Location: Fazerblast Arena
Time: 3:15am
45 mins and a very complex maze puzzle later…Gregory finally exited the dizzying game of Lazer Tag, feeling exhausted as Hell.
"I got it." Gregory announces with a weak smile as he exits the doors of the Space-themed Arena, "I got a Gold Fazer Blaster."
As the boy walked to them, waving his new weapon in hand, Henry and Mike could see sweat practically dripping down Gregory's head. Whatever he went through there alone, it appeared to have been stressful and indeed it was because Gregory was chased by not only the Security Bots but Monty as well. Gregory had been informed by Freddy beforehand that the Mazercise and Fazerblast arena were Chica's territories but surprisingly, she was nowhere to be seen within the premises and Gregory wondered why she didn't show up.
Meanwhile, Freddy felt bad that he wasn't able to follow and aid Gregory in the arena as his programming didn't allow him to enter those grounds but at least he was happy that he could provide moral support for the boy's hard work after he achieved what he wanted.
"Good job Superstar!" Freddy pulls him into a hug, "Did you get anything else while you were there?"
"Only this." Gregory steps away from the bear and pulls out a folded piece of paper from his pockets. He opens it and reveals to Freddy that it was a ticket: An admittance for One to Bonnie Bowl. Freddy becomes depressed at the sight of the Purple Rabbit's face on the ticket, his glowing eyes falling downwards slightly to convey said emotion.
"Is something wrong?" Gregory asks, recognising the Bear's obvious shift in mood.
"Bonnie Bowl…I do not visit that place anymore. I miss him…"
"Him?" Gregory turns the ticket around and sees Bonnie smiling on the ticket cover, "You mean Bonnie?"
"Why are you building another Bonnie?" Henry asked, "Don't we already have one?"
"Why not? We already have two Freddys and also, I love rabbits." William grinned at him, "And so do the children. They're just really cute and gentle. Have you seen how their noses twitch when they eat carrots? It's adorable."
"A while ago, you said there wasn't a rabbit at the Pizza Plex anymore." Gregory recalls, "Can you tell me what happened?"
"I'd rather not."
"Alright then, I won't pressure you but when you feel more comfortable, you can talk to me about it. I can always lend you an ear, just metaphorically speaking not literally."
Abruptly, Gregory's stomach growls rudely, ruining the heartwarming words.
"Superstar? Are you hungry?"
"Yes." Gregory replies with embarrassment, "I've been running all night and after running more in that game of lazer tag, I've gotten hungrier and a little sleepier to be honest..."
"That's not good… I'll get you something from a vending machine."
"Is there any other food here besides vending machine snacks?" Gregory asks with a slightly exasperated tone, "Something more natural and filling?
"All the restaurants are closed now unfortunately but I can search the Pizzaplex's kitchens to see if there is anything for you to eat. What would you like?"
"I don't know." Gregory ponders the question for a while, "How about something simple like a…sandwich?"
"Very well, I'll try to find that for you." Freddy nods in acknowledgement, "In the meantime, since you have the Bonnie Bowl ticket, perhaps you can also find food or supplies you may need from there? There are little to no Security Bots at the venue so it should be safe for you to wander about in. I'll bring you to the entrance."
"You aren't coming in with me?"
"Like I said, that place has…unpleasant memories for me, Gregory. Mike will accompany you however".
"Wait! WHAT?!" Mike screams, manifesting himself into existence from the darkness, "No no no. I'm not being HIS babysitter."
"I agree." Henry objected to this idea as well, appearing seconds after Mike did, "Freddy, this isn't a good idea."
"What do you mean? I believe it would be a great idea for Mike and Gregory to try to get along. Additionally, while Mike's in the Fazwatch, he can't hurt him".
"I'll make him suffer and cry verbally." Mike announces his intent rather bluntly.
"Please don't do that." Freddy pleads, "Please try to get to know Gregory more for a while without picking a fight with him. Perhaps you'll come to see that he's not much like your Father at all."
