A/N: Yes, since I'm back now, I'm working on putting some new chapters in, with as little delay as possible. Now, before too much longer, I'll probably be re-using the events of the original story, at least some of the later parts of it, but obviously, I'll have to edit these to match the changes that have been made. So, probably within a few months, the entire story will be caught up. Probably. Assuming I don't start procrastinating again. Or worry too much about certain stuff that really doesn't matter much in the first place. Also, If I didn't mention it already, the chapters regarding episode 9 are going to be scrapped entirely. It never happened. In fact, you might notice that all of the original chapters of the story are gone now. Yes, I've wiped the slate clean. Now to respond to the reviews.
Blazing Winds: Why thank you, and it's good to be back, I have to admit. It feels good to be writing again.
John Lanford: Ah yes, here we see the typical internet hater in his natural habitat; intentionally browsing things he claims to be "shit" and "cancerous" just so he can leave negative reviews. Truly, a wonderful example of his kind.
eren jaeger 1st: Thanks for that, but honestly, if the above doesn't make it clear, reviews like that don't bother me. The guy is just being childish and trying to ruin someone's day for no reason at all. Clearly, he has no respect for the fandom or any in it, so his opinion in regards to the story, if he actually even so much as read the description, is not anything to get upset about. Constructive criticism is entirely different, but he doesn't seem the type to bother.
Betoran: 1) Yeah, I know the feeling of having too many stories in your Followed section. Need to fix that myself, if I'm honest. As for reading, it's always been something I enjoyed, though fanfiction wasn't something I explored until 8th or 9th grade. Can't be sure which, but I know it was no earlier than 8th grade, because a certain friend of mine, a brony who I met on the first day of 8th grade, is the one who got me into it, indirectly. You see, he was trying to convince me to get into it, but I wasn't so sure. So, after some browsing on the internet, though I forget why I was looking up pony stuff before even being actually interested, I came across a certain fanfiction by our good friend Terran34. His story is what got me into the fandom and had me actually watch the show. No joke, if not for stumbling across his story, you might not be reading this one. Anyway, I have to ask, though I expect I already know the answer, what was it in the first chapter that confused you?
2) Yeah, honestly not surprised that you've read all of them. They're some of the best MLP fics on this site (though admittedly it's been nearly two years since I've browsed anything). Guess you're just going to have to wait for the updates. Don't expect all of them to be this fast.
Anyway. I've clearly taken up way too many words just here in the Author's Note, but I just have to say, I'm surprised to have gotten five reviews to reply to here. And even more surprised that yesterday alone, my story got 313 views! If memory serves, that's quite a bit more than I ever got in one day before this, but again, I'm taking way too long to get to the chapter, so without further adieu, let's move...
ON TO THE STORY!
Shit. The lights are out. Now we're going to have to make our way around here in the dark. And given there aren't any windows, it's almost pitch black in here. Letting out a soft sigh, I ask, looking around in vain, "Any ponies with horns that would be kind enough to light up the hallway? Just because the lights went out doesn't mean we have to stay down here."
At that, two lights appear from the darkness, one a pale red, and the other a brilliant gold, causing me to blink for a moment. Now able to see, I look between Otaku and Celestia, the former having a bit of a sheepish grin on his face, and the latter looking around for a moment, before saying, clearly a bit confused, "That's odd. The lights down here are all powered by magic… They shouldn't have gone out so suddenly."
As you might expect, this statement prompts some caution from the unicorn beside me, seeming to realize something that I myself am missing. He doesn't take very long at all to explain himself, gesturing towards the cells around us, making it clear what he was watching for. "The only way that the lights would have gone out like that is if someone, pony or otherwise, had cut off the magic supply. And given what Chica just explained to us, the reason the other animatronics weren't active was that the lights were too bright, and perhaps that there were too many of us. But right now, other than the light from our horns, we're in complete darkness."
...Oh fuck. Turning to the Princess, I say, making myself as clear as possible, "We need to leave, now. Those doors should hold them, but until we get the lights back on, we need to-" I'm cut off as I hear a familiar banging sound, metal on metal, almost as if something were trying to beat down a door. "We need to go. Now. And then I suggest you put this area on lockdown, just in case they somehow manage to escape."
