Back to that time

The Pizzaplex tasted different in the daytime. Not better - just different. Still eerie, as all barren buildings are when they are devoid of human presence. It was still overstimulating to the highest degree, with visual noise lingering even behind closed eyes. The faux light from the web of neons was warmer somehow, contradicting the permanent starry night the Pizzaplex imitated during nighttime protocols.

Running like a bat out of hell across the atrium to the main stage was simpler than it should have been. Six hours run long when bursting at the seams with adrenaline, so Gregory had run this path many times before, finding that a sort of ping-pong route (or serpentine when one was evading bullets, like from the occasional armed officer in pursuit, as the case may be) was safer than the direct beeline approach. The lazier, whinier child in Gregory contested that there was no need for the marathon; Officer Byron was stuck back in Fazerblast, right where he left her. The elevator door leading out of the maze does not open without a Fazerblast, so he expected her to remain there at his leisure. She really should have listened to the S.T.A.F.F bot's instructions before she plowed after him headfirst into the maze. This diversion hadn't been a waste of time as Gregory had feared it would be; the bot still being in operation meant that Vanessa had not gotten around to shutting the bot brigade down, which then meant that she still had to be working on fixing Freddy's body (which was no longer where he last saw it in Fazerblast). So, after he escaped the officer, he knew his next destination was Parts and Service.

Secondly, any animatronic of the more antagonistic line was nowhere in sight, so Gregory assumed it was just as Vanessa claimed; they were no longer on the prowl… at least not until she had anything to say about it.

He recalled a very nasty opprobrium in her honor before animatedly smashing the Freddy-head icon to prod the lift to do its job a little faster.

But it wasn't his safety he had in mind when he tricked Byron into taking him outside for some "fresh air." Nor was it exactly the main idea when he incapacitated her by arming himself with her own taser to use against her, thinking, foolishly, that it would dish out but a jolt.

Still, it did not really matter that his actions were altruistic; he was mature enough to accept that. He still tased an officer that was only trying to help, making her disgrace any inhibitions as she mewled on the ground, pleading for him to stop without him really knowing how. He had made her scream, but he had never made anything scream before. Now, he could not stop shuddering, the sweat on his back chilled by the memory. It almost made him want to cry. He did not even have time to ask her if she was okay. As she laid there, a spitting, heaving heap, Gregory knew he could not afford to get caught once she recovered (as he hoped she would); not before he saved his most special friend - even if Freddy hardly returned the sentiment.

Gregory did not take it personally. He should have guessed that Freddy would care more about his family than some random boy that actively hunted them down to replace his parts with theirs. But it wasn't like it was a big deal. After all, if it happened to him, a mere boy, why would it matter if it happened to a bunch of killer robots? Their parts could be replaced. Gregory would never get his back. Besides, the only reason they mattered was because they mattered to Freddy. To Gregory, any one of them could be replaced except Freddy. Freddy was special, and Gregory would not stand by and let anyone hurt him; like Vanessa, for instance.

As it stood, Vanessa lied to them. She took him from Freddy. Threatened Freddy into giving him up. And now, she would see that Freddy became a means to her ends.

So, Gregory would see Vanessa, Vanny, or whatever figurative monster in the closet dealt with properly this time around. He would see Freddy safe, repaired, and functioning properly. He would see the other band members - who Freddy clearly cared for deeply - repaired as well. He would prove to Freddy that he can manage himself, and then he would persuade Freddy on the matter of his living situation. As it was, Gregory was fine with sleeping in the vents or something. He could scurry around the Pizzaplex and hunt for food like some wild animal if he had to. Anything to stay with a potential caretaker other than his parents.

All of this was within reach just as soon as he saves Freddy from Vanessa, fixes his body, and gets to speak to him without Vanessa's tricks.

If his biological parents taught him anything, it was to protect your own, even if that meant you had to do something you did not want to do.

Freddy had protected him, a random, aggressive, snotty kid, and had been his only defense against his three best friends. He threw his neck out for him without question, even after Vanessa threatened to replace him. He believed in him when Gregory voiced his distrust against Vanessa. Freddy had prioritized him for no reason that Gregory could really decipher; even his status as a children's entertainer did not preclude such inscrutable behavior.

And Gregory wanted to know why.

He also wanted to know why Vanessa thought he was too stupid to realize the mistake she made when she told Freddy that she had no memory of being Vanny.

A soft hum of indistinct voices grew in volume as the lift settled to the ground floor of Parts and Service. His knuckles turned white along the taser's frame as he entered the sealed entryway to the main chamber. He hid behind the entryway wall and peeked through the windows towards the protective cylinder.

Vanessa was in the cylinder with Freddy; the former was interacting with a coding interface near the bear's reattached head, and the latter was laying atop the service table. Though it was good to see he got his body back and his endo repaired, his casings still looked worse for wear. There were gouges, canyons, and discolorations freckling his normally smooth and blemishless surface. If it had not been Freddy, Gregory might have been spooked by the sight.

