Mable: Here we are! I got a question in an anonymous review about the sequel to A Fool's Endeavor, so I decided to take this author's note to discuss it.
Tentatively called "A Fool's Gold" as a working title, the novel will involve Jester Lure, Balsam, Sir Morrick, and a few others forced to undertake a long journey once more. However, unlike A Fool's Endeavor, it is not Lure's princess and lifestyle on the line, but his own life that now hangs in the balance. After an alchemy mishap, he is cursed by something unimaginable, and unless he can find an antidote in the City of Mages he may, at best, be looking at a survival through the loss of his own limb. Time is of the essence as the companions must venture out of their kingdom and into the depths of the desert to find a solution.
So, that's pretty much a summary. XD I'll be sure to give out more details as the book gets further alone in development. For now, I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Thirty-Nine
It was clear that Scott and Ennard had made up from whatever spat they had. By time they got in the van the man had a small smile and the amalgam was chattering away happily. They seemed so carefree and usually Baby would've been jealous of it, but not now. Right now Baby didn't feel much of anything as she sat in the back of the van and stared at the claw that replaced her hand. The thought of having had a beautiful human body that was stolen away from her, stolen by the body that was currently hers, was almost too much to bear.
It almost made her forget about the fact that she was going to return to that warehouse with a broken face. She shuddered at the thought and gave a quiet noise like a huff. This was so disappointing, so mortifying, such a waste of time and now it was morning and she had nothing to show for it. It felt strange looking out of the back windows and seeing the golden glow of a rising sun. It had been an eternity since she had been out during the day.
And just like that, they pulled into the parking lot of the warehouse and came to a stop. They didn't rush her out, but she could only assume that they were going to be like Fritz and would want her back in the warehouse as soon as possible. She could tell from how Scott kept yawning and stretching that he was tired, and Ennard's focus was back on him so she was back to being on her own.
"Such a waste," she spoke before she thought. "Stuck in this broken body and now there's not even a hope of a way out… What was I thinking? Its been years since the pizzeria was open. Why would I think I would find something there?"
"It was a good guess. Freddy's had a habit of leaving things behind. I'm actually shocked the saferoom was open at all; usually they shove whatever they want to hide inside and seal it up," Scott explained. Though in the back of his mind he added, "But William would've never done that with his own animatronics. Not when he made them for a reason…"
"Ya know… I might know where your old, plated body is. The one from ARI," Ennard coaxingly suggested.
"It's in that garage, isn't it?" Baby blankly asked.
"Bingo! And I've got all the pieces if ya want to fit back inside. Sure, it's a little bigger than what ya got now, but if you want it then you got it! Personally, I think you're better off not having to lug that thing around," Ennard said. He sounded so casual about it all. She didn't understand how he did it.
"…I could care less about form or functionality. All I wanted to fix was my face, and now I can't do that. I won't be able to find the parts for it…" She traced her fingers over her face. They dipped into the broken sections on the right side of her face and along the jagged plates. "…But is there even a point? I thought that maybe if I looked more beautiful that it would fix my problems, but my problems can't be fixed. They're too deep inside."
By this point, Ennard was wearing his poker face again, because Baby's choice of wording was making him increasingly comfortable. He knew what she meant all too well- there was a reason he wore his mask, after all- and he knew that part of what she said was right. A new face wasn't going to change her world. Or maybe it would.
"What about the face off the clunky body? Just would need some adjustments, maybe a new paint job, some soldering here or there, and you'd be good as new!" the amalgam suggested. "A new face for a new Baby all built up on the old one!"
"I can't do that. Look at how I put myself back together last time," she offered as she raised her arms and looked at them. She gave an impatient huff; functional, not beautiful. "I would need Fritz… And he wants nothing to do with me now." She looked backout the window vacantly. "…I should've never gone home with Fritz. I might've stood a chance if he didn't know who I was."
By this point, Ennard just couldn't handle much more of this negative plummet. It was making him uncomfortable and making him think things he shouldn't, like about himself. He volunteered a new suggestion.
"How about I do it?" Baby looked over abruptly and Scott was cut off mid-yawn. "I know what I'm doing! All I'd have to do is shape up the plates, set 'em to reattach, and weld 'em into place. Easy as cake! I just can't promise we could get 'em back off easy once they're on, ha ha!"
"You?" Baby was utterly dumbstruck. It was hard accepting the fact that she was being civil with Ennard all of a sudden, let alone that he, an animatronic, was offering to work on her. An animatronic who was currently in out of service state himself. She resisted the urge to glance down at the mess of wires that was trying to look like a bowtie. "I don't think you understand how difficult that would be. I would need a technician, someone better than Fritz even."
