//------------------------------// // Meh? // Story: Five Nights in Equestria // by RandomHamster33 //------------------------------// Fluttershy put one hoof over another and sat watching. Foxy was slumbering on her couch and she was laying in her armchair. She knew what would come next—he’d have a nightmare and panic, then be nearly inconsolable. Of course, she never questioned what it was about the next morning—she had a good enough idea. I wish he’d say something to me. He just bottles all his emotions in. So here she was, ignoring her fatigue and instead focusing on Foxy. Occasionally he’d twitch or something like that, but so far there was no sign of a bad dream. “Mike?” The security guard jolted awake, the voice scaring him. He looked up and was faced with a woman. “Doll?” he asked in a groaning voice. His blonde-haired girlfriend looked down at him with worry. “What happened to you? You never came home and I got worried. So I got one of your coworkers to let me in before they open.” Doll reached down and grabbed his arm, heaving the skinny guard to his feet. Almost instantly, he toppled forward, but she caught him. “Mikey, come on, let’s get you to the car,” Doll said, taking one of his arms and putting it over her shoulders so he could use her as support. “Urg . . . I feel terrible,” Mike groaned. “Yeah, you look the part. Where’d you get all those bruises?” “Bruises?” Doll raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, half your face and neck is black-and-blue. We better get you to the hospital.” “I don’t need a hospital . . .” Mike’s feet stopped working and he went slack in Doll’s arms. She let out a yelp and almost went down with him, but managed to stay upright. “Oh dear.” Foxy began to whimper and his twitching became more pronounced. Fluttershy pricked her ears and looked over. “Foxy, it’s okay, I’m here,” Fluttershy shushed as she got up. She gently nuzzled against his face, trying to calm him down. He only growled and clenched his fist as if angry. “No, no, I’m sorry,” the pirate whined. He brought his leg up and kicked it at something. Fluttershy’s mouth contorted into a grimace and then she reached over to shake his shoulders. “Foxy! Foxy, wake up!” Fluttershy shouted. After a few moments, with a flail of his limbs, Foxy shot into the waking world. He blinked several times, eyes darting in different directions. “W-what? Fluttershy?” he asked in confusion. “Yes, it’s me. You were having another nightmare.” Foxy sat up. “Aye, course I was.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, lass. I don’t mean ta keep ye from sleepin’ with my night terrors.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I’m used to staying up. I’d just like if you would talk about your dreams. You’ve been through traumatic events that would have most in mental hospitals.” Now it was his turn to shake his head. “No, I really don’t want ta.” He rolled away and onto the floor. A yellow hoof came down in front of his nose. He looked up, ears back. “Foxy, it’s been a week of extremely horrible nightmares. Tell me—are these worse than you had in the other world?” Foxy shied away, trying to make himself smaller. The action confirmed her fears without words. Fluttershy sat down. “Please, I want to help. It’s obvious you need it.” Foxy sighed and pushed himself up. “I understand that ye want ta help, but I wouldn't want ta interrupt your life more than I've already done.” The pegasus frowned. "But if I can't help you, I'll be forever remorseful!” “Ta be honest, I don't see the point in all this—this whole situation. For Fazbear’s sake, I'm a broken robot that was once a children's entertainer! I’ll never be on stage ever ‘gain. Everythin’ ye ‘ave been doin’ . . . I jus’ don't see the point.” Fluttershy gasped, eyes widening. “Do you really think that we care what you are?” She fixed him with a firm look. “We don't care if you're a poor apple farmer or a shut-in with no life, no one deserves to live with something that horrible and be told every day that it's their fault.” Foxy blinked at her. “Are . . . are ye sure?” “Yes, I am.” She nodded, a smile on her lips. “Thanks lass. I guess I jus’ don't want ta ruin yer life as well.” “Get those thoughts out of your head. I'm the Element of Kindness. If I didn't accept you, then how well would I be representing my element?