But Freddy was not moving; Vanessa was talking to herself. His faceplate had been raised up by the protective cylinder's automated system, and there was a physical connection between the top of his partly exposed endo and the interface Vanessa was messing with... one-handed. Vanessa's left arm hung limply at her side, looking longer than it was supposed to. When Gregory got a closer look, the evidence of a struggle became glaringly clear. Parts of the glass were fractured, and several huge, four-fingered handprints were blotted everywhere. One of the automatic manipulator's end effector had a bite taken out of it, sparks flying from the exposed wires. Blood put in its rare appearance here and there too. It was the picture of a crime scene that one would expect from within a tiny can that locked people in with a few six-and-a-half-foot robots.

Vanessa cursed, mumbled a string of incoherence, and overall sounded hysterical as she typed furiously, moaning on about why it was not working and other expletives, none of which Gregory could comprehend without context. But as she tried to pull at the wire connecting Freddy's equivalent of a skull to her unorthodox-looking setup, it struck him: she was doing something bad to him!

His imagination running wild and his impulses letting loose, Gregory screamed at her to stop before she could hurt Freddy further. She whipped around and started to scream something back at him in a frenzy, but he could not catch a word of it. The sound of metal ramming into metal rang out from the far side of the chamber.

Freddy stiffened just then, a light coming into his eyes. Meanwhile, Vanessa rammed herself against the protective cylinder's automatic door, screeching something about letting her out. She didn't even seem to care that Gregory was pointing a taser at her.

"Yeah. He was going to taser me. Freddy's 'knight in shining armor,' but instead of iron brandished, it's a taser that was too big for him to handle properly. He's funny like that," she mumbled, indulgently twirling her hair. "But don't tell him I said that. Following some delusion of grandeur, Gregory visions himself as Freddy's defender against things he childishly deems as gruff, or otherwise 'un-Freddy-like.' He likes Freddy's silly and bubbly side, and, in his own pride, he cannot see their roles as they are. If asked what Freddy was to him, he'd used words like 'guardian,' 'adult supervision,' and whatnot. In every way that matters, Freddy has already claimed Gregory as his kid, and Gregory invites Freddy's paternal regards even if he would like to call it something else.

"If I've learned anything from you, Ernest, this most likely means that Gregory has some serious self-worth issues to deal with; a lingering footnote left by his biological family.

"You'll find out soon enough that they weren't necessarily bad parents. Just desperate to save their child. Misguided. Maybe a little delusional. Though I do not know if you will face them in court, it will not matter much anyway; I have faith in your lawyer-ing skills… It really is a shame Fazbear Entertainment fired you from their legal ops just because you lied about your last name. Then again, that was probably their first line-up of smart moves in the long list of major strike-outs. 'For the kill,' you told me. That was when I knew we would get along. But you better make sure to dust off that feral intent for the upcoming trial, please.

"Gregory is a lot like you in that respect - ride or die. But he isn't subtle about it, not unsimilar to Roxy. Freddy, on the other hand, is much more vigilant with his wardenship. He knows that Gregory's pride is a fragile thing, and so he navigates him like no one else can, always knowing which buttons to push when it really matters. Whenever I find myself at a loss, Freddy is always there to shed a light."

Vanessa stopped and looked over at the bear as he abruptly stood to walk around to Roxy's side of the table. Before tapping Roxy's shoulder, he side-eyed Gregory, his worry evident.

"Wait – he's even doing it now, I think. What timing!" she said, excited to see some tea spilled. With Roxy in the fray, this was sure to happen.

Roxy did not glance up from her play-dough Monty figurine as Freddy petitioned for her attention.

"Roxy, may I speak with you?"

"You already are, compadre," she pointed out.

Freddy chirred. "Can you go easy on Gregory with the harassment?"

Roxy locked eyes with him and rolled her own for show. "'Harassment' is a strong word. Gregory's right; you mommy him. If I don't mess with him, who will put him in his place? Somebody has to humble him."

"…I know you are joking, and I know he normally matches your energy, but today is his birthday. He does not want to quarrel, no matter how light-hearted it may be. I think you embarrassed him earlier."

"Look, Freddy, we were just having some fun," she said, nodding at Gregory for emphasis, shutting up only when she actually got a good look at him.

Gregory folded himself over his drawing, his expression similar to how the kids would puzzle over the dodecahedron rubrics cubes she used to give out. He was completely absorbed, a taunt frown on his face, looking at the drawing as if it offended him somehow. Even she could see that he was struggling. Her ears slid down her head at the sight.

She nodded and stood, leaving her Monty figurine headless and armless. "You may be right."

Freddy winked at her. "And take this over to him," he added, handing over a can of Gregory's favorite soda. "A sort of peace offering."