"Oh, please! I've opened up tons of bots, trust me!" Ennard assured with a dismissive wave. "I know how it all ticks, and I think I've been a lot closer with screws, bolts, and hairpins than he's ever been! At least let me try. How bad can I do?"
"Don't make me answer that question," Baby sourly remarked. "As of right now I am at the upper level of destroyed bodies. I can fall farther and am not looking to do so."
"I'm not trying to push you," Ennard offered. Though he promptly followed with, "Oh, please! I can do it! I can make ya look great!" Which instantly contradicted itself and was caught by both listeners. Seeing that he wasn't convincing either of them, the amalgam tried to switch up his tactics. "How about this… I get the plates all fixed up and ready to go on, you look at them, and if ya like what you see then we go ahead and getcha your new face. How's that?"
Baby wasn't entirely sure how to answer. She still didn't entirely trust Ennard, even though her opinion of him had raised dramatically in the last couple of hours. She didn't really trust anyone anymore and while she didn't like how she looked, she was worried about the risk of looking worse. Especially since Ennard himself had such a devil may care attitude towards his wires being bared, even when covered in an old raincoat. Still, there was something inside that wanted it, that was willing to risk it. She wanted to think it was hope but suspected it was more than likely desperation.
"…Fine. Only if you show me the plates first, and only if Charlie paints my face," Baby agreed.
"That's the spirit!" Ennard chirped. His wires twitched in excitement and delighted static coursed through his body. He turned to their driver. "Well, ya heard her, Scott! Next stop, home!... After I go tear apart the warehouse and find a welder."
With the renovation starting and no hired out parties planned yet, Mike and Marionette were both still home around noontime. It was nice to get some time off work, but Mike was still looking over the newspaper's wanted ads, wondering vaguely if he needed to invest in getting a second job while the restaurant was out of commission. Thus, he was right there to answer the phone when it rang. "It's Mike."
"Hello. It's me, Scott," Scott answered. His voice was groggy on the line. "So, uh, I've got Baby over here and Ennard's trying to fix her face- It's a long story. It's been a long night. Anyway, she wanted me to call and see if Charlie would come by."
"…Is this really Scott or is this Ennard?" Mike asked as an immediate reflex. "Sorry, I'm just not sure if I can take that story at face value. There's at least five red flags I'm seeing."
"No, it's really me. It's just been a long night." Scott gave a slight chuckle. "Heh, I probably sound like a mess right now. It's a long story, but if you have the time it might make a little more sense if I explain everything."
"I've got time," Mike agreed. What he didn't realize was what sort of story he was in for. It began, oddly enough, with Scott's date, somehow moved into a break-in, skimmed what sounded like Ennard committing a triple homicide, quickly jumped to him and Scott with Baby, and then was particularly detailed until the point where he wrapped up the current events.
"So, he's starting to get to the point where he wants to paint the plates, but Baby really wants Charlie to do it. She says they talked about it? I don't know. I'm barely staying awake as it is…" Scott hesitated for a moment. "…But after what happened earlier, I don't feel comfortable disagreeing with her. She's going through a lot."
"Yeah, I think we all had a hunch that was what was going on," Mike pointed out. At least, he, Marionette, and Foxy had been very aware of who she really was. It still felt jarring when only days before she had been acting just as erratic as usual. "I don't know how Fritz is going to react, but I could probably get him over there to help. Unless you think it's going to make it worse."
"I… I don't want to do this behind Fritz's back, but I don't think he should get wrapped up in it. Ennard's really doing a great job so far. I've never seen him so focused!"
"And I don't want to give Baby the wrong idea. It might get back to her that I was the one who told Fritz and she might break in and shave my head in the middle of the night," Mike pointed out. Scott cracked up at the comment. "You are tired, aren't you?" Mike asked with a playful smirk. "Alright, I'll ask Charlie and we'll probably be over there in a few minutes. Tell Ennard and Baby to hold off until we get there." He meant it too, because part of him was insanely curious at watching Ennard perform what would probably be known from now on ask 'Baby's facelift'.
"Thank you so much, Mike. I'll see you then, if I'm still awake when you get here," Scott finished as they ended the call. As soon as he hung up, Mike headed off to retrieve Marionette and Charlie.
He wasn't sure what led to it, but Charlie had somehow convinced Marionette that she wanted to see his entire Beanie Baby collection, with anecdotes about how he got each one and each one's apparent value- even though most of them had cost only a dollar or two at most, if that. So, she was laying on her front on his bed as he lifted each one out of his box and lost a few minutes a piece giving detailed explanations. The only reason Mike assumed she didn't stop him was because of the same reason he wouldn't have; Marionette was adorable. So excitable and lively as he went over something as basic and unexciting as plush toys.
