"It's been a while" Twilight muttered as she glanced around the cameras.
"I know. Bonnie should've been back by now" Freddy replied absently.
"Maybe he got killed?" Badge Gleam smiled sheepishly, "we haven't been attacked yet".
"Shut up" Goldy growled.
"Look, it's almost six," Badge Gleam checked the monitor's time, "I'm leaving once my shift is done".
"And leave us behind to look for our friends?" Freddy narrowed his eyes at the guard.
"With or without you" Badge glared at him, before shrugging it off.
"Besides, who would want animatronic impostors hanging around them" he commented coolly.
"Hey! We're not impostors!" Freddy protested.
"At least I know I'm not" Springy muttered with a glance at Badge Gleam.
"Look, guys, calm down. We'll get your friends before we leave, just in case" Twilight stepped between the two ponies, stilling the air. The two glared at each other for a moment longer, before looking their own ways.
"Dear Celestia, can no pony get along?" Twilight sighed. Goldy did the same.
"Not really. Having your murderer on the loose isn't exactly comforting" he kept his head down.
"Sorry, just a little jumpy," Twilight glanced around outside the left hall, "and paranoid, with all these killer-" she stopped short as she realized what she was saying.
"It's okay" Goldy replied, "once we destroy Springtrap, you won't have to worry about this. Or us".
Twilight didn't reply, only stared for a long moment, before looking off into the distance.
Bonnie watched in silent horror as String Play levitated the mask a few inches from his muzzle. He was examining it, clearly plotting something with the devious look in his pinprick eyes.
String Play moved the mask around, glancing where it had rolled out, and after seeing nothing out of ordinary, turned back to the mask.
It was a light brown, more tan than anything, with two rosy cheeks painted on it.
Two bright eyes stood out with fake white dots to serve as the light reflecting off of it. The muzzle had a brown tip on it, and it was pulled back into an infinite smile.
"Hah, finally" String Play muttered proudly as he raised the mask over his head to reflect the light off of it's dusty surface.
Bonnie leaned forward, listening intently.
"Now I need those other toy things" he muttered to himself before sighing, "but I won't find them, not tonight at least". His right ear twitched, and he sent a daring glare at the doorway. Bonnie quickly ducked behind the wall.
After hearing String Play shrug and sigh, he peeked around the corner to listen again.
String Play quickly cast a small bit of magic onto the mask, before placing it across the room on a dusty shelf. He turned to the door.
As soon as he placed a hoof towards it, Bonnie twisted around and began to make a fast pace towards the left hallway. (Or right, considering it's the left on the camera but right to him)
He could hear String Play leave the parts room, and in a quick second, Bonnie swerved around one of the tables, ducking down behind it.
He couldn't let String Play see him.
Who knew what he would do if it came to that.
He spotted a purple outline faintly glowing from the stage lights.
"Vincent!" Bonnie shouted in a loud whisper.
The purple stallion stopped, and gave a confused look at the crouching pony.
Bonnie sighed, "just get down here!". Vincent didn't budge, or at least not until he saw String Play.
"What did you do?" Vincent asked as he bent down beside the table in front of Bonnie.
"I didn't DO anything" Bonnie snapped, exchanging a worried glance around to make sure String Play hadn't heard them.
The black puppet pony was still, listening around. Maybe for the animatronics, maybe for them.
"I had followed String Play all the way up to parts room, and was listening in-"
"So you stalked him" Vincent interrupted flatly.
Bonnie glared at him for a second before continuing in a rushed tone, "he was looking for something. And apparently- he found it".
"Well, what is it?!" Vincent urged him to continue.
"A Balloon Boy mask".
Vincent didn't respond, clearly contemplating why he would want a mask from the old animatronics.
Bonnie waited in silence, keeping watch for String Play. The puppet pony had begun to leave for the office again, but he took his time, traveling at a slow gait.
Vincent suddenly perked up, his eyes wide. (or his pinprick eyes shrunk)
"I think I know what he's doing" his voice was rushed and urgent.
"Okay then, what do you think of it?" Bonnie asked, unconvinced.
"I'm not completely sure, but it has to do with you guys for sure".
Bonnie tapped his chin, before sighing.
"I don't get it".
"What I mean is, he might be trying to do something with the mask. Uh, I don't know, maybe dark magic stuff?" Vincent suggested.
Bonnie stared for a long moment, before slowly nodding.
"You may be right" he looked back at the hallway, to find that String Play was trotting down it, not yet at the door from what he could hear.
"We should go now, before String Play reaches the office" the two nodded and got up, quickly galloping down the right hallway. The tile didn't help in covering their hooftaps.