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Now, come on, tell me.” Foxy hesitated, eyes darting back and forth between her and the door. Fluttershy saw his travelling gaze and got to her hooves, scooting in front of him. “Don’t even think about it,” she said, frowning. He made a small sound of guilt and scratched the back of his head. “Sorry.” Fluttershy blinked a few times and tilted her head. “Was it about the bite? Or about what happened . . .” She winced, her memory recalling the event she’d witnessed. If Freddy ever saw her, it would be the last thing he did. “. . . Afterwards,” she finished. “Mostly the bite. But the aftereffects come ‘casionally.” He dragged a long metal finger across the wooden floor, shrugging. “Was that what you dreamt about tonight?” Another shrug was her only answer. Fluttershy took that as a yes and stood up, knowing she wouldn’t get any more out of him. “Well, I’ve got some things to do tomorrow, so I’m going to get some sleep.” Fluttershy started towards her bedroom. “I’m having a picnic with the girls as well. Would you like to come? I’m sure they’d all be happy to see you. It’s been nearly a week, with you staying here and all.” Foxy glanced up, eyes wide. “Uh, aye, might as well. Thanks lass. Ye ‘ave a good night.” “You too.” With that, the pegasus flew up her stairs, lights flicking off to complete darkness. Foxy’s eyes glowing in the black were the only things that illuminated the room. Doll sat on the bed, legs kicking idly as she did so. Mike lay unconscious next to her, dressed now in a hospital gown. She heard the doctor enter and looked up, pushing her glasses higher on her nose. “You’re Michael’s girlfriend, correct?” he asked. “Oh, yes,” she replied, now standing. “I’m Dr. Philips.” He shook her hand as she introduced herself as well. “He’s got quite the medical record, hasn’t he?” Doll grimaced slightly, nodding. “Uh, yes, unfortunately.” She paused. “Is there anything wrong with him?” Dr. Philips shook his head. “Not at all. Besides the bruising, there’s nothing wrong with him. Though he might be sick for a few days—some of the pressure points that were used to knock him out were fairly unorthodox.” Doll sighed in relief. “Thank goodness he’s alright.” He nodded. “Yes, of course. When he awakens, he can be discharged.” “Geez, I hope Mike’s okay,” Bonnie said. Freddy glanced over, a cigarette in his hand. “We didn’t stuff anyone last night, so he must’ve gotten out. Plus that burglar, or whatever they were doing here,” the bear commented. He glared at nothing for a moment. “Too bad.” Chica shrugged. “Nothing was stolen, as far as I can tell. Mike’s not in the closet. It’s almost as if nothing happened at all. Though I swear, something strange occurred last night. It’s fuzzy.” “I agree. Freddy, I don’t remember you being there, but something . . .” Bonnie searched for the right word. “Mystical happened.” Freddy narrowed his eyes. “Mystical? Strange? What are you two going on about?” He took a long drag from his cigarette. Chica tapped her chin. “I don’t know. It’s really odd—I can’t remember like I usually can.” “And you forgetting what we do is weird because?” Chica frowned at him. “Freddy, for the past thirteen years, I’ve remembered what we’ve done in roaming mode—back even to when there was no security guard. Why, the one night we get an intruder, can’t I remember what occurred?” Freddy thought for a few moments. “Look, I don’t really recall what’s happened either, but I’m sure it’s nothing.” Bonnie looked over. “You don’t think it’s the least bit suspicious?” “Well—” “Freddy! You are always the most distrustful, and now you’re not even a teeny morsel of suspiciousness?” Chica interrupted, pinching her fingers together to signify how much he seemed like he cared. Freddy shrugged, then took a drag of his cigarette. Chica sighed with a frown, turning away. She scooted closer to Bonnie. “I think he’s lost it,” the chicken deadpanned. Bonnie hesitated slightly before nodding. The six were gathered around their picnic area. Rarity was looking through her basket, nose poking under the pink fabric that lay across the top. “Please tell me I did not forget the plates,” the unicorn fretted. She gasped and pulled her face away, looking with disappointment at the basket. “I did. I totally forgot them. Of all the worst things that could happen, this is THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!” Rarity’s eyes got wide and her horn lit up. A couch was dragged to her side and she fell across it, crying why. As she realized the eyes of all her friends were on her, she raised an eyebrow. “Uh . . . What? You didn't expect me to lay on the grass, did you?” