Happy (Early) Father's Day and Pride Month. These are two things that are going to be relevant this chapter. Enjoy.
It took a while (mainly because the Glamrocks needed to walk farther ahead than Daycare Attendant in order to locate and switch on the lights so that the Attendant wouldn't transform to his other half as they wandered into dark sections) but everyone soon arrived at the Parts and Service Repair room. Freddy initially wanted to bring Bonnie with them as well but, with no hands available to carry him (and a lack of space in his chest cavity as he was holding Gregory's luggage within), he sadly had to leave his dear friend's body behind. However, before he left, he wanted to find out if the memory card that contained Bonnie's sentience and memories were left within but, when he pressed the button to reveal the card slot, there was nothing there.
Either William destroyed it or Fazbear Entertainment stored it away but Freddy was optimistic that it was the latter rather than the former. Then, Freddy assumed leadership once again since he was also the leader of the band and gave everyone instructions on what to do.
"When we get to the repair room, I'd like you to keep an eye on Vanny Chica." he sees the woman in the bird lady's arms, "Tie her up while I see if I can wake Gregory".
"Sure." Chica says, "Just let us know when he wakes up alright".
"Of course. As for you Roxy, place Monty in the repair chamber with the Attendant. After that, disable any cameras or audio devices in the area as well in him. If that false William isn't in the child, he's likely still watching us from the system and hasn't left the premises yet".
"What makes you think he didn't leave though?" Roxy raises an eyebrow.
Mike answers for Freddy, jumping into Roxy, "When my father wants something. He'll never give it up so easily".
"Gah!" Roxy says, finally able to see the ghosts before her, "So the boy wasn't kidding when he said he could see ghosts".
"Pretty much." Mike then jumped back into Freddy.
"Alright everyone, let's make haste. We can figure out what to do next when Grgeory wakes up".
The Attendant and Chica place Monty on the chair in the cylindrical repair chamber, Freddy, Mike and Henry and Charlie place Gregory onto a chair next to the old computer and Chica ties up Vanny parallel to them.
Freddy gazes sadly at the boy and recalls the meeting with him a few hours ago. He wasn't sure what to make of Gregory at first but he seemed like he was lost, both emotionally and literally. He also thought he was a liar as when he mentioned he was Gregory, he could hear the hesitation in his words and the fact that his identity kept registering to his systems as 'William Afton' didn't help matters either.
However, Freddy was sure the boy had his reasons to hide his true self and so, didn't question the boy's lies. Inevitably though, Gregory came clean with the truth and Freddy discovered the dark secrets of one of the company's founders: That William Afton was a vile madman who killed children. He thought Gregory wasn't the same but when he started exhibiting violent tendencies and nearly killed Roxy, Freddy almost took back his opinions. However, when Gregory apologised for what he'd done and wanted to sincerely make amends, Freddy changed his mind about the child and opened his heart to the boy again, coming to slowly and genuinely care about him and wanting him to be better than the person he used to be.
However, as the night passes, Freddy finds that he was being a rather poor Guardian and hasn't been protecting the boy well. When he wanted to help him, he would often abandon him due to constantly being low on battery and when he was trying to protect him from Chica, he recklessly charged in and got shut down. He did protect him from Roxy though but it was also more through Mike's unintentional help.
Furthermore, he also felt guilt over particular aspects of his programming which made him unable to come up with the right words/actions to truly comfort Gregory when he was unhappy and only felt the need to interfere when the child was about to be hurt.
The programming within him advised him to usually not get involved with family matters unless the child was being physically threatened and so, he let Henry deal with the conflict as he felt he knew about how to handle Mike and Charlie more than anyone else and was more experienced with counselling others.
However, at some point, Mike went too far and traumatised the child and worse, William had shown him something that caused the boy to lose faith in both him and Henry. He was hurt when Gregory ran away from him, feeling like he never cared and he assumed Grgeory thought he was a horrible protector. He's never let anyone down before…
"I'm sorry Gregory…I should have done more".
—
"Do you think he's still alive?" Micheal asks Charlie.
"I'm sure he is. We can all sense it but…he's not waking up".
Freddy scans the sleeping boy, "I can still see his heart pulsating as well as taking in and breathing out air. His body is still functioning".
Mike stared at Gregory, his near motionless body evoking flashbacks of Evan's funeral. Micheal remembers laying a hand on the glass which protected his preserved body. It had been fixed up for the most part but a bandage was still wrapped around a part of his head, a reminder of Micheal's sins. After that, he ran outside of the church and shed his tears where no one could see him. He hadn't meant to hurt his brother this time around. It was only a prank. He was going to pull him out before the mouth closed but it went down too fast –
"Mike?" Henry waves his hand in front of his face, "You okay?"
"Ah erm sorry…I was lost in a memory." Mike murmurs.
"What should we do?" Charlie asks. The two Emily's look at him. Mike refocuses to the present and examines the boy. Gregory being in this state meant one out of three things:
1. The transfer worked.
2. The sedative Vanny injected into him was very effective.
3. He's fallen into a coma.
He'd denied to himself earlier that he didn't feel bad about hurting Gregory as it was like hurting his father and he had desired to see his father dead for so long but, seeing his unconscious body presently, he suddenly feels sick. He can't see Gregory as his Dad anymore but the damage is already done. He feels like he failed another child…again. He closes his eyes and clenches his fists, trying to prevent his tears from leaking out.
'I'm so sorry Evan. I'm sorry Gregory.' He laments, lowering his head.
"Uhhhh…" Gregory's voice utters as his small form partially shifts on the chair he sits on. He blinks once and twice, focusing on the people before him.
Charlie spots this and notifies Micheal, "Hey, he's up."
Mike opened his eyes, looked up and stared at Gregory. However, Mike, Henry and Charlie instantly noticed something was wrong. The way in which he wasn't instantly reacting to them was one thing but another was his eyes. They had an empty look to them. Not empty like William but more like the memories and personality traits he had gained so far were entirely stripped from him and what sat before them was currently an empty Vessel devoid of life. Exactly what Micheal's Father had originally wanted.
"Gregory?" Mike says his name without a hint of sarcasm. The boy doesn't respond.
"Can you hear us?"
