A jolt ran up and down Freddy's frame as the life to returned to his eyes. Almost immediately, he surveyed the room before him, prompting him to realize that he was back onstage. It didn't take him long to infer what had happened to him, and presumably the others.
They were shut off.
To Freddy's knowledge, this was a regular, normal thing for them to do every morning at 6 AM – and the same applied every night at 8 o'clock. It was to prevent him and his compadres from overheating themselves, and offered them a way to 'rest' after a busy day or night!
But, regardless of whether the intentions of the program were good or not, it sure picked a terrible time to trigger! They had just captured and tied up those delinquents, and were having a nice reunion with their pal Scott! Then, that darned program cut things short and-
Freddy gasped, putting a hand to his cheek as he looked toward the tables that were across the room. The criminals! They were gone!
"Wh-What happened?", Freddy thought to himself. He began to consider the unpleasant thought that, perhaps, they overpowered Scott and Fritz and escaped! Oh, that would be so, so dreadful!
After glancing at Bonnie and Chica, who were still deactivated, he began to hurriedly step offstage. For all he knew, Scott and Fritz could be injured! Or, perhaps worse! He had to find them, and fa-
The ringing of the front entrance's bells almost immediately derailed his train of thought. Freddy nearly fell offstage as he looked toward the front doors, watching as two figures stepped inside. Judging from the sounds of their voices as well as the bare fact that Freddy could easily see them despite how dark it was, he quickly realized who they were...
Scott and Fritz!
Freddy was elated, and – dare he say – quite relieved! He almost couldn't contain himself upon seeing that the two were alright! He almost considered jumping offstage and hugging the two of them, but something made him decide against it. Though he was still quite ecstatic from his and the rest of the Toys' victory against those three vandals, he had to keep at least a shred of discipline! So, in the end, he waved at them, grinning widely.
"Hey, Freddy!", Scott exclaimed, returning the gesture. "I see you're awake! That's great!" Freddy nodded.
"Yup!", he replied. "However, the others aren't quite there yet, I'm afraid to say," he said, glancing at the two Toys beside him. "Though, I must ask, what were you two doing out there?"
"Oh, we were just discussing things with the police while they were arresting those guys," Scott explained. Fritz nodded in agreement. Freddy grinned. Though his last run-in with the police was a bit less-than-stellar, this was delightful news regardless!
"And, y'know," Scott continued. "You guys really were awesome back there. I didn't say it before, but I was really worried about you all. I didn't notice it until after everything was said and done, but... those guys had weapons and-" Scott paused as Fritz put a hand on his shoulder, making the man realize that he was beginning to miss the point of what he was trying to say.
"...Well, basically, because of how well you guys handled everything, Fritz 'n I decided to give you all an award!" Freddy oooh'd.
"An award!", the bear repeated in disbelief. "Of what sort?"
"Well...", Scott began, putting his hands behind his back. "Did you notice anything different when you booted up?" Freddy tilted his head slightly, before shaking his head.
"Not... Not really," the bear said. The only thing he had noticed was the vandals' absence.
"Well, think about it!", Scott said. "Isn't it a little darker outside than when you normally wake up?"
Freddy blinked, before taking a look outside. He hadn't noticed it before, but the sun was only just coming up. The sky was a mixture of orange and a dark blue, augmented by the emerging sun's rays. This was quite the contrast from the bright blue sky that usually greeted Freddy when he woke up...
Wait-
"I booted up early?", Freddy asked in surprise, looking back at the men before him. Scott grinned.
"Yes!", he replied. "And it's all thanks to Fritz here!", he said, patting the other man's back. "He removed that auto-shutoff program you guys had! Isn't that great?" he asked with a smile. However, Freddy seemed a bit apprehensive.
"Is... Is that safe?", Freddy asked. "I-I mean, that program was there for a reason!"
"Of course it's safe," Fritz simply replied. He opened his mouth to say more, but Scott cut in.
