“. . . But if we are to begin looking for Foxy, we—”
A low buzzing noise sounded in the room, cutting Twilight’s sentence in its tracks. The mares plus Mike stopped and they all looked around in confusion, before Twilight’s horn lit and a small magenta cube was pulled from Pinkie Pie’s bouncy mane. The cube vibrated once again, though the noise was dimmer thanks to not touching against anything solid—like Pinkie’s skull.
“What's that?” the party mare asked, pointing.
“It's, uh, well—I'll show you,” Twilight said. “He's probably getting grumpy from being in there so long, I'm assuming.”
“Wait, he?” Applejack questioned. Before answering her inquiry, Twilight allowed the cube to flash into nonexistence. Standing there now was a yellow animatronic that looked much like Freddy. He groaned in relief, then began to stretch in an over-exaggerated manner. The group stared in confused yet annoyed silence.
“Are you done now?” Twilight asked with a straight face when he stopped. Golden Freddy cocked his head in an intrigued expression before grinning and nodding. “Good. And am I assuming too much when I ask if you've come to help us in some way?”
Golden Freddy looked around, seeming to be contemplating her question. After a moment, he shrugged. Twilight’s frown deepened.
“What's up with you?” the unicorn asked icily. After another few moments with no answer, she lit her horn and dragged him close, using his bow tie as the chain. “Answer me, or I swear I'll lock you up and never let you out again.” She was sick of this new cryptic attitude, and if he was going to be allowed to walk free, then she wanted a reason to let that happen.
“Calm, dear,” Golden Freddy finally responded, his grin chilling. She released him and he leaned back.
“What are we getting from this . . . knockoff?” Rarity asked, being the first to interrupt the exchange. Golden Freddy’s gaze snapped to the fashionista, but she didn't pale under his black eyes. She simply made her gaze fiercer and his smile spread wider across his face. He looked back to Twilight.
“Yes, I'll help. Partly because I want to be rid of that simply horrid magical contraption of yours,” the animatronic began, “and also because I can't stand it when Freddy’s sad, so I'll have to cheer him up, of course.” The golden animatronic pretended to study his fingers, acting nonchalant. “Where is the poor thing?”
Rainbow Dash, from behind Twilight, jerked her head toward the upstairs. Golden Freddy briefly turned his upper body to look, then faced the ponies again.
“Are you going to just stand there like an idiot, or are you actually going to do something?” Dash snapped in a haughty manner.
“Oh, dear, seems like I'm a bit lightheaded right now. I'm not thinking straight,” Golden Freddy cooed, draping an arm across his head. The mares focused their withering glares on him, not convinced by his act. After a moment, the animatronic frowned and stood straighter.
“You girls are no fun,” he pouted. Turning around, he swirled into a cloud of smoke and whisked up the stairs. Twilight glared after him, thoughts of his attitude tracing a line through her brain. She'd have to do something about him, but now was not the time.
Twilight switched her attention back to the group. “Okay, as I was saying, if we are to find Foxy, we should start from the beginning.”
“The beginnin’?” Applejack questioned with a cocked eyebrow.
“Do you mean . . . ?” Pinkie Pie murmured. Twilight met their gazes, determining if they knew what she was thinking. They did.
“Yes,” the violet unicorn confirmed.
Fluttershy slowly met Twilight’s eyes. “So, we’re going to the dreamscape?”
Golden Freddy dissipated back into his physical form, approaching the group of animatronics scattered about the room. Bonnie and Chica didn't notice him right away, as their attentions were focused elsewhere—trying to get Freddy to stop wallowing in sorrow. The Cutie Mark Crusaders sat on the other side of the bed, peering up with large eyes from the floor.
That is just sad.
“Really, Freddy? Why so babyish?” Golden Freddy asked, appearing between the two other animatronics. Bonnie and Chica flinched and recoiled at the sight, while Freddy rolled onto his side to look.
“Goldie?” the bear asked, surprised. He sat up.
“It's me,” Golden Freddy confirmed with an air of confidence and slight cockiness. He grinned sharply at his darker counterpart. “What's all this I hear about you being saaaad?”
Freddy fidgeted slightly, fingers clicking together. His golden counterpart raised an eyebrow, slinking closer smooth as a snake. Black eyes met blue ones.
