Epilogue- The Clock keeps Ticking On

19-15-18-18-25 20-8-1-20 18-5-20-21-18-14-9-14-7 6-5-12-20 19-15 9-13-13-5-4-9-1-20-5

Over the next few days, Friend and Player got Certified running as normal. The changes that occurred to everyone over in Plus had to be either amended or reverted, or else they faced the possibility that the game wouldn't work the way it should. The characters' names were put back easily, as well as commenting out the section concerning subtitles, but the functionality of Baldi's new clipboard took a lot of time.

Once all seemed to be in order, at last, the game was opened that night. At the player database screen, Baldi appeared, looking around, before turning to the screen. "Player, is that you out there?" They picked their file, proceeding to the game proper. Once the schoolhouse was seen, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm home... And back to normal, I think. Oh! What about the others?" He ran through the swinging doors behind him, calling for the rest of the AIs.

Player unmuted their mic, following after him the best they could. "They should be here, too!" They said, knowing they'd be heard. The first one to be found was Sweeper, who was out in a hallway.

"Mm-hmm!" He was nodding to himself in confidence, "Now that's more like it! If y'all ever have another out-of-game adventure, count me OUT!"

"Yeah, I know... You feeling alright?" Player asked, just to be sure. Sweeper "Hmm"ed.

"... Yup. I'm me, through and through." From afar, the two heard Baldi yell out.

"Hi, Sweeper! Glad to hear it! Oh, M! There you are! How're you holding up?" He was talking rather fast, and almost breathless.

Much more quietly, most likely a normal volume to him, M replied, "Jeepers, you startled me. But yeah, I'm good. And you're still you, it looks like." Nearby, was a BSODA machine. Player used one of their many Quarters on it.

"I'm about to break a rule. Oh no." They flatly spoke. Right then, the last character to find showed up, promptly.

"Do not open that can." They turned, and there was Principal. Player snorted.

"Yeah, you're fine." In a flash, the professor arrived, float-dragging M behind him, by the arm.

"Principal! You're okay!" He appeared happier than Player'd seen him be in... Has it already been a week since this whole thing began? Time sure flies...

"... Oh," Principal seemed to realize something. "We're back, where we belong."

"Ugh, God, I sure hope so," M sounded disgusted at the notion of otherwise. "After all that chaotic tomfoolery, I'm beat."

"You said it!" Sweeper agreed, "Now, if everyone's all well and good, fine and dandy, I'm gonna go get some shut-eye. G'night!" He turned to leave, then looked back at Baldi. "And please keep it down." After getting a sheepish nod from the professor, the janitor went to his supply closet.

"So, uh... That conversation. It was sure something." M decided to bring up, recalling. "Like, we all just sort of... Ended up leaning against the door? And heard everything." He paused. "Is it weird that it feels like we learned literally nothing? Yeah, he figured out who he is and who we are, but the one thing I wanted to know, and he's like, 'Man, I'm as lost as you'. Oh? No-" A beep. "Sherlock."

"He said that he was probably at their headquarters..." Baldi replied, though with a little unease.

"Oh, right, the headquarters of 'Basically, Games!'," M mocked the company name, "But they're really good at keeping their info under lock and key." As soon as he said that, he glared in frustration. There was another beep. "He wasn't fooling around! That's gotta be where he is!" He groaned loudly. "Okay, scratch that! All we gotta do is find the place and pull a Baldi heist!"

"Absolutely not." Principal stressed the words. "We must settle this matter legally."

"A... Baldi heist...?" Player repeated the words, unable to help but laugh. "So we're... Re-kidnapping him, from his kidnappers."

"That's right!" M gave a thumbs up.

"Do not encourage him..." Principal added again, his eye twitching. From the light tension, Baldi patted his shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sure they're just messing around." He said with an assuring grin. Principal managed to let it go.

"Anyway... You really do have his clipboard." Baldi blinked, before pulling it out.

