Coming Together

Goldie let out a curse as the door to Vevina's mind slammed shut. She slammed her fist against the table top. She would have let him out before forcibly ejecting the Mangle, but she couldn't risk it getting out into the wider mansion. If he hadn't been so foolish as to return into the room… but there was no point being angry now. She could only deal with the situation at hand.

The others, who had been staying out of the way, had arrived and were being told what happened by Billy outside the shutters. They evidently very worried and Goldie knew she'd have to step in. She took a moment to compose a message to the humans observing them, as they undoubtedly would have noticed what was happening and she didn't want them to be too concerned. In an instant, she joined them from the admin section to the corridor they were gathered in.

"I was afraid something like this would happen," she said. "Out of all of the new synths, Vevina was always going to be the most difficult, but I'd hoped it wouldn't arrive at this stage."

"What the hell is even going on with her?!" demanded Bonnie. "It sounded like she'd just crawled up straight from hell!"

"You're not far off." She waved her hand and displayed a holographic screen of the room of her recording from it. "This is what I told you would happen. The fragment inside her is being fed by all her anger and trauma. It's started to overwhelm her mind, taking the form of the Mangle. She is literally being consumed by rage."

Chica looked horrified. "And Foxy is trapped with that?"

"He is." She looked away shamefully. "I'm sorry, I didn't want this to happen. But he ran back in before I could stop him and I had to get her out of here before she could cause any damage."

"Hey. Don't worry about it." The smirk Bonnie gave meant more than Goldie could have described. "So, what's the plan now?"

"Well," she said, "we still have a job to do, but this has made things more urgent. We need to work quickly if we're going to have any chance of subduing the fragment and rescuing Foxy."

"Hold up, I think we're well past subdue. I'm all for that when all these things are doing is making them say weird stuff, but if it's gotten this bad, we need something more permanent," suggested Bonnie.

"What? No!" cried Billy. "We can't hurt the Other! It's probably just scared."

"Kid, no offence, but this has gotten serious," said Bonnie.

"Don't call me a kid!" snapped Billy.

"Billy, why don't you come over here with me and we'll let them talk it out," said Chica, taking his hand and leading him reluctantly away.

"I'm afraid I agree with Bonnie. This fragment now represents a very clear threat and it should be treated as such," said Freddy.

"I can see your points of view. However, I disagree. We can still put it back in line without having to do anything more permanent," countered Goldie.

"Are you kidding me? I thought you'd be all for zapping this thing out of existence!" protested Bonnie. "It's hurting Vevina and she's the only thing stopping it from hurting Foxy! We need to do something!"

"Agreed, but we're not killing it," insisted Goldie.

"This thing is dangerous! Look what it's doing in there, it's out of control! Why can't you just delete the thing? Why even collect them in the first place?!" demanded Bonnie.

"Because they're children!"

The silence that followed appeared to extend beyond them. It spread through them, past them, blanking out everything else in the world. In that instant, it was like they were all back inside the backstage area at Freddy's. Finding those bags, realising what was inside them. The sound of the contents moving around, the rotting, evil smell that permeated their nostrils… it was more than just remembering, it was like being thrown back into that moment.

It made Bonnie gag. It made her feel sick. But above all, it made her feel angry. Freddy looked horrified and Chica had turned white. She and Billy were still in earshot further down the corridor and he looked just as shocked.

"Ch-Children?" whispered Chica.

Goldie's voice was heavy. "Yes. But not just any children. Think about it. Five new synths. Five missing children. All synthetic minds are based on a human mind and from I've been able to gather, these fragments didn't come from the mind of a fully developed person."

"No. No, you're kidding. Y-You have to be, this is some sick joke," Bonnie said shakily.

"I wish it wasn't, but it's the only explanation. Haven't you noticed how frightened these fragments have been? How desperate, how angry?" She wipes her eyes quickly. "We can discuss this later, but right now we have to deal with this and we have to do it without causing any more damage to what's left of that child."

"Very well," said Freddy quietly. "What do you propose?"

"The same as we did when we fought the Puppet, just in a more direct fashion." She led them to Vevina's door. "We'll need to go in there, subdue the fragment before it does any more damage and extract it from Vevina's mind."

"How come we didn't just do that before?" asked Bonnie.

