Long chapter number 2, overall chapter number 3. How's everyone liking this so far? Long nights and terrible frights. Well, sit back and quiver in fear because now things are about to go down.
The day felt like a long one. Bumblebee hardly got any recharge from staying up and contemplating the existence of ghosts, murder, familicide, and even the fact that there were two dangerous beings somewhere. This wasn't the first time he dealt with a similar set up, minus the familicide part, but it was overwhelming to take in all at once. He had one person he needed to visit before he could even think about the next phase of his plan.
"Bendy, we need to talk."
The ink demon spun around from his overview of the studio funds and gleefully held out his arms with the widest smile the world had ever seen, scary fangs aside. "Aaaayyy! My favorite Cybertronian in the whole goddamn universe! Bee's in the hooouuussseee!"
Bumblebee rolled his optics but secretly began to smile as Bendy hugged him. "Hi Bendy, nice to see you too."
Then Bendy held him an arm's length apart but still held his shoulders while raising his eyebrows. "You didn't come here for formalities, did you? What's wrong? Someone causing you trouble? I can kill them in five seconds."
"NO, no! I mean there is something wrong but nobody needs to die...well...no, never mind, nobody needs to die. I need to ask about Freddy Fazbear Fairgrounds and how you know about all of that. Marionette told me about what happened, what she did, who Springtrap is, and she mentioned Circus Baby. Why didn't you tell me about it when you heard I was going over there?"
"Straight to the point, huh?" Bendy grimaced, "Mmm, I may have met Marionette right before I met you. That month we had the Allspark and before you found its energy signature, we of course did our thing, repaired the studio and all that fun stuff. But the problem with being partially connected to the spiritual side of the coin is you can sense other spirits and abnormal spikes in auras. You'll find a lot of paranormal with those abilities the same as everyone, almost everyone, has the capability to walk."
As Bendy strolled down an isle of toys, Bumblebee followed and acknowledged the searchers who were hard at work. Shawn Flynn, the largest searcher by far, was hunched over his desk and waved as they passed.
"I found Marionette and the Fazbear residency by accident and let me tell you, they were irate. Those children were tortured souls, even I was surprised how bad off they were. It was worse than how it was here and you dealt with the evil from here, wasn't great right? Anyway, the one called Gabriel took charge and fought with me after I combed Marionette for their story. I got most of it aside from a few tidbits she was shy of telling. Most enemies I could dispatch, but these kids...they could fight. They were filled with rage; it even broke my heart and I ain't got one."
Bumblebee laughed, "Sounds about right."
"Marionette kicked me from the grounds. I didn't really fight her. It was obvious she was just protecting them the same as what I was doing with my unfortunate ink monsters. Of course, now those kids hate us and most of my kin hate them. We ever meet, there's going to be a war between us and I would feel sorry for any poor fool to get caught up in that," Bendy snarled.
"Great," the mech sighed.
"Then something odd happened. I came back just to see if I could reason with her, maybe make an ally to help hunt down Joey and Henry, and they were all fearful and in pain."
"I only saw James cowering, none of the others did. I heard they fear Circus Baby. Did she come by?"
Bendy turned pale which shouldn't have been possible given he was black and white but somehow his white areas seemed duller. "No, Springtrap came. Whenever he's too close, they grow aggravated. The pain they feel increases and they will hurt you even if they know you. It's like primal instincts take over and their urge to kill to stop the pain becomes critical. If he's in those fairgrounds, they won't be reasonable. The only thing that stops them from killing you is Marionette. She's the only light in his presence. They stay close to her when he's there, the pain and their lust for blood lessens. Stray too far away from her, they'll kill you without a doubt in their minds."
That caught Bumblebee's attention. "Wait, wait, you're saying when Springtrap's in the fairgrounds or close enough to it, they become murderous and lose their sense of thinking. What were they like when you first met them before Springtrap came?"
The ink demon paused and thought about it before speaking again. "They...were really nice, very playful and talked to each other a lot. One big happy family and Marionette would read to them like a mother would. They acted like real kids, not cynical adults and the sarcastic little shits they started becoming I noticed between visits. Had I known Springtrap brings out the worst in them, I would have stayed away. Maybe that's why they don't like me or my ink monsters. I came at a very bad time and angered them more than they already were pressing matters I shouldn't have. Then again if I wanted asshole animatronics, I would have just gone to Lacie. Why, does that mean something to you?"
Bumblebee tapped the edge of his chin and then had an epiphany, running straight to one of the desks and grabbing a jar of ink. He locked down a piece of paper and began sketching out the fairgrounds. Bendy came up behind him.
"Bendy, you are a phenomenal genius-I am so glad I met you!"
Stunned, Bendy didn't really have much of an answer to that except, "Thank...you? Wanna let me in on this, uh, this thought process? I'm not reading you."
Bee made a rough layout of the fairgrounds and began circling the pizzeria before tagging a few other locations. By this time, a small audience of searchers and toons had gathered.
"Springtrap brings out the worst in them, right? Yesterday, Marionette said they thought I was Springtrap because of my coloring and sure enough, all of them tried attacking me with intent to kill despite I made my position clear. The reason they couldn't wrap their heads around it was because they were being arrogant, aggressive. When Marionette was close by, they became more reasonable and talked to me and even had a few moments of child-like personality. But it was turning off and on like a light switch the rest of the night. Even when Marionette talked to me before the clock struck six, they didn't speak because they wanted to kill me so badly but she was there.
"Then I remembered watching them for three hours, watching what they did in their downtime. You mentioned they talked to one another like family. No one did that last night, only Marionette did and they interacted with her like a kid would their caretaker. When she left, they returned to their aggressive ways. Ennard wanted to throttle me the most but to be fair, I did level a ride on his head and broke his face."
Bendy burst out laughing, "You did what!? Sorry, continue."
Bumblebee gave his own smile, "That's why the pizzeria is so heavily guarded. That's why those children aren't responding like a normal child would and they are having mood swings throughout the night! It isn't because of the years they have spent there as they claim. I asked Marionette where Springtrap was and she wouldn't answer. Now I know why."
He lifted up the paper so Bendy could see and used the pen to point at the circled pizzeria, tapping it a few times. "Springtrap is still in the fairgrounds, and he's in the pizzeria! It explains everything!"
"Holy shit!" The toon exclaimed. "I didn't think about that!"
"Yes, and the reason he's there is because history repeats itself. Marionette must have trapped him when he returned again to take on those children for his humiliation and being a mama bear, she won't let that happen. On top of that, imprisoning him there means she has time to find a way to kill him so they can be free. The downside of this is he is in close proximity to them so they are going stir crazy because of it," Bee said.
Bendy gave a small hiss of concern. "How exactly are you going to get into the pizzeria if it's guarded, especially by feral children in Cybertronian bodies?"
Bumblebee shrugged, "Not the first time the odds have been stacked against me, not going to be the last if my onslaught of adventures is anything to prove. So now that we got that down, I want to know about this Max guy you mentioned."
"Now that...is a story."
Marionette stared solemnly as the dusk light began to disappear over the tree line. She felt darkness lingering in the air like smoke and it sickened her. Human sized, she wandered the hall of the pizzeria past the crumbling old drawings the children had made of the animatronics, the toys, and even some of her in her present she loathed.
Next to the security box where guards often lived their last moments in utter fear of the entities stalking the halls for blood, she activated a secret door at the end of the corridor and the wall separated to reveal steps. There were two ways into this secret room and the other was where her ship crashed. The underground was built by Afton to hide his illegal deeds until she took it over. Down the stairs she went until the entrance closed leaving her briefly in pitch black, then the entire underground activated its power and the rooms it contained lit up in a blue hue.
One room on the right had nothing but spare parts and a few dead bots to perhaps use in the future she had stolen off battlefields fought between Cybertronian kind to keep the children in optimal condition. Another room to her left was nothing but storage and she honestly didn't remember half of what was in there, probably store merchandise unused and carnival equipment. The room she was currently walking through had various monitors to watch the park if need be but the children knew about it and that she was the one behind it, not a guard. It was once William Afton's.
And speaking of the devil himself, Marionette went to the farthest back room lined with chains and blood years old that could be dated as far back as the 1979, not anybody she was responsible for. No, it had been the work of one man...rephrase, one monster, and this monster sat on his knees before her.
Servos barely had the ability to reach the ground and his armor hadn't seen sunlight for over ten months. Dried, sludgy blood was caked at the seams of the metal armor and even stained the damaged protoform. Parts of the jaw were broken making it lean to the left while holes and a missing horn on its helm revealed a dirty processor. It was disgusting yet the monster had the gall to laugh as the chains were strained in holding him back.
"I take it you want to try again? You think killing me to redeem yourself after all the pain you dealt them will make you a hero? HahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAAAaaaa...it would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic."
Marionette narrowed her mask-like faceplate's eye holes and she would have frowned if she was capable. "You deserve to rot here for what you've done. It is unfavorable how you must be granted the mercy of death to fix this but I'm sure what humans believe as Hell will work just fine for you."