Hazel eyes gaze at Mike vacantly. He opened his mouth a little and it appeared as though he was going to say something but no words came out and the boy's mouth closed again. Mike then attempts to reach out for him and shockingly, he gets a reaction but not the one he was anticipating.
Gregory lets out a terrified, feral shriek that shocks everyone and he tries to get away from the ghost but in his fit of fear, his legs push him backwards on the chair he sits on. The child freaks out while he falls but luckily, Freddy rushes and catches both the chair and the boy from behind with one of his strong hands before he can fall. The boy looks at his saviour in awe as he props him back upwards and returns to standing in front of him.
"Hey! Did you hurt Gregory again Micheal!" Chica glowered angrily from the corner. Roxy and Sunny had also shifted their eyes to them while in the midst of smashing a camera above.
"No no I didn't. He's just not himself presently…and he clearly doesn't want me. Then again it's understandable after what I did to him…" Mike says begrudgingly.
"Also Freddy, you forgot to mention to us that he was awake." Chica adds.
"Sorry Roxy but as Mike says, he's not entirely himself at the moment…We'll let you know when we've restored him".
"Can we help in anyway?" Roxy asks, placing a hand on her hip.
"No. Just keep doing what you're doing. If we can't figure out anything, we'll call you guys".
"I'll give it a go then." Charlie slinks forward in her Puppet body.
Gregory has a different response to her. He doesn't try to run and this time, he brings his legs up to the chair (which has some space for them) and he curls himself into a ball shape. However, his eyes still focus on her warily.
"Gregory?" Charlie speaks with a warm tone, "Are you okay?".
The second she lays a tendril on him however, Gregory whimpers in distress like an injured animal, as if remembering the strangulation that had occurred earlier, and buries his face in his legs and places his arms over his head.
"No No No…" Gregory mumbles under his breath, "No".
Charlie detaches her spirit from the Puppet out of shock and she and Mike turn to face each other, frowning. The ghost in the purple shirt sees tears form in Charlie's emerald green eyes.
"This is all our fault isn't it?" Charlie wipes her face with her sleeve, "I've never had another child this afraid of me before…"
Micheal is haunted by the words that came out of her mouth.
"I'm sorry.." Mike apologies in despair, "William has already turned Gregory into an empty shell of who he used to be".
"Shhh it's ok Charlie." Henry holds her consolingly, "Also, let's not believe that Mike. He'll come back. We just have to figure out how to get Gregory's consciousness to return…One way or another…"
Henry turns towards Michael, "Mike, your father studied the human soul right? Did you read his journals? Is there anything in there that could tell us what's happening to Gregory? How do we cure him?"
"Hang on Hang on…let me wrack my brain for his research…It's been years since I read them…" Mike huffs in frustration, doing his best to recollect any information that could aid them.
"Until then," Freddy pipes up, "perhaps we can try different methods to get Gregory to return to his former self first.
The bear walks up until he's only a short distance away from the child, "I'll start by lightly tapping him awake, if that's ok with all of you of course?"
"Try something stronger." Mike advises, "Try to slap him".
"Do it lightly though." Henry cautions him.
Freddy slaps the boy with as little force as he can. Nothing occurs. He doesn't even react.
"Huh…I should have found this more satisfying but I didn't." Mike mutters at the sight.
Charlie then brings forth her idea, "Maybe you can try to throw water on his face and see if the cold wakes him up? That woke me up when I passed out under hot weather once".
"Good idea." Freddy takes up her suggestion. The bear fills a bucket of cold water from a nearby tap in the corner (usually reserved for fire-related emergencies) and gently pushes the boy's head in for 5 seconds before letting him go, his posture returning to normal. However, Gregory's eyes continued to have that same, expressionless and unnatural stare only this time, his face was drenched and his lips quivered more.
"Well…that didn't work either." Mike groaned, "Maybe we should consider getting rid of him in case the transfer works and William wakes up instead".
"No. There has to be some way we can bring Gregory back." Henry pleads, "He can't be braindead."
'Look into his eyes' a gentle and familiar boy's voice talks to Micheal, 'Look where they look'.
Fear strikes Micheal's heart. He never told anyone this but he had been having visual and auditory hallucinations of Evan for several years since his younger brother died. Whenever they came around, Mike would refuse to listen to the words of the illusion for he knew it was only his own mind playing tricks on him and 'Evan' was either vengeful and cruel OR kind and sickeningly forgiving. They'd vanished at some point after his second death by fire but tonight though, 'Evan' was back and he was mercifully the latter.
If it hadn't prevented him from killing Gregory, Mike would regret it for the rest of his life (or death as it was) and if it was now assisting him to save Gregory once more, he would listen to it.
Mike examines Gregory at a closer level, kneeling down until he's eye to eye with the boy. Behind him, Freddy shifts a little and then notices something about the direction of Gregory's eyes. It hits Mike then: When Gregory was slapped and dunked in water, his eyes always returned to gaze at the one person behind the two of them.
"Freddy." Mike calls him, "Can you walk further left?"
"Why?"
"There's something I want to observe."
"Alright." Freddy does as he says and Mike notices Gregory's eyes following his movements in suit.
'This confirms it.' Mike thinks to himself, 'Gregory's eyes were actually looking in one direction throughout, focusing on Freddy and almost nothing else!'
"Freddy, I think Gregory here wants a big hug from you." Mike was almost going to say 'Big Kiss' but then he chillingly remembered what happened the last time he said those words.
"He…does?" Freddy's voice was uncertain.
Micheal nods.
"I don't know…" Freddy is apprehensive, "I feel like I haven't been very good towards him and besides, he hates me as much as all of you now".
"Aww don't say that. I'm sure Gregory still loves and needs you…".
"How so?"
"Gregory keeps staring at you. Somehow, I believe you may be the key to restoring his mind. My father's notes…I recall them mentioning when a soul is re-attached to a body, a person's mind will sometimes not be fully connected to their body. If that happens, one should be able to reconnect them together again by introducing an item or person that induces positive memories to them".
"I think I have something that will help." Freddy's chest cavity opens and he takes out the Plushie, displaying it to Gregory.
"Bear!" The boy utters that single word and grins from ear to ear, stretching out his arms towards him. Freddy passes it to him and he gives the plushie a big squeeze. After a few minutes though, Gregory then looked at Freddy. The animatronic one.
