1) Too Much Death

Comic-Con, San Diego

Anon was having a good time at Comic-Con. People dressed as different characters and hanging out was a great way for him to interact with others comfortably. And he was dressed up as his favorite character from "Five Nights at Freddy's", Springtrap. He worked long and hard on his costume and he felt that it was perfect. Anon also liked the fact that the costume made him taller. He eventually bumped into someone dressed up as Roxanne Wolf from "FNAF: Security Breach". Anon and the Roxy looked at each other for a bit before the girl dressed as Roxy pulled out her phone.

"Hey, do you want to take a picture?" she asked.

"Sure. Can't pass up a good photo op like this," Anon said.

The two FNAF cosplayers stood next to each other while Roxy positioned the phone to take the selfie. As soon as she took the picture, Roxy laughed.

"Thanks for the pic, 'Springtrap'," Roxy said. "Your costume looks fly as hell!"

"Thanks. Your Roxy costume is looking awesome, too!" Roxy said.

"Say, want someone to talk to during this con?" Anon asked.

"Sure. I'm not here with anyone else to talk to right now," Roxy said. "Would be nice to be able to talk to someone during this whole thing."

Anon and Roxy walked around the con together, talking about different things they liked and disliked and were at the food court arguing about different Vtubers.

"Look, I love Vtubers as much as the next person, but Shylily just holds a special place in my heart," Anon said. "Her bubbly personality and the random shit she talks about makes her relatable and interesting."

"Shylily's great, but I personally like Saruei," Roxy said. "Saruei's warm and smooth voice puts listeners at ease and watching her scream during her horror gameplays is hilarious!"

"Saruei's great! I especially enjoy listening to her ASMR streams," Anon said. "And her French accent helps with that, too."

"Exactly. It's the type of voice you want to hear when you go to sleep," Roxy said. "Well, her and Miyuna ASMR. Both of them are really good."

"You know, I've been having a lot of fun hanging out with you," Anon said. "It's been more fun being here, if that doesn't sound weird."

Somehow, Roxy smiled with her muzzle. "I've been enjoying talking to you as well. I just feel relaxed around you and we've only just met a few hours ago."

"This day's just going to get better once we finally get food," Anon said. "I'm soooooo hungry right now!"

"Well, let's get the food!" Roxy said.

As the two made their way to the actual restaurants to get food, a figure dressed in all black caught Anon's attention. He couldn't see the figure's face due to the black hoodie he wore, but he carried a black duffle bag on his back. He stopped walking and stared at the guy for a bit, an uneasy feeling creeping up his spine. The figure set the bag on the ground and pulled a gun out of it. The guy turned around and started firing.

The shooter's gunshots caused the crowd to panic. The people ran around trying to get away from the shooter with some of them falling to the ground dead and others fell screaming and gasping. Anon and Roxy ran from the scene as best they could, but Anon happened to turn around and saw the lunatic shooter aiming his gun right at Roxy.

"Roxy! Get down!" Anon said.

Anon pushed Roxy out the gunman's aim just in time. The next thing Anon knew, he felt something strike him in the back and he fell to the ground with intense pain shooting through his body. Warmth spread from underneath him as he bled out. He couldn't feel his legs and he could feel his life slipping away. Blood rose up from his throat as the bullets hit both of his legs. He turned and saw Roxy hiding underneath one of the tables.

"At least Roxy is safe. I just wish I didn't die a virgin," Anon thought.

Then, Anon closed his eyes and his breathing finally stopped. Anon died that day.

*****

Anon woke up to a strange cold feeling. This wasn't the cold embrace of death, though. Instead, it was hard metal pressing against him. He opened his eyes to find himself in what looked like an old abandoned building.

The building he found himself in was dark and the walls were old and decrepit. Wires and some lights hung haphazardly from the ceiling and random chairs and other objects were lying around on the floor. There were a few faded murals on the wall depicting birds, animals, flowers, and rainbows. There were also a few dirty medical supplies around the building.

"Looks like this is some of form of children's hospital. On that note, how am I still alive?" Anon asked himself.

He put a hand to his chest and felt a heartbeat, a good sign. There was another feeling in the suit itself, too. He could feel metal inside the suit, just like Afton's springlock suit was. This brought a spike of fear to Anon's heart.

"Better be careful with this suit. Don't want a springlock failure happening to me," Anon said.

He walked around the old hospital and tried to find a way out of there. As he walked, he thought back to his "death" and how weird his current situation was.

"I don't get what's going on here. I got shot by some shithead at Comic-Con, I 'died', and I woke up in some abandoned kids' hospital, and I'm wearing an actual springlock suit. This is crazy," Anon said before thinking about something. "I want to take this suit off, but I wouldn't know how to take this thing off safely. I may need to ask someone for help."

Anon continued through the old hospital to find a way out. When he neared one of the operating rooms, he smelled something metallic in the air.

"Is that... blood?" Anon asked. He opened the door to the room and saw a sight he didn't want to see.

It was a horrible sight. A mutilated body lay on one of the operating tables, with blood and bits of organs strewn everywhere. As Anon continued to look at the body with shock, he noticed that the body itself wasn't human. What lay on the table was the body of a little blue... Pegasus. This was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen in his entire life.

"What the hell is going on here?!" he shouted.

Anon looked to the ground and saw what must have been the murder weapon. A bloodied kitchen knife lay just a few feet away from the table holding the body. He walked over to the knife and picked it up. He didn't have to worry about leaving fingerprints with his suits finger, so he held the knife easily.

"Better get this to the police," Anon said before leaving the room.

As Anon left the room, he heard the sound of movement down the hall. Anon turned towards the sound of the movement with interest.

"That must be the killer! I've gotta stop them!" Anon thought before running off towards the sound.

As Anon ran, he started to notice that the sounds were coming towards him, not away from him. The sounds grew closer and closer until he saw what he heard as he rounded a corner in the hallway. And it only made his already weird day even weirder.

Standing before Anon was a group of... armored ponies that only came up to his stomach. There were normal ones, but their were also Unicorns and Pegasus ponies. They were wearing armor and brandishing weapons and glaring at him with fury. Anon stood before them and saw the mob part for two ponies that had Anon stupefied.

One of them had rainbow hair, a horn, wings, and white fur with gold adornments while the other one had horns and wings, but was a dark blue. They were taller than the others with the white one's head coming up to Anon's shoulders. Both of these ponies were glaring at Anon fiercely.

"We've finally found you, wretch!" the white one yelled at him.

Anon looked down and saw that he was still holding the bloody knife. Realizing what was going on, and ignoring the fact that these ponies are talking, he dropped the knife to the floor and held up his hands.

"Wait! Wait! I know how this looks! But it's not what you--!" Anon said before being cut off by the shorter one.

"Don't try to lie to us, monster! We know you're the one that's been killing children around Canterlot!" the smaller one said. "We've caught you with the weapon used at each murder!"

"Look, this all just a big misunderstanding! I just found this knife where there was another body in one of the operating rooms!" Anon said. "I swear, I didn't do anyt--!"

Once again, Anon was cut off, only this time it was because of the fact that a strange beam of light struck him in the shoulder, knocking him back a few steps. He looked to the white one in shock as her horn was glowing. The ponies continued to glare at Anon. Fearing for his life, he began to cry as he tried to plead his case.

"Please... I didn't kill anybody! I swear I'm not a murderer!" he pleaded with a cracking voice. "I didn't do anything!"

This time, it was the shorter one that fired a magic beam at Anon. This shot was stronger than the first one, sending him back several feet down the hall. Seeing that these ponies weren't going to listen to him, Anon got up and tried to run away from the ponies. He could hear them chasing after him until he reached the doors to a large operating theater. He ran down the pews and picked up a few chairs to defend himself from the advancing ponies.

The armored ones tried to attack him first, but Anon was swinging the chairs at them. He knocked away a few of them easily, but some of the other ones were keeping their distance from him. He eventually saw the two bigger ones approach with glowing horns. Panting and afraid, he threw one of the chairs at them, only for them to deflect the thing. He pointed the other chair at them threateningly.

"Stay away from me! I didn't do anything!" Anon said.

"Your dedication to this lie is astounding, murderer," the white one said with venom. "Accept your punishment!"

The white one fired a beam of magic at Anon again. He was sent flying back down the stairs until he came crashing down on the bottom of the theater. Anon got up to try to fight them off again, but then he heard the metallic components of his suit start to creak and strain. With wide eyes, Anon realized what this meant.

"No! What have you done?!" he shouted to the gathered ponies.

In an instant, a cascade of sharp searing pain shot through Anon's body as the springlocks failed and snapped closed around him. The springlocks in the head came loose and clamped around his head and he felt his eyeballs get crushed as the mask's silver globes were forced into his sockets. Anon felt his cheeks split and his teeth crack as the mouth segments swung out to meet each other inside his jaw. Two metal beams sprang out from either side, piercing his temples. At the same time, several large metal plates began crushing his head from all sides.

Anon tried to yell, but he was already gargling his own blood, which spilled from his mouth and began trickling throughout the suit. More metallic clunks echoed around the room as the suit experienced a chain reaction of multiple springlock failures. Anon stood there, jerking in places as multiple spikes and cogs began shooting through his soft tissues. He could feel metal probes forcing spinal segments through his body. He lost feeling below the waist, but the metal legs held him firm as his spinal cord was severed. He tried to scream again, but the air erupted from the holes in his chest, followed by a red mist from his pierced lungs. Another clunk echoed throughout the room as the hard plastic parts were driven through the holes in his body. The tears in his abdomen finally met as one and his organs fell out into the suit. A final springlock went into his crotch as his stomach acid spilled out all over it and his groin was skewered. With every lock now closed, Anon maneuvered himself into a sitting position with the skewered man laying his back against the wall, the mouth slightly open and twitching in a painful fashion.

Anon could not move, he could not speak, and he could not scream. All he could do was feel the pain and the life slowly draining from him and the shock setting in. This would be a slow death, a painful death that he didn't deserve. He began to feel cold and everything getting heavy. Death would hopefully end his pain.

"What do we do with him now, Your Majesty?" one of the armored ponies asked the white one.

The white one and the blue one glared down at the gasping and twitching Anon with cold stares. After a minute, the white one responded with ice in her voice.

"He's dying and he can't go anywhere, so we're going to leave him here to rot," she said coldly. "We'll collect the child's body and leave this place!"

That was it. They were going to leave Anon, an innocent man, to suffer and die like this when he did nothing wrong. A cruel joke from the universe, it seemed. Despair suddenly became replaced with hatred and rage, hot and fierce. Anon raised his shaking head at the ponies.

"I... HATE YOU!! I'll make you pay for this!!" he thought-shouted to them. "You hear me?! I'll make you pay!!"

His whimpered cries of hatred and vengeance were ignored as the guards closed the doors to the operating theater. Anon continued to glare at the door as he felt himself slipping into death again. But he swore that he would get his revenge on those ponies.

"I'll be back," Anon whispered to himself. "I always come back."

Anon finally died for the second time.

2) 30 Years Later and Now I'm Free

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30 Years Later

"Revenge", that was the word playing over and over in Anon's mind as he lay at the same spot where he died. Again. He was dead in the physical sense, his body was rotting and his organs no longer functioned and he was stuck in the suit. While he lay there, he could still feel the pain of the springlocks digging into his flesh as if it was happening all over again and again and again. All Anon could feel was pain with no relief. His soul, his consciousness, his everything was still trapped inside the moldering suit in a form of torturous purgatory. His suit had rotted somewhat, his suit's once golden fur had now turned to a sickly golden green.

In all the years he lay there, he had time to think and reflect and obsess over what happened to him. The pony who indirectly framed him for murdering a foal, his being transported to this world, and the ones who murdered him for a crime he didn't commit. All he could think about was the ponies who killed him, and what he would do to them if given the chance.

Anon got up and walked over to the hospital's old cafeteria to observe the outside world. It had taken him a few years to be able to move his body again and it was extremely painful to move, but it was nice to be able to move again. Anon tried to leave the hospital, but all the doors were boarded up and locked. All Anon could do was creep around the hospital and look out the windows to observe what was going on outside. He tried to do anything and everything to keep his spirit from going mad. But this night would be different for the tortured Anon.

As he looked out one of his favorite windows to peer out over the front of the hospital, he saw that there was some random pony standing there. A Pegasus from the looks of it. And it seemed that he was trying to get into one of the entrances of the building.

"If he's trying to get in here, that means I can finally leave this place!" Anon said in his new voice.

Ever since he died, he tried to get himself to be able to talk again. While he did regain his ability to talk, it sounded deeper and robotically distorted. His silver colored eyes widened when he saw the Pegasus break through the boards and chains and enter the building. Anon's rotted face smiled underneath the mask he wore.

"Finally! A way out of this fucking prison!" Anon said before his voice lowered to a sinister tone. "And I think I should pay my killers a visit."

Anon quickly stormed his way down the stairs and halls of the hospital to make his way out of the door. He walked down the stairs to the lower floor and saw none other than the pony who opened the door laying on one of the laid-out hospital beds, sound asleep.

"Seems he was just looking for a place to sleep. Good thing for him he's not on my hit list," Anon thought.

Anon made sure to sneak past the sleeping Pegasus and, for the first time in 30 years, stepped outside the old hospital. The moon was bright and, despite his physical state, the moonlight felt great. The wind gently stroked his malformed body as he embraced a newfound sense of freedom. As Anon stood there, he looked to his left and saw the large city he often stared at in the distance. Anon's corpse smiled underneath his mask.

"I'm coming for you!" he said to the air in a singsong voice.

The tortured Anon walked off the hospital grounds and towards the city, determination and revenge on his mind. He'd make his killers pay. All of them, he would make them pay!

*****

Canterlot Royal Palace - Celestia's Bedroom

Celestia was a having a peaceful sleep. The nation is more peaceful than it's been for years thanks to her student Twilight and her friends. She had every reason to sleep peacefully and have good dreams.

She was walking through the halls of the palace when she noticed something was wrong. Her guards and attendants were nowhere to be seen. The flowers in the pots were dead and rotting, spiders were building webs near the cracked and broken windows, and the carpets were growing mold at a rapid rate.

"What the Tartarus? Where's Luna when I need her?" she asked herself.

As she looked to one of the doors, she heard something from the other side. It was a metallic stomping sound mixed with the sound of gears moving and bones cracking. The sounds were getting louder and louder with each stomp until the doors burst open to reveal a macabre sight.

Before Celestia stood a horror she had seen before. The foal-killer she and Luna left for dead in the old hospital! There he was, right in front of her, only he was different. His suit was an ugly green-gold color, with holes scattered with metal components, desiccated flesh and bones barely visible underneath. The killer glared at her with angry, silver, glowing eyes that seemed to pierce her soul. He stomped towards her with a large kitchen knife in his right hand.

"Hello, old friend! Did you miss me?!" he greeted menacingly in a dark distorted voice.