"Freddy, I know all of you can shut off on your own," he said, his tone hardening slightly. "I've seen it happen a few times! I thought to ask about it, but...", he trailed off a little, rubbing the back of his head.
"...Well, let's not worry about that right now," he quickly finished. Freddy frowned slightly. He almost regretted asking that now. He had a feeling that Scott was leaving a few things out, but he didn't press the matter right now.
He'd save that for later.
Over the next few minutes, the other three Toys began to activate. When they finally did, Scott repeated what he had said. Though they were elated that Scott and Fritz were in tip-top shape, and everything was taken care of, they initially weren't sure of how they felt about this 'award'. Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy looked at each other with perplexed expressions, before looking back at Scott. After all, that program was more or less an integral part of their daily and nightly routines...
But, on the other hand...
"...So, wait," Chica began. "You're sayin' that we aren't forcibly shut down anymore?" Scott nodded.
"Hah!", she began. "Well, more time to party then!"
"Yeah!", Bonnie agreed. "The more time we get to spend, the better!" Foxy nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, Scott!", she said. "This really has been quite the surprise!"
"Ah, well...", Scott began. "No need to thank me. Fritz came up with the idea! And, he also has a thing or two to say to you guys...", he said, patting the man on the back.
The Toys, however, stared for a moment in disbelief at what Scott had said. Fritz came up with the idea? Really? It definitely against the rather distant, grumpy techie that they had come to know.
"Yeah, well... Listen," Fritz began. "I'm sorry 'bout the way I treated you guys before, alright? I was scared 'n frustrated 'n I wasn't thinking straight. And, well, after I saw what you guys were capable of tonight, I kinda felt bad, so... Sorry," he quickly ended his speech. He and Scott looked at the Toys, awaiting their response. Freddy was the first to respond, smiling widely.
"Apology accepted," he said.
"Yeah, thanks, Fritz!", Bonnie added. "You're awesome!"
Fritz smiled a little as the other two bots gave their thanks.
"Just don't taze me again," Chica jokingly said. Fritz rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, whatever," he said. "Listen, I gotta get going now, alright? I kinda have a boss to report back to."
"Awwww!", Bonnie said, expressing his disappointment.
"A-Are you sure you can't stay, Fritz?", Foxy asked, putting her hands together. "We'd love for you to stick around!"
"Yeah, sorry," Fritz replied as he took a few steps toward the door. "Maybe next time!", he called back.
Scott watched as Fritz opened and closed the front door, making his exit, before returning his gaze to the Toys. His heart dropped a little as he saw how disappointed they seemed.
"Oh come on, guys!", he began. "Don't feel bad! Tonight went pretty well, didn't it? We got to sing, dance, all o' that! Not to mention the fact that we successfully defended this place from those vandals!", he said, purposefully omitting the... less enjoyable aspects of their night.
"Plus, who knows? Maybe we'll see Fritz again sometime, huh?", he mentioned.
"Do you really think so?", Freddy asked. Scott nodded.
"I know so," he said. "Though, unfortunately, we... should probably get going right about now," he hesitantly said.
"Wh-Wha?", Bonnie asked. "Why?"
"Well, the sun's coming up, and I don't want too much attention to be drawn to you guys! I-I mean, don't get me wrong, you guys're great. I c-can't stress that enough. But, I don't want a mob of people asking about, or filming, a bunch of animals walking down the street," he said.
"Plus...", he began with a yawn. "I'm getting tired." The bots had to agree – tonight was a long night.
"Fair enough!", Freddy said. "Though, at the rate the sun's coming up, we might have to hurry...", he thoughtfully remarked, noting the sun's rays beginning to splay themselves across the floor. Scott nodded.
"Well, let's get going then!"
As Scott began to make his way toward the exit, beckoning the Toys to follow, he began to feel good. In fact, he felt accomplished, if not still quite tired. After the group left the building, Scott took a moment to stand in the parking lot and take in the sights around him. The sun was rising, there was a slight gust of wind – much welcomed in the eve of the coming summer.
