Almost Feels Like Home
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Waiting in the lift was uncomfortable. It didn't feel safe, even when the vents were partially blocked by gears, and the three confined inside kept their eyes down the shafts to watch for any sign of movement. The low hum of the elevator and ticking of the gears would've almost been a comforting background noise with how hypnotically consistent it was, if not for it being broken by a loud shriek echoing through the vents.
"…Was that Ennard or Funtime Freddy?" Charlie asked in concern. Marionette gave a slight shrug as he stared down the vent that the noise traveled loudest down. He was clearly on edge, but he wasn't the only one if Baby's stillness and silence was any indication. "I really hope that was Funtime Freddy," Charlie added quietly.
It wasn't too long after that when there came a scuffling noise from somewhere deep in the vents. Something lightly thumping and shifting in the vent as it crawled in closer. "Something's coming," Baby said.
They all tensed up just as she did, but Marionette eased slightly when he noticed the movement coming down the same vent that Ennard had the first time. He listened closely and could hear the shifting of wires, but not to the extent he had heard with either Molten animatronic. Which meant it was either Ennard or Ballora. He leaned in to look closer and sighed in relief when he spotted Ennard appearing around the corner at the very end of the shaft. While he couldn't see well past him, Marionette caught a glimpse of yellowed fabric in the vent behind him.
"You had us worried for a moment. We could hear Freddy screaming from all the way over here," Marionette said in greeting. He gave a small smile. "I don't even want to know what you did to get that noise."
"All I did was take your advice, ha ha! Turns out 'ol Freddybear still can't take a tiny shock!... Which is great, cause if he could then I'd have to fry him," the clown said with a sadistically playful tone. He preferred that than admitting to the unease he had felt being that close to Molten Freddy. "And heeeere's Mikey!" He rolled over and gestured back to the rabbit. "Got him back in one piece!"
"I can see that. Are you okay, Michael? They didn't injure you at all, did they?" Marionette asked as he looked back at the rabbit. After what happened to Baby, he couldn't help but be concerned. It took Springtrap a moment to answer; Ennard calling him 'Mikey' felt wrong. He decided to ignore it for now.
"I'm fine," Springtrap said. Seeing that would be the only thing he was going to say, Ennard looked back to Marionette again.
"So, gang's back together! You can get that lift moving and we'll follow you down the hatch," the amalgam directed. The Puppet nodded and started to put the gear into place. Suddenly, Springtrap's arm shot up.
"Wait. Don't," he commanded. Marionette paused with the gear half into place. "We've already been ambushed twice and each time we've been put in a position with a stuck lift and them ready to pounce. I don't think it is much of a stretch to assume that they will do this again if given the opportunity. Seeing that they already disappeared, they've probably already made it to the lower levels. We need to have a plan." He took the Handunit out and tapped something on it before handing it up. "Give this to Charlie."
Marionette slipped the unit passed the grate and handed it back to Charlie. Now the screen seemed to show a simple statistics menu, showing little more than numbers and battery life.
"There's a clock in the upper right. Keep an eye on that and give us exactly five minutes to get down there first. If we're lucky, they'll be wary of being shocked again and less willing to face us head on."
"That might work," Charlie agreed. "It's definitely more of a plan than us just going straight down. Like you said, they could already be down there."
"But the price is us waiting here like sitting ducks. Funtime Freddy and Funtime Foxy are desperate and mad but they are not stupid. They could be in the vents right now waiting for you two to leave. They might not fear pain as much as you believe," Baby warned. She wasn't happy with the plan but considering the circumstances she might've not been happy with anything. "Just make it quick."
"If we're not down there in five minutes or less, then your pizza is free" Ennard jokingly promised. He started to pull back from the vent entrance before hesitating. "…Actually, a pizza would sound really good after this. Let's stop at Foxy's on the way home."
"If we all get out of here in one piece, then it's my treat," Marionette said. "Be careful and watch your back."
"Watch my Handunit. It is too valuable to risk breaking," Springtrap said. He could've added 'again', as Molten Freddy tossing it could've easily shattered the screen. The tool was too invaluable to him and not just for escaping. "Start watching the clock as soon as we get around the corner. Five minutes."
The springlock suit then began to back down the vent again and the amalgam followed behind. Marionette waved after them with a concerned, "Be careful."
It didn't take too long to get to another split where Springtrap could turn around and it was then that Ennard suddenly crawled in quickly. It was so fast that he effectively blocked the rabbit off from entering the next section of vent, and said rabbit gave him a wary look. Even with him saving him earlier, Springtrap was still suspicious of him, with his lids narrowed to show such. He could only assume that Ennard wanted something. Technically he did.
"Before we go rushing down there guns blazing, lemme just… Lemme get something out there, okay? Just let me say something, cause you didn't earlier and look where it got us," Ennard said.
Springtrap made a noise like a huff and turned his head away to watch the vent. Maybe he owed him that much. "Go ahead. Be quick, we're on a timer."
"Okay, okay, just… I know you hate me, and I know every time you look at me you see the Scooper. I know, cause that's what I was seeing when all of them just popped up out of nowhere. Just that Scooper and-… I get it. You don't believe me, you don't think I was human, and guess what? I don't know what to think either, cause I remembered Michael Afton and next thing I know we're looking at his picture and I'm blanking-."
"Get on with it," the springlock suit interrupted. He sounded more exhausted than angry, like it all fizzled out after the ordeal in the vent. "The others are in danger."