"Why are you here?!" she shouted to him. "Where are my guards?! Where's Luna?!"

The killer ominously pointed behind him to the room behind the doors. Celestia looked behind the villain and saw something that nearly made her heart stop.

They were dead. Her guards lie on the floor dead in a massive pool of blood, some with their entrails lying out while others simply had multiple stab wounds. There was even one or two that looked like they were tortured before death. But the thing that made Celestia scream was what she saw in the center of the room.

Jutting out of the floor in the center on the room was one of the guard's spears. And atop the spear's blade was the decapitated head of Luna, her lifeless eyes staring at Celestia with voiceless pleading. Celestia screamed in horror as she looked at her sister's head. She was so distraught that she didn't notice the killer walk around her until he wrapped his cold metallic hand around her throat.

"If you're in pain just from seeing your sister's head, then don't worry, I'll relieve you from your pain," the killer said. "After all, you had this coming to you for a long time."

The next thing Celestia knew, the sharp searing pain of a kitchen knife entering her body shot throughout her helpless form. It wasn't instant at all. The killer slowly pushed the knife forward, allowing Celestia to feel every inch of the blade. His grip on her throat prevented her from screaming. She felt the hilt of the knife press against her skin and the killer quickly pull out the knife. Finally, the killer threw her on her back, making sure the pain from the wound would flare up as soon as her back hit the floor.

"You'll finally know real pain!" the killer shouted.

Over and over again, the knife sank into her chest and stomach. Her stomach and lungs were rapidly filling with blood as the force of the thrusts were shattering her bones and turning her organs to mush. Celestia managed the strength to look the killer in his glowing silver eyes. He seemed to smile with his hideous mask.

"See you in hell!" he screamed before plunging the knife into her throat.

Celestia woke up screaming with a fierce torrent of sweat streaming down her face. She looked around to see that she was still in her bedroom. One of the servants opened the door with a worried look on her face.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?!" she asked worriedly.

It took a while for Celestia to respond. "I... I'm fine. Can you please get me Luna as well as Twilight and her friends? I'd like to see them tomorrow morning."

"It shall be done, Your Highness," the servant said before leaving the room.

Celestia sat alone in he room with thoughts buzzing around in her head. She just had a nightmare about the foal-killer she and Luna killed 30 years ago and she couldn't figure out why. And her sister hadn't done anything to stop the dream. She would have to figure out why as soon as possible. And they would have to go confirm something serious.

*****

Canterlot - With Anon

Anon continued walking through the city under the cover of night, making sure to stick to the alleys to avoid ponies seeing him. He made sure that he could see the towers of the palace to make sure he was getting closer to his targets.

"I'm almost there. That much closer to getting my revenge," Anon said.

He made his way towards the outer wall of the palace when he noticed that the sun was starting to rise. If he was seen now, it could mean trouble.

"I have to find a place to hide!" he said to himself.

Anon walked around for a bit before his eyes settled on a place to hide. It was an old abandoned looking pizzeria. The building was brightly colored with red walls rimmed with black-and-white checkered bricks on the bottom. It had a few boards closing off the back door, but that wouldn't be an issue for him. Anon walked up to the door and broke off all the wooden boards and walked inside. The place was definitely abandoned, with dust and cobwebs everywhere and a few wires were hanging from the ceiling. Tables and chairs were strewn about everywhere and there were old musty toys hanging from the prize counter. Anon closed the door and looked at the palace from one of the dirty windows.

"It won't be long now," Anon said to himself. "I can't wait to see you again."

The tortured wrathful spirit found a soft spot on the moldy carpet and laid himself down on it to wait for the cover of night to obtain his revenge.

3) Investigation and Discovery

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Canterlot Royal Palace - The Next Morning

Celestia and Luna were waiting in the throne room for Twilight and her friends to tell them about their little "problem". The elder sister was still thinking about that horrible nightmare she had and wanted to talk to her sister about it.

"Luna, I had... a nightmare last night," Celestia said.

"I had a lot of nightmares to deal with last night, sister. I was unable to get to you before you woke up from it, so I'm terribly sorry," Luna said sincerely. "If I had gotten rid of the other nightmares sooner, I would've been able to help my own sister."

"It's okay, Luna, but I wanted to talk to you about it. I saw someone in that dream last night."

"Anyone we know?"

"Yes. A killer... in a yellow rabbit costume."

That reply made Luna's widen. She remembered the individual Celestia was speaking about. The "Canterlot Kid Killer" as the newspapers called him. They were investigating a serial killer that was killing children in Canterlot. At first, they weren't getting anywhere with the investigation until they were tipped off to a suspicious figure spotted inside the abandoned hospital, where they confronted the killer after he killed another innocent victim. They and the guards managed to put an end to the killer and the killings stopped after that. The fact that Celestia was having a dream about that psychopath was suspicious to her.

"What happened in this dream?" Luna asked cautiously.

"I was walking through the halls of the palace when that madman opened the doors and showed me your head mounted on a spear before stabbing me to death," Celestia replied. "It was the most horrible dream I've ever had in my life."

Luna stood there for a long time with her mouth agape. As sorry as she felt for letting her sister endure that bad of a dream, she was also curious.

"I'm sorry that you had to endure that, sister, but why did you have a nightmare about the Kid Killer just now after all these years?" Luna asked.

"I don't know, that's why I want us and Equestria's heroes to look into this matter. I want us to go back to the old hospital and make sure the Kid Killer is really dead," Celestia replied. "I won't sleep easy until I make sure the killer's dead."

"Well, I'm sure we can wrap this up easily enough," Luna said.

The doors to the throne room opened to reveal none other than Twilight and her heroic friends including Starlight. They all trotted into the room with Twilight looking worried.

"Princess! I got your letter and it said you had something urgent to talk about with us?!" Twilight asked.

"I did indeed, my faithful student. I had a premonition in my dreams last night, and I may need your help with this matter," Celestia said. "Let me ask you, have you ever heard of the Canterlot Kid Killer?"

Starlight was the one to answer that. "Wasn't that the serial killer that was killing children around Canterlot for nearly ten years until you and Luna killed him?"

"Indeed, he was. We both confronted him in an abandoned hospital where he met his demise," Luna said. "After that, we sealed off the hospital to make sure no one got in. And Celestia had a nightmare about him last night."

"But the Kid Killer died 30 years ago, so why are you worried about a dead serial killer?" Applejack asked.

"The nightmare I had about me left me with a dreadful feeling. I want to make absolutely certain that the wretch is dead," Celestia said. "Which is why all of us are going to the old hospital where the killer's body was left."

"You left his body there?" Rainbow asked incredulously.

"A monster like him doesn't deserve a proper burial, so we left him there to bleed out and die," Luna said. "All we're going to do is make sure his body is still there."

"How will we know if it's his body?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, you'll know it when you see it. The killer was wearing a bright golden rabbit costume," Celestia said. "Now then, let's get going."

*****

With Anon

Anon got up when the last beams of sunlight disappeared from sight. Smiling underneath his mask, he got up and looked around for something to use as a weapon should he run into trouble getting his revenge. He went into the pizzeria's kitchen and looked around for a weapon. Opening one of the drawers, he found the perfect weapon: a large kitchen knife. From the looks of it, the blade was still razor-sharp.

"Perfect! No one will stop me!" Anon announced aloud.

The sound of a child sniffling alerted Anon immediately. He shot his head around and saw a little foal standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

It was a little girl from the looks of her. She had long green twin pigtails and pink fur and lavender eyes. She was looking at Anon with a sad and scared expression. This was the first interaction Anon had with a living thing after he died, so he was unsure of how to talk to her.

"Is she going to scream? Is she going to alert the others that I'm here?" Anon thought. "Come to think of it, what is a child this young doing in an abandoned place like this?"

"Are you... are you here to help us, mister bunny?" the girl asked.

The eerie hollowness to her voice was something that Anon didn't expect. There was a wrongness to it somehow, like the voice was coming from an echoed room. At the same time, there was something oddly familiar about her. It was as if he were looking at something just like himself. Anon kneeled down to look at the girl more directly.

"Excuse me, little one, but are you... alive?" Anon asked.

The little girl just looked at him with a sad look. "No. I'm just like you, a spirit. But you seem to have a physical body."

"Why are you haunting this place?"

"Me and my friends were here for my birthday party when one of the employees took us to one of the backrooms, promising us to give us special prizes. Instead, he got a knife and killed us all. I was the last one he killed."

"I... I'm so sorry to hear that. I too was unjustly murdered."

"Were you killed by the Purple Stallion, too?"

"Purple Stallion?"

"That's what we call our killer. He was wearing a purple security guard uniform."

"Can you remember anything else about him?"

"He had pale fur and a big scary smile. That's all we remember about him."

"Your friends, are they here now?"

"Yes. They're a bit shy."

"Can you introduce me to them? I'd like to talk to them."

"Follow me."

The little ghost filly led Anon out of the kitchen and into the main dining room, where three other ghost children stood waiting, two colts and one filly. They all had the same sad expressions as the first one. Anon's decomposed heart ached at seeing the ghost children. He stood in the center of them as they seemed to regard him with curiosity, murmuring in the same dead voices.

"Who is he?"

"He's like us."

"How does he have a physical body?"

"Is he our new friend?"

"Can he help us?"

Anon stood there with curiosity helping him forget about his eternal pain. As he thought about what the first ghost girl said, he got this disturbing feeling that the deaths of these kids and his own death were somehow connected. Thinking back 30 years, he remembered hearing another pony in the same hospital as him before he ran into the Princesses and their guards. That had to be the same pony who killed these kids. He had to tell these ghosts about it.

"Kids, I have something I need to tell you," Anon said. "I was framed for the crimes of your killer. The Princess thought I murdered you and killed me in response, sentencing me to this eternal pain and torment. That's why I'm here: to get my revenge."

"You were framed for crimes you never committed?" the first ghost asked.

"I was. And I know the actual killer was in the same building as me when I first showed up," Anon said. "I think we can help each other out with this."

"What do you mean? How can we help?" one of the colts asked.

"I want to get revenge on the ones who killed me, and you want to get justice for your deaths. If you help me with my goals, I'll help you find your killer and bring him to justice," Anon said. "We both win in this deal."

The ghost children looked to each other in thought. After a few moments, one of the colts raised a small hoof.

"How can we help when we have no physical bodies?" he asked.

Anon put a finger to his chin in thought. "I think I can help with that. I'm pretty good at building things, so I can help you with getting temporary bodies. Leave everything to me."

The ghost children all smiled in gratitude and excitement. The first ghost girl looked at Anon with a happy smile.

"Thank you so much, mister! By the way, what's your name?" she asked.

Anon thought about it. After everything he'd suffered for the past 30 years, he was no longer the same being he was before thanks to those horrible Princesses. He had to use his new name to match his new form. He smiled underneath his mask as he replied.

"You can call me... 'Springtrap'," Springtrap replied. "Nice to meet you all. Now then, time for me to get to work on building bodies for you."

This was perfect. He felt bad for using ghost children for helping him get his revenge, but he would make good on his promise to deliver their murderer to justice. Right after he killed the Princesses, of course.

*****

With Celestia and the Main 6

The group made their way to the old hospital with fervor. The Princess had to make certain that the Kid Killer's body was right where they left it, if only to assuage Celestia's dire worries. Once they finally arrived, Celestia and Luna looked up at the old building with dark thoughts.

"To think, the last time we were here, we stopped a brutal murderer," Luna said. "Doesn't bring about happy memories."

"I know, but we have to see if the Kid Killer's still there," Celestia said.

"What do we do if his body is still there?" Twilight asked.

"We leave it there where it was," Luna said.

"And what if the body's not there?" Rarity asked with a trembling tone.

"I... actually don't know," Celestia replied. "I suppose we'll have the city garrison search the entire city for the body."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Rainbow said.

The group walked past the gates and onto the grounds when Pinkie Pie noticed something right off the bat. She pointed to one side of the building.

"Are those doors over there supposed to be open?" Pinkie asked.

"What?!" Celestia and Luna asked at the same time.

Everyone looked over at where Pinkie was pointing and saw that a pair of the double doors were wide open. Celestia and Luna were shocked to see that the doors were open. They made sure to seal off all entrances to the building to keep vandals and urban explorers out of the Kid Killer's makeshift tomb. If the door was open, then someone had to have broken in.

"Well, at least we have a way of entering the building, now," Starlight said.

The group entered the building and the Main 6 had to follow the Princesses throughout the building until they stopped in front of an old operating theater. The Princesses looked to each other and then to the closed doors with anxiety plastered on their faces. Celestia used her magic to open the doors while Luna used her magic to illuminate the room. They were met with a dreadful sight.

The body wasn't there. There was only a humungous bloodstain where the body once lay. Starlight looked at the pool of dried blood and noticed something.

"Are those... bloody footprints?" she asked nervously.

Sure enough, there were clearly bloody footprints leading from the pool of blood and heading up the stairs of the theater until they stopped at the door. This meant that no one came in and took the body away, but it meant something even worse.

"If there are bloody footprints, doesn't that mean that the killer...?" Twilight asked before trailing off.

"How?! How is this even possible?!" Celestia shouted. "How did the killer survive?!"

"What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked fearfully.

"He didn't do it, you know," a quiet said from the darkness.

"Who said that?" Starlight asked, whipping her head around.

"Who said what?" Twilight asked.

"Didn't any of you hear that?" Starlight asked.

Now, she had everyone's attention. They looked at her with curious expressions.

"Hear what, Starlight?" Luna asked.

"You didn't hear the voice saying 'He didn't do it'?" Starlight asked.

That changed the mood of the group instantly. They all looked at Starlight with serious looks, with Celestia putting a hoof on Starlight's shoulder.

"Starlight, you heard a voice saying 'He didn't do it'?" Celestia asked.

"Yeah. It sounded like it came from the hall," Starlight said.

"Starlight, we need you to go out into the hall and see if you can respond to the voice," Luna said.

The Unicorn did as she was told and walked out into the hallway where she looked around a bit before she saw someone standing at the far side of the hall in front of one of the operating rooms. It was a small Pegasus filly with blue fur and a green mane and tail looking at Starlight with sad colorless eyes. The others joined Starlight and looked where she was looking.

"Can you see her?" Starlight asked.

"See who?" Rarity asked.

"The little filly in front of one of the operating rooms," Starlight replied.

"Starlight, we can't see anyone. Can you try talking to her?" Celestia asked.

Starlight walked up to the little filly and spoke with a smile. "Hi. My name is Starlight Glimmer. What's your name?"

"My name is Lily Petals," the girl said. "I heard you talking about the rabbit guy. The one that the Princesses killed."

"That's right. You know him?" Starlight asked.

"He wasn't the one who did it, you know. He was innocent," Lily said.

"How do you know that?" Starlight asked.

"I saw the one who killed me and it wasn't him," Lily replied.

