I.
Secrets of the forest
Chapter 1:
The outside world
Freddy gaped in awe upon what could be one of the most beautiful scenery he had ever seen. Green, green was everywhere, on the grass which decked with a variety of flowers, the canopies which widely spreaded from above, the trees which as tall as the Pizzaplex, the animals which he occasionally spotted on the side of the road. Monty Golf was nothing but a tiny speck of a dot when being compared to natural wildlife representation through an eyes of a robot.
They had been driving for nearly an hour or so. Just then, there were grass fields everywhere. Now, they were surrounded by the tall trees, extended as far as the eyes could see, seemingly trapped in a world of greenery.
Sporadically, they passed other cars. Fortunately, all of them were too attentive to notice a child driving a car and a very apparent Glamrock Freddy sitting besides him. The bear could choose to stay in rest mode behind the van. But, after considering the possibility of having a car accident had forced him to turn on power saving mode, which reduced movement. Fortunately, he didn't have to move around much, the tightness of the front seat had been wriggling him uncomfortably.
"This is...", Freddy stuttered, while admiring the beauty of the wild through the window. "This is so very intriguing, Gregory!"
"Hm... grammar function error. Perhaps I am currently not at my peak performance.", he added. "It seems that the accumulator wasn't as sufficient as I thought."
"It's really beautiful, isn't it?", beamed Gregory, whose eyes glued at the road in front of them.
"Indeed.", he nodded. "I wish to spend all day exploring, though my design would not let me do so."
Gregory noticed the bear's disappointment, and said "I will come up a way to replace that annoying battery of yours, Freddy. I promise. I can't have you spend almost half a day doing hourly recharge!"
Staggered, Freddy turned to look at the boy. "Do not promise anything out of your reach, Gregory.", he advised. "And I am sorry for being a bother to you. I might have-"
"Don't.", the boy cut him off, voice emphasized, both of his hands tensed. "It's not your fault, the glitch was unexpected, you couldn't have done anything."
Then everything went slient. After a while, Gregory opened the cabinet, took out a map and handed it over to Freddy.
"We have been driving for nearly one and half an hour.", said the boy. "Good news, the amount of gas is enough for another four or five hours..."
The bear wasn't ready for these kind of sentences, especially when they started off with the word "good news".
"Bad news...", the boy trailed off, looking a bit embarrassed. "I'm hungry, and need to take a wee-wee."
"A... wee-wee?", Freddy rephrased, blinked as the word was new to him.
"How do I put this...", muttered Gregory, he struggled think of an appropriate explanation, for he was not sure what Freddy would think of it. Though, he eventually gave up nonetheless.
"N-Nevermind.", he sighed. "Anyways, see where we can go. Use that map I gave you."
Freddy took a look at the map, they were mostly painted in green, inferring that forests covered a large area of land around them.
"Alright, then, I shall examine it." He traced the road using his finger, and found some interesting locations. "Ah, I see. Should you keep driving straightforward, soon we will able to arrive at the gas station."
"Are there anywhere else we can go?", asked Gregory.
"Should you turn right, we will turn up at a camping site, which is not very far from the mentioned gas station.", continued the bear.
"Hm, I'm not sure what we can get at the gas station.", said Gregory, sounded a bit worried. "I mean, I don't have any money on me, and so do you, obviously. That'd be no food nor drink whatsoever!"
The bear went on studying the map, he scanned every corner, looking for any spot that might help. Just his luck, the result was nothing worth considering. Maybe there were some other ways to be in conformity with their current necessities. Just then, he noticed something which he should have a while ago.
"If I am correct, this is the van which specializes in transportating ingredients to make food in the Pizzaplex.", he thought systematically. "Although most of them had already been emptied, I still suggest taking a look behind the van."
"Well, why don't you do it instead?", said Gregory, now sound a bit hopeful. "I have to keep my eyes on the road at the moment."
Freddy searched for a slide behind them, every transportation in the Pizzaplex had these for security measures. He reached his hand out and pulled it, creating a rectangular slot that could be used to look through. He leaned towards the opening and looked inside. Thanks to his shining eyes, he could see what was in the back.
"It seems that my assumption was correct!", exclaimed the bear in satisfactory. "How fortunate, Gregory! There are boxes that contains ingredients such as flour and eggs."
"Freddy, you know I can't eat those.", grunted Gregory. "And we don't know how to cook those eggs as well!"
