.
Rainbow Dash couldn't take the pain anymore and stopped to the inventory room as she breathed forcibly from the excruciating wound. She grabbed her injured wing and let out a scream, finally letting out the pain as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was greeted by Bobby, who jumped on top of her. Rainbow Dash screeched as she struggled to break free.
"Good job Bobby." Cotton complimented as he patted Bobby's head. Kahn walked up to Rainbow Dash and grabbed both of her arms, detaining her.
"Now go find dat propane tank in the truck area. It has the nozzle that's good for refueling."
"On it Gramps!" Bobby shouted amiably as he dashed off to retrieve the propane tank, leaving Rainbow Dash with just Kahn and Cotton.
"Get the electric saw, Mr. Kahn..."
Rainbow Dash let out a scared whimper as Kahn left.
"Please, don't do this...please..."
Cotton just smirked. "That Tojo I gutted in WW2 was better at begging for mercy, compared to you."
"I'm back!" Kahn shouted with a smile. "And look what I found!"
He dropped something, causing Rainbow Dash to widen her eyes. She saw a dying Scootaloo, tears were around her face. A hole was on her chest, along with traces of propane. Scootaloo turned to her idol as she sobbed.
"I'm sorry Rainbow Dash..." She whispered as she grunted in pain.
"No...no...NOOOOO!!!!" Rainbow Dash yelled as tears gushed out of her eyes.
Kahn kicked Scootaloo to the wall, instantly killing her.
"You’ll see her eventually." Kahn said wickedly as he handed the electric saw to Cotton.
Rainbow Dash saw Cotton turn on the electric saw. She also saw the Golden Hank Hill standing next to the two robots, propane leaking from his eyes as he smiled evilly.
Cotton let out a dark laugh.
"I killed fiddy men and a pony."
Rainbow Dash screamed as Cotton brought the saw down to her body. It was only a matter of time until others found her body along with Scootaloo's corpse. She could barely hear cries of her death and the criticism for failing to save her number one fan. Dying, Rainbow Dash turned to the dead Scootaloo.
"I'm sorry, Scootaloo..." She gasped as she closed her eyes, awaiting her final breath. "Please...ugh...forgive...me......"
BEEP!
Rainbow Dash's eyes immediately opened. She noticed that she was not ruptured by the electric saw. She saw that Cotton and Kahn were struggling to finish the job, yet could not. They ended up dropping the saw and standing up straight. Rainbow Dash, however, noticed how Scootaloo's corpse disappeared out of Rainbow Dash's sight, her left wing was no longer injured, and the disappearance of the Golden Hank.
"Wait, that was just a hallucination?" Rainbow Dash thought to herself. "But I thought that we got rid of it..."
She turned around and saw how sunny it was outside, causing her to let out a relieved sigh.
At long last, 6 AM has arrived, ending the seventh and final night.
Bobby came in with a propane tank on his arms. "Oh hey! A customer! Want me to give you a free propane tank wipe?"
Rainbow Dash chuckled as she slowly got up. She turned around, noticing how Cotton and Kahn both gave her death glares.
"This ain't over sweetcakes." Cotton whispered angrily to her. "Mark mah words..."
She smirked at them as she walked away in a smug fashion with her eyes closed.
"I hate her." Cotton and Kahn mumbled at the same time.
Rainbow Dash left the room and saw Scootaloo come out of the kitchen, a relieved smile on her face. Scootaloo cried with happiness as Rainbow Dash flew at her to give her a hug.
"Morning, girls!"
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo turned to see the manager standing there with a bag of bits next to him.
"And good morning Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer!"
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo turned around to see Hank and his friends, friendly smiles were on their faces.
"Here's your pay, Scootaloo!" The manager said as he gave the bag to Scootaloo. "I put some extra in there for you. Strickland Propane thanks you. Glad that you decided to come back again, Rainbow Dash! Strickland Propane thanks you too."
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo shook hooves with the manager before leaving the store.
Hank and his friends waved the ponies goodbye. "Taste the meat, not the heat!"
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo let out a relieved chuckle as they left the store.
"So, I guess you're gonna buy that scooter, now that you have enough bits." Rainbow Dash said to Scootaloo.
Scootaloo looked to the ground with a shy smile. "I'll do that later. Um, Dash? Is it alright if I just hang out with you for the rest of the day?"
Rainbow Dash let out a tearful smile as she grabbed Scootaloo and gave her a big hug. "Scootaloo, you know the answer to that."
Scootaloo smiled back as she cried tears of joy on Rainbow Dash's mane.
"Thank you Rainbow Dash for everything you've done for me." Scootaloo gasped between sobs. "You're like the best big sister I could ever had."
Rainbow Dash happily sobbed on the mane of her number one fan. "No, no. Thank YOU Scootaloo, for everything you done for me too..."
After their nice and heartwarming moment, Scootaloo climbed onto Rainbow Dash's back as the rainbow-maned pegasus soared through the beautiful morning.
THE END
A small group of unicorns stood around Cotton Hill and Kahn Souphanousinphone. They all wore lab coats and worker hats. They had a packet of notes that they all read. One of the ponies used his magic to levitate a piece of paper attached to a clipboard.
"Starting the check up on the robots, nicknamed Cotton Hill and Kahn...Super-Phone?" He said as he wrote down some notes about Cotton and Kahn.
A mare sighed as she leaned against a table. "I wonder why these robots haven't destroyed the other robots at that stupid propane store."
"Remember that we programmed them so that it would look like an accident." Another mare said as she sipped a cup of coffee. "It takes a while. But don't worry, those robots will be dead. We, the Charcoal Society, will be victorious."
"The last of the Charcoal Society." One of the mares bitterly added. "Remember the rest are missing or in prison."
Another pony yawned as he rubbed his eyes with one of his hooves. "I hate working late night. I bet it's midnight already."
"Actually, it's 12:07 AM." Another pony said as he walked up to the robot, observing it.
"Oh. Yeah, well, it feels lik-"
"The robots just moved."
All of the ponies stopped what they were doing and stared at the pony in front of Cotton and Kahn. The pony walked away slowly as the robots' eyes brightened a green light.
"I-I-I thought these things were deactivated when they brought them to this lab!!!"
Cotton and Kahn looked around, observing the laboratory and the frightened ponies of the Charcoal Society. They slowly let out evil grins. Cotton spoke in a sinister tone:
"I killed fiddy men."