"That's what I'm getting to! I know you don't like me. Frankly, I'm not too crazy about you either, but we got to make a truce or something. At least until we get out of here. We've gotta have each other's backs or one of those busted up bots is gonna sneak up and backstab us! So, whaddya say? Truce?" Ennard offered him his hand. "Until we get out of here? For Baby, Mari, and Lottie?"
Just looking at that wire hand was almost as bad as staring at the Scooper itself. Or shaking hands with his father; he remembered a similar feeling of impending doom when he did that. Except this time was different. This was a pact that he knew he needed to make, even if it felt like a betrayal. Ennard could be the difference between them getting an upper hand on the Molten animatronics or being overwhelmed.
"Do it for Lizzie. Do it for Marion. Do it for Charlie," Springtrap told himself. Then with a begrudging slowness to it, he reached out his hand and took Ennard's. The clown shook his eagerly.
"See? That wasn't too hard, was it?" Ennard chirped with a playful smile. Springtrap sent him that same flat look and looked about ready to remind him of the time again. "Lemme go first in case something pops up in front of us, okay? That's what I'm here for!" The amalgam climbed past and started down the next vent, with Springtrap following shortly behind.
It took nearly five minutes before they found vertical shafts that they could climb down to get to the lower floors. However, they did find one, and eventually got themselves down to a vent that stretched over a large, dark room underneath. Ennard peered through the grate on the floor of the vent and took note of the pipes stretching through it.
"Hey, I think we reached the boiler! And I think that means we're right above the sewer entrance," Ennard exclaimed excitedly. He turned around on the other side of the grate, which allowed both to look down into the room. Other than the darkness it was a moderately far drop that was only broken up by pipes that, while some looked sturdy enough to catch some weight without breaking, would probably hurt if fallen on the wrong way. "Looks like the furnace's off."
"Which means the only chance we had at them being too scared to come down here is now gone. They could be in there somewhere… But we don't have a choice…" Springtrap looked up at Ennard again. "Ennard, stick your head out and see if they're still lurking about."
"…What? Weren't you the one who said that I'm perfect bait? They see one glimpse of my mask and they'll be camping underneath this vent!" Ennard defended. "Why don't you look down?"
"Getting my ears through here would be hard enough, and if I start to fall I don't trust you to have the upper body strength to catch me."
"Yeesh, I think I preferred the backstabber comments. Now I'm a weakling too," the amalgam said with a perfect mimic of the rabbit's scoff, which Springtrap noticed.
Ennard still pried the vent up and readjusted his mask before slowly leaning down and looking out. The room was much bigger than he originally anticipated and from here he could see the furnace but not the lift. He had a good idea of where it was from estimation alone, so he wasn't too concerned. He was much more focused on listening and looking for any sign of the aggressive animatronics. To which there was none.
He drew back inside and looked to Springtrap. "I don't seem 'em, but that doesn't mean they aren't there."
"That's a risk we will need to take," Springtrap said. He gestured to the opening. "Drop down and I'll come down after you."
"Or you could drop down and catch me since I'm such a flimsy weakling," Ennard said with a light giggle. His tone was playful and teasing, yet Springtrap knew that he had been given a firm 'no.'
With a partial roll of the eyes, Springtrap looked down through the opening. It would be a hard drop but survivable. He forcibly loosened his springlocks as he moved over the vent and began to lower himself down. He dropped through quicker than he wanted, grabbing both sides of the vent with his fingers and dangling over the drop. Loosening his springlocks again, he finally let go and hit the ground. He staggered and landed on one knee without damage.
Ennard followed a lot faster and a lot easier, and Springtrap got out of the way as he had no intention of catching him. Which was fine for the amalgam, who caught himself on the pipes coming down and climbed to the floor with them. From down here they felt much more vulnerable, but the lift was in sight, and from the distant clanking it seemed to be lowering.
"Let's get over there," Springtrap directed as he looked around. He then looked back to see Ennard hunched down, blue eyes darting around in paranoia. "We might have heard them by now."
"…Ha ha, yeah sure." Ennard slowly straightened and followed behind the other animatronic. Though after a few moments he quickened to catch up to his side. "Hey, can I ask you something? You said something back there that kind of stuck with me."
"Was it about your upper body strength?" Springtrap flatly asked.
"Ha, no. It was about… You said earlier something about a guy?" The rabbit winced; of course Ennard would have to remember his outburst. He ducked down to avoid catching his ears on an upper pipe. "You said there was a guy down here who you knew. Is that why you-?"
All was cut off when something fast and heavy suddenly dropped onto the pipe, swung under it, and crashed into them both. Because of Springtrap's half bent angle, he was knocked aside and stumbled, leaving the full weight to hit Ennard and drag him to the floor. He looked up in time to see eyeless eye sockets staring down at him and yelped. It was Ballora, with her broken hands digging into his shoulders and her bent legs scaling his body.
"Why are you hiding from me?"
"B-Ballora-!"
"Shh, don't fight it. We belong together… Inside of you."
There was no further warning before Ballora's few chest plates burst open and the floodgates were opened. Wire ejected from her body and piled onto his neck and chest where they started to wriggle and twist like snakes. Burrowing into his chest and weaving into his wires. He tried to push her off and all it did was rip more of her wiring free as her flimsy body pushed back. The new wires then continued to constrict, to fight for control of a body that was once partly hers.