"I thought aliens were supposed to be smart? Do I look like I go to church and praise an invisible con, bitch? Save the sermon for someone who gives a damn. If Hell is real, I'm the goddamn king! Heh heh, it was worth it dragging those brats down with me and watching you play mommy all day. Is it because you can't have children of your own? Can you even have kids? Do Maritatron females have wombs and pu-"
A hard slap echoed in the hallowed room as Marionette was now her normal size and her bluish white optics were prominent with anger. Springtrap's helm was forced to the right but slowly, he brought himself to face her again, his crystal white optics wide with interest and the permanent grin with razor sharp teeth on his faceplates gleaming with amusement.
He chuckled, "Did I touch on a soft spot? Oops, I'm sssooo sorry! I'll be nicer, just don't hit me, Mommy!"
"You're a sick bastard," she hissed.
"Everyone says it, must be true. Of course, my parents were married," Springtrap sighed tauntingly. "Look my dear, we can do this all day. The fact that you can't kill me...yet...makes your threats pretty useless. My pain isn't as prominent when I first died so you think I can't wait another several years until some idiot releases me? I mean I'm not into BDSM or whatever those new generation morons call it now and days but I'm not hating your dedication of punishment either."
"Shut up! Why does a horrible monster like you have the capability to have children while others who actually deserve to have them can't and you kill them without a second thought? Why do you prey on the innocent when you gain nothing? What higher being made you so terrible?"
Springtrap did his best to shrug in the chains. "God's a sociopath? Not my fault Natalie and I fooled around like any other human does and we spawned three obnoxious weasels. The sex was great, the prizes were not to my liking but they were disposable so hey problem solved, they're dead! I don't know what you want me to say to that except it was fun. Sure, there were a few injuries but if you don't scuff yourself up doing what you love, is it worth it?"
Marionette was almost stunned how shameless this murderer was. "You're a disgrace. And I pity you."
His dark vocalizer perked up with a horrendous laugh before his bottom jaw lowered flat against his neck and his upper helm split in two. His rotten human skull coiled among inner cabling jumped out with a monstrous screech as if to try and scare her. His cackling grew louder with a metallic hiss as a mockery of her sorrow.
She couldn't have walked away fast enough, tears threatening to pour down her mask. It was astonishing how cruel a person could be and look the other way with little to no regrets for their actions while innocent people suffer because of them. She didn't look back even when he called out to her still laughing away.
"You pity me!? I pity you, doll face! I pity the fact that you're too stupid to realize when you've lost! I'm still here and I always will be! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Bumblebee scavenged through his quarters looking for anything useful for his third night. He found a few extra guns designed for him that he never used much outside of dire situations. This was one of them. Freddy and company could be repaired after he had a talk with Springtrap and Marionette, but he was getting into that pizzeria one way or another.
He handed the data pad to Ratchet. "I need all photos of Afton's victims and any information on them you have."
The chief medical officer eyed him, then spoke, "Okay? What do you plan on doing with them?"
"I'm going to jog a few memories and stir up some shit. I'll be fun."
Before Ratchet could argue, Bee walked away. Once everything was prepared, Bumblebee hit the controls for a ground bridge, the portal's shimmering green and blue light driving away the shadows of dusk.
"Bumblebee? What the hell are you doing?" Arcee asked.
"I'm going back to the fairgrounds alone. I know this is going to come off as rude but I think it's better if none of you come with me. Those children already are dealing with enough, they don't need multiple Autobots stalking their every move."
The femme raised her arms stubbornly. "That's suicide! No one will be there to help you if something goes wrong! Those kids are dangerous! You'll be drawing some bad attention to yourself and who knows what else that place holds?"
"Exactly," Bee smirked. "Sometimes doing the right thing requires going the wrong way. If those kids are to be helped, I need to break into that pizzeria and find Springtrap, get an idea of what else we're dealing with. They are going to put up a fight but I would expect nothing less in the defense of their home."
"Ha-have you lost your mind?"
"Sure," he shrugged before saluting and running into the ground bridge.
As it closed, Arcee just stood baffled at Bee's idiotic audacity. "Mechs."
Bumblebee left the portal and found himself near the abandoned road leading up to Freddy Fazbear Fairgrounds. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about humans or traffic. He approached the gate but kept in the trees away from open areas like the parking lots and the front entrance because that would have been a dead giveaway he was there. They didn't need to know about his presence yet.
His comm suddenly lit up with Ratchet's voice. "Bumblebee, what are you doing? I heard through Arcee you left to go to Freddy's. Don't you think you should go with at least one other person or, I don't know, tell your Autobots you left?"
"I'm sorry but I really need to do this alone. It will work out better this way, I promise."
"Can I at least be your mission control just to make sure everything works out for the 'better'? It's one thing for Optimus to die and we revive him, but you're completely alone and someone in there has the capability to transfer your soul into something undead in case you forgot. Something irreversible so far! I don't want to live knowing I let you go on without some support and the next time I see you you're a walking corpse."
"Nice to know you care about me. Fine, I'll let you assist. But remember, it's me!" Bee said with utmost enthusiasm.
"Yes, that's what I fear."
So far, there was no activity. In retrospect, it wasn't midnight yet. The only resident of Fazbear Fairgrounds that would be active was Marionette and even she seemed dormant. That was either really good or really bad.
Bumblebee navigated through the woods carefully following the gate around the park hoping the shadows would conceal him from any unwanted company. Sure enough, the pizzeria was near the gate enough to where he could sneak in quickly, but then he realized another problem. Even if he could approach the pizzeria undetected, how would he fit inside? Springtrap had to be at least his height or larger but there was no way he could be kept in there unless there was a hidden underground chamber. How to get into the underground was also a mystery.
"You look so lost. Don't suppose you're trying to get in there, are you? 'Cause if you are, it's your funeral, buddy," a voice said behind him.
Confused, Bumblebee turned around but his face dropped when he saw who it was. Rosy dots at the edge of the red lipped mouth curled upward in a frightening smile with noticeable fangs, red and white armor with tints of orange along the tips, pretty green optics that he knew were not innocent in the slightest, and hip armor curved around like a skirt with white spheres attached kind of like...a circus clown.
"Circus Baby!?"
The femme gave a terrifyingly sweet smile which stretched the plating of her cheeks farther than he could think a normal Cybertronian could physically move their mouth. "Hiya!"
He was approached by this bubbly, bouncing clown as if she knew him and the only thing he could think to do was back away. She surprisingly didn't take offense to the motion and put a digit on her chin with a playful pout.
"Am I scaring you? Ugh, I keep telling myself I'm way too much for people but like I never listen to myself. Is it the clown get up? You can be honest. I would change my look but it gets people's attention, well-maybe-not-how-it-should-I-mean-I made-some-people-develop-a-fear-of-clowns-over-me-but-you-know-ahh-what're-you-going-to-do? Anyway-"
As she kept blabbing enough to give Blurr a run for his money, Bee had his wings drooped and his arms pressed against his chest staring at her not knowing what to do. Should he walk away or call for Marionette?
Studying her, he could see how William Afton brutally fucked up repairing her. There were patch jobs of metal not the same shade of color as the majority of plating in some areas and that didn't mention the semi-visible scars on her waist, legs, and one barely seen on her eyebrow like a facial reconstruction gone awry. The metal on her helm bent and layered to resemble pigtails was another patch job as they seemed to once be crests added on with metal that just should not have been there to begin with. It was like Pennywise had been crossed with Chucky and Leatherface into a femme frame. She was cute but that definition was sorely lacking other concepts to make it true. She was also larger than Arcee than what Marionette said she was, almost his size but given it was only mentioned she could shrink from her normal form, there was no telling how big she could get either.
"Y-you are Circus Baby?" Bee stuttered, pointing at her.
The femme paused her fast-paced introduction to herself and gave him a sneer. "Yeah, who else would I be?"
He was about to say something else when she skipped right past him and leaned on a tree to look at the pizzeria with a servo on her hip.
"It's funny really how much Marionette went for these kids but she never came back for me. Of course, they're scared kids with nobody out there to care for them in a predicament they didn't understand to begin with. Can't blame Marionette for coming to the rescue; I mean, who wants to see kids crying for years on end, am I right? Just why she focused so much on them and not her real friend is kind of a bummer but bleh, it's whatever. Are you just going to stand there and gawk or are you trying to communicate with me telepathically?"
Being called out made Bee clamp his mouth shut in awe and cautiously took his place by her side which she gave him a raised brow and a roll of her optics. Slowly, he began to speak up. "You...why are you here? How did you get here?"
Baby perked up at the direct question and scoffed, "Eh, I heard through the grapevine the children were being brats. Had to come see for myself, free entertainment. How I got here...I'm not entirely sure. Storks? Err...I was born in a cabbage patch? Email?"
The deadpanned stare Bumblebee gave her was met with a cheap grin. If he was going to put up with some shit today, it wasn't going to be this. He shook his helm and walked closer to the gate. Just then, the bells of midnight chimed and the sounds of distorted laughter and animalistic roars echoed through the park. They were awake and angry.