Then, he looked back at the bots who were still behind him. Two of them, Freddy and Chica, seemed to have noticed the damage dealt by the vandals the previous night. Covering the already faded and badly maintained paint were some orange scribbles. They didn't seem to form any coherent message – they were just there. Scott sighed as he heard the two's worried mutterings. He hoped that Fritz would ask someone to drop by and remove that mess...
Scott then flinched as he heard a sound nearby. It was a shrill, windy sort of noise. Scott looked to his left, wondering what in blazes was making that sound! And as Scott would soon find...
It was Bonnie.
...Taking a genuine, deep breath as he stretched his arms.
"Ah, man, what a fantastic morning, huh?", the rabbit asked, not noticing Scott's stare.
"Oh, yes, for sure!", replied a certain fox. "The air out here really beats all the dust inside!", she said, waving a hand in front of her snout. "S-Say, Scott, are you alright there?", she asked, looking in the man's direction. "Shouldn't we be getting home, like you said?"
Scott continued to hold his slightly bewildered stare for a moment, before covering his face with his hands. He groaned slightly, only now beginning to really feel the weight of his exhaustion. He hadn't thought about it until now, but he had been up all night without much of a rest...
"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm alright," he finally said, uncovering his face. "Let's get going. C'mon, Freddy, Chica! Let's get going!", he called out. "D-Don't worry about the paint there – we'll fix that next time!"
"W-Well, I sure hope we do!", Freddy replied as he made his way toward Scott, beckoning Chica to follow. "I know this place has seen better days, but... I'd rather it at least look a bit respectable...", he said, glancing back at it. Scott nodded.
"I know, I know...", he said. "But... Let's get going, for real this time. I'm feelin' like I'm gonna go out at any moment here..."
"O-Oh, yes, of course," Freddy said, understanding. "After all, a young man like you needs his rest!"
Again, Scott nodded and off they went. Thankfully, it didn't take them long to get home. Scott found it just the slightest bit refreshing that he was back home, within the cool embrace of the building's A/C. He then said a few things to the Toys, before heading upstairs to shower and – finally – retire to bed.
A few hours later, Scott woke up feeling fully recharged! He yawned and stretched, before checking his digital clock on the night-table nearby. He frowned a little upon seeing that it was not a minute before 7:30, but quickly set that thought aside. After all, it was still Saturday. If he wanted to, he could stay up all night again! And this time, the Toys wouldn't shut down on him!
...Though, he wasn't sure if he could make it to 6 AM again. Bah.
Scott got out of bed and made his way downstairs, quietly humming to himself as he went. It was times like these when he could really take in and think about what he's done up to this point. He took a moment to sit down on one of the steps and gaze out one of the windows at the bottom of the staircase, near the front door. The sun was already beginning to set out there, and the streetlights were beginning to turn on.
Scott took this moment to wonder if he was becoming nocturnal.
But, backwards sleeping habits aside, this was one of those few moments where he truly felt like he did good. He showed the bots a good time, for one thing. But as much as he hated to think about it, a lot of things went wrong that night... The power went out for a bit, Chica was temporarily disabled, he had punched out a long-time employee, and some vandals decided to show up. But in a way, he supposed that all of that was a blessing in disguise.
After all, things seemed to work out in the end! Peace was made between Fritz and the Toys, the vandals were done away with, and the bots were no longer constrained by their auto-shutoff programming!
He then sighed. The Toys...
Scott was never one to look at the past, but it seemed like only yesterday when he first procured them from that junkyard. He had washed them up, gave them what repairs they needed, all of that. He only wished he told them the year – y'know, before everything went south.
Regardless, he admired them – and their adventured only served to further that feeling. They all had their own, unique personalities and traits and aghh.
The point was that he liked them. A lot. They were his best friends, if anything, and logic dictated that the feeling was reciprocated. At least, that's what he hoped. He only wished that he found the balloon vendor and the puppet. Scott recalled looking high and low for any sign of the things, but he could never find them.