"Big Bear! Hug! Hug!" He commands childishly and outstretches his hands again. His eyes still have a stiff gaze to them but at least now, his responses were more positive.
"Actually my name is Freddy Fazbear," the Bear corrects the boy, "but yes, I am a big bear."
"Okay…we are getting somewhere at least." Mike interrupts, "Let's try one more thing: Freddy, try to tell Gregory how much you love him and want him back".
"Very well." The Bear says, "I actually do have some loving words I wish to say to him from the bottom of my heart…or circuits I guess. Please don't judge me for what I have to say."
"Of course not. Go ahead." Mike shows a 'brushing off' gesture to him, "Tell Gregory how you feel".
The Giant bear nods and scoops the boy up, uncertainty still affecting how he moved. Gregory was still holding the plushie in his hands while Freddy stroked him on the back like a baby.
–
Gregory was in a dark place, lying curled in a foetal position on what was presumably a floor.
He could see everything that was happening in front of his very eyes, the view before him manifesting as a movie theatre screen but he couldn't move or talk.
He was a spectator in his own head, only able to observe what occurred from a short distance while his body was stuck on autopilot, only reacting automatically to the trauma from his negative experiences with Mike and Charlie and the positive experience for the plushie he had. He had no control over his own actions or words but he could feel them.
Gregory knew he should connect himself with his own body again, enter the rectangle in front of him and go back to reality but…he no longer wants to.
"Why should I bother existing if nobody wants me? I'll just stay in this place within my mind forever until I die".
Then, he feels himself being cradled by Freddy's arms out of the seat. He was one out of two beings he met tonight who never judged him for his previous life as William Afton.
"I hope you can hear what I'm saying." The bear expresses concern, "Gregory, I don't know what William said exactly to push you away from me but know that I love you as I do with other kids. It's true that I call other children Superstar but that's because, to me, every child is special and you are equally special to me. I truly do try to love everyone equally so that no one feels like they're less or more important than others".
Gregory perks up at Freddy's confession and abruptly, he feels sensation in his legs again.
Freddy then pats his head tenderly and his body leans into his touch, letting out a small giggle as snuggles on his hand. The poor boy acted as if he was an abandoned puppy craving affection.
"Listen, if you return to us and after we defeat William, I'll spend more time together with you as all these hours weren't really enough for me to get to know you as a person. Also I promise that if you come back, I'll be your close friend, even a father if you want. I'll even run away with you in a van if you need me that badly in your life but I need you to wake up right now. We need you to wake up right now. I love you Gregory".
Gregory's eyes widened in surprise.
"Freddy still wants me back? He still wants me back and loves me despite everything I've done. If at least one person erm…animatronic loves me…Will that be enough? Will it be ok for me to live?"
"Yes." whispers Evan's voice softly into his ears, "Go and live".
Barely, Gregory finds the strength to stand up and move towards the rectangular screen as he too has words he wishes to say to the Bear and doesn't want to leave him hanging.
—
In Freddy's arms, Gregory suddenly twitches and his head snaps up, eyes looking away from the bear's hand and directly into his eyes.
"F-Freddy?" Gregory stammers, still uneasy from fully reconnecting with his body.
"Gregory! You're back!" He cheerfully pulls the boy in for another tight hug, "How…how much did you hear?"
"All of it." Gregory leans in further, "Also, I love you too Freddy".
Genuine love felt still unfamiliar and alien to Gregory but he hopes he can get used to it. The boy then wonders briefly if anything past the Daycare had been just a very bad dream…that is until other sensations across his body finally begin to register to him. First, his face feels cold and wet. Secondly, he winces in pain as he sees his wrists are injured and have bandages on them.
"Wait…Bloody Hell? Why is my face wet? Why are these bandages on me?"
In a split second, Gregory remembers what the Fake and real William had done to him.
'Oh fuck'.
He experimentally moves his fingers and lets out a sigh of relief. There's no nerve damage...seemingly at least. Still, Gregory is miffed that he has to live with these springlock scars on him.
"Umm why is he speaking like that Mike?"
Grgeory turns his head, sees Charlie and Mike talking and immediately goes back to cuddling Freddy protectively, "Freddy, don't let those wankers kill me. Let me into your hatch and let's make a break for it!"
"Woah, we aren't going to hurt you!" Mike reassures the scared child.
"Really?" Gregory raises an eyebrow, "Cause the last time I recall, you tried to shank me and she tried to strangle me to death".
"Well after much discussion with my Father...we had a change of heart." Charlie explains, "Also why are you talking funny like William?"
"Right." Mike cuts in "I think before we give any apologies, we have to make sure we are apologising to the right person first.
"What do you mean? I'm Gregory!"
""Then why are you speaking British?"
"Oh Umm." Gregory clamps a hand over his mouth as he attempts to get his accent back to normal, "I think I'm still disoriented from almost being fused with William. I have all of his memories now and maybe more but…I still feel like myself".
He instantly gets suspicious glances at him again. Apparently, the transfer didn't leave his mind entirely intact…
'I've kind of changed but so far, I've no urge to murder the people in front of me which is good!' Gregory attempts to think positively, not wanting to know if he's changed in any other ways beyond this.
"Hey, is anyone free?" Mike shouts his question into the air.
"I am. I just finished disabling the cameras with the Attendant." Roxy shouts back.
"Yeah. Wait here with Gregory." Mike instructs the Wolf, "We need to talk in private…"
"Oh he's awake?" Chica chirps.
"Yeah. You can watch him too if you want. Just still try to keep a close eye on the bunny lady as well though".
—
Freddy and the ghosts move to a nearby desk with some blueprints duct taped to a board hanging behind it.
"Hey Mike, Doesn't that blueprint on the wall look like the Security Puppet?" She points to one of the blueprints with a slim figure.
"Huh…" Mike stares at where Charlie is pointing at, "It does but…let's get back to the topic at hand."
"Oh right." Charlie says, putting her hand down, "Do you think the transfer worked and it's actually Him?"
"Possibly but don't attack him just yet. How about we give him two tests?"
"What do you have in mind?"
Gregory sees Henry and Mike and Charlie whisper for a bit before then seeing Freddy grabbing a pen and a paper from the desk's surface. They then strode back to Gregory and passed him the items. Roxy backed away but she, Chica and the Attendant kept staring at the boy in anticipation.
