Author's note: This doesn't really have anything to do with this chapter in particular, just wanted to put this out there. Since in my AU the Fnaf 1 restaurant opened in 1990, Scott and Cade started working there one year after, and they have both been working there for 13 years now, this story is set in approximately 2004. I know the year has already been proven in the game, but this is an AU, so... yay? Idk, canon's messy.

Also... Sorry for not posting in... *peers over at calendar* *clears throat* Never mind that. Just, life has been pretty crazy but hopefully I can start writing again now that I have a minute to breathe.

This chap: Filler, explanation for how this whole sentient AND possessed animatronic deal works.

Next chap: Plot, plot, and buildup to the action.

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Mike stepped into the dim pizzeria, grimacing at the stifling smell of pizza sauce and artificially scented lemon cleaner. He looked over to the foot of the stage, where Cade was hunched over, vigorously scrubbing at the wooden side of the stage.

"Oh! Mike. You're here. Sorry, I'll be out of your hai- er... way, soon. One of the kids threw a tantrum and tossed a whole pizza at the stage." He said, glancing up.

"It's fine." Mumbled Mike, before glancing around the shadowy room, voice raising to a normal volume. "Is Scott here yet?"

Cade paused his scrubbing, looking up with a concerned expression on his face. "No." He looked back down, this time at his watch. He inspected the scratched face, lips curling down in a frown. "It's almost 11:50, he should be here..."

Mike nodded absentmindedly, thinking back to the way he had stuck his hand in Foxy's mouth only two days prior. Did "phone guy"'s attachment to the animatronics finally catch up with him?

Just then, the sound of the door being thrown open alerted Mike and Cade to Scott's rather disorganized entrance. He dashed in, shaking hands fumbling with tying his slightly worn tie.

"Sorry I'm late! I- I slept through my alarm! This... Doesn't normally happen..." He trailed off, still fumbling with his limply hanging tie.

Cade rolled his eyes, silver flecks dancing in his brown irises as his eyes lit up with amusement. He walked across the room, grabbing Scott's hands and pushing them to his sides, before reaching up and fastening his tie.

"Ta da. Now I'm going to head out. I don't exactly enjoy the idea of being here after midnight." Cade turned and walked out the door, closing it securely behind him and locking the door. The three guards, Cade, and mister "he-who-shall-not-be-named-but-here's-a-hint-he-own's-Freddy's" were the only people with keys.

Mike turned around, heading towards the first security office, shadowed face sporting his permanent scowl. He sat down just as his watch turned 12:00. Foxy decided this was the perfect time to sprint down the hall, metal feet clanging against the tile floor. Mike slammed the door closed.

###

Chica headed towards the kitchen, blue metal eyes staring straight in front of her as she stepped off of the stage.

'Can we make cupcakes?'

"S-s-sure!" Chica stuttered, voice box catching as she spoke.

'Yay.' The little voice whispered. Susie's soul smiled from where she drifted beside Chica, tethered to the animatronic. Susie didn't care much for violence, and had grown tired of the deadly 'game' they played. Cupcakes, however, never got old.

Meanwhile, Mark snarled as he pounded on the door. Foxy's AI had taken a backseat, watching as furry hand and rusty hook banged on the metal door. Mark's essence leaked out through the animatronic's eyes, turning them an inky black with white pinpricks for pupils.

Foxy sighed. 'Lad, there's no n-n-need to be so agress-s-s-sive with getting the G-guARd eNdO gUArD-d-D enDoSkeLEtoN.' Foxy paused, feeling his literal gears turn as his coding stuttered. Who was in the office?

"It's not a guard or an endoskeleton! It's HIM!"

Foxy sighed. Never mind that. He let himself enter sleep mode. Mark could have his fun, but Foxy had no inclination to watch. 'G-g'night l-lad.' Foxy whispered in the back of Mark's mind.

Bonnie watched this, waiting impatiently for Mark to relinquish his hold on Foxy, allowing the animatronic-spirit duo to make their way back to pirate cove. His red eyes flickered with annoyance, his left ear twitching.

'C-calm down Bonnie...' Whispered Patrick.

"Yeah yeah kid. I'll calm down when I'm scrapped."

Patrick sighed.

Freddy stood next to Bonnie/Patrick. His silvery blue eyes glinted as he stared out into the darkened pizzeria with an expression that could be interpreted as detached, almost blank.

His mechanical jaw tensed as Foxy made his way towards pirate cove. Foxy's eyes were his own again, lemon yellow irises glinting in the faint moonlight filtering through the front windows. Foxy walked almost sullenly, expertly navigating the party room even with his head down, movements gripped with a sureness that could only come from years of repeating the motion.

Fredrick cleared his throat. They had come up with a system for speaking and switching control. They would clear their throat if they were not the dominant mind controlling the animatronic body. They would always ask for permission to take over the animatronic body, and would relinquish control as soon as asked. This helped prevent disagreement and other chaos caused by sharing a body.

The others... had not found a system. Chica/Susie seemed to get along fine but Foxy/Mark and Bonnie/Patrick were always either squabbling about who would control the body, or just sitting tiredly in the back of their respective minds, deeming arguing useless.

Goldie/Cassidy had fought as well, perhaps even more violently than the others ever had. Goldie was laid back and innocent, a sharp contrast to Cassidy's cynical, angry soul.

Luckily Goldie's endoskeleton had been removed from the suit to prevent rusting. The inside of the suit trapped moisture, and the owner of Fazbear's had decided that letting a perfectly good (even if it was unused) endoskeleton rust would be ridiculous.

Nobody had known what would happen. Never before had an endoskeleton been removed from a possessed animatronic. They held their breaths (metaphorical breaths, they are all either dead or robots...) as endoskeleton left suit.

Goldie opened his eyes again, looking down to his naked metal frame with an almost amused expression. He smiled with metal teeth. "I'm all here."

Cassidy rushed to fully control the empty suit, eyes blazing black as she took an instinctual gasp, golden face twisting into a grin. "It's me! It's all me!"

She had attempted to reach up and study her paw, but had found she couldn't move. She couldn't move. She couldn't move because she had no endoskeleton.

"Oh." She left the suit, leaving it limp as her spectral form drifted into the air. "I guess I can't move now."

Puppet frowned slightly, their porcelain mask staring out worriedly from the shadows. "Try again."

Cassidy had re-entered the suit, channeling all her energy into moving her paw, just one paw.

It twitched, then lifted, staying in the air for a few seconds before thudding back to the ground. She smiled. "I guess it's just hard. I'll keep practicing."

Puppet had smiled. "I know. It's hard learning to move a new body on your own, even without the effort it takes to move a whole suit. With how fast the others learned to move I'm assuming the endoskeleton's 'muscle memory' takes over most of the movement. No endoskeleton, no muscle memory. You have to relearn how to move." Puppet's eyes went glassy, black orbs staring off into space as they slipped into a memory. A memory of when they were Fin, no doubt.

###

Footsteps padded along the sidewalk, cracks and clumps of weeds growing out of the concrete growing more and more frequent as the footsteps neared their target

The steps were uneven, limping slightly. The figure seemed unbothered by this. Most likely an old injury then. They continued on towards their target. Single seeing eye staring into the darkness.

Authors note again: Happy early Thanksgiving! Or if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, happy fall anyway! :D