"You can't make me."
Henry grabs his shoulder and hisses, "Look, we just need you to watch and tolerate him for at least 20 minutes. If you don't want to get along with him, then don't but you'd better not hurt him physically or verbally".
"Or what?"
"I'm not letting you back into Freddy." Henry threatened him.
Mike looks to Henry and back to Gregory and glares, folding his arms at Henry like an angsty teenager. "Fine. I promise I'll watch over the kid at least and try not to hurt him…"
–
Location: Bonnie Bowl
Time: 3:25am
Freddy leaves an anxious Gregory and an unenthusiastic Mike behind at the purple, circular, tunnel-like entrance that leads into Bonnie Bowl. A figure of the eponymous Bunny himself was plastered on the wall above, spinning a bowling ball on one finger without a care in the world and smiling down at them almost reassuringly.
"Have fun." Freddy waves at the both of them as he departs the area, "I'll see you both back here in a while."
With that, the ghost and the clone are left alone and they head into the dimly lit Bonnie Bowl attraction. Upon going in, they can see they weren't fully at the Bonnie Bowl yet as Gregory nor Mike saw any bowling alleys or bowling pins in sight. Above them was a ceiling full of fake glowing white stars and neon green lights stuck to the walls bathing the dimly lit area in it's glow while Around them were only lockers, couches, kiddie spaceship rides which needed quarters to function and a single Fizzy Faz dispensing machine.
From what Gregory could guess, this place seemed to be a lounging area before the main attraction which likely existed so that guests could rest or talk among themselves before going inside to play.
Additionally, much like the gallery Gregory entered earlier, scattered around the area were several displays of shiny trophies and bowling balls in glass cases.
"Woah look at all these balls." Mike says staring into one of the display cases that contained Glamrock themed bowling balls.
Gregory snickers at the joke. Mike stares at him in amazement.
"Did…Did you just laugh at a sexual innuedo?"
"Yeah." Gregory replies, "I'm kind of aware of…certain things now."
"Ah, so now you understand what I meant by 'Bedroom Tango'."
"Yes." Gregory's cheeks turn red, "The less we speak of it the better."
Mike smirks at Gregory's darkening flush, "You're blushing. That's...oddly cute".
Seeing the child version of his father express a range of emotions tonight was…strange to say the least. It was almost like William wasn't the complete monster Mike thought he was as he had never seen his father express any emotion rather than outright contempt or rage towards him. The only time he ever looked happy was when he was talking to other people, his wife or Elizabeth. Hell, even Evan was treated gentler than he was!
'Why? Why does my Father hate me so much?' was a thought that would run through Mike's mind constantly. He recalled that as a toddler, William would always abuse him whenever he was in a bad mood and Mike never understood why he was the go-to punching bag. Even after his siblings were born and he grew older, Mike was the only one who continued to get the harsh treatment and because of this, Mike had developed resentment for not just his father but also his two siblings. Evan was always the easiest to pick on as he was more of a crybaby than Elizabeth and furthermore, he was smaller and weaker than him. Ironically, Mike hadn't realised he had become as cruel as his own Father when he started bullying Evan until he had accidentally killed his younger brother…
"Let's move on." Gregory thankfully stops Mike's dark trip down memory lane as he walks away from the display cases and past some lockers, heading into the next corridor.
–
The Bowling Alley was more massive than they expected it to be: Having twenty-two lanes and an equal number of chairs and racks of balls. Additionally, there were also a lot of physical and digital signs placed on the walls and pillars that promoted Pizza that was 'Hot and Fazer Fresh' (whatever that meant).
Just in front of them to their left were some kiosks, a gift shop with shelves full of items (plus a few shoe-rental counters) and much farther ahead, a neon sign advertised an ice cream parlour right beside the Alleys that was themed after an American Diner. It's red and white colours made Gregory recall William liked eating at such places a lot.
Gregory decided to go to the gift shop first as it was nearer to him and held a bunch of eye-catching items. Almost instantly, Gregory grabbed one of the many duffel bags that was on the first shelf he approached.
