“What?!”
“Fluttershy, please calm dow—”
“I knew something bad was going to happen! I had the feeling! Rarity, I told you I had the feeling!”
Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash watched on as Fluttershy proceeded to go into full blown panic mode, her eyes wide and breathing erratic. She had Rarity by the shoulders, shaking her as she yelled wildly in her face.
“Fluttershy, calm down!” Twilight tried again.
“Darling, please stop shaking me,” Rarity said, placing her own hands over Fluttershy’s. She gently pried the pegasus off, holding her hands down.
“This is terrible! How are we going to find them? Or the spell gems? We’ll never get back to Equestria!” Fluttershy shouted, pulling away from Rarity and holding her hands near her face.
“Uh, well, finding them will be easy,” Twilight answered, a small smile on her face.
“How? Goldie’s the one who tracked Springtrap down last time,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Using the metal tracking spell—I’ve used it to find Foxy before.”
“Um, Twilight, but half of this city’s made of metal,” Rarity pointed out. Twilight’s head jerked up, her eyes widening.
“Oh, no! You’re right! I’d never be able to distinguish between a belt buckle and a bottle cap,” the unicorn fretted. She tapped her chin with a finger in thought, furrowing her eyebrows.
“Don’ tell me ya ain’t got no other fancy spell fer findin’ them two,” Foxy said, tilting his head. “I’ve seen ya do much more. Ya gotta think ‘a somethin’.”
Twilight met eyes with Foxy, biting her lip. “U-uh . . .”
“Come on, Twilight, he’s right! You’re the Element of Magic; surely you can conjure up some sort of spell for the tracking down Springtrap and Golden Freddy,” Rarity agreed.
“Yeah! We believe in you, Twi!” Dash exclaimed, pumping her fist. Pinkie cheered along and gave a ‘whoop whoop!”
Twilight smiled wearily back at her friends. Her mind went into overdrive as thoughts ricocheted around in her head like pool balls after being hit full force by the cue.
“That’s it! Oh, Rarity, you’re a miracle worker!” Twilight declared suddenly, whole body straightening up. She seemed to glow like a lightbulb for a few moments as a metaphorical one appeared above her head.
Rarity blinked, surprised. It took her a few seconds to react. “O-oh, I see! That’s very kind of you, darling. I know I can be an inspiration~” She fluttered her eyelashes, putting a hand to her chest.
“So, uh . . . mind filling us in? What’s your plan?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Goldie—he’s the key!” Twilight announced as the group settled in around her to listen. All she got were stares. “You see, when we first met him—when he took over you, Dash—I noticed he gave off a very special ‘magical’ signature.” The unicorn let her hands glow briefly to emphasize her point. “That glow he gave off when I trapped him in the cubical prison. Or, if you want to see it like this, how he can transform into a gaseous form.”
“You’re saying he uses magic?” Pinkie asked. “I thought he said it wasn’t magic.”
“As I said, it’s “magic”,” Twilight made quotation marks with her fingers, “so it’s like magic, but more of a . . . spiritual kind. It’s how he can communicate telepathically from long distances—or short, and even how he can take others over.” She beamed. “I may not be able to track him specifically, but I can track his magical signature! It fluctuates with his forms: smoke or solid. All we have to do is follow the waves he gives off.”
“Brilliant!” Rarity cooed, clapping her hands together.
“Heck yeah! I knew we’d find them!” Dash proclaimed, punching the air.
Fluttershy looked very relieved, her body releasing a whole ton of tension, making her visibly deflate. “Oh, how nice. I was terribly worried for a little bit there.”
“Uh huh, because we couldn’t tell,” Rainbow teased with a gentle prod to the other pegasus.
Fluttershy smiled, sighing.
“No, I refuse to stay here again! I want to go with. I need to be there; I don’t want to be useless,” Fluttershy argued.
The group was debating on what their plan should be. The instant Fluttershy and Rarity were instructed to stay at the restaurant, the usually timid pegasus spoke up.
“Fluttershy, I get that, but we don’t want to risk anything happening to anyone else,” Twilight started.
“Are you saying I can’t defend myself?”
Twilight flushed, freezing. “W-what? No, Fluttershy, that’s not—”
“Oh, please, Twilight,” Rarity intervened, setting her hands on her friend’s shoulders. “Let her come! She’s more than capable of taking care of herself. Besides, we’ve been sitting here all night while you girls have been out in the action! I say, I could use a good adventure as well. I most definitely don’t blame her for wanting to get out of this stuffy place.”
Twilight sighed, a small smile crossing her face. “Alright, you have a point. I can’t say I don’t agree with you.”
Rarity smiled. “Good.”
“What about Foxy?” Rainbow Dash asked in a raised whisper, jerking her head towards the animatronic staring out the window. Twilight looked to where Dash had indicated.
“Uh . . .”