"Great, there goes my element of surprise," he huffed.
"Not yet. I know a way into the pizzeria that none of them will expect."
"How so?"
Baby smirked, "Involves ancient history, a joke, and a back door straight into that underground. But going the more direct route is always fun! Blow up the pizzeria and the entrance to that underground will also be available."
Bee eyed her with building resentment. "I'm not blowing up the pizzeria. Also, how can I even trust you? You're Circus Baby! You've killed many people, took the skin off a human being like it was some type of suit, and you are classified as insane enough to where your own peers hate you? That's not a good rap."
Her optics that filled her eye holes contracted to small green rings over a black void while her demeanor switched to a darker voice. "Hey! I'm not insane! I am a victim of hate too! I am-"
But suddenly they changed back and she was her perky self again. "Nah, who am I kidding? I did all of that and I'm crazy. But I can counter with if I'm so untrustworthy, why would I admit I did all of that?"
The Autobot leader wasn't buying it, he wasn't stupid though he did agree it was a fair point logically. He still needed to get into the underground and if the only way was through another psychopath's word, he didn't have much of a choice, did he?
With a grimace, he scratched his cheek. "So, you know how to get to the underground?"
"Damn right I do, who am I? Don't answer that," she said. "I know this place inside and out even more so than Marionette if you catch my drift. Follow me!"
With some reluctance, Bumblebee did just that though he refused to step ahead of her, always wanting to keep an eye out in case she tried anything. Along the way into the woods, she surprisingly was very giddy and child-like herself. It was a wonder Afton didn't fry her processor entirely tinkering with something as delicate as Cybertronian circuitry. He had to also wonder what she was like before her insanity.
Now that he had time to think on everything, he noticed he was the one who attracted the craziest people ever to walk the face of the Earth and Cybertron. Was he just a magnet of insanity?
They reached a hole in a hill and Baby gestured to it like they had found treasure. He didn't share her optimism and just glared. "This is a cave...and?"
The femme drew her gaze between him and the cave not losing her ridiculously wide smile at such a mundane thing. "Yeah!"
"What is in the cave?"
"Well, we're going to find out, aren't we?"
"You mean you don't know!? Cir-what's in the cave?"
She dropped her act and gave him a tauntingly frown. "Man, you really know how to kill a mood. I was thinking like an Indiana Jones adventure between us considering I don't usually hang out with a lot of people. Come on, it's the entrance to the underground like I promised! Sheesh, you make it sound like I'm dragging you to your doom!"
Bumblebee gave an uncomfortable smile, "Wouldn't be out of the range of possibilities."
She either didn't hear him or ignored him because she trotted down the cave with kick in her step like the world was sunshine and rainbows. Meanwhile, Bumblebee was on edge on every second with her. The cave was huge and as the light was fading the deeper they went down; Bee activated his headlights much to Baby's intrigue.
"That's cool! Never seen someone do that before! Usually, I just go in complete darkness. Many people have gotten lost and unfortunately died because they couldn't navigate the darkness but I never had that problem."
He was about to ask but decided against it. He didn't say anything until his light shined into a larger area and his optics widened at the sight. A large Cybertronian vessel that seemed to have at least been underground for centuries lied covered in rock and sat inside a body of water. He couldn't imagine how long anything in that cave had seen daylight. The water wasn't even blue or black when he shined over it. It was a dark purple most likely either mineral build up or a mixture of the ship's cargo, whatever it held.
"Is this the vessel Marionette was talking about? This is her vessel that crashed?"
Baby jumped in with what sounded like irritation. "Well, it's not hers but yes. This is the spaceship Practician. It was Shadowrunner's...technically...he was the captain. It was a war vessel designed for infiltration by a unique power of invisibility by a mad scientist who died shortly after creating it that was supposed to be tested on Autobot forces on Chaar...buuuutttt Shadowrunner stole it. Also, the invisibility stopped working after its third use. The generator that created the synthetic energy used to power it broke and being a unique set-up, we had no idea how to repair it."
Bee acknowledged the markings on the ship that were indeed Cybertronian. "What happened?"
"That...is the fuzzy part. I quite honestly don't remember how we got here or how we crashed it. Twenty credits say Hijack busted the quantum power center again. Heh, that was funny! We almost died!"
"Baby," he said in a serious tone.
The femme shrugged, "I don't know. I only remember one day we were sailing across the stars arguing, the next I wake up on a table with a squishy creature looking over me, Shadowrunner positioned like he had a stroke and died (I think he did), and in the mirror I looked like I went to a goddamn circus, got drunk and decided to modify myself into a clown. 'No ragrets' as a tattoo may say depending on how bad your artist fucks up. Not a great wake up call, I can tell you that much."
"For a bot who's been trapped all these years supposedly in the underground, you certainly know a lot about human culture," Bee suspiciously called out.
"I get around. Can't fight them, join them," she replied. "Anyway, the tunnel to the pizzeria is to our left and it goes all the way back to the fairgrounds and ends near the other entrance, you know the one I said you'd have to blow up the pizzeria to get to which is still an open option, by the way! Free real estate, got to get rid of it somehow."
"Yeah no."
The tunnel to the underground was long but at least it was flat. Although, nobody mentioned the fact that there were rocks scattered about and were practically invisible as he found out a few times from tripping to falling flat on his face. The mocking laughter of Baby didn't help.
"If I may ask, what is between you and Marionette? Why all the killing, the hunting?"
Baby smacked her lips, "Let me guess, she told you that I was hurting her and the children, I killed a bunch of people who worked for Afton because I was mad at him, and I'm overall a terrible person. Well, that bitch has a few skeletons in her closet she probably didn't tell you. Like did you know why she put those children into the bodies of her friends?"
"She said-"
"It's because she didn't want to be alone. All her friends dead and the only one left was her so she figured she could 'save' those children and seeing her friends up and running like they were alive would make her happy. Problem was these were children...in adult Cybertronian bodies. Big no-no, but did she listen to reason? Oh no, the man who copied their specs and killed these children had to die so she figured if she couldn't get what she wanted, she would at least give the kids a chance, but she grew so fond of them that she made the mistake of reviving Afton and cursing him into Springtrap which ultimately led to the curse rebounding. Now she has her friends, saved the children, and has Springtrap suffering in a living damnation. Hallelujah!"
Bumblebee narrowed his optics, "You think she did it for herself?"
"A Maritatronian with the power to control souls and spiritual shit who's been alive probably longer than you and I have and had enough time to learn her powers suddenly messes up a simple soul binding that causes the children to get stuck in those bodies, something she probably would have known would happen because the chances of her doing those multiple times before and not screwing up in her younger years are astronomically low...I'd call that a bit suspicious. And trust me, I've known her. She never screwed up before except this once? Hello?"
That put a few things into question but in the back of his processor, something was telling him the situation wasn't as it seemed. Either Baby was right or Marionette but both couldn't be so someone was lying to win pity points and get their way. He hardly knew either of them to make a correct judgement.
"As for the killing, you can't live in this galaxy without killing one person. You can argue there are humans here that never killed but what you mean is people never killed directly. Every action you do, as mundane or as epic as it is, will kill someone sometime in life. You may live your entire life never knowing. You make a simple comment on ethnics and someone overhears you, thinks about their own and doesn't like what they realize they have. Their mind slowly puts to question everything, they start living off from their normal routine the next few years and it ends up killing them. Push a pebble off a mountain hiking and it hits the tiniest chunk of rock some odd feet below, the rock hits more rocks, and an avalanche kills a family. Nobody will blame you, of course, because everyone thought it was just a force of nature."
That was a better point and Bumblebee didn't press the past any more for the remainder of the walk. When a small dividend of low light was visible, he heard Baby giggle and bounce.
"What did I say? Was I right or was I right?"
"If I recall, you said it was left," Bee smirked.
Baby froze for a brief second then made finger guns at him. "Now that's a joke!"
When the light opened up to a desolate room with minimal décor and concrete walls, any humor they had died and the atmosphere turned deadly. A mouse could die in the level of dread this place accumulated. Faded pictures of the animatronics, kid's drawings, and other crafts projects really took the tone of how this once thriving pizza chain fell into obscurity.
"Hey, this is as far as I'm going to go for...reasons. Um, as you can see there are halls to your left and right and they'll take you to other rooms that will also have halls and basically, this place is a maze. You're at the far end right now and this labyrinth is box shaped and there's about four rooms per row of this box, four rows total. Some rooms will bypass others so access to other rooms will require going to a different section. It sounds confusing but take it from me. Once you notice a few odds and ends, it'll be way easier to identify where you are."
Bumblebee nodded and gave her a sincere look. "I appreciate you doing this."
Baby scoffed, "Ah, no worries. And remember, I have my terrible faults but I'm not the one who lies about them. Just remember that."
Circus Baby bowed like a performer at the end of a show and skipped back into the darkness of the tunnel humming to herself. That left Bee alone in the labyrinth and he was skeptical this was as easy as it looked or that he was the only one in it. Peering between the left and right halls that were dimmer than the rooms, he sighed and started to head to the left.