That reply struck a chord with Starlight. She was talking... to a ghost. An actual ghost. And she was saying that the guy in the rabbit costume wasn't the one who killed her. Starlight had to know more.

"Did you see who killed you?" Starlight asked.

"Yes, and it wasn't the rabbit guy. This guy wore a purple suit and had a big smile," Lily said. "Princess Celestia and Luna killed an innocent being."

This information was not looking good. Then this "rabbit guy" was framed for the murders, and if that was true, then the real killer was still out there somewhere. Starlight had to know more.

"But what about the rabbit guy? Where is he now?" she asked.

"He died, but his spirit never moved on," Lily said. "His spirit possessed the suit he died in and he became angry at his death. He wandered these halls for the past thirty years, stewing in his hate and rage. When the homeless pony opened the doors, he left immediately. You won't find him here."

"Do you have an idea of where he could be?" Starlight asked.

"The Princesses are the ones he's after for revenge, so he'll still be in Canterlot," Lily replied. "What are you going to do once you find him?"

That was something she hadn't thought about. If this being was truly innocent, she'll have to find a way to reach out to him and help him. Though, Lily said that the rabbit guy was out for revenge against the Royal Sisters, which would make things difficult for them. More than that, she had to know more about the girl's killer.

"Can you tell me about the one who murdered you?" Starlight asked.

"I didn't get a good look at his face, bit he was tall, skinny, and had white fur with a big smile as he was stabbing me," Lily replied. "He ran off once he noticed that the guards were there. When he saw the rabbit guy, he knew he could frame him for killing me."

"I promise that we'll do everything we can to bring your killer to justice," Starlight promised.

"Thank you. Me and the rabbit guy have been lingering here for so long, and he's so angry, so please help him," Lily said. "I could feel his hatred and pain all these years."

"I also promise to help the rabbit guy," Starlight said.

Lily vanished into thin air with a smile after that. Starlight went back to the group and relayed everything that Lily had told her. After she was done, Celestia and Luna's faces were masks of shame and despair. They had killed an innocent being and inadvertently let the real killer roam free. And now, the vengeful spirit of the innocent they killed was looking for them to exact revenge. The sisters broke down in tears after hearing this.

"Well, what do we do now?" Applejack asked. "This is a lot to take in."

"I wanna try to look for the 'rabbit guy' and try to help him. According to Lily, he's been consumed by hate and pain for the past 30 years," Starlight said. "It's up to us to help him."

"How can we help him if he's a vengeful spirit?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah, it's not like an apology and a hug can make things better," Rainbow said.

That made the sisters cry even harder. They knew that they made a mistake, and they had to make it right. After pulling themselves together, they stood up and put on their best leader faces.

"Me and Luna will help look for him. We made a mistake, so it's up to us to right our wrongs," Celestia said.

"Are you sure that's safe? The ghost said he wants to kill you," Twilight said.

"It doesn't matter. We have to make things right with him," Luna said. "Besides, it should be easy for us to find him if he's after us."

"And what about the real Kid Killer?" Fluttershy asked.

"We'll have to reopen the investigation and look for him, too," Celestia replied. "The victims need justice."

"Alright, sounds like we need to do some investigating," Twilight said.

The group left the building and set about looking for the "rabbit guy" and the real Kid Killer. They had to make things right for him and the victims of the real killer. Hopefully, the Magic of Friendship would help them with this.

4) Plans Ahead

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With Springtrap and the Ghosts - A Week Later

Anon, or "Springtrap" now, was hard at work designing bodies for the ghost children to inhabit. It had gotten in the way of him wanting his revenge right away, but he knew that their help would make it all worthwhile. Since he didn't need to eat or sleep, he managed to complete the project in just a week and he was now ready to show them their new bodies. He gathered the ghost children in the main dining room with the bodies laying underneath a tarp.

"Kids! Come on out, kids! I've got your new bodies ready!" Springtrap called to them.

The ghost children all manifested before him, with excitement etched on their faces. The sight of their smiles made Springtrap feel happy, something he hadn't felt in decades. He gripped the tarp and pulled it off, showing them the bodies they were going to inhabit.

Each of the bodies were those of robotic animal characters with punk rock aesthetics. If there was a problem with the bodies he designed, the children didn't show it. In fact, they looked elated to see their new bodies. Before them were bodies that were built to look like a bear, a wolf, a chicken, and an alligator.

The robotic bear had an orange and yellow color, bright blue eyes, a small top hat and bow tie, and what looked like blue makeup around his eyes. He was tall and looked strong.

The wolf had bright yellow eyes, black makeup on her cheeks, and purple lipstick. The claws on her feet are purple and the ones on her hands are green. She had long silver hair with a single bright green streak running through it. There was a panel-like seam under her chest, upper arms, and thighs. She also had light gray markings on the inside of her ears, paw pads, around her muzzle, and on her belly. Her clothes consist of a red crop top, hot pants, and shoulder pads adorned with black star-like patterns. Additional accessories include black and purple earrings, spiked bracelets, a spiked belt, and purple arm and leg warmers with tiger stripes.

The chicken had purple eyes and an orange beak and talons. The top of her head had three "feathers" tied in a ponytail. Her face was painted to make her look like she was wearing makeup, with purple eyelids, purple lipstick, black mascara and pink eyeshadow on her right eye. Her body was segmented at the joints, with ball-jointed arms and legs. There were small panels on her waist and upper arms. Her chest, waist, hip, and shoulder pieces were pink and purple, meant to resemble a sleeved leotard. There was a black spiked bracelet on each arm as well as a pair of green fingerless gloves. The chicken's lower legs were painted to resemble leg warmers, with her left leg a green leopard print and her right a purple tiger print. The chicken had a purple hair bow and green triangle earrings.

And lastly, there was the alligator. He sported sharp teeth, black claws, a red mohawk, green scale-textured pants, spots on his arms and cheeks, and a light yellow color for his stomach and lower jaw. He had the same stomach hatch component that the other animatronics had. He had a long tail that had five green and yellow segments with each segment having spots and bumps resembling an alligator's scales. His eyelids, a lightning paint on his muzzle, his feet and hands, excluding the fingers, are also tinted a purple color. The alligator wore spiked bracelets, yellow star-shaped sunglasses, and purple shoulder pauldrons.

"That's right! I made bodies I thought you all would like," Springtrap said. "These bodies will not only allow you to interact with the world around you, but they'll grant you the strength to punish your killer."

"We love them!" the first ghost girl said. "So what do we do now?"

"I... think you just... go inside them... and try to control them?" Springtrap said with hesitation. "I'm not really sure. I was purely focused on just building your bodies."

"We can try and see what happens," the second ghost filly said.

All of the ghost children chose the body they wanted t inhabit and seemed to fuse with them. Springtrap waited for a while before the bodies started to move. Simple twitches at first, but they all managed to stand up and move as if they were living again. They looked at each other, their bodies, and then to Springtrap. Suddenly, they all rushed forward and gave him a group hug. The hug made the springlocks sink even deeper into his corpse, making the ever-present pain even worse, but he managed to fight through the pain for their sake.

"Alright, kids. I think now, I need your help with my revenge," Springtrap said. "Though, to make things easier, I would like to know your names."

"We don't remember our names," the first ghost girl, now the wolf, said. "It's been so long, that we've forgotten what our names were."

"In that case, I'd like to give you all names," Springtrap said, pointing to each of the kids one at a time. "Freddy Fazbear, Glamrock Chica, Roxanne Wolf, and Montgomery Gator."

The kids all seemed to like those names, based on their expressions. They each looked like they were rearing and ready to go.

"So, leader, what do we do now?" Monty asked.

"Leader? Why are you calling me that?" Springtrap asked.

"You built us bodies and you said you'd help us find our killer. Helping you is the least we can do in return," Freddy said.

Springtrap didn't know what to say. They wanted him to lead them? Well, he was the only one who could help them bring their killer to justice, and he was intent on keeping that promise. But that would come after he had gotten rid of the Princesses. Good thing he had time to think of a plan.

"Alright, kiddos. It's time to put my plan into action!" Springtrap said. "Now here's the details."

*****

With the Elements and the Princesses - Later That Night

The group made it back to the main city thinking about everything they heard from Lily. The Princess were visibly racked with guilt over the fact that they killed an innocent being, refusing to look at anyone or respond to their words. What was even more bizarre was the fact that Starlight was able to see and communicate with a ghost.

"Starlight, how were you able to talk to Lily back there at the hospital?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't know. I was able to see and hear her as easily as me looking and talking to you," Starlight replied. "I've never even heard of anyone being able to talk to spirits before."

"I am curious as to how you're able to talk to the dead, Starlight. Maybe you have a new kind of latent psychic ability," Twilight said.

"Maybe. I'm a bit to frazzled to think about that right now," Starlight said. "Right now, we've gotta focus on finding the rabbit."

"How are we even gonna find him?" Applejack asked. "This is a big city, so he could be anywhere."

"Lily said that this guy has been stewing in his rage and desire for revenge for the past 30 years, so if he's anywhere in the city, it'd likely be that he's somewhere close to the palace," Starlight replied. "If he's anywhere, it would have to be within the near vicinity of the palace."

"So even if we find him, what are we going to do? Lily said that he's bent on revenge against the princesses," Rarity said.

"Good point. He may not be open to talk if the princesses are around," Fluttershy said. "And besides, an angry spirit isn't a forgiving one."

"Still, we need to try. We need to try to help him if we can," Twilight said.

"Maybe throwing him an apology party will help lighten the mood!" Pinkie said. "I've already got lots of plans for that!"

"I don't think a party's going to help much, darling," Rarity said with a smile. "So what do we do if he tries to harm the princesses?"

"Then we take him down like every other baddie we've faced!" Rainbow said with a smirk.

"How do we deal with a vengeful spirit? I don't even know if the Elements would work on the dead," Twilight asked.

"I suppose we'll cross that bridge if we get there," Twilight said. "We better start bringing the Elements along with us, just in case."

"I agree. Maybe we can try to talk him down and forget about this idea of revenge," Fluttershy said. "After all, he wasn't the one who killed those kids."

Now that Fluttershy brought it up, who was the actual Kid Killer? If it wasn't the rabbit guy, then who was it? Was the killer still around? The group had to figure out how to find the real killer and bring them to justice. First, they had to think about how to actually find the maniac.

"So, where should we start our investigation into the Kid Killer case?" Rarity asked.

"The first thing to do would be to go over the police files and hopefully we could go up from there," Twilight said. "I'll need to go over the files with those who worked on the case."

As the girls were talking about what to do with the reopened Kid Killer case, the girls passed by an abandoned pizzeria. The moment the group passed it, Starlight looked at it and felt a bizarre feeling rising in her chest. An aura of sadness emanated from the building as if it were smoke from a fire. There was something else in the building's feeling, too. Something dark, hot, and fierce.

The only feeling Starlight could describe this as was... hatred. Immense rage and hatred seemed to overwhelm the sadness like a forest fire. The combined negative emotions of these auras caused her to fall to the ground with tears streaming down her face.

"Starlight! Are you okay?!" Twilight asked in worry.

"I... don't know. I just... got this horrible feeling all of a sudden," Starlight replied, getting to her hooves. "I'll be fine. We should focus on finding the Kid Killer."

"Okay... but if you feel bad later on, you don't need to help us," Twilight said.

"I'll be okay. I just felt bad for everything we've learned so far," Starlight said. "Let's just go back to the palace."

Starlight looked back to the old pizzeria with an anxious look. There was that familiarity again, slightly stronger this time. It seemed that something was calling her to that place. Starlight made a mental note to investigate the old place to make heads or tails of these feelings.

5) Hunting

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Canterlot City - Nighttime

Chief Nightstick was heading home from his retirement party a little early compared to his other officers. Now that he was stepping down as police chief in the Canterlot Police Department, he could spend more time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

As he was heading down the street towards his home, he saw something that caught his eye. Within a display case was a newspaper with a headline he never expected to see. The headline made his eyes widen with astonishment.

"BREAKING NEWS: KID KILLER CASE REOPENED BASED ON NEW EVIDENCE"

Recent events have caused the Princesses and the Elements to reopen the sordid Kid Killer case from 30 years ago. The parties involved have done some individual investigation and have discovered the previous individual thought to be the infamous serial killer was in fact innocent. It is because of these discoveries that the authorities are being invited to reopen the case in hopes of apprehending the actual killer.

"They're reopening the Kid Killer case?! And the guy we thought was the madman was actually innocent?!" Nightstick asked aloud.

There was nobody around to hear him, thankfully. Nightstick's mind was abuzz with memories of his part in the investigation. He had to talk to too many grieving families to want to have anything to do to with that case again. The aged police chief's mind found itself going back to the night they confronted the one they thought was the Kid Killer.

Nightstick could still the shrill screams of pain and the mechanical snapping and clanking sounds after they attacked the costumed being. He could see the blood oozing from the gaps in the suit and the body lying against the wall of that old hospital. And now, it was discovered that he was innocent?! Nightstick looked down to his shaking hoof with a flood of dark feelings washing over him.

"I... I helped to kill an innocent being! I'm a murderer!" Nightstick whispered to himself.

What should he do now? What would his wife say when she found out about this? Nightstick remembered bragging to her how he helped bring the Kid Killer down. She'd more than likely accuse him of murder if this news article was true. Running a hoof through his gray mane, he came up with a solution.

"I'll just go and explain the situation to her. If I just rip off the band-aid now, it'll be easier to deal with later on down the road," Nightstick said.

Nightstick now headed down the street with worry on his mind. A dense fog rolled in on the nighttime streets, giving off a very creepy atmosphere. The dim lights coming through the fog only added to the creep factor of his surroundings. He rounded a corner of the street when he saw something through the fog.

Just a good thirty feet ahead of him was a pair of bright purple eyes belonging to a tall figure hidden in the fog. The eyes stared at the police chief for a good while. Nightstick couldn't his eyes off the glowing eyes and couldn't for the life of him figure out just what exactly he was looking at. Shaking with anxiety, the old officer spoke to the figure.

"Who are you and why are you out this late at night?" he asked.

The figure took a while to respond, but when they did, it was with a synthetic female voice. "Are you police chief Nightstick?"

"Uh... yes, I am," Nightstick replied. "Do you need my help with something?"

The figure bent downward slightly and closed her eyes as she breathed a relieved sigh. Nightstick wondered what she was so relieved about.

"That's good to hear! I was worried you weren't the same guy," the figure said. "Mister Springtrap might've gotten mad at me if I didn't find you."

"Uh, who's 'Springtrap'?" Nightstick asked.

The figure stared directly into his eyes as she walked towards him. Even though she was coming closer, she was still mostly hidden by the fog. When she was directly in front of him, she raised a single clenched fist.

"You're going to find out who he is pretty soon. After all, he said you should recognize him," the figure said in reply.

