//------------------------------// // Dead and Deactivated // Story: Five Nights in Equestria // by RandomHamster33 //------------------------------// The group of five turned suddenly to the open door. There she stood. “Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash cheered, eyes bright and full of joy as the biggest smile spread across her face. She shot into the air and zoomed over to her fellow pegasus, enveloping her in a large hug and swooping around the pizzeria. “Oh, Dash, I’m so glad to see you!” Fluttershy cried, wrapping her arms around Rainbow’s neck and holding on for dear life. “I’m so glad to see all of you again!” She lifted her head to look at the other girls, who stood with broad smiles on their faces, and in Rarity’s case—tears in her eyes. She took out a tissue from Pinkie Pie’s hair and dabbed at her eyes gently. A good thirty seconds passed before Rainbow set Fluttershy back on the floor. And immediately after, she was taken into another hug with everyone else. As soon as all embraces were finished, Twilight was the first one to ask: “Fluttershy, why are you here?” The pegasus stepped back, straightening out her uniform. “I work here. I’m the night guard.” The girls all ‘waa-huuuh?’d and gave her looks with open mouths and plenty of astonishment. “Look, I know you want to know what happened, but we’ve got a few minutes until midnight, and I’d prefer to give the animatronics more than a minute’s notice that they can’t go into roaming mode. Just meet me out back in the morning,” Fluttershy explained. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a wallet. From there, she extracted about two hundred dollars. “Here—go and get a hotel for tonight.” “What? Fluttershy, we can’t leave you here a minute longer!” Rarity scoffed in bewilderment. “Especially not in this dreadful place!” She waved a hand at the secondhand pizzeria. “Hey, it’s not that bad.” Fluttershy frowned and rubbed her arm. “It’s nearly midnight. Please just go, okay?” “But we have to get back to Equestria! To fix the timeline!” Twilight argued. “But I can’t just . . . leave. I’ve been here a . . . long time, girls.” Suddenly, the group understood. They exchanged glances, expressions sad. “Okay, ‘shy. But we’ll be back in the morning,” Twilight said gently. Fluttershy smiled. “The boss gets here at about nine, and my shift is over at six. The pizzeria opens at ten. We can talk before then.” She put the money in Rainbow’s nearby hand and turned around, walking towards the backroom. The girls stared after her for a few moments before begrudgingly turning to leave. The night seemed to pass at a snail pace for the group of five. The only one who got more than an hour of rest was Rainbow Dash, naturally. The rest were too busy pacing and worrying about things to come. This wasn't going as they'd thought it would go, but at least they'd found Fluttershy, right? “Alright, it's six,” Applejack said, turning off the strange ‘television’ that sat in the front of the room. The girls stirred, and Rarity prodded Dash from her sideways spot on the bed. She jerked awake and look about blearily, then fell back asleep . . . for about another two seconds before realizing what they were going to do. With that, she flailed and slipped off the edge of the bed with a thump. “Come on, let's go! We need to go!” Rainbow shouted, already antsy. “Just hold yer horses there, girl,” AJ said, out stretching an arm to block the way to the door. She looked to Twilight, and Rainbow’s gaze followed soon after. “Let's not waste time, I suppose,” Twilight murmured with a shrug. Dash grinned. Fluttershy was waiting in the office, trying to calm herself. She knew this day had been coming. But she never knew it'd be this hard—this hard to get her courage up to speak to her best friends again. But then again, it had been nearly ten years. Shaking her head, Fluttershy stood from her chair and did her rounds, checking to make sure the animatronics were in their appropriate places. There couldn't be a chicken in the kitchen or a misplaced bear somewhere. Alright, calm yourself. It won't be that bad; they'll understand. She took a deep breath. They'll understand. Fluttershy listened to the quiet swish of the door opening. She waited in the hallway, watching the silhouettes of her friends making their way into the pizzeria. “Fluttershy?” she heard Rainbow Dash call. A moment later, the said pegasus stepped out. She didn't turn on the light, just ran her eyes across them and turned away. She padded quietly to the large, rectangular tables in the party room and she heard the other five following her a bit less quietly. “Hello, girls,” Fluttershy said, flicking on the lights in the room. She faced them once again. “Make yourselves