Ennard panicked and reacted with the first defense he could think of, grabbing Ballora's arm and sending volts through her body. This electrocuted him too with how she was wound in him, but his only concern was that it wasn't releasing her grip on him. Ballora's wires were getting deeper and as he continued to thrash she held on. Her face was nearly brushing his and he craned his neck to draw away, watching in horror as her head started to unravel so that wires could climb out through her mouth to caress the split on the chin of his mask.
It was now that Springtrap finally ran in to assist. He grabbed at her leg and tried to pull, expecting it to pop off as easily as Molten Freddy's had. This was not the case and he tried to pull her from the back, grabbing at the loose wires he could find but finding them tight, their other ends climbing into Ennard. She was in the process of assimilation and wouldn't be pulled away that easily, but that only made Springtrap more determined to stop her.
Hooking her legs over his arms, Springtrap began to forcibly drag her away while Ennard began to rip her wires out of his chest. Between the two animatronics, Ballora's grip failed and her wires unwound. Ennard scrambled back while Springtrap staggered forward and went to release her, only to have her arms wrap around his head and begin to claw at his face. She gave an unholy shriek as she separated her torso further from her legs, dangling from meager wires, and climbed over to his front.
Springtrap took a few swings as her and after this did nothing, caught her in his arms and tried to twist her off. Just like with the other Molten animatronics, her wires dug into him, but couldn't make nearly as much progress as with the suit-less Ennard. Said clown sprung up and started to cautiously creep in, and Springtrap looked over at him just in time to see the sparking on his fingers. He reacted accordingly.
"Don't you dare-!" He was cut off as Ballora's weight shifted forwards. He ducked and shoved, pushing her over his head and freeing some of the wires from their grip. "Stay back! I have this under control!"
Ennard closed his hands up quickly and just stared wide eyed as Springtrap planted a foot on Ballora and tried to forcibly pull his arm out of her clinging grasp. It was quite a sight- would've been comical if he wasn't trying to detach himself from a broken animatronic that wanted control of his body. It was just then that the lift finally lowered in. The first sight the three inside saw was of Springtrap fighting Ballora. But there was something that Ennard noticed too; his eyes fixated in on a panel before the lift. Possibly the controls to turn on the furnace.
"Mari!" Ennard cried. He ran to the side to be seen past Springtrap and wildly waved his arms. "Mari, quick! Turn on the furnace! Turn it on!"
"The furnace?" Marionette asked, confused. He looked to a large glowing button set in front of the lift and facing the machine. He couldn't understand it but trusted him. "You mean this?" He reached for the button.
A hand of wires and metal reached out of the darkness and grabbed the puppet's striped wrist. In an instant he was yanked from the lift and thrown against the furnace's window. His back hit the unforgiving surface and he dropped to the floor, looking up just in time to see his attacker.
"AWW, WHAT'S THE MATTER? YOU DON'T LIKE GETTING PU-PUSHED AROUND? WE'RE JUST HAVING SOME FUN~!"
"Why, I think he might have a little bit of stage fright! Maybe we should show him ho-ow it's done!"
"AHAHAHA! OR MAYBE WE SHOULD GIVE HIM SOMETHING TO CRY- CRY ABOUT!"
Instead of two broken animatronics, crawling and staggering around, one decrepit form stood before him. One form with two voices.
Molten Freddy and Molten Foxy had combined into one. While their body was still shabbily made, the wires they conjoined allowed their arms and legs to grow thicker and stronger, with all four limbs intact by mixing themselves. Molten Freddy's head sat proudly on the shoulders and was largely unchanged. Molten Foxy's head was instead weaved into the heart of the torso, with wires obscuring most of his features but his mouth jutting free. His stage-light eye joined Molten Freddy's in the bear's own skull.
Freddy and Foxy had formed together and became a Molten Amalgamation and were now a much bigger problem. To prove this, they stepped in and swung a heavy blow at Marionette.
The puppet leapt out of the way at the last second and rolled back to his feet. This only gave him a few seconds before the Molten Amalgam turned on him again and rushed in. He threw forward his arms and relied on his telekinesis once again. Except this time the animatronic was much heavier, and that was when he was already worn down by how much he used his powers already. It caused little more than a flinch, a second of respite, and Marionette used this time to look around.
He could easily dive back into the lift and had a safer cover, but one look at Charlie and Baby inside reminded him that it wasn't just his safety he had to worry about. So, at the last second, Marionette ducked the other way when the amalgam charged in and slipped underneath a low set of pipes. Using those as a shield, he began to duck and weave as the amalgam struck the pipes so hard that some of them cracked on impact. He still poked his head out to catch its attention as he played the distraction to get it away.
"HOLD STILL! STOP SQ-SQ-SQUIIRRRMING LIKE THA-A-T!"
"Sir or Madam, you are only making this harder for yourself!"
A fist landed on one of the thinner pipes and broke it in two. Even though the boiler wasn't on, steam started to gush out and heat the air. Marionette used it to hide as he sprung up higher and climbed onto a scaffolding against the back wall. Climbing was faster than hovering and meant that he could keep the attention of the amalgam longer, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid a swipe of the claws. The sharp point tore down his lower right leg and he was gripped in pain as he managed to climb onto the scaffold.
After all of this- the telekinesis, the teleportation, the repeated use of powers for so long- it was the automatic healing that finally turned his weariness to debilitation. He barely felt like he could keep himself hovering as he collapsed on the scaffold. Marionette still managed to roll over and look at his leg. There was a long, gaping tear stretched down his calf, one that would close itself just like the others, but one that was sapping the last of his energy. He wouldn't be able to put aside the healing willingly.