A hard metallic fist drove itself across Nightstick's chin, rattling his brain and causing his entire body to drop like a sack of flour. His mind went blank as sleepiness took him over, but not before seeing the figure kneeling down to pick him up.

*****

"Starlight was having a fun time with her group of friends at Hoover's Happy Pizza Palace. Sure, she lost her friend Sunburst, but that didn't mean that she couldn't make new friends. In fact, she felt lucky to have these friends. One of them, a Pegasus filly, walked up to her with a smile on her face and a clump of tickets held under her wing.

"Starry! Look! I got so many tickets! I think I'll be able to buy a giant teddy bear with these!" she said excitedly.

"Really? I want a giant plush dragon!" Starlight said, getting up from her seat. "I'm gonna win as many tickets as you!"

"Okay, I'll go to eat pizza with the others. I'm pretty hungry," the filly said.

Starlight went to one of the nearer arcade games to try to win enough tickets for a plush dragon. Putting in her tokens, she set about trying to win. The young filly was about to beat the high score when her father called.

"Starlight! Time to eat!" her father said.

As much as Starlight wanted to beat the high score at a video game, she had to admit that she's been ignoring her growling stomach for too long. Starlight finished up the round she was currently on as best she could and she walked over to the table where her father sat with a steaming pizza between them. The hungry Starlight took a deep sniff of the pizza in front of her.

"Mmmmm! This smells delicious, daddy!" Starlight said.

"Glad to hear it, sweetheart!" her father said. "Better eat up, because I can tell that you want to get back to playing more of the games."

"Yeah! I want to try to get enough tickets to get a plush dragon!" Starlight replied.

"Then you better eat a good amount," her father said.

Starlight was filling herself up with pizza when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her group of friends gathered around one of the employees. They looked excited about something the employee was saying to them.

The employee in question was a tall and skinny stallion from the look of him, with his mane and tail hidden under a purple uniform. His white fur almost glistened in the neon lights of the pizzeria, and a huge grin was plastered on his face. The stallion turned and motioned for the kids to follow him somewhere past the set of double doors near the pinball machines.

Wondering about where they were going, Starlight finished her last bite of pizza and walked off to go see the rest of her friends. She followed them past the doors and kept her distance from the group as they traversed some underground maintenance tunnels. The group walked on for a good bit of time until they stopped in front of a door at the far end of a long hall. The grinning Purple Stallion opened the door with a hoof and gestured for the kids to enter the dark room. The kids entered with excited murmurs, with the Purple Stallion following behind them with the same huge grin. As he walked into the room, Starlight could make out the handle of a large kitchen knife jutting out of the back of his pants.

Starlight walked up to the room as the light inside turned on and pressed her face against the closed door in a failed attempt to enter. Good thing she noticed the noticeable gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. Starlight laid on the floor with one eye looking inside the room. Nothing could've prepared her for what she heard and saw.

The Purple Stallion brandished the kitchen knife she saw and lunged towards one of her friends, the one with the wing full of tickets. The blade plunged deep into the little filly's chest, causing the filly to spit up mouthfuls of blood. Dropping the still-living filly to the ground, the Purple Stallion laughed cruelly and turned his attention towards the remaining kids. They screamed and tried to get out the door, but the door was not budging in the slightest.

Starlight could only watch in horror as the Purple Stallion systematically went from friend-to-friend, stabbing each of them over and over again to make sure they were all dead, laughing with cruelty and madness all the while. Once the terrible deed was done, the Purple Stallion set about trying to dispose of the evidence. As Starlight lay there, she inadvertently locked eyes with those of one of her dead friends, a young Earth Pony colt. His eyes were big and glassy, almost like a doll's eyes. Blood oozed from his mouth as he continued his lifeless gaze.

It felt like an eternity before Starlight was able to move even one muscle. When she did, she ran out of the tunnels as fast as she could. Starlight practically blasted out of the tunnels and stopped to breathe deeply. Her mind was completely blank towards everything else except for the fresh memories of her friends being murdered. She could barely hear her dad when he asked what was wrong, a look of worry plastered all over his normally-joyful face. When she finally saw her dad, tears of horror and sadness began to finally flow."

The whole room echoed with the screams Starlight let out as she woke up from her nightmare. She looked out the window to see that it was still daylight outside her room in the palace. Her heart was racing with fear as she got up from the bed and looked at the tea cup by her bed. Calming herself, she walked towards the bedroom door.

"That's it! That's the last time I ever drink Earl Gray tea before taking a nap," Starlight said to herself.

Starlight left the room and joined the rest of her friends and the Princesses in the palace library where they were looking over the Kid Killer case files. Twilight looked to her friend/protegee with a worried expression.

"Hey, are you okay, Starlight? You don't look so good," Twilight inquired.

"I... I had a bad dream during my nap," Starlight replied warily. "It really rattled me, I guess."

"I wish I was able to help you sleep better," Luna said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Starlight wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it. It was a pretty horrible dream to simply talk about, but maybe it would make her feel better.

"This is my dream: I was hanging out with a group of friends at a pizzeria, playing games and eating pizza," Starlight replied quietly. "There was a stallion there, wearing a purple uniform and had a big grin on his face. He led my friends to a room somewhere underneath the pizzeria and... murdered them all while I watched from underneath the door."

The entire room was filled with an uncomfortable silence as the group looked to Starlight. They weren't sure about how to approach this topic, except for Luna. Luna looked pretty interested in the dream about children getting murdered. She got up from her chair and approached Starlight, putting a gentle hoof on her shoulder.

"Starlight, I have something I want to try if you'll allow me," Luna said. "I think there may be more to your dream than you may think."

"What is it?" Starlight asked.

"It's a simple sleeping spell I created. It may help us with this case if this is what I suspect," Luna replied.

"Well... if it'll help with this case, then I suppose I'll do it," Starlight said.

"Good. We can get started later tonight. In the meantime, let's look over these files," Luna said.

Starlight nodded with a smile and joined the rest of her friends in looking over the case files. As she worked, the images of her old friends and the grinning Purple Stallion were still present in the back of her mind. She began to share the same suspicions as Luna, that there may be more to her nightmare than meets the eye.

*****

With Nightstick

Nightstick woke up in a place he didn't recognize. It looked like an old supply closet of some kind, with old brooms, mops, and unused cleaning supplies sitting on cobweb-covered shelves. He tried to move, only to realize that he was strapped down to a chair of some kind.

"What the hell?" he asked. He tried to struggle his way out of his restraints only to simply move the chair a few inches.

"Hey!! Anyone out there?! Help me!!" he shouted out.

The door to the closet opened and a tall robotic alligator entered the room. The sight of the animatronic being caught the old stallion off-guard. The gator leaned against the entryway to the closet.

"Well, looks like you're awake. Good, since the head honcho is eager to see you and the Princesses again," the gator said with a deep scary voice.

"What's going on? Where am I? Who's your boss?" Nightstick asked.

"Mister Springtrap wanted me to bring you to him after you woke up," the gator replied. "I was worried Chica hit you too hard."

The gator walked behind the chair Nightstick was strapped to and lifted it up easily. He carried Nightstick through the tunnels until they both reached the main area of the old pizzeria they were staying at. The gator sat Nightstick on the old carpeted floor and a few other animatronics joined them, a chicken, a wolf, and a brown bear. Nightstick looked to each of them with a frustrated look.

"Who are you all and why am I here?!" he yelled at them.

"I don't like this guy. Why can't we just let this old codger go back to his retirement home or whatever?" Chica asked.

"Because Springtrap needs him for the plan, so we need him here for now," Roxy replied.

"Also, this guy is someone that Springtrap recognized, so he must be important to the boss," Monty said.

"You all keep talking about this 'Springtrap' guy, but who is he?!" Nightstick yelled.

The only response that came was the sound f metallic feet stomping on the ground towards them. The animatronic critters parted and out of the shadows on the far side of main room, a vaguely familiar figure emerged.

First thing that Nightstick saw was a pair of glowing silver eyes, eyes that were a part of an entity that Nightstick never thought he would ever see again. A tall being with a moldy golden green rabbit suit walked to him. There were multiple holes and tears in the suit, revealing metal components, wires, and rotten flesh and dry bones. The figure glared down at him with the same silver eyes he saw thirty years ago. A deep distorted laugh hissed past the figure's false teeth.

"It's been a long time since we last saw each other, Nightstick," the figure said. "We've never been properly introduced. My name is Springtrap."

"How... how are you alive? You died! I watched you die!" Nightstick asked.

"The thing you should know about me is... I always come back!" Springtrap replied. "I'm back and I have a score to settle!"

"You mean... with the Princesses?" Nightstick asked. "Look, what happened thirty years ago, that was an accident! We made a mistake!"

Springtrap glared at the old stallion for a while before he spoke again, with anger and despair in his voice.

"Do you have any idea... what your "mistake" did to me?" Springtrap asked. "You and the Princesses blamed me for murder and sentenced me to an undead purgatory! I simply want to return the favor, and you're going to help me."

"Why would I do that?" Nightstick asked. "I'm not helping you with your petty revenge scheme!"

That tore it for Springtrap. A hard blow was swiftly delivered to Nightstick's solar plexus, making the old stallion cough in deep pain. Springtrap grabbed Nightstick's mane and forced him to look at him.

"I understand that you have a wife, children, and grandchildren, correct?" Springtrap asked threateningly. "If you don't to help me, then maybe one of them will. After all, I know where they all live."

Nightstick glared at Springtrap with a newfound fury. He hissed out his next words.

"If you lay a single finger on any of them, I swear I'll--!" Nightstick said before being interrupted.

Springtrap began to beat the teeth out of Nightstick, literally. He beat Nightstick over and over again, making sure to not kill the guy, but making sure his punches hurt. After he was done, Springtrap spoke again, calmy and coldly.

"I died because of you. I suffered for the past thirty years because you," Springtrap said. "As far as I'm concerned, you don't deserve any happiness."

Springtrap delivered a hard kick to Nightstick's stomach, sending him to the far wall with a crash. He stomped over to the fallen Nightstick and picked him up, his distorted voice angrily deep.

"I can either use you or your entire family, it doesn't matter to me!" Springtrap threatened. "Now, who wants to help me reel in two big fish?"

6) Springing Traps

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Canterlot Palace - Later That Night

Starlight made her way to Luna's room along with Celestia and the others, curious about what Luna wanted to try. Twilight walked up beside her for reassurance.

"It'll be okay, Starlight. I'm sure whatever Luna wants to try will help," Twilight said reassuringly. "I have faith in her."

"I know, Twilight. It's just... the fact that it may involve that nightmare I had," Starlight said. "Something about it felt more creepy than it should."

"Maybe Luna has a theory about your dream being somehow connected to this investigation," Twilight said.

"In what way, Twilight?" Celestia asked.

"I think we'll find out from Luna sooner or later," Twilight replied.

The group continued down the hall until they reached Luna's room. Entering the room, they all saw Luna sitting on the floor surrounded by several purple candles. Luna welcomed them with open wings.

"Hello! We are so so glad you're here, Miss Glimmer," Luna said pleasantly. "Everything's ready for this procedure."

Entering the room, Starlight walked over to where Luna sat. She was still pretty nervous about this whole thing, so she wanted to talk about this procedure with Luna before doing anything.

"I'm not questioning your judgement, Your Majesty, but could possibly explain to me what exactly this is?" Starlight asked.

"I can see your trepidation, Miss Glimmer, and I can assure you that this is safe," Luna said. "This will involve me going into your mind, like I always do as part of my nightly duties, but with an additional facet."

"And what's that?" Rarity asked.

Luna gestured to the unlit purple candles on the floor. "With these lavender-scented candles, it will allow me to access the minds of those who sleep breathing in the scent. This means I will be able to access Starlight's memories."

"My memories? This is about my dream?" Starlight asked. "What does a bad dream have to do with this?"

"Miss Glimmer, dreams and memories are more intertwined than you think," Luna replied. "You were able to speak to the spirit of one the Kid Killer's victims and you have a dram about a stallion murdering several children. I want to confirm my theory before we move forward."

"Is it... going to work?" Starlight asked.

"Do not worry. I've done this before with no issues," Luna replied. "All you need to do is fall asleep and breath in lavender candles."

Starlight Glimmer laid down on the carpet in the center of the candle circle while Luna used her magic to light the candles for the ritual. Celestia got a pillow and a blanket for Starlight while the rest of the friends watched over her. As she waited for sleep to come, she felt weird having her friends simply watching her trying to sleep.

"Uh, I can't exactly sleep with others watching me," Starlight said.

"Could you give me and Starlight some privacy?" Luna asked. "I assure you, we'll be fine."

The group reluctantly left the room to wait outside. Once they were gone, Luna laid down right next to Starlight, their bodies pressed so close together that Starlight could feel Luna's heartbeat. This was something that Starlight didn't expect from the Princess of the Night.

"Uh, Your Majesty? What are you doing?" Starlight asked.

"This is a technique to maximize the subject's comfort: cuddling," Luna said. "It'll be fine. I've been told that I'm quite soft and warm."

Luna the wrapped a wing around Starlight to pull her closer. The scent of the lavender, the softness of Luna's fur, and the warmth of Luna's body combined made sleep easier for Starlight. She fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

Luna found herself standing in a place filled with filing cabinets. Rows upon rows of filing cabinets going as far as the eye can see. This was a good sign as far as Luna could tell.

"Yes! Another successful entry!" Luna said. "Better take a look around."

The Princess of the Night began to search through the various file cabinets she saw until she finally found something that looked promising.

"MEMORIES"

"Maybe there's something in here that could shed light on things," Luna said.

Luna proceeded to open the cabinets and look for anything that stood out to her. "Losing Sunburst", "Failing to Play Basketball", and "Experimenting with Time Travel" were some of the ones he noticed immediately. So far, none of these memory files had anything to do with her dream. Closing the cabinet, she flew above the rows of cabinets to see if she can find anything of note.

In the far horizon of the space was a single set of file cabinets. This set looked beat up and abandoned, like no one had been attending to it for years. Curious, Luna flew over to them and opened it to search through the files before finding something that caught her eye.

"THE PIZZERIA INCIDENT"

"This may be something I can work with," Luna said. "If this was hidden away, then you must've been repressing this."

Luna leafed through the file and was horrified by what she read. That was no mere nightmare Starlight had, and this would explain why she was able to talk to Lily's spirit. Starlight had a bigger connection to this than she currently realizes. Armed with this newfound information, Luna used her magic to bring herself back to the waking world.

Princess Luna awoke easily, with Starlight still sound asleep next to her. Luna gently stroked the sleeping mare's mane in a loving way.

"Sleep well, little pony. You deserve a peaceful rest," Luna said. "I have to tell the others what I found."

Luna exited her room, only to be surrounded by Celestia and the Elements in an obvious want for answers. The Elements were all asking their questions at once until Celestia fanned her wings to silence them.

"Sister, what were you able to find?" Celestia asked.

"Follow me to the library and I'll explain," Luna replied.

