{another older oneshot I finished later, but for some reason never posted? This one focuses on the nightmares in my au, specifically their role.

Ocs involved: Breanna and kiddo Marie.

End of note}

Marie and Breanna had to go to Freddy's.

Breanna was recommended to go there by a friend of hers when she said she needed parts for an animatronic. She played it off like it was for Ennard but Marie knew what she really needed the parts for. Walker, the twisted foxy animatronic, was falling apart... more than usual. He had gotten into a brawl with 'a fearsome raccoon' and needed to be fixed, Breanna suggested getting parts the legal way before any of the twisted bots started shoplifting. By some luck Marie had agreed to come along, to tell the truth she was curious about seeing the original Freddy's gang in person, she wondered if there was a classic wolf animatronic. Her mid-length hair was loosely pulled up into a ponytail and she and Breanna got into the car.

"Hopefully it shouldn't take too long, i'd hate to leave Ennard alone with those guys longer than needed." She lightly joked. Marie nodded in agreement as they pulled out of the garage. "Sheesh... it's already sunset? Winter days I tell yah" Breanna commented as they started to drive. Marie just looked out of the window the whole ride. Soon they arrived at the large pizzeria. Breanna had gotten in contact with the mechanic there and was told to come in after closing, and so that's what they did. Breanna got out and Marie soon followed, taking her hand as a form of security. Soon they walked in and Breanna was met with a redhead woman who looked much older than her. They talked briefly. Marie didn't listen, she was looking at all of the games and booths that were being wiped down by the few remaining staff. She also spotted the stage with the animatronics, they looked still and lifeless. Marie let go of her guardians hand and dared to approach the stage. She looked up and spotted Freddy, Chica, and Bonnie, she wondered if they were asleep. She soon got her answer when the large brown bear looked down at her. He blinked a few times and gave a small wave, then went back to the neutral pose he was in before. Without even having to ask Marie seemed to understand what they were doing.

They were pretending to be just robots.

She had a feeling once the rest of the staff left they'd be walking and talking just like the twisted bots back home... well maybe not exactly, Marie hoped these robots didn't take joy in roughhousing and causing a mess. Breanna had walked up to her by now and taped her shoulder. "I'm going to go with Mrs. Green to discuss the parts, think you can stay in one of the booths till I get you?" She asked, Marie nodded and Breanna smiled. "Alright, I shouldn't be long." She said before going into a backroom, Marie herself sat down at a corner booth, she could see most of the dining room by now. The last of the staff filing out, Breanna and Mrs. Green were in another room.

And Marie was alone with the bots and her thoughts...

She was now uncomfortable.

Not so much with being alone with the animatronics, she was used to the twisted bots and she felt like she should be able handle much friendlier bots, but it was more the uneasy feeling of dejavu she was getting. Alone in a pizzeria with animatronics and it was dark. She didn't like the winter season at all, it got dark much earlier then she'd like and she'd be left hiding in her room with a flashlight trying to not think about the dark closet and the suffocating fear of hiding from crazed robots with friendly smiles out for blood and-

Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of something crawling into the booth with her. Marie jumped and looked next to her, her eyes met with a playful grin of a stitched up plush rabbit, Marie didn't scream, thankfully, but the surprise was clear on her face. The two just looked at each other for a long moment before the bunny spoke. "Hiya! You're new here. What's a kid like you doing here so late?" He asked with a friendly yet curious tone.

"I'm.. uh... with my guardian..." she didn't feel comfortable calling Ms Breanna her mom yet, sure she acted like one, but Marie wasn't ready to call her one. "Ohhh yeah I thought I saw you with someone, big black curls right?" The bunny described and the child nodded.