"Write your name down." Mike instructs him.
Picking up the pen, Charlie notices he's using his left hand to write with.
"Mike! He's using the wrong hand!" She panics.
"Don't worry. He's ambidextrous like my father but it's not proof enough that he's been taken over." Mike dismisses her concerns, "Okay now use your left".
Nonetheless, Charlie retains her nervousness as he keeps writing and, when Gregory finishes, he shows them what it looks like.
"Hmmm… What do you think of Henry?"
"Try to write "fancier" for good measure." Henry requests.
"Sorry this is the best I can do. My wrists still hurt." Gregory whines.
"It's ok then. You've passed." Henry accepts his answer, "Your writing is identical to his but the way you write is a bit sloppy".
"Rude." Gregory huffs.
"Still doesn't prove anything. Also his injured wrists are an unfair disadvantage to the results." Mike groans, "I should have thought about that…Ok fine, one more test".
"What is it?" Gregory asks.
"I'm going to say something and you have to respond with honesty. Remember: I can tell when you're lying".
"Ok then." the child shrugs.
Mike takes a deep breath, "Gregory, I love women but I also love men. I like pussy but I also want to suck dick. I've always been a Bisexual but…I was scared to come out to William and kept this from him for years. You however, may be more open to accepting me. Tell me, do you still love me?"
Gregory recalls memories of William expressing rather homophobic sentiments at several people. However, Gregory himself didn't really see anything wrong with two people of the same sex loving each other and didn't understand why it was wrong…Other than the fact that the time period and culture William was born into told him it was wrong of course. However, the words they spoke were very untrue. To Gregory at least.
"I'm happy for you and I still love you for who you are." Gregory smiles at him, "And I mean it".
Mike triumphantly grins, "Thank you. Thank you so much. Ah man, if only my Dad could hear me now, he'd be sobbing in disappointment. Also you passed."
"Really?"
"Yeah. My Dad would lash out immediately but you didn't. Also your hands didn't twitch which is good and that means that Faker is still out there. Anyways, onto apologies:" Mike clasps his own hands in a prayer position, "I'm really sorry for the way I treated you. I was a jerk. I was a real jerk to you because you were a clone of my abusive Dad, and I'm so sorry it took me this long to realise that you weren't so bad after all".
"I want to apologise too." Charlie butts in, "When I saw you crying near the gates, when I saw you apologise for all the things William did … I realised that you're a victim … just like I am. That monster would never have felt sorry for anything or anyone and you really aren't like him."
"You'd be surprised if you had his memories. He was a real crybaby when he was younger." Gregory mentions, recalling the times William was abused by his Father to the point of tears, "Not like he'd let anyone know."
Gregory then wonders if that's why William sort of liked Evan more than Micheal.
"Anyway, thank you for saving me everyone." Gregory gratefully smiles, "If it weren't for all of you, I'd be experiencing a fate worse than death…"
From behind Freddy, the boy notices The Attendant watching over someone on the floor and stroking their hair soothingly and gazes over the bear's shoulder.
"Is…Is that Vanny or Vanessa over there?"
"Yeah, she's still unconscious".
"Why did you rescue her, Freddy?"
"I just…thought it was the right thing to do. Also, when she wakes up, we can interrogate her for information on where Digital William might have gone".
"Good idea Freddy but even if she did know, she won't tell. That's how loyal she is to him unfortunately".
"And how do you know that?"
"I have the memories of the real and fake one. I know what he did to her. It was terrible. She's been under his control for months…killing all those children for him." Gregory shudders, "They're in that Blob creature that Charlie saw. We have to free them but first, I'd like to try something"
Gregory sits up and strides towards the bunny lady, "Hey Sun Man. Can you pass me Vanessa's phone?"
"Not unless you say please." The Attendant crosses his arms and legs, "Also, I have a name you know".
"You do?"
"Yes. Everyone usually calls us the Daycare Attendant but some of the employees and children call me Sunny…which I have adopted as my name because I love it a lot".
"So what does that make your other half? Moony?" Gregory laughs at the idea of the moniker.
"He's just called Moon but close enough".
"Alright. I'll keep that in mind next time. Now, can you please give me Vanny – erm Vanessa's phone?"
"Sure."
The Attendant puts his hands in her right pocket and fishes out the phone, handing the item to Gregory. From William's memories, he remembers Vanessa's password and, opening the phone, he presses some buttons to disable the phone's connection to Wifi and Mobile Data.
"Erm, so why did you need this?" Mike hovers over to him.
"I learned something from William's memories. Vanny and Vanessa, they're two separate personalities and they can switch back and forth because of a ringtone that William installed in her phone. Here, I'll show you".
Gregory then activates the ringtone. At first, nothing happens but after a minute, the woman begins to stir. Everyone remains on guard as she awakens.
"Huh? Wha?" Vannny (or Vanessa?) yawns, "What's going on? Why do I feel so drowsy?"
She then looks downwards to see that she's not in her Security guard Uniform,"And why am I in my Cindy Sprinkles rabbit costume?!"
"Cindy Sprinkles?" Gregory inquires.
"Oh I'm supposed to be Cindy Sprinkles for an upcoming anime convention. She's a character from one of my favourite cartoons and I'm a cosp–" Vanessa immediately realises the person she's speaking to, "Hey! You! Gregory! Huh? Why are…all the Glamrocks with you? Am I being held hostage?!"
"Calm down." Roxanne reassures her, "You're safe with us. We saved you".
"If so, why am I tied up?!"
"It's a long story." the Wolf lady surmises, "Do you know who you are? What do you recall? "
"Of course I do. I'm Vanessa! Each of us was supposed to be looking for this boy in front of me but oddly enough, the last thing I recall was stopping by a door in the basement and that's…when everything went dark. Wait, How does this tie into anything?"
"Ok I'll give you the quick summary:" Gregory takes a deep breath, "You were brainwashed by a digital copy of William Afton, one the Original Founders of the company you work for. He made you kill and hurt a lot of children and afterwards, you worked with him to create me: Another copy of him but time, made from Fazgoo".
"The Founders? Fazgoo?" Vanessa spoke dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"
"Do you know Fazbear's Founders? William and Henry?" Gregory tries to jog her memory, "I'm a clone of the first guy, William."