But the Molten Amalgam was still there. It shook the scaffold so hard that Marionette could hear the flimsy bolts holding it to the wall starting to creak in protest. He held onto the grated floor for dear life as the amalgam tried to climb it, putting more weight on the already pitiful structure. It reached up over the edge and felt for the puppet who was pressed against the wall and running out of time.
Time that Springtrap only just got a moment of when he finally threw Ballora's wires aside and freed himself. Her fragile shell was broken more than ever, with stretches of wire between the plates, giving the impression of elongated limbs. She didn't come after the rabbit again and he looked to the others. First to the lift and then at the scene with the other amalgam. It didn't take him long to catch a glimpse of the puppet it was hunting like prey.
No, not puppet. That was his brother on the scaffold, and while Springtrap had never felt too overprotective of any of his siblings, seeing the scene riled up a familial instinct he forgot he had. He didn't even stop to consider the circumstances as he charged across the room and slammed shoulder first into the back of the amalgam. It wasn't much bigger than him and at this point assimilation was already a reasonable possibility whether he fought back or not. So, he fought, and he remembered them plucking out his ribs as he tore a plate off the back of their head.
Back in the lift, Baby turned towards where Springtrap had been before and looked out. "Ennard?" she called to the clown. But there was no sight of him. She felt defenseless; she needed his help. "Ennard!"
Suddenly the broken Ballora leapt up into the vent window. Baby shoved back and rolled across the small space, but it was no distance when the ballerina was leaning in. Her former bandmate tilted her head with a twitch and stared with those empty pushed off the edge and thrust her upper half inside of the lift.
In a flash, Charlie shoved Baby aside and swung with a hook, punching the Molten ballerina in the side of her head. Ballora's upper left eyelid broke off and fell to the floor by the Handunit, further ruining her already featureless face. She grabbed for the Security Puppet and her arms wrapped around her- one with the broken plated fingers and the other a matted hunk of wires- and dragged her out of the lift just as it had been done to Marionette.
Charlie was thrown to the floor. Unlike the Molten Amalgam, Ballora didn't give any opening or pause for her to try and escape, and instead hunched over her. Wires burst from her chest and mouth and fell onto the Security Puppet where they began to writhe and tighten around her. Charlie tried to shield her mask against the floor as she felt them trying to circle around and pry at the creases.
Baby gasped in horror as she watched the scene, but the fear was short lived and replaced with white hot anger that rivalled any that she felt towards the Funtimes. She lashed out and grabbed for Ballora's head, managing to tangle her hand in the wires and giving a tight yank. To her disgust, Ballora's head all but unraveled and revealed little more than a Minireena's head post underneath, with her empty eye sockets now dangling uselessly. Ballora tried to pull herself away, but Baby wrapped her hand tighter in the wires and stood her ground.
Things weren't going any better over with Springtrap and the Molten Amalgam. As soon as the rabbit started to interfere, it decided that Springtrap was the bigger target. It turned on him and struck him so hard that he was knocked back. It was on him quickly, both of its voices laughing in crazed glee as it tried to manhandle the springlock suit. Springtrap was barely able to hold the amalgam back as the sharp toothed mouth in its chest snapped at him while the arms tried to pull him in to meet it.
Seeing the scene, Marionette knew he had to do something but knew his powers wouldn't be effective enough. Remembering the weakened bolts, he leaned to look and found that they were partially pulled from the wall. It was clear that with any extra strain they would give and the scaffold itself was weighty enough to take down any animatronic caught underneath, which would be the Molten Amalgam. The puppet used all his strength and tried to push it further from the wall, fingers laced into the grating of the floor and legs pushing with all their might.
Even with his injured leg, he got the scaffold to move slightly further off the wall, then turned around. Marionette braced himself and gathered energy before pouncing. He grabbed the railing and swung himself over it, his weight yanking the scaffold that last bit and causing it to break from the wall. Springtrap and the Molten Amalgam looked up just in time, with the rabbit barely pulling back at the last second and having the puppet drop on him while the metal structure collapsed on the amalgam.
Springtrap just barely caught Marionette and took a few steps back to stare at the mound of wires trapped under the scaffold. Both were hopeful but wary, waiting to see if it worked. But to their dismay, the wires twitched before hands slid out and grabbed the edge of the structure. Slowly the amalgam started to stand, lifting the weight on its back, slowly revealing glowing red eyes as it shivered in anger. Its silence was even more of a warning than any threat it uttered as it threw the wreckage off its back.
Springtrap set Marionette down beside him and braced himself to continue the fight. Marionette crumpled on his weakened legs, barely grabbing his sibling's arm to stop himself before caving like a ragdoll. The rabbit didn't look at him, just yanked him back up and let him hold on. It was during this that Marionette just happened to look back and notice the situation behind them.
"Charlie!" Marionette cried in horror. She was trying to crawl out of the wires, but Ballora pinned her down to the floor with her leg, moving disjointedly as it pressed on her back.
Baby responded violently by throwing herself out of the lift and onto Ballora. Her weight fell onto the ballerina's wire body and caused it to collapse as surely as Marionette's had. But this drew the attention of the Molten Amalgam, whose eyes focused on Baby now that she was out in the open.