Mike watched for a few moments, leaning in the doorway and listening to a quick reprise of the time that he and Marionette had explored the fairgrounds after a job. He only interrupted once the Puppet was switching babies and did so by knocking on the doorway.
"Sorry to barge in on your presentation, but I just got out of the most bizarre conversation with Scott that I've ever had. Including the time he asked me how to stuff a chicken… Which in hindsight probably was Ennard." He squinted thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head dismissively. "That's not important. What is important is that Baby's over at Scott's… And she's about to have Ennard work on her. Which might be a tad more complicated than stuffing chicken." Both Puppets just stared back like it was a joke.
"…Excuse me?" Marionette asked in disbelief. "Baby is letting Ennard, whom she couldn't even tolerate one day with, work on her at Scott's house? Let alone the question of how she even got over to Scott's house."
"I'm going to try and go through the story as fast as I can, because it took about fifteen minutes and still seemed largely nonsensical. I'm just going to tell you like he told me and see if you can make more sense out of it," Mike led in. "Last night, Scott was robbed, and for some reason this led to Ennard going over to the warehouse to help Baby get to her old pizzeria. And yes, she's been calling everyone else to ask about that, it wasn't just us. Scott caught up with them and they went over there, but they couldn't find anything. So, Ennard's trying to use some of Baby's old parts- the ones he used to disguise himself as Baby- to fix her face for whatever reason."
"I'm not surprised," Charlie voiced in. She lifted herself off the bed and turned fully towards the security guard. "When we were talking about it, she was fixated on her face. I'm not really surprised that's what she wants done." She stood from the bed with a small stretch and a sigh. "But I already promised her I'd do it, so if that's what she wants then that's what I'm going to give her. Mari, can I use your paints?"
"Of course. They're in the closet," Marionette answered. Charlie headed out the door to go get them, and Mike vaguely wondered if she rushed off like she did to escape the chance of more plush talk. He then looked back to the Puppet, who had his arms crossed and was tapping his fingers pensively. "I can't say I understand the sudden willingness to cooperate, but if Baby is willing to let herself be worked on, then I'm happy for her. And I'll be there to support her, as close or as far as she wants me," he added in with the lightest chime.
He started to follow Charlie out the door until Mike caught his arm.
"One more thing," Mike said. Marionette looked to him in confusion. "Scott said that Baby started to remember things when she was in the restaurant. It brought back old memories."
"She remembered… Memories of what? Her being a human or her death?" the Puppet asked, shocked at the revelation. It made sense that she would start to remember things in familiar locations, but he never expected Baby, who was especially resistant, to remember anything at all. Baby had stayed resistant to accepting who she was, even when Chance had blatantly told her so long ago. Denial of all kinds had always run deep in the Afton bloodline, he knew that well.
"Both. I don't know the full extent, but Scott said she figured it out when things started to line up. I'm not sure what state she's in right now, but I have no doubt that this sudden willingness to pal around with Ennard is probably connected to it. That, or sheer desperation to get her new face."
"Do you think I should give her space?" Marionette's desperation was starting to come through clearly as he wrung his hands together. Already a bundle of nerves and they hadn't seen her yet; he hadn't ever been so nervous about her. Mike hesitated a moment, unsure how to answer.
"…To be honest, I think if there was any time that you needed to be there, it needs to be now. She's probably still going to be as pleasant as usual, but if she remembers that much there's no telling what else she remembers," Mike pointed out. "She might remember you." She might've remembered her father too, but he decided not to say that out loud. Not until the Puppet was a little less flustered. He reached for the Puppet's shoulder and caressed it gently as he added, "Just… Don't expect a miracle. Baby probably didn't magically change overnight."
"I know and I won't… Though I consider her and Ennard being in the same room and not tearing each other apart to be a miracle," Marionette added in playfully. Even though he tried to taper his expectations, there was an excitement bubbling at the thought that maybe Baby would become sisterly. Even if it was in a small way, as he couldn't expect her to change entirely. There was still the small hope that something good would come out of this regardless.
It didn't take too long to get ready and drive over to Scott's house. Marionette teleported inside first while Mike helped Charlie move in and found Scott barely awake in his armchair. The Puppet could already hear clattering in the garage and assumed that both clowns were out there, but didn't feel ready to face them, and instead approached the chair and tapped the man on the shoulder. Scott jumped in his seat and the cat curled in his lap responded by dashing off him and sprinting off somewhere into the house. The man then looked up, saw the Puppet, and eased once more.