"Is Starlight okay?" Twilight asked.

"She is more than fine. She sleeping peacefully thanks to the candles," Luna said. "Now, let's get to the library."

The group went to the library and Luna started sifting through the files, looking for something in particular. Holding one of the files, she showed the group a picture of the abandoned Hoover's Happy Pizza Palace, a pizzeria that was abandoned after a group of children disappeared from there, It was suspected to be where the Kid Killer first started killing, but it was never proven as there were no bodies found. The group looked at the picture intensely.

"Starlight said she saw a pizzeria in her nightmare, but what does this have to do with this?" Applejack asked.

"Because this must be the same pizzeria she saw in her dream," Rarity replied. "And the file says that four children disappeared from that place."

"Indeed, Miss Rarity, this is the very same building," Luna said. "I looked through Miss Glimmer's memories and discovered that she was there the day those children disappeared, as well as witness their murder."

"What?! Then why didn't Starlight say anything?!" Rainbow asked incredulously.

"Because seeing it was so horrible, her mind blocked out the memory in order to cope," Luna said. "This would also mean that she saw the Kid Killer in the act."

"Then who is it?" Celestia asked.

"I don't know. Apparently, Starlight wasn't able to get a good look at the killer's face," Luna replied. "At least we have something to go on now."

"Great! So where do we start?" Twilight asked.

Before anyone could speak further, the doors to the library burst open and a servant rushed into the room with a large envelope in her mouth. She looked worried about something. The mare bowed before the Princesses before giving them the envelope.

"Your Majesties, this was found just outside the gates! It's addressed to the both of you," the servant said.

The Princesses looked to each other for a bit before opening the envelope, their eyes huge after seeing the contents. Luna pulled out a letter inside and read it aloud for all of them.

Dear Princesses Celestia and Luna,

You may not remember me, but I definitely remember you. I'll cut right to the chase: I have a hostage and if you want him back alive, you'll meet me at the corner of Buck and Bronco at midnight tonight. You should easily recognize this particular hostage: Chief Nightstick, of the Canterlot Police Department. You know him, right? The police chief who was there with you the night we met. You better follow my instructions and head to the meeting spot alone, and if you don't, then Nightstick's as good as dead. See you two soon!

Sincerely, Springtrap

PS - If you don't believe my threat to Nightstick's life, I left you some proof in the envelope.

The Princesses looked into the envelope after reading the letter and pulled out a few horrifying items. Laying on the table now were several broken, bloody teeth and a police badge with a few drops of blood on it. Celestia looked at the name on the badge.

"Nightstick"

"Sure enough, this is authentic," Luna said. "This is an actual threat."

"Isn't Nightstick one of the previous head investigators on the Kid Killer case?" Pinkie asked.

"Indeed. He had a retirement party last night, if I recall," Celestia said. "Well, it looks like the Yellow Rabbit found him."

"So what do we do now? You're not seriously thinking of doing what this guy's says, do you?" Rainbow asked.

"Think about it, Rainbow. The only one who would do this is the Yellow Rabbit, and we know that he's come back from the dead," Luna said. "Like Lily said, he wants revenge against me and Celestia. And a soul bent on revenge will do anything to achieve it."

"And he was there the night we confronted 'Springtrap'. He may have the other officers on his hit list, too," Celestia said. "He went through the trouble of sending us his teeth and badge, so he's going to kill Nightstick if we don't follow his instructions."

"Are you thinking of going alone?" Twilight asked. "We don't know what Springtrap has up his sleeve!"

"What other choice do we have? If we don't listen to him, Nightstick will die," Celestia said. "Besides, we owe it him after what we did to him."

Celestia and Luna once again thought back to the night they met "Springtrap" as he was called. They remembered his screams as the suit killed him, the blood spilling from the suit as he died, and even how satisfied they felt watching him die on the floor. The whole thing now made the two of them sick to their stomachs.

"I think... I'm going to take a walk in the Gardens for a little while," Celestia said.

"I shall join you sister," Luna said.

The Diarchy left the Elements to go to the Palace Gardens. Twilight watched them go, concerned. She shook her head and turned back to the files.

"Twilight, we're not just gonna let the Princesses meet up with this Springtrap guy, are we?" Applejack asked.

"Of course not. We're going to follow them and find Springtrap," Twilight said. "When we find him, we'll try to talk some him out of his revenge plan and rescue Nightstick. All we need to do is follow them without them knowing."

"Do you think that will work?" Pinkie asked. "Springtrap said that if the Princesses didn't show up alone, he would kill the chief!"

"It has to, since we don't have any other options," Twilight said. "Let's just hope that we can get Springtrap in a talking mood."

-Meanwhile, in the Palace Gardens-

"What do we do, sister? If Springtrap is willing to harm others to get us, we have to think of something," Luna said.

"I've been thinking about that and I think I may see a way out of this," Celestia said.

"And what's that?"

"We give him what he wants."

That caught Luna off-guard. She wasn't expecting to hear something like that coming from her older sister. However, she could see Celestia's point in what to do.

"Can we even try to reason with Springtrap?" Luna asked.

"I don't think we can, but we have to do something to save Nightstick," Celestia replied. "We're the ones he's after, so I have to have faith that he'll let him go if we give ourselves to him."

The sisters continued to discuss what to do when they heard something rustling in the bushes. They saw a tall... robotic female wolf emerging from the bushes, staring at the Princesses with glowing golden eyes. There was something about this being that reminded them of Springtrap. The wolf stared at them for a moment before speaking.

"Looks like Mister Springtrap was right. I was worried he made us wait here for nothing," the wolf said.

"You're... with Springtrap?" Luna asked.

"I am. He sent us here to come get you here in the Gardens," the wolf said. "He's quite the smart cookie."

"The letter he sent said to meet him at the corner of Buck and Bronco! Why did he send you here?" Luna asked outraged.

The wolf tilted her head slightly, as if she didn't understand what they were talking about. "Because he wanted to make absolutely certain that you'd come alone. That's why he sent us here."

"Who's this 'us' you keep mentioning?" Celestia asked cautiously.

"Oh, yeah. My name is Roxanne Wolf, but you can call me 'Roxy'. And that's my friend Montgomery Gator," Roxy said, pointing behind the Princesses.

They turned around to see a robotic gator standing right behind them. Before the Princesses could react, the gator grabbed their heads and slammed them together, knocking them out cold. Happy with their ambush, Monty threw a fist into the air.

"Yeah! Let's rock-'n-roll!" Monty said. "The boss is sure gonna be happy with us!"

"I distracted them, so he's probably gonna praise me more," Roxy said. "After all, I am the best."

"Whatever. Let's just get them back to the hideout before the others come looking for them," Monty said.

Roxy hoisted Celestia over her shoulders while Monty took Luna before they made their way out of the Gardens with Springtrap's targets in hand. Springtrap was sure going to be happy with them.

7) Tracking

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Celestia and Luna woke up in a dark room. It was so dark they couldn't even see an inch in front of them. At least the two of them were alive and they could sense each other's presence.

"Luna, are you okay?" Celestia asked.

"I... I think so. Where are we?" Luna asked in reply.

"I'm not sure myself. Let me try to light up the room," Celestia said.

No magic light came from Celestia's horn. She could channel her magic at all. It felt like it was being heavily suppressed somehow. Celestia could tell that Luna was trying to use her own magic, but there nothing to be seen at all.

"Well, if we can't use our magic, we should try to get out of here," Luna said.

They tried to stand up, but their bodies would not move. They finally realized that their bodies were stuck inside something, something with various metal components precariously pressing against their flesh and held their limbs in place. The two Princesses tried to see what they were trapped in, but the darkness of the room prevented it. Just as they were about to question their current circumstances, the door to the room opened and Roxanne Wolf entered the room. Celestia and Luna were not happy to see Roxy again.

"What have you done to us?" Celestia asked.

"Me and my friends have taken to our home, soon to be your tomb," Roxy said. "Mister Springtrap has been looking forward to meeting you as well as us. After all, you two failed us as well as him."

Celestia and Luna looked to each other in confusion. Luna asked the tentative question.

"How have we failed you?" Luna asked.

"I'm not surprised you wouldn't know about us," Roxy replied. "We're the kids you never found. The kids who never got to rest because of your handling of the case. Now that Springtrap's around, we may finally get the justice we deserve!"

This information sent waves of surprise washing over the bound Princesses. They were kidnapped by the children that went missing thirty years ago and are now working for their own victim Springtrap for the sake of revenge. Celestia tried to speak her peace to Roxy.

"Please! What happened thirty years ago, we're sorry!" Celestia said.

"There was a lot going on with the case, and we weren't able to find any bodies. We're trying to find your killer now!" Luna said. "We'll do everything we can to bring that lunatic to justice!"

Roxy looked displeased with their words. She crossed her arms and looked at them with narrowed eyes. Her words were laced with more venom than a snake's fangs.

"Do you two know how long we've been unable to move on? Thirty years!" Roxy said. "Me and my friends have been stuck here in the place where we were murdered while our killer got to walk away scot-free! At least Mister Springtrap is actually doing something to help us now!"

"Wait, where is Springtrap?" Celestia asked.

"Oh, thanks for reminding me," Roxy said with a hand rubbing the back of her head. "I'm here to take you to him. He's been looking forward to this."

Roxy and a robotic bear walked into the room and wheeled the Princesses out of the room on what looked like hospital gurneys, but that wasn't the weirdest part. The weirdest thing was that they were wearing brightly-colored suits of some kind with segments meant for moving around. Celestia's was a creamy white and she could see a foxlike tail dangling down one side. Luna's was a blue lizard of some kind, wearing a dark green blouse but that was it.

They were wheeled into the main room of what looked like the same abandoned pizzeria they saw when they were first looking into the Kid Killer case. They were joined by two other animatronic beings, the alligator Monty they saw before and a robotic chicken. They all glared at the Princesses as they were wheeled into the room.

"Great, it's the Royal Blunders, finally here to do something good!" Monty said.

"You like those black crystals we taped to your horns?" Roxy asked. "They keep you from using your magic, so you wont be going anywhere."

"Mister Springtrap is going to love this!" Chica said.

"Okay, okay. Relax. The boss will deal with them soon, and then we can find our true killer," Roxy said.

"I wonder why he dressed them up like this, though?" Freddy asked.

"You'll soon see, my friends!" a distorted voice said.

The Princesses and the animatronics turned to see a shadowy figure stomping towards them, a figure with glowing silver eyes. He came into the low neon lights of the room and stood to his full height, glaring down at the Princesses with a combo of hatred and sadistic satisfaction on his face. There was no doubt in the minds of the Princesses, this was their innocent victim. This was Springtrap.

"Remember me?" Springtrap asked. "Well you should. Murderers should remember all of their victims, after all."

"Of course we remember you. It's been thirty years, but we remember you vividly," Luna replied. "I'm actually glad we've met again. We wanted to talk to you."

"Really? Well, what did you want to talk to me about? Could it be about this?" Springtrap asked, holding up a newspaper.

It was the newspaper about the Kid Killer case being reopened. Springtrap gave a quick glance before speaking to them again.

"This little thing says that you finally realized my pleas to you that night were true," Springtrap said. "Sadly for you, though, it's thirty years too late for that!"

Springtrap walked to them and put a gentle hand on Celestia's suit, giving it a few gentle pats. As he did, the sound of metal straining filled the room and Celestia could feel something slightly poking her ribs. Springtrap chuckled menacingly.

"Do you remember how you killed me the night we met?" Springtrap asked. "The suit I'm cursed to wearing is something called a 'springlock suit'. These suits were designed to function as both animatronics and costumes. The suit itself contains springlocks to hold the endoskeleton in place. The endoskeleton could be removed and someone could wear the suit with the springlocks wound up so that they could use it safely. But the problem is that these springlocks can be a bit... sensitive. You should know as well as I that a springlock failure can be... painful!"

Springtrap stepped back and pointed to the two of them. "And I built these springlock suits especially for the two of you! You will finally understand the same hell you put me in!"

"Wait! Let Nightstick go!" Luna begged. "You have us now and you said you'd let him go!"

The mangled rabbit looked up slightly in thought. "You're right. Let it never be said that I'm not a man of my word. I'll let him go... after I'm finished with you!"

Springtrap turned to the other animatronics and spoke in a gentler tone. "I need you all to keep a lookout at the doors and windows. I want to make absolutely certain none of you were followed here."

"Consider it done, boss," Freddy said.

"No one will get past me!" Roxy said. "I'm the best guard, after all."

"I'll make sure no one gets in here," Chica said.

"If anyone gets in, I'll chomp 'em good!" Monty said.

Once the animatronics left, Springtrap was left alone with the two Princesses. He turned to them and his eyes fixed on them like an owl looking at mice.

"Now, then. Where were we?" Springtrap asked menacingly.

*****

Canterlot Palace

Starlight joined the Elements in the library after she woke up. Thanks to Luna's ritual, she slept like a foal and was eager to thank her for that. When she got there, Twilight and the others were looking back over the files on the Kid Killer.

"How are things going, Twilight?" Starlight asked.

"Things are proceeding slowly but surely, Starlight," Twilight said. "What about you? How did you handle Luna's ritual?"

"It was quite pleasant. I felt like a baby again," Starlight replied with a smile. "Where are the Princesses?"

"They went to walk in the Palace Gardens to think. They need to think after receiving that letter," Rarity replied.

"What letter?" Starlight asked.

"This one," Rainbow replied, handing Starlight said letter. "It's from the guy they killed thirty years ago, a guy named 'Springtrap'."

Starlight looked over the letter and saw the bloody teeth and police badge on the table. She set the letter down and looked to friends in a worried state.

"Wait, how do we know the Princesses aren't heading to the meeting spot right now?!" Starlight asked.

"The servants and guards watch them at all times, and they've confirmed the Princesses going to the Gardens," Twilight replied. "Besides, it's not midnight yet."

The doors to the library opened and Chancellor Neighsay entered the room with a stack of papers in his horn's aura. He walked up to the table and set the paper stacks down on the table. Twilight spoke to him.

"What are these papers for?" Twilight asked.

"These are letters from concerned parents wondering if school is going to be cancelled," Neghsay replied. "I wanted the Princesses to help us go over these and to assuage the public."

"Why would they want schools cancelled?" Applejack asked.

"They're afraid, of course. The Kid Killer case being reopened and the revelation that the madman is still out there has the citizens terrified," Neighsay replied. "They're asking if school can be cancelled until the real killer is caught. They need someone to soothe their fears."

"I'm sure that Celestia and Luna can help you with that, Neighsay, but we have to focus on both the Kid Killer and Springtrap at the moment," Twilight said.

"Who is this 'Springtrap' you just mentioned?" Neighsay asked.

"He's the one they thought was the Kid Killer and... killed," Fluttershy replied. "It would seem that he's come back from the dead."