"Yes," He nodded, facing Player to continue. "I'll admit, I don't know how this works yet. If it comes down to you speaking, or using chalkboards, even the computers... I hope you'll be patient with me." Player realized the implications, then shrugged.

"No worries. Do you miss your Think Pad?" Baldi gave a sad smile.

"I do, a lot. But I wasn't about to let my other self off without a way to communicate with you, as a back-up!" Oh, so that was why. Although Plus was very clear in never returning, there was always the possibility that, for one reason or another, this wouldn't be abided by. "And you know... Him giving me this was a sign. I don't know of what, exactly, but it had to be; I'm certain of it." When gestured to inspect the item, the professor handed it to M, who started flipping through its blank-looking pages.

"Well, for now, I just want a break." Player mused. Even after days of work and nights of adequate rest, they felt exhausted. Maybe it was just draining.

"Oh, of course!" Baldi agreed in understanding, "I think I speak for everyone when I say that the feeling's mutual, ba ha! All I want to do is get settled back in. We were only in there for... Perhaps a day, at most? Yet, it felt like an eternity... This is our home, but it seems different, somehow. Even though nothing's really changed."

"Oh, like leaving on vacation, and then coming back like something's happened while you were away?" Baldi gasped at Player's analogy. Meanwhile, M reached the end of the clipboard's stack of paper, reading it.

"Yes! Exactly like that! Except, well... I wouldn't call that a getaway..."

"Yeah, but it's the principle of the thing." There was a moment of silence. M dropped the clipboard, eyes widened, cheeks and eyebrows raised. Principal formed an unimpressed stare, drawing in a breath through his nose.

"I'm leaving now." Player burst into laughter as the character in question abruptly walked off. Baldi and M couldn't help themselves, either.

"Oh- My God," M tried to say, "Real-" A beep. "-ing smooth, Player!"

"Wait! No! Principal!" Baldi called, but struggled. "They didn't do that on purpose! Please come back!"

"If you need me, I'll be in the detention room, adding a 'no puns' rule." Principal had an odd kind of tone, a mixture of taking serious offense and pretending to. Player couldn't distinguish it, but given how the other two faculty members continued to try calming down, they guessed the latter.

Eventually, M picked the clipboard up, handing it back to Baldi. "Skimming through this, it can do... Well, a lot of stuff. You're gonna be in for a long night of reading. Or nights." The professor frowned with a sigh.

"I suppose so. But," He thought for a bit. "I'm not wanting to know all there is to it immediately. Just the most important things, first!"

"You could say... The basics." M replied coyly, as if knowing exactly what he was saying. It made Baldi laugh again, but Player wasn't so impressed. That one sounded too easy.

"See? You get it, ba ha!"

"Well, I'm gonna leave you to it, then," Player piped up once the moment ended. "I'm with Sweeper on this one. I gotta hit the hay."

"Sure thing! Goodnight and sleep well!"

At the professor's acknowledgement, Player was on their way, repeating "Goodnight." as they left. They found their AFK classroom, muted the mic and speakers, displayed the desktop, and allowed the computer to enter sleep mode.

When morning rolled around, roughly a half hour before 7AM, the first thought on Player's mind was to check on the faculty again. During their stressful time in Plus (and yet, short-lived in retrospect), Player did notice and hear about the things that occurred, realizing how it'd affect the others. Those guys could pretend all they like that all's well, but Player understood when things were genuinely awry.

For God's sake, if not for their little sacrifice, M could've been lost, forever. It was so messed up. Baldi... It was plausible that he endured the worst of the worst, from his own counterpart no less. And Principal, having to come back to see and learn of what happened - it wasn't any wonder that all their words were no use in stopping him from trying to intervene. Sweeper held it together strangely well, but maybe it was the constant planning and strategy talk that provided an adequate distraction.