"There appears to be more boxes far in the back.", the bear reassured. "Although I cannot make out what they contain, I am certain that they are not raw ingredients, for their textures are different."
"I wish they have snacks.", said the boy, whose mouth flooded with slavia. "Since food isn't a problem now, I guess we can go to the camping site. Hope aren't many people, if not, we can go somewhere else more deserted."
Gregory parked the car far from the main road, enough to be covered by the bushes. He then opened the door, jumped out and swiftly landed on a pile of leaves. Freddy did the same. They both headed for the backdoors at the end of the van.
Freddy unlocked the bolt and pulled the door.
Upon opening, stacks of carton boxes began to materialize as streams of light rushed through the slit, all of which had a Freddy head logo printed on. Gregory gaped in awe, as widened as he possibly could. The bear brought down a box, used it his sharp claws to cut the tapes. Being impatient, Gregory immediately went for it and opened the box.
What he saw sent him on cloud nine – canned food.
"Oh my gosh, Freddy!", happily exclaimed the boy as he grabbed one of the can. The can was coloured in bright orange, mixed with shades of blue and decked with childish patterns. He saw a Freddy mascot, whose hand held out a bowl of delicious soup, along with a tag line "Fazcan – where simple but delicious meals come from!"
"This could help us last for weeks!", he added.
While Gregory was celebrating in exhilaration, the animatronic bear remained allured by the exotic environment around him. The bear turned his head to look at a nearby shrub, and spotted a strange bloom. Slowly, he marched his way through the blocking vines, until the flower was within his reach.
As he attempted to bend down for a closer inspection, the petals... moved? The sudden and impossible movement made the bear jerked. But at the same time, it made him even more curious. Eyes narrowed for a focused study, he moved his face as close as he could, just inches before touching the flower.
"Gregory,", said the bear, "come and take a look at this strange flower. It does not have any stamens nor pistils. And I think its petals moved!"
Upon hearing such a nonsense statement, the boy stopped examining the can, and followed the bear, who had somehow wandered away from him without notice.
"Probably just a wind.", he reasoned. "Plants don't move."
"Its shape is very bizarre as well!", added the bear. "I have never seen or heard of a bow-shaped flower."
Hold on, thought Gregory, moving petals? Bow-shaped? The details sounded oddly familiar, especially for an insect. Could it be?
Out of thin air, a monarch butterfly gracefully flaped its wings, dashing through the leaves and vines. It circled the bear for a while, until it landed on his nose.
Freddy's locked both of his eyes on the strange creature, which he formerly thought it as a flower. As thin as a paper fold, with an ephemeral yet everlasting beauty, a delicate yet lively body, the creature sparkled glitters of mysteriousness strangely amidst the border of elegance and vigourous. It produced some sort of proboscis, and gently touched the surface for a few seconds, as if the creature was searching for something. But it did not last long, as the creature retracted its trunk, flapped its four magnificent wings, and off it went into the deep forests.
The bear remained his eyes fixed at it, despite not being able to find it anymore.
Gregory had been witnessing one of the most stimulating and thought-provoking moment ever in his entire life. This was a start off point of something bigger, the beginning of a journey, where a machine learns and discovers endless possibilities.
"That was a butterfly, not a flower.", said the boy.
"A butterfly...", whispered the bear. "Ah yes! A butterfly - a flying insect with a long thin body and four large, usually brightly coloured, wings."
He blinked. "You know what a butterfly is, yet, you mistook it for a flower?"
"N-Not that I know what it actually looks like...", explained the bear. "A few days ago, while I was celebrating a child's birthday, I noticed one was wearing a costume somewhat similar to that insect earlier. I asked what kind of animal was that, as I have never seen one with wings before, she giggled, and told me it was an insect called butterfly."
"Well, would have laughed as well if you asked me that same question.", he chuckled.
"I do not know everything. I am still curious, and eager to learn new things.", said Freddy. "Perhaps, you can be the one teaching me with your current capability."
The boy beamed at him. "It's my pleasure."
The duo returned to the van, Gregory was still trying to find a away to open the can.
"Here, let me help you with that.", offered the bear. He took the can which Gregory gave him, and used his claws to open it effortlessly.
"Thanks!", he said. "There isn't any spoon, though."
"How unfortunate,", the bear sympathized. "but it is better than nothing."
After having a quick breakfast, Gregory was thirsty, since there were no water bottles, he had to endure the desire.
Or... He could go and fetch some using the canned food he used. He told Freddy to stay inside the car when he was going to get some water, in case of there were many people around the camping site.