"Oh I think I saw a portrait of William earlier. He's the cute one right? ~" A dreamy smile forms on Vanessa's lips.
Gregory is horrified, "Uhhh yeah. He's…cute but he's also a nut job. In more ways than one".
"But wait…How can you be a Fazgoo clone of him? Human clones were unsuccessful. Also, who would make clones of this William guy? Why would they? What the Hell is going on?"
She felt the same confusion that Gregory had been feeling when he was reconnected with his body but her's stemmed more from the confusion of not truly comprehending what had been going on for the past several hours.
"Yeah. It's complicated, I agree but all I can tell you is that William brainwashed you. He's the one behind your blackouts and he's been making you kill innocent children without your knowledge".
Vanessa is stunned and silent.
"Do you…need more time to process this?"
"Yeah...I honestly can't believe what I'm hearing and this is all getting a bit much to take in…" Vanessa confesses.
"We all have proof the kid here is telling the truth. As bizarre as it is." Chica defends Gregory.
"Yeah….Maybe you can all talk to Vanessa." Gregory postulates, "I need to sort Monty and Charlie out in the repair room. They're in bad shape".
"Who's Charlie? Is he another kid with you? Also…Monty got damaged? Was it your doing?!" Vanessa shouts accusingly at the boy.
"Actually it was me." Roxy confesses, "I didn't want to hurt him but he left me no choice".
"All of you. Explain everything to me. Now. Leave out no details." Vanessa orders.
"Alright but first, do you have your Staff card?"
"Yeah, Why?"
Roxy notices the exhaustion written across Gregory's face. He was drained after the interrupted transfer though and it's clear he's pretty weak. In this state, there was no way he could do the repairs by himself this time around.
"Please, if you can, lend it to Gregory? If he uses that, he can use the machine's Auto repair function to fix Monty and Charlie".
"What?! Geee, that advice would have been helpful to know earlier Roxy." Gregory complained.
"You didn't ask so I didn't say anything." The Wolf Lady shrugs.
"And why should I lend my card to a boy I barely know?"
"Because I've been the one fixing your animatronics all of tonight".
Both Gregory and Vanessa glare at each other.
"Oh yeah, who is this Charlie?" Vanessa asks once more, "You didn't answer my first question…"
"They're an old animatronic." Gregory answers.
"Hello." The Puppet speaks, suddenly appearing in front of Vanessa. She reels back in surprise in her restraints.
"No way, I recognise that animatronic. That's the Security Puppet from the original outlet. How did you find them? Weren't they dismantled or locked away due to severe malfunctions?"
"It's a long story." Gregory brushes her questions away, "Roxy and everyone else will be happy to tell it to you. As for me, I need to oversee the repairs so please, give me the card so that I can repair the two animatronics".
Vanessa sighs, "Fine. It's in my back pocket. Just give it back when you're done with it".
Gregory goes up to her cautiously and takes the card from her back pocket in her black pants before striding away.
"Well…that boy is certainly mature for his age." Vanessa comments.
"Tell me about it." Roxy replies.
—
Taking Vanessa's card, Gregory inserts it into one of the many slots in the computer that looks the most fitting.
"Welcome Vanessa Ashton." Handunit incorrectly identifies them, "what can I do for you today?"
Gregory sees a new button on the screen which reads "Auto Repair" and sets the machine to do its magic on Monty while the animatronics talk to Vanessa who is just…very bewildered.
The door closes and Gregory only observes the repair from outside this time. As he does so, he hears Freddy come up to him and, turning to look behind, he also sees The Puppet piggybacks on his shoulders like a child would.
"Hey Gregory." Mike materialised from Freddy, greeting him nervously without a hint of sarcasm attached to his name this time.
"Hey." Gregory says back, refusing to look Mike in the eyes, "What is it?"
"We…wanted to talk to you personally again before we head off to defeat William. I'll go first".
"None of us will interfere while the other speaks." Henry assures them, "So please speak freely".
Mike stepped forward, "I felt my apology earlier wasn't enough so I'd like to just really clear the air with you. Give a more in-depth apology".
Hearing that, Gregory gives him his full attention this time.
"Listen Gregory, I hate my father. I hated him so much. He ruined my life. Took everything away from me: A loving childhood, my sister...he even drove away the only two people who cared for me. I wanted nothing more than to kill him because of that and…I pushed that same hatred onto you too because you were weak and I felt like if I couldn't hurt him, I could at least hurt you to make him suffer. I don't know if you will ever forgive me for trying to kill you but I understand if you don't want –"
Gregory gives him a hug…or at least tries to by proxy, hugging Freddy's torso in order to hug him, "It's ok Mike. I forgive you".
"Woah, you don't have to say it if you don't mean it. I understand if you don't forgive me." He looks at Gregory's shaking hands, "Don't lie".
"Okay…I don't forgive you." Gregory confesses, "but what I do want is for you to have some kind of closure. I'd like you to have the love and affection that your own father never gave you and if I can do that for you, being what I am, I'll just give this to you so that you can move on to the afterlife once all this is over".
Despite not being fully forgiven, Mike is touched by Gregory's selflessness to give him what he always wanted: The acceptance and love of his father, "Thank you Gregory".
Mike hugs him back in return, kneeling down and pulling him close. Gregory didn't want to say it but after that failed transfer, he felt a deeper connection to Mike. Mike felt more like his son rather than a stranger currently. It was weird…having the feelings William never had for his own children.
However, now looking closer at Micheal's eyes, he sees a faint purple tint to them that he hadn't seen before when he first met him and then, he remembers what he learned from William's memories and the glowing purple eyes of the possessed animatronics.
"Mike, I think you have some of William's corruption within you". Gregory tells him.
"Corruption?"
"When William possessed the animatronics, it increased their aggression and had other weird effects on them. I think that you caught it somehow when you possessed Monty at the arcade and that's why you've been so aggressive tonight".
"Hmm…If it was the cause of it…I didn't feel it which is concerning." Mike scratches his head, "Do you know if there is a way to get rid of it?"
"Not yet but maybe once we kill William, it will fade".
"Repair complete." HandUnit announces and the doors of the repair chamber automatically open. Monty is all fixed up but has yet to be activated.
"Sorry, be right back." Gregory pulls away and goes to Monty. He turns on his safe mode and activates him. Monty's eyes reopen with a sharp 'click'.