"Bu...Bumb...can you...Bumblebee! Can you read me?" Ratchet's voice came through.
"Yes, Ratchet, I hear you," he responded.
"It's been an hour! I was about to send Optimus and Arcee to search for you! After I talked to you last, less than a few minutes later I tried to tell you about an odd disturbance near you but the signal was jammed. I feared something had gotten to you."
That made Bee pause. Circus Baby must have jammed the communications but why was something he couldn't guess because if she did it to try and attack him, she missed her chance and got sidetracked. How she did it was a different matter.
"N-no, I'm fine. I just...found a way into the underground section of the park beneath the pizzeria. There's a whole labyrinth down here. It was definitely designed to hide something."
Ratchet huffed, "Well, find it quickly because I'm picking up scattered signals in there and whatever it is, it's messing up our computers trying to process it. I don't want to give you orders, Bumblebee, but I think you need to consider regrouping. Something's wrong, I can feel it."
"I'm so close to my goal! I can do this! I promise I'll get out as soon as I can."
He closed the comm and entered the left hall into another room and he froze at the horrific sight. Bodies of animatronics with human bones and old decayed organs sticking out were hung off the walls like tributes. Some rotting skeletons wearing guard uniforms and Freddy heads were limp on the floor and a huge pile of human remains sat in the center with dried blood cracking on the concrete surface that almost covered the entire floor. Some bodies were citizens and others looked like at most young adults. And there was no telling how powerful the smell of rotting flesh was.
He could tell there were people from different years left to rot since one person had an 80's baggy jumper with faded greens and what may have been a pink streak at some point. Another had early 2000's low rise jeans and headband. How many victims total was way too many for him to count. Freddy Fazbear's had a graveyard and a half underneath it.
Feeling a bit queasy and for good reason, he quickly chose between right and straight before he shimmied his way past all the bodies to the right to the next hall and through to the other room where he paused again upon seeing its content. This time there were mannequins, animatronics, and Cybertronian bodies, some of whom were Vehicon shells. Maybe, just maybe, this room might have been worse than the room full of dead humans since he now had a suspicion that any of these could come back to life to attack him.
"I ain't even going through this room, fuck this. I'll take human corpses over navigating this. I've seen Tourist Trap on top of dealing with dead children. I am good."
Going back through the room of human remains, he switched to taking another right. The remainder of labyrinth wasn't as gruesome though there were still dead bodies and a lot of junk from the 80's which gave him a good time frame of when the fairgrounds was losing its popularity. Like Circus Baby mentioned, taking note of rooms with certain items allowed him to figure out which rooms he had already entered and which he hadn't.
After about thirty minutes and some fun quips from Ratchet, he finally came to a room with a clear exit on his left but he grew curious whether the hall on the right held an unexplored area. His senses were screaming at him not to go in that other room but if it was that bad, it had to be significant...right? He groaned inwardly.
"I feel like I'm going to regret this."
Bypassing the worry in his processor, he approached the hall and went through hoping whatever was on the other side wasn't worse than the dead bodies. Once again, he stood very corrected. To his shock and rising anger, he wasn't alone in that room.
Chains clattered ever slightly with brief movement and a deep hiss resonated in the barely lit room. Bumblebee could only stare at a Cybertronian body on its knees that looked like it had rotted inside out. Damaged armor, jagged and faded gold, moved with little grace and even some of the endoskeleton was sticking out which was drenched in human blood. Most crevices and seams were cake with blood and other fluids that didn't even belong in a normal Cybertronian. Out of all the Cybertronian dead, this was the worst off and there was only one person piloting such a body.
"William Afton," Bee sneered.
The ghastly mechanoid rumbled and shifted before the broken helm lifted up to reveal his faceplates were all but destroyed, his sharp teeth bared permanently and those haunting white optics forever flickering upon occasion. The helm also had a noticeable crack down the middle which moved ever so slightly and he could see barely a skull hidden behind the faceplates. It was the skull of William Afton.
Springtrap was huge and Bee was thankful he was sitting on his knees because even on them, Bee barely surpassed him in height. Despite the limited expressions the monster could make, it was apparent he was smirking by the dark tone of voice he used.
"Never seen you before. Have I ever threatened you? I can assume by your aggressive demeanor you didn't come here for tea or to spare me this humiliation? Shame, it gets rather lonely down here in the underground. No one to talk to, no one to kill."
"You are the murderer," he said as he narrowed his optics. "You are responsible for everything that has happened here!"
Springtrap looked him over and glared, "Yes...and you're point being? I wouldn't call it an achievement because I could have done better but not everything goes as planned as you can no doubt see, Captain Obvious. Have you been in cahoots with Marionette by any chance? She didn't send you down here to mock me because she needs to do a bit better."
Bumblebee was taken back by Afton's little shame. Even Megatron wasn't as heartless. He didn't even kill sparklings for crying out loud, at least not on purpose. This was a whole new breed of evil.
"Excuse you! Killing children is a mild achievement? You could have done better? Wha...what in Primus' name is wrong with you?!"
Springtrap merely chuckled, "You want the short list or the long? The question should be: why are you here? You're one of those alien robots I've heard so much of but you're the first I think I've seen actually alive in your original condition. Interesting. Why bother yourself with human ailments, mecha? This doesn't concern you."
Bee frowned, "It does when ties to a human tampering with our technology comes into light. You used my kind to inspire this pizza chain without our permission? The creature called Ennard; what were you trying to create? And those children?"
"Technically, your 'kind' was dead when I found them so not my fault. I just put their lost technology to good use. Don't worry, I kept your secret. Secondly, Ennard was something I was testing to see if I could build one with spare parts I found in their lost ship. I had no intentions on releasing that thing at all outside the underground lab. Even I have a few limits...very few. And third on you concern list, I hate children. Not going to sugar coat it, they're better off dead and I loved watching the blood drain from their frightened faces if you must know."
"You're a disgrace."
"And you're a fool. You didn't come down here to guilt trip me. You came down here to end me. Marionette is trying to, all those children want to, and yet here I am. I'm stuck in this god forsaken body for eternity so if you can figure out how to end it, be my guest. You either kill me mercifully and free me from this hell I've endured for over thirty years or I continue to kill anybody who gets in my way...as soon as I break free from these infernal chains. Either way I win. So, if you're trying be the hero, figure it the fuck out or leave this curse alone and go home. No matter what your choice, I'll win and get away with my crimes."
Bumblebee found that hard to argue with. Afton had planned for most of this and even though the surprise of becoming what he tried to avoid hit him with utmost karma, he was still the mastermind of these games and so far the champion. To outsmart such a magnificent bastard wasn't the easiest of tasks and there was a shred of doubt that even he could win against Afton mentally...or physically.
Suddenly, the chains holding Springtrap snapped one by one, taking chunks of the ceiling and clattering on the ground so loud, the echoes in the shadows even sounded demonic. Some of the chains fell over Springtrap while Bee gasped. Oddly, Afton didn't seem sure of how the chains got loose either but the brief moment of confusion turned into an evil glare at the mech as he began to stand. The chains on the wall holding him strained under the pressure until several broke. He pulled at the ones restraining his arms and struggled the loose metal off him as he reached his full height with a growl.
"Well then, I guess someone up there seems to love my work or really hates you," he snarled with some amusement as he rotated his shoulders.
Bee quickly pulled out one of his large weapons, a plasma cannon, and fired it straight into Springtrap's chest. The monster recoiled but the blast only dented the part of the left chest scarring it. That was another thing Bee didn't expect but given Shadowrunner was apparently a hefty mech when he was alive and a war model nonetheless, it was a given his body could withstand gunfire though the Autobot had hopes the deterioration of the body would have weakened the armor. Not so unfortunately.
Springtrap bounced back from the hit and hunched over with bared claws and an awful screech as he charged. The ground shook with each step and Bee barely dodged a swipe at his head, but the larger being was faster at correction and doubled back with a second swipe which sent the Autobot tumbling into the wall that formerly held the monster. A sharp crack was heard and Bee winced from the pressure on his spine. It was like being hit by a train and he groaned as a shadow dwarfed him.
A cold clammy servo instantly gripped his shoulder, covering almost half his arm and threw him across the room in front of the steps that led to the pizzeria above. Bumblebee rolled to a stop with one of his door wings bent downward. This was not how he had planned this day to go and Springtrap free was a new worry to top the risk of being killed by homicidal children.
"Aww, don't faint now. We're just getting this show started and we must entertain our audience just waiting for our arrival. Smile, alien, because you're going to be a star!"
Bee was roughly grabbed and hoisted up like he was a paperweight to the imposing Springtrap body and he was barely conscious when the latter climbed up and burst through the wall keeping the underground hidden from outsiders. The ceiling of the pizzeria rumbled from losing pieces of its support as rubble was sent flying and scraped up the checkerboard floors.
