Baldi's Basics: Time For Plus
Written by RadRapo

Full description:
Ah, 2022. Hard to believe it's been this long, since this whole hullabaloo started. Though, something's been lurking on Player's computer for quite some time now; a shortcut to the latest installment of the Baldi's Basics series, known as Plus.
It wasn't like they'd completely ignored it. But even now, there might be more they could discover. Maybe it's time to play it for themself.
Sequel to Camping And Birthdays!

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Prologue- Saved It for a Rainy Night

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Player awoke from in their bed. It was still dark; the house was quiet. Glancing at their alarm clock, it was just past four AM. Unsteadily, they left the bedroom for a drink of water for their parched throat. Only on their way back, did they turn to the computer in the living room. The game was still running.

Careful not to spill their drink, they sped over, waking the computer from sleep mode. After plugging in their headphones, they proceeded to unmute the PC. Immediately

"Which makes pumpkins, and all gourds, fruits!" Spoke Baldi, as though he'd been in a discussion. There was a pause. "Oh, look M! It's raining! It's finally happening!" Meanwhile, Player tabbed into the game's window. They were right where they'd placed themself hours ago - inside the further of the starting two classrooms.

"Oh, wow, would you look at that," M replied, lightly. "The new weather algorithms are working great." Now that they were listening, Player could also place the sounds of droplets hitting the roof. They couldn't help but smirk in pride; this was their sound design at work, compressed in just the right ways to imitate the quality that was expected back then. Glorious.

They heard the double doors open. M continued, "Think that we can... You know... Feel it?"

"What a great idea! I'll go get Principal and Sweeper!"

"Too bad the students will miss out." Right. The students' curfew, of which despawns them until morning. The only reason Player wasn't a part of it was because the main protagonist was necessary for the game to keep going.

"I know..." Baldi sighed, though he wasn't deterred, "But I'm sure they'll see the next one! Or maybe even the first snow!"

"Oh, yeah... Wait, why isn't it snowing? It's like, just barely February."

"Hm... They say that it's the coldest month, so it might later on?" By now, Baldi was noticeably much further away, but still audible. "We'll just have to wait and see!" While he was gone, Player thought about leaving the room to join them. On one hand, they'd already heard enough to know that everything was fine, but on the other... Why not see the rain?

And totally not ruin the entire moment?

This was solidified even more when they heard the professor's return, the other two aforementioned characters following. "I don't get it. Rain makes mud, and mud makes a mess." With the lowest pitch of them all, and somewhat rough-sounding, it could only be Gotta Sweep, or Sweeper as Baldi had called him.

M snickered. "Someone's Mr. Crabby."

"The schoolhouse doesn't open again until seven, so I get where he's coming from." Principal added.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you!" Baldi tried to mediate. "I promise that as soon as you see it, you can go back to sleep!"

"No, because NOW I'm gonna have nightmares about kids tracking it on the floors, the walls, AND the ceiling!"

"Since when do we dream?" M inquired.

"Since..." Principal started, trailed off for a while, then finished, "Never."

"Oh, just can it with the sass! Y'all know what I mean!"

"If it makes you feel any better, we don't even have mud!" In spite of the situation, Baldi kept at it in easing the living broom's mind. Hearing all of this made Player laugh silently to themself. Was this really the kind of banter they'd miss out on?

It'd been relatively calm when it was just Baldi and Principal, a little more shaken up when M returned, but now, between Sweeper and the students during the day, there was no longer that feeling. But, that's what happens when one groups together several AIs, all with their own personalities and quirks. Somebody's bound to stir the pot eventually.

"Huh... Then I guess it's not so bad." Finally, the tension resolved, and there was silence. The characters were probably all watching the rainfall.

Principal was the first to break it. "It's quite nice."

"Isn't it?" Baldi replied. At last, Player left the room. Just as they thought, the four AIs were at the exit doors (which were still left open), the outside being dark due to the day/night cycle. However, the sound of Player alerted them. They all turned, Baldi greeting them first. "Oh, hi Player! What brings you back so early?"