Freddy was right when he told Gregory there were little to no Security Bots in this area. It was practically abandoned. He could wander anywhere and steal anything and not be caught. It made Gregory speculate if this place closed down recently and what had caused it's closure exactly…
"You're stealing?" Mike stared daggers at him.
"Not like anyone can stop." Gregory grins confidently at him, "Also I need this. I've been lugging stuff in my pockets all night and they're getting full ok?"
The boy then proceeds to push some things on the shelf next to him into his new bag: A Bowler Bonnie Plushie, a large packet of Sundrop and Moondrop brandcandies, three cans of Fizzy Faz and a cool looking Monty Gator sweater...However, there was something on the topmost shelf he wanted as well: A limited edition plastic bowl with Freddy Fazbear's face plastered on it that came with a box of packed caramel flavoured popcorn, both items packaged together in plastic wrap.
Gregory tries to reach up to it but to no avail. His current height didn't do him any favours either. Gazing around, he also sees that there's nothing to stand on either and so, he calls upon one person he wants to talk to the least:
"Umm Mike?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm too short to reach that item on the shelf." Gregory further emphasised this point by attempting to stand on his tiptoes but failing to even touch the shelf, "Can you get it for me?"
"Whatever Father."
Mike sarcastically demonstrates to him that when he tries to grab the item, it phases right through his hand as he's a ghost.
"Whoops. I can't help you." Mike grins cheekily.
Gregory pouts but remains calm.
'Take deep breaths, he's just trying to get an angry reaction out of you.'
Mike then starts laughing hysterically at Gregory, aggravating him more.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm sorry." Mike covers his mouth and calms down, "Your pouty face really does make you look like a midget version of my Father now that I look at you closely".
'Don't hit him or you'll just prove his point about me being a bad person.' Gregory reminds himself as he clenches his fists.
At the moment Gregory thinks to merely walk away from the counter, the bowl and popcorn package falls off the shelf suddenly. They both look up to see a small Helpy robot with purple eyes that had kindly pushed the item off the shelf for him. Judging from the eyes, Gregory believes it might have been William's doing. He was looking out for Gregory as usual but that was only likely because he was his Vessel to possess. He held no real affection whatsoever for the boy. The robot then shuts down, it's eyes turning black.
"You couldn't help me huh?" Gregory mocks Mike's earlier sentence.
The ghost keeps quiet. Gregory sighs and decides to look around more, crouching down to see what else he can find on the lower shelves. There are some Glamrock and Classic Animatronic action figures, a Tag-Along Freddy brandplushie, a Roxanne Wolf themed headset, a toy robot dog called Fetch and boxes of these creatures called Sea Bonnies.
All these items looked amazing to have but they were not things Gregory needed, especially if he was going to survive alone in the real world once the night was over. Sure, he would be homeless for a while but it was better than being a meat suit for a psychotic child murderer that wanted to live forever. And who knows, maybe he could convince a loving family to adopt him in less than a week if he chanced by one...
As Gregory gets up and turns around, he notices Mike has suddenly vanished. He thinks Mike walked ahead but the moment he turned a right corner, a boy with a Foxy mask jumps out from behind and spooks him.
"BOO!"
"AH!"
Gregory falls backwards as an adolescent version of Mike laughs at him, "This brings back memories…except this time it's not gonna end with you beating the shit out of me."
The boy was furious at Mike's prank yet also, intrigued as to why he now looked his age.
"How did you do that?"
"What?"
"You look younger." Gregory stated the obvious.
"Oh it's something I learned when I was bored." Mike instantly morphs back to his older self, "I even taught Henry how to do it".
Gregory thinks back to the photograph he saw at the exhibit: Henry's solo portrait that was taken sometime after opening of Fredbears and suddenly, he recognised that Henry appeared exactly the way he did in the photograph. Red jacket and all.