With that, I quickly make my way down the hall, Otaku and Celestia close behind, the former guard looking over his shoulder every now and then to make sure that we weren't being followed…
A good hour later, we're in some kind of meeting room, several higher ranking guards present (including Shining Armor, not that I had any particular interest), along with the both princesses. The area where the animatronics were being held had been closed off, and was under guard, with the guards given orders to make sure nothing, pony or otherwise, got in or out without the permission of one of the princesses. It hadn't taken very long to figure out that the power had been cut only in that paricular area, and that it had been done rather intentionally. Unfortunately, cartoon logic failed us this time, leaving no evidence at all as to who or even what might have cut the power. Now, we were having a nice discussion about what to do with the animatronics themselves.
"I don't think talking and trying to convince them to be nice to ponies is really the best idea at this point, Joseph. The way I see it, we have two choices. We keep them locked up, maybe even put them deep underground somewhere, and make sure that nothing happens that way. Or, we work to figure out a way to put them back where they belong. They have roles to fill in their own world, and as bad as things may be in that world, they are nothing but dangerous here in this one. They cannot be allowed to stay here, and we certainly can't risk them harming an innocent pony."
I let out a sigh at Otaku's words, knowing he had a point. Friendship may be magic and the solution to nearly every problem here in Equestria, but right now, we were in a situation with vastly different rules. We couldn't be sure how this would go, and honestly, no one could.
I didn't want to send them back to their world, to live through that torture, but at the same time, that's the safest choice we could make. Chica didn't seem particularly hostile, she had acted just like a child. And while that's hardly surprising, we can't be sure if they're all like that.
The guards, of course, quickly agreed with Otaku as he said it was dangerous for them to stay, every one of them readily accepting that the animatronics needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. As to how, though, there was a bit of disagreement. Some, including Shiny, were of the opinion that they needed to go back to their own world, and that everything should be focused on figuring out how to do so. Others thought we should just lock them away forever, taking as little risk as possible.
As for the princesses, Celestia stayed quiet, seemingly having some difficulty coming to a decision. Luna, however, rather loudly made her opinion known, thankfully not using the Royal Canterlot voice. "We do not know much about these 'animatronics', but we must agree with Otaku. They are too dangerous for ponies. We suggest they be disposed of as quickly as possible."
And now it's come to me, if Celestia isn't going to chime in. I'm the only one who hasn't commented since that last bit from Otaku. Shaking my head, I stand up, and say, "Look, I really shouldn't even be in here. I'm not nearly important enough to be involved in this kind of decision. I'm only here because I'm one of only two in the entire kingdom who knew about the animatronics before today, and because I'm somewhat responsible for them being here. I don't know how it happened, and I don't know what to do with them. All I have to say is that you should try talking to them again. The yellow one didn't exactly seem dangerous when she was hugging the princess, so at least talk to her. See what they know. See if they can tell you something about how they got here. As for me, if I may be excused, I'm going to go home. I've done all I can here. Sorry to leave you to clean up the mess."
As Celestia gives a slight nod in my direction, I head for the door, no one at the table attempting to stop me, and begin the long walk out of the castle and down to the train station…
By the time I finally make it to my house, Celestia is already lowering the sun, and I am in dire need of some gaming. I turn on a light or two as I make my way up the stairs, certain that I'll be back down again later at some point, and head into my room, only to come to a complete and immediate stop. First off, my laptop is turned on. Even if I had turned it on and left it running this morning, which I certainly didn't, it's set to shut itself off after a certain amount of time not being used, even if it's plugged in. Of course, it is running something at the moment. Five Nights at Freddy's. It's just sitting there on the title screen, Freddy himself not on the screen, though that was hardly surprising at the moment.
But all of that isn't what really caught my attention as I opened the door to my room. No, the thing I saw that made me stop in my tracks was a certain golden, animatronic bear, slumped against the wall near my bed, directly facing me.
A/N: ...Another cliffhanger. This is what, the third one in a row? I'm just being cruel to you all, aren't I? Lol, anyway, feel free to leave a review, good or bad, but if you got this far into the story and have a complaint, please, make it some constructive criticism at least. And as always, if you've gotten this far and haven't hit the favorite or follow buttons, consider pressing at least one of them. Helps you know when the next update comes along.