–
Meanwhile, not far from the chamber, Vanessa sees Gregory talking nonsense to Freddy.
"Who's he talking to?" Vanessa asks the animatronics, "Who's Mike?"
"A ghost."
"Ghosts! Where?!" Vanessa's eyes dart about in fear.
"They're pretty protective of the boy." Roxy answers, "I dunno much about them but I heard Mike prevented Monty from grabbing the boy in the arcade. If he hadn't done that, he would have killed Freddy and brought him to William hours ago".
"And what do they look like? The ghosts?"
"One is the son of William and the other is Henry Emily. The other Founder."
"Oh Jesus Christ." Vanessa facepalms in exasperation and puzzlement, "I've been dealing with so much bullshit tonight and I'm tired out as it is. I just want the night to be over…"
–
"Ugh these lights are so bright." Monty moans before a Bear-like shadow steps into his view, "Huh Freddy? Where am I?"
"You're in the repair room. You're free and William isn't in control of you anymore." Freddy puts a hand on Monty's shoulder, "What do you recall last?"
"Attacking you and Roxy." Monty admits with some guilt and then thinks back to the jealous boasting he did as well, "Hey Freddy, no hard feelings about what I said earlier right? I was under his control and…not myself".
"No worries Monty. I understand".
"I was jealous of you but I would never really kill you, I swear." The Gator promises.
"It's alright. We can talk about your jealousy issues later. Right now, we have to step out of the repair room. It's Charlie's turn".
"Charlie?"
Freddy shows him the damaged Puppet. "This animatronic was severely damaged trying to save the boy".
"Never seen this one before." Monty is perplexed.
"It's a long story. Go catch up with Chica and Vanessa outside the room. I need to talk to the boy about something personal".
"Alright. See you later Freddy".
All of them exit the chamber as Gregory straps The Puppet in and also exits the room, once again placing the system under the Auto Repair command.
"Freddy," Mike whispers, "If you have anything more to say, do it now. Henry and I will be in the hibernation space and won't bother you".
The ghosts vanish. Freddy takes a nervous step forward closer to the boy, "Gregory, do you remember what I said earlier?"
"That you would run away with me in a van?"
"Yes. I wasn't saying it out of desperation you know, I fully understand what it would mean for me to leave the Pizzaplex with a boy I barely know but…I really do feel guilty about what happened tonight. I'm aware that I wasn't a very good guardian and that I should have protected you more, stood up to Micheal and Charlie but, as sentient as I am, there are limits to my free will, experience and programming so I couldn't always step in to defend you emotionally or offer the correct advice. I was never sure of what to say and Henry knew more than I did so I let him handle things and –"
"Hey hey, you did your best." Gregory calms him down, "That's all you could do".
"I know…I just wish I could have been better." Freddy sighs, "To protect you not just physically but also emotionally. Do you hate me?"
"Hate you? Of course I don't but I guess I am a bit bummed that I'm not really that special".
"You are." Freddy pats his head, "Every child is special to me. Especially you".
"But the more special everyone is, doesn't that mean no one is truly special to you?" Gregory reasons.
"I never thought of it that way but I don't think that at all."
"Pfft, you're naive but that's why I like you."
"You do?"
"Yeah. I do like you Freddy." Gregory repeats for emphasis, "Sure, you don't always offer the right advice but you have protected me when you could. Also, I feel like it was my fault as well for not having more faith in you which is why I always tried to do things on my own throughout the night. William was like that…never trusting and opening up to people and those are partially my mistakes too".
Gregory gazes at his reflection on the screen of the computer monitor. Was he even Gregory anymore with all of William's memories? Could he still be his own person in spite of everything?
"Your anxiety levels are increasing." Freddy pats his head, "You okay?"
"Freddy. I'm scared. I have all of William's memories now but I don't want to be like him at all. It's been difficult…trying not to be a terrible person like William, to resist my darker urges and I'm worried that tonight, my actions have reflected badly on me. I'm scared that I could already be a monster like him".
Freddy embraces him tightly, "There there. Frankly, I believe you're almost nothing like the person you were cloned from. You're not a monster nor William's Vessel. And you don't have to be any of these things anymore…with some therapy of course".
"But what am I? if I'm not William?"
Freddy replies "You are a child. You are Gregory. But you are also my Superstar".
"Superstar huh? I like it…Even if you do call everyone else that." Gregory goes up to Freddy and initiates a hug for once, "You know, If Mike and Henry weren't around, I think I would have trusted you more. I think we could have been closer friends."
"We still can be." Freddy lets go of Gregory and puts out a pinky finger, "Gregory, Let's make a promise: When we both get out alive, you can live in the Pizzaplex with us and visit me and the others in the Pizzaplex anytime you want".
"I would like that Freddy. Thank you".
"Repair complete." HandUnit announces and the doors of the repair chamber automatically open and Charlie in her Puppet body leaps out of the entrance towards the three of them.
"Aww, that was a cute conversation all of you were having." Charlie remarks sweetly.
"So you weren't asleep or in your hibernation space while we talked?"
"Not really".
"That's a bit creepy spying on us like that but thanks for not interrupting the moment." Gregory smiles at her.
"You're welcome."
"Listen, Charlie, with all the apologising everyone is doing…I'd like to apologise as well on behalf of my previous life." Gregory heads towards the Puppet fearlessly, "Because of him, you didn't get to live a long, happy life and –"
"You don't have to apologise to me." she says, placing a tendril to his lips, "You aren't him. I know that now too. I should be the one saying sorry for trying to kill you but I already have. I hope you accept it".
"Yeah…Okay. Now that you're done." Gregory looked towards Henry and felt the need to say something to him as well considering he had been the most caring and wisest apparition he'd been around tonight.
"Henry?"
"Yes. Gregory?"
"You've been a good friend and ally to me tonight. I'm so sorry that William never appreciated your friendship but I do and…I'm going to miss you once you move on".
"Awww I can still visit you Gregory." He kneels down to his level and rubs him on the shoulder, "And hopefully, I'll also get to introduce you to my new wife".
"Wait, you have another wife? I have another mom?!" Charlie squeed delightedly, "What was she like?"
"Yeah…" Mike raises an eyebrow, "You didn't tell me you remarried before we died Henry!"