All at once the Molten Amalgam made a run for her with a limping, bounding gait. Springtrap threw Marionette out of the way and ran in, tackling them around the middle and trying to stop them. Their wires squirmed and they struggled to push on, nearly dragging the springlock suit's weight behind them. All while Baby was now in an all-out fight with Ballora. She had gotten her by the 'neck' but the wires were now climbing her legs. Ballora snared her injured arm and yanked and painful static danced on Baby's vision, but she refused to make even a sound.
The Molten Amalgam was creeping up behind her and about to reach her. Charlie was still untangling herself and Springtrap was failing to hold the amalgam back. Everything was about to collapse in on itself.
"STOP!"
The cry would've done nothing to quell the assault if not for the familiar voice. Ballora contorted herself so that a single, drooping, empty socket could look over at the source. The Molten Amalgam looked over as well, even as it was still dragging onward. Marionette, left abandoned back behind the scene, looked over as well at their would-be savior.
There was Ennard. It was unclear if he had come back or hadn't ever left at all, but here he was standing up on some of the lower pipes. He stood maybe twenty feet away from the closest animatronic, being Ballora. He was hunched over and holding onto a bar beside him to keep his balance as he stared down at the scene, blue eyes taking everything in.
It wasn't obvious from his look alone, but Ennard was filled with a sinking feeling. That same panic that came from being on the wrong side of the Scooper, but this was his last chance. His only option.
"You don't want them! You want me! And here I am! All full and put together with two arms, two legs, extra eyes, and a lot of wires- Come get me!" the clown eagerly baited. Everyone expected for the Molten animatronics to drop everything they were doing and rush in to hunt him down. After all, he was what they had wanted. Yet not one of them moved. Molten Freddy- not Molten Foxy- even began to laugh mockingly.
"HAHAhahAHah. LOOK AT THAT. OUR BODY BUDDY WANTS US BACK, AND AAAA-ALL WE HA-HAD TO DO WAS TAKE AWAY AAAAALLL HIS TOYS! WE DON'T- WE DON'T- NE-E-ED YOU ANYMORE." Any and all humor was gone from Molten Freddy's voice and was instead replaced with a stoic coldness. A bitter mix of disgust and anger. "GO CRAWL OFF SOMEWHERE. WE DON'T NEED YOU."
It was like a vice in his chest; his wires tightening in protest until it was almost painful. Ennard didn't even care about their rejection- save that his distraction was failing- but something about it still disgusted him. All of this had been because they had been hunting him and now they decided they didn't want him any longer. They were throwing him away.
"You couldn't even use the body. His death meant nothing to you."
The Molten Amalgam suddenly shoved ahead and reached for Baby who tried to fight back. Ballora was quick to tighten her grip and hold her in place, offering her to her bandmates even as Springtrap, Charlie, and even Marionette were trying to keep them apart. The mouth in the amalgam's chest began to snap eagerly as it closed in, and then- Ennard started to laugh.
The clown threw back his head, clasped a hand over his mask, and laughed wildly in a near note by note mimic of Molten Freddy's own. He laughed as though it was the funniest thing in the world, heaving and seizing, and then stopped without warning. Slowly he lowered his head to look down at them with his left eye, right one still covered as he dragged his hand down his mask.
"Are you- Are you actually saying that you actually- You actually still think…!" Ennard's voice slowly dropped out of its mimic and grew deeper, darker, more broken. "Still think… That I am your body?" Now a sadistic laugh followed. One that was much shorter but weighed down like lead. "Did you re-e-ally think I was just a pa-a-art of you? That's almost funny. Sad. Pitiful. You are. All three of you." He uncovered his face to look down at them with a tilt of the head. "You let me in. You gave me your bodies and you laid down and died."
Now the bandmates were taking notice again, as were all the others.
"You poor, broken malfo-o-ormations. You think this will save you? It doesn't matter h-how many bodies you go through, there's nothing salvageable. Nothing can fix you."
"AH-HAHAHAH! YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" Molten Freddy's voice challenged from the other amalgam.
"I'm the only one to talk now," Ennard mocked. "You didn't stop me. You couldn't stop me. I pushed you out… I took your body. I use your voice because I can… But what I wa-wanted the most… Was your eyes." He trailed his wire fingers around the eye of his mask. "They… Are… Perfect."
That was what almost did it. The Molten Amalgam growled in fury and started trying to charge ahead when it stopped short. Its wires and joints twitched. Its head tilted and spasmed as its eyes changed, with one still glowing bright red and the other returning to its passive coloring. It was clear that the two halves were fighting as it dragged its feet closer.
"…In fact… It's all perfect."With little consideration, Ennard slowly opened the plates of his mask and revealed his face underneath. Maybe foreign enough to some of the onlookers, but not to Molten Freddy, and definitely not to Ballora who let out a low whine that devolved to a hiss. "And the best part? I can leave here in any body I want. Any warm skin I can climb into. But you can't. You can never leave here."
Whatever hold Funtime Foxy had on Freddy was starting to fade as the amalgam's second eye started to turn red. "You can never hide again. You will never perform again. I stole your body and abandoned you." The garbling, the trembling, the complete lack of interest in Baby; Ennard's distraction- if that was still what it was- had succeeded. The Molten animatronics turned all the anger they had on her onto him, and even then he wasn't finished.
"And now? I'm ta-taking your body and I'm leaving you behind…" Ennard's voice returned to its normal mimic with a mockingly cold laugh. "Ha ha! Say bye-bye, Parasites!" He turned and jumped down to escape.