"Uh, hey… How long have you been here?" he asked groggily.
"Two minutes and I already know you need to sleep," the striped one answered. "Mike's bringing Charlie in now and we can keep an eye on everything. Why don't you get some rest?" He noticed that Scott was fully dressed as though he went out but looked like he was about to fall asleep on the spot. It was a bit concerning considering that he wasn't as used to long nights any longer.
"I will. I definitely will. I just wanted to see you and Mike in… And, uh, see Charlie. I haven't seen her since- Well, even before that I hadn't seen her since she was just a toddler," Scott explained. He lowered his voice and got an awkward smile. "It's just so strange having you guys all together in the same house! It's kind of like a Freddy's reunion really." It was then that he noticed Charlie and Mike coming in and his eyes widened as he saw the Security Puppet. "Oh, wow. She is a Puppet like you. I didn't expect she'd look so similar." He rose from his chair and just lightly swayed before heading over to greet the two. "Hey. Glad you could make it."
"It wasn't too hard. Wasn't like I had anywhere to be with Foxy's closed," Mike said. He then gestured a hand between him and the Security Puppet. "Scott, this is Charlie, Baby's past chauffer. Charlie, this is Scott, former Phone Guy and current chauffer." Charlie recognized the voice as Scott greeted her and she shook his hand. She wasn't sure if he was what she was expecting, and if he worked at Freddy's when she still went there then she certainly couldn't remember him. "You're looking like a zombie. You really need to get some sleep," Mike sympathized.
"Yeah, Mari was just on my case about it. Just make sure if I'm not up by five that someone takes the welder back to the hardware store. It's a rental… And that someone is probably you," Scott suggested, walking around outright asking. It was clear that was what he was doing.
"Usually is," Mike remarked.
Seeing as though everything looked alright for the moment, Scott headed to his bedroom to get some rest. Marionette waited until he left before heading to the garage door which was cracked open. He could still hear the light sounds of clinking from plates being moved around. He then turned back to the other two.
"You should probably go in first, Charlie. Just… Don't be too shocked when you see Ennard. And try not to get too startled by his eccentricities," he said. Under any circumstances, he would've wanted to go in first to put a physical buffer in between her and Ennard, as he knew how little personal space mattered to him. With Baby's state and her specific request for Charlie though it seemed better to fall back, giving himself a buffer. He looked to Mike and added, "I don't know if you want to come in too. Baby's never been particularly shy about her feelings."
"I didn't come all this way to not see Baby go under the knife. What's the worst she can do? Hurls a few toy-themed insults my way? I can handle that." Mike got a small smirk as he shirked off his jacket and hung it up. It was the only part of his work uniform that he was wearing so with its removal he stepped down from any security guard role. "But I'll take this off just in case. The less purple, the better."
"That might help, but just stay behind me just in case. That way she'll be more likely to take potshots at me," Marionette said with a light chime. He then opened the door for Charlie. "After you."
It didn't take long to spot Baby, who was standing off in the corner of the garage beside a massive mound of plates and parts. It was clear that it was the body Ennard had disguised himself in- the strange effigy- that had now been deconstructed. Though it looked like the old Circus Baby pieces had also been mixed in with Funtime Foxy, Funtime Freddy, and Ballora's own. The clown was already watching the door when the Security Puppet stepped in.
"You came. I almost thought you wouldn't," Baby said in greeting. Her voice sounded quiet and weak; it was close to Scott's, but the source of her fatigue was not from lack of rest. It was the first time that Charlie had heard her sound so listless.
"I wouldn't miss it, and not just because I have a job to do," Charlie answered. She patted the box of paints that she had carried inside. "Everything's right here. Are you sure you want to do this without Fritz? I'm sure if you apologized, he would be willing to come over here and help." She just assumed that it was reluctance and stubbornness again, but she started to realize this wasn't the case when the clown shook her head.
"It's not that simple anymore… I would rather do this without him. I would feel more comfortable with as few people as possible." Baby then glanced past the Security Puppet. "…Though I see the Puppet snuck in his security blanket." Mike gave an unruffled salute while Marionette peered around the door to look towards the clattering noises.
The rest of the garage had clearly been set up for what was coming. A large tarp had been spread out on the floor where Baby would probably be worked on. Ennard was standing at the washer and dryer, which he was using as a makeshift table. Baby's old head sat on the ground, with its facial plates removed and currently being tended to. A welder, a sander, and various other tools were spread out on the washer and dryer. From the piece that were neatly set aside, it looked as though Ennard had already done most of the work already. He seemed transfixed on his task.