"And he wants to exact his revenge on them because he's an angry spirit!" Pinkie said with a ghost face on her face.

"Then where are the Princesses right now?" Neighsay asked.

A guard ran into the library and made a beeline for Twilight. "Your Highness, Princesses Celestia and Luna are both gone!"

"What?!" the Elements and Neighsay shouted.

"Did you check the Gardens?!" Rainbow asked.

"We've looked and the only sign we found was two sets of footprints," the guard said. "They looked like they belonged to large bipedal animals."

It didn't take the Elements long to figure out just who could've been behind this, a realization they voiced all at once.

"Springtrap!" they said.

"He must've kidnapped them!" Rarity said.

"I thought he wanted them to meet him at some street corner at midnight!" Pinkie said. "Why would he kidnap them if he wanted them to come to him?"

"It's obvious. He wanted to make absolutely certain that they wouldn't be followed or try to pull anything so he decided to take the initiative to ambush them," Twilight said.

"Okay, well if he kidnapped them, then where did he take them?" Applejack asked. "Not a lot of places for someone to hide in this city, especially for someone who looks like Springtrap."

Starlight was thinking about it for a bit before she looked on the table and saw the picture of the abandoned pizzeria from her nightmare. Looking closely at the picture, an idea came into her mind.

"He took them to Hoover's Happy Pizza Palace. It's the only place where he could take them and hide out without arousing suspicion," Starlight said.

"And how do you know that?" Neighsay asked.

"I just... have a feeling that that's where they are," Starlight replied. "Please... just trust me on this."

Twilight walked over and placed a hoof on Starlight's shoulder. "We do trust you, Starlight, and we know that you have more insight on this than any of us. If you say that they're hiding out at that old pizza place, then we'll look into it."

"Yeah, let's go save the Princesses and stop Springtrap!" Rainbow said.

"We have to go and try to talk to Springtrap and make him let the Princesses go," Starlight said.

"I'm coming with you!" Neighsay said.

"You are? Why?" Fluttershy asked.

"The more you have, the better the result. You never know if a fight's going to break out," he replied. "And if Springtrap is indeed a vengeful revenant, then you'll need all the help you can get. I'll muster a squadron and meet you at the palace gates."

"Alright, team! Looks like we're going after the Princesses and Springtrap!" Twilight said. "Let's go!"

*****

With Springtrap and the Princesses

Springtrap had disappeared for a while before returning to the main room dragging a chair behind him. He spun the chair around in front of the Princesses and revealed that Nightstick was indeed alive, but he was in a miserable state.

The old police chief's face was swollen, bruised, and bloody from multiple beatings. His uniform was torn and various bruises painted his chest and abdomen. Nightstick opened his left eye since the right one was swollen shut and saw that the Princesses were in a dangerous situation along with him.

"Yo Madesees!" he exclaimed through swollen lips and missing teeth. Springtrap turned back to the Princesses with a sadistic gleam in his eyes.

"You know, I was worried I would have to snatch you two one at a time. But by using him as bait, this turned out perfect!" Springtrap said. "First, you murdered me, and now I kill you both! Symmetry, my dears."

"Are you planning to let him go, or are going to kill him after you're done with us?" Celestia asked.

"I'll let him go. I just wanted him to watch the show beforehand," Springtrap replied. "He knows what'll happen if he tries to come after me."

Springtrap left Nightstick's side and seemed to prepare himself for what was to come. As he did, he spoke to them in a voice that held both hate and pain.

"Do you know what it's like to be the victim of a springlock failure? What it feels like to come back from death in the state I'm in?" Springtrap asked. "Well, I'll tell you. You'll scream at first, but the metal will pierce your windpipe. Your body will be pierced and crushed from all sides by metal and sharp bits of plastic, and you'll feel every second of it as your organs are reduced to pudding and your bones are crushed to shrapnel. Your blood and organs will spill out and your lungs will fill up with blood until you drown in it."

His description and their memories of that night made both Celestia and Luna shiver in fear at what he was going to do to them. Springtrap continued his rave.

"Now, imagine living with that fresh pain constantly all. Of. The time," Springtrap said. "There is no relief from this pain. All you can do is learn to ignore it as best you can, but it's always there flaring up when you move. You can't sleep or eat, all you can do is stew in your own anger and despair. You find yourself rehearsing what happened and replaying the memories over and over again. All I could think about was you and the kind of revenge I'd exact on you if I ever got my hands on you. And now, you will finally pay for what you did! You will finally know how I felt!"

Springtrap went behind one of the old arcade games, rummaging for something. He stood back up and held two masks in his hands. One was that of an Arctic wolf and the other one was that of a dark blue lizard. He walked towards them and prepared to put the masks on them.

"Let's get you two fully dressed for the main event!" Springtrap said gleefully.

Before Springtrap could put the masks on them, Chica ran into the room. Springtrap turned around and looked at Chica with a glare.

"What is it? I'm in the middle of something!" Springtrap asked.

"There's a group of ponies surrounding this place!" Chica replied.

Springtrap's eyes went wide. "What?! I thought you said that none of you were followed!"

"We weren't! I don't know how they found out we were here!" Chica defended.

"Oh, never mind. Good thing I planned ahead for this kind of scenario," Springtrap said. "They'll have a few surprises in store once they come in."

"Then what do we do?" Chica asked.

"Have some... fun with them," Springtrap replied. "I'll take the Princesses down into the maintenance tunnels, just make sure they stay away until I'm done."

"I will, Mister Springtrap," Chica said. "I know the others will be eager to help!"

Chica left to alert the others and get the ready for what was sure to be a fight. Springtrap sighed in irritation and glared down at the Princesses.

"Looks like we'll have to have our little costume party in the underground," Springtrap said. "What better place to bury you?"

8) Surprises and Revelations

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With the Elements

Starlight and her friends have been scoping the place for the past few minutes. There was nothing really of note to report back. By all appearances, it was a regular abandoned pizzeria with the windows boarded up and the doors chained shut. The only thing that could serve as an entrance was the metal gate to the loading dock. Starlight could feel the storm of negative emotions coming from the place, but she tried her best to deal with it as she made her way back to the others, including Neighsay.

"Where are the guards?" Twilight asked Neighsay.

"They're currently getting ready," Neighsay said. "They've obviously never faced someone like this before, so they're trying to get ready."

"I guess... we'll have to go in without them," Twilight said. "The Princesses may not have a lot of time."

"So what do we do? Just barge in and demand the Princesses be freed?" Rarity asked. "We have to approach this carefully."

"Rarity's right. We have to maintain the element of surprise here or Springtrap is just going to kill them both," Starlight said.

"That's why we're going to simply go in through the vents and sneak up on him quietly," Twilight said. "I saw a few vents on the while I scoped the building, so we'll be going in through there."

"What do we do if Springtrap tries to attack us?" Pinkie asked. "I'm not looking forward to a fight."

Neighsay pulled off a saddlebag and pulled out several tasers. "That's why I brought these. These tasers should at least slow him down."

"I never go anywhere without my lasso, either," Applejack said.

"I'll try talking to him before anything. If he gets violent, then we'll deal with him," Starlight said.

"You talking to him will at the very least distract him while we rescue the Princesses," Neighsay said. "It's all of us against him, after all."

Now that they had a plan, it was time to put it into action. Twilight led the group to one of the vents and opened it with her magic, going in first since she was one of the more powerful among them. As they traversed the vents, Starlight took the time to acknowledge the horrible vibe she was getting. Something about the building was making her feel sick to her stomach and she couldn't figure out why. Hopefully, she would remember tonight.

Twilight opened the internal vent and looked from left to right. It seemed that they were entering the arcade area of the pizzeria. And she couldn't see anyone in the arcade, a bad sign. She was hoping that they were within the immediate area, but now they had to look for them. She exited the vent and motioned for the others to join her.

Everyone was now outside the vent and looking around expectantly. Circling up and keeping their tasers at the ready, the group looking for the Princesses or Springtrap. All they saw was rows of old arcade games and old posters hanging up on the wall. When they got to a row of ski-ball stations, Starlight thought back to her nightmare.

"Why does this place make me feel this way? I don't understand it!" Starlight thought queasily.

As they passed the ski-ball stations and rounded a corner, the group saw a door leading to the main atrium. Twilight pointed to it.

"Okay, it looks like this room is clear. We'll head to the other areas of the building," Twilight said. "We'll split up into groups of two and investigate the rest of the building. If you run into trouble, run back to the atrium and we'll meet you up there."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to split up?" Fluttershy asked.

"We're armed and there's only one of him. I'm certain we'll all be fine investigating in groups of two," Twilight said. "We need to focus on finding the Princesses quickly."

With their new game plan, Twilight slowly opened the doors and saw the main atrium, which functioned as the dining room and entertainment area. There were tables placed haphazardly all around the room and the stage had big red curtains pulled in front of it. They looked around the room to see other doors leading to different areas like the kitchen, the security room, the play area, and the maintenance tunnels. Neighsay pointed to each of the Elements and the doors.

"Okay, me and Starlight will check out the maintenance tunnels," Neighsay said before turning to Twilight. "I suppose you and Rainbow can look at the security room. Pinkie and Fluttershy can check the kitchen, and Applejack and Rarity can search the play area."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Applejack said.

"Me and Flutters won't leave any cabinet unchecked!" Pinkie said.

"I'll do my best to find the Princesses and Springtrap," Starlight said.

"Alright! Let's go!" Twilight said.

The group split up to pairs of two to find the targets. What they didn't know was that they were being watched from behind the curtains.

*****

With Pinkie and Fluttershy - The Kitchen

The kitchen was quite a sight. Multiple pizza ovens cabinets, washing machines, sinks, pantries, refrigerators, and freezers lined the walls while the tables and other chef stations filled the center of the large room. The only thing that was odd was the fact that the equipment obviously didn't look like it had been used in a long time, with dust and rust lining the entirety of the machines while cobwebs were hanging from the ceiling like party streamers.

"You know, I could see us having a Nightmare Night party in here if it weren't for the fact that we're searching for two kidnapped Princesses and a vengeful undead being," Pinkie said before gasping with an idea. "I wonder if Springtrap will want to scare the kids and adults for Nightmare Night?"

"I don't think he'd want to do that, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said. "And we're supposed to be looking for him and the Princesses."

"I'm just saying that it sounds like a good party idea! I hope we get Springtrap onboard with the idea!" Pinkie said.

"Bock-bock!" a synthetic female voice called.

"EEP!" Fluttershy squealed before diving into one of the larger cabinets.

Pinkie Pie joined her friend and they both listened carefully for the source of the voice. The pair heard a door opening and the sound of heavy footsteps entering the room. Whatever was in the kitchen with them started to open the doors as if it was searching for them.

"Who wants candy?" the voice asked. "We just want to play a game with you!"

"Is it charades?" Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy put a hoof over Pinkie's mouth in an attempt to quiet her. "Pinkie! What were you--?!"

The door to their hiding place was literally ripped off its hinges before Fluttershy could finish talking. A large animatronic chicken stood looming over them with bright purple eyes. She tilted her head to the side as she spoke.

"Mister Springtrap doesn't like party-crashers, you know!" the chicken said.

"Uh... we lost our invitations?" Pinkie said.

The chicken grabbed Pinkie by the neck and dragged her out of the cabinet. Fluttershy pulled out her taser and lunged forward, but the chicken backhanded her on her back and kicked the taser away. Pinkie pulled her taser out of her mane but the chicken managed to pry the weapon from her and jammed it into her neck, knocking her out cold. With both mares knocked out, the chicken picked up Fluttershy before walking out of the kitchen with them.

"Uninvited guests must be dealt with. Mister Springtrap's orders," Chica said. "I hope my friends can round up the others easily enough."

*****

With Applejack and Rarity - Play Room

The play room wasn't that remarkable. Tubes and slides and a giant ball pit were the main staples of the area. It was a nostalgic sight for Applejack.

"You know, Granny used to bring me and Big Mac to a place that had a ball pit back in the day," Applejack said. "I remember he found like twenty bits at the bottom of that thing one time, and Granny kept takin' us back just so she could use me and Big Mac to dive for bits in the ball pit."

"That sounds lovely, Applejack. Me and my family would sometimes go to an arcade when me and Sweetie Belle were younger," Rarity said. "It was quite an experience."

Applejack tried her best to suppress a laugh. Rarity looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" Rarity asked.

"The idea of someone like you playing video games at an arcade," Applejack said. "I'm sorry, but it's a funny thing to think about."

"I'll have you know that I was the undefeated champion at Mule Kong! No one was ever able to beat my high score," Rarity said with a smirk.

"Was that the game about the giant orangutan that threw oil drums at you kidnapped a prince and you had to save him?" Applejack asked.

"Indeed it was. And no one has ever beat my high score," Rarity said, still smirking.

The two were so busy with their little conversation that they didn't notice Monty walking up behind them. Once he was right behind them, he slammed their heads together like he did with the Princesses. The two mares dropped like a sack of flour.

"Oh, yeah! Time to rock-'n-roll!" Monty said. "I am way too good at this."

Monty dragged the two out of the play room to meet up with the others. The animatronic alligator walked with a prideful stride.

"Looks like Springtrap's strategies are working quite well!" Monty said.

*****

With Twilight and Rainbow Dash - The Security Room

The hallway leading to the security room was long and empty except for the collective of posters on the wall. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.

"Hey Rainbow, see anything weird?" Twilight asked.

"I really couldn't tell you. All I see are cobwebs, posters, and walls," Rainbow replied. "How do you think the others are doing?"

"We haven't heard back from them yet, so I have to believe that they're alright," Twilight said. "We've faced our fair share of enemies and came out on top, so we'll be fine."

"But... we haven't faced an angry dead guy before," Rainbow said. "Makes me shiver inside."

Twilight looked to Rainbow with an unreadable expression. "Rainbow, if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't know how to handle someone like Springtrap, if he is a vengeful revenant."

"If he's dead, does that mean that these tasers won't work on him?" Rainbow asked.

"We won't know until we find out, but if tasering him doesn't work, then we run like hell," Twilight replied.

Rainbow didn't like the sound of that. Twilight, always the smartest of their group, the mare with the plan, wouldn't know what to do if faced with a being like Springtrap. Perhaps the best thing they could do was simply appease him or run. Right now though, they had to focus on actually finding them.

The door to the security room was now straight ahead and was wide open. Twilight and Rainbow were happy to make some progress. If they went inside, Twilight could try to get the cameras working and see where everyone is, including Springtrap and the Princesses.

"You're trespassing, you know?" a synthetic voice called from behind them.

They turned around and saw an animatronic she-wolf standing there with glowing golden eyes looking right at them. The mares were shocked to see her standing there.

"Who are you?!" Rainbow asked.

"My name is Roxanne Wolf, or 'Roxy' for short," Roxy said. "And Springtrap doesn't like uninvited guests!"

