//------------------------------// // A Case of Extreme Writer's Block // Story: Five Nights in Equestria // by RandomHamster33 //------------------------------// Hey . . . wake up. Argg . . . what? I don’t . . . It’s Twilight, Foxy. Twilight? Are ye sure— Shut up, nopony wants to hear you talk. There was a flash of something going through Foxy’s head, and he didn’t like it one bit. Ye ain’t Twilight. The voice changed. Of course it’s not. It’s actually Fluttershy. So you can quit complaining. Fluttershy wouldn’t even talk like that. I only do it so I don’t trigger your stupid killer mode. You’re so useless, I can’t even stand it. The voice was mocking him. What’s happenin’ here?! I said, wake up! Foxy blinked open his eyes, golden irises rotating in his sockets as they did. The unmistakable figures of Twilight and Fluttershy stood next to him, their blurry outlines the only thing he saw. “Wake up.” That was Twilight. “Foxy, Foxy~? You in there?” Foxy’s circuits whirred in response. In a fluid motion, he sat up, ears pricked. He twisted his head to look at the ponies. Their abnormally large eyes stared back at him, blinking soundlessly. “Hmm, lasses?” the pirate droned, tilting his head. An annoying buzz rattled his circuits, but he ignored it. “You alright?” Twilight asked with worry in her voice. “Course.” Foxy looked forward. “Well, good. Because everyone is upstairs.” Foxy winced at that. “It’ll be fine. They—well, Chica, at least—seem excited to see you. Been asking all night,” Fluttershy added, smiling gently. She purposely left out the pronoun in her last statement—honestly, she wasn’t sure if Freddy, or even Bonnie, wanted to see him, but out of all of them, Chica was positively bursting with anticipation. “Yeah,” Twilight began again, “I’m sure it’ll all be fine. If you feel alright.” Sweat beaded on the back of her neck. This didn’t feel safe. Foxy stretched out a leg, flexing the toes on the end. He avoided the mares’ gazes for a moment, but tried to hide the nervousness in his voice. “Aye, I’m feelin’ fine.” Twilight hid her doubtfulness with a nervous smile. “That’s good! That’s good.” She exchanged a quick glance with the creamy coated pegasus next to her. Fluttershy flexed her wings subconsciously. “Anyways, let’s go upstairs, ay? They’ve been waiting all night.” Twilight turned around, muttering under her breath, “literally.” Fluttershy waited a moment to make sure Foxy was coming, and then twisted around, letting him go in front of her. She tilted her head to avoid his twitching tail, blushing as it swatted her in the side of the face. Hearing a quiet ‘sorry’ from the pirate, she murmured, saying nothing in particular, just a faint whisper of a breath. The door glowed magenta with Twilight’s magic. The energy grasped the wood and pushed it open, light intensifying. Faces watched them—some with trepidation, some with eagerness. Twilight pushed her bad feeling away as she stepped out. “Foxy!” Chica ran forward, her arms outstretched. Foxy winced, quickly trying to turn away, but she was already clinging to him. She picked him up with ease, squeezing him fiercely. “Oh, Foxy, I’m so glad you’re alright! I thought I’d never see you again and I’m sorry I treated you badly!” Chica spouted rapidly, eyes shut as she wobbled back and forth. Foxy’s arms were pinned against his sides, feet not touching the ground. The pirate looked down at the animatronic holding him securely, an eyebrow raised. Was this really the Chica he’d left? “Uh, lass, would ye put me down?” Foxy asked casually. Chica shook her head, a movement he felt against his chest. “Nope. I will never let go. I’ve missed you too much.” “Geez, Chica, you’re really setting me up for a joke,” Pinkie Pie commented, the strain in her voice making it evident that she was holding back her laughter. Foxy frowned. “I need ta touch the ground sometime soon.” He attempted to stretch out a leg, but his toes just barely brushed against the library floor. Chica nuzzled her head into Foxy’s chest, making him blush and wiggle away from her. “Then you’re going to talk to us, alright? You’re not going to run away or be shy or anything,” Chica said firmly. Foxy rolled his eyes. “Aye, mother.” Chica smiled, dropping him from her grasp suddenly. Foxy’s feet slipped out from under him, causing him to topple face