"...hey am I making you uncomfortable?" The bunny suddenly asked. Marie blinked in surprise and rushed to spit out an answer "n-no its not you! I-I mean I'm uncomfortable with everyone a-and" The bunny cut her off with a laugh. "It's all good! I'd be uncomfortable if some strange bunny walked up and started talking to me." The bunny gave a toothy smile and Marie was met with a row of very sharp looking teeth. Oddly enough the familiar sight of sharp animatronic teeth seems to relax her more then stress her out. "Y-yah, I guess so..." she gave a shy smile back. The plush rabbit scooted closer, "sooo tell me about yourself. What brings you to Freddy's after hours?" The bunny dared to ask. Marie took the bait. "Ms Breanna needed to get parts for a bot back home, h-he's a friend of mine and gets damaged a lot and we needed parts for him and... Yah. Uh... so I'm just waiting here for her to finish I guess." She could have stopped there, maybe she should have, but she wanted to continue and for some reason felt like she could vent to this talking plush bunny. "A-and then I started thinking about some... bad stuff that happened and I probably would have started freaking out if you didn't show up... so uh... thanks for showing up when you did?" She finished with a shrug. The plush make a humming sound like he was thinking. Then held up one clawed finger and said. "Wait right there, I'm gonna get a friend." He slid down off the seat and quickly added "he can help you feel less scared I think!" Before running off. Marie was confused, she looked around and saw that the animatronics that used to be on stage seemed to have left. Maybe they went backstage? She hoped so. She also hoped none of them tried to approach. She'd hate to be the one to explain to a friendly bear or bunny that she wasn't afraid of them she was afraid of the friendly looking bear and bunny that actually tried to kill her some time ago... Marie probably needed to see someone about that. She remembers Quills, the twisted Chica animatronic, suggesting she talk to a therapist, nobody can just 'get over' a traumatic experience. Marie agreed... but how would she be able to explain everything without sounding crazy? Before she could go down that train of thought she heard the bunny plushie return, she looked over and he was holding up a very scruffy looking cupcake animatronic, said cupcake had sharp teeth and had a look of 'I didn't agree to this' written all over its face. "Wanna hug this guy? I'm getting the impression you do better with spooky stuff than the cutesy things" the plush bunny offered. Marie slowly nodded. Then carefully moved the sharp cupcake onto her lap and wrapped her arms around it. The cupcake wiggled a bit but soon settled. Seemed it was content to stay here. The plush bunny soon sat next to her again and smiled. "The Guy will never admit it but he likes being held. He's like a lap dog!" The bunny giggled, Marie smiled at this. "Oh my gosh! I just remembered I never got your name! That's rude of me. Sorry bout that. I'm Plushtrap! What's your name?" Plushtrap asked with a tilt of his head. "Marie... Marie Clare... just Marie is fine though." She replied with a small smile. This was certainly better than sitting in silence with only her thoughts to keep her company.

———

Breanna was taking longer then anticipated and Marie was starting to get antsy again, she spotted some of the friendly looking animatronics wandering around, and despite plushtraps best efforts to distract her was endless questions about cartoons, she was getting nervous again. She was squeezing the nightmarish cupcake tight enough that it was starting to wiggle in protest. Plushtrap soon caught on and cut himself off from the tangent he was going on to ask. "Hey do you see a therapist?"

Marie was caught so off guard by the sudden question that she was speechless. "Because maybe it's just me but you look like you've got something you wanna talk about but can't for some reason." He added on. Marie just slowly shook her head no. "I've... been told I should see one since... I've got some... stuff... I need to work though." She mumbles as she glances up at a purple bunny that is currently playing arcade games with a red fox. Her mind already jumping back to the silver and white bunny chasing after her going for blood.

"I can get you someone!" Plushtrap once again cut her off from her thoughts. "Like right now. You can tell her anything she's seen it all!" He explained. Marie was unsure. "But... it's really complicated and... what if she doesn't believe me.." she gave the cupcake she was hugging for comfort another squeeze, it made a muffled noise in protest but didn't jump out yet.