"Good idea," she said, unenthused.

Roxy approached the birthday boy and slid to the empty seat next to him, giving Freddy's unfinished line drawing only a second of her time. It made her feel good about her art momentarily - who liked abstract art, anyways?

"Hey Champ," she said, trying out a diplomatic route. "Here's some soda. Freddy made me bring it over for you."

"So you're here on Freddy's orders?" he asked, avoiding eye contact and being all-around brittle about it as he scribbled away with a red marker.

"Freddy knows better than to try and order me to do anything. Look, I came because I wanted to."

"Wanted to do what?" he huffed.

Her eyes made another circuit, landed on the drawing he was trying to hide behind skinny little-kid arms.

"You know, it would look a lot better if his head wasn't so-"

Gregory gave her a sharp look.

"-Okay, unsolicited advice, I get it."

"You 'get it' a little late sometimes."

"I'm sorry, did you just call me slow?"

"No, you just can't read the room very well."

Roxy's voice emulated a sigh, the actuators in her head cavity compressing tightly. She absently pinned commonly used conversation prompts as a lifeboat to the sinking ship that was this impromptu apology. She had always found it difficult to talk to others; a lot of things would go unsaid, but she preferred it that way. Silence was insusceptible. When the silence was broken, she filled it with what she liked to call humor, unwilling to look too closely at the crutch to keep from breaking down in a crisis... because it wasn't just humor. Oftentimes, for a reason she did not care to understand, she found herself wanting to smoke of all things. Like how food did nothing for Chica, nicotine would do nothing for Roxy. It was not until she caught Vanessa smoking on break one time that it finally clicked; it wasn't the drug she wanted, it was the indifference brought about by the act of smoking. The castle of the gesture, the excuse of inattention, the chance to be silent. The way the smoke would curtain you as it foamed from the cigarette held by the hand that covered your face. It was a band-aid that both she and Vanessa yearned for, but unlike Vanessa, Roxy had to rely on her hair instead since giving an animatronic a stiff pack would've looked real bad for the company.

On a small level, the wolf envied Poppy's silence. Everyone expected Poppy to stay silent. On the other hand, everyone expected Roxy to snap at everything like always... and now this code of conduct appeared to hurt someone she came to care for, but, due to the violent animosity she harbored for him before getting to know his motives, she never found the spine to tell him she cared for him. But tonight he was the birthday boy, so she settled for something acceptable.

"The initiatives of my personality make me more compatible with older children," she muttered, vying for excuses.

This did not have the intended effect.

"What? I thought I was older now!"

"You miss the cut, half-stack. I'm talking around fourteen to sixteen."

"Why such a small age range?"

"Touché. Twelve to sixteen, then."

They shared a silence full of fidgeting and side glances, and as Gregory's patience grew thin, Roxy returned her gaze to his drawing. It was horribly boring, pipe cleaner stars acknowledged, but she could see that it visualized all that Freddy must mean to Gregory. While it was not good by any means, it was clearly made to make Freddy happy. It dawned on Roxy that this was all that mattered.

"Gregory, I'm sorry for teasing you earlier. I never meant to make you feel bad. It never even mattered anyway – you know he'd love it no matter what."

He sniffed. "I want it to be perfect."

"It's never going to be perfect. I mean, my poster was perfect, and Freddy didn't even like it! He forgot all about it after I mentioned your drawing, and we all saw how badly he wanted to see it."

"He just wants to make me feel better."

Roxy shook her head. "No, I think what he really wants is to know how you see him. My poster shows how I see him - always singing on stage. But that part of our routine never meant that much to him.

"And he would not love it just to make you feel better. He'd love it because he is biased, and you are his favorite person in the world."

Gregory was speechless for a beat, but she managed to wrangle a smile out of him.

"Shut up," he mumbled.

"No really," she insisted, laughing. "You're his favorite little boy in the whole world! So… why don't you go ahead and give it to him? He wants it so bad."

He sighed. "Okay… but what was it you were saying I should fix?"

"Absolutely nothing. I think he wants it as it is, straight from you."

He nodded, gave the drawing a quick once over, and stood with it grasped between both hands.

"And Roxy?" he added, looking abashed. "You're my favorite wolf in the whole world. Even if you are a butthead sometimes."

She gawffed. "Don't project your flaws onto me, Champ. And don't expect me to be nice all the time. I gotta cave into to the authority of the birthday boy, is all."

"I thought you didn't cave to authority?" he teased.

Roxy lightly popped his backside as he padded over to Freddy who was pretending to mind his own business, but it was pretty obvious that he had been supervising the conversation somewhat. Gregory had to stop a moment to ineffectively swat at Roxy's wrist.

Freddy's ears went up as he got closer, then went up even further in bewilderment as Gregory virtually shoved the drawing against the bear's chest.