As they neared the door, Vincent heard a few hard clangs behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Chica, glaring at them. She moved forward, her vision now centered only on Vincent.
Chica began to dart after them, clanging loudly on her way.
"I thought you said you wouldn't be noticed!" Bonnie asked hastily.
"I didn't think I would be! I found Freddy, but he seemed focused on getting to the girls bathroom" Vincent exclaimed worriedly, but sighed as he went over what he said.
The two turned into the office, Chica gaining speed quickly. Bonnie twisted around and slammed the door shut.
"What was that about?" Twilight tilted her head at the two, one panting in exhaustion while the other glanced around nervously.
"Where's String Play?" Bonnie whispered.
"Right here" the puppet pony stepped into the office, glaring at the two suspiciously.
A long, still silence hung in the room.
After a minute or so of staring, Twilight decided to break the friction between them.
"Glad every pony's okay!" he smiled sheepishly, earning a glare from String Play and a sigh from Bonnie.
A small beeping sound came from the office desk as Badge Gleam suddenly jumped from his chair.
"Hah! It's six AM!" his smile was wide and mad, as if he'd just gone yandere. The ponies watched as he pranced to the iron door to the right, ready to leave.
"You have all your friends so I'm just gonna-"
"We're missing one" Freddy interrupted him silently. Badge Gleam stopped short in his excitement, staring wide eyed at them.
"What?" He finally asked.
"She should be in the kitchen" Twilight pointed out, " she did say she was hungry or something earlier". Badge Gleam let out a small sigh.
"Let's go" he whispered. He was quivering with the anticipation to leave, but forced himself to the rear of the group as they left the office.
The animatronics were all on stage, Pirate's cove curtain was shut; it seemed as if the whole night had never happened.
The only difference throughout the almost vacant pizzeria was the small clanging sounds from the kitchen.
And with that, just as the first of the group stepped into the party room, the movement of pots and pans dispersed immediately.
Chica practically jumped out of the kitchen and onto Freddy and Bonnie, her face giving away nothing but excitement.
"I heard it's six AM!" she smiled as she jumped up.
"You heard me from in there?" Badge Gleam suggested, earning a large nod from Chica.
"Why, "Bonnie evaded a hug from Chica, "are you so hyper?".
"Well, I came in here to find Chica playingwiththepotsandpanssoIdecidedtojoinherandthenshefinallyleftsoIlookedthroughallthecuboardsforpizzadoughuntilIrememberedtheywereinthepantrysoIgrabbedthatandbegantocookitandallwhilefindingseasoningandstufftoputonit, "Chica gasped for air, "Ifoundplentyofpeepporoniandcheeseandsomeothersaucethatdidn'thaveaname.OOh!Ialsofoundthisbagofcandyyousee.SoIputitinthepizzaandittastesamazing!Chicacamebackandtriedtoeatitbutofcoursethatdidn'tworkoutsinceshe'snotsupposedtoeatanythingsosheleftandIthoughtyouguysmightlikesomecauseitmakesyouSUUUUPERhyper!" it ended with everyone just blinking at Chica as if she was mad.
"...What?" she tilted her head to one side.
"Nevermind," Vincent shook his head, "Let's get going".
Springy followed him, and with a shrug so did Chica. The group all left the building, with String play giving a final glance at the parts room before exiting with them.
Twilight had decided to part ways with the group for the day, and considering Badge Gleam still didn't believe their story, was currently studying a magic sample she'd contained from String Play during the night shift.
"If I can just prove to him..." Twilight mumbled to herself as she fiddled with the everlasting shadowy wisps from the ball of magic.
This wasn't any type of magic she'd seen before- bearing a similar but not exact resemblance to Sombra's.
It seemed to almost have a mind of its own, as it kept retracting when light was put on it, and wouldn't stop trying to worm its way to Twilight.
She could barely part the ball of magic, and every time she did, it would simply reattach it's self like a stick of goo.
Twilight levitated a knife and a small cutting board to the desk she worked at.
Using the knife, she cut into the magic, and then pulled it apart with her magic. Straining to keep it separated, she quickly replaced the empty space with the cutting board.
The magic immediately tried to stick together again, by when it found the large wall-like object in its way, both sides moved to one end of the board.
They conjoined there, and the magic on the right side slithered across to move around the board.
It did have a mind of its own, Twilight knew that by now. But she found it odd that it made no attempt to get back to its owner, much less to even fly.
It stuck to its ground like a shadow, unable to jump, only to climb.
"What kind of magic is this?" Twilight asked herself.
The shadowy wisps inched towards her, in which she swatted them away. She was about to give it up then and there, just get some sleep and deal with it later, until her front doors swung open.
"TWILIGHT!!!"