"You saw how it was talking to them, they're a mess. You think I wanted any of you going in where they came from unless we absolutely had to? Here, we hold all of the cards but inside their minds, your functions and mine would be far less effective. Now though…" She looked at the door. "It doesn't seem like we have any other choice."

"Yeah, because we always end up having to take the easy way," remarked Bonnie.

"None of the sass, missy," retorted Goldie, though she was smiling. "Right, everybody let's get going. Except for you, Billy. I need you to stay here."

"What? No! Let me come with you!" cried Billy. "Vevina's in trouble, I want to help."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, little one, but this is too dangerous for you. I want you to stay here, where it's safe. We can handle this, don't worry."

"No! No, I don't want to wait!" he insisted, stamping his foot. "I want to help! I'm not useless!"

"I never said you were." She knelt down to look him in the eye. "But this isn't like it was just talking to them. I can't ask you to come along knowing that I'd be putting you in very real danger. Please, Billy. You've been absolutely wonderful so far, but I want you to sit this one out. Okay?"

"You're very brave for wanting to help," added Chica. "But we'll be fine. We've faced off against this kind of thing before. We can manage."

Billy broke eye contact, his mouth pursed in a thin line. He opened it to say something, but seemed to decide against it. In the end, he nodded but didn't say anything. Goldie gave him a quick hug and a reassuring look before turning to the others.

"Right then, everyone. We have two fox people to save, so let's get to it." She placed a hand on the door to Vevina's mind. "Everybody stay close to me and stay together. I don't want to imagine the state of things when we go in there, but I can't say it'll be anything good. Come on, let's go."

She opened the door and led them inside. Almost the moment they stepped through, Goldie could feel the weight of an unfamiliar synthetic mind diminish her abilities. She didn't have the kind of admin control in this world that she enjoyed back there. She wasn't going to let that stop her, however. But the sight of the shape Vevina's mind took made her stop in her tracks.

A ruined city stretched out before them. Once towering buildings were husks of their former selves. Those that weren't utterly destroyed were burning. Indeed, fires were burning everywhere. On the streets, in cars, out of windows. Columns of fire from the buildings made the very skies above them red.

At the centre of the destruction was the Mangle. It had climbed to the top of the tallest skyscraper still standing and was roaring its displeasure down at them. Arms and legs and tentacles stretched off it in every direction. From a distance, they could just make out a figure wriggling in its grip.

"Yep, that's about all I needed to see," said Bonnie. "What's the game plan here?"

"I'm afraid we're doing this one very much on the fly," she replied. "Get up there and free Foxy. Then we need to get Vevina out of the mass of that thing. Once it's isolated from her, I should be able to contain it if it weakens."

"I hope so." She closed her eyes and in a flash of light, she was dressed in the same way as when she had fought the Puppet, complete with horse. "Yes, this still works!"

"Of course, we are still in a mental landscape." Golden's hands glowed while she called upon her power. "We'll be as restricted as when we fought the Puppet, but the principle is the same. Remember, defend yourselves from the Mangle's attacks, but they're just parts of a smaller whole. It's still connected to Vevina. We just need to get to her to stop it."

"Duly noted," said Freddy, dressed in his wizard's robes. "Together then!"

At a sprint, the four of them charged towards their goal. The Mangle roared and a number of its limbs snaked down the sides of the building and into the streets. The ground ahead of them cracked along the length of the street and they had to dive out of the way from the gigantic hand that burst out from beneath.

Freddy landed in a crouch and waved his wand, sending bolts of magic at it. The hand recoiled from the impacts, but it still lashed out to crush him. Goldie protected him with a barrier and retaliated with beams of golden energy. They tried to rally around it and push on, but they were blocked by a foot and two more hands emerging mere inches ahead of them.

Chica had to reign in her horse just in time and jabbed at it with her lance. One of the hands reeled back and she fended off another before galloping out of the way, a foot crashing down where she had stood. Said foot was blasted back by soundwaves from Bonnie's amps. Goldie waved her hands and held the stunned limbs in place with glowing barriers, allowing them to press onward.

There was a loud cry. A tentacle had sneaked out of the cracks, grabbed Freddy's leg and was hoisting him into the air. He tried to cast a spell at it, but more shot up and secured his arms. Chica barely hesitated, charging forward and drawing a sword. She deftly sliced through them and passed under Freddy, catching him on the back of the horse.