“Wh’t ‘bout me?” Foxy said suddenly, turning and limping towards them a few steps. “I know I ain’t useful, ‘specially not now. ‘M broken an’ stuck ‘ere. Don’t worry ‘bout me. I’ll hol’ down the fort jus’ in case those golden traitors wander back ‘ere.”
“All by yourself?” Fluttershy asked in worry, glancing towards him with big eyes.
Foxy huffed in amusement, patting her head with his rusted hand. “Aye, still worryin’ ‘bout me, lass? No need. ‘M a grown animatronic that can take care ‘a ‘imself.”
Fluttershy laughed quietly as he turned back around and limped to a chair. He fell down in it, sighing as metal squealed and creaked.
“Alright then, gang,” Twilight said, eyes blazing with determination, “let’s roll out.”
“Yeah!”
When Applejack came to, the last thing she expected was to find herself tied to a chair. Blinking, she shook her head to clear it, wondering if this was all just some strangely realistic daydream. After tugging at her bindings a little while, she decided this was real.
Well . . . great.
Applejack was stuck. Her hands and feet were tied effectively to the steel chair she was sitting upon. To get her mind off the situation, she glanced around to try and decipher where in the world she was.
“Well, someone’s awake,” came a smoothly sinister voice. Applejack’s head jerked towards the sound. Springtrap waltzed forward, his usual sadistic grin on his face.
“Where am I?” AJ asked coldly, narrowing her green eyes.
Springtrap arched an eyebrow. “Why would I bother telling you? You aren't getting out.”
“For the sake ‘a me knowin’, just tell me, ya oversized door hinge.”
“Rude.” The animatronic moved closer, bending down as to look her directly in the eyes. “It’s not like it matters.”
“Ya know what’s rude? Your rancid breath. Geez, ever heard of a breath mint?”
Springtrap stood straight again, a snarl crossing his face. He glared at her before turning away.
“Be snarky. It won’t get you anywhere,” the animatronic responded. Suddenly, he whipped around again. His eye twitched, and he pointed a finger at the bound girl.
“Eheheheh—cuz you’re not getting out alive!”
Applejack’s lip curled at him, a snarl making its way from her throat.
“Are we getting close yet?” Rainbow Dash asked, bored. She and the others walked after Twilight, whose eyes were closed and eyebrows furrowed, her glowing hands held out in front of her as the magic guided her actions through the dark and empty streets of wherever they were.
“Hmm . . . yes, closing in,” Twilight replied, voice soft and a bit strained.
“I—closing in? Is that the same thing?”
“Ssh, let Twilight concentrate on her spell,” Rarity admonished.
“Yeah! We need to let her find those meanies that have Applejack!” Pinkie Pie agreed.
Twilight frowned at her friends’ soft bickering, but ignored them as she warily followed the pull of magic. She needed to concentrate to be able to track the slight shifts in magical force—the slight shifts that happened whenever Golden Freddy changed forms. She hadn’t felt one for a little while, so it was crucial she focus on the location of the last ping.
Come on . . . nearly there . . .!
Twilight gasped as the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place, her eyes widening.
“I’ve got them! I’ve got them!” she declared. She was nearly bouncing with joy. Her hands sparked with magic as it surged through them. “Come on, everyone!” She took off, hands flashing. The rest of the girls grinned, exchanging hopeful glances, and proceeded to run after the unicorn. The sprinted down several streets, skirting corners and cutting across the middle of intersections. In a matter of minutes, they found themselves at an abandoned warehouse.
Twilight and her friends gazed up at the run down large building.
“This is it?” Rarity asked.
“Yes, this is where they are. A secluded location—Springtrap is a lot smarter than we first thought,” Twilight responded with furrowed eyebrows.
Rainbow Dash snorted and pounded a fist into her open palm. “Let's go! AJ needs us.”
“Yeah! We've gotta rescue her from the meanies,” Pinkie Pie added. Her curly hair seemed to vibrate with anger.
“Okay, but we need a plan before we just charge. We can't have anything worse happen,” Twilight advised. “We should sneak in quietly and locate Applejack. Then we'll need to confront the two animatronics. I'm not sure what's even up with Golden Freddy at this point, but we can only assume he's no longer on our side at all. So we’ll take out Springtrap and him as fast as we can, then report back to the pizzeria. Let's try and make this as painless as possible.”
She received a chorus of agreements.
“Alright, girls; let's go.”
“I can feel them approaching,” Springtrap whispered to his companion. Golden Freddy tilted his head, staring soundlessly at the bunny.
Springtrap smirked. “I'm so glad you can no longer argue with me, Fredbear. Talking back just doesn't suit you.” The rabbit turned to the bear with half lidded eyes. He lifted his hands and cupped Golden Freddy’s face gently. “I'd say this is much better, don't you think? No complaints, no rejections, no saying no . . .” Springtrap leaned in farther, making their noses touch as he stared into his eyes. Golden Freddy just continued looking blankly ahead. “Just complete compliance.”