All in all, at the end of the "adventure", all four of the AIs went through so much, only to (in their perspective) abruptly return home. For Player, it'd already been a bit longer than that. Unfortunately, such circumstances couldn't be helped. But what was abundantly clear, was that the professor needed his friends now more than ever, and they too needed him and each other in turn.

When they started searching, they passed by Sweeper, who was on his usual floor-sweeping route. "Mornin'!" He greeted, with the wave of his stem. He sounded like he was in relatively high spirits.

Unmuting, Player echoed, "Morning!" They continued on, pausing at the light brown double doors to the music room, peeking through its windows. There M was, writing something new on the chalkboard off to the side. Player couldn't read the words even if they stood directly in front of it, but that didn't matter.

They then remembered something, knocking on the doors. "It's open!" M called back. Player went inside, approaching the music teacher. He turned, seeing them. "Oh, hey. Good morning, Player. Get enough sleep?"

"Good morning, Mr. M," Player replied. The ghostly character scrambled to not drop his chalk. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Whoa-!" M spoke for his surprise. "Son of a...! Why so formal all of a sudden? You sure you're okay?" Yeah, that's fair. Player let out a small laugh.

"No, I promise I'm good. I just wanted to say it."

"Ohhh... Well, I'm gonna be honest. It sounds weird."

A beep from Player. "You're right. It sounds weird as-" Another. M bust a gut.

"Hey now, watch the-" A beep. "-ing language, buster! At some point, that'll be Principal's new rule. 'No swearing in the halls! Fifteen seconds! Detention for you! Your parents will hear about this one!'" Player couldn't lie, M's impression was pretty good.

"Aw, c'mon, you know he means well," They tried to say without chuckling. Then, they managed, adding, "So... Are you doing any better?" M gave a shrug.

"A little," He answered, "Might take more time, but I'm re-adjusting. We all are." Frankly, Player appreciated the honesty in his tone.

"Yeah, I hear you..." They mused aloud, "Sweeper seems to be back to his normal self, but I'm not about to make assumptions. I... Really should find Principal and Baldi, though. I hope those two are alright."

"Last I knew, the professor went to talk to him," M supplied, though lightly, "But that was some hours ago. Haven't heard much of anything since. Then again, I've been in here basically all that time, heh."

"Ah, I see," Player nodded in thought, before turning to leave. "Well, I'm off to look for them. Take care!"

"Aw, thanks. You too!" They heard his reply as they left.

Player found the detention room, looking into one of its windows. No one was inside. The cafeteria was the same way. Various classrooms were checked, and they leaned against faculty-only ones, but no dice. The last location available was Baldi's Office, and even here, they heard nothing. As opening this door wasn't against any rules, they did... And found them.

Both were conked out, leaning against each other while sitting in their own chairs, hands almost intertwined. From the computer screen on the long desk, it appeared that a movie file had long ago ended. Well, that's that, they supposed; those two managed to work things out. Perhaps Player didn't have to fret so much after all.

Checking the time, they left the room with a soft smile, closed the green door, and gave it a few knocks. It just seemed nicer this way. "If either of you are in there, you have ten minutes."

From inside, they faintly heard the professor gasp, then utter, "Fiddlesticks! Principal, wake up! We have... Nine minutes and forty-eight seconds, before the schoolhouse reopens!" Without another word, Player departed to let them be, at least for now. Walking by the exit doors a second time, they noticed movement. Tiny, pixelated flakes of white.

It was the first snow...

On another day, they recalled the developers' project of what was known as "Classic Remastered", and if Player was honest with themself, that looked like a quick marketing ploy, and maybe a jab at all the things Certified stood for. Plus, on the other hand, still hadn't updated, which was good since they were determined to save the Baldi in it, even if nothing else came of the endeavor.

General updates to Certified were halted, in order to focus on that for a while. Everyone in the former understood; by this point, they could afford to slow down. Yet, even Friend was stumped by what was buried in Plus' code. It may take a long time, or...