"Oh trust me she'd get it. I got that cupcake from her actually" Plushtrap admitted with a grin. Already this seemed to reassure Marie. If Plushtrap was implying what she hoped he was, she'd be talking to someone who knew about animatronics, safe and dangerous ones if the scary looking cupcake was anything to judge from. Marie nodded. "Then... I'd like to talk to her. If it's alright" she said. Plushtrap smiled big. "Great! I'll go get her. Sit tight okay Marie?" And with that Plushtrap again scampered off somewhere Marie couldn't see. The nightmare cupcake was still making noises in protest and Marie loosened her right hug with a mumbled apology, thankfully the cupcake didn't jump away, it just made itself comfortable again and huffed calmly. Not too long passed and soon Plushtrap was back dragging a much larger animatronic with him. Marie blinked in surprise, the animatronic looked like a bigger and much scarier version of the Chica animatronic she saw wandering around, this sharp toothed animatronic was almost a relief for Marie.

She reminded the child of Quills.

Said Nightmarish Chica looked a little confused as to why she was being dragged over to a booth, but when she spotted Marie she seemed to understand. Plushtrap gave a sharp toothed grin up at marie and gestures upwards. "Marie, i'd like you to meet nightmare Chica! Nightmare chica, Marie! I think you'll get along" the plush bunny grinned as the nightmare bird went to sit across from Marie, she was a little too big for the booth but she managed to fit, somehow...

"Well you two have fun! I'm gonna go do a thing!" Plushtrap almost immediately excused himself and off he went. Marie watched him go until she couldn't see him anymore.

"Ah, well, I guess we should get started then?" Nightmare China spoke getting the girls attention. Marie nodded, "um... so you're basically a therapist?" She asked, the nightmare nodded. "Yes, while I don't have an official degree I did sit in on every lecture needed to get one." Marie blinked, and chica quietly added. "It's hard to attend college when you're only physical in certain conditions" Marie decided not to ask.

"So do I just... talk?"

"Yes, whatever you'd like. It might be short notice but I'll do what I can" the nightmare patiently smiled, giving Marie the reassurance she needed. With one last squeeze to the cupcake in her lap, Marie began to talk.

She went on about how she met someone who she thought she could trust, how she learned the truth, how she almost died to shiny animatronics with smiling faces. She talked about the twisted ones, breanna, ennard, anything and everything she'd been bottling up for over a month now. By the end of it she was close to crying and hugging the cupcake like a lifeline. The nightmare was patient and listened to the whole thing, after Marie had finished she quietly thought it over. "You've been through so much, and at such a young age... I'm very sorry you had to go through all that." Marie stayed quiet. "But you survived, and the best thing you can do now is continue to live on... though being able to not fear the friendly animatronics would be a definite bonus." She added and continued to think. Marie looks up, wiping her eyes with her shirt sleeve.

"Hm... you said the twisted animatronics were still around you right?" Nightmare chica asked, Marie nods. "And you're on friendly terms with them?"

"Sort of?... I don't think they all like me" Marie mumbles

"Is there any that you get alone with?" Chica asked and marie nods,

"Would you tell me about them?" Marie took the bait, talking about Bugz and Quills helped cheer her up, she even went on to talk about the other twisted ones and what she thought of them. Marie wanted to get along with them, they did help save her after all. By the end of it marie didn't even notice when Breanna had walked out of the back room with a box full of parts.

"Oh, looks like that's all the time we have then" Nightmare chica glanced over at the other human before sliding out of the booth. "Um, thank you for listening Miss Nightmare Chica" Marie held the cupcake up and it hopped onto the nightmare birds shoulder. "I hope we can meet again. I'm always happy to listen." The bird smiled and waved before walking off, leaving breanna free to approach.

"Oh who was that, did you make a friend?" The older woman asked, clearly trying not to show that she was a little surprised by the nightmare animatronic. Marie quietly nodded and hoped out of the booth, she was quiet a moment then asked, "can we come back sometime?" Marie asked, Breanna made a humming noise. "We'll see."

{ending it here)