Author's Note: Hello everyone! Just a head's up that this chapter (yet again) has an incredibly strong violence and sexuality warning for it. Things probably aren't going to calm down very much, but I feel it pertinent to warn people ahead of time! (Granted, the moments of both things are recounted/imagined, but there'll still there, so be aware!) Hope you all enjoy this installment! This marks the end of the writing that I've done ahead, so there might be slightly longer gaps between postings as I get caught up again. Stay tuned!
Ruby stirred a bit, feeling her processor throbbing a bit. If she didn't get a good rest in soon, she knew she was going to run out of power when it was least convenient. She shifted a bit, but was surprised when she felt she was alone on the platform. She sat up, looking down, realizing that both Bonnet and Plushtrap were gone.
"Bonnet? Plushtrap?" she called out a bit, looking around the room, but it was empty, and silent. She got up off of the platform and went to the door. It was ajar just enough that the two of them could have slipped through.
Almost immediately, to her relief, she could hear their combined giggles coming from down the corridor. She let out a small sigh of relief. "You two are going to be little troublemakers, aren't you…" she murmured a bit, following the sounds.
"You're going to have to catch us, Ruby…!" Bonnet's small voice called down to her, the two of them scampering off. Ruby quickened her pace a bit.
"C'mon you two, we can't play like this, if the Puppet sees that Plushtrap isn't with me he won't be happy…!" she called out. But the two of them didn't seem to care, and kept playing their small game of tag with her. They were quick little boogers, waiting for her at corners and taking off with a small laugh. Ruby couldn't help but chuckle a bit, hearing their innocent little chatter and giggles.
As she rounded a corner towards the back rooms, however, she suddenly heard…nothing. It was suddenly deathly silent. She paused, listening for them. "You guys…? Where did you go…?" she called out. Her response was a sudden, shrill, terrified scream from Bonnet.
Ruby immediately took off in that direction, running towards the corridor they'd vanished into. She ran down to the end, where she saw the stairs…the same stairwell that Fredbear, or rather, Golden Freddy had attacked her from.
In the middle of the corridor was Bonnet's small form…ripped in half.
Ruby let out a sound of horror, and rushed to her, but Bonnet's optics were black. She couldn't even process it; she just sunk to her knees, too terrified to even touch her. Oil and other fluids were seeping onto the floor, dark and shimmering.
"Let go of me…!" Plushtrap's voice suddenly shrieked; she jolted her expression back up from Bonnet, only to see Springtrap there, holding the smaller animatronic in one arm. He didn't respond, instead just grinning towards Ruby.
"Well, well…so now you know the whole truth, don't you, Ruby…? It's a shame…you just had to make me kill two children all over again, didn't you…?" he chimed. He suddenly gripped Plushtrap's head as he thrashed, and in one rough, horrific movement, snapped it all the way around…and ripped it clean off of his body. Plushtrap's optics froze in a completely widened position and died when the last wire was severed.
Ruby let out a scream and felt everything inside of her seem to…freeze, that was the only way she could describe it. It was like her mind, her processor, just couldn't…accept what she was seeing. Springtrap let out a throaty laugh, tossing Plushtrap's body and severed head to his sides, before he started to approach her.
"Well…you must not be feeling all too well, hmm, Ruby…?" he said to her, coyly; her body seemed to move before her mind could tell it took, as she scrambled to her feet and staggered back from him. "After all…you've failed so many that you claimed to love…you let your mother die…and now Bonnet, and Plushtrap…"
"No…no…" Ruby said, feeling herself spiral; she couldn't comprehend it. Her foot suddenly stepped back into a puddle of…something. She turned slowly, suddenly recognizing the one scent she could still recall…
Abigail's body laid, broken, in a pool of blood. Her head was almost completely mauled, aside from her face, which stared in horror towards the ceiling, her eyes half-hanging out of her sockets due to the puncture of the spring locks. Her skull was broken, cracked, leaking blood and brain matter from the rods that had pierced it. Her neck was contorted from being forced to follow the trajectory of the rods. She looked so broken, she almost looked…alien, her body contorted in impossible ways.