“You know this isn't exactly the way to be acting, Freddy,” the other continued, getting his face right into the one he was talking to. The only reply was a small grunt.
“You coward,” Golden Freddy snarled suddenly, lip curling menacingly. The real Freddy’s head shot up and the two other animatronics blinked up at Goldie, eyes wide. The three fillies jumped to their hooves, sensing the oncoming battle. Apple Bloom opened her mouth to intervene, but didn't get the chance.
“What'd you call me?!” Freddy snapped back, standing up.
“You heard me.”
Freddy threw himself at his lighter counterpart a moment later, tackling him. Golden Freddy seemed somewhat unprepared for the charge, however, and his eyes lit with surprise as they tipped backwards. His microphone and hat clattered onto the floor.
“Wait, you idiot, the stairs are right behind us!” came the slightly agitated yet concerned voice of Golden Freddy. The actual Freddy snarled and seemed not to care as the metallic thump of the golden animatronic’s back hitting the edge of the stairs was heard. There was a crack and the two barreled downwards, rolling head over feet.
“My goodness! What's happening?” Fluttershy’s quiet voice rang out behind the gasps of the other mares in the room.
The two animatronics twisted from each other’s grips, looking scruffy. They glared at one another before Freddy charged again, a fist swinging up into the other’s jaw. Golden Freddy rolled backwards with the punch, grabbing Freddy’s wrist and twisting it suddenly to the right, taking the whole animatronic with it. Stumbling, he hooked his fingers into the slight gap where Goldie’s torso met his hip, dragging him down as well. They ended up on the floor again, throwing punches.
Twilight lit her horn to end the madness, but Bonnie came flying down the steps by fours, stopping her as he sidestepped the brawl. Chica raced down after, trailed by the CMC.
“Just let them fight—it’s for a good reason, I promise,” the purple bunny breathed, sticking out a hand.
“But this is crazy!” Twilight shot back, eyes wide and mouth open.
“Just wait, please.” He gave her a pleading expression with maroon eyes and she allowed her mouth to close, face relaxing just slightly. She nodded and jerked her head at her friends, telling them silently to stay back. The mares looked like they were about to argue, but stopped when she frowned and shook her head. The whole group backed up a few paces.
“You two timing moron! Why didn't you say anything?!” Freddy barked, throttling the golden animatronic underneath him. Golden Freddy squeaked out a response, unable to speak. He turned into smoke, sweeping up and around Freddy to grab him by the sides of his head as he rematerialized. Freddy was yanked backwards and slammed into a bookshelf, and this action was repeated several times by Goldie as he lifted Freddy’s head back and continued to do so.
“Two timing?! I was trapped in a magical prison!” Golden Freddy screeched, nearly ripping Freddy’s head back at a ninety degree angle, hand buried in his messy fur. The darker animatronic grimaced in pain at this action, and then grunted as his face was slammed into the bookshelf again. Freddy reached around and curled his fingers into the black eyes of Golden Freddy. He shrieked as he was pulled forward, where Freddy took control again. He grabbed the back of Goldie’s suit and used momentum to swing the animatronic around, tossing him across the room where he landed in a heap of metal.
“You pest!” Freddy yelled in anger, not bothering to go after the wounded animatronic again. Golden Freddy pushed himself shakily to his feet, pinprick pupils meeting burning blue ones.
“Pest? How? I've actually been helping, unlike you, you brat!” Golden Freddy shouted back.
“Oh yeah, sure! What're you planning?”
“I'm not planning anything!”
“Haha, don't make me laugh!”
Golden Freddy scoffed, placing his hands on his hips. “You doubt my truthfulness?”
“Yeah, I do!” Freddy retorted sharply.
“Enough!”
Everyone in the room started at the demanding screech. The little pegasus who'd yelled’s face was twisted in anger, her face red. She flew into the air, hovering above the brawling animatronics. Her eyes were wide with fury. The ponies—knowing what was coming—watched in silence. Bonnie and Chica exchanged worried glances.
“You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves!” Fluttershy scolded, her piercing gaze on the bears. “Fighting as if you have nothing else to be worried about! We’re trying to find Foxy, and you two aren't helping!”
Golden Freddy tried to interrupt, sticking a finger in the air, “It’s not—”
“Don't interrupt me!” she barked at him, directing most of her Stare in his direction. “You were supposed to go up there and make things better, not worse!”