comfortable. I’m guessing you’ll have a lot of questions.” She watched them take the closest seats and she finally sat too. “Fluttershy, you seem . . . different,” Twilight said softly. Fluttershy shrugged. “I’ve been here nine years. I’ve seen and experienced things you’ll never know.” She looked away, letting her long pink hair swing in front of her face. “Of course.” Twilight paused. “Why don't you start from the beginning?” Fluttershy look back towards them, letting one glittering eye rove up and down their forms. “Okay. I'll start from the very beginning.” Fluttershy blinked her eyes open, not sure what was happening. She expected to find the ceiling of her cottage, or even the library, but no—she was greeted with the sterile white walls of a hospital. Very awake now, she sat up. “Oh, you’re awake,” came an unknown voice. Fluttershy looked over, confused. A human stood in her line of sight. He smiled brightly at her and approached. The pegasus flinched away at his movement. That was when she realized there was something different about her. She looked down and gasped. “What’s happened to me?” Fluttershy gaped, holding up her arms to inspect them. “Miss? Is something wrong?” the stranger asked. Fluttershy’s gaze shot over suddenly, bringing her arms back to her body. She felt her wings tighten on her back in fright. “Wh-who are you? Where am I?” she asked. She backed away as far as she could in the bed. “Calm down, everything’s fine,” he said gently. “I’m Dr. Jackson Long, and you were admitted to St. Alexis Medical Center a few days ago.” “Why? I don’t remember that.” “You were found on the street, unconscious. Someone called you in. You’ve been out of it until now.” Dr. Long sat down on the edge of the bedside table. “So, mind filling me in on the details?” Fluttershy didn’t respond immediately. She fiddled with her hands. “You could start with your name, if you’d like—I can’t keep calling you ‘Jane Doe’ forever, yeah?” The pegasus looked up slightly, inspecting him. He was young for a human; that much was obvious. He didn’t seem untrustworthy—and she would know, being the Element of Kindness. “Uh, it’s Fluttershy,” she answered after a moment. He tilted his head. “Huh, never heard that name before.” She shrunk down, hiding in her hair. “I’m sorry.” “It’s nothing to be sorry about, Miss,” Dr. Long replied, grinning slightly. “What ended you up on the street?” Fluttershy shrugged, looking away. “If it’s something like getting drunk, I don’t judge.” “It’s not that,” Fluttershy squeaked quietly. “I just don’t . . . know what happened. I can’t remember why I’m here or when that could’ve . . .” She trailed off, putting a hand to her forehead. She waited like that for several moments. “Oh, I just have no idea.” Dr. Long didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “Alright then. Do you have anyone you could call to come pick you up?” Fluttershy shook her head. “Okay.” He frowned. “Well, you’re free to go whenever you're ready, anyhow. I'll get your things.” He stood up. “Go where?” she asked, concerned as he took a step towards the door. “Home?” Dr. Long suggested, stopping in his tracks. He cocked his head at her. “Oh.” The young man faced her, putting his hands on his hips. “What’s the matter?” Fluttershy shook her head. “N-nothing’s wrong.” “Do you have anywhere to go?” he asked. “Well, you see, it’s just, I don’t”—she felt her face heating up—“no. No, I don’t.” Dr. Long frowned at her, furrowing his eyebrows. Fluttershy saw the look on his face and blushed harder, trying as hard as she could to make herself smaller. She squeaked out an incoherent response. “Hey, hey, it’s alright. We can find you somewhere to stay,” Dr. Long said in a consoling tone. He rubbed his chin, trying to think. A few moments later, he crouched down, getting to her level. “Would you like to stay with me for a little while? Maybe just until you can get your own place?” Fluttershy peeked out of her hair to look at him, blinking. “What? Really?” “Sure, why not? A pretty little lady like yourself shouldn’t have to live on the streets.” “Are you s-sure? I wouldn't want to be a bother, and I don't know if that's really okay with you . . .” “It's okay, I assure you. I can't just let you run off and not have anywhere to go, now can I?” “Well, you could . . .” Dr. Long laughed. “I'll go get your things.” “So I moved in with him,” Fluttershy continued, staring down at her hands as she spoke. “I didn’t know anything about this world. Jackson was pretty much my savior at this point, and he taught me all sorts of things. I told him I was a foreigner, and he believed me, so at least my shortcomings in this world weren't as odd.” She took a shaky breath. “I know it seems kinda weird, him being a doctor, and after