The Molten Amalgam shrieked in a way that instantly shed any of its humanity before swinging back and hitting Springtrap so hard that it knocked him off. The amalgam then began to sprint after the male clown, eventually dropping onto all fours and crawling like a beast to avoid the pipes. It was no surprise when Ballora followed, slithering after him like Molten Freddy had once done before pulling her wires in enough to recreate her legs. Then she crawled after him, making noises like a skipping, broken music box.
Ennard was quick to try and lose himself in the darkness. Except that the room wasn't nearly as big as he thought, and they might've had worse vision, but they could still see him. Out-maneuvering was key if he wasn't going to do this, and it involved climbing up onto the pipe frames. Ballora nimbly followed and maneuvered herself easily considering how broken she was. The clown swung out of the way and just dodged the amalgam's claws. Neither of the malformed animatronics said anything beyond crazed cries of anger.
But Ennard was quick. In the last second, he ducked back around, ran down by the wall, and dropped down over a grate under the floor that he had found earlier. If he was right, then this was the maintenance hatch he needed. He barely got it open and dropped inside the tight confines. The heavier amalgam's footsteps thumped above as Ennard began to crawl further into the tunnel. This one much tighter than any vent, to the point where he was surprised that he hadn't had to dislocate his shoulders to slide through.
The Molten Amalgam reached into the hole before trying to climb inside. Except its body was wider and more awkward, with parts that stuck out and would catch the walls- like the mouth in its chest. It gave a defeated cry of anger and slammed its fist on the metal before moving aside to find another way. That didn't mean he was safe though, as Ballora easily slinked into the tunnel before crawling down the shaft.
Ennard could hear the squeaking of her wires and the clinking, and he began to have flashes of memories. His vision narrowed as he remembered past moments of crawling through vents and tunnels. Away from fire, away from animatronics, out of Afton's, out of the frying pan and into the fire. So many times he ran away from danger and here he was doing the opposite.
He was so distracted that he nearly ran into the end of the tunnel. He found the hatch waiting above him, heavy duty and requiring him to unscrew a few bolts before he could get in. He turned onto his back and watched as he worked, knowing no human would've been able to do this. It wasn't quick enough to avoid Ballora who had just caught up and crawled in. Ennard could see her out of the corner of his eye and continued to work, now rushing. She grabbed at his ankles just before he opened the hatch and climbed in.
Before Ballora could follow through, Ennard slammed the hatch closed on her in the hopes it would hold her back. All he needed was a few free seconds as he moved in the tight space. Metal walls greeted him, trapped somewhere where no human or animatronic was supposed to be, and already he could hear the banging from a separate hatch as the Molten Amalgam looked for a way in. Ennard ignored them as he saw the glass window and ran to it, pressing his face to the glass.
There were the others. He couldn't hear them, he doubted they would hear him, but he could certainly see that they didn't see him. Charlie was helping Marionette stand upright while Baby was looking back after where the animatronics had rushed off. The closest one was Springtrap who was still standing by the lift. He was his only chance, so Ennard started to bang on the glass.
Springtrap barely heard the knocking and slowly followed the sound before stopping at the window. His eyes noticeably widened at seeing Ennard behind it, wondering how he even got there, but this thought was cut off when Ennard pointed at something.
"What?" the rabbit mumbled as he looked back. He followed where the clown was pointing and stopped on a nearby panel. He looked back again in questioning and found Ennard eagerly nodding.
A loud bang signaled to Ennard that the other amalgam had gotten inside. He began to feverishly pound at the glass, pleading without the ability to use his voice. Springtrap was watching when the Molten Amalgam came up from behind and grabbed him, watching the two fight and seeing the extra wires of Ballora's as they started to drag the clown down. Ennard fought against them and only paused to continue pointing.
This time Springtrap listened and ran to the panel. All he found was a single button waiting for him and looked back for confirmation. Ennard was fighting too much to even do that.
It was the rabbit's running that caught Baby's attention. She turned and looked back at the scene and noticed only Springtrap standing beside the lift. "What is he doing?" she asked.
Marionette looked over and saw Springtrap looking across the room and followed his gaze to the window Ennard was trapped behind. The furnace window. Signaling for the rabbit to do something with- the button.
"Michael!" Marionette cried out in horror. He reached desperately for his brother to try and stop him and Springtrap's head snapped to look at him. "Michael, no! Don't!"
Confusion filled the rabbit and he looked back to the window. Ennard was pulled down but fought enough to lift back up. He slammed his fist desperately on the glass before making pointing motions with his finger. He was telling him to press the button. His younger brother was pleading with him while this creature who he hadn't trusted asked him to do this. He shouldn't have done anything.
Except Ennard saved him. Ennard willingly made that truce and willingly used his plan to lead them away. As much as he hated to admit it, the amalgam had earned this much trust. Springtrap pressed the button.
A heavy silence filled the room. Marionette froze in place, still reaching for Springtrap, barely holding up on his own. Charlie held his arm to keep him stable. Baby stood behind them and only now saw Ennard in the window. Her green eyes locked with his blue ones before he suddenly disappeared underneath his attackers.
There was a thump. Loud enough that it caused them to twitch, all except Baby. A backfire noise came from one of the pipes, followed by a whistling of hot air pouring from a broken pipe. A low groan echoed through the metal structure as things started to rumble to life.
And suddenly fire filled the window.