The Puppet came up beside him and looked at the metal plates. They had been smoothed and forcibly reshaped, but the price was that most, if not all the paint was chipped away by the process. "I can't say this is what I was expecting when I heard that you and Baby were together again." The clown finally noticed him and looked from his work.
"Oh, hey! You're just in time for the show!" Ennard greeted. So far, he was the only one of the three who didn't sound like he spent the night before in a destroyed pizzeria visiting haunted memories of the past. Either that, or he was excited by the hefty amount of work he had agreed to. Marionette only had a second to brace himself before an arm scooped around him and pulled him in. "Glad you're here too, cause I'm gonna need your help. You're gonna stand riiight beside me while I work and make sure I don't kill her."
The Puppet gave a light chime of amusement. The amalgam didn't return the motion; he was dead serious. Marionette's amusement switched to an uneasy look.
"Yeah, I meant it," Ennard chimed in. "You're on soul patrol, ha ha! Or something like that."
"You do realize I could hear that, don't you?" Baby asked from the other side of the room.
"It's Ennard. I'm pretty sure Scott heard that," Mike added in.
It was only now that Charlie noticed the other animatronic in the room and just stared. From the back he looked like nothing more than tangled wires that were only barely set in a pattern. It astounded her that he was standing at all and she had to believe there was an endoskeleton somewhere underneath all of it. She couldn't imagine what he could've looked like back when he was a complete animatronic- if he ever was. Baby noticed that she was staring and recognized her alarm. It was the first time Baby had been amused in days, if not much longer.
"Charlie, that is Ennard. I'm sure I've mentioned him to you before. I can't imagine not warning you," she said, muttering the last part.
"Yes, we talked on the phone once. He just had Scott's voice we did," Charlie answered. As though suddenly realizing he was being talked about, Ennard looked back and she was able to see the mask. She wasn't even sure how to react to the thin attempt at a disguise. He was obviously not a clown, despite what his unsettlingly high-pitched voice suggested.
"Hey, she does look like you! You two could be a couple of twins!" Ennard pointed out. He then proceeded to move in to get a closer look. "Well, hello again! I'm guessing ya don't recognize me, but I remember you,~" he reintroduced. He offered out a wire hand which the Security Puppet slowly shook. "I'm Ennard. I'm sure Baby's told you all about me."
"As hard as it is to believe, you are not the center of my world," Baby corrected.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Ennard apologized with faux sincerity before looking back to Charlie. "I'm sure Baby's told ya all about Fritz! What a shame he ain't here to join in on the fun, but we don't need too many cooks in the kitchen." He went to put an arm around her like he did to Marionette. "Let me show you what we've got-."
"That's enough," Baby dismissed as she nudged his arm back with her claw. He was briefly confused by it, glancing between to her questioningly, but then caught on.
"Right, right. Enough of that! The stuff's over here, Charlie, so let's get started. I hope you brought paint, cause all Scott's got are these watercolors and they ain't sticking to nothing," Ennard explained as he returned to the washer and dryer. Charlie followed and he showed her the finished plates. "I've just got one last one to touch up and then they're all set and ready to go!"
They wouldn't be too hard to paint. If not for the fact that Baby was insisting she alone did this, they could've been finished with this rather quickly. Speaking of Baby, Charlie could hear her rolling up behind and looking between her and Marionette. "You remembered what I wanted?" she asked. The Puppet was almost startled by how anxious she suddenly sounded, with his smile faltering at hearing it. It was the first time that she had sounded fearful in front of him. Charlie and Ennard didn't seem to have noticed it.
"I still have my mental list, but you'll be able to see it before we work. I'll match the rest of your face once you're… You are going to be asleep for this, right?" Charlie asked unsurely as she looked back to her.
"No. I intend to stay awake so I may watch every movement and feel plates being welded to me" Baby answered. Her sarcasm had little energy behind it. "Of course I'll be asleep. Or shut down. Whichever will be quicker." Her eyes flickered over to the other clown. "You know how to safely shut me down and turn me back on?"
"Course I do!" Ennard assured her. He then pointed past to Marionette. "Besides, we've got him in case anything goes wrong."
Baby and Marionette exchanged a brief look but said nothing as they both looked forward to watch as Charlie opened the box of paints. She began to take out the supplies, including a few tubes of paint. White, pink, red; Baby was quietly pleased with the color choice and watched silently. Her claw tapped with nervousness that she would never admit to. Not to being shut down, but to the risk of her waking to something much worse. Though her interest was stolen when she saw Marionette reaching out for one of the brushes.