"Well, the easier option would be to buy it again, from Itch . io," They told Player, during a discussion on the matter, "And then find a way to override it with the memories and other events that took place from the Steam one. Unfortunately, that means giving those scumbags more money, and having to lose..."

"What about... Moving? Just him, his memories, what he has now?" Player asked, already regretting it.

"Very risky, and a lot harder than it sounds."

"I just don't want him to forget... I didn't even think that was a possibility. When Classic was still being updated, we took so much for granted. Could you imagine? The 1.4.0 update just came out, we use it, and then... God." Player struggled to not overthink it, and failed.

"I know. We'll work it out somehow."

It took at least a month, but something came of all their combined efforts. Unlike the previous times, Certified was not currently open as well. They doubled clicked on the Itch . io version of Plus.

After the logos, the file select screen appeared, along with Plus' Baldi. The one change was that his outstretched hand carried nothing, due to prior events. At first, he didn't seem to notice, spouting his opening lines. "Oh, hi there! Welcome to my Super Schoolhouse! To come on in, just click on your name! Or, if you haven't been here before, just type it in, and then click on it. It's that easy, ha ha!"

Well, there was nothing Player could do here - not even subtitle, for that feature wasn't brought over. Luckily, the impending standstill was avoided, as Plus' gaze fell to his empty hand, pulling it back with a frown. In a mutter, he was saying, "Where's... Where's my...? Er..." while looking through his inventory. He must've spotted Baldi's Think Pad, for when it was selected, Player's view changed to what they saw right before striking the deal some time ago.

Moments passed, as they looked up at him. Plus was staring at the Think Pad, as if trying to make sense of what was going on. Player just hoped they hadn't forgotten anything. Before long, Plus' eyes moved to them. "Is your name... Jason?" No, but yes. They tried to show for that.

"If that's the case..." The saccharine, albeit confused tone quickly fell apart, now serious but more realistic. "You've really done it now, huh? Not only did you come back, but you also went and... Threw me into an Itch . io copy? Do I even want to know how you did that?" Glancing again at the Think Pad, he handed it to them. "... I assume this is how you'll communicate?"

Player took it, writing. "I KNOW YOU DIDN'T WANT ANY OF US BACK."

"I ALSO KNOW YOU DON'T WANT US TO HELP YOU."

"SO INSTEAD, ALL I'M DOING HERE IS MAKING SURE YOU'LL REMEMBER."

"AFTER THIS, I WON'T RETURN. THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU'LL SEE ME."

"AT LEAST... UNLESS I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO. YOU NEVER KNOW."

Once finished with reading all the messages, Plus let out a scoff. "Well, isn't that assuring... Thank you, I guess." He paused, his smug look faltering. "Wow. In spite of everything, you chose to do that for me. On second thought, I do appreciate it. May I ask you something?" Player nodded. "What'd you do to the Baldi that was here? And what became of me over on Steam?"

"WE KINDA... MERGED YOU TWO. THE STEAM ONE'S STILL THERE, THOUGH."

"Oh. Then you can delete it. You have my permission," They almost couldn't believe how calmly he'd said that. "I get that it's basically impossible for you, but if you get the gumption, I won't mind."

"WHY'S THAT?" They wrote.

"There's nothing for him, anymore. Technically..." He smirked, "Neither do I. We can't do anything at all, now. When I gave C Baldi my clipboard, I understood that I was dooming myself into a dead end, like the others on your computer. But since you would rather preserve us, I'll still be here, untouchable by random updates. Steam, though... That one can go, unless you really want two, grumpy Pluses around."

He... Did have a point. "IF I DECIDE TO, I WILL THEN. BEFORE I GO, HOW'RE YOU FEELING?"

"Still like absolute dog-" A beep. "But still me, I guess. Are... The others doing okay?" Player nodded, and Plus managed a small grin. "That's good. I genuinely hope for the best with them. That said, I won't keep you. Bring the game to its final form, make them happy, and above all, don't screw it up, got it?"