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and let her sunglasses fall back onto her eyes. Suddenly, deranged snorting sounded from above her. She lifted her glasses, only to be faced with an unstable looking Twilight. Applejack glanced over. “You alright, hun?” Twilight maintained her crooked grin before letting it dissolve into a pout. “No! I am not alright.” The other girls and Foxy all gave various exclamations of surprise and wonder. “It’s just terrible,” Twilight moaned, head dropping. While all the ponies went, “Yes?”, Foxy let out his traditional “Aye?” “Simply awful.” Another chorus of wonder. “It's the most horrific trouble I've ever been in and I really really really need your help!” Even louder and more pressing this time. “My letter to Princess Celestia is almost overdue, and I haven't learned anything about friendship!” There was a series of relieved sighs. Fluttershy leaned back, smiling. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought something really awful had happened.” Twilight sputtered, eyes wide. “Something awful has happened! If I don't turn in the letter on time, I'll be tardy! TARDY!” Foxy tilted his head. “What does that mean?” The violet unicorn grabbed his shoulders and pressed her face against his. “It means I’m going to be LATE! And I won’t allow that to happen!” She released her grip, shoving him back. The other ponies let out a few giggles. Applejack casually walked forward. “No offense, sugarcube, but it looks like somepony's gettin' themselves all worked up over nothin'.” “This is not nothing. This is everything. I need you guys to help me find somepony with a problem I can fix before sundown! My whole life depends on it!” Pinkie Pie fell over, laughing and kicking her back legs. “Oh, Twilight, you're such a crack-up!” The book smart unicorn seemed absolutely astounded. Applejack met her with a steady look. "Come on now. Have a seat and stop sweatin' the small stuff,” AJ suggested. Twilight groaned in irritation. She twisted around and galloped off, vanishing in a burst of magenta magic. “Wow. I've never seen Twilight so upset before,” Fluttershy said with a frown. Rarity spoke up from her fainting couch. “Oh, what a drama queen. Mm. Relatively speaking.” She ran a hoof through her mane in embarrassment. “Don’t ye think ye were all a lil bit . . . rude ta Twilight?” Foxy asked, sitting back on the picnic blanket. The five mares turned to look at him. Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Rude? How?” “All we were doin’ was tryin’ to calm her down. She was frettin’ ‘bout nothin’,” Applejack said with a quick shrug. “She seemed too upset for it ta be “nothin’” as ye put it,” the pirate commented with a tinge of irritation to his voice. “I didn’t even know what ‘tardy’ meant, but it seemed as if twas ‘portant ta her.” Fluttershy tilted her head at his statement. “Do you really think so?” She looked around. “Were we too uncaring about Twilight’s problem?” Pinkie gasped. “What if we made her sad?” “Should . . . should we go check on her?” Fluttershy asked. The mares remained quiet for a few moments, then they got up and rushed towards town. “But I was so relaxed,” Dash complained, stretching as she hurriedly followed after. Foxy didn’t remember to duck under the doorframe and smashed right through the oak. Splinters of wood were flung in every direction and even managed to get stuck in his fur. He grunted, shaking his head as they skidded to a stop. All eyes were on him, but he quickly gave them a thumbs up and resumed clearing his fur. “Quite the entrance . . .” Twilight mumbled to herself, eyes dark as her friends started talking. “I'm listening,” Princess Celestia said, putting on a fake exterior. “Please, your Highness. We all saw that Twilight was upset,” Fluttershy said. “But we thought that the thing she was worrying about wasn't worth worrying about,” Rainbow Dash added. “So when she ran off all worked up, not a single one of us tried to stop her,” Applejack said. “As Twilight's good friends, we should have taken her feelings seriously and been there for her!” Rarity continued. She nudged Foxy, who was standing next to her. He blinked, glancing down at her. “Thankfully, Foxy here piped up and said we were being insensitive.” She gave him a smile. Princess