With Bee still in hand grunting and trying to break free from his grip, Springtrap crawled towards the exit trying not to catch himself on the ceiling only to remember he was a giant robot. Why bother destruction when that's the whole point? Near the doors to the outside fairgrounds, he growled at his brief stupidity and jumped up, shattering the roof and parts of the wall collapsed below him. He always hated this pizzeria anyways. With a roar, he marked his return as some of the pizzeria collapsed into ruin from his assault. Tossing the mech to the side, he ripped through the remaining wall of the building and stomped forward.
"Freedom at last! Now if you'll excuse me, alien, I have children to kill again and a fairground to destroy," he chuckled.
Bumblebee struggled to get back up but he paused when saw Marionette running up with Freddy and Bonnie behind her. They all froze at the sight of Springtrap and Marionette quickly took her place between the kids and their murderer. She briefly noticed him and sent a look of shock and disapproval his way before resuming her stare down with Afton. He didn't mind she prioritized Afton over him given the danger of the murderer's presence compared to his own.
Gabriel and Charlie tried to act tough but the longer Springtrap remained, the more uncomfortable they became until Bonnie fled and the body of Freddy seemed to stall in fear like a fawn trapped in the middle of a busy highway.
"You are not welcome here! Leave us alone!" Marionette hissed.
"Funny, you're the one who trapped me. I'd say you gave me a welcome and I certainly have no intentions on leaving now," he snapped back.
Springtrap took a step forward and Marionette all but flinched into a defensive pose. Her optics were in full and glowing, presenting the anger arising within.
Bumblebee didn't know whether he should stay and help or run but either way, Marionette would blame him for Springtrap's release but he never released him. That was the puzzling part. He was held up tight one moment and the next he was breaking free. Did he wait until an opportune moment to leave or did something accidentally give way at the wrong time? He knew it wasn't his fault but he doubted Marionette would believe him given her greatest enemy is now walking tall and ready for blood again.
"Afton!" Bee snarled, standing up and readying his larger weapons. "I won't let you hurt them! You leave them alone! You've already condemned them to a life of torment!"
The decaying mechanoid turned his attention to Bumblebee and reached behind his back to pull out a semi-rusted sword that gave the Star Saber a run for its credits. How dangerous was Shadowrunner when he was alive? Specks of centuries old Engeron and what did indeed look like organic blood, probably human, was present on the blade and Bee could only imagine how many poor souls fell victim to it between both the late mech and the current monster.
"You won't let me? Heroic," Springtrap laughed, "but if you're saving them from me, who's going to save you?"
Bumblebee paused, his bravado faltering. "Uh...didn't think that far ahead."
Springtrap twirled his sword around himself and ended with the blade edge facing himself and staring down Bee who gulped. The rotting mech surged forward and the only thing the Autobot could do was fire at him. This time Afton dodged the hits before he drew close enough to swing his sword. There were close shaves but that swipe narrowly missed Bee's jugular. His scar over his voice box was screaming at him from just the thought of the blade almost striking it.
Some relief came from the fact that Afton wasn't a sword master so dodging the blade was slightly easier than dodging physical attacks like his fists but there was still a sense of terror that lingered as Springtrap whipped the sword around hitting the ground before swiping at him again. Seering pain suddenly flared on his thigh when the blade struck part of the protoform visible on the inner area. This reaction gave Afton enough time to grab him like he was nothing and slam him on the ground holding the sword ready to strike him down.
He couldn't see Marionette or Freddy but he hoped they would try to help him. Ratchet and Arcee had been right. He was in over his helm with this case and now he was about to pay for his negligence. He could only stare into Springtrap's silver optics in horror as the mech held him down effortlessly. He tried to fire his weapon at Springtrap's head when he had enough leeway to lift his arm but the larger mech punched him, sword in hand still, and crushed the weapon flat. He only had one big gun left and it was currently trapped between him and the ground. The sword was lifted back up ready to come down and end him.
Springtrap growled, "If I recall, more of your species are here on Earth. Well in that case, it seems that there's only going to be one of us that leaves here tonight. Once I get rid of you, the puppet and kill those brats, I'll be sure to pay your friends a visit and let them know how much of a failure you turned out to be. Let me give you a sincere welcome to Earth, my way!"
Bumblebee saw the sword jerk and flinched, closing his optics awaiting the inevitable. But...death seemed very airy and there was a clanging noise. It took a second to register that he wasn't dead and as he opened his optics, he could see the blade less than a foot away from his face. The wrist of the servo holding it was being held by another servo and he gasped when he realized who it was that saved him.
Springtrap's servo was forced upward to the monster's surprise and even he stared in awe as Optimus Prime had a death grip and was staring him straight in the optics with anger as obvious as Bee was yellow.
"How dare you try to hurt my son!" Optimus rumbled darkly, his battle mask clicking into place.
Afton was stunned and didn't react in time to feel a swift punch to the helm. A few lower fangs broke from the impact but with a mouthful of teeth, it would be hardly noticeable but it hurt like hell. He was sent plummeting to the ground off of Bumblebee and the Prime held a battle stance. To his side, Arcee scrambled with Bulkhead to get Bumblebee up and she hit him upside the head to his chagrin.
"What in Primus' name were you thinking?! I told you this was a bad idea! And what in the world is that?"
"Eergghh, well first off thanks for the rescue. Secondly, I realize I screwed up but it's not what you think. Third, that's William Afton! He's Springtrap! He's the murderer! He's stuck in Shadowrunner's body and he's going to kill everybody unless we stop him. The question is, of course, how do we do that but I'm working on it," Bumblebee said.
Bulkhead didn't look satisfied with the answer and cringed, "It's always something, isn't it?"
"How did you know I was in trouble?"
Arcee pointed behind her, "These weird-looking mime femme suddenly appeared at the base. She said you were in dire need of help and created her own ground bridge through some sort of energy power. We were skeptical but we figured you must have sent her and she sounded very serious so we came running. And we appeared to have gotten here on time. 'Springtrap' or whatever was about to chop you into scrap."
A terrifying screech sounded and all of them peered towards Springtrap who was now raging and Optimus who brought out his own sword. It was unfortunately the one attached to his arm, not the Star Saber as Bee was beginning to think they needed in order to defeat a foe such as Afton. Who lunged first was hard to tell but the clashing of swords rang out loud enough to be heard for miles in the dark forest.
Springtrap was no swordsman but the monster kept up rather well to parry Optimus' strikes. One slashed part of his abdomen which he barely acknowledged but another punch to the helm had him reeling back. It seemed to be his weak point which Bumblebee realized when it was proven the only thing left of William was his half rotting skull stuck inside the mech's helm. It made sense the last physical remnant of his former self was the most sensitive.
Springtrap's faceplates split in two and his jaw fell down to his neck to reveal his human skull held by wiring and abnormal cabling. He did it as he roared like a demon and Optimus held some disgust over the sight but it was enough of a distraction for Springtrap to bring his blade down to cut part of the Prime's arm. Optimus eyed the wound but kept his guard, deflecting any hits Springtrap tried to give afterwards.
"William Afton, you are one of the worst human beings I have ever encountered and you no longer seem to be even human anymore. I, Optimus Prime, normally do not condone the killing of humans but for you, I will make an exception."
Springtrap scoffed, "Greater people than you have tried."
As the monster lunged for a second round against the Prime, Bumblebee was approached by Marionette who did not look pleased. "What have you done?"
Bee pointed at himself in defense, "M-me? I didn't let him loose if that's what you mean!"
"Then how is he free?!"
"I don't know. The chains holding him just snapped! He must have been waiting to break loose I guess and I happened to be there! I don't know what else to tell you except it wasn't me!"
Arcee frowned, "Bumblebee, were you even supposed to be down there?"
"Well no but-!"
Gabriel hit his knuckles against each other and spoke quickly, "You trespasser! Liar! DIE!"
"Gabriel, it's not like that! I figured out why you were acting so erratic so I went down there to destroy him, to help you. I don't know what happened but I had good intentions. Trust me," Bee said.
Marionette scowled, "Trust you? You defied me and put them at risk! How can I believe anything you say? I'm a fool for trusting you in the first place and now our greatest fear has been unleashed. Your Prime won't last forever against him and when he falters, Springtrap will come after us."
Bee sighed, "Then come with us."
"What?"
"I guess this is my fault but I won't let Afton hurt you. I made that promise, did I not? So, you and the kids, come with us to our base in Detroit. We can delay Springtrap long enough to figure a way to at least trap him so he can't leave the fairgrounds and get to you."
Marionette peered to the side in thought. As she heard Springtrap growl at Optimus and the latter grunted in slight pain, she caved and gave Bee a sad expression. "If we leave, those children will be lost for they don't go past the gates for a reason. They can't handle the rest of the world as they are. You can make up for what you've done by helping me keep them calm because I guarantee they will not be happy when we step onto your base. I can enchant the fairgrounds to temporarily hold Springtrap inside the gates but I will need more time, more energy to create a permanent spell. I couldn't do that with the children being affected by his presence."