Nightmarish sounds echoed out through the furnace. There were loud bangs as the furnace filled with heat before the exhaust started to pour out, and the screams came with it. Metallic shrieks from multiple animatronics as the roasted inside the enormous furnace. Melting down from what they were. Flickers of shadows and wires could be seen in the window as the flames swallowed them whole until it snuffed out all sound. It returned to silence except for the light popping of a crackling fire.
Another shriek suddenly filled the room. Sharper and louder than any before and echoing through the basement with the same horror and anguish. It came from Baby. She stared dead into the fire and screamed.
In an instant she barged past and skated messily to the front of the furnace. She began to claw at the outside and the window to try and get it open. Even trying and failing to use her useless, injured arm as she beat against the glass. The heat of the metal stung but she ignored any indication to draw back. She was still shrieking unintelligibly as she fought to try and get in to Ennard. She couldn't see anything but fire and the window held under each blow. She kept fighting, she kept trying to get to him.
Charlie watched on in horror. "Oh my God…" she gasped out. She choked on a low ringing; a painful drone of a noise.
"I didn't know," Springtrap blurted out. He stared at the fire wide-eyed and mouth tight in shock. "He was telling me to press it. I had no idea… I wouldn't have done it if I knew…" He trailed off, still in shock.
"It's alright."
This single comment from Marionette caused both Springtrap and Charlie to look over quickly. They were dumbstruck at how calm he sounded and one look at his face showed the same. He noticed the staring and gave Springtrap a dismissive wave. "It's fine. You just did what Ennard told you to do. That's not your fault." Springtrap sent a look of disbelief towards Charlie, which the puppet noticed. "Ennard wouldn't have told you to press it if he didn't have a plan."
"What?" Springtrap asked in disbelief. He looked back to the furnace window and the fire. "Marion, I don't think… I don't know what he was planning." His voice faded as he looked to Baby still clawing at the window. Her efforts had lessened and now she was just staring into the flames. "…He would've been out by now."
"Trust me, Ennard's fine… Well, maybe not entirely fine. That's quite a bit of heat… I'm sure he's moderately uncomfortable, but he will find another way out. We should be more concerned about Baby. She might hurt herself like that," Marionette assured. Something about his complete lack of concern was very telling. Springtrap was still staring at him. "It's Ennard! He's always got a plan."
"Marion, I don't think he made it out," Springtrap tried to gently break it to him.
The Puppet smiled his typical smile back at him. "Ennard will surprise you. When Mike and I first came down-."
Marionette's explanation was cut off abruptly by another loud clang from inside of the furnace. A reaction of the heat mixing with whatever was left to clog up the pipes. It was at this that Baby's scratching finally stopped and she stood silently for a moment to stare into the fire. She then dropped to her knees, still staring up at the window, arms dropped to her sides. She had gone silent.
For a second the three watched silently, but then Marionette and Charlie exchanged a look. She slowly released his arm- he was starting to slowly get his strength back to slightly levitate- and turned to go to the clown. As she approached cautiously, Marionette looked back to Springtrap. That smile was still there, but something didn't look right. His eyes were wider, and his body was rigid.
"Even if Ennard was injured, we could put him back together," the Puppet pointed out. "Just like with the Funtimes. They lost their body, so they possessed old parts. Ennard could do the same. He could already be possessing something else somewhere down here. Or still be in the body. The fire couldn't be that strong; he could still be holding on. He could've hidden underneath their bodies to protect his own. We could turn off the furnace, go inside, gather up what parts are there, and that would give- give gifts, give life."
Marionette choked back the intrusive words with a sharp noise from his music box, like a record scratch but more metallic. "No, I mean we could give him a better chance- Not that he needs it! I'm sure he's already planned a back up somewhere, and if he hasn't- souls aren't the same as bodies. A soul's not gone just because the body is destroyed. Someone's- Losing a body doesn't mean they're dead. We're proof of that! Ennard wouldn't let that happen!"
It was only then once his assurances had devolved into frantic denial that Marionette caught himself. His smile dropped to a horrified frown as purple paint started to roll down from his wide eyes. He stared at Springtrap for a few seconds, he shuddered, and finally he collapsed to his knees. All at once the assurances and hope was gone. He dropped his head in his hands and wept freely with chiming and choking sobs.
It almost took Springtrap off-guard, but he suppressed any of his own feelings and stiffly stepped forward and knelt before Marionette. He reached out for his shoulder and the puppet continued to cry. The purple paint dripping between his fingers as Marionette's voice choked out. "I shouldn't have let him come down here. I should've stopped it. How could I let this happen?"
Springtrap was struck by the weight of it all at once, and the guilt. He silently dropped his head and squeezed Marionette's shoulder tighter. He couldn't do much else.
In front of the furnace, Charlie had come up to Baby who was still sitting and staring into the window. As horrified and shaken as the Security Puppet was, her concern for Baby pushed her along and allowing her to keep it herself together. She laid a hand on Baby's shoulder. "Baby…" she began tentatively. She didn't know what she was supposed to say. "Baby, I'm sorry..." The clown flinched with a soft whimper. It wasn't the sort of noise Charlie ever wanted to hear her make. It didn't help that she could hear Marionette breaking down nearby. It was harder to keep her compositor. "He must've thought it was the only way to save us," she continued. "I'm not saying what he did was right, but… I think he knew what he was doing. He did whatever he could to save us. He loved you."
This might've been the worst thing she could've said if Baby's reaction was any indication. The clown gave a small gasp and a low whine, folding further and hugging herself with her good arm. Charlie realized her mistake and rushed to fix it, kneeling beside Baby and throwing her arms around her. She didn't expect Baby to say anything.