"Here you go or whatever… it is not really that good, though, so do not get your hopes up or anything like that," he jabbered off, folding his hands behind his back and squeaking his shoe against the floor.

Freddy ardently looked the gift over, holding it delicately as if he was a U.S. History specialist holding the Declaration of Independence, his ears all the while making whirring noises.

"What do you mean, Gregory? It is the most wonderful drawing anyone has ever done of me!" he said, altogether sincere.

Roxy wiped her nose at that and shrugged.

"I will put this in a place of honor!"

"But nobody else is supposed to see it!" he cried, short-circuiting at the thought of other children seeing something that was between him and Freddy. It was personal-

Freddy disregarded the complaint, opened his stomach hatch, and slowly laid it in before closing it, his huge beam still growing.

"No one will see it there, and it will be safe. I will treasure it, Starshine."

Gregory's face combusted, and Vanessa really did try to keep from laughing at him, but a snort escaped anyways. She had to blow her nose with a pizza-colored party napkin.

Roxy had no such scruples but cut the bark short before Gregory retaliated.

"Y-you always use 'wonderful' for me! Do you say it all the time? Are you pulling my chain or something?" he demanded, rebounding quickly, puffing his chest up and stretching to his full height.

"Why, I think you are wonderful, Gregory," the bear answered down at him as if it was on the nose, completely tactless, as usual, when displaying affection.

This time Vanessa was able to disguise the snort with a small cough.

"W-well-!" Gregory began to splutter, sounding like an affronted Karen. He looked about ready for a retort but seemed to reconsider. Then he waved for Freddy to kneel to his level before whispering something into his ear, his petite hands cupped around his mouth, Freddy listening close.

Whatever he divulged made Freddy's spirits soar.

Gregory continued. "But I told you to not call me that in front of other people," he whined.

Freddy blinked.

"I thought you referred to strangers," he replied, bemused.

"GUYS I found it!" Monty cried from the third-floor balcony. A cinema projection screen started to unwind, covering the entire stage completely at full length. Monty fiddled a bit more, and soon the opening credits to what Vanessa recognized as the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie began to run.

A classic.

Freddy, still kneeling, shrugged. He wasn't exactly jazzed with the choice, but Gregory's eyes were alight as he gaped at the screen, so he would let it slide. He would have to trust him to respond maturely to the adult-themed allusions.

"Would you like some popcorn to enjoy along with the movie?"

Gregory nodded, his downy brown hair bobbing against his forehead. "I'll go ask the bot to go get me some! You set up everyone's chairs!" he added before scampering off to the lone S.T.A.F.F bot that served the party. Freddy watched him go, stood to his full height, and started to gather the chairs as ordered, lining up eight in total.

As Gregory got the bot's attention, he seemed to remember something.

"Hey, Vanessa! You want popcorn too?"

She shook her head, said "Nah," and resumed her recording.

Chica skipped to take her seat with Roxy taking the one next to her. Sundrop and Poppy's seats remained empty as Sundrop had made it his duty to round up all the art supplies and Poppy was oblivious to the change of scene as they continued to delicately place stickers on their paper cranes. Monty made some discomfiting stampede noises from along the escalators, charging furiously to take his place next to Freddy, chortling deeply in that wonderfully raspy voice of his.

Vanessa was proud of herself. Monty's code really was starting to recover. He was reborn anew.

Freddy sat near the middle, the vacant seat to his left sandwiched in between two Glamrocks each, making for the most VIP birthday bash imaginable.

Vanessa's seat stayed vacant.

"Watching them… gives me peace. Or something not unlike peace. I don't get it anywhere else, and I never will until it all ends. Not since I played that second game only to learn that she didn't go away, and never would so long as I lived. Not since you put me in that trance and made me relive everything.

"At that time, I didn't remember much of Vanny. Before our sessions, Ernest, it was all elusive and abstract… but I knew it happened, just not what happened. I've made it clear that I still wish I didn't. I've thought about asking you to force the memories away, but I knew that if I didn't remember, she would trap us just like she did that day. Even though I didn't have her memories, I still somehow remembered those four HV cables that powered Glitchtrap. Convenient, right? I thought I needed to fix Freddy so he could disassemble them. Thing is, those cables never existed. My 'plan' was never mine. She was still a glitch in my system, infiltrating herself so superbly that I didn't even see her coming. She was so quiet, and I… I thought she was gone. Vanny was defeated after Gregory beat that third Princess Quest game, and after losing control over me, she lost control over the Glamrocks temporarily, I think… or maybe it was just a trick and she always maintained control over them. I don't know. But she lived on in those stupid arcade games, infecting everything with codes that should only exist theoretically.

"I just wish that Gregory had gotten there before I added 'restraints' to Freddy's safe mode… or even before I reattached his head to his body. He was not much of a killer when he was just a head."