Seriously, where were they?
Breaking Scott out of his thoughts were a series of plastic footsteps echoing off the wooden floor below. Scott leaned over slightly to see Chica at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him.
"Hey pal!", she called up. "What're you doin' there?"
"N-Nothing!", Scott replied. "Nothing much!" Chica smirked a little, putting a hand on one of her hips.
"I'onno," she began skeptically. "It seemed like a little more than nothing!", she said. Scott watched as the chick made her way up the steps. She stumbled a little in some spots, prompting Scott to nearly stand up to help – an offer which she refused. He moved over as she sat down next to him.
"S-So," Scott began. "Still getting the hang of the whole 'stair' thing, huh?" Chica nodded.
"Yep," she replied. "I guess it's a little embarrassing, isn't it?", she asked reticently, looking down slightly. Scott himself had to admit that it was a little odd – a machine as complex as her being tripped up by something as simple as a staircase, though he didn't say it aloud.
I mean, it's not like the pizzeria had any stairs.
"Sooo," Chica began, her gaze drifting away slightly. "What'cha doin' up here? You weren't really just doing nothing, were you?" Scott shook his head.
"No, no... Not really," he replied. "I was just thinking about stuff."
"Like what?", she asked. "You seemed pretty 'into' it."
"Well... About you guys!", Scott said. "Last night was pretty hectic, y'know? I was so worried about you guys when Fritz and I went into that room. One o' those guys had a bat, the other had a tazer, and the third was just huge. I... I almost thought they would, like, tear you apart or something," he explained.
"But, I mean, that didn't happen!", Chica said. "Thankfully, anyway! We really showed those guys what-for, y'know? And, believe it or not, we were pretty worried about you too," she admitted.
"R-Really?", Scott asked.
"Duhh, of course!", she replied. She thought it was obvious! "Scott, you're the best, y'know that? Better than a lot'a folks we've met! You actually, well... Care, I guess! I'm not the best with words, Freddy'll probably word it better. But the point is, Scott, we wouldn't be here without'cha," she said.
Scott smiled. Well, that was something. Though, something else also bothered him – and he figured that now was as good as any time to ask about it...
"Though...", Scott asked, his frown returning. "What about... Well, 'before'? You guys really seemed to miss those days," he said, thinking about the aftermath of Fritz's story. Chica averted her gaze for a moment, before offering a slightly weaker smile.
"L-Listen, bud...", she began. "What's... What's done is done. Like Freddy said, we sometimes look a little too far back when we think of the past. We forget about the times we've had recently!", she said, paraphrasing Freddy's words a bit. "I mean, sometimes I wonder if we'll ever get back to doing what we were meant to do, but... In a way, I guess we already did," she said, her smile growing. Scott smiled as well. The two averted their gazes again, giving each other a moment to think.
"Hey, Scott?", Chica soon asked. "Did you... have something else you wanted to say?"
Scott froze for a moment.
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"Well...", the chick began. "Last night, you seemed a little... antsy," she said. "You kept wanting to ask us something, but you never actually did. You do know you can ask or tell us anything, right?", she asked. "I mean, you're basically 'part of the family' at this point."
Scott nodded, but didn't say anything. He wasn't sure how, or even if he wanted to go through with this. He wanted a bit more time to think on it, but Chica wasn't having that.
"So?", she asked. "What's on your mind?"
"Well...", Scott began.
"Is it about me?", she asked.
"K-Kinda?"
"Is it about Bonnie? Foxy? Freddy?", she asked, her hesitation giving way to increased curiosity.
"N-No, no, no," Scott said. "Well- Sort'a- Ugh," Scott uttered. This was getting way too dramatic for his liking. He needed a way to simply convey what was on his mind. So, he did what any sane person wouldn't do, and tightly grabbed Chica's arm.