Bumblebee nodded, "Fair enough, now let's get out of here!"
Marionette turned around and lifted her hand up wordlessly and somehow all the Cybertronian bodies throughout the fairgrounds converged towards her location like a ghostly summon. Some of them hesitated to get close seeing Springtrap while others roared in fury getting ready to charge.
"Ratchet, open a ground bridge and prepare a huge warehouse. We're going to have a lot of company."
"Oh no, what did you do?" Ratchet's voice groaned.
Bee grimaced, "We've got children aboard."
"Great..."
Arcee and Bulkhead kept their distance from Foxy and Golden Freddy but when the ground bridge opened, the femme was the first to approach Foxy who looked scared.
"It's okay, it's just a gateway of sorts. Nothing to be afraid of," Arcee said.
Foxy sniffed the air before taking a careful step forward. He turned his head towards his friends and gave a small rumble before heading through the portal. The others followed, each on edge in case something went wrong. As Marionette safeguarded their departure, both she and Bumblebee took note of Springtrap gaining the upper hand against Prime.
A hard punch to Prime's gut made the mech moan and fall on one knee as Springtrap retrieved his sword which had been discarded at some point in the scuffle. Right before Optimus could stand again, he received a sharp kick to the helm which he shook off but was not completely void of pain either. Bumblebee almost lunged to Prime's aid but Marionette held him back.
"Your Prime is planning something. Wait."
Springtrap cracked his helm and neck as he rotated his blade. "I'm really beginning to loathe you alien freaks just as much as children. You just don't know when to stay out of someone else's business."
"You tampered with our kind. Hypocritical for to say that," Optimus said in a low voice.
"Not quite, you can't interfere with a dead body's business unless they're a ghost. I don't think you machines even have souls so there's nothing to interfere with. But I won't say I didn't tamper with them. No point in lying about it. Now, do me a favor and just die," Springtrap growled.
He swung he sword down with such ferocity, everyone watching feared Optimus may be cut in half but once again, the sword stopped, this time Optimus caught the blade with both servos before yanking it away and throwing it several feet where it embedded itself in the ground handle up. Springtrap stared at the sword before giving a concerned look towards the Prime.
"Ah...I'm beginning to think melee weapons aren't effective against you...oh no."
A swift punch to the helm made Springtrap woozy before another hit and soon Optimus was beating backwards. One hit to the abdomen and another to the head kept the monster from retaliating and he cringed when a blow to the chest had him gasping for air he thought he didn't need. There was no rest between the strikes and even Springtrap backed away in exhaustion.
He was beaten to the point of falling on his hands and knees. When he tried to look up at the Prime, another hit to the head made him collapse to the ground. Springtrap groaned and his vocalizer started fading in and out from the assault.
Marionette held some surprise as the brutality that Optimus gave. Even Bee admired the sight. There weren't many who could take on Springtrap but here was Prime in all his glory once again beating the scrap out of the hardest opponents like it was nothing.
"Marionette, you said you could configure a spell that can keep Springtrap from leaving the fairgrounds. With him weak at the moment, I think this might just be the perfect time to do it," Bumblebee said.
The Maritatronian gave a brief nod and ran towards the fence and placed both her servos together like a monk praying. Dark whispers abruptly began to echo across the fairgrounds which Bee and Bulkhead exchanged looks. Optimus paused his attacks when he heard them and Springtrap for once actually looked scared. When Marionette's body pulsed with illuminous bio lights, the echoes turned to more distinct voices.
Her eyes weren't just supporting optics now but glowing. The ground pulsed with her power and crackling energy suddenly shot throughout the fairgrounds to each piece of fence surrounding it. The black metal turned an angelic light blue all around and Bee could have sworn the fairgrounds were as bright as day. A singular pulse shot up into the sky and exploded, disintegrating the clouds and mist over the forest. When Marionette calmed, the fence returned to its natural black coloring and her bio lights faded.
"It is done. Let's go."
Bumblebee gestured for Arcee and Bulkhead to leave and quickly called out to Optimus. "Time to go, Optimus! Let Springtrap stew in his own sideshow horror."
Optimus obeyed and walked away as Springtrap stumbled to try and reach him. Going into the portal, he barely acknowledged the roaring mech.
Afton's legs feebly attempted to sprint towards his one way out knowing what Marionette had done. He reached out for the ground bridge with a screech and narrowly missed swiping at it. It disappeared and felt almost tripped again slowing himself down past where it had been seconds before. Peering at his surroundings and realizing he was now alone on his own property, his victims gone, he panted in frustration. He eyed every building before give a hoarse shout.
"NO! PRIME!"
Bumblebee shot out of the portal into a roll after the others and found himself face to face with a very peeved Ratchet and...Mangle whose heads were on both of the medic's shoulders comfortably with their tongues out like a dog.
"I suppose you have an explanation for this, oh wise leader?"
Attempting not to laugh, Bee shrugged, "House pets but with childish personalities."
Ratchet hardly was amused and rotated his shoulders quickly to get the two-headed Dinobot off him. Mangle only peered down at him curiously before following when he left grumbling to himself.
Arcee and Bulkhead were paused beside him and after looking around, he kind of figured out where the concern was. Freddy and a majority of the Cybertronian bodies were hanging around the rooftops and trying to get an understanding of the military men who walked about. It was noticeable how happy and genuinely curious they were acting compared to when they were in the fairgrounds. With Springtrap's presence gone, his theory proved right as they were back to their normal selves which were indeed children in adult forms.
Foxy wagged his tail happily when he came across Grimlock and the other Dinobots. They were very confused but Jeremy tried his best at a first impression. It didn't land but Grimlock did appreciate the youngling's effort as did Snarl, Swoop, Sludge, and Slag.
Freddy himself kept his sister close, Cassidy looked uneasy, as Blurr and several other Autobots approached. Being larger than most of them, Bee could tell Gabriel's pride was beaming over the attention. Cassidy was fidgeting a lot and she almost appeared crazed as if experiencing a panic attack. It was a wonder what she had gone through to make her as such but the answer was obvious. Out of all the kids, she took the event of her death extremely bad. Thankfully, Gabriel seemed to recognize his sister's strife and ignored the Autobots to guide her up to the rooftops where Ennard sat avoiding all confrontation as Bee suspected he would.
Bonnie and Chica seemed interested in the flying Autobots hanging out near the end of the base like Jetfire, Jetstorm, and Powerglide. Given Chica didn't seem capable of flying, Susie was mesmerized by this new form of Cybertronian she had never witnessed in action before. Granted Jetfire and Jetstorm, twin brothers, were pretty cool mechs and very talented stunt fliers.
Balloon Bot was...somewhere...possibly hiding because of the new environment until Marionette came through and immediately eyed the place before speaking in an unknown language, probably her own. Immediately, every possessed mech, even the well-hidden ones Bee didn't even notice up to that point, came to her and groaned happily. The few that did pay him any mind didn't look pleased at him and he felt that the whole Springtrap fiasco was going to put him on very bad terms with them for a while.
"Bumblebee is going to let us stay here for a while and he's going to help us find a different home in the meantime," Marionette said with some snark which wasn't lost on the Autobot leader.
Bee frowned, "What?"
The children apparently had the identical thought because a collection of the exact same word was said almost in unison between them. Although, they sounded more confused on moving part than Bumblebee being their unwilling realtor.
Marionette turned towards him quick enough to make him almost shuffle back in surprise. "You made this mess and now you are going to repay what you owe or your soul is mine. And don't think your generosity changes anything."
"And I'm always going to tell you it wasn't me. Look, I'm more than willing to help you but if you're going to be a bitch about everything because you aren't in control like you want to be, you can always go back and fix it yourself. You said you can produce a permanent spell to trap him at those fairgrounds so do it, but don't say to my face that I didn't try to help," Bee barked back.
The children stood silent and watched the exchange like they were parents fighting. Marionette, however, flared in temper.
"You think this is just about your so-called kindness? No one asked you to go snooping around in a place you clearly weren't supposed to be in. And by the way, I don't know how you think spells and enchantments work but it's not a, what's that weird wizard novel series I hear about, Harry Potter fantasy casting or whatever the plot is. You don't just walk up to something and shoot out spells with stupid made up words attached like bullets. What do they call that, Hollywood make-believe? Enchantments like the one you saw me do take a lot of energy to make them as effective as they are. If they were so simple, everyone would be able to do them. In order for me to create such a powerful permanent enchantment, it may take a few days of meditation and securing exterior energy, maybe one full day to build up the power to do it. Not something you can easily do with children needing constant monitoring which is why I'm asking you to at least pay something for your recklessness, regardless if you did set him free or not, by taking care of Gabriel and the others while I try to fix this. It's the least your kindness can be used for, don't you think?"
Bumblebee remained silent and looked off to the side. He knew when his argument was beaten. He still didn't agree with the full response but it had many good points he couldn't counter without making himself look like an idiot.
He nodded solemnly, "I'll...watch over them. Do what you need to do."