first into the wooden floor. Chica apologized sheepishly. Foxy sighed, standing up again. Chica’s beaming smile met his gaze, along with Bonnie’s blank expression and Freddy’s irritated one. Suddenly Foxy felt . . . overwhelmed. He never faced the other animatronics--he'd only see brief glimpses of them individually, and more often than not--if it was after closing but not quite midnight--there'd be a bit of struggle which would end up with Foxy limping back to Pirate’s Cove to try and repair himself. His mind swiftly rejected the memories, but they lingered in the back of his thoughts. Foxy gazed into their eyes, feeling self-conscious. His circuits burned and he glanced away, nervous tendencies coming to light as he found himself fiddling his hook and hand together. "So," came Freddy's gruff voice. There was a shuffling of feet (possibly hooves). Twilight clearing her throat released some of the tension from the room. “If you want to ask any questions, now would be the time.” She sounded hesitant. Foxy glanced back up, shifting awkwardly. Fluttershy, who stood by his side, smiled up at him. She mouthed “It's alright”. He returned it with a slight nod. Freddy sighed, clearly irritated. “Well, we aren't getting answers for the question, but I would like to know why we’re here. Still.” Twilight huffed, but Applejack retorted before she could get a word out. “Would ya stop complainin’? We can't answer everthin’, so Ah suggest ya buck up and not whine!” the farm mare said angrily. “I second that,” Pinkie Pie declared. “It's no fun playing with a party pooper!” Freddy seemed stunned into silence, blinking rapidly at the harsh reply to his question. He turned away, blowing air out of his nose. Bonnie murmured something to him, and then looked at the ponies. “If you don't mind, um, ladies, me and Freddy’s power is getting low. I don't know about Chica’s,” Bonnie started, sparing a glance at the female animatronic, who nodded, “and we’d like to charge.” Twilight looked like she was about to say something, but then blinked and licked her lips with a nod. “Of course; yes,” the violet pony agreed quietly. Fluttershy stepped forward, looking up at Mike and Freddy. “Sorry for ignoring you. Come with me and I can get you some medical attention, Mike. Freddy, could you follow Twilight down to the lab?” She glanced at Bonnie. “If you would also go with Twilight; Chica too. There are places down there to charge.” Mike shrugged. “I'm fine, really.” Fluttershy frowned. “I haven't checked you, and I'm the only one here with a medical degree.” Twilight’s gaze switched over to the pegasus. “You've got a medical degree?” “Yeah, DVM: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine,” Rainbow Dash added. “It’s not like she went into her profession unprepared. You need to have one; it’s required.” Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Eh heh, right. Sorry. Guess I didn't think that she had gotten one . . .” “It's fine,” Fluttershy replied, “so come and sit down. I'll get a first aid kit.” She led Mike to a seat and flitted off, not bothering with stairs. The security guard sighed, but was somewhat thankful as the headache pounding in his skull threatened to worsen. His limbs felt thick and heavy and he felt like he was about to pass out, even with the large amount of time he’d spent asleep upstairs. Twilight waited patiently as the animatronics gathered behind her—though they kept their distance. Foxy stood silent and unmoving off to the side, gaze directed at the floor. Twilight bit the inside of her lip, but turned around to go into the basement. Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica followed stiffly. Twilight paused, examining their appearances. Freddy was hardly walking, the makeshift crutches under his arms the only thing supporting his weight—plus his body was littered with small dents—much like Bonnie. Chica looked fine for the most part, if a bit rough around the edges. Sighing, the unicorn levitated three cords from somewhere behind her. “Sorry about all this. Let’s just get this started, and I can repair you all while you’re resting.” She took a small step forward, only to be stopped by a large brown hand. “Whoa, I don’t trust this little operation. I’m not turning my back on you, pony,” Freddy retorted, frowning. Twilight blinked up