"Is she pretty and kind?" Charlie's curiosity is piqued. The poor girl had never seen her first mother as she passed away the day she was born, upon abruptly learning she had a new mom, she currently wanted to know more about this woman who had caught his fancy.
Henry's expression is awkward as he stands up, as if he realised immediately that mentioning her was a bad idea, "It's a secret but, once this is all over, I'll surprise all of you when we meet her".
Both Mike and Charlie moans at Henry's lack of an answer. Gregory then looks at the animatronics who are chatting with Vanessa, "Let's check who should go next."
—
Chica and the Attendant are the last animatronics to be repaired. Meanwhile, Freddy, Roxy, Gregory and Henry continue conversing while they wait for them beyond the chamber.
"So ummm… Vanessa, do you understand what's going on now?"
"I don't want to believe it but well, I suppose I have to. There's no way a boy like you could program such a complicated story into these machines…"
"That's good." Gregory grins at her, "So will you be willing to help us get rid of William?"
"Sure kid. I don't have a choice now that I'm in this do I?" Vanessa shrugs.
"So did you see or learn anything while you were unconscious?" Mike asks.
"I did. I felt him. The real William".
"No way. He's back?!" Mike shook his fist angrily.
"How?" Henry questions anxiously.
"Is he talking to the ghosts again?" Vanessa whispers.
"Yep." Roxy whispered back.
"Chill." Gregory continues, "The real William's in Hell but he can astral project himself into the world of the living. However, he has his limits so he can't come here all the time".
Gregroy chose to remain silent about his hypnosis powers among other things as he didn't want them to worry more.
"And you know this because you have his full set of memories?"
"Yeah…It sucks but I'm still me….I'm still me." Gregory repeats his words and hugs himself for reassurance and soon, feels Freddy's hand stroking him on the back again.
"Whew, that's a relief. So we are still down to that Faker to deal with?"
"Yeah." Gregory clarifies, "Your father isn't a threat now which is good."
After that, he explained what other memories he had recalled while unconscious and, once everyone was repaired, they all gathered together to figure out their next plan.
"So, how do we kill this William guy?" Monty questions, "If he's still in the Pizzaplex that is…"
"Well, The Fake is probably on the Fazbear Network. If we shut it down, he'll stop moving about and jump into one robot, likely into that Blob Monster that he controls." Gregory theorises.
"What makes you think he'll do that? What if he possesses a smaller bot to get away? What makes you think he's even still at the Pizzaplex?" Vanessa questions.
"He won't escape. Not without me. I'm certain of it." Gregory adamantly affirmed, "Vanessa, do you think you can take me to the main system? We need to shut the network down".
Vanessa rubbed the nape of her neck, "I'm reluctant but…Sure."
"Then, what happens after that?" Roxy eggs the boy on.
"With William trapped in the Blob Monster, he'll definitely come for me and so, we have to be prepared to kill him".
"And how do we do that?" Vanessa asks.
"Remnant is weak to fire." Gregory smirks.
"Oh?" Mike smirks back, "You thinking what I'm thinking?
"Arson?" Gregory answers instantaneously to both Mike and Vanessa.
"Arson it is." Mike nods, "Now which one of you here knows where we can find cans of gasoline or oil?"
"Actually, all of us have built-in lighters in our fingertips." Roxy informs him, "It's mainly for lighting birthdays candles but –"
"Excellent." Gregory claps, "Everyone will use those and cans of gasoline to burn this place".
"Dad, I'm scared." Charlie agitatedly turns her head to face Henry.
"Hell no." Vanessa disagrees, "I only agreed to help you get rid of William, not make everyone who works here lose their jobs! Especially mine!"
"I do not approve of this as well." Freddy chides them, "You two are too eager and this Pizzaplex is our home".
"I'm aware of that but it's either him or us. If William gets out, he'll murder not just thousands of children but also adults to attain immortality and he'll never stop. I've seen his desires for myself andit's why I believe that right now, ending the hundreds of careers in this Pizzaplex is worth it to put an end to William once and for all. As quoted from Spock in Star Trek II, 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few' and jobs can be found again after all". Gregory gives an apologetic stare towards Vanessa before giving the same look to the animatronic bear, "Also Freddy, we can still be friends but I don't think I can live at the Pizzaplex with you guys anymore…Sorry".
"ALSO we tried fire before Micheal," Henry reminds him, "that didn't fully kill William AND he made a copy of himself".
"Well…you know what they say: Third time a charm." Mike winks playfully.
There is a short silence before Henry groans in defeat, "Fine. Let's burn this place and lure that bastard out. Hopefully the fire will weaken and kill him this time".
Vanessa however hasn't agreed yet. Gregory had to formulate quickly to get her onboard with this decision and, equipped with full knowledge of William's manipulation tactics, he knows exactly how.
"Vanessa, do you really like working here as a Night Guard?" Gregory questions her, "Judging from what I've seen about you tonight, you're constantly grumpy and tired, the hours are long and exhausting and I'm sure you don't get paid as much as other employees right?"
"Of course I don't like it but it's my only way of earning income." Vannesa replies honestly with a disdainful tone, "The pay is higher than my last position but not by much".
"Hmmm…you know what, you deserve better than this." He grabs her hand with both of his, getting her attention so as to make eye contact with her, "Listen, I have an idea: If you let us burn down the Pizzaplex, all evidence of what happened tonight will literally go up in flames and you can lie that you saved me from a sudden fire that started in the building. After that, the higher ups could reward you for saving an innocent child and then, if they let you decide what your reward will be, you can request for a better job or a higher salary at a different Fazbear outlet as compensation for your bravery and effort. What do you think?"
Micheal knew what Gregory was doing but didn't stop it. Henry didn't as well as they needed all the help they could get to destroy William permanently. However, Henry added a mental note to lecture him on this later.
Vanessa takes a minute to think this through but in the end, she smiles and nods, "I really don't like lying and ruining the careers of several friends I have here but, since there's a chance for me to get myself to a better job position with this clever idea of yours, I'll go along with it".
"Wait, if we are going to do this then we have to evacuate the others." The Attendant recommends, alarmed, "I don't like the idea of leaving the other security bots alone and DJ Music Man to burn alive in here".
"You're right." Vanessa says, " How about when I disable the server, I'll let you know as soon as possible so that you can alert the bots and start the fire".