"Come to think of it," Gregory remembers the fire William died in, "Didn't Henry die when he was as old as William?"
"You're right about that. Usually he's in his elderly form but I've noticed that he's been in younger form more often throughout the night. Not sure if he's doing it on purpose or subconsciously because of you. Still, whenever he's around you, he seems happier. You must have had a good relationship with him back when you both were younger. Brings back good nostalgia for him I suppose…"
Mike's eyes then shift to something in the distance, "Speaking of nostalgia, look there."
Gregory turned his gaze to where Mike was looking: The Ice Cream Parlour.
"Oh yeah, that ice cream parlour looks nostalgic to me…" Gregory says while trying to find the memory that Mike was referring to, "William liked to treat you all to ice cream sometimes didn't he?"
William grins as he gives a mint ice cream to Elizabeth, a chocolate one to Evan and even a rocky road flavoured one to Mike. However, he didn't bother to look into Mike's eyes as he passed the cone to him.
"I'm not talking about the restaurant dumbass. Look at the robot behind the counter."
Gregory squints and sees the single Staff Bot who's just remaining still at one of the parlour's counters. She had orange hair in pigtails and a red dress. It indeed looked…very familiar.
"She looks like Circus Baby…" he breathes, "But why?"
"Beats me but I'm amused by the idea that Fazbears stole almost everything from you after you died." Mike chuckles, "You wanna see her up close?"
William can only gaze in horror at Elizabeth's gory remains staining the insides of the 7ft tall robot doll. All that remains of her is a pitiful red ribbon …
'Why?' William thinks to himself, 'why did she do it? Stupid girl! I warned her…I warned her so many damn times not to play with her and yet, like Micheal, she disobeyed me…'
Gregory shudders. "Fine but not too close. I just wanna see what ice cream they're serving as I'm hungry".
Mike and Gregory walk in silence to the ice cream parlour. The Circus baby looking Staff Bot notices Gregory's presence the moment he steps in and literally scans him for a few seconds using her mechanical eyes before saying her next response:
"Hello. As a new customer here, you are entitled to one free dessert." The robot sweetly speaks with a childish voice as she gestures to the menu on the tabletop. "Please, take a look at our menu and select what you would like to eat".
Gregory went up to the counter and sat on the red, plush barstool chair. He then skimmed through the choices on the rectangular menu and, after a few seconds, Gregory pointed to one of the items.
"One Chocolate Milkshake please." He tells the orange haired robot lady.
"Coming right up!" She reverses backwards on her wheels and goes into the kitchen area.
"You're really thinking of eating dessert now?!" Mike shouts at him incredulously.
"I'm hungry alright and Freddy isn't back yet." Gregory complained, "Also, I feel like I deserve a reward like this for running around so much tonight."
"I wish I had a reward too," Mike angrily says, "I deserve one too for dealing with your bullshit for several years William or 'Gregory' if that's what you want to call yourself now."
After 5 minutes, the server bot returns with a Chocolate Milkshake and a large red straw on a tray, cheerfully serving him.
"Here you go."
Gregory feels another flashback incoming for some reason.
"Henry, what's wrong with my body?" William questions one day as they sit together during lunch.
As of late, William had observed that his usually flat stomach had been protruding past his belt more than usual and had started to expand outwards more and more at an alarming rate. Worse, his usual Navy Blue suit was getting tight in certain areas too, mainly around the arms and thighs. It didn't feel good to say the least.
Henry tilts his head, examining his close friend. "Frankly, I don't think anything's wrong with you William."
"You mean you haven't noticed? I've been getting rounder and chubbier."
Henry giggles, "That I have. You're finally getting a Dad bod like me. Congrats."
"This is not ok!" William shouts a bit louder than intended "I shouldn't be gaining weight. I've been eating my usual amounts so I don't understand why I'm getting fatter".
"Metabolism can slow down with age. You know that right?"
"Fuck." William cursed.