not even an hour with me, he invited me to stay with him. That shouldn't be a thing, right? Well, I guess he just trusted me, and I trusted him. We had this . . . bond. “So we began to spend more time together. I stayed at his house. He would be at work—he did a lot of nights, too—and I'd be left all alone, so I asked him about getting my own job. Of course, in Equestria, I'd been a veterinarian, but I didn’t have any idea if animals here were any different, or how to get my DVM, since I didn't have it in this world . But after some research, I deduced they were the same and Jackson helped me pay to go to vet school. I got my degree, but it wasn't really the same as in Ponyville . . . so I didn't work as a vet for very long,” she finished quickly, avoiding their gazes. “Anyways, at this point, I'd been here about three years. I was eager for a job again and that was when I saw the add in the paper for a night guard position at Freddy Fazbear’s. I hadn't even known it was here until a few months before. It just never came up. But I decided to try it against my better instinct.” “So you got a job here? Why? It's dangerous!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, blue eyes wide. “I agree with Pinkie,” Rarity murmured in distaste. “Well, you see,” Fluttershy began again, “since I've already known the quirks of the animatronics, I figured I'd be good at it; I was, and am. I’m glad they recognized me. And I listened to the phone guy—well, kinda—and got myself a little costume.” “Costume? Ooh, can we see?” Rarity cooed, gripping the table and leaning forward. “Of course.” Fluttershy reached down from where she'd stowed her bag under the table earlier and removed several articles of clothing. She pulled a black hoodie over her uniform along with two other things. She began to dress again. In the end, she was wearing a cat hoodie with some sort of tail-belt and gloves that looked like cat paws. Her wings materialized on her back as well. “And that works?” Rainbow asked, cocking her head. “Yes, quite well, actually. When the animatronics get to my room they just kind of stare at me and leave again.” She paused. “But . . . Foxy kind of scares me. He rushes the office and screeches. He always leaves right after, when he sees I'm in a “suit,” but, you know.” Fluttershy frowned, blushing slightly. “I know I shouldn't be scared, but I do. Still. He's the only one I really need to worry about. His camera is the only one I check.” She quickly pulled off her costume and put it back in the bag. “Well, I'm glad you're not getting hurt. I wish that you could pursue your passion of helping animals here, too,” Twilight said, leaning over and placing a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Me too. But it's not like I don't help at all. I work for a few of the animal shelters here, like when the animals get sick or if they need to a checkup. I do it for free, though. They need the money for other things, like food and supplies.” “That's good.” “But what did you do then?” Pinkie Pie asked, eager to hear more. Fluttershy hesitated. “I haven't really done anything else.” “What? Nothing?” Rainbow asked. “Come on, sugar cube, Ah can see somethin’s botherin’ ya,” Applejack coaxed. “Why don't ya tell us? If it's somethin’ bad, we don't judge.” Fluttershy folded her hands in her lap, staring down. “I . . .” She stopped, taking a deep breath. “I know you girls want me to come back to Equestria, but . . . I don't think I can.” There was a collective gasp as she finished. Everyone was out of their seats, towering over her. “What do you mean?!” Rainbow barked frantically. With tears in her eyes, Fluttershy cried back, “I don’t know if I want to go back!” “Oh, dear,” Rarity moaned, putting a hand to her forehead as she fell down in a brief faint. Everyone was so surprised they didn't even try to catch her as she lay splayed out. “Fluttershy, why are you saying this?” Twilight asked. Trying to calm herself, the pegasus wiped at her eyes. “At first, I would sit and look out the window everyday while Jackson was at work, trying to see a glimpse of your faces. It went like that for a while. But years passed, and I started to lose hope.” “What's with this ‘Jackson’ guy you keep talking about?” Dash snapped in frustration. “And all the while, Jackson and I were getting closer,” Fluttershy continued, ignoring the outburst from her best friend. “We were already dating before the first year was over, and even though I tried to ignore his advances, he asked me to marry him another year and a half later.” As she said this, Fluttershy uncovered her left hand, which she’d been cleverly keeping out of sight this whole time. A diamond ring glinted on her ring finger. “You got engaged!” Rarity squealed, up