Both M and Sweeper had undergone physical changes, the former more than the latter. Both had 3D, polygonal models alike to Baldi and Principal, but the similarities ended there. Sweeper was still a broom, but now with gray eyes and a mouth placed upon his bristle holder. As for M, his prior lack of features were fixed, but were ghostly white, semi-visible. But he refused to have his face changed, aside from having a nose.

"I'm partial to the translucent look," He had said whilst making the requests, "Makes me more... Spoopy." Very well, Player could work with all that.

Back to now, they just gave Baldi a shrug, approaching the group. Glancing at Principal, they could tell that he knew it wasn't that simple, but chose not to comment. Instead, Baldi continued, "Well, you're just in time! It's raining!" As he spoke, M floated outside, spreading his arms out and tilting his head back.

"Annnnnnd... It's real." He added. Seeing this, Principal spawned a few umbrellas, handing one to each of the others, before following. Against all logic, Sweeper's handle wrapped around his, but he made no move.

"Let's go, Player!" Baldi said excitedly, joining them. Player didn't hesitate, opening their umbrella on the way out. M only did so when he'd had enough, Principal's was already, as well as Baldi's, but the latter stuck out his hand to feel the droplets, grinning all the while. "Wow! This is great! Sweeper, you want to check this out?"

"Eh, I donno about that..." Player faced the janitor, giving him what they hoped was a "you sure?" look. "Oh, fine; but only for a bit, okay?" Soon, all five of them were outside. Together. In the rain. At 4:15 AM.

It was nice.

Once over, the characters went their separate ways, until only Player and Baldi remained. "Going back to sleep?" He asked them. With a nod, Player started for their destination. "Well, before you go, may I ask you something?" They stopped, curious, before nodding again. Baldi handed them his Think Pad.

"I know I already did, but..." He then started, "Is there any reason in particular that you came back so soon? Not that I'm against it, of course! It's just a little... Unlike you?" Player realized that they'd completely forgotten until now. And yet, the reason's contents had ebbed away for the most part, try as they might to recall them.

So, they wrote, "I HAD A NIGHTMARE. NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL."

Baldi frowned, tilting his head. "Certainly big enough to come here, though... Are you sure?" Player should've known that he wouldn't fall for that. Over the years, Baldi had learned to see when Player was downplaying things.

No point in continuing the ruse. They took a breath, before writing more.

"YOU GOT ME."

"IT WAS THE KIND WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE MAKING SURE EVERYTHING'S OKAY, AFTERWARDS."

"Oh...!" The professor responded in shock this time. "I see now... You needed to check up on us. That sounds awful, Player. Do you want to talk about it?" Player thought for a minute, before agreeing. May as well, with what little they can still make sense of.

"YOU WERE IN THE CAMPING FOREST. ALONE, TERRIFIED, AND RUNNING FROM SOMETHING."

"I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT, BUT IT WAS LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO COME OUT OF THE EARTH. IT WAS BIG."

"THERE WERE VOICES, BUT MOST OF IT WAS GIBBERISH. THE ONLY WORD I RECALL IS 'LIABILITY'."

"BUT I WOKE UP BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE COULD HAPPEN. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ANY OF IT MEANS." During the retelling, Player was certain that Baldi was reconstructing it mentally, all the while nodding along. It was likely just how he imagined scenarios - not too different from people, really.

"My goodness..." Was all the professor could utter, before finding more to say. "But, luckily, that sort of thing can't happen! Not here, anyway!" The last sentence echoed in Player's mind. It suddenly clicked, as from the outside, they gazed upon a certain shortcut icon, hidden in a folder that's otherwise out of their curious daughter's reach.

"Baldi's Basics Plus".