"NO…!" Ruby screamed out, gripping her face so hard in her hands that she could feel the metal structure of it start to bend. Springtrap suddenly grabbed her wrists and forced them away from her face.
"Shhh…it's all right…" Ruby paused, startled by the sudden tenderness in his voice. When she opened her eyes, everything was gone; all of the carnage had vanished, and they were standing in a small room with charging platforms, like the one she rested in.
"But they…I saw them…they were all dead…"
"Death is just a part of life, Ruby..." Springtrap replied simply, as though he hadn't seen or done it all himself. "Don't you hate all of this pain…? You take so much of it onto yourself…carrying it for others…burdening yourself with their anguish…"
It felt so surreal; he spoke so calmly, with tenderness, even if deep down she knew it was completely feigned.
"You killed them…" she said, her voice shaking.
"No…you let me kill them…you promised to protect them, but you didn't…did you…?" he replied, stroking her chin, making her face him. "But it's all right…you're no different from the others…none of them could protect those they loved either…"
Ruby just shuddered; an overwhelming urge to just…die, then and there, came over her. She hated herself, she felt every bit of pain that they felt – that all of them felt – coursing through her. It was unbearable and she felt like she couldn't see straight anymore. Springtrap's soothing voice reached her.
"Don't you want the pain to stop, Ruby…? Don't you want to forget…" his voice purred; it felt like it was stroking every ache and pain within her. "I can just as easily give you respite as readilyas I can take away…what do you want…?"
"I want…to forget…" she struggled to get out. "I can't…I can't take this pain…I can't do it…!" she cried out; she thought that admitting it would relieve her of her guilt, of her internal torment, of that endless sinking and twisting that went on inside of her…but it didn't. Instead, it felt like there was a vice grip over her chest, crushing the life out of her.
She heard Springtrap let out a faint laugh, and realized that the agony was coming from him; she watched in a sort of diluted panic as his hand seemed to…reach into her, his hand seeming to simply materialize through her chest plate…and he ripped out a part of her, violently, though her physical body didn't seem to change or be damaged. Oddly though…the pain came to a grinding halt when he removed whatever it is he had grasped.
At first, she thought it was a heart – a human heart – as it dripped crimson fluid onto the floor; but as the 'blood' washed away, she saw what looked like a faint, glowing orb within his hand, no bigger than a large marble. It pulsated with a strange, emanating light. A sharp, unforgiving bleakness came over her, as though he had opened a gaping void inside of her.
"I-is that…?" she choked out, seeing him cradle it gently in his hand.
"Your soul…" he purred, eyeing it with a beastly hunger, carefully stroking the edges of it as it recoiled from his touch. "Do you remember what I said…when you were first dragged down here, Ruby…?"
Ruby just stammered, unable to find words. It was like he'd stolen everything from inside of her; her resolve, her thoughts…even her heart. She couldn't feel much of anything, now.
"I'm going to make you implore me…to make you hollow…to embrace being broken, and devoid of everything but what I deem…essential…"
Ruby felt her body convulse and move without her consent as he suddenly grasped her soul tightly; she could only watch in an aghast silence as darkness poured from the palm of his hand, and consumed her faded soul.
Immediately she felt waves of different, appalling, awful emotions and sensations; she let out a raspy, violent hiss as anger flooded through her, her body distorting with hatred, every fiber seeming to stiffen and wretch. It passed thankfully, but she could still feel all of them welling up inside of her. Hatred, mingled with a desire for cruelty, and…a frightful, but enveloping dependency and lust for…him.
She stepped back, shaking, still spasming, trying to fight it off. Those feelings were consuming her, bit by bit, and her last gasp of resistance faded. Suddenly…there was nothing left, but those things…and fear. Fear that found its way into all of her, making her shudder; she no longer hated him…she only feared him, the only break in this thrall of terror being that centered, intense yearning. Before, those fleeting moments of his enticement had made her sick, but now…there was nothing to prevent them.