“You don't—”
“And you!” Fluttershy continued, snapping her gaze to Freddy, “you should know better than to go around pouting about something you had no control over! That's no reason to start a fight.” The pegasus focused her Stare on both of them, making sure she had their complete and utter attention. “Now, what do you have to say for yourselves?”
There was a pause, and then the two animatronics pointed at the other. “He started it!” came the cry in unison.
Fluttershy’s Stare intensified. “I don't care who started it, I'm finishing it! Both of you, apologize!”
“Sorry,” Freddy muttered, ears tilted backwards.
“I apologize,” Goldie pouted, his expression looking very close to Freddy’s own.
With a firm nod, Fluttershy pointed to the lab door. “Good. Now, both of you, downstairs. And no more fighting, or Celestia help me.”
“Yes, Miss,” the animatronics said quietly, resigning themselves to their fate. They quickly hurried towards the laboratory and down the stairs. As soon as they were gone, Fluttershy blinked, the Stare gone as quickly as it had appeared.
“Well, that was certainly . . . something that just . . . happened,” Mike commented plainly.
“Yeah,” was all Bonnie replied with.
“They had no reason to be fighting. I don't care if you said not to intervene, they were going to hurt each other—worse than they already had,” Fluttershy said. “We have to focus on finding Foxy, not petty arguments between animatronics.”
“I did not think the Stare would work on them,” Rarity admitted.
“Well, I think it's good that it did. Come on, girls, let's get back to discussing our plan,” Twilight suggested.
“You guys can go back upstairs if you want,” Fluttershy said to Bonnie, Chica, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“What about Freddy and Goldie?” Chica asked, looking briefly towards the lab door.
“They're in timeout.”
Bonnie winced. “Freddy’s not gonna like that.”
“Of course he doesn't. But I didn't say they were in timeout to them, so they should be fine.”
“Then can we hear what y’all are plannin’?” Apple Bloom wondered. The fillies trotted closer to the table at which the Elements were gathering around once more. Bonnie and Chica looked eager to hear as well. Mike just eyed the group and sighed before tuning in.
Twilight smiled. “Alright. Here's the plan . . .”
Luna raised an eyebrow at the group before her. “And you think that this will lead to what exactly?”
Twilight frowned; getting the princesses to see her point of view was hard, given the circumstances. “If we can somehow find the way into Foxy’s last dreams, maybe there’ll be something there. I don't know what exactly, but I know we can do it—you can do it.”
Luna pursed her lips, eyes twinkling in thought. “How do you know that is even possible? If I could go into any old dream, why wouldn't I just resurrect every dead pony in Equestria?”
“Because Foxy isn't living, but he still dreamt. He had a memory bank—we’d be able to get into them, albeit they'd probably be extremely filled with gaps,” Twilight continued, a determined smile on her face as she realized the princesses were sure of her plan—they knew it would be a long shot, but the Elements of Harmony had a reputation of doing the impossible.
The two royal sisters broke their charade, smiles flickering across their faces.
“I can do it,” Luna said, “but it will most likely take a large amount of effort. We’ll need outside help.”
Celestia stood from her throne, addressing the group, “Which is why I shall stay here and provide the necessary energy to perform the spell.”
“Spell? Can't you dream walk naturally, Princess Luna?” Fluttershy asked softly.
“I can. But,” the lunar sovereign explained, “to access Foxy’s memory banks, we’ll need a special kind of spell—one that is extremely difficult to do. Inside of the dream world, I have complete lucidity, but spells are hard to cast correctly. If I had to contribute all the energy for the spell, I might fade out by accident as I concentrate.”
“Alright. Is there anything specific we need to do before going in?” Twilight asked.
“No. I just need all of you to lay down and close your eyes. Including you four,” Luna instructed, gaze switching to the animatronics. They all did as they were told. “Alright, I'm going to cast a spell to bring you in with me. Since you do not have the ability to naturally dream walk, you'll be a sleep-like trance. If all goes well, we’ll meet at a central location, and not individually in your own heads.”
As soon as he saw the yellow pegasus pop into his vision before squeaking and shooting into the bushes, Foxy remembered what was happening.
That . . . That's right! Equestria, the ponies, the . . . the Nightmare. But I'm so confused. Why am I here? I swear, the ponies did somethin’ . . . them Elements, they attacked me—the Nightmare—with ‘em. So . . . why’m I ‘ere?