from the floor in no time. “More than that now . . .” “Fluttershy,” Rainbow murmured, “you're married?” “Yes. Jackson and I were in love, and I couldn't wait for you my whole life! I was so alone, and he filled that space in my heart . . .” Fluttershy trailed off. “So the next year, we were married. During the third year of our marriage—the sixth year here—he told me something I never even considered: “He wanted to start a family.” The girls were silent. “I said I wasn't ready—if anything, I was determined not to give more of my heart away in this strange land. I did this for another year, and another. I could tell he was starting to get discouraged, and we began arguing; about my job, about my reluctance to have children—about anything that went wrong. When I could no longer stand to see him unhappy, I said I was ready.” Fluttershy stood up and put a hand on her stomach. “I'm about seven weeks in.” The girls’ mouths were open. Suddenly, Rainbow flew forward, wrapping her arms around Fluttershy. She squeezed her fiercely as she laughed. “My Fluttershy is a mom!” Dash cried, giddy. Rarity squealed cutely, clasping her hands together. “Oh my gosh I can't believe it! I call throwing the baby shower!” All the girls rushed forward eagerly. All except for Twilight. “Fluttershy . . . Equestria will perish without the Element of Kindness,” she said. “The timeline is destroyed. We need you back to fix it.” Fluttershy looked up. “I know.” She unwrapped Rainbow Dash from her body. “But . . . I’ve done a lot here. I’m sorry.” “But you don’t understand, Fluttershy! Do you know what’s happened in Equestria?” Fluttershy didn’t answer. “We had no Element of Kindness! We didn’t beat Nightmare Moon—without you, the other Elements didn’t work! Luna is dead! The moon is shattered in the sky! Princess Celestia was forced to kill Discord inside his statue because she couldn’t risk him getting out!” Twilight yelled, tears gathering in her eyes. “Oh my goodness,” Fluttershy whispered, putting her hands to her face. “I had no idea . . .” “So you see? We need you.” “I understand, Twilight, I really do.” She frowned. “I just need some time to think.” Fluttershy looked towards the three animatronics on stage. “They won't be active until tomorrow night. You won't be able to talk to them until then, and there are some things you'll want to know—but they aren't really mine to tell. “Until then, why don't we go out? I've missed you guys so much, and it'll be nice to get our minds off of all this,” Fluttershy finished, waving a hand. The group readily agreed. “Oh, Jackson’s home. You guys stay here, I'll go get him,” Fluttershy said, standing up at the sound of the door opening. The five other girls sat in wait, glancing around with mixed expressions. A few moments later, the couple walked back in, holding hands. Pinkie Pie ‘aawed’ and Rainbow Dash refrained from gagging, only due to the fact that it was Fluttershy. “Jackson, these are my friends I was talking to you about,” Fluttershy stated, smiling. “Girls, this is Jackson.” “Hi,” Jackson said with a slight wave of his hand. “Fluttershy’s told me a lot about you five.” Said group of five stood up to introduce themselves, but Jackson waved his hand for them to stop. “Wait, I think I know almost as much about you as she does. Let me guess who's who, yeah?” “Ooh, I love guessing games! Me first!” Pinkie cried, jumping in place. She pointed at him. “You're Jackson!” She clapped. “I'm good at this!” With a smirk, he pointed back at her. “You're definitely Pinkie Pie.” He went around, guessing at their names. “You're Rarity”— “Yes, darling!” —“Applejack”— “That's me!” —“Rainbow Dash”— “Don't you forget it!” —“and Twilight Sparkle.” “Ooh, he's good,” Pinkie interrupted. “Yeah, I'm surprised,” Twilight murmured. “I'm not,” Rainbow said. “It'd make sense that Flutters would talk about us as much as she did. Especially me.” The pegasus pushed out her chest and gave her invisible wings a single flap to emphasize. She got a few frowns sent her way. “Well, let's not waste time, huh?” Jackson suggested. “I'd like to hear some stories after a long day of work.” So the group sat down again. “Hey, did Fluttershy ever tell you about the time she stared down a dragon?” “Um, Pinkie, not-tay real here-tay.” “A dragon?” “Oh boy.” It was late once again, and the mares-turned-human were making their way back to the pizzeria. “We’ll just tell them not to switch into roaming mode,” Fluttershy said as she unlocked the doors with her key. There was a quiet murmur of agreement from the others and they went inside. “Hey, Fluttershy, before, when we were talking to Freddy,” Twilight started as they stood by the doorway, “he asked me about who really got ruined. But it wasn't Foxy, you, Chica, or