She felt nothing even as he suddenly lifted what blackened, gnarled remains there were of her soul, and devoured it in one hungry gulp. He chuckled a bit, tapping his chest-plate. "They always taste best…when they're corrupted…" he hissed out. "And now…"
Ruby let out a small sound, mostly of surprise, as he suddenly lurched forward and pinned her to the ground. It felt so cold, and she could see more of that same…darkness, that had streamed from him, forming around them. Everything had darkened in this room in its entirety; she felt like she were staring up into an endless void. Springtrap chortled deeply as he held down her arms, reveling in the fear that exuded from her. It was all she could feel, that…and that burning warmth in her abdomen, again…
Springtrap leered down at her, eyeing her up and down as he released her arms. She was too petrified to move, and the desire to escape was simply gone. He trailed his hands down her form, gliding them over her seams, before he rested one over the panel between her legs, causing her to let out a strangled whimper.
"Ah…you're so untouched, and chaste…Ruby…even without that meddlesome soul, there's still something so…pure, about you…" he growled, gutturally; he looked like he would devour her next, with the gaze he gave her…but she knew what he really wanted. He deftly shifted the panel apart, delving a servo deep inside of her, causing her to arch her back and let out a pointed moan, her whole form shivering.
Springtrap seemed pleased with this, twisting his servo a bit and touching her sensually, licking his lips as he watched her pant and writhe. He gently eased her legs apart as they instinctively started to press together. "Shhh…just relax…" he half-whispered to her; he ceased pleasuring her, removing his servo and then sliding down her body. His heavy weight and warmth seemed to press her further down, into the darkness that had overtaken wherever they were. He smirked to her toothily, shifting himself so that their hips were pressed together. He leaned down and licked along her neck, letting his teeth scrap along her metal 'flesh' as they both started to pant; it was then that she could feel the warmth in her grow, and suddenly felt his arousal pressed against her.
One last tiny, pitiful spark of fight welled up in her, feeling him flush against her and prepared to enter her…to take her while she had so little will left. He seemed to anticipate this, however, as she suddenly tried to force him off of her. He snarled a bit, pinning her shoulders down as he stared down at her, baring his teeth, before he just…smiled, eerily, down at her.
"Do you truly think that you can escape this darkness, now…?" he purred to her; it had filled the area around them, twisting, shifting and changing like the shadows were alive. "Once you're mine, Ruby…I will never allow you to leave me, or escape me…you'll never see the light of another day again…"
With that, he suddenly leaned down, wrapping his arms around her tightly to keep her from resisting him yet again, biting down hard onto her neck as she suddenly felt him violently force himself inside of her.
Ruby let out a terrified shriek, feeling the anguish of it course through her…and then found her face hitting the floor. Her world spun a bit as she groaned slightly, rubbing her head as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. She was still shaking from head to toe, and that pain, that emptiness she'd felt…it was still coursing through her, though it faded as she realized it had just been a nightmare.
'Just' a nightmare…'
Ruby managed to get herself up, and looked at the recharge platform. Bonnet and Plushtrap were still asleep on the platform. Plushtrap was sprawled out comically with his mouth half open, with Bonnet nuzzled up against him, her head on his chest. As cute as it was, however, Ruby couldn't get the images of them ripped to pieces out of her mind.
She about jumped through the ceiling, though, when she heard a soft pounding on the door. She was so unnerved that she feared she wasn't truly awake yet. Relief swept over her, however, when she heard Foxy's comforting drawl on the other side of the door.
"Lass? Ye in thar?" he called in, softly. "Ye wanted ta talk ta me, but I didn' want ta wake ye…"
Ruby got up, and went to the door; she could tell she looked like a wreck with how startled he was in seeing her in this state. "Lass, w'as wrong? Ye look like ye've jus' boarded a ghost ship…" he chided a bit, trying to lighten the mood, though he cupped her face in his hand and looked at her worriedly nonetheless.
"J-just…a…a bad nightmare…" she stuttered. It was still so fresh in her mind that she had trouble comprehending it wasn't real, and that she was safe.
Foxy frowned, glimpsing the two little ones. "Le's talk, ye an' I…we'll jus' lock tha door ta here so the Puppet can't complain bout the anklebiter…" he said; Ruby nodded, as both of them were passed out, so they likely wouldn't be awake for some time. She stepped out of the room, and Foxy used one of the generic key cards around the complex to lock the door, shuffling it back into a pocket. He offered her his arm, giving her a small smile. Ruby did her best to return it as she took his arm, though she knew it had to look pretty pathetic.