at him, startled. I should’ve predicted this, I suppose. Twilight cleared her throat quietly, stepping backwards. “I see.” Her mouth felt dry. “Then I can plug you in. But I want to be of service to you.” Freddy narrowed his eyes at her. She sighed. “Please, let me fix you.” Freddy opened his mouth to protest, but a metal hand on his shoulder made him pause. Bonnie was frowning. “Freddy, don’t be stubborn. The ponies don’t seem bad. They want to help. Just let Twilight repair us.” Freddy twitched his nose. “Bonnie . . .” “Freddy, come on,” Chica urged—though she didn’t exactly care what Freddy said, because she wanted to be relaxed and in working condition. She was fairly sure she had water in her controls, and her safety precautions wouldn’t last much longer. The bear paused, looking like he was about to argue, but decided not to and scooted over to the work table, taking a seat. He didn’t look happy about it at all. “Fine.” He placed Apple Bloom’s crutches behind him. “But I still don’t trust you ponies.” Twilight sighed, but knew that this was inevitable. “Thanks, now if you could, have a seat somewhere. I’ll plug you in.” Fluttershy gripped the little plastic handle in her mouth, descending from the living area upstairs. The first aid kit swung stiffly from her jaws. Her wings beat a soft rhythm as she lowered herself from the air. She landed softly next to Mike, then placed the kit on the side table next to her. “So, does anything hurt?” Fluttershy inquired casually. Mike sighed, clearly not comfortable with the situation he was currently in. “I’ve got a headache, I guess,” Mike replied wearily. Truthfully, he didn’t feel like doing this. Fluttershy nodded, searching through the first aid kit. She grabbed a bottle with her teeth, then lifted a hoof to keep in still while she twisted her head. The white lid popped off and she smiled, dropping a few pills into an outstretched wing. “Here you go,” Fluttershy prompted. Her wing extended farther up so he could grab the small white pills from the stiff yet soft feathers. Mike hesitated, but then decided why the heck not? and swiped them from her possession. “Those aspirin or what?” he asked after swallowing them. They actually hadn’t even tasted as gross as ones on Earth. “Yes. Anything else hurting?” Mike shook his head. “Nah, other than that, I’m just . . . tired.” “Me too,” Rainbow Dash commented, stretching like a cat on the floor. She flexed her wings several times. Applejack nodded wearily, eyes half lidded. “Ah am too.” She glanced over at her sleeping sister and friends. “Ah think Ah’m just gonna tell Twi we’re goin’ home.” She scooped Apple Bloom up from the floor, depositing the yellow filly on her back. “I can tell Twilight,” Fluttershy said quietly in reply. “Why don’t you all go home? I need to stay in case something happens.” Dash tilted her head. “You’re going to stay?” “Yeah, I better. This is all a bit too much for one pony to handle.” The creamy coated pegasus turned to face Rainbow. The other pegasus shrugged. “Alright. I could use a good twelve hours of sleep after this.” She held out one feathery appendage and high-winged Fluttershy before leaping out a window, Scootaloo on her back. Similarly, Applejack and Rarity collected their sisters and left, and Pinkie Pie with them. The library seemed much emptier. Twilight heard the gentle flap of wings and glanced over at the lab door. Fluttershy descended gracefully from upstairs, looking worn out. “What happened?” Twilight asked, lifting up her goggles. Behind her, Freddy grumbled something in response to her stopping in her work. “Mike fell asleep, and the other girls left. I stayed because I figured you’d need help with . . .” Fluttershy trailed off a bit. “All this.” She glanced around the room. Twilight nodded carefully. “Thanks, ‘shy. I’m just fixing these guys.” She indicated to the mini blowtorch in her magic by moving it up slightly. “Oh, okay. Well, if you need anything, I’ll . . . be upstairs.” Fluttershy turned to go back into the library section. Twilight felt a small smile flicker across her face. Remembering something, she quickly added, “How’s Foxy doing?” Fluttershy froze. The color seemed to drain from her body. Her eyes wide, pupils small as pinpricks, she turned back to her friend. “I thought he came back down here with you.”