Bonnie, nor Freddy. I can't think of anyone besides Mike—but he's safe—even safer, because he didn't take this job. So, do you know who he was talking about?” Fluttershy blinked, looking her friend up and down. “You'd better ask him that yourself.” She turned around. “Freddy?” Fluttershy called. There was a whir of machinery and he lifted his head, blue eyes glowing. He looked over at them. “Why don't Bonnie and Chica wake up?” Pinkie Pie asked, seeing them standing as still as ever on the stage. Fluttershy glanced back at her as Freddy made his way over. “They can't.” “Ponies,” Freddy said stoically, giving them a fairly dark look. “Fluttershy.” His gaze switched to her. “Freddy, don't be rude. We talked about this,” Fluttershy scolded, wagging a finger at him. Freddy rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Yes, yes, all that. I get it. But I don't see why I should care.” He glared slightly at the girls. “Boy, someone's grumpy tonight.” Fluttershy walked past him idly, then stopped abruptly. “Have you been smoking again?” Freddy looked away, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Fluttershy frowned. “How many times have I told you to stop?” “Well—” “I thought I hid those from you anyways. How do you keep getting them?” Fluttershy chided as she dug around in the front desk. Freddy didn't answer, instead standing off to the side with an annoyed expression on his face. “Well?” “Well what?” “Where do you keep getting these?” She shook the small box of cigarettes she'd found in front of her face. “I want an answer, mister.” “Ugh, one of the employees leaves them in there for their smoke break,” Freddy groaned, sounding a lot like a teen being busted by mom. Fluttershy frowned, sticking them in her pocket. “You will not be getting anymore. You don't need to smoke, especially since you're a children’s entertainer.” “But it's not like I'm hurting anyone—and definitely not myself.” “I don't care. You smell like smoke, and that's why I know. If I can smell it, so can everyone else.” Freddy rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” "Don't whatever me, Freddy.” Fluttershy walked up to him with a frown on her face. The animatronic just huffed and turned his nose up, crossing his arms. “Anyways, there's not going to be any roaming tonight.” She ignored his attitude. “I’m guessing there's going to be lots of conversation, ay?” Freddy asked, a sly grin on his face. “Yes. So do what you usually do and then we can all talk.” Freddy nodded and padded back towards the stage, going behind Bonnie. He exposed his circuits and began to do something, much to the confusion of the ponies. “What's going on here, ‘shy?” Twilight asked, looking to the pegasus. “The timeline, Twilight. Freddy was the only one to get away with all his circuits and servos intact—in the long run, at least. Chica and Bonnie—” “—can only be awoken by their roaming modes switching on at night, or their programming taking action during the day,” Freddy finished as he closed Bonnie’s circuit door. He moved over to Chica, seemingly focused on his task as he talked. “When we first arrived, it wasn't like that. We ended up here about an hour after the pizzeria would have closed. It was very confusing. The three of us were on stage and Foxy was in Pirate Cove—but not for long. That fox came sprinting down to the showroom so fast I thought his tail was on fire . . . again.” “That sounds funny!” Pinkie laughed. Freddy finished with Chica and looked down at the party pony. “Believe me when I say it was far from ‘funny’.” “Ouch . . . Freddy, Chica, what just happened?” Bonnie asked as he picked himself up from the floor. Chica rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up, and Freddy did the same as he grabbed his hat from the floor next to him. “I don't know. We’re back at the pizzeria, though, so the ponies must've sent us back home,” Chica said. “Finally,” Freddy grumbled. He bounced his microphone in his hand a couple times. “What time is it?” Bonnie looked to the clock. “Um, about ten.” “Alright. I don't care about Mike, let's switch into roaming mode tonight.” The two other animatronics agreed. “Is Foxy down in Pirate Cove?” Chica asked. “I hope he doesn't stay there. I want him to like us from now on.” “Yeah, I'm sure he is. I wonder what he's doing,” Bonnie said. Suddenly, a large bang resounded from the direction of the Cove. The three animatronics looked towards it. “Graceful as ever, I imagine,” Freddy muttered. “Foxy, you better not be putting holes in the walls again! For Fazbear’s sake, get balanced before you take off!” He hopped off stage, heading down there. There was silence for a moment, and then the pirate came flying down the hall. Freddy blinked in surprise as the red