"Aye prolly don' need ta venture much of a guess as ta who was in yer nightmare…" Foxy said, knowingly. "He's been a plague on our lot of dreams fer years now, ye know…"
"I can imagine…" Ruby said. "He said…so many terrible things to me, down there…and he meant every word of them, Foxy. He's not going to stop…not until…not until he's gutted everything out of me and molded me into his perfect little plaything…" her voice started to tremble, his words and threats echoing in her mind.
Foxy paused, and gripped her shoulder in his hand, resting his hook harmlessly on her other shoulder. "Tha's no way ta talk, lass…" he said, but his expression softened slightly, seeing the fear in her optics. "He's...really sent ye to the sharks, in here, hasn't he…?" he asked, touching her head.
"I want…to be brave. I want to believe that I won't…that I won't let him break me. He's taken so much from me already and I'm still here, Foxy…I can still remember being Laurel, even if it's faint…but I know how he is. He won't stop, he won't be satisfied until he's done what he's said he's going to, and anything else unspoken that he has planned…"
"He wants ye ta give up, Ruby…" Foxy said; he used his hook to gently lift her gaze. She had a few faint tears still clinging to the outer edges of her optics. "It's his schtick…get inta yer head…make ye question if ye even can fight him…"
Ruby nodded, resting her hand over his and closing her eyes a moment. "You said…that Springtrap has…tormented each of you, in his… 'own special way'…and he's confirmed that to me, too…" she said, quietly. "What did he do to you, Foxy? And…and how did you come into being…? Plushtrap said that Michael only had…three friends…"
She didn't want to ask him, because she knew after Plushtrap's timeline of events, there was little in this place that wasn't tainted with violence or tragedy. But Foxy's…reluctance, at talking about Springtrap, about what happened here…it made her feel uneasy.
Foxy's expression darkened, and he let go of her, turning away slightly. "We don' talk on those things, lass…it's jus' best not ta stir tha chum…"
"Please stop with the pirate lingo for a moment and just be frank with me…" Ruby suddenly said, pleading with him. "I knew Springtrap was bad news when I first was attacked by him, as Laurel…but there's so much more to all of this than I ever could have guessed. Plushtrap…told me a lot of details that the Puppet didn't include…about…how everyone came into being here…" she said, quietly. Foxy didn't respond. "But…I don't know how I'm going to overcome this…hold he has on me…if no one else has been able to…he still…controls us, through fear, through knowing that he's down below, doing something awful…" she hung her head a bit.
Foxy was still silent for some time, but she eventually heard him speak, though it was very low. It sounded odd with how boisterous his voice typically was. He didn't face her, but he didn't speak with any aggression towards her either. He just sounded so…tormented.
"If Plushtrap's filled in tha blanks…ye already know that tha' kids that died…were the ones tha' were involved in killin' lil Jason…" he began. He sounded like he really didn't want to be talking about this, but he was forcing himself to, for her sake. "The other three…possessed tha spirits a' tha kids that were involved, but me…" he cut off, trying to think of what to say.
"I know that his older son Michael was the…little mastermind behind that…but Plushtrap said that he wasn't killed by William…something about…an affinity between sociopaths, that Michael shared in William's sadistic tendencies…"
Foxy was silent still. "Tha soul tha' brought me ta life…was someone tha' no one knew died, 'ere, tha' day…" Foxy said. "I don' remember…many memories, of who he was. But…he was a landlubber without a home…who slept jus' ous'side tha' pizzeria. Young fella, we think…prolly had somethin' goin' on in 'is mind, or some kinda plague tha' consumed 'im…but, he wasn' a bad fella. He wanted to get clean, get off tha' rough seas, eventually…" Foxy paused. "Tha day tha kids were killed…he was jus' outside tha' safe room, in the alleyway…"
Lawrence rubbed his head; that stale beer he'd shared with a fellow transient the night before had probably not been the best idea, but drinking where he could helped him deal with the withdrawal from the other things he'd done on the streets. If it meant that he could eventually stop that shit, he was happy to suffer a small hangover the next day and some stale breath.