"Still, as long as you don't become obese, your health should be fine. Almost nobody looks good forever William…"
As soon as the memory was over, Gregory became alarmed, felt his own stomach and then breathed a sigh of relief. He'd heard Vanny mention that he gained some weight in the past 2 weeks but for now, he still looked healthy enough for a child nearing adolescence. Which was good. All he had to do was maintain his health better in the future. For now though, he could enjoy this one sweet treat due to his/William's high metabolism.
Gregory takes a sip and his eyes widen in delight. This beverage was sugary and delicious, much better than whatever Vanny had been serving him in that room for days.
"I wish you could try this..." Gregory tells Mike ecstatically, "it's so good".
"Sorry but I don't trust the opinion of a two week old. At best that could be average flavoured."
"To you I guess but not to me." Gregory takes another sip of the Milkshake.
The silence between them gradually gets awkward as Gregory loudly slurps his drink and so, he decides to ask Mike a simple question out of curiosity and a genuine desire to try to befriend (or at least calm down) the rage-filled ghost.
"Sooo…Did you have a favourite Milkshake place in the past Mike?"
"Yeah. I don't know if it's still there though. I used to go there with my friends a lot. You know, back when I was alive and ummm…had friends."
Mike goes quiet again, the tension between them still awkward. Once again, Gregory then decides to tell him some good news in the hopes that Mike can lighten up, even just a little.
"Mike, if it makes you feel any better, I just want you to know that William didn't kill Elizabeth. In his memories, I learned that she got herself killed in Circus Baby by accident."
"That doesn't make a difference." Mike gazes away from his hazel eyes, "You designed the Funtime Animatronics to kill children, remember? Therefore, it's still your fault for killing Elizabeth and that's why she got possessed and turned into an abomination".
"You mean Circus Baby?"
One of the Board members of Afton Robotics examined William's latest Funtime animatronic with great interest but a tinge of concern.
"There's no doubting what you've achieved on a technical level. These are clearly state-of-the-art." The man praised him, "There are just…certain design choices that were made for these robots that we don't fully understand. We were hoping that you could shed some light on those."
"She can dance, she can sing, she's equipped with a built-in helium tank for inflating balloons right at her fingertips. She can take song requests. She can even dispense ice-cream." William elaborates clearly, "What can't you understand?"
"With all due respect, those aren't the design choices we were curious about, Mr. Afton…"
Mike shakes his head, "Not just that."
Mike explains to Gregory the same thing he told Freddy: About how Elizabeth's soul got trapped in Circus Baby and then went on to use the Scooping Room to fuse with the other Funtime Animatronics while also killing him in the process. However, this time, Mike adds on another detail:
"I never knew where she and the others went after I died and, much like my Father, I tried to search for her to bring her soul to rest but never found her ever again until Henry lured her to the fake Pizzeria he'd built to kill all of us. When I found her in that alleyway, she was all wrong and you were with her."
A deformed looking Doll animatronic lay down by a trash heap, waiting to be carried inside the building. Next to her, was a disgusting and ruined Springbonnie suit that was barely holding itself together with the corpse of a killer still within it, trying his best to smile at his daughter with its ruined lips and rotten teeth as he held her hand.
"I don't know what to say." Gregory lowered his head guiltily, "I'm sorry she ended up that way."
"You should be." Mike seethes at him.
Gregory's curiosity gets the better of him and he decides to ask another question, "Then…what happened to Elizabeth after the fire?"
Mike shakes his head, "She's still somewhere here with the children. I felt it. But she's not with William strangely enough. They were inseparable so that's why I find it weird she's not with him. Still, whenever she is now, I only hope she's not doing anything bad…"
Mike sighs and rubs his temple, "Good grief…I worked my ass off to kill you, free my sister and redeem myself for Evan's death to get to the Afterlife but nooo….I'm still stuck here and you're still alive! I just want to reunite with them again, tell Evan I'm sorry for everything I've done. He's never going to forgive me though, I'm sure of it".
They're silent again as Gregory takes a larger sip from his Milkshake which is now more than halfway finished.