Roxy took off towards them with such speed that even Rainbow Dash was impressed. Twilight and Rainbow ran inside the security room and Rainbow hit the button on the side to shut the door. They heard Roxy slam into the door and try to either pry it open or try to knock it down by hitting it. Twilight and Rainbow were both panting on the floor.

"What's going on here?!" Rainbow shouted. "I thought it was just Springtrap we had to worry about!"

"I don't know! Maybe he built some henchmen to help him with this revenge scheme?!" Twilight replied. "But if Roxy's here for us, then what about our...?!"

Both Twilight and Rainbow had the same horrible thought enter their minds and turned their eyes to the security desk.

The desk had many different monitors on the desk as well as having a keyboard, an old phone, a microphone for the PA system, and lockers in the back of the room. All of the monitors were turned off. Twilight sat in front of the monitors and turned them all on.

Each of the monitors switched on and they had a somewhat blurry view of every area in the pizzeria, and they didn't like what they saw on the monitors.

One by one, they saw their friends being taken out by another animal animatronic. The thing that Twilight noticed about it was the fact that it looked like the animatronics were all waiting for them to go into each area. Twilight's eyes turned to the monitors looking into the maintenance tunnels and saw that Starlight and Neighsay were still looking through the underground rooms and she could make out subtle movement behind them.

"Starlight and Neighsay are being followed! I'll warn them through the PA system!" Twilight said.

"Won't those metal freaks know where they are and go after them or come after us?!" Rainbow asked.

"We don't have a choice, Rainbow!" Twilight said.

As Twilight was about to turned on the PA system, the button she needed to press on the microphone was gone. It looked like it was ripped out. Twilight slowly turned to look at Rainbow with wide eyes.

"The PA system won't work without the button because it was ripped out, the behavior of these animatronics, and the fact that Springtrap and the Princesses haven't been found yet. This is a trap," Twilight said.

"What do you mean? Springtrap knew we were coming?" Rainbow asked.

"That's the only thing that makes sense," Twilight said. "He's had a long time to plan for this, and he intends to see his revenge through to the very end."

At that moment, the door that was keeping Roxy out was starting to strain. A warning popped up on one of the monitors in front of Twilight.

"WARNING: DOOR LOCK ERROR - LOCKING SYSTEM FAILING"

"Twilight! She's going to get through the door!" Rainbow said.

"I know! I'll try to override the door lock command and do everything I can to make sure the door stays closed!" Twilight said.

Twilight typed away at the computer in an attempt to repair the door locks, but the thing kept saying "ERROR" every time she tried something. She could hear the door straining more and more with each passing second until it couldn't take it anymore.

Much to their horror, the door swung open and Roxy peered through the crack with angry golden eyes. If she could smile, she'd be grinning menacingly at them.

"Here's Roxy!" Roxy said in a singsong voice.

Roxy pried the door the rest of the way and was about to attack them. Rainbow pulled out her taser and flew straight at the wolf with her taser on, but Roxy was just a bit quicker. She grabbed Rainbow by the neck and jammed the taser right into the crook of her neck.

"Rainbow!!" Twilight shouted.

Twilight pulled out her own taser and charged her horn for a two-pronged attack. As she tried to rush Roxy, Roxy dodged and drove a fist down between Twilight's shoulder blades, sending her right to the ground. She tried to stand up and continue the fight and she felt something pressing the back of her neck.

A powerful jolt of electricity shot through Twilight's body, sending her back to the ground unable to move. As Twilight was losing consciousness, Roxy looked down to her.

"You can't beat me, ladies. After all, I am the best," Roxy said.

Now that the trespassers have been dealt with, she had to take them and meet back up with the others in the atrium. She walked with a great deal of pride.

"I think catching an Alicorn all by myself will make me Springtrap's favorite," Roxy said. "I hope the others were successful, just as much."

*****

With Starlight and Neighsay - The Maintenance Tunnels

The tunnels underneath the pizzeria were just as creepy now as they were in Starlight's dream, only the sickening feeling she carried only got worse the further down they went. Neighsay seemed to be just as uneasy, too.

"I hoped I would never come back down to these tunnels ever again," Neighsay said.

That caught Starlight off-guard a little bit. Neighsay had been down here before. If that was true, then Starlight's dream was actually...

"You've... been down here before?" Starlight asked.

"I was one of the volunteers who helped with the investigation into the Kid Killer case. I came down here to look for the missing foals," Neighsay replied. "It was it said that there was a witness who saw the Kid Killer here, but the authorities weren't able to verify that."

"How come they weren't able to find this witness?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, dear Starlight. If only we could find them, then this case could be solved quickly."

That statement combined with Starlight's dream made the mare come to a decision. She had to tell him, she had to tell the authorities, and most of all, she had to ensure justice for the dead foals.

"Neighsay, I need to tell you something," Starlight said.

"What is it?" Neighsay asked.

"See, about the Kid Killer case, the truth is I--," Starlight said before Neighsay cut her off.

"Wait, tell me later! This is the last door hallway we haven't checked," Neighsay said.

Starlight looked ahead and indeed, there was only one more hallway to check just beyond a turn to the right. Neighsay pulled out his taser and primed it, encouraging Starlight to do the same. As they turned the corner to search the single door at the end of the hallway, the light's suddenly shut off, leaving them in the dark.

"What the--?!" Starlight shouted.

"It's okay, Miss Glimmer just use the magic in your horn to light our way!" Neighsay said.

"I can't hold the taser and light the hall at the same time!" Starlight said.

"Okay, I'll hold the taser and you light--AAH!" Neighsay said before screaming.

Starlight instinctively dropped her taser and used her horn to fully light the hall. Neighsay was gone, there was no indication he was even there except for a few strands of his mane. He simply vanished into thin air! Starlight would've gone after him, but she had no way of knowing where he went. And she had to focus on finding the Royal Sisters first. Turning back to the last door, Starlight picked up the taser in her mouth and primed the taser using her tongue.

Her heart was racing as she approached the door, her hooves shaking and sweat beaming down her face. As she was about to open the door, it burst open and sent her flying backwards. Starlight looked back up and there, standing in the doorway was the one and only Springtrap, and he definitely gave off the aura of a vengeful undead. He stomped towards her with anger and sadistic amusement combined.

"You really shouldn't have come down here!" Springtrap said. "But now that you are, I'm going to have to deal with you after I take care of my royal friends!"

"Wait! Please, you don't have to do this!" Starlight pleaded. "This won't make anything better. I know what it's like to want revenge and this won't change what happened to you."

That didn't sit well with Springtrap at all. His silver eyes changed to an angry shade of red. He clenched his fists as he slowly stalked towards her.

"You don't have the foggiest idea of what happened to me! But I'm gonna give you a demonstration pretty soon," Springtrap said. "The Princesses will die, me and my friends will be avenged, and this pain will end!"

"Wait, friends?" Starlight asked.

"Yeah, friends. That's one of them behind you," Springtrap said pointing behind her.

Starlight looked behind her and saw a tall animatronic brown bear. He jammed a primed taser into her neck, knocking her out cold. Springtrap looked to Freddy with his regular silver eyes.

"Have you taken car of our other uninvited guests?" Springtrap asked.

"Yep, we rounded them up and we're waiting in the atrium," Freddy replied.

"Looks like we can turn this into a public execution," Springtrap said. "I'll get back to the atrium with the Princesses in tow."

Freddy looked down at the unconscious Starlight with a curious look. "Uh, Mister Springtrap, there's something about this girl that seems weirdly familiar to me."

"We can figure that out later. Just take her back to the atrium, and I'll grab our guests of honor," Springtrap said.

"Sure thing, boss-man," Freddy said.

Freddy hoisted Starlight onto his shoulders and took her away, while Springtrap went back into the room to fetch his intended victims.

*****

The Main Atrium

"Wake up, ponies! We've gotta special show to put on for ya!" Springtrap called.

One by one, the Elements wok up from their little nap and looked around themselves to find themselves in the main atrium again. They were tied to chairs and the animatronics that attacked them were all standing in front of the main stage.

"What's going on here?!" Twilight asked.

"You just couldn't leave it alone, could you?" Springtrap replied, coming from behind the curtain. "But it doesn't matter. Once I get rid of my nemeses, then I'll let you all go unharmed, I promise."

"And what if we try to stop you?" Applejack asked. "We can't let you kill the Royal Sisters!"

"If you do indeed try to stop me, then... ," Springtrap said before pulling out a kitchen knife. "I'll just have to remove my obstacles, simple as that."

"Where are the Princesses, anyway?" Twilight asked.

Springtrap snapped his fingers, and Freddy and Monty pulled back the curtains to reveal Celestia and Luna. They were both still alive, but they were both trapped inside the springlock suits. The Princesses were shocked to see the Elements there.

"What are you all doing here?!" Celestia asked.

"We were trying to help you!" Twilight said.

"You shouldn't have come here! This doesn't concern you!" Luna said.

"We couldn't let you face this alone!" Rarity said.

"But we're the ones responsible for Springtrap and these children!" Luna said, using her head to gesture to the animatronic beings that stood alongside Springtrap.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Rainbow asked.

Springtrap was the one to answer that very question. "Oh, you all didn't know that? These are no mere animatronics, but these are inhabited by the souls of the children who went missing because of the Kid Killer as well as the Princesses' poor handling of the investigation."

The group was surprised by Springtrap's words, saying that the souls of the Kid Killer's early victims were inhabiting the animatronics. Springtrap looked to them with pride.

"Thanks to me, the souls of the children can now have physical bodies to inhabit and we can get our revenge on our killers!" Springtrap said. "And we'll start with the ones you call your leaders!"

"Wait, Springtrap!" Starlight called. "Revenge won't change what happened to you or these children!"

"If you knew what they did to me, if you experienced the cursed state they put me in, then you'd want them dead just as much as I do!" Springtrap said. "I live with the same fresh, constant pain of my death all the time with no relief except this!"

"I'm sorry that they killed you, but it was an accident!" Twilight said.

Springtrap didn't say anything to her. Instead, he put his hands in his mouth and pried open the mask of the suit and reveal the horror he was underneath. The girls all gasped and gagged with disgust.

Beneath the mask was a face of exposed bone and mummified flesh. Any lips he had were long gone, exposing yellowed teeth and his eye sockets now held artificial silver globes. His nose had been reduced to two openings where no air entered or exited.

"This is what they did to me, and they have to pay for this!" Springtrap shouted. "I've waited thirty long years for this night, and no little runts like you are going to get in my way!!"

"Haven't you ever heard the saying 'two wrongs don't make a right'?" Starlight asked. "I know what it's like to want revenge. Even if you do get it, you'll be in the same state you were in before. Only this time, you'll have no one to take it out on. It's pointless!"

"How can you know that for sure?!" Springtrap rebutted. "It might work for a being like me and it might work for the kids!"

"Look, I want to make it right for them too, because they were my friends before all this!" Starlight said. "And I can help them find their murderer!"

With that, the Glamtronics took a closer look at Starlight. After a few seconds, each of their eyes lit up with recognition and gasped.

"Starry, is that you?" Roxy asked.

"Yes, it's me after all these years," Starlight said. "Look, I'm sorry I failed you! If I had done something, you wouldn't have died and your killer would've been caught!"

The Glamtronics all looked to Starlight with sad expressions. They all suddenly put Starlight in the center of a tight group hug. Their animatronic bodies were cold and hard, but still strangely comforting.

"Starry, we were never angry at you," Chica said.

"Yeah, if you tried anything, he would've killed you, too!" Monty said.

"There wasn't anything you could've done, so it's okay," Freddy said.

"We're just happy you're helping us now," Roxy said.

Starlight was in tears by this point. She was reunited with her old friends and they harbored no ill will towards her. She was so happy she couldn't think about the current situation. The Elements were happy to see this display of rekindled friendship on display.

With the obvious reconciliation, Springtrap put the masks on the Princesses' heads. "Now that this little therapy session seems to be working, I'll continue with my therapy!"

Before Springtrap could activate the springlocks, though, a loud stomping sound came from the open doors of the dark maintenance tunnels with a pair of glowing red eyes shone through the darkness. Everyone's attention was now on the doors. From out of the darkness, an animatronic black jackal wearing a black cape emerged from the darkness, with gleaming fangs and razor claws. The jackal laughed in a deep synthesized voice.

"Sorry, but this party's over now!" the jackal said.

"That suit...," Springtrap said. "Who are you?"

"I'm the guy who's here to stop you!" the jackal replied.

Springtrap snapped his fingers and pointed to the jackal. "Get him! He'll ruin everything!"

The Glamtronics ran towards the jackal in an attempt to jump him, but the jackal was quicker. Pulling out two of the tasers the group brought with them, the black jackal tasered both Monty and Chica in the neck area between the exoskeleton's plating. The two dropped to the ground stunned.

Freddy and Roxy tried to grapple him, but the jackal spun around throwing Freddy off, but Roxy held on tight. Freddy tried to grab him from behind, but the jackal slammed Roxy into him and tasered the animatronic bear to stun him. Roxy grabbed at the jackal's mask and managed to take it when the jackal threw her off, revealing his true face underneath.

Neighsay was underneath the mask. He was the black jackal fighting them. Now that he was unmasked, he gave a victorious grin over his victories. The Elements were cheering for him.

"That was awesome!" Rainbow shouted.

"Yeah, you showed them what for!" Applejack called.

Now that both Roxy and Starlight got a look at Neighsay and his smiling face, a flash of recognition crossed their eyes as Starlight looked on in horror.

"You... you're him!" she said almost in the form of a whisper.

"He's what, Starlight?" Twilight asked from next to her.

Roxy was the one to answer that. "It's you! You're the one responsible for our deaths! You're the Kid Killer!"

Everyone turned to Neighsay in surprise. Even the Princesses looked to him from under their masks, and Celestia spoke to him through it.

"Neighsay, what is the meaning of this?" Celestia asked sternly.

"It's true!" Starlight shouted in a fury. "He lured by friends down to the maintenance tunnels, murdered all of my them, and hid the bodies!"

"I remember him, too! I was the first one he murdered!" Roxy shouted. "I remember he stabbed me over and over and over again while I was unable to scream or fight!"

Springtrap was so surprised by what he was hearing that he forgot about his plan for a moment. He looked to Neighsay and thought back to his first night in this world. He remembered seeing another pony in the hospital with him and tried to chase him until he ran into the Princesses. If he was the real Kid Killer, then that would mean that he was responsible for his death! Neighsay, seeing that lying at this point was futile, simply sighed and gave them all a terrifying grin of madness and sadism.

"You're all indeed correct!" Neighsay said. "I am the Kid Killer... and I'm going to kill all of you."

Next Time: The Final Fight

9) The Final Fight

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The air inside the pizzeria felt heavy. Everything was out in the open now. The real Kid Killer and the one truly responsible for Springtrap's death, Neighsay, was standing there with a sickening grin as he looked at everyone with bulging eyes. The silence was only broken by Starlight.