"Much obliged, highness," he said.

"A princess always looks out for her subjects," said Chica imperiously. Her eyes widened. "Look out!"

One of the giant hands had broken free and was rushing towards them. A combination of Freddy's spells and Chica's lance drove it back.

Nearby, Goldie and Bonnie were having similar issues with a hand and a foot, swiping and stomping at them. Bonnie forced a limb backwards with soundwaves and Goldie followed up with bursts of energy. They fended off the attacking foot and tried to press on, but another hand stopped them.

"The streets are no good!" yelled Bonnie. "We need to get out of reach of these things!"

"The rooftops!" shouted Goldie.

Bonnie poised her legs to spring, but the moment she was in the air, a tentacle swiped her back to the ground. She hit it hard and groaned from the impact, recovering just in time to avoid the follow-up swat from a hand. A flurry of tentacles burst from the ground and forced her back to the middle of the street.

Chica kicked the sides of her horse and it started to canter off the ground and into the air. She didn't get much more than a few feet off before a combination of limbs forced her back to the ground. They would swipe and tug at the exposed flanks and legs of her steed. It was only thanks to her resolve that she kept the creature calm. It helped that it was a literal figment of her imagination too.

It was the same story with the others. Every time they attempted to gain some ground or get away, another of the Mangle's innumerable phantom limbs would impede their progress. Fighting back against them did nothing but offer a temporary reprieve. They always came back with more ferocity. They barely had any chance for breathing room.

Before long, they were standing in a circle in the centre of the street where they couldn't do much more than fend off attacks and attempt to look for an opening. Goldie had surrounded them in a protective barrier, but the limbs were relentless in their barrage. The amount of ground they had seemingly taken was minimal. Overhead, the Mangle roared at them, showing no signs of letting up.

"It's no good!" called Freddy over the chaos. "At this rate, we'll never be able to get close enough!"

"We don't have any choice!" she called back. "We have to find a way through, otherwise it won't just be Vevina's mind this thing will tear apart!"

Time had slowed down in the wake of the other synths' departure, leaving Billy to wander the mansion in silence. He'd tried everything he could to keep himself busy. He made a tower out of books in the mansion's library and then rearranged the remaining books on a couple of the lower shelves so they were in alphabetical order. He'd spun a nearby globe several times as if willing the clock to move faster.

He now sat upside down on one of the cushy couches, counting the ceiling tiles. He'd heard once that changing your viewpoint could help you see the world differently. But the flipped perspective didn't give Billy any new insight; it just made him lightheaded. He sat up straight again with a huff.

But he couldn't stop thinking about Vevina. About her screams when her Other started to take over. That desperate, pained noise. She was hurting again and he thought it would be different this time. He wanted to do something, like he did when Jeremy came along. But as usual, he'd been told to stay out of the way, like a good little boy.

He looked down at his tiny little hands and balled them into fists. It wasn't fair! Why was he the only one out of all of them that looked like a kid? Why did the others all get grown-up bodies while he was stuck like this? It's not like everybody else was less childish than he was. If anything, they acted more like kids than he did.

An idea struck him in that moment. Vevina kept talking about how bad it was that the others weren't here to say sorry themselves for what had happened. Maybe that was the key to this. Besides, Goldie had only told him to stay behind. It didn't count if he came with everyone else.

He scurried back to where the other doors were and opened them up. It didn't take long for Clyde, Hermana and Theodore to come through to see what was happening.

"Billy!" squealed Hermana, scooping him in a hug. "Did you call me to have some fun? Woo-hoo!"

"Sorry Hermy, no. Guys, I need your-"

"Oh put the boy down, Hermana. I would have thought after our previous conversations that you would have learned to reign in your enthusiasm somewhat," said Theodore, watching her antics with a pinched expression.

"Didn't I also hear that you were going to make more efforts to be nice?" said Clyde, his arms folded over his chest.

"I did. I also said you couldn't expect those changes to happen overnight. Especially when there is no comparative effort presented by other parties."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Clyde said, rolling his eyes.

"Guys, guys!" Billy shouted before they could start arguing again. "Everybody else needs your help! Vevina's in trouble and she's taken Foxy inside her mind." He indicated the white door. "I want to go in after her, but I need you guys to come too."

Their demeanours changed immediately. Hermana's beaming faltered and she started rubbing her arm. Clyde was looking at anywhere but the door. Theodore's face went pale and his fingers moved restlessly.