The boy ventured deep into the forest, eyes searching for any sign of a lake or a river. The expanse of trees ahead of him were never ending. The canopies provided a slight glimpse into the overcast weather which turned the shades of greenery even darker. Unnecessary criss-crossed pathways with crickets chirping in broad daylight was a sight to behold. Yet again, nothing.
He had been following the trail for five minutes, and hadn't spotted any. Had it not been for the food, he wouldn't have had the strength to walk around.
Suddenly, the sound of a snapped stick startled him. As quick as a lightning bolt, the boy turned around, readied for a fight or flight option. No one was there, someone, or something was stalking him. Or he could just be imaginating things. Highly alerted, he continued his expedition, occasionally glancing hehind his back for any danger.
It seemed that fate had not given him up yet, for he could hear the murmuring sound of a brook nearby. He then followed the sound, disconnected from the main trail. He didn't mind being constantly obstructed by the bushes, as long as he could get his hands on fresh water.
Upon passing though the final wall of shrubs, the gurgling had become loud enough for him to realize how narrow and fast moving the river was. A gem-blue stream beheld right in front of him. It was seeping and dribbling, bouncing over the timeworn rocks as it swerved through the forest.
Gregory paced towards the bank, he bent down and started cleaning the can before using it to scoop some water. As he dipped his hands into the brook, a chill was sent straight up to his spine. It was numbing yet soothing like cold silk. He then held the can up to his nose, checking if it was fully cleaned yet. He was welcomed by smell of musty, wet earth. The aroma of the forest must be very powerful.
Knowing that, the boy used the can to scoop up some water. Despite not being clean, he drank all of it anyways. The water tasted fishy, somewhat sweet. At least he was able to quench his thirst.
After a few gulps, he decided that it was enough, and made one final scoop, just in case he needed it.
He almost forgot to answer nature's call.
Just when Gregory was about to leave, his eyes spotted a wooden sanctuary over the brook. Freddy and him might be able to reside there for tonight without being spotted. With that in mind, he had to find a way to cross the brook first in order to get there. Providentially, luck was on his side today, as he noticed a small humpback brigde far from the left.
He breathlessly dashed his way back to Freddy, who was obediently staying in the van.
"Gregory, you made it back!", said the bear in a worried tone. "I could not help but tried to follow you, but I feared that I might get myself into trouble and lost my way back."
"So it was you who made that snapping sound?", Gregory mused. "You can talk to me through the Fazwatch, though. I thought it was a bear or something... I mean your furry counterpart that is."
"My apologies.", he said. "I feared that the sound of the Fazwatch could give out your location. This shall never again happen in the future."
"It's okay, don't worry.", Gregory consoled. "Oh, there's something I need to tell you. While I was drinking by the river, I saw an old wooden shelter on the other side, and no one seemed to be around here. We could stay there for tonight!"
"That is excellent news!", exclaimed the bear. "Let us go. Lead the way, superstar."
Later, they arrived at the dusty old shack. Freddy immediately felt uneasy, someone, or something was residing in this place.
"Gregory, be careful.", he alerted. "This place feels unsafe to me."
They opened the door, stepped out of the van, and cautiously headed to the front door. The bear held out his hand, signed the boy to stay back.
"Freddy, I don't think there's anyone in there.", said Gregory.
The bear ignored him, he continued pacing forward. Then, he grabbed the knob, turned it, and pushed it open. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen.
"I told you."
Having confirmed the threat as a false alarm, the bear was relieved as he fully opened the door. Unexpectedly, a number of fluffy ball creatures started rushing out, all at once.
"Ah!", the bear screamed in surprise. He quickly stumbled back while observing a herd of gray and black cotton balls scuttling into nearby bushes.
"Woah! That was unexpected.", said Gregory, who had been laughing since the beginning.
"W-What are those?", asked the shocked yet curious bear.
"They're called raccoons", he responded. "They usually live in the city and suburban area. Probably came from the gas station. Don't worry, they're harmless, unless you provoked them."
"I see... Thank you for your information."
The raccoons although startled by Freddy's menacing appearance, couldn't help but stared curiously at him from the distance. From one, to two, three, and so on, until the entire family joined in.
"Aw! Freddy!", said Gregory excitedly as he pointed his finger at them. "Look! They are snooping around. I think they found you interesting."
"Am I?", he wondered. "My colourful exterior could be the reason why."