The puppet-themed femme was beginning to turn to leave when she paused. "You know, you make it sound like I'm supposed to be the overall good guy, that I can tell when someone I tried to trust is telling the truth about releasing an enemy that for all I know can and will kill anyone who gets in his way. I made my mistakes and even I am trying to make up for them by helping these children. I'm not perfect in what I do but I have to think about what's best for them even if it hurts others. I still trust you enough to make the right decision but you need to understand as well my view of this too. It doesn't look good from where I'm standing."
Marionette waved off Freddy and the other dead as she walked off leaving Bumblebee to contemplate her words. Bee grunted in thought to himself before heading off to the main building of the Autobot base only to see several unhappy faces peering at him.
Arcee was the first to step forward, "Bumblebee, we need to talk. We heard what Marionette said to you...and she's right."
"How can you say that? Do you even know what-!"
"Bumblebee," Optimus interrupted, "You went alone to the fairgrounds and you went into a forbidden area and unleashed something that Marionette was trying to keep contained for everyone's safety. I know you are the Autobot leader now but that was reckless, inexcusable. You put many lives at risk, even ones that are not alive anymore. That is not how I taught you."
Bee shook his head, "I was trying to fix the problem. Marionette was mysterious and I'm getting mixed reception from both sides of this nightmare, from Marionette, the children, Springtrap, Circus Baby-"
"Circus Baby?! You met that deranged clown? I thought you said Marionette told you she was a wack job and rivaled even Springtrap?" Bulkhead asked.
"She popped up out of nowhere but she was relatively nice-er than Marionette described so maybe Marionette is also not completely telling the truth either. Did you think about that? Look, I'm not the villain here and I don't know why you're treating me like I am!" Bumblebee hissed.
Arcee gestured around her to the other Autobots. "W-why do you think? You went behind Marionette's back and not only tampered with an evil entity but also befriended someone she warned you about! This isn't like Bendy who was in pain and was acting because he needed to. This is about two killers who are acting out because they want to and you're defending them against someone who is trying to do good!"
The yellow mech scoffed, "No I'm not! How hard is this to explain? I was investigating and Circus Baby led me to Springtrap so I end the curse because she hates him just as much as the others!"
"That doesn't justify taking her advice and her opinion may give a little insight to her side of the story but she is still on the wrong side and so associating with her isn't righting the wrong of trespassing or driving Marionette and the others out of their only home. Speaking of which, we now have several undead Cybertronian bodies wandering around and you didn't think to inform us of their situation or the fact that you found Springtrap to begin with because you wanted to fly solo? Marionette is right; you don't look good where she's standing and you're not looking so fine where we are either," Arcee rebuffed.
Bumblebee was becoming furious himself. "As if you're one to talk, Arcee. Associating with the Decepticon leader can be legally considered treason but we all looked away because you know, you being at the time one of the last femmes alive. Pity goes a long way."
The femme grinded her jaw and said in a deadpan low voice, "My relationship...with Megatron didn't result in mass exodus and a monster on the loose, did it? You're the Autobot leader, act like it or give the title to someone more capable."
"Like you?"
Ratchet got between them but kept his attention on Bumblebee. "Arcee is wrong to go that far with it but she is right when it comes to the decision you made. Had you not gone tonight or at least not gone through the underground to meet Springtrap, none of this would have happened."
Bee gave him an expression of disbelief, "You can't honestly think-?"
"I can," the medic frowned. "This is your mess and you wanted to go solo so you fix it. Those children out there are your responsibility so fix that too. No matter what you say, this conversation will end on the fact that you disobeyed Marionette's request even if she didn't say it outright, the implication was perfectly clear. A good leader doesn't go around getting into another's business simply because they can, nor do they do it when backup may be the best option in such a hostile environment. Just because you stopped Megatron and destroyed enemies this world has never seen before doesn't make you hero, it's by understanding and acting on decisions that help people other than yourself against your own interests or lead to the right thing to do at the necessary moments that make you a hero...and you didn't make that decision."
Optimus even had a hard time looking at him but he kept silent. Bulkhead and Arcee were both unnerved, Blurr didn't look any more pleased than them, Knockout, who Bee just noticed, was not even looking at him, and a few other Autobots held disappointed looks.
Slowly, Bee tried to say, "Ratchet, I...I didn't mean for-"
"Well, it did." Ratchet kept a disapproving glare as he left.
The remaining Autobots slowly dispersed until it was only Knockout and Bee. The ex-Decepticon slowly approached and gave a very confused but also heartbroken gesture. "Bee, why did you do that?"
Bumblebee was still processing his teammates leaving him over Knockout's question but when he realized what was being asked of him, his expression turned sad. "I just thought that I could help."
"Here, walk with me. A little fresh breeze will help."
They both walked to the edge of Lake Erie on one of its forgotten beaches as the moon was beginning to clip through the horizon sideways. They had passed Marionette on the way over and she was keeping Bonnie from stepping on a soldier who "insulted" her according to the child's rants. The kids' understanding of social cues and jokes was terrible but forgivable...as long as nobody got killed.
"So, you did mess up?"
"I didn't set him free but I did trespass and go alone."
"Okay, so why did you do it?"
Bee groaned to himself and massaged his faceplates. "I...I don't know...I just remember during our conversation you mentioning that I was destined to fix these problems that had elements from both our worlds and then we got into a brief discussion about the pizzeria and why it was being guarded. I got it in my head that there was something there and maybe it was my calling to solve this mystery, especially after Bendy inadvertently tipped me off about Springtrap which is how I figured out the children were being unreasonable because of his presence in the fairgrounds."
The medic sighed, "So, you thought I meant it was your responsibility only to get to the bottom of this?"
"W-well no, I'm not blaming you! I just misinterpreted it as it was going to be my problem regardless so I need to be the one who makes things right. But even I'm kind of lost how I thought that meant going alone. Maybe I wanted to prove something that my subconscious wanted to do but I wasn't aware of."
"Pretty sure that's not how your subconscious works but then again, I'm a medical doctor not a psychology doctor," smirked Knockout. "But really, what I meant was it is your destiny to tackle these newfound problems but it's also you who needs to understand what the right thing to do is in these circumstances because you are going to have the closest seat to these encounters. I never said you should go alone but you are probably going to be the one who solves these mysteries the easiest because you've already fought ink monsters, dragons, beasts, and a warlord up close and personal to have an idea of what is at stake. Nobody can understand your experiences the same way because they don't encounter them the same way, so those who follow you are going to need your help in understanding the problem for them to help you conquer these challenges in return. You can't do everything on your own. It doesn't prove as much as you think."
Bumblebee began to smile a little, "Never thought of it like that."
"Listen to your teammates, Bumblebee. Their concerns are not because they think you are incapable of doing something alone, it's out of worry and love. Sometimes the right thing to do is listen to them and indulge them even if you think otherwise. You never know when their instincts will ring truer than your own."
"I just didn't want to upset Freddy or the others. I thought-"
Knockout chuckled, "You think too much. I've noticed that about you since becoming the Autobot leader. You worry you'll lose track of one of them and it will be on you. You worry since you're the leader, every responsibility is on you. You're one mech, Bee, not even Optimus can take on every responsibility which is why he trusted you, Arcee, and the others for missions and tasks he could have taken on his own but he prioritized what he needed over what he wanted and he needed to trust you to grow with what you encountered, to learn so you can get better field skills while also knowing you all had the potential to take on even the strongest enemies together like a team."
Bee had a brief look of an idea forming in his head and his grin grew wider. "Like the children do in their spare time, like what they could do if they got over their fear of Springtrap."
"Oh? What part of my rousing speech makes you think that?" Knockout sneered with some humor.
"You're right, I haven't been fair to my team but I also haven't been fair the children or Marionette. I took the situation into my own servos when I should have left it to the children, told them my plan as well as the Autobots. But the children fear Springtrap for what he's done. What if my contribution to make up for my mistake is to teach them to get over their fear instead? They can take on Springtrap, they just don't know it."
The medic side-eyed him in confusion, "I was talking about your progress, not theirs."
"But it is relevant. I can't fix this alone but I can befriend and build trust was those who can. Those children are extremely powerful but they will cower in Springtrap's presence. If we can get them over their fear, they'll be unstoppable alongside the Autobots against Springtrap which is exactly what we need. They are the only ones that can truly stop him, we're just outliers enough to tip the scale. I just went about it wrong and tried to deal with something I can never prevail over alone and I see that now."
"Ah, I think I see where you're going with this," Knockout said. "Wait, you got that all from my wisdom? I thought you were the best at deduction?"
"Not always, sometimes I just need a little help," smirked Bee.
Knockout placed a quick kiss on his mate and turned towards the base to see some of the possessed Cybertronian bodies playing with each other while others lied in wait. There was still about thirty minutes left before six and Bee knew he needed to do one last thing before they went into hiatus until the next night.
Marionette stood watching Foxy and Mangle wrestle as Bee ran up to her but she paid little mind to him against the rather amusing sight of two Dinobots rolling over each other.
"Marionette, I need to tell you something," Bee said quickly, hoping she would listen.