He clambered up and stretched, knowing that the workers at the shelter would probably lecture him again; they meant well, but he always felt like a failure returning dried blood caked in his elbow joints or the smell of cheap beer seeping from his pores. He'd just found it easier to park his ratty old sleeping bag in this alleyway at night. Plus, they tossed out a lot of pizza slices that hadn't sold before closing, so they were often unsoiled on the tops of the dumpsters. It beat some of the stuff at the shelter.
He glimpsed a clock at a business down the road; 1pm. Had he really slept that long? Damn, he had to get going; he'd promised his case worker he'd at least snag a couple applications before he returned today. He rolled up his bag, and was just about to head back there for a much-needed shower…when he heard the screams. He froze, realizing they were coming from the building beside him. He knew there were kids in there all the time; the parents often shot him wary gazes and glares when they'd pass the alley if he were mulling around in there. But this sounded different from the muted cries and shrieks of playing and goofing around. They were close…and they were utterly terrified.
He looked up, realizing that they were coming from whatever room he was sleeping beside. He could hear screams and sickening sounds of something…splattering, of something metallic swinging through the air. He immediately scrambled up onto the garbage cans, and forced the window open into the building. Without thinking, he pushed himself in and looked around.
"When he managed ta…get inside…it was already too late…" Foxy said, softly. "Tha kids were all thar…lyin' on tha' floor…bleedin' from wounds along thar necks…" Ruby saw him starting to shake; she'd never even seen him show a shred of fear in her whole time here. "Some a' them still…shakin'…rattlin'…in thar death throes…and he was still thar…in tha' suit…"
"What…what have you done?!" Lawrence shouted; he actually wretched, tasting the sour vomit in his throat, burning from the alcohol. "You…you killed all of these kids…!"
The murderer's expression was indiscernible, inside of the Spring Bonnie suit; instead, all he saw were a pair of cold, yellow eyes staring at him. Then…a low, throaty chuckle emerged from inside of it. "You know…it'd probably be a bit more pertinent to be worried about yourself…but, I'm quite grateful you decided to come and try to play hero. Too bad you came just a few seconds too late…you might have been able to save one or two…"
Lawrence felt like he was going to faint; the entire room was filling with the putrid smell of fresh blood, and the sound of it gurgling from their throats made him gag. He stepped back, seeing the murderer approach him, the cleaver still grasped in his hand, blood dripping from it. "And why would you be grateful?!" Lawrence suddenly spat, his voice rasp with horror.
"Because…when all your bodies have eventually rotted, and someone finally discovers what happened here…your presence is going to provide a nice little exoneration for me…" he chuckled. "After all…some filthy hobo's rotted remains found in a pizzeria alongside of several childrens'…hmm…I do wonder who the police will blame…"
Lawrence's eyes widened, and he shuddered, crumpling against the wall. His urge to escape was filling him, causing him to look side to side. But the murderer was blocking the only exit; the window that he'd come in through was too high for him to reach without him being seized. He had nowhere to run.
"Heh…you aren't too old yourself…are you…? Regretting that decision to run away from home and whatever life you had now, aren't you?" the murderer said to him; Lawrence trembled at how nonchalant and steady his voice was, as though he were making a normal conversation.
"Nothing else to say…? That's just as well…I don't need to know anything else about you other than that no one's really going to look for you…" He stepped heavily towards Lawrence, who just shook, feeling his eyes burn with tears. The fear and anguish was too much, both knowing that he was going to die and also that he'd been too late to help. If he hadn't been in that drunken stupor outside, too preoccupied with his headache, he could have…
The murderer paused in front of him…and he was surprised when he suddenly dropped the knife he'd used on the kids to the ground. It landed with a clatter that made him jump. He felt confused for only a second, however, before the murderer suddenly gripped his head tightly in his hands. It felt like he were being pressed alive in a vice grip, their hold on him was so strong.
The murderer laughed again, lowly, his voice distorted by the suit and now sounding…inhuman. "These suits are much stronger than we are…all it takes…is one quick snap…"
…and Lawrence was gone.