blur came at him, but managed to not get tackled as he was run into. Foxy gasped and fell backwards, going head over tail as he bounced off the other animatronic. “Foxy!” Freddy barked. Two golden eyes stared back up at him. Freddy frowned, and Foxy scrambled away, hopping on three limbs as he tried to get back up and run off. He fell against the wall, where he managed to get shakily to his feet. “Foxy, come back!” Freddy yelled. He hurried over to the calendar on the wall and felt his circuits go cold. “Bonnie, Chica, cut him off! We need to keep him out of Pirate Cove!” Freddy dashed off with the two others hot on his tail. Bonnie managed to get to Pirate Cove before Foxy by using a shortcut. He rounded a corner and nearly smashed into Chica. Flailing, Foxy skidded back towards the showroom. Freddy quickly stepped out and grabbed him. Foxy kicked and tried to escape, but only managed to turn himself around. Freddy’s grip was strong around his waist, and it kept him close. “Jus’ le’ me go back ta Pirate Cove; I won't bother ya again!” Foxy cried, desperately wriggling in Freddy’s hold. He couldn't fight back, as his arms were pinned to his sides. “Foxy, calm down,” Freddy said firmly. “Please don't hit me, I'm sorry!” “Foxy, I'm not going to hit you! Tell me, do you remember the ponies?” Foxy stopped fighting, letting himself hang over Freddy’s arms. “What? That—that wasn't a dream?” “No,” Freddy said, “no, it was real. I remember it, too!” "Then why-?” “I don't know, Foxy, I just don't.” Foxy sagged down farther. His legs bent under him and he depended on Freddy to prevent him from falling. “Come on, let's get back to the stage, alright?” Freddy suggested, trying to get him responsive again. “I don't wanna . . . I jus’ wanna go back ta Pirate Cove,” Foxy whimpered. “No. You're just gonna sulk in there.” Freddy saw Bonnie and Chica at the end of the hallway and he jerked his head towards the showroom. They nodded and scurried off. “Is it my fault?” Foxy murmured. Freddy stopped. “No, it's not. Come on, work those legs,” Freddy urged, struggling to walk with Foxy in front of him. “It is, though. If I hadn't been so . . . weak. The Nightmare wouldn't ‘a been able ta take over me . . .” “Foxy! Foxy?” Freddy turned the pirate to look at his face. His eyes were starting to close, the golden light fading out to black. “Come on, Foxy, don't power down now.” “Wh’t do I n’d ta stay on fer?” Foxy asked quietly, accent slurring his words in his low power state. “’M br’k’n and usel’ss. Don't e’n bother chargin’ me . . .” His eyes flickered out and his eyes closed. He went completely limp in Freddy’s arms. Freddy waited a moment, staring down at Foxy's once again broken form, before he lifted him up to carry him to the back room. There, he flipped him over and plugged him in. “I'm sorry,” Freddy said, running a hand over Foxy’s shoulder. He padded back to the showroom. On his way in, he spared a glance at the calendar on the wall. “He was on again before I could check on him. He went right back to Pirate Cove. Hasn't come out afterhours yet,” Freddy finished. “I know he hates himself for trusting you. I don't think it'll be easy for him; to see you ponies again.” “Aw, poor Foxy,” Pinkie Pie whined. “But then, what happened to Bonnie and Chica?” Twilight asked. She glanced at the animatronics on stage. “Oh, I don't really know. After a few months they just kind of . . . stopped working. I'm not sure why,” Freddy said with a shrug. “I mean, it's not like I tried everything I knew to help them, or that I miss talking to them during the night, or that they were my best friends and now I have no one left.” He had a grin on his face, but the sarcastic tone wasn't there. “Freddy, it's okay,” Fluttershy said, patting his arm. “Yeah, yeah, of course it is. Of course it is. I’m just being silly.” “Calm down. Come on, just do what I taught you.” Fluttershy grabbed his hands in hers, looking up at him. Freddy looked back down at her, expression dark. Fluttershy hummed quietly, trying to make him copy her. A few moments later, a mechanical whir emanated from Freddy as he began to hum. “Yes, good. Now, don't worry, everything will be just fine,” the pegasus soothed, smiling up at the animatronic. “But it's not,” Freddy said back, voice thick. “I know, I know. Just keep humming—it'll help calm you down.” Fluttershy released his hands and turned back to the girls. “So, you know why.” Twilight looked like she was about to ask something, but didn't. Fluttershy looked at her. “Do you have anything to say?” she asked. “I don't . . . I mean, I do, but I don't have to ask it,” Twilight murmured. “Just ask it, Twi,” Applejack said. “Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed. Twilight spared a glance at