The Maritatron hesitated to look away but finally met his optics and it was hard to tell her expression or if it was good or bad in general.
"I'm sorry for everything and I'm going to make it up to you. I have a plan-"
"Oh, by the gods..." She growled, shaking her helm.
"-No, no, hear me out! You need time to make that permanent enchantment and you need a babysitter, right? You can go do it because I will watch them and I'll teach them to go against Springtrap," Bee said.
That caught her attention and she turned as quick as lightning towards him with slight aggression. "They are not going against Springtrap! Are you insane?"
"You keep trying to protect them, which I respect and I understand, but why should you be the only one who goes against him? On top of that, you realize how strong they are, don't you? Look, alone you can fair decent against Springtrap and you know if you fall, they will be in trouble. I don't know if you realize that the only reason they fear him is because you accidentally made them believe they have no chance against him which gives him the power over their lives still. On their own, one by one, they may not stand that big of a chance, but what about if they all fought him? Have they ever fought him together before?"
"Well no but-"
"Then let them live to do this. There's a saying here on Earth: the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. If you give them a reason to fear something or someone and only you deal with it alone, they will never grow or move on from that fear or the past that created it. You want to protect them but you're sacrificing their ability to overcome the one thing that's holding them back. Yes, they are children and yes, they will never understand why a person like Afton is the way he is, but that doesn't mean they can't do anything to stop him either if you let them grow beyond that fear. And as a team, do you really think nine mechs unafraid and immortal the same as Springtrap can't take him down? Even if they don't subdue him, the power he has over them through fear will be diminished."
Freddy and the children listened and looked at one another. Ennard, with Balloon Bot on his back, gave a grunt of curiosity. Marionette took note of their piqued interest and looked back to Bumblebee with something akin to sorrow.
Bee smiled, "They didn't have the life as human beings that they should have, but that doesn't mean there's nothing left to learn, to triumph over, or to have a moment as a family for even beyond the living. You love them and they love you. You gave them a second chance, and you became their mother. But what's the point of having the ability to live when everything you're going to do in your life is controlled by fear?"
Freddy stepped forward close to Bee and his vocalizer took a second to boot up. "W-we can't go-GO-go against him! He'll hurt us!"
Something struck Bee and he softly spoke. "Gabriel, look down at your body. Tell me what you see. Describe everything on you."
Gabriel's voice came out suddenly but he didn't appear. "I see my shirt, it's my favorite blue shirt, my hands, my bracelet! I gave my sister an identical one so we'd be together forever!"
As Gabriel was describing himself, Freddy was examining with gestures similar to what Gabriel would probably do looking over each part being named despite having none of the articles of clothing being described.
"Gabriel? Gabriel!" Bee called. Freddy stopped with his servos out and gave Bee a funny look. "Do you...not see the Cybertronian body you're in when you look down through its eyes?"
"What are you talking about? I'm seeing me exactly as I am. I can see I'm bigger than you but I see myself just fine!"
"You can't see yourself as anything but yourself," he whispered. "In your mind, you're still a child so you see yourself as your former self as a child, not as Freddy or Blacklight. Okay Gabriel, why do you think you're bigger than me?"
"Because...I...my body is...larger?"
"You grew up? Okay, then if you're grown up, aren't you as big as Springtrap now?"
Gabriel turned silent before examining his servos again, or as he saw his hands. The other mechanoids looked at their own servos and the adults realized what Bee was getting at, the children took a little longer as he assumed they would.
"Gabriel, you are as large as Springtrap and you have your friends on top of that. He isn't a threat to you, not as much as you think. You're just as strong as he is, just as fast too. You're grown up now, Gabriel, more than you realize. He can't hurt you, especially not all of you at once. You're equal to him and he knows it. You shouldn't fear him because he fears you, and he fears that if you ever figured that out, he'll be crushed at his own game...again. How do you think you stopped him last time? Marionette only took his soul. You stopped him and triggered those springlocks, not her."
Chica then said, "But we were bigger, stronger than he was, then he became like us. We lost our advantage."
Bee shook his head, "No, nothing changed. He didn't change, just got a whole lot uglier, but you guys did change. You can do things no child your age can. A seven-year-old can't kill an adult but you guys did multiple times. You chased off full grown Cybertronians and damn near killed them. No kid can even come close to doing that. You have the power to take on Springtrap, but you can't be afraid of him because the only thing standing in your way is yourselves right now. If you don't believe you can, then he wins. You didn't let that stop you last time though."
As Bumblebee walked away, Marionette calmly observed all her children give off uncertainty at the notion of defeating Springtrap. She saw Bonnie contemplating and gripping his servos into fists while Mangle conversed in a hushed tone between both her heads as two voices arguing for one. Ennard and Cassidy looked distraught over what to do. The division between them made Marionette see her error.
Babying them had taken its toll. They had fought back once when they possessed the animatronics to chase Afton to his underground where he kept Shadowrunner's corpse suit before pursuing as their mecha bodies. Afton was fought in the corpse before but once Springtrap had been sealed away and everything was calm, she treated them like the kids they were, scared and alone. When he came back years later, they had forgotten they took him on as Springtrap so they relied on her to save them. She did and the next time and the third time up until recent. She never got them back to fight with the aggression they had when they died. They were kids after all...but they weren't kids...not anymore.
The chimes of a small clock, almost inaudible, sounded and Marionette quickly looked around for the nearest clock outdoors. In the distance, six o'clock was plastered on a jumbotron in Detroit on a police zeppelin and the children began to get cranky by shaking their helms and some were frantically seeing where to hide. Knowing they were very confused since they weren't at the fairgrounds, she immediately gestured for them to follow to the warehouse they were assigned to rest in for the day.
They went defiantly but she managed to corral them in as dawn was peaking barely over the horizon. They laid together, some placing their chins on others' backs while the likes of Mangle simply curled into a ball and let the others simply build a warmth circle around her. It took fifteen minutes for everyone to calm and Bonnie not to try and bite people out of annoyance.
When they were all resting in a giant, tightly-packed circle, Marionette sighed in exhaustion and sat in the corner placing her helm against the wall after closing the bay doors. It had been a longer night than usual so she knew at least the children would sleep well over seven hours which was perfect for her to rest longer than normal too, something she had the rare luxury of and this gave her a chance to build the energy she needed for that enchantment she promised to seal Springtrap forever to those fairgrounds.
With a huge breath, she somewhat relaxed in a crossed leg position and placed her hands together in meditation. She began to form bio lights over her body as she drifted into a different type of sleep.
As dawn was approaching, the human military guards of the Autobot base perimeters were beginning to switch out from night shift to day. Before some of them went to their barracks for a decent day's rest, a few stuck around near the outskirts for a cigarette.
"You hear about the circus freaks in warehouse 52?"
"What are they?"
"They're apparently dead children possessing Cybertronian bodies and that black and white one, you know the Transformer mime babe, is their caretaker. They killed a bunch of night guards over the years thinking they were their murderer or something."
"Wow, that sounds like something out of a Stephen King novel."
"It probably is, just add some Goosebumps to it."
The two guards laughed as the first one lit another cigarette. "These things are going to kill me."
"Yeah?" The other guard smirked.
The first guard accidentally dropped his cigarette to the side and scowled, bending over to pick it up when something moved in a blur. Freezing, he peered back to his partner to see if he witnessed the same thing but the other guard had his back to him now on the phone with someone else. Suspicious, the guard placed his gun in front of him and slowly walked to the backside of the station where the trees of the forest were almost touching the base fencing. Being on the outside of the fence, he could see a bit easier if anything was in those woods.
He kept hold of his gun as he moved closer. He then saw something. It looked almost like...
Something whipped around his body restraining him and covering his mouth as he was pulled into the forest. The bushes shivered from its occupant's movements and a brief muffle of antagonizing pain could only be heard if someone was close. Ripping and the crushing of bones was barely a whisper. When everything went silent, the forest seemed to groan.
The guard suddenly stumbled out, his gun dangling at his side by the lucky strap it was held on. He coughed and pounded his chest. "Oh shit! Aallckkkk! That's going to be a little sore in the morning."
Stretching and rotating his limbs, he grunted in some discomfort and made his way following the fence to the second guard as the latter hung up.
"Stupid tax collectors. I guess I owe five grand for something I didn't even do. What a joke."
The second guard kept his smirk until he looked up at the other and it fell faster than Blurr could get to the town square and back. "What the hell happened to you?!"
Cracking his stiff jaw, the guard grimaced. "Oh, just fell into the brush over there. Did you know there are rose bushes in there? I cut up my arms, my legs, and neck falling in."
"You're bleeding badly! You look like you've just been mauled by a cougar! And it's soaking through your clothes!"
The guard merely laughed as he took a quick swipe to his face with his glove. His right side of his face was coated in blood with a huge slice down from the forehead to the neck. "Really, I'm perfectly fine."
AN: Now things are getting more horrifying. Springtrap is loose and everything is riding on Bumblebee to fix his mistake before it kills people.