"Why... why would you kill innocent foals?" Starlight asked softly before screaming. "Why did you murder my friends in cold blood?!"

Neighsay stopped grinning and glared venomously at Starlight. "You wanna know why? I killed them because they were the most idiotic students I've ever seen!"

"What do you mean?! What did we do to you to deserve murder?!" Roxy shouted.

"Because you and your lot always managed to fail spectacularly in school! I had no other choice but to make sure you didn't grow up to become drags on society!" Neighsay replied. "My job is ensure that students grow up to become functioning and contributing citizens, but with you, I knew that it would've been impossible with you! I had to clean the slate, so I killed the infection that you are!"

"You told me you a part of the volunteer team investigating! Was that a lie?!" Starlight asked.

"No, I was. Not only was it a good cover, but it allowed to obtain and destroy any evidence I left behind. Pretty clever, huh?" Neighsay replied. "Now that you all know about this, I'm gonna have to kill you all."

Everyone was so shocked to hear his reasons for killing. He murdered innocent children in cold blood... simply because they weren't performing well at school. Starlight and Roxy were both furious with what he did, but none were more surprised than Springtrap.

"What about me? I saw you in the hospital thirty years ago and I tried to chase after you, so how did I fit into this?" he asked.

"Honestly, I got careless one night and and the authorities were on my trail," Neighsay replied. "I was quite happy when I saw you appear in the hospital that night and I knew I could get you to take the fall for me if I played my cards right. It was more of a happy accident, so I guess I should thank you for covering for me."

Springtrap was now stepping away from the suited Princesses and his now-red eyes turned to Neighsay with newfound hatred.

"You framed me and got me killed and cursed and you want to thank me for dying for your crimes?!" Springtrap shouted. "I suffered for thirty years because I took the fall for you! I'm gonna kill you!"

Brandishing his trusty kitchen knife, Springtrap leapt from the stage and ran right at Neighsay. The mad murderer read the oncoming attack and deftly dodged him, grabbed his head, and slammed him into the wall. Springtrap tried to attack him again, but Neighsay brought the taser up and shoved it into his mouth.

A humungous wave of shocks shot through Springtraps body, weirdly numbing his constant pain but preventing him from moving. He slumped to the floor in a smoking heap after Neighsay was done, with Neighsay picking up the kitchen knife. He glared up at Neighsay.

"You won't... get away with this!" he wheezed out.

"Really, now? Because from where I'm standing, I'm gonna get away with everything yet again!" Neighsay said.

Neighsay delivered a swift kick to Springtrap's chest, sending him flying back in front of the tied-up Starlight. Roxy took the initiative to attack Neighsay, but he holding his own. Despite this, Roxy's superior speed and agility kept her out of reach of the taser and knife.

"I'll rip you apart for what you did to us!!" Roxy shouted.

"Oh, please! I killed you all before and I can do it again!" Neighsay rebutted. "After that, I'll kill you all and say that Springtrap did it! Face it, girl. You can't beat me!"

As Springtrap was struggling to stand, Starlight took the opportunity to talk to him. "Springtrap, you have to untie me. Roxy can't win against him on her own. We have to work together to stop him."

Springtrap looked to Starlight and then back to the fight. After all these years, the one who framed him is right there saying that he'll blame him again and get away with his terrible crimes again. As much as he wanted to kill Celestia and Luna, he now wanted to kill Neighsay even more. Plus, he knew Starlight need this as much as him. Springtrap worked to untie Starlight and removed the black crystal from her horn.

Now free, Starlight and Springtrap faced Neighsay, who was about to place the taser into Roxy's neck. He grinned as he faced them.

"Oh? You think you all working together is going to stop me?" he asked mockingly. "I already took out the rest of your idiot friends, so there's no point!"

"Are you sure about that?" Springtrap asked before raising his hands in the air. "Wake up, children! We finally brought your killer here! It's time for your justice to be served!"

They all looked around and saw the downed animatronics twitching and coming back to life. Neighsay seemed to be anxious to see them all standing up now. The Glamtronics all now glared at Neighsay with angry red eyes. Neighsay gave a small laugh.

"So, you want to relive that day thirty years ago?" he asked mockingly. "Fine then! Let's do that!"

The Glamtronics, Springtrap, and Starlight all rushed Neighsay at once trying to pin him down. Neighsay was moving quite elegantly in the suit, dodging and attacking with the grace of a trained soldier. Even though he was fighting them off good, he wasn't able to put them down with the taser or the knife. Starlight tried to use her magic, but the only thing she managed to do was sputter a few sparkles. That black crystal must've drained her magic temporarily. Springtrap joined her and pointed at the suit.

"You see that suit?" Springtrap asked. "We can use that against him."

"How?" Starlight asked.

"When I was preparing for my revenge, I made a prototype springlock suit. That one. But the springlocks weren't as loose as I wanted. If we can damage it enough..."

"He'll get springlocked just like you were!"

"Exactly! We have to do everything we can!"

"But how are we going to even damage him? He's too good at this fight!"

"I know what you can use! I keep cupcakes in my mane!" Pinkie offered.

"That could work," Springtrap said.

Starlight and Springtrap reached into Pinkie's mane and pulled out a few cupcakes, and a few pink strands of hair. They waited until Neighsay was facing towards them. When he did, the pair lobbed cupcakes at his face. The sweet confections completely covered his face.

"Why you little--!" Neighsay said before he got punched in the face by Freddy.

The punch sent Neighsay flying back a few feet away from them. Neighsay cleaned his face completely and picked up the mask to his suit.

"Looks like you're finally taking this seriously!" Neighsay laughed, his voice distorted by the mask.

Springtrap threw cupcakes at the mask's eyes, allowing the group to attack him all at once. They clawed, bit, punched, and kicked at Neighsay with everything they had. Neighsay meanwhile, tried and failed to fight back, even after removing the cupcakes from his eyes. He was pushed back to the edge of the stage, where his attackers surrounded him.

"It's over, Neighsay!" Starlight declared.

"You know, I think I should take a page from Springtrap's book," Neighsay said. "Since I'm wearing this suit, why not call me... 'Blackjack'?"

"Don't care, you're not getting away this time!" Chica said.

"We're gonna make you pay for this!" Freddy said.

"Let's just make sure this hurts!" Monty said.

"I'm not too sure about that!" Neighsay - "Blackjack" - said.

Blackjack suddenly grabbed Starlight by the hair and pulled her to him, pressing a kitchen knife to her neck.

"Now, then, you're going to back off and let me escape from here. If you try anything, Starlight dies!" Blackjack threatened.

"You coward!" Roxy yelled.

This wasn't good. Starlight still couldn't use her magic and Blackjack threatened to kill her if they tried anything. There had to be something they could do. Springtrap was trying to think when he noticed something.

Springtrap looked into the Blackjack suit and saw one of the springlocks in the neck loosen slightly. This meant that the springlocks have been sufficiently loosened. All he had to do now was do something to set them off without Starlight being killed in the process. He looked around and saw a bit lying lying on the floor in front of his feet. This was perfect! Picking up the coin, he showed to Starlight and Blackjack.

"Hey Blackjack, if you're planning to get out of town, then you'll need this for your train fare!" Springtrap said.

He then tossed the coin right at Blackjack. The coin flew through the air and hit the loose springlock with a small clang and dropped inside the suit. Blackjack laughed aloud.

"You actually thought that was going to do something, you stupid rabbit?!" he laughed.

His laughter was cut off by the sounds of metal groaning and clinking underneath the exoskeleton. Springtrap and Starlight smiled at the sounds knowing what they meant.

"It's about to do something," Springtrap said menacingly.

Metallic snapping sounds filled the air as the springlocks in Blackjack's suit began to go off all at once. His arms jerked away allowing Starlight to escape his grasp and joined the others in watching Blackjack's springlock failure.

Neighsay screamed in agony as the springlocks in his suit all went off. They started in his neck, cutting off his short-lived screams and worked their way down. He felt every bit of sharp metal piercing his body and rupturing his organs. He could feel his warm blood and intestines spilling out into the suit and he was jerked in every direction. This went on for maybe two minutes before he slumped to the ground twitching and jerking. The group saw the horrible display with an eerie satisfaction.

Once the springlocks were closed, the building they were in started to shake as if an earthquake had struck. The ceiling started to cave in and the walls started to crack. Starlight turned to the others.

"We have to get out of here! The building's starting to collapse!" Starlight shouted.

"I'll grab the Princesses and you untie the others!" Springtrap said.

They all set about their tasks quickly. Starlight and the Glamtronics untied the Elements while Springtrap wheeled out the Princesses on the gurneys. Once they were mostly out of the building, Springtrap looked back and saw Neighsay/Blackjack looking to him pleadingly and reached out a twitching hand to him.

"Please... help me!" he wheezed out with dripping blood. "I don't... want to... die here!"

Springtrap only stared back at him with cold silver eyes. "No. This is now your tomb. This is now your hell."

And with that, Springtrap ran out of the building with the Princesses and the Elements. They all watched as the building collapsed in on itself and all that was left was a pile of rubble. Everyone looked at the building expectantly.

"You think Neighsay died in there?" Rainbow asked.

"The Princesses thought I was fully dead thirty years ago, only for me to surprise them," Springtrap said before looking to them. "Speaking of which..."

The Princesses were still locked in their springlock suits when Springtrap approached them. Starlight and the others were going to try to stop him, but they saw that they didn't need to.

Springtrap cranked open the springlock suits and helped Celestia and Luna out of them. They seemed to be even more surprised than the Elements. Springtrap simply looked at them with a neutral expression.

"I can't bring myself to forgive you for what you did to me, but this encounter seems to have gotten rid of my hatred for you," Springtrap said. "I won't forgive you, but... I'll at least try not to kill you in the future."

"You have every reason to never forgive us, Mister Springtrap, but we appreciate you not trying to kill us," Celestia said.

"We will humbly bear your hatred for as long as we live," Luna said.

Starlight turned to her Glamtronic friends. "What now? Neighsay's gone, so what's next?"

"Honestly, we haven't thought that far ahead," Freddy said.

"I'm not sure either," Roxy said.

"I thought we would move on to the afterlife," Monty said.

"Maybe it's because I had your souls possessing those animatronic bodies," Springtrap said. "Those bodies must be infused with your Remnant."

"What's Remnant?" Twilight asked.

"It's a substance that is the very essence of life itself," Springtrap replied. "If it bonds with an object, the soul will possess that object."

"So, does that mean that these bodies are permanent?" Roxy asked.

"It would appear so. The only way to free your souls is melting the metal down with fire," Springtrap replied. "What happens next is completely up to you."

The Glamtronics weren't really sure what to do until Freddy snapped his fingers. His blue eyes lit up with an idea.

"Hey guys, remember when we said that we were going to start a band? Maybe we should do that!" Freddy said.

"That was a long time ago. You think we can do that after all these years?" Chica asked.

"You kidding, we'd be the best band in the land with these rocking robo-bods!" Monty said.

"Starting a band does sound like fun!" Roxy said before turning to Springtrap. "Do you want to be our band manager?"

Springtrap's damaged ears perked up at the offer. "You want me to be a part of this? Why?"

"You're really good at planning and organizing things, so you'd be perfect for the job," Freddy said holding out his hand. "Besides, you helped us avenge our deaths, so we want you around. We are friends, after all."

Friends. That was something that had never even crossed his mind for the past thirty years. Then again, he had to admit that did enjoy the Glamtornics' company. Now that he didn't feel a desire for revenge, being the band manager for the Glamtronics seemed to be very enticing to him, now. Springtrap smiled and shook Freddy's hand.

"I'd love to be your band manager. And your friend," Springtrap said.

The moment they shook hands, a strange glow came from Springtrap's chest. The light shone for a few seconds, but he noticed something spectacular flooded Springtrap's body.

It was gone. The constant pain of his failed springlocks was gone. For the first time in thirty years, he felt sweet relief wash over him. He had long forgotten what it was like to not be in agony. This feeling of relief brought tears to Springtrap's silver eyes.

"It's gone! The pain is finally gone!" Springtrap shouted. "My pain is finally at an end!"

"You mean from the springlocks?" Starlight asked.

"Yes! After all these years, my suffering is finally over!" Springtrap said.

"I think this is a cause for celebration!" Pinkie said. "Let's throw a party!"

"That sounds like a lovely idea, Pinkie," Rarity said.

"After all this, I could use a hard cider or eight," Applejack said.

"Then let's get back to the palace to plan for it!" Twilight said. "Springtrap, you and your friends are the guests of honor, so come on!"

Springtrap and the Glamtronics walked along with them to the palace. Before they could walk past the nearest street corner, Springtrap looked back to the demolished pizzeria.

"Hopefully you stay buried, Blackjack," Springtrap thought. "If you come back, I'll just bury you even deeper."

He joined the rest of his friends with that determined thought in the back of his mind. Even if Neighsay went through the same process he did, he couldn't dig his way out of that. Besides, he now had friends and his unlife was finally starting to look brighter. His existence would now be one he wanted to live: peacefully. And he now had friends to boot.

"By the way, is Springtrap your real name, or is that a name you gave yourself?" Starlight asked him. "I had a feeling that 'Springtrap' isn't your real name."

"You'd be correct, that's not my real name," Springtrap replied.

"Then what is it? I'd like to know the name of the guy who helped avenge my friends."

"While I prefer to be called 'Springtrap', my name used to be 'Anon'. But even that name was fake."

"So... what's your real name?"

"My name is Afton. Wilson Afton."

*****

The Demolished Pizzeria - The Maintenance Tunnels

After the building collapsed, the only thing that wasn't completely destroyed were the maintenance tunnels underneath. In the dark underground, Neighsay/Blackjack sat in the dark twitching and jerking from the failed springlocks. It was a miracle for him that he was able to drag himself down into the tunnels before the ceiling could crush him.

Neighsay was still alive somehow, but he was trapped and in a mountainous amount of pain. All he could do was sit there and wait for death to come for him.

He was beaten. Him, one of the greatest minds in Equestria, was springlocked and beaten by the ghosts of children of all things. And they were children that he worked so hard to make sure would never become societal parasites! Blackjack focused all his anger on this failure.

"How could... I have lost?!" he wheezed. "I was trying to... keep Equestria's schools and... society healthy, and THIS is... the thanks I get?!"

Neighsay cast his mind back to Springtrap, the one who activated the springlocks in the first place. Hatred and malice filled his body as he remembered the coin he tossed to set them off. Clenching his fist in anger, he hissed out his last words.

"I'll be back for you someday, Springtrap! I swear it!" Blackjack promised. "I'll always come back!"

Springtrapped: An MLP/FNAF Crossover

by Lord Shadow Eclipse

1) Too Much Death

2) 30 Years Later and Now I'm Free

3) Investigation and Discovery

4) Plans Ahead

5) Hunting

6) Springing Traps

7) Tracking

8) Surprises and Revelations

9) The Final Fight