"Mike," Gregory asks, "What do you think the Afterlife is like?"
"If I had to guess," Mike ruffles his already messy hair absentmindedly, "for Henry and me, the afterlife would be a peaceful place with clouds and no rain. For you, probably fire and brimstone and eternal suffering."
Gregory despairs at this thought.
"Or perhaps maybe nothing at all." Mike adds on, "Maybe the demons will just deem you as too dangerous and your soul will just vanish forever and you'll never be reborn again. I don't know."
"That seems like an even worse fate!" Gregory cries.
"For you maybe but not for the rest of us." Mike smiled relaxed as he reclined his back in thin air. Gregory puts the now empty milkshake cup that he had been drinking throughout the conversation down and gets off the chair.
"Well, that was nice but I'm still hungry. I'm going to see if there is anything else other than ice cream in the kitchen."
Mike is astonished. "You drank a big Chocolate Milkshake. How can you still be hungry?!"
"I dunno. I'm just still hungry…Also I think William mentioned something about me undergoing a growth spurt or something…"
"Figures. My father had the appetite of a pig even when he was a preteen." Mike groans insufferably as he gets off the counter and follows the boy.
"Hope you enjoyed your flavour. Have a nice day!" The Circus Baby ice cream Staff Bot waves Gregory as he pushes the kitchen doors aside.
One half of the place was squeaky clean while the other half was unwashed trays and utensils that were still soaking in the sink. Gregory sees an old fashioned notice board on the wall in front of him with Papers trapped to its surface by tacks and sticky notes scattered about everywhere. Some papers were just announcements for events but some related to the staff and animatronic handling. One in particular about Chica caught his attention.
ATTENTION KITCHEN STAFF - Parts and Service is concerned that Chica will suffer heavy damage if she ever gets caught in the trash compactor. Always double check the compactor before use. Do not use the compactor to dispose of Pizza or Pizza flavored items or Pizza scented materials (e.g. Monty's Mystery Mix). Otherwise her replacement will come out of your paycheck!
"Chica likes both Pizza and Monty's Mystery Mix." Gregory takes heed of this information mentally, "How interesting."
"Planning something in that big brain of yours again Father?" Mike asks dryly.
"Yeah. I think I may have found a way to lure her out and shut her down. Could you help me look into the fridges or the drawers for anything that seems like Monty's Mystery Mix or Pizza?"
"Do it yourself." Mike folds his arms as he lies down on one of the metal tables and stares at the ceiling.
Gregory scowls at the lazy ghost before scouring the Kitchen by himself for a while until he finds a single bag of Monty Mix shoved in the back of an unlocked and cold storage room. Staring at the Alligator on the box, Gregory only hoped that Freddy didn't run into Monty again.
"Found it." Gregory announces as he steps back to where Mike is. However, once again, Mike had vanished.
Gregory moans, "Haha Mike, very funny. If you're going to pull that prank on me again, it's not going to—"
Mike emerges, phasing out from behind a refrigerator door in the form of a gaunt, decaying corpse: His mouth had no teeth, two hollow black holes appeared where his eyes should have been and his skin colour was a deep purple with patches of it fallen off, revealing red muscle tissue and metallic wires which were tangled together grotesquely beneath.
Gregroy screams in terror and once again, Mike chuckles to himself, changing back to his usual form.
"Is-is this what you looked like for 30 years?" The boy questioned with horror, "You looked hideous."
"Yep. Not like you looked any better as a corpse in a bunny suit, old man. Only difference was that one of us was struggling to fit in with society while the other was rotting away in a storeroom".
Mercifully, Gregory's Fazwatch rings, halting the conversation and Mike breathes a sigh of relief.
"Gregory I've got the sandwiches, I'll meet the both of you outside in five minutes. Hope you're getting along better".
—
While walking out of the Kitchen, both Greg and Mike see something familiar to the left which was against a wall. There was a small circular stage and a red curtain covering whatever was behind it.