A thought occurred to Foxy as he saw Fluttershy flying after the ‘dream’ him. His shoulders slumped and his ears fell.
I guess I didn't make it.
Luna appeared a moment later, her wings giving a few flaps to steady herself as she materialized. The group of ponies and animatronics looked to her expectantly.
“Hello once more, my friends. Come along—we have not a moment to spare,” Luna stated, turning to trot through the world of stars. Doors of dreams were scattered along the sides of the starry path, but the dark alicorn didn't stop for any of them. Instead, she lit her horn and picked up the pace, the world beginning to swirl around them, faster than they were traveling at.
“Hold onto your wits, for it gets a bit bumpy here!” Luna explained loudly as a forceful wind began to blow. Wings were clasped to sides and heads turned down to battle the oncoming storm, which seemed to come from nowhere. The stars around them whipped past at breakneck speeds, as if in fast forward. Then, as suddenly as it had come, it stopped, leaving the group in complete and utter darkness, save the gentle light that came from the violet, white, and dark blue horns of Twilight, Rarity, and Luna as they cast their own illumination spells.
“There we go,” Luna said in satisfaction, “we are here. Come along again. The entrance is close.” The alicorn held out a dark wing to lead them into the darkness. Her horn lit a bit brighter and a soft glow spread through her body, pulsing through her veins like blood. In a moment, every movement she made was framed by light. She flapped a wing and the shaded echo of it remained for a second, making the air seem thick. It was a few minutes of awe later when they noticed they all had it.
“Ooh, pretty!” Pinkie Pie squealed, jumping around.
“Awesome! I wonder what my tricks would look like if I had this effect on me then!” Rainbow Dash beamed, flapping her wings and doing a flip in place. Rarity cooed and ran a sparkling hoof through her mane as the others admired themselves.
“I figured you'd all want to see something cool, giving the nature of this task,” Luna said with a smile on her face. The only ones who didn't seem to have it were the animatronics, whose eyes were merely glowing in the dark. However, Freddy’s were the only regular ones, as both Chica and Bonnie had theirs in night mode, and Golden Freddy couldn't change his.
“Aw man! I wanted to see what they would look like,” Pinkie complained briefly.
Luna glanced over. “It only works on creatures with blood in their veins. But they seem to be doing fine.”
Freddy blinked, and his eyes began to glow as a gentle tune started to play.
“Whoa! What's that?” Rainbow asked.
Eyes still shining brightly, Freddy explained, “I’m programmed to do this. It's for the dark.”
“Why the music though?” Applejack wondered.
“To comfort the children, of course. If the lights went out, since we had no backup power, I was programmed to calm their fears.” There was a chorus of agreements that the music was fairly soothing, so the group continued on their way, an even sparklier Princess Luna guiding them.
“Though it is very nice not to have to walk in silence, I must admit,” Rarity commented after a moment.
“Well, for security guards, that music signals other things,” Bonnie whispered softly.
“What?” Twilight asked. Mike was not there with them, for he stayed back with the CMC and Princess Celestia in Canterlot, declaring he definitely did not want to go and save Foxy. There was no way in Hell, whatever that was. So they couldn't get an explanation out of him.
“When the power goes out,” Chica began.
“Freddy is the one to appear in the doorway and finish the night guard off,” Bonnie continued.
“The Toreador March is a victory song, and I'd say it fits perfectly for that situation.”
“Well, that's great,” Dash said sarcastically. From that moment on was silence.
I'm not in action anymore.
The thought was surprising, but maybe it was the best thing. Foxy stopped glancing around at the library, deciding instead to study Fluttershy more intensely—he obviously didn't have to be careful anymore. It wasn't like she could see him. And now that he was staring, he saw that she had a small scar on the back of her ear. It was shaped like a half moon; a crescent. He briefly wondered how she’d gotten it before she began backing up slightly. Twilight was fawning over his dream self, and she quickly told Fluttershy to come back tomorrow to see her progress before the pegasus spread her wings and flew back upstairs.
As much as I want ta know how Twilight managed ta get me runnin’, I think I'll follow Fluttershy.
With that thought set in his mind, Foxy walked after her, following her up the stairs. But as soon as he stepped through the doorway, she was waiting for him.