Abruptly, Springtrap removed himself from the stoic bear’s personal space.
“They arrive, finally,” he murmured with a maniac grin.
Perfect . . .
Yes . . . It really is perfect, isn't it?
It's all coming together . . .
Yes . . .
The voice left again with dark, menacing laughter, leaving the animatronic in silence. Springtrap’s eye twitched, and he brandished the still bloody knife from earlier.
“Come along, honey; we have some slaughtering to do~”
Applejack could've sworn she heard something. It was shuffling, just the quietest of movements. Of course, it could've been the animatronics, but this time . . . it just didn't seem like one of them. Keeping her head up, AJ searched the shadows intently with green eyes.
“Applejack?”
The earth pony jerked her head to the other side as she recognized the gentle and timid voice. Glittering cyan eyes and pink hair met her vision, and Applejack sighed heavily in relief.
“Oh, ‘shy! Ah'm so glad you're here!” she declared in a quiet voice. She watched with bated breath as the pegasus sliced away the ropes binding her with a packaging knife. Standing as soon as they were cut, AJ stretched out her sore limbs. She had a few ligature marks and a headache from when Golden Freddy had decked her, but that was about it.
“Come on, we've gotta hurry to find the others and meet up with them,” Fluttershy said. “We’re going to take out the animatronics.”
Applejack nodded carefully. “’Bout time.”
Springtrap’s ears twitched as he padded quietly and carefully down a long, dark hallway. Golden Freddy trailed obediently after him, completely silent. The only sounds heard was the raspy breathing of the bunny animatronic and the squeaking of rats from inside the walls.
Springtrap perked up at whispers, his purple heart tingling as if in a warning. He stayed absolutely still and listened.
“. . . so glad you're okay, AJ. We were really worried about you,” came what he was sure was the voice of Sparkle. A spark of anger ignited in his chest; he'd killed her. She had been there in the alley earlier, too, along with Violet—who he quite remembered he'd stabbed.
Give them what's coming to them.
Springtrap stiffened at the voice in his head again.
Those kids got that.
The devious animatronic grinned, eyes burning with violet for just a moment before it faded away as he blinked.
“Alright, let's find those two animatronics,” Sparkle said in a way that told him she was wrapping this up. “Remember, be careful. Watch your backs. That's how he gets you.”
There was movement in the room, and a soft declaration of confidence. Springtrap smirked and stepped out into the colored light from the hands of Sparkle.
“Springtrap!” she gasped, eyes quickly settling into a glare.
“How delightful. You've made this easier for us,” Fast growled, hands fists at her sides. Blondie, Violet, Pinky, and Quiet said nothing as they flanked Sparkle, but they all shot him angry looks.
“Well, now, that'd be a shame if I went that easily,” Springtrap commented idly. He waved his hand, and Golden Freddy slunk forward.
Twilight scoffed, earning a suddenly confused glance from the animatronic.
“You think we’re scared of Golden Freddy? We may not have been prepared last time, but this time, however . . . I mean, how do you think we controlled him in Equestria?” the unicorn asked rhetorically. She knew Springtrap had no idea what she was talking about, but that was okay. Her hands flared with magic, and suddenly Golden Freddy was being sucked down. He made no noises of discomfort or denial as he struggled to escape from her magic. He was no match, and the next moment, a small magenta cube of magic sat at their feet.
Springtrap was obviously surprised. “Sparkle. You have bested him?” He glanced up at her.
“Yes, I have, and you're next.” Twilight smirked as she held one of her glowing hands out towards him. He was surrounded by her magic and totally subdued, then brought closer to her. He glowered daggers at her as she pried the knife from him and tossed it. “No hostages, no surprises. You're done. Now, tell me what you did to the spell gems!”
Springtrap cocked his head. “The tiny sparkles?” He cracked a yellowed grin at her.
Twilight squeezed him with her magic. “Yes, the tiny ones. What did you do with them? I know you took them.”
The animatronic paused, thinking. “Hm, yes, I do recall.”
“Tell me,” Twilight demanded. Her glare was fierce. “No tricks—unless you want me to start slowly crushing you.”
Springtrap scowled. “I disposed of them.”
“Disposed?” Fluttershy gasped.
“Yes, good luck finding them.” His tone was full of malice and sarcasm. His metal suddenly groaned as Twilight tightened her magical hold.
“I'm not playing games! Where are they?” she barked.
“Sparkle, go ahead: kill me. But I've already won,” Springtrap said, voice growing soft and malevolent. His eyes blazed with purple, and the next moment, he deactivated, going limp in Twilight’s magic. The girls gasped, eyes wide, and they exchanged glances.
“What do we do now?” Rarity asked with worry clear in her voice.
Twilight gazed down at the broken animatronic from where she'd dropped him.
“The only thing we can do—go back to the pizzeria.”