Both Gregory and Mike smile have similar memories of Foxy the Pirate, one of Fazbear's many iconic animatronics, performing on stage on his pirate ship for the children.
"You think this was Bonnie's stage?"
"If it is, why does it look so much like Foxy's?" Mike wonders, "He was my favourite animatronic. I loved him a lot. More than Fredbear and Spring Bonnie. He was a pirate, a rebel that sailed the seven seas but was always kindhearted to his friends despite his nature. Henry designed and wrote his character I remember…"
"Would you have preferred Henry to be your father instead of me?" Gregory abruptly asks him.
"Huh?"
Gregory clamps a hand over his mouth. He didn't know why such a question leapt out of him! "Sorry. Just ignore that. Let's move on".
They walk out of the Diner area and back towards the rest area past a few digital signs. It's then that Gregory realises that he had forgotten to thank Mike earlier for rescuing him and felt like he needed to do it now or he wouldn't get another chance later.
"Hey Mike, I forgot to thank you for saving me earlier from Roxy." he smiles gratefully at the sullen ghost, "So Thank you. If you hadn't done that, I think my head would have been crushed like a Watermelon".
Mike folds his arms. "I didn't save you out of the kindness of my heart 'Gregory'. I only saved you because I had trauma about Evan's death and seeing you there in the same position as him… I feel like I wanted to redeem myself somehow for not doing anything sooner".
He then turns his head and scowls at the boy, "Don't misunderstand. I still hate you. I hate what you made me into, the things you made me do and the fact that you killed so many innocent people and children so cruelly…I'll never forgive you Father. Not ever".
Gregory returns the scowl at Mike for the abruptly hate filled comment, "Mike, what do I have to do to make you forgive or like me a little more? If Sorries aren't enough, I don't know what else I can do…"
"Hmm I know: How about you stop existing? If you could do that, all of our problems would be solved."
Gregory grinds his teeth.
Mike huffed. "Look I know you feel sorry for what you did William but it's not good enough. You need to suffer the consequences too".
"And I assume you are the consequences?" Gregory raised an eyebrow, "Don't you think you could, I don't know, get a life and stop bullying me for things that your Father did?"
"What life?" Mike retorts, "I'm dead and the only thing I can do is haunt you. Even if I wasn't here, I still would haunt you anyway."
Mike then leans in closer to Gregory.
"And FYI, I'm actually not even the worst thing that could be haunting you right now Gregory." Mike brags with a menacing tone.
"Indeed. There's also Me." One of the screens beside them fizzles to life, "And what haunts Mike in particular here isn't a person but rather a memory: The Bite of 83."
The Gold Rabbit's face zooms in closer on the screen before abruptly changing to William's visage, "How are you doing Micheal?"
Mike shows him the middle finger.
"Ugh." William expresses disgust, "God you're just as rude as my Vessel if not worse. I hope you've not influenced him."
"Oh like you are any better." Gregory spat back at William.
"Still, I am happy to see that you saved my new body. You did something right for once. It almost made up for the fact that you killed your brother."
"Shut up." Mike shouts, very obviously triggered by William's words.
"It was all your fault. You're a murderer like me." William jeers, "Even now, you wish to kill my Vessel just to prevent me from being reborn! I wonder what your brother thinks of you in Heaven… After what you did to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he never wants to see you up there at all. Perhaps he'd even condemn you to Hell with me…"
Mike was about to retort that he would be happy to fall with William to Hell if it meant that he could make him suffer with him for eternity until Gregory intervened by throwing a can of Fizzy Faz that he just opened at the screen. Some of it sprayed onto the monitor.
"Hey!"
"Mike's right. You need to shut up." Gregory turns his back towards William "We're leaving. We got what we came here for and neither of us want to listen to your poisonous words anymore."
"You little shit! Get back here. Don't walk away from me!"
As Gregory walks away briskly, Mike follows suit, feeling surprised that the boy defended him even after everything that he'd said and done to try and kill him.