The only reason they were able to have that was from using Friend's Steam account, which they more than allowed under the circumstances. Over time, a year and a half now, it'd updated every so often as the developers worked more on it, when not gathering digital dust. Yet, Player kept waiting, instead watching others play it for research.

And it wasn't like they did so alone; they'd download the videos and share them with the faculty characters on a classroom projector. So, everything Player knew, they did too.

They could only justify this procrastination by mentioning that they were waiting for something big, something that would crack things wide open, something note-worthy that hasn't already been teased. Something... Or someone. A Filename2, perhaps; they remembered that, even now, he's been oddly absent.

It was a subject of pondering. Did the creator not sneak him in yet? Did the developers scrub him away at last? No one knew the answer, and the theories were split amongst them.

At this moment, the more they stared at that smiling, empty face of Plus' Baldi, the more resolute Player became. It must've shown on their face, as theirs noticed.

"Are you alright? Was it something I said?" They looked back at the game window, seeing Baldi's concerned expression.

"I THINK THE NIGHTMARE'S TELLING ME THAT IT'S TIME TO PLAY THE GAME." Concern became confusion. So, they added, in one word.

"PLUS." Immediately, Baldi's eyes widened, gasping.

"Are you sure? Right now?" Player shook their head.

"NO, BUT SOON. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WHAT I FIND OUT WITH YOU AND THE REST OF THE STAFF."

"That would be incredible," Baldi gave a small smile, "There must be more things you can discover that others haven't! But you're positive about this? At least sleep on it first?" Player considered it. Yeah, they did need more rest, at the very least.

"ALRIGHT, I'LL DO THAT. BUT IF I FEEL THE SAME LATER, PLEASE LET THEM KNOW?"

"You got it!" The professor gave a thumbs up. Player nodded in appreciation.

"THANK YOU. I'M GONNA GO NOW, SO I'LL SEE YOU THEN!" They finished, before returning the Think Pad. Baldi waved them goodbye as they turned to leave for the classroom they'd picked out before.

"Sleep well, Player! Goodnight!"

From the outside, Player returned to bed, feeling a new sense of purpose. Soon, they echoed in their mind. Soon, they'll unravel whatever's in Plus.

Soon...

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1. Roll Call for Here Elementary

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Player ended up mulling it over, during the course of a few days. Well, they certainly couldn't wait until Plus is complete, then it'd be too late to... Do what, exactly? Maybe the faculty knew more than they. Those guys were able to spend entire, countless nights together - possibly formulating plans, reviewing footage, considering mechanics... With a lot more time than mere organics, such as Player and Friend.

Player envied that, but it was in a lighthearted way.

On one in particular, they had just left their "AFK" classroom when

"Player! THERE you are! I've been looking ALL DAY!" Squealed Playtime, swiftly meeting up with them. She had a polygonal model alike the rest, though now wore glasses. The rest of her was still similar to what was once before, long red shirt and messy black hair. No jump rope in sight, either.

Player doubted it'd been more than two hours. Still, they waved in greeting. Right after, she took their arm and led them through the schoolhouse.

"Mr. M has something to show everyone today in the music room! I'm so excited!" She explained, Player finding themself essentially dragged around. Ah, they remembered this - it was right after Sweeper was revamped. M had found what he wanted to be, and what role in the "story" he'd play.

Something about a ghost musician who was upset that the schoolhouse was built on his resting place. Out of fear that he'd be gotten rid of, he would then try to haunt the place to scare everyone away, until Baldi calmed him down. From there, he let him stay to be the students' music teacher. It was very much like how things really played out.

There'd been no qualms about these ideas, as they'd been discussed amongst the other staff members prior to Player being told. Baldi himself was especially keen on it, not only for the same reason Player was thinking, but also...

"I was hoping he'd find himself sometime; he deserves it. He's come such a long way, you know? I'm so proud of him!" Yeah, that; but Player couldn't blame him. It seems like the distant past now, but it was still fresh in their mind how they'd returned to the game, after impressing M. The sadness they saw in the professor's eyes, the wilting posture he possessed.