Foxy lowered his head. "His body was…eventually found…buried under unused crates…in tha' safe room…by then, he wasn' much more'n bones and a lil rot…an' he was blamed…fer all thar deaths…" his voice cracked a bit, but he seemed to regain his composure. "It took…years…fer me ta' be able…ta stop feelin' guilty…fer not stoppin' 'im…it's why…why I did everythin' I could…ta protect tha' others…but…"
Ruby moved closer, rested a hand on his shoulder. "Please, Foxy…if it…if it hurts too much…"
"No…it…it has ta hurt, Ruby…" he rested his hand over hers; his grip was strong, like he was forcing himself to do this, but knew that he had to. "Yer right…thar's no…no point in tryin' ta forget…even if it…even if it hurts…" he replied. She just gave him an empathetic look and held his hand tightly in her own.
"As fer…wha' Springtrap did…ta…torment me, in particular…tha' came while William was still alive…when he returned ta' tha' pizzeria…"
"You mean…when…when he destroyed your original bodies…?" Ruby asked, her own voice crackling a bit now.
"He…he pretended to be Fredbear…an' he…he lured the others away first…I was such a cantankerous ass, an' I kept ta myself, in Pirate Cove…I didn' know he was thar…an' I knew somethin' was wrong, an' yet…ah still followed him, too…"
Foxy couldn't move. He couldn't even fully…comprehend, seeing them all there, in pieces. Their optics still flickered a bit as their internal processors scrambled futilely to try and keep them alive. They had been cut into literal pieces with such ferocity that it was hard to tell where one body started and another began aside from tatters of faux fur here and there. Twisted bits of metal intermingled with where he could still see the faintest hints of bloodstains…
"How many times will you have to be told…you can't…save them…"
He barely even registered the voice before the axe suddenly met with his neck, all but fully severing his head from his body. That amount of trauma ended his consciousness immediately, before he could answer.
Foxy spasmed, thinking he was feeling that vicious blow once again and stiffening, only to realize it was Ruby, embracing him from behind as she saw him crumpling. She was crying a bit, her tears warm against his back. "I'm so sorry…" she choked out.
Foxy shivered a bit still, but her embrace gave him another small memory that played out like a faded video in his mind…and yet, it still felt so real, as though it had just happened.
"Arrrr, are ye havin' fun lil lass?" Foxy asked, bending down on one knee to talk to a particularly bouncy and happy little girl.
"I always have fun when I'm here Foxy!" she squeaked, looking at him excitedly.
"Tha's always good ta hear, poppet…was' yer name…?" he asked, giving her head a quick, but affectionate pat. He'd seen her several times at the pizzeria, always looking like she was about to burst with how excited she was to be there.
She suddenly got a bit shy, still smiling at him sweetly as she shuffled on her feet. "My name's Laurel…"
"Tha's a pretty name ye 'ave thar, Laurel…you be good now, savvy? An' stay safe, okay?"
"I'm always safe as long as you're around Foxy, you're my favorite!" she proclaimed, suddenly leaping forward and hugging his leg tightly.
Foxy normally didn't feel comfortable when the kids touched him or tried to hug him, still plagued by other memories…but her hug was so genuine and loving. He couldn't help but smile, and rest his hand on her head.
"I'll protect ye lass…ye can always count on tha'…"
Foxy felt himself choke up, faintly, and suddenly turned and held her close, burying his face in against her shoulder. She actually squeaked a bit at how quickly he did this, though her embrace didn't falter whatsoever. She felt him shudder, just slightly, and felt a small warm spot or two where a couple tears fell onto her.