Gregory, of course, still felt anxious around Mike but he was willing to try to make things right between them, hoping that by the end of the night, Mike would at least stop being so mad at him at worst and at best, no longer associate him with William Afton…
–
Not wanting to encounter the Gold Rabbit again, Mike and Gregory decide to wait at the entrance to Bonnie Bowl where there were no screens, sitting next to the walls. They're quiet for a while when Gregory laughs out of the blue, gaining another one of William's flashbacks unintentionally as usual.
"What are you laughing about that's so funny?" Mike raises an eyebrow.
"Do you remember that time where William had to pick you up from school as you got into a fight during Art class and it caused everyone to throw paint at one another?"
"What about it?"
"You were covered from head to toe in purple paint with splashes of other colours and smiling at him." Gregory tried to stifle his laughter, "Sorry, I just thought it was funny".
Mike laughs at that memory, "Yeah, he didn't think it was funny cos I got purple paint over my body and on his car seat but it was to me."
"And then after that," Gregory continued the story, "I believe William tried to sneak you into the house to clean you up but he failed and everyone in the family saw the both of you when you stepped inside. I remember everyone was shocked at first but then Elizabeth started giggling and soon, everyone was laughing."
"Yeah, that happened." Mike clarifies that Gregory's recollection of events was correct, "It was embarrassing but it was one of my happier memories I suppose..."
Once again, he thinks it odd that this copy of his cold and abusive father had a sense of humour.
From a corner in the distance, a familiar orange shape made its way to them with a thunderous quake.
"Superstar. I got sandwiches from a nearby employee lounge!" Freddy excitedly tells Gregory, stopping at least one foot in front of him. Freddy opened his chest to reveal three freshly packed sandwiches within: All ham and cheese flavoured. The hungry child grabs them.
"This is great Freddy. I also figured out how we can capture Chica." Gregory responds back to Freddy with the same excited energy he had.
"How?"
"With this." Gregory pulls out the Monty Mix from his new duffel bag. "I read she likes this stuff and I got to thinking that we can lure her somewhere and, while she's busy eating, I can sneak up on her and shut her down".
Another train of thought comes to Gregory, "Come to think of it, do you know where she is?"
"She's usually in the Kitchen near the loading docks."
Gregory raises an eyebrow in confusion, "Ummm why?"
"Beats me." Freddy shakes his head, "Lately, she's been spending a lot of time there when our shifts are over and eats the garbage from the bins which is strange as she used to often consume and encourage the consumption of healthy food all day and night. Now she only does it when in public".
"When did this garbage eating habit of hers start happening?"
"Only 2 months ago." Freddy tells the boy, "Fazbear Entertainment has been concerned about her negative shift in appetite. I have been as well".
"Why was she programmed to eat anyways?"
"I don't know. We all have our unique quirks programmed into us and consuming food was hers. Perhaps it was to be more relatable to people?"
"I see…Nevermind, we have no time to waste. Take me to the . I'll just eat the sandwiches you brought me while I'm sitting in you".
"Don't spill anything." Freddy informs him, "I don't want my internal circuits damaged."
"I'll try not to."
Gregory enters Freddy's chest and with that, he sprints off with the boy inside him and the two ghosts not far behind.
"So, did you get along better with him?" Henry whispers to Mike, "You didn't hurt him did you?"
"Nope. I didn't hurt him. Just tolerated him like you said." Mike replies with a short answer. In truth, he didn't want to bond with or feel sorry for Gregory but well, too late now. He was now pitying the boy instead of resenting him. He felt awful but he knew what he would have to do once the children were freed: William Afton would and should not exist in any way, shape or form on the mortal plane anymore and thus, Mike needed to kill both Gregory and William after everything was over and done with. However, he decides that he wouldn't make the boy suffer like originally planned and would grant Gregory a quick and painless death instead…
Chapter 23 End
Chapter 24 Title: Aid from the Shadows
Summary: Gregory encounters yet another ghost from William's past as he falls into the Garbage Disposal with Chica.