If they had it their way, Player would've preferred being told that they'd all missed something in the code, or some other thing that kept it from being to M's standards. Literally anything other than, "M says he wants to be erased."

It was heart wrenching then, but that pain eventually led to Principal's rework. M's return. Sweeper. Playtime and the other students. Losing your only AI companion(s) was no longer a consideration.

God. Now Player really wanted to see them all, and take notice of their joy in the present.

They found themself keeping up with Playtime's pace, determined to reach the two's destination. However, the girl stopped short as she waved down an adjacent hall, breaking Player's concentration.

"Artsyyy!" She called, Player turning to watch. At the end was a 3D modeled sock puppet, who stood not much taller than Playtime and them. "Mr. M wants to show us something in the music room! You going?" Arts and Crafters, or just Arts or Artsy, said nothing, but gave a small nod. Playtime flashed him a thumbs up before dragging Player again. "Great! See you there!"

Neither of them heard Arts catch up, until a meek, whispery voice emanated from him. "No, no... I want to go with you."

"Okay!" Playtime's volume rang out like the sharpest spike by contrast. Player was lucky that her voice had its quality restored... For the most part. Though, when it came to Arts', they were surprised to learn that he even had one to begin with.

The now trio continued on their way, until they were stopped by Bully, who blocked their path. There wasn't much to mention in terms of changes with him, though his face resembled the look of the PlaceFace asset, and matched their heights. He was still the tallest kid of the student body, however; Player had to give him that much, at least.

"Oh no, not him..." Arts murmured.

"Bully!" Playtime began, "Mr. M wants to-"

"Yeah yeah," He waved it off, uninterested, "I don't need to be Baldi to know THAT. You've been screeching it ever since we got here today. 'Oh no! Where's Player? They'll miss out!' You weirdos wanna go so bad? Pay the TOLL..."

The three of them checked their inventories. Friend had decided that if Plus lets players have five items, and eventually a quarter total, so should Classic 1.4.3C. They went above and beyond however, for every item stacked, and all student characters were given the same treatment. As for faculty members? They got ten slots.

Of course, due to Player's debugging status, they automatically had 99 Quarters - but that was their only perk. They could easily pony up enough change for all of them, times... Uh, many more.

Arts sighed in defeat. "Just give him what he wants..." And so, Player

"I SEE YOU, FRIEND!" All of them turned to the source of the mechanical voice, belonging only to 1st Prize. Player got a devious grin on their face.

Meanwhile, in the music room were the four faculty members, by now waiting for the students to arrive with Player in tow. Principal was inspecting the chalkboard's contents (simply stating "Trio recital today at 10AM!" in M's handwriting, which was somehow more disjointed than Baldi's, and yet perfectly center). Said professor sat at the piano bench, while M on its top. Finally, Sweeper stood by the left-open door.

"Any news?" M asked, lightly. Baldi "Hmm"ed.

"Playtime found them, and Arts joined in, but now Bully's giving them all trouble." He replied, grinning knowingly. He idly played notes as Principal faced their direction.

"Will we need to intervene?" Baldi shook his head at the question.

"No, no, I think they'll be just fine!" He had no problem keeping up with Player's group, continuing to listen in on the conversation.

"Just give him what he wants..." Arts whispered.

"I SEE YOU, FRIEND!" Uttered 1st Prize.

"Yay! 1st Prize! I think that's everybody!" Cheered Playtime.

"It's not stopping...!" Arts sounded concerned. Wait. Uh oh. "Player, what-!"

The collective student body let out a yell, followed by a crash against the wall. In moments however, Playtime laughed. "Ha ha! Take THAT, Bully!"

Principal heard Baldi abruptly stop playing, and asked, "Alright, what happened?"

"Player used 1st Prize to bypass Bully's shenanigans." This time, the professor's tone was lethargic. Principal blinked.