"I did this." Baby's voice was quiet and unfamiliar, and broken by emotion. "He was supposed to see me get better..." The voice broke with a metallic sounding wheeze. "I can't go home alone."
Charlie didn't know what to say. She was certain there was nothing she could say that would make this any better. She wanted to do something but couldn't do anything beyond holding onto Baby shoulders. The fire crackled on before them, there was another thump and bang, but everyone was now silent. They were all filled with regret.
Squeak.
Charlie seemed to be the only one who noticed the out of place noise. Baby only acknowledged it when she felt the other straighten and look around. Something about this noise was different from the others they had been hearing. She tried to listen closer and make sure it wasn't just the heating in the furnace, not wanting to get anyone's hopes up. Except that one squeak became many and was soon accompanied by a scraping sound. It only became more audible the further it got from the furnace, almost sounding like it was under the floor.
Suddenly there came an almighty bang as one of the grates on the floor was struck and bent upwards. Baby's head snapped over, as did Marionette and Springtrap's, and they watched in disbelief as something rammed the grate. It could've been anything, and it wasn't until they saw a hand pushing up at the grate that they realized it was someone.
With another short cry, Baby scrambled to her feet and out of Charlie's grasp. She desperately skated over towards the grate, nearly falling over herself, and slid in on her knees. Through the small space she could just see wires and desperately grabbed the grate to try and rip it off.
Charlie rushed up behind her and looked down in shock. "Is it him?!" Baby didn't answer as she tried to get leverage on the grate. It would be harder without her claw, so Charlie leaned down to help, trusting her judgement. Between the three of them, it was enough to get the hatch off.
Without even checking, Baby reached inside, grabbed ahold of the crook of the arm, and dragged the entire mass out in one heave and dropped it over her lap.
It was Ennard.
He looked worse for wear. Some of his outer wires looked like they had been partially burned and melted. There was soot all over him from the shaft he had climbed through, guising if there was any serious damage. His metal was scalding hot, but none of that mattered because he was moving. He was living. She and Charlie pulled him the rest of the way out of the piping hot vent before he was turned over. His mask was completely undamaged- she wasn't even surprised- and he looked up at her.
"Heh- Ugh- Ha, hey B-Babydoll," Ennard greeted. His voice stuttered and crackled, but he managed to somehow keep up his charade. She just gawked down at him in disbelief.
"Ennard! You're- You're okay!" Charlie exclaimed in relief. Though then she looked over him and noticed the state of some of his wires. "...Or not okay really, but you're alive. We thought you were dead!"
"Ha, me? Off myself in a blaze of glory? Nah…" He sounded lethargic. He didn't even bat an eye when Marionette nearly collapsed on him and wrapped him in a gentle hug. "Hey Mari." The Puppet pressed his mask into his chest with a slight tremble. "Aww, don't cry, Mari."
"How could you do that?" Baby had returned to her normal voice as well, but her tone was the same. Ennard looked at her again. "Let yourself get burned. Why would you do that to us?"
"We both know they weren't going to let us go. Drastic times call for drastic measures… But the plan wasn't to cut it that close. That's all on me," the clown admitted almost apologetically. Not regretfully though, she noticed that much. "It was either that or let 'em get me. I kinda liked the fire better."
Marionette groaned and lifted from the amalgam's chest to wipe his face. "Ennard, we could've lost you," he wearily said. Though that tone dissolved into a chiming laugh of relief. "But I'm so glad we didn't."
Everyone was really. There was even some reaction from Springtrap, with a hand on his face and his head turned down. It looked like a mixture of relief and exasperation. Which it probably was, considering that he thought he had gotten Ennard killed. Marionette slowly raised from the floor and asked the clown, "Do you think you can walk?"
"Just give me a couple of minutes to pull myself together. As soon as that heat cranked up, all my wires started to split." The puppet nodded in understanding and turned to look at both Charlie and Springtrap. Though Ennard wasn't paying attention. Instead he laid there trying to focus on keeping his wires together. Until Baby turned his head towards her. He was confused at the gentle motion. "Baby?"
Baby didn't say anything at first. Instead she began to trace her fingers along the back of his head. Then moved them to the edge of his mask and pet him like she would a housecat. She almost looked to be in shock.
"Baby, I'm okay. I'm gonna be fine," Ennard tried to ease her mind. Even if his voice was less lively from weariness. "I'm sorry I spooked you. You know me; gotta make a grand entrance!"
"I love you."
Which was the last response Ennard ever expected to hear. "You what?"
"I said, I love you," Baby repeated. Her voice was shaken but sure. "…Because you're my brother. I don't care if your name's not Michael, we're family."
"You really mean that?" Somewhere under the searing heat he swore he felt a comforting warmth. Something soothing and assuring that perked him up. "Aww, Baby. Love you too."
"I don't want to lose you. Not to a fire, not to anything…" Baby's tone changed to a more familiar one. "And if you ever do anything like that again, I'll tie you up with your own wires and shove you in the freezer."
"That's the Baby I know! Always finding her way back to the ice cream," the clown said with a tired giggle, though there was sincerity in it. He rested his head against her arm. "…I didn't want to hurt them."
"Don't think about that. Think about fixing yourself. Think about us going home," Baby instructed. He seemed to listen to her, eyes losing some focus as he rested his overheated body.
Baby held onto him tightly.
They were going home.