"I couldn't...protect them, lass…or ye…" he said. His voice now was breaking with static interspersed throughout it. "I'm so…so sorry…I've failed so many times, been tha worst protector thar can be…all I wanted was ta keep them safe…but I couldn't…save them…an' I couldn' stop Springtrap from takin' ye…"
"Foxy…" Ruby said; now her optics were completely fogged with moisture, to where she could barely see. All she could do was hold him as close to her as possible. "It's not your fault…you did everything you could…I…I couldn't save my mom, either…" her voice shook. "There's just…some things…you can't stop, or change…I'm doing everything I can…to tell myself that, but I know deep down…that that guilt isn't ever going to go away. I'll never stop asking myself, inwardly…why she had to die, and I got to live…" she paused, but managed to pull away just enough that she could look at him. He looked so crushed, but he was listening to her. "But…also deep down inside…I know that she wouldn't want me to live with it…she'd want me to find happiness where I can, and she'd want me to move on…I know that it's so much easier said than done, and there's really no full way to do it…but you can't keep burdening yourself with that guilt. You've done so much for all of them, Foxy…you've kept them safe over the years, and even now you do. You only think of the two times that that you couldn't…he's likely been trying to do all these awful things and couldn't because you were here. But you'd never know, because he didn't succeed…" she explained, trying to console him. "I know that it's easy for me to say…I haven't been through anywhere near as much as all of you have, but…please, please don't do this to yourself…I know it'll take time and healing, but…you're still the same brave Foxy I always loved and believed in…"
Foxy's expression softened, and he mustered a small smile, even if it was a bit sad. He leaned in, and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. He lingered on it, however, for a bit, and Laurel felt her face warm a bit. "Ye were always…such a sweet, innocent lass…" he said, after a moment; his voice was low, but gentle and amiable.
Ruby couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Heh…my teachers and even my mom might have disagreed with you at times…" she said.
"Even now…" he said; he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "Ye could've been tryin' ta jus' escape…but ye…ye want ta help us…even though…it means you could lose even more…tha's sacrifice tha'…I haven' seen in a long time…"
Ruby smiled a bit, and this time rested her head on his shoulder. "You all meant a lot to me, growing up…and now…now that I know more of what happened here…it's just made me all the more resolved…we'll find a way, to stop him…it might…it might be extremely hard, and to be honest…I'm not sure how it's possible, at times…but we'll figure it out, together…"
"Aye, we will, Laurel…" Foxy said. He was about to continue, but they suddenly heard what sounded like a small sniffle come from down the corridor. Ruby at first thought maybe it was Bonnet looking for her, but remembered the door was locked; she looked up and over his shoulder, and Foxy turned around.
Freddy, Chica, and Bonnie were all standing there; Chica had been the one who sniffled a bit, and the other two looked heartbroken.
"Oh Foxy…why didn't you…tell us that's how you felt, all these years…?" Freddy's deep voice said, softly.
"Ye scallywags were listenin'?!" Foxy said, a bit incredulous, though his indignant anger faded almost immediately. "I…I didn' wan'…ta trouble ye…or dredge more salt into our wounds…" he said; his voice crackled a bit again.
Ruby and Foxy both stood, and he turned to face them. "I felt like such a failure…I couldn' stop 'im from killin' those kids…an' I couldn' stop 'im from dismantlin' ye…"
"Foxy…you know that wasn't your fault…" Bonnie said. "There was nothing that you could have done…we were the ones, in both cases…that trusted him. If we hadn't…things would have turned out differently, I imagine…"
"You've done everything you can since then to make sure that we're safe here, and that we know we're safe…that's all we could ever ask…" Chica said.
Foxy didn't look like he knew what to say; the sadness that had consumed him before seemed to melt away, and he gave them all a sad, slightly broken, but genuine smile.
"Ye can' make me cry like this…" he murmured, reaching up to wipe the tear out of his optic. Before he was done, however, he let out a small yelp of surprise as the three of them suddenly stepped forward and all embraced him tightly.
"You know nothing could ever make us hate you, you salty old sea dog…" Freddy said with a chuckle.
Foxy couldn't say anything; he half wanted to make a witty comeback or joke, but…he was just too overwhelmed. Instead, he just leaned into their embraces, basking in the warmth from them for now.
Ruby smiled, feeling warmed herself by seeing the four of them together; it was a relieving feeling, something other than sadness or anger. Freddy lifted his head a bit, and looked at her, before smiling and extending a hand. Ruby stepped forward and took it, and he pulled her into their embrace.
She felt so…safe. So warm, and content. It brought back brief, but sweet, flashes of memories of being a child, and coming here. She could remember having so much fun, dancing with them, singing along to all their songs, giggling as she followed them around the pizzeria without a care in the world.
She held onto it as though her life depended on it, knowing that these memories, these feelings, were what would save her – and all of them – from the darkness of this place.