Freddy, who was turned away, still trying to calm himself. “A-alright.” She paused. “When you asked me who really got ruined, who did you mean?” Freddy stopped humming abruptly. His head turned sharply to look at her. “Can you really think of no one? Tell me, Twilight, who was with us?” He turned his full body towards them. Frowning, the unicorn reviewed their time in Equestria. Alright, there was Foxy, Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, Mike, and . . . Twilight stopped. “Golden Freddy.” Freddy clapped slowly, tucking his microphone underneath his arm. “Well done,” he snorted sarcastically. “F**king brilliant.” “Freddy!” Fluttershy exclaimed, eyes wide. She swatted him with a hand, appalled. “Where is he?” Twilight asked. “Back room,” Freddy replied, ignoring the glare he was getting from Fluttershy. “Feel free to go and see him.” With an angry huff, the animatronic turned and walked off. “Where's he goin’?” AJ asked. “He needs to calm down,” Fluttershy responded. “He’ll most likely wander for a bit.” She watched him go before looking back to her friends. “I'll take you to the back room.” Fluttershy led them down the hall, then opened a door to let them inside. Upon entering, there were spare heads and suit parts on the shelves. The pegasus pointed at the corner. “Goldie is right over there,” she murmured. Twilight walked forward in trepidation, the four others following closely. Fluttershy stood at the door. “What happened?” Pinkie asked upon seeing him. “He went crazy,” Fluttershy replied. She crossed her arms and leaned against the door. “Crazy?” Rarity asked. “Yeah, Freddy told me when they got back, a few hours later, Goldie appeared behind them, spouting off random things. Like, random random. Words and phrases and all sorts of things. “Freddy tried to talk to him, but didn't get anywhere, apparently. A minute later, Goldie vanished again. This kind of activity went on for a while. A couple of months, he said. About the time Bonnie and Chica started to go, well, down. Maybe they were related; maybe not. I couldn't tell you. “I know they didn't see much of him. His craziness would come and go. But then, a month before it, well, happened, he began to get violent. So violent they couldn't restrain him. Freddy tried to reason with him, to make him stop, but nothing worked. They lived with Golden Freddy coming in and out, shoving them and attacking them out of nowhere. It was an issue, but not that big of deal, in all. Not until one day, like, in the middle of the day, Goldie appeared and attacked one of the customers. No one knew what happened, but Freddy says it was good that it was an adult that got attacked, and not a kid.” Fluttershy smiled. “You should hear what he says about kids—all the good things. All the little quirks they have. He's a real sweetheart when you get to know him.” Realizing she was getting off topic, she shook her head. “Uh, anyways, it was that night when he couldn't risk Goldie attacking another customer. So . . . when Freddy saw him again later in the day, afterhours, he . . . grabbed him. They tussled for a little while, but Freddy managed to get him in the right position, and he . . .” Fluttershy trailed off, eyeing the remaining parts. “Did that.” Twilight picked up the suit head, feeling a bit sick. “He . . . burned him.” “Yeah. He told me it wasn't pretty, but it was the only way to be sure he didn't hurt anyone again.” Fluttershy walked forward. “So Freddy had to rip open and burn one of his best friends. I think anyone would be angry about that, Twilight.” “When Freddy was talking about this earlier, I have a feeling he wasn't talking about Golden Freddy being ruined . . .” Pinkie Pie said sadly. “I have to agree,” Rarity murmured. “But you and Freddy do seem pretty close,” Applejack commented. “I've had to help him a lot. I didn't see him in the first few years. I wanted to make him feel better. He was really sad and angry when I got the job. And since Chica and Bonnie only wake up because of their roaming modes, I couldn't talk to them. I had to get Freddy to open up.” “You treat him like a kid,” Rainbow said slyly. “Well, yes, but that’s kind of what he is.” “’Freddy, have you been smoking?’” Dash mocked. Applejack and Pinkie snickered at that. “He needed someone to help him through this timeline mess up, and it certainly wasn't going to be anyone else.” Fluttershy frowned at her friends. “Foxy and he are the only ones who can talk, and Foxy won't even leave the Cove—and it’s been nine years.” “Can we talk to Foxy?” Rarity asked. “Yes,” Fluttershy replied. “Though I've talked to him. He's not . . . doing so hot.” “Can we talk to him anyway?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy frowned, but nodded. “You can try.”