“There it is,” Luna said, stopping in front of a broken door made of stars—as all the doors in the dreamscape were. After however long of walking in darkness, they'd come upon it.
“That's Foxy’s dream door?” Rainbow Dash scoffed, waving a hoof at it.
“I am appalled as well! That door is seriously heinous!” Rarity cried, putting a hoof across her forehead in astonishment.
Luna tilted her head in acknowledgement. “I understand why it doesn't look as you would expect. However, it makes sense that it would be broken as it is.”
The glowing door seemed odd in the middle of darkness. One couldn't see the floor nor any space around it. Twilight cocked her head at it.
“So, are we going in?” the violet unicorn asked.
“Yes. But I must go in first to check it out. If Foxy is in there, he may be in some sort of . . . state. I can explain it the best I can: he may be reliving memories or perhaps making up a new world inside of his head. It shall be best to find where he is and replace one of the characters inside; as to not make him suspicious, or even break his subconscious mind. He may be very fragile right now,” Luna explained. Then she turned around, horn lighting. The light spells were extinguished, and the light was replaced from the opening door.
“Foxy,” Fluttershy said cautiously. She recalled Princess Luna’s words in her mind:
Don't raise your voice. Don't tell him he is dreaming. Just get him alone; he’ll be confused at first, but don't try to explain. Get him to follow you to the door, but you must make him open and go through it himself. If Foxy is forced to exit his world, he won't survive on the other side—our side, the world of the living—for long.
She could also recall Twilight asking why Foxy wouldn't survive on their side if he was a robot, and technically not living.
“He doesn't breathe, eat, nor does he have a heart, and I'm pretty sure that he doesn't even need sleep to function.”
“Yes, I understand, but if he was forced back into this realm, in his case, he'd probably try to kill us all.”
“But—why?”
“The horror of it all, Twilight.”
“Fluttershy?” Foxy gaped. She could see him? How?
“Foxy, do you know where you are?” Fluttershy asked carefully.
“I-I'm dreamin’.”
If he already knows he is dreaming, that's good. He came to that conclusion on his own. Don't confirm his thoughts, just continue. What you'll need to do now is get him to go with you; you'll need to go to the door.
“Will you come with me?” Fluttershy asked, changing the topic abruptly. Foxy tensed, looking her up and down.
“How can ye see me? The dream me is downstairs—Twilight is workin’ on me,” Foxy argued.
“Will you come with me?” she repeated.
Don't explain how you can see him or why, just repeat your question—will you come with me?
“Lass, please tell me what's happenin’,” Foxy begged, trying to decipher her bright gaze.
“Foxy, will you come with me?” Fluttershy asked, turning slightly. She needed to get him to go to the door.
“Ta where?” Foxy began to follow her as she trotted away. “Tell me what's goin’ on, please!” He hurried after, not bothering to duck under the doorframe as they exited the library. Fluttershy didn't answer.
Just go. Do not answer his questions. If he gets angry, don’t worry—as with all dream characters, he won't be able to hurt you.
“Fluttershy, tell me!” Foxy growled, frustration bubbling up inside. He continued to follow her as they travelled to wherever. After another minute of silence, Fluttershy stopped at a door. It looked like any regular door. Except for the fact that there was nothing surrounding; no building it was attached to, no reason why it should be there or how.
“What's this?” the pirate asked uncertainly. He looked down at the pegasus.
Fluttershy blinked up at him. She didn't say anything. She just looked back towards the strange door.
“Am I ‘posed ta go through?”
No answer.
Foxy frowned, carefully inspecting the door that was seemingly placed randomly in the middle of Ponyville. His hand reached towards it. With hesitation, he pulled it open. On the other side was the dirt path of which it was located. With frustration clear in his movements, he peeked his out head to look around it. One could see the open door on the other side.
“I don't understand!” Foxy cried, slamming the door closed. Fluttershy looked back up at him, her face showing clear signs of urgency now. “What do ye want from me? What is this?”
No reply.
Foxy whimpered, so unsure of what was happening. He quelled the urge to stomp his foot like a little kid and looked back towards the door again. He inspected it carefully, trying to think of any reason why it'd be there and what it had to do with Fluttershy. Finally resigning himself to his fate, Foxy threw it open and—with a slight wince—he ducked down and stepped through.