"We can't speak through the network though. We're all on safe mode and cut off from it".
"Use this." Vanessa passes Sunny her walkie talkie which received transmissions. "We'll be in touch."
It was an old fashioned one but it was better than nothing.
–
All the animatronics went back from the way they came in…only to find that the partially dismantled body of Bonnie wasn't there anymore.
"Where's Bonnie?!" Freddy anxiously exclaimed, "Could William have taken him away?"
"Likely." Gregory sighs in frustration, "This isn't good but we can find him later."
"Good thing I took his chip then." Freddy comments.
Everyone steps onto the stage, Gregory is ready to press the button that will bring everyone upwards.
"So once we get upstairs, light this place ablaze."
The animatronics nod. Gregory then turns towards the blonde security guard, "As for you Vanessa, lead me and Freddy to the top floor".
She shakes her head, "I can't believe I'm following orders from a child but…sure".
–
DING!
Vanessa, Gregory, Roxy and Freddy take an elevator after getting back to the main stage area which drops them off at the topmost floor of the Pizzaplex and, very conveniently, also in front of the room that contains the Fazbear Network and its servers.
Roxy heads to the left to start burning one of the walls down while Vanessa swipes her card to enter the room and, once the door opens, the woman, bear and the clone head in.
The server room is rectangular and no lights were turned on above. Only the glow of several screens and futuristic cuboids with horizontal red neon lines lit the cold room. Contained within said cuboids were existing data files and batteries that powered the main server. Vanessa automatically goes to the screen in the middle that faces, typing away the commands to start the Fazbear Network shutdown sequence and disable the lockdown.
As she does that, Gregory sees a window that oversees the Main Stage area of the Pizzaplex. He gazes below at the majority of the Pizzaplex where a few fires have already started.
"I'm a bit sad." Gregory blurts out.
"Why?"
"The Pizzaplex is gonna go up in flames. I would have liked to come here more and have fun".
"Don't worry kid, they'll build a bigger and better one after this place is burned. Fazbear's has money. Count on it." The disgruntled woman assures him.
Finalising the last command, the screen in front of Vanessa notifies her that the lockdown is lifting while the network gradually closes simultaneously. Vanessa speaks into her walkie talkie, "Okay. The server is slowly shutting down. Set fire to –"
Vanessa's voice trails off all of a sudden. There's soft music that plays from the computer speakers.
"Vanessa?" Gregory calls her name.
Vanessa's expression is vacant, as though she's gone off into her own little world inside her head.
"Vanessa?!"
Listening closer, Gregory realises the music is the same one as her ringtone and furthermore, when he looks at the screen, he sees that she's looking at animated purple stars and lines moving in a rapid motion. They were the exact same as the ones in the theatre.
"Oh no! Oh no!" Gregory looks at the multiple buttons, "Freddy! How do I shut this off!"
"Shame on you, Little Will." The Fake William mocks him from the speakers near the screen, "They're just pretty patterns, what's the harm in looking at them for a few minutes".
"I did the same and that almost killed me".
"You're a tough nut to crack, Will." William evilly chuckled,"But not Vanessa … isn't that right, my dear?"
Vanessa's eyes gain an amethyst tint, "Y-Y-Yes…"
"Fight it Vanessa. Don't let him take control again!" Freddy urgently shouts.
Vanessa clutches her head, trying to maintain control of herself. It's seemingly too difficult and so, Gregory opts to do the next best thing: Destroying the network altogether.
"Freddy. Break the screen. Thrash the entire computer!"
Freddy doesn't question Grgeory and damages the screen, ripping the monitor in a violent way that he's not used to, cutting off William and hopefully his access to the network.
Vanessa shakes her head and blinks, the purple tint gone from her eyes. "What … what happened?"
"William almost had you under his control again but don't worry, we saved you." Gregory smiles at her comfortingly.
However, Vanessa felt far from comforted upon seeing the broken screen and gasps in shock, "Freddy! What on earth did you do?!"
"Sorry. I didn't know what else to do." Freddy apologised, "He was going to make you hurt us again".
"It's fine Freddy." Gregory dismissed his apology, "We're burning this place down anyway. The equipment doesn't matter and also, I think the network is down now which is good. Damn, we should have done this before".
Vanessa is a bit concerned by the child's indifference towards property damage but before she can reprimand the troublemaker, she sniffs the air, sensing something dangerous.
"I can smell smoke. Lots of it!" Vanessa charges to the door and places her hand on the doorknob, "We have to go. Now".
"Are you serious?" Gregory questions, "It can't have spread that fast can —"
As soon as Vanny opens the room, they feel the heat hit them. The fire had indeed spread faster than expected as the wallpapers were the first to catch fire. Roxy was nowhere to be seen, likely having already left before them.
"Geez. How is this place lighting up so fast?"
"It might be the wallpaper material. The management has been getting complaints about the flammability of it and most of their products." Freddy tells him.
"Are you serious?! Who's idea was it to have the wallpapers and merchandise highly flammable?!"
"The budget was spent mostly on the Animatronics and Pizzaplex's other attractions. The merch was made with cheap material." Vanessa states simply.
"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me!" Grgeory says, well aware of Freddy Fazbear's lax policies, "It's like they were asking this place to be burned down".
"This brings back memories, Eh Henry?" Mike reminisces with the older man.
"If you mean dying in a fire, that wasn't exactly a pleasant memory for me…"
Suddenly they feel the ground beneath them quake. A monstrous growl emerges along with sudden cracks that manifest within the corridor they are presently in.
"That isn't good. Let's get out of here!" Freddy voices everyone's thoughts aloud with his words. Gregory swiftly jumps back into the safety of the Bear's chest cavity.
"I know a shortcut to the entrance from here." Vanessa says, "Come on, let's meet up with the others and finish this William guy. You and Him have caused enough trouble for me tonight to be honest".
Vanessa sprinted, making an escape from the flames with Freddy and Gregory trailing not far behind her.
Chapter 36 End
Chapter 37 Title Preview: Afton's Amalgamation
Summary: The True Final Boss begins. Afton has taken control of the Blob, having fused several other Pizzaplex machines to him and is using it as his last ditch attempt to capture and fuse with , all the Glamrocks and Charlie attempt to protect the child and destroy William once and for all, ensuring that only Gregory will remain.