//------------------------------// // The Show Must Go On // Story: Five Nights in Equestria // by RandomHamster33 //------------------------------// Golden Luna swung upside down by one leg. The battle hadn’t gone as well as they’d hoped. They and the Nightmare had exchanged a few blows, but ultimately, it was pretty obvious he had the advantage. Honestly, maybe they could’ve won if Luna was awake, but Golden Freddy really didn’t have much experience with battle. “I’ve got you now,” the Nightmare snarled, a crooked grin spread across his face. “I see that,” Golden Luna said, tucking their forelegs against their chest. “And what do you intend to do with me?” They glanced around with black eyes. Nightfox smirked and lifted the alicorn up a bit more. Sharp teeth glinted in the light of day. Without answering, the Nightmare opened his ferocious jaws and held Golden Luna above him. The alicorn froze, eyes widening. They furiously flapped their wings, horn buzzing with magic. They were only a bit exhausted from all the magic withdrawal, as Golden Freddy didn't have a near endless supply, like Luna. His ‘magic’ was a bit different. Don't panic. Listen to everything I say. What? Princess Luna, have you just woken up? I regained consciousness shortly after we were caught, yes. And if we are to live, you must listen to me. Golden Freddy felt their minds meld together more acutely. Dear, do you happen to have a plan? I'm only slightly out of options at this point. The Nightmare’s sharp teeth were nearing their face as the two entities talked in quick succession. Yes, I have a plan. We cannot switch bodies, unfortunately. The Nightmare would notice the change and act in kind. Okay, so, mind telling me what the plan is? Do not get pushy, or I shall have your head . . . listen carefully: I'm going to channel my magical power into our horn. You add as much as you have left and think of my sister. Think of your sister? For what? I mean, this may come off a bit . . . odd—even if I am an animatronic bear from another world—but your sister is pretty h— Shut up. Just do it. I'll perform the spell, but you have to help, as you have more control than I do at the moment. Ugh, fine. I don’t understand, but I’ll do it. Golden Freddy focused all his thoughts on the white alicorn. He felt extra power flowing through them, into their horn. Then, in the blink of an eye, they vanished. The world screamed by, images and sounds going by so fast there was no distinction between them. The sensation was so overwhelming he immediately flung himself out of Luna’s extensive mind. This action left him shaking in the grass, eyes staring ahead at nothing. “Goldie! Are you okay?” The violet eyes of Princess Celestia and following a moment after, Twilight Sparkle’s own. Golden Freddy didn’t respond, just stared, circuits frozen. A few seconds later, he went offline. Twilight shook the animatronic by the shoulder as soon as he went limp. A frown creased her face. “Did something happen?” she asked, glancing over at Luna. “Perhaps it was because he was weak from fighting, or perhaps he was unprepared for the sudden rush of teleportation,” the lunar sovereign stated. “But I teleported him earlier. He was a bit confused, I’m sure, but he didn’t tense up like this,” Celestia replied, arching a brow. “Mayhaps it is the spell I used? As you know, I don’t use the newer method of teleportation.” Celestia glanced down at the yellow animatronic, nodding slowly. “That’s right. You use the swivel teleportation. The one we use is the instant teleportation spell.” She lit her horn and he was sucked into the gem in her necklace. “Princesses, we’ve got to get the Elements of Harmony back from the Nightmare!” Twilight interjected. Luna’s sharp gaze swung back to the violet unicorn. “What? The Nightmare has the Elements?” “I’m afraid so. It took them from me when it struck me so suddenly from the air,” Celestia explained. “Oh no, this is not good. We must get them back at once!” “And how do we do that?” Rainbow Dash asked, floating down from the skies with Fluttershy by her side. The three others trotted up the slope, eyes full of worry and determination. Twilight ran towards them, a smile on her face. “Thank goodness you girls are here. I was almost worried that the Nightmare got you,” she explained in a rush. The group exchanged a quick embrace and began to talk. “No, we got away,” Pinkie Pie said. “But the Nightmare won’t be off our scent for long,” Rainbow added. They all cast a glance back at the distant town of Ponyville, where the figure could be seen rampaging through. “What are we going to do?” Rarity asked. “First, we need to retrieve the Elements,” Celestia stated. “But how?” Twilight asked. Her mentor exchanged glances with Luna. The two alicorns nodded and switched their grim gazes back to the ponies. “They must be retrieved from inside of the Nightmare,” Luna said monotonously. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, so?” “The Elements are inside of it,” Celestia repeated. “Wait . . .” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Are you saying . . . ?” They seemed to be picking up on the princesses’ hints. “We have to go into that thing!?” Rarity finished in a high voice. “Eeeeww!” “Oh, gross!” Pinkie choked, sticking her tongue out. “Well, it’s not like it’s a living thing. Foxy still has the dominant factor, and . . . well, he’s a robot. So naturally, the Nightmare would take on his attributes,” Fluttershy said shyly. All eyes were on her in an instant, and she uttered a squeak, hiding in her hair. “Well, that is true,” Applejack agreed. The other ponies murmured agreements among themselves. “So, are we all going . . . in?” Twilight wondered. “No,” Celestia said firmly. There were a few sighs of relief and some ‘awws’. “That would alert the Nightmare. No, we need someone who can sneak in, and sneak out with the Elements.” “Then I’ll do it, princess. I can get them,” Twilight declared. Smiling, the princess shook her head. “W-what? Why not? Do you not think I’m the pony for the job?” Her violet eyes sparkled with hurt. “No, of course not, my faithful student. If Luna and I were not here, and we could not do it, you’d be the first. But our magical signature would alert the Nightmare before we were even inside. It is the same reason we can’t use magic to extract them. No unicorn can be the one to do it, for fear of getting caught.” “What about us?” Rainbow asked. “We’re not unicorns.” “She’s right; Ah’d be happy to get them Elements,” Applejack stated. Once again, the solar alicorn shook her head. “I’m afraid neither a pegasus nor an earth pony can even do it. The magic within you may not be as prominent as a unicorn’s, but what makes you your species is the magic surging inside. This is what allows pegasi to control the weather and walk on clouds, and earth ponies to excel in farming.” She gestured to each group of ponies as she spoke. “Can’t we just use a signal to block out the magical properties of one of us?” Twilight asked. “You are so brilliant, Twilight, but that won’t work either. The signal or spell used to do that will also be detected in an instant.” “Then . . . how are we going to retrieve the Elements if the Nightmare can sense any of our magic before we’re close?” Fluttershy inquired. “What we need is someone who has not a scrap of magical energy in their body,” Celestia continued. “But every being in Equestria has some magic in them, princess! From the plants to the animals,” Twilight argued. “There’s nopony that is completely devoid of it.” Celestia smiled. “You are right. But I hope you have not already forgotten who we are fighting.” The ponies stared in confusion for a few moments. They all appeared to be thinking. “You mean Foxy?” Pinkie Pie questioned with a cock of her head. “I’m looking for a bit more than that,” Celestia said with a small laugh. The six ponies exchanged glances. “The animatronics!” Twilight shouted suddenly, eyes lighting up. “Precisely.” Princess Celestia smiled at her student and exchanged a quick glance with Luna. “Excuse me for asking, but where are they, exactly?” Rarity inquired. Celestia lit her horn and the gem on her necklace became enshrouded in a light violet glow as it reacted with her magic. A moment later, the three animatronics were standing before them, no longer asleep. Golden Freddy was not among them. “Whoa! That was weird,” Chica said, studying her arms. “Whoa indeed,” Bonnie agreed. Freddy glanced around, one eyebrow raised. “Where are we?” “Very far from Ponyville,” Princess Celestia replied. “And why is that?” “See for yourself.” The three animatronics looked to where the princess had gestured to with a dip of her head. A giant—wait, what was that?—raged through Ponyville. “What happened?” Chica asked. “The Nightmare happened,” Luna said, walking forward to stand beside them. “It has taken control of Foxy and made him turn evil.” “But . . . that thing’s huge!” Bonnie shouted, jaw gaping. “Yes, it is. But tis Foxy, alright.” Luna took a step backward. “We’ve called upon you three for assistance.” “With what? Talking some sense into that idiot?” Freddy muttered. “Of course not.” “We need one of you to go into him and fetch the Elements of Harmony that have been stolen,” Celestia instructed. The three animatronics gaped at her. “Are you crazy!?” Bonnie shouted. “Now, it may seem a daunting task—” Freddy barked out a laugh. “—yeah, that’s a way to put it!—” “—But none of you have magic that can be detected by the Nightmare. I can teleport you in and you can search for the Elements!” “But princess, if you can just teleport them in, why not just do that to yourself? Then you could quick find the Elements and get back out so we can use them,” Twilight argued. Celestia shook her head. “Oops, I’m sorry if that’s what it sounded like. No, I can’t teleport them inside of the Nightmare, I can just get them close. We don’t know how Foxy looks anymore; if there’s even wires and bolts. We know the Nightmare is still mechanical, but without proper knowledge of his workings, there’s no way to teleport them safely in. They’d have to get eaten or find some other way in.” “Eaten!?” Freddy exclaimed. “I volunteer Freddy to go in!” Chica quickly yelled, hiding behind Pinkie Pie. “Uh, me too!” Bonnie declared in swift agreement as he grabbed Dash from the sky and held her in front of him. Celestia and Luna exchanged smirks, then lit their horns. “The Elements of Harmony are kept in a small case. I’m sure you’ll know it when you see it,” Celestia explained. “We are going to teleport you to the edge of Ponyville. Devise a plan to get inside Foxy and then back out.” “The Nightmare is cunning, but still has some major flaws—it is too sure of itself and its ability to win. It is subjected to angry attacks, so you can get eaten quickly enough if that is the case,” Luna added. Freddy was slowly backing away, ears tilted backwards. “Are you serious? Thanks a lot, guys!” Freddy growled at his fellow animatronics. “Good luck,” all of the ponies said at the same time, and he was teleported away.