Celestia smiled as well. “Really? Hmm.” “Please don't take her away from us just because we were too insensitive to help her,” Fluttershy finished. The solar goddess pretended to think for a moment. “Looks like you all learned a pretty valuable lesson today.” There was a chorus of responses, all agreeing, excluding Foxy, who just let out a quiet “meh.” “Very well. I'll forget Twilight's "punishment" on one condition.” Acknowledgments. “From this day forth, I would like you all to report to me your findings on the magic of friendship, when, and only when, you happen to discover them.” She paused. “And that includes you, Foxy.” The pirate glanced up from where he’d been brushing off his chest. “What? Me?” “Yes, of course. You’re part of the group now.” The trolling sense inside Princess Celestia was telling her this was the time. Foxy arched an eyebrow. “Uhhh . . . are ye serious?” “100% so.” Celestia smiled. “Princess Celestia, wait! How did you know I was in trouble?” Twilight asked. “Your friend Spike made me aware that you were letting your fears get the best of you. I commend him for taking your feelings seriously. Now, if you will all excuse me, I must return to Canterlot. I'm expecting some mail,” Celestia informed, winking. Applejack cleared her throat. “Y'all heard the Princess. Spike, take a letter.” Foxy groaned. “Ugggh, now I’m gon’ have ta do what ye ponies do?” Twilight closed her eyes, smiling. “Yes, yes you are.” Dash snickered, hovering in the air. “Yeah! Friendship!” She kicked her legs with laughter. “And Twilight, um, if you need help fixing the door,” Fluttershy piped from beside her. “It’s fine. Just because you’re taking care of Foxy doesn’t mean you have to clean up his messes,” Twilight said, aiming her last words at the pirate. He shrugged. “What? Sorry, but I don’t get how the princesses would allow such tiny doors,” he answered. “I’ve run into doors more times this week . . .” Fluttershy blinked, then looked back to Twilight. “Anyways—” “Hey, hey, I have an idea,” Rainbow interrupted, trying to contain her giggles. Rarity rolled her eyes. “Do we even want to know?” “Y-yes, because it’s hilarious.” She laughed, flight pattern jerky. “Alright, alright, I’m gonna say it.” She fizzed with giggles. “W-why don’t you get him a leash?” With that, she died of laughter, falling out of the air to the ground at the thought of Foxy walking around with a collar and leash on. Similarly, Applejack was snorting with laughter beside her. Pinkie Pie was pounding her hooves on the ground in amusement. Foxy hunched his shoulders, blushing. “No.” Twilight tapped her chin, biting her lip as she tried not to laugh. “I don’t know, it kind of seems like a good idea.” Fluttershy giggled. Rarity smirked, letting out a small snicker at his expense. “Ye scurvy dogs.” It’s now or never. Luna adjusted her stance and began the intricate spell. There was a knock at the door. Luna straightened up, coughing. “Yes, come in.” She turned to face her sister. Celestia strode in, head held high. “I take it that you were just about to do what I warned you not to do?” the elder sister questioned smoothly. Luna flattened her ears. “Well, yes. But I have a good reason.” “Last time you were there, they turned on you and tried to attack you, no? It will be no different tonight.” “I shall talk to them—I shan’t allow them to enter roaming mode like last time.” Luna cleared her throat. “Besides, if you were there . . .” Celestia’s violet eyes widened. “No! You are going to try and make me come; I know what you’re up to.” “Come on, you said you wanted to keep me safe. If you seriously are worried, then accompany me to the human world.” Luna raised her eyebrows. “Do not goad me,” Celestia said, eyes now narrowed. “Let us go, ay? We never do anything cool as a team anymore,” Luna responded, circling the white alicorn. “You sound like you’re 500 again—making stupid choices and begging me into doing those stupid things with you.” “Stupid?” Luna sounded amazed. “It is not stupid—merely like a talk with another king or ambassador from another kingdom, yes?” She grinned slyly. “Just like old times.” Celestia followed her sister’s movements warily. “Yet we will be talking to robots from another dimension.” “Meh, close enough.” Celestia sighed. “Fine. But only because I don’t trust you to not to pester me into going even more.” Luna rolled her eyes. “Now who sounds like 500?” “I’d still say you.”