"Can I help? I'm not doing anything but standing here anyways," he offered. Baby was immediately suspicious as she watched him choose a plate. "The base is white, right? I can start there."
"Why would you want to help?" Baby asked with that same doubt now on her voice.
"Why not?" Marionette responded with a light chime. "I've painted plenty of faces- usually my own- so I know what I am doing. Both of us working together will take less time." He turned to face her. "You don't mind?"
"…No. That's fine," Baby agreed. She turned away and quickly rolled to the other side of the garage. His behavior was odd, making her wonder how much he knew about the night before. Though if he did know then she was confused to why he didn't confront her. This seemed like the sort of thing someone would demand answers about. She continued to dwell on it as to not dwell on her impending shut down.
Ennard wrapped up before the puppets had finished painting and announced it with a simple, "All done!" He then turned away from the makeshift table, looked around the garage, and fixed his eyes on Mike. Mike knew as soon as they made eye contact that he had unintentionally gave the amalgam the go-ahead to engage, if said amalgam's brisk walk over to him was any indication. "Well, hey there! You're not gonna believe the night I had last night- unless you saw the news. And I checked, it was on there," he began as though he and Mike had ever engaged in a conversation like normal people.
"Scott cued me in on it. He said that someone broke in and you straightened them out?" Mike guessed. He got a small smirk, "I almost feel sorry for them. Out of all the houses in the city and they hit this one."
"I know! How lucky could I get?" Ennard said with a low chuckle. Mike simply raised a brow at the morbid suggestion, not even remotely surprised. "It was those guys who were breaking in all over the place, so I did the neighborhood a big favor. Cops couldn't get these guys- big guys, one fifty to two hundred pounds- and I take all three down in a couple of hours. If someone breaks into your house and you get a free pass to bag 'em and tag 'em, you know."
"Huh. I'll remember that the next time someone tries to break in. I've been needing some batting practice," Mike remarked. He did keep a bat in the bedroom for a reason. This roused louder laughter from the amalgam and he inwardly apologized to Scott, who probably heard that through the bedroom wall.
"Ha ha, I like that!" Ennard complimented. He then beckoned the human "I'm going to make some popcorn. Come with me and we'll snark." Mike wasn't entirely sure what 'snarking' would involve but went along with it. It wasn't like he had much else to do except hear about this alleged event the night before and eat popcorn.
With them gone, it was down to Baby and the puppets. Other than the occasional quiet talking between the puppets, the garage was mostly silent, with Baby almost patiently waiting for her time to run out. She had a horrible feeling that she wouldn't wake from this and she wasn't sure if that was because of what she discovered or not. Suddenly, a second death was a very real option, and she certainly didn't want to see what the end would look like. Especially since she had a glimpse of it right in front of her in the form of a mound of plates.
There it was, the remains of her band and her past body, laying on the ground in a forgotten heap. She knew now that she truly was the only one left. There had always been a thin sliver of doubt that maybe Ennard was just faking his sentience and that it was them contorting his body, but after the night before it was clear that wasn't the case. Ennard had proven that he had the means to be compassionate; nobody in the band had been capable of that. Not even her, she realized as she thought of her past victims. Not including the little girl who she had been, but the technicians they had dealt with in their attempts to escape.
To think that she thought she had a chance with Fritz after what happened with that last technician.
"We're done, Baby. Do you want to come look at these?" Charlie called back. Baby snapped out of her thoughts, knowing she had been lost in them longer than expected. The thought of looking at her new face made her wires twist.
"No," she abruptly decided. "…I don't need to. I trust you. I will look at them once they're on." She was rather curious, but she refused to turn away from the plates she was eyeing. She almost felt stuck in place. "When do we start?"
"As soon as the paint dries." Charlie looked to Marionette and noticed how he was watching Baby. "I'll go tell them we're done," she volunteered to him quietly. With silent look of encouragement, she left the garage and left them alone.
Marionette waited a few moments before trying to approach Baby. He always moved so silently, but she could feel him approaching and chose not to look over when he stopped behind her. He tapped his dark fingers together while trying to figure out how to go about starting a conversation of this magnitude. Finally, he dared to begin. "Baby-."
"I don't want to talk about it," Baby interrupted. Marionette was promptly put in his place, falling silent, watching her with growing apprehension. "I already know everything you are going to say," the clown pointed out. "I don't need to do this, looks are not important, the risk isn't worth the reward- I've already made up my mind."
The Puppet silently dropped his head and continued hovering there. That wasn't what he thought she meant, nor what he was going to say. He wasn't sure how to branch the topic of her humanity after being shot down for something so much easier to say.