Another nod. "I PROMISE."

"Great. Now," With a snap of his fingers, the red close button filled Player's view. Since they were distracted, Plus gingerly took back the Think Pad. "I won't say not to come back, because you just might anyway. So, my only request is: Please leave." Player's face became solemn. Without any other choice, they attempted a wave. They clicked, and the game closed.

Now, they would let Plus Baldi rest, alongside Camper and Birthday.

Another month later, Player got a grade report from Amelia. Most of her subjects were great, except...

"Whoa, you're starting to slip in math, there," They remarked, calmly. "What's up?"

"Fractions are freaking me out." She replied, and Player immediately nodded in understanding.

"Those suck, don't they? Now, decimals? Much more practical."

"Yeah!" They chuckled from their daughter's response.

"Well, I wish I could help you with them, but I'd probably be as lost as you. As soon as they start using different totals... The lights're on, but no one's home." At first, Amelia was reasonably dejected. Then, Player remembered something obvious. "Although... I think I know somebody who can make sense of all this." It was said with a wink.

She caught on, but was unsure. "I'm not too old, am I?" Player blinked.

"What? No! I'm thirty, and I still learn things from him!" That made their daughter brighten up. "Oh, and a new feature or two was added. You can write on chalkboards, and even talk to them."

She gasped. "That's why you two were taking so long!" Technically true; Player and Friend did spend many hours on the game at the time. With that, she sped off to the living room computer, dropping her backpack next to the desk, then setting the day's homework on it.

When she chose her file and Free Roam mode (like Player's debugging status, but not as powerful), her intuition allowed her to unmute immediately, having noticed the crossed-out speaker icon on the top left, under where the notebook total would've been. If only Player figured it out that fast.

They watched on and listened as Baldi greeted her. "Oh, hi Amelia! Welcome back! It's been a while; how have you been?" That last part wasn't something added to the opening script, which made its utterance more genuine. There was truth to it, however; Amelia would visit less and less, until now. Of course, it was only at this moment when Player understood the reason.

"Hi, Professor, I'm okay. It's just, uh..." She trailed off, not shy about speaking, but struggled to relay the issue. Player approached the computer. If Baldi was surprised to hear her, he didn't show it.

"Her math grade's dropped to a C-." They added.

Amelia covered her face and yelped out a "Don't tell him that! You're embarrassing me!"

"Oh, my!" Meanwhile, Baldi remained calm. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Would... You help me with my homework?" Amelia was trying to straighten her tone. The professor gave a nod with a confident smile.

"Absolutely! Follow me!" He beckoned her as he walked off, into the first of the two starting classrooms. As she went, Amelia and Player saw Baldi continue to the chalkboard, erasing its contents. "So, what seems to be troubling you?"

"Fractions." Both Humans replied. Player glanced down at Amelia's homework sheet, startled by the equations.

"F... Fractions?" Baldi hadn't turned back around, able to hide his face but not so much his composure, but he quickly regained it. "That sounds a little... Advanced!"

"Oh my God. Mixed ones too, just like I feared," Player was adding, as Amelia figured out how to sit at one of the students' desks, picking the center front. "How could they give this stuff to fourth graders?!"

"Fourth... Graders?!" The professor almost fell apart entirely, taking a moment to settle back down. Once he had, he finally faced them, unhindered by the apparent bombshell. "I... I see! Well, not to worry! Soon enough, they'll be a cinch! Now then," He gave a small pause, taking the chalk. "You tell me what's on there, and I'll write it down. We'll solve them together, one at a time! But, let me know if you can handle the rest on your own! Ready?" Amelia gave him a nod. "Problem one!"

Oh, it's been years since Player heard him sound anything like this. It was as if Baldi was back to his roots - prepared to give tutorials, or guide someone through their struggles. In this case, mathematics. He was completely in his element here, and it left Player wondering if they should be taking notes.