While Freddy was having a wonderful encounter with the racoons, Gregory decided to be a vanguard and went to explore the place. The room was large, decorated with simple sets of table and chairs, along with a soft reddish couch and two small pillows. On the other side of the room was a table, on top of it, a lamp and a dead clock could be seen. The corroded walls were pinned with various obsure and strange paintings, all of which were a bit disturbing the more he looked at it.
He ventured deeper, through a short hallway, he was led into another room. It poorly resembled a kitchen as it was missing many pantry appliances. The cabinets, as he expected, were all empty. The room was connected with another door, which led to the bathroom. To his amazement, there were no foul stink, despite the fact that the walls were dreadfully stained in brown and red, which was a little unnerving.
He dared not the look at the toilet.
The house tour was acceptable, barely exceeded his expectations. At least the house was located near the river, he could use the canned food to store water after being used. It was all about "better than nothing" for now, until then, he needed to make plans for the future.
As he made his way back, he noticed something odd which stood out its surroundings. Upon closer inspection, he instantly realized what the object was – A life changing machinery.
A generator.
And he just hoped that the thing could still work.
Without delay, he hurriedly sprinted back into the living room, where Freddy was observing the paintings, both cautiously and inquisitively.
"Freddy!", said Gregory joyfully as he tugged the bear to follow him. "I found a generator, it can provide you power!"
"That is great news!", he replied. "Where did you find it?"
"It's in the kitchen."
Gregory forcefully dragged the gigantic animatronic bear into the kitchen, where the generator was found.
"I must say,", the bear commented. "the condition of this place is beyond horrific. What kind of people in charge of cleaning up this place?"
"Freddy, I don't think nobody lives here anymore.", said Gregory. "They must have moved to other places. Anyways, here it is!"
Freddy took a look at the generator. Unlike the other appliances, which were old and nearly beyond reparation, the machinery remained dirt-free and polished, as if it had just been bought.
"Interesting,", mused Freddy as he move closer for inspection. "The generator seems to be in perfect condition, no stains nor signs of deficiency."
"Who cares?", said Gregory. "You know how it works, right? I'll go get the cables."
While Gregory was getting ready, Freddy kneeled down, his claws traced the outline of the generator. It was lavender-coloured, with some spot bedecked in olive green. A strange colouring choice for such a trivial thing. Its surface was smooth, reflective similar to the floors in the Pizzaplex. He checked the fuel meter, it indicated a half-drained tank.
These details puzzled him greatly, unless the generator was newly bought. Maybe the former residence of this place had gone for a while. But the fact that the obvious difference between it and the rest of the sanctuary, especially in comparison of contemporary, had been disquieting him more than ever.
He continued searching for the handle used to start up the generator. When he found it, he pulled the handle a few times before the sound of engine exploded into life. Although being noisy, he estimated the loudness and concluded that the sound would not expose their hiding place. After testing, he turned it off.
Gregory returned with a tool box, he then put it on the creaky floor next to Freddy. "Woah! It's still working?
"Strange,", said Freddy. "the generator still has a lot of fuel left. Do you think someone has lived here recently?"
"I guess...?", replied the boy. "Maybe they had just left yesterday."
"Possibly.", he continued."But, can you not see? Why would anyone live in such terrible conditions? What is the purpose of using the generator even if they do not care about cleaning the place up? Will they come back at any moment?"
"Okay, you're asking too much.", Gregory evaded. "Let's get you charged first."
He opened the tool box, took out a pair of cable, the one he used to power up Freddy back then.
"The jumpers cabled cannot be used with the generator.", said the bear. "They are unlike the accumulators."
Gregory put the cables back. Freddy searched the box, he took out a handful of different types of wires and electrical components and started sorting them, one by one.
"What are you looking for?", he asked, watching the bear doing the sort.
"I am trying to find a cable which specialized in directing electricity into an animatronic endoskeleton.", responded Freddy. "Most of the tool kits prepared by Fazbear Entertainment always consist of this type of cable. It can be used in case of an emergency, where an animatronic's core is critically damaged and needs energy input."
"You seem to be very knowledgeable in machinery.", he admired.
"It is compulsory for every staff working in the Pizzaplex to know how things work.", said the bear. "Even us animatronics."
Gregory silently watched Freddy as he attentively listened to him.
"Where do you plan to go next, after leaving the place?", asked the bear.
"I don't really know.", answered the boy, whose eyes locked on the floor. "But I am certainly sure that we need to get your stupid battery replaced."