But Baby noticed his silence and turned to face him. Her eyes seemed to glow in curiosity. "That was what you were going to say, wasn't it?"
"…Not exactly, no," he confessed. It was a great deal more difficult with her staring at him. She looked even more unhinged than usual and he didn't want to be the one to make it worse. It could wait; there were more pressing matters at hand. "I was just going to say that it will go fine and to not fear the worst. I know it seems difficult to believe, but Ennard knows more about our mechanics than he lets on, Charlie and Mike have done their fair share of repairs… And I will be here as well."
While she said nothing, her tense posture seemed to soften. He noticed her tightened claw loosened and her eyes drifted off towards the pieces laying out drying. It seemed like his words must've done something. He almost considered reaching for her but decided against it as he remembered her reaction to Ennard grabbing for Charlie. She liked her space and he would respect that. Even if there was still that part of him, somewhere deep inside, that wanted to believe that affection might draw out the sister who he could barely remember.
"But in any case, I think you made the right decision not looking too closely at the pieces," Marionette said with his smile returning. "You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise."
"I'm not too fond of surprises anymore…If I wake up looking like Ennard, heads will roll. Starting with his." Baby bluntly said. This roused a chime of laughter, relieved laughter. Maybe she was just feeling out of sorts because of all that was happening, but she decided to not shoot down his mood. They then fell into a silence that lasted until the others returned to the garage. It felt surprisingly comfortable; though, then again, anything with them not directly insulting each other.
"Let's get this show on the road! It's gonna take me a few minutes to get all that off, so we've got time for the paint to dry," Ennard said, punctuating 'all that' by waving a hand in the general direction of Baby's face. It was a shame that she felt totally unable to talk and could only watch as he knelt on the edge of the tarp. "Baby, come on down! You're the next contestant on the tarp, and you've got a lucky chance to win a brand-new face!"
"I'm calling it now, all he watches are soap operas and game shows," Mike muttered to Marionette. The Puppet gave a weak sort of chime. The human looked him over and noticed how he was rubbing and wringing his hands. It was amazing how unbothered his smile looked when he was suppressing his concern. Without another word, Mike reached out and took his wrist, both as a comfort and to stop the assault on his hands. Marionette now looked at him out of the corner of his eye and his smile briefly faltered, smaller but more believable, and eagerly laced his fingers with the human's.
"How are you going to do this?" Charlie asked Ennard as she knelt on the other side of the tarp. She watched as Baby approached and lowered herself onto the floor as well. The tarp did little to cushion the concrete floor of the basement and the bright light above wasn't pleasant to stare into. She laid her arms to her sides and forced herself to be still.
"This is actually a funny little trick. All of us have this thing in our neck that shuts us down like that," Ennard answered, making a motion like snapping his fingers without the sound. "Even those ones that turn from suit to bot have it. It's right in here…" Baby felt Ennard reach for her neck. Surprisingly, he was moving slow and his wires were gentle as they slid through hers. "Best way is to just unplug, but you've gotta find the wire-."
And the world blacked out.
And then the world came back, but Baby was no longer in the garage. She instead recognized a different, metal ceiling high above. The light flickered as though it was being blocked off by a fan, and it was through this familiar lighting that she realized that she was back in Afton Robotics. The Scooping Room specifically.
She wondered if they had shut her down and brought her here instead of fixing her. Maybe the whole plan had been a ruse. Though what was funny was that she could still feel the tarp underneath her fingertips. Maybe they had used it to move her. Before Baby could question it further or even get worked up about the deception, she noticed a peculiar dripping noise to her right. She turned her head to look at the source of the noise, and immediately froze still.
There was a body slumped against the wall. Not just any body, either. It was him.
The technician was still in his uniform, but it was torn and soaked in his own blood. He was slumped forward, which obscured his face and barely managed to shadow the gaping hole that she knew was stretched open on his abdomen and currently dripping out his fluids onto the floor. His innards were nowhere to be seen and yet Baby knew that they weren't inside of him. He was just an empty husk, like an empty suit, slumped alone in the corner.
But he wasn't supposed to be here. Something wasn't right. His body wasn't supposed to be here, and neither was she. She clawed at the tarp and tried to move, but other than her fingertips she found herself frozen. A strained noise came from her chest as she tried to regain feeling in her body. She was still staring at the corpse of the technician they had gutted.