"... Right." To the others, he continued, "Who wants to chaperone?" Before he could get an answer, Sweeper was already going down the hallway. "Nevermind."

The three continued to wait, Baldi clearly hearing Sweeper's gruff words. "Alright, you rugrats. Get a move on!"

"Nah, no thanks. I'll PASS." Bully replied.

"For you, attendance is mandatory." Then, Sweeper paused. "Unless... You want detention. That'll work too."

"Ugh, fine! I'll GO!" Baldi couldn't help but smile again, but was able to stifle a chuckle.

"Okay! They're on their way, you two!" He pointed out to M and Principal. They proceeded to get into their positions.

At last, everyone was present. The students took their seats as Player scanned the room, finding that not only was M around (and of course Sweeper), but so were Principal and Baldi. Player couldn't make out what the chalkboard was saying, but Playtime was easily able to read it out for them. Huh. Her glasses must be magic.

"Good morning, everyone!" M greeted the class. Player was still trying to get used to the way he was able to act so... Well, the only word they could find was, "Professional", but they weren't certain if it was the correct one.

"Good morning, Mr. M!" The students responded in kind, all in their own ways. Player kind of wished they could, too. Wait... There's an idea. But now's not the time. They made a mental note instead.

"As you're probably aware, I have something very special to share today," M continued, "Ever since becoming an instructor of Here School, I've been thinking, about how I could inspire you all with the wonders of music. And what better way to do that, than a recital?"

He motioned to the two other faculty members behind him. "But I'm not alone. Professor Baldi and Principal of the Thing have offered to help me out." While Principal gave a nod of acknowledgement and a small grin, Baldi on the other hand stood, beaming, giving his signature, double jointed wave before sitting back down. Player was unable to keep a straight face.

"So, with the professor on piano," Baldi played a small melody, "Principal on the viola," From nowhere, Principal pulled out the instrument and followed suit, "And yours truly on the cello..." M went over to it and did the same as the others before him, "We will be performing a short song for all of you. Please enjoy."

The trio began, Baldi with the first few bars, Principal joining in, then finally M. The melody itself was familiar to Player, but they couldn't quite place it. Though, it had to have been one that'd been shared via the computer lab, but how long ago wasn't certain. Still, they and the other classmates listened, enchanted, even Bully.

Though, he was probably sure no one was looking.

As for the staff characters playing, all three of them appeared content. Baldi's was obvious, Principal's was more subtle (but yes, his smile grew at least a few pixels wider), but for M, it was hard to tell if one didn't know him well. Yet, for Player, his relaxed posture and half-of-a-face gave it away.

Even from the outside, Player could feel an aura presenting itself; it was one akin to peace of mind, that everything's alright. Just what Player wanted to see and hear - this small but welcoming gameworld, full of quirky characters and things to do in-between collecting notebooks. And for a moment, there were no troubles in their mind.

Then, the song ended, Principal hitting the final notes.

The audience clapped, including Player. The performing trio stood together and gave a bow. Whatever happened next they didn't get to catch, for as soon as the applause ended, they were on their phone, texting Friend.

PLAYER
"Hey. I've decided. It's time for Plus.
But I need your help with some stuff. I want them to be able to see everything.
And... Typing isn't gonna cut it. Anything you can do about mics?"

No response yet. When Player looked at the game again, the students had already left, as did most of the faculty members.

"Heh. Still here, huh?" M was saying, back to his usual inflection. Player met his gaze. Even without a mouth, they could see his smirk. As they approached him, he continued, "How'd you like it? Nod if yes, shake if no. Be honest." Player nodded, it frankly being an easy question. "Oh, that's cool; I'm glad. I noticed you space out, though. Playtime was trying really hard to snap you out of it. Something come up?" Another nod.