"It is not very easy for those who are not experienced in technology and machinery.", he frowned. "Being able to find one might have been a phenomenon. Though, getting help from them would be quite a challenging task."
"Who wouldn't?", wondered the boy. "You're the most advanced robot I have ever seen! You can feel, talk, eager to learn and have yourself some knowledge as well! I bet every mechanic would want to put their hands on you."
"Perhaps,", he said, somewhat agreed. "What if the people were more afraid than you had thought? My appearance does not look very appealing at the moment."
Gregory inspected the robot's exterior, the adulteration between various colour of stains was beyond his assumption. Completely blended in with the area where the paint had flaked off, scrubbing those dirty tint might scrape of the paint as well. He had to think of a way to scrub them off with something. Somone could freak out were they to spot him being cleaned up by a little boy by a river.
And he wouldn't be able to hug the bear as well!
"We can clean you up at the river nearby," he suggested. "I just have find a safe spot to not be seen..."
"A few droplets of water would not affect much.", mused Freddy. "Yet, they are capable of ceasing any electrical components. You could say, that they are our natural enemy."
Gregory giggled. "Alright, I'll be careful."
After a while, Freddy found the cable, it was thick, black in colour, and had one of the strangest socket Gregory had ever seen. He plugged it in one of the outlets of the generator, then fittingly plugged the other end at his back
"Initiating quick-charge mode.", he blankly said. "Current battery: 12%."
"Twelve percents?" exclaimed the boy in shock. "That was so close! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"My apologies, I did not want you to be worried about me all the time.", he said, selflessly. "The electricity I had gotten from the van's accumulator was not much. I had to turn on power saving mode, which reduced movement."
"How much power were you back then?", frowned the boy in seriousness.
"I...", he stuttered, as Gregory shot his intimidating glare at him. "It was 46%."
"Forty-six?", the boy yelled. "I thought you were fully charged! Why did you stop?"
"I had no choice.", he calmly retorted. "Had I let myself charged up to maximum percentage, the van's battery would have been long gone."
"I don't care!", the boy shouted back. "What if you ran out of power again?"
"As long as you are safe."
"And what about you?"
"Do not worry about me, for my priority is to keep you safe."
"No, you don't understand..."
"It is for your own good."
"You don't understand!"
Gregory was about the break his emotional limitation once again. He gritted his teeth, bit his lips, simulating a pain that overwhelmed the upcoming ache, using fire to fight itself. He did not like being pitied upon, being viewed as a weakling who desperately needed protection, for was no longer trapped in that cursed place. Now, he was in the outside world, where dangers relentlessly seeking from behind, where fear of the unknown exceeded its true limit, where Freddy become vulnerable to almost everything.
And the fact that his only friend constantly sacrificing himself just for his own safety pained him the most.
"Without you...", his voice trembled, "I'll have no one left, a-and I don't want to be alone. You know how hard it is for me to stay put by myself out here. So... please, don't ever do that again."
Gregory remained his gazed locket at the floor, he wouldn't dare to look up. His face was wet, damped by stream of tears. He struggled not to cry with his sore throat as he intensely clenched his fists. One more, one more and it'd break the barrier.
Freddy stood speechless, for he did not know how he should respond under this circumstance. He felt guilty for being a burden to Gregory, yet the boy kept bearing all responsibility on himself. He had always been the one protecting the boy, but he had pushed it too far by perpetually gambling his fate, grappling on the rope between life and death. He focused on the priority too much, that he had nearly forgotten about his own existence.
Did it he do it the wrong way? Should he be aware of his condition, for he was just a mere robot, whose life worth not even a single grain comparing to Gregory's. Had he gone too far? Perhaps, but his purpose remained firm: protect Gregory... at all cost.
"I will.", he said, as he put his hand on the boy's shaggy hair. His voice was deep and caring, like a father figure.
Gregory couldn't take it, he launched himself at the bear with an embrace, quietly sobbing while ignoring the dirty exteriors. "Promise?"
"I promise."
The two remained their stance for a whole minute, until the boy came out of the bears grip, wiped tears off of his stained face. He then noticed the dark tint on both of his arms, and maybe his face as well.
"Oops.", he chuckled at himself.
"You should go and clean yourself.", said Freddy.
"I'll do it when we go fishing.", the boy happily grinned.
"Fishing?"
"Every lesson starts off with a good hug."
A/N:
Considering this as a one-shot, though I will update the story later, since I have a final exam to do first.