Then the body raised its head. Baby stopped her struggle immediately as she looked at its hollow face. Empty block holes replaced his eyes and its mouth hung open in an obscene mix between a smile and a gaping scream. It lurched forwards and started to crawl across the floor. Its limbs wobbled as it dragged its empty body towards her. She could only stare upwards as the betrayed body leaned over her and stared down. The empty black pits of its face continued to leak its viscous liquids as he spoke. His voice echoing through him like booming through an empty auditorium.
"It only hurts for a moment."
All at once, Baby regained her ability to move, letting out a shriek she didn't know she was capable of. She swung her claw at the corpse and snapped it closed, just barely missing the husk as it yanked back away. She continued lashing out in a panic when something caught her by the wrists and pinned them down. She was about to fight them of when she looked up and saw that-
Marionette was the one pinning her down.
All at once, the Scooping Room was gone. She was laying in the garage, on the tarp, with Marionette leaning over her, Mike leaning over his back, and Charlie still kneeling on the ground beside her. She snapped her head over towards where the technician's body had been, but instead found Ennard who had pulled back against the wall to dodge her attack and was only now daring to lean in again. It had all been some sort of dream or hallucination, or terrible living nightmare.
"It's okay, Baby. You're safe. It's all done," the Puppet above her calmingly assured. "Ennard was working on you. Can you remember?" While she was still in a partial state of being stunned, ignoring a lingering numbness in her face that she only just noticed, she managed to stiffly nod. Marionette began to slowly release her hands and got a hesitant smile. "When you said you were going to take off Ennard's head, I assumed that you would wait until you saw the results."
"Yeesh, and ya went straight for the neck!" Ennard said as he rubbed at his neck. Then his head snapped up and he looked past to Charlie. "See? I told ya, if you're looking to take out an animatronic you go right for the neck. Baby knows it." The Security Puppet looked torn between amusement and disturbance, but also looked down to Baby.
"Hey, Baby. It went great," she reassured. "But everything only just cooled down, so you probably shouldn't move too much. I'm not sure if this is going to hurt."
"Give her about an hour," Ennard remarked. Charlie's mask managed to mold into unamused look, but he didn't see it as he stood and headed off to the washer and dryer. "Where'd we put that little mirror?"
"It's here," Mike answered as he took said mirror off a nearby shelf. It was a small one on a simple stand where it could be angled, but the dust caking on the edges suggested that it hadn't been used much until now. At least the mirror itself had been wiped clean. He handed it down to Charlie who then lifted it in front of Baby for her to see. She nearly gasped when she saw what looked back at her.
Instead of the broken exterior that she had come to expect, her plates were all intact and painted well enough to disguise the new from the old. The base was a simple white with soft pink cheeks. Her lips here mismatched, with the upper right and lower left sections being pink and the upper left and lower right sections being red. Her nose had been repainted this same red and her eyebrows were a reddish orange, now matching some of the strands of her wiry hair. The blue above her eyes, resembling eyeshadow, had been redone in a softer blue. Everything else had just been retouched and brightened.
The lack of broken pieces, holes, cracks, smudges, and full paint made it all look brand new. It looked beautiful; she looked beautiful.
Baby was stunned by it. She slowly started to raise her hand towards her cheek, but then hesitated as she saw it in the mirror, afraid she would damage her new face.
"If you're worried about the paint, then don't be. It dried before we put the plates on… And you can't even tell where we had to touch up afterwards," Charlie said. It was clear that she was happy at Baby's reaction from the smile. Even with the lingering silence, it wasn't hard to tell that she was in awe of the results. "What do you think?"
"I…" Baby was at a loss for words. Then she was beat to it when Ennard popped up above her, leaning over her and peering at her upside-down.
"Well I think you're looking lovely, Baby Doll!" Ennard praised. She looked past the mirror at him as he jokingly added, "Most charming clown this side of the state! Except maybe me, but I'm a tough act to follow!" He laughed in unrestrained delight, no doubt floating on his success and proud of his work "Ha h-ah!"
Without warning, Baby grabbed him by the wires on his chest and yanked him down towards her. He barely braced himself to not fall on her and instead landed on one knee half over her. Baby only pulled him closer and reached up with her clawed arm. To his shock, it looped around the back of his neck and pulled him tightly against her chest. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was not in a headlock, but in a hug- one which would've been better given if he hadn't been upside-down, but a hug nonetheless. The only time she had ever showed him affection, or maybe showed anyone affection.
She didn't have to say anything. This was everything he needed to have the effort be worth it, and he didn't have to be human to give it to her.
Mable: In all seriousness, getting a facelift from a clown in a garage carries a ton of risks and should only be attempted if your doctor or technician gets angry at you for going after his girlfriend. Remember to be safe!