"Was it serious?" A third. "Want to talk about it?" A fourth. "Ah... Then..." He trailed off, before giving a laugh. "Oh, gosh. Right. This is usually the part where you start typing stuff on the professor's gadget-thingy. But he's... Busy, I think. Something about a... Eh, forget it. None of our business."

"Anyway... Hm... I have an idea," He changed the topic quickly, ignoring Player's confused stare. "I could make it so you can write on chalkboards, maybe. It's something, right? But I'd have to, like, grab your arm or something. Would you mind?" Player held out their hand, and M took it. "Okay, great! You... Oh. You probably won't feel anything. Sometimes I forget you're a Human from the outside. Here goes."

Nothing seemed to happen, but soon M pulled away, satisfied. "There you go. I'm actually pretty surprised you couldn't already do that, but oh well." When he mentioned this, Player's expression suddenly changed, recalling a memory that was once deeply buried. They fell on their face, as their real-life self planted theirs on the computer desk.

"Uh, h-hey... You alright?" M immediately uttered in concern, "M-Maybe your avatar couldn't take it? Sorry about that..." The very next thing they heard was the door open, followed by

"What happened, M?!" Baldi spoke, worried.

"I, uh... Okay, I swear, it's not at all what it looks like." M was... Not handling this well.

"We know that. But please tell us why they're on the floor!" It was Principal that time. The two must've arrived together.

"I... Tried changing their code? So that they could, well... Write on chalkboards? Just in case, you know... I didn't think their avatar would take it this badly-"

"Oh! Oh, goodness... No, M, that's not... I don't think..." Baldi was struggling to respond. So he still remembered, too. "I guess we never got to tell you about this, but... There are a few things that they have bad memories of. This is one of them."

"... Ah-" A beep. "That explains it. Would it help if I undid the changes?" Player sighed, before managing to stand again. The three AIs turned to them hastily. Baldi bent down to their level, grabbing their shoulders.

"Are you okay, Player?" They nodded, certain. Slowly, the professor relaxed, letting them go as soon as they tried to move. They watched them head to the chalkboard. An option appeared on their screen to write. The moment they accepted, Baldi reached their side again. "Oh, hey! You don't have to use it if you... I mean..." Player shook their head, determined.

Seeing it, Baldi nodded, stepping back. It took a minute, but Player managed to write something, underneath M's message.

"No. I think I needed this. It's not like it was before. Thanks, M.
Also... I'm ready for Plus."

The characters took this in while Player's phone hummed with a new text.

FRIEND
"Aight, I can do those. When should I drop by?"

"Whoa... Plus? Holy-" A beep from M. "Jesus. You sure?"

"Well, it's not as if they'll be new to it," Principal reasoned, "I believe the time is right. It hasn't updated in ages. Even if there was another one, a few more will come, just for bugfixes. I've seen the patterns."

"But... There's no ending," M couldn't help but argue. "Unless you count that fake error screen as something noteworthy."

"Remember the anti-piracy footage." Was all Principal refuted with. M heaved a sigh.

"Yeah, okay. You got me there. That definitely had to be the same one from Birthday Bash."

"Shh! They're writing again!" Finally Baldi added, the other two silencing. Player's next message appeared.

"Yes. But I want you all to watch me play it.
Friend will help me set everything up.
But typing won't be enough, so...
How do you feel about hearing me?"

Baldi's jaw dropped, Principal was stunned, but M just looked at them and snorted.

A beep, then he spoke, "It, I'm in. I'll even tell Sweeper, too."

"The... Sentiment, is mutual." Principal stressed, then whispered, "Please stop swearing..."

Lastly, Baldi composed himself. "I'm looking forward to it, Player! Take all the time you and Friend need!" With that, Player got back to Friend's text.

PLAYER
"How's today sound?"

And the chalkboard, which bore the same message. The characters nodded in approval. Friend replied again.

FRIEND
"Sure thing!
And they know, right?"

Player rolled their eyes with a smile.

PLAYER
"They're all in on it."

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