"Ah. I see." Theodore looked fearfully at the door. "And why did you not venture with the others, pray tell?"

"They told me to wait," he said huffily. "Said it was too dangerous for me. But if I bring you all too-"

"And quite right as well!" barked Theodore, with a slight pitch in his tone. "Yes, yes, can't ask a young lad like yourself to jump into such danger. Very responsible and we should do likewise."

"But she needs help! She needs us!" he insisted.

"Yeah, but come on," said Clyde. "What are we supposed to do? Those guys are the big shots, they're already in there. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Ted. We just have to wait it out."

"No, no, it has to be us! We can't leave her behind again." He looked desperately at Hermana. "We have to do this!"

She didn't look back at him. She glided away from him without even a word, stroking her arm like she was trying to soothe a distressed animal.

"Sorry, Billy. Your intentions are well placed, but unnecessary. There is nothing for us to do but to sit and wait for the outcome," said Theodore smartly.

"Oh quit sounding so high and mighty about it," shot Clyde.

"That's rich coming from you," countered Theodore. "Just like you, staying back here because it's the easier option."

"Shut up!" he snapped. "We can't do anything, it won't make any difference. It just makes sense."

"Stop it," Billy said, but they continued like he didn't hear him.

"Then why feel the need to criticise me on my stance of the matter?" Theodore asked. "For once, we find ourselves agreeing and you still insist upon being contrarian."

"What does it matter to you?" he sneered. "Like you'd pretend to care now, just because you gave a right pretty apology after everything."

"How dare you undermine me ! Didn't you say yourself that you would make more of an effort yourself?"

"Well, I guess you can't expect it to happen overnight either!"

"Guys?" Billy tried, slightly louder.

"Then you are hardly in any place to criticise me, are you? Glass houses and whatnot."

"Hey, I'll take a glass house any day if it means not having to listen to you boast."

"As opposed to you attacking me at every turn?"

"Aww, did I hurt your feelings?"

"Insolent, sarcastic, unhelpful-!"

"Self-important, pompous, big headed-!"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Billy.

The silence that followed was deafening. They were all stunned at his sudden show of assertion. He was a little surprised at himself, but he wasn't going to relent.

"I don't care what you all think, but Vevina is in trouble and she needs our help! I know you're scared because of what happened and will happen. She's mad, of course she is. But things won't get better if we keep hiding from what we're scared of. Just like with the Puppet and now it's the same with her. Please, help me. Help her."

None of them spoke. None of them moved. Billy had to really fight not to start crying. The one time he finally tried to stand up for himself and somebody else and they didn't care. Well, neither did he. Goldie and the others needed him and he wasn't going let Vevina suffer anymore. He turned away and started towards her door. Billy had just clasped the door knob, but the presence of a trembling hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Hermana took a deep breath before meeting his gaze head-on. She didn't smile, but a newfound resolve made her blue eyes brighter than Billy had ever seen.

"Hermana?" Clyde sounded like he could hardly believe it. "What... what are you-?"

"I'm doin' what she didn't think I could do last time. What you're still afraid to do." she said, her voice low and steady as she looked at him over her shoulder. "I get it, Clyde. I'm scared too. But stayin' on the fence isn't gonna make it better. I'm goin', even if you're not. I wanna see our friend smile again. Even if it's hard."

Clyde acted as if the words struck him physically. He stared long and hard at the door in complete silence. Billy could tell he was really struggling, so he walked over and took his hand.

"You're not going to be alone, Clyde," he said. "We can do this. Together."

He looked down at the hand, then at Billy. He flinched when Hermana took his other hand, but he didn't pull away. He took a long, shuddering breath and nodded.

"Okay. Okay!" he declared. "I have no idea what we're going to do, but... you're right."

They all looked at Theodore. The man shifted uncomfortably, rocking back and forth on his feet while thumbing his lapels.

"Oh, blast it," he said at last. "I can't very well profess to lead when others would be more willing than I." He walked to Hermana's side, hesitated for a bit, then came to Billy's. Another moment passed before his hand shot to grab Billy's remaining one. "Right, well that's enough of that." He quickly let go and raised a finger skyward. "Come along then, you lot! Let us go forth! Tally bally ho!"

Guest: Thank you for pointing that out :)