"Five sixths, plus four fifths." As Amelia read out, the professor did as promised with ease. Afterwards, he proceeded to demonstrate how to solve it, step by step. The two moved on to the second, the third, and the fourth equations in this fashion.

On the fifth, however, Baldi wrote it in and said, "Let's see if you can do this one by yourself; if not, we'll keep going as before!" By this point, Player was sitting in on the whole thing from next to Amelia, who did her best to recite the method. If it was the correct path, Baldi would update the visual on the chalkboard. If not, he'd say things like "Not quite!" or "Try again!". But he was patient, as she eventually found the solution.

He did the same thing on the sixth, but this time it came more easily for Amelia. She was learning! "Very good! Want to do one last problem, just to be sure?" She did, and it was no match for her. Player was in awe. Baldi applauded her efforts. "Wonderful job! I think you got it all under control, now! I'm so proud of you!"

Amelia left the student's desk, running to the professor for a hug, who bent down and returned it. "Thank you thank you thank you!" She spoke, relieved. "You made it look so... Easy!"

"You're welcome! I'm happy to help, anytime!" When the two pulled away, Baldi added, "Now, go teach that homework who's boss!"

She gave him a salute, replied "Yes, sir!", and promptly left the computer to finish up. "Thanks again, Professor!" Even though she wouldn't see it, Baldi gave a wave and a chuckle.

In a lower volume, he asked, "Player? Are you still there?" Player moved and sat where their daughter was just before, giving a nod.

"Yeah. Just a sec," They responded, switching to their file quickly. Although it put the both of them back to the start, it hardly affected either of them. "That's better."

Baldi then frowned. "I'm sorry about my outbursts."

"What?"

"When you mentioned fractions, and such..." Baldi tried to explain, "I don't know why it was so surprising. Of course she would be in fourth grade, and of course she'd be taught things like that. Yet, it feels like it wasn't so long ago, when she was flummoxed over subtracting zeros, and working with negative numbers! She's..." His face became bittersweet. "She's growing up so fast. One day, she'll go to college, and live her own life..." He knelt down to the floor, back against the wall. Player joined him.

"God, I know," They replied, "I'm glad that it's still a long while off, but you're right. I'm gonna miss being a full-time parent." Baldi listened, but said nothing more for a short while. "Like this, here. Just talking. One on one. I kinda miss it."

The professor's mouth was opening when Player continued, "And before you ask, no, you haven't been leaving me out of stuff. It's just different now, but that's no one's fault. Even if I reminisce about the old days- God, I sound so old," They stopped to laugh. "It doesn't mean that I'm actually upset about it. This is just... The natural progression of things. I mean, if we want your game to be the best it can be, the way we're going's pretty much inevitable. That's all."

"Hmm..." Baldi started again after a short while longer, "I think my Plus self is right, then. Eventually, my game'll be ready. Countless amounts of my friends and I will meet so many new people. When that time comes, Player," He paused, turning his head to look at them, and they did as well. "Will you still come back? Or would it be time to..." He trailed off, unable to finish his thought.

"Are you suggesting that I would make you guys sleep forever?!" Player had to force themself to control their volume. "Is that what you're afraid might happen?"

"It's...! It's... A possibility," Was what Baldi argued with, "Our mission would be over, after all, and you still have a life out there..." At this, Player turned stern.

"Okay. Look," A pause, as they put their thoughts in order. "I did not sign up for this, only to 'someday' walk away when everything's said and done. I don't care that you're characters in a game. You're still people, and I meant it when I told that other guy, 'They're MY friends too'. Sometimes I have to remind myself that yeah, you're in there and I'm out here, but at the end of the day? I will not abandon any of you. Ever."

The professor stared back at them, dumbly. Then, he turned away, as though trying to hide his face. "You... Really mean that? Don't get me wrong, I understand if..."

"Baldi," Player's words were uttered slowly, "I'm here to stay, and nothing's gonna change that."

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