"A-Ah!", Chica shouted, both in surprise and slight pain. "Th-That's... a little tight there, Scott! M-Mind easing up? A bit?", she asked. Instantly regretting that, Scott obliged, and she clutched her arm, sighing.
"Wh-What was that for?", she asked.
"E-Err, sorry," Scott apologized, putting his hands together. "B-But, err... Y-You felt that, right?" Chica gave him an incredulous look.
"Well – Yeah!", she exclaimed. "Of course I felt that! I- ...Wait. Is that what you were so apprehensive about?", she asked.
"I-It's... a little more than that," Scott bashfully explained. "It's like... Ugh, how do I explain this?"
"Ah, just spit it out!", Chica urged.
"O-Okay, okay!", he relented. "Look – No offense, but the robots I've seen in – like – cartoons, movies, and documentaries and stuff can only – well – perform their programmed functions. Y'know, do 'Action A', do 'Action B', shut down. But – You guys do more than that. You guys assess the situation before doing 'Action A'. You wonder 'What consequences will result from Action A?'."
"A-And not only that!", he continued. "Like just now, you actually felt me grabbing your arm. A-And recently, Freddy actually felt that his toe was missing. A-And it goes even deeper than that!", he said. "I've seen you guys do things that... Well, that I thought only people and animals can do," he said. "You guys laugh, pant, sigh, sneeze, all of that! W-What's with that?", he asked, now growing nervous as he finished his explanation. He was a bit worried about how Chica would react to all of that...
Chica looked down, seeming to be deep in thought. Then, she snickered a little.
"Well," she began. "It was only a matter o' time before you found out about that, huh?" Scott blinked.
"Wh-Wha'd'you mean?"
"Nothin'", she waved him off. "I know what you're talking about, though," she said. Scott smiled a little. He hoped so.
"A-Are you sure you wanna hear about it, though?", she made sure to ask. "I-I mean, I don't know the specifics of it or anything, but-"
"Yes!", Scott said.
"Alright, alright! Look, basically, we're pro'lly a lot more complex than you'd think," she began. "Lining our endoskeletons and suits are little, like, sensors or whatever. Little tiny ones," she said, using her fingers to illustrate precisely how tiny they were. "And, the reason we can do those other things you described are because o' this system of – like – pipes and fans and stuff in here," she said, placing a hand on her bib – where one's lungs would normally be.
"I mean, you can understand how machines like us can produce a lotta heat, right?", she asked. Scott nodded.
"Well, whatever's in here's meant to expel that heat! It's why we sometimes pant or whatever after doing somethin' difficult. If something like dust or whatever gets stuck in there, it's forcibly expelled! Y'know, kinda like sneezing or coughing!", she further explained.
"...And, the other stuff you said like sighing 'n all that's just stuff we picked up from folks like you," she said as an afterthought. "I-It's, uh... Kinda cool, right?", she asked. Scott seemed absolutely star-struck. This was beyond even his wildest dreams! It gave him a new perspective on the Toys who inhabited his house. This was...
Awesome.
...Though, he had to wonder how he never noticed any of that when he was repairing Foxy.
"Uh, Scott? You there?", she asked, grabbing his arm.
"H-Huh? Oh! Oh, yes, yes, sorry. Chica, that's awesome!", he said. "I could've never imagined that that was the case! Can... Can you guys eat or drink or anything like that?", he asked. Chica shook her head.
"Hah! I wish!", she replied. "Some o' that stuff looks delicious. Especially pizza," she said. Scott chuckled, but then realized something.
"Though, now that I think about it... How did that tazer feel?", he asked. He jerked his arm slightly as he felt Chica's hand heat up.
"It was... painful," she said. Scott frowned. Probably not the best thing to ask. He offered to hug the chick, but she waved him off.
"D-Don't worry about it," Chica said, before smiling. "Say, the gang 'n I're getting ready to watch somethin' in the living room. How's Back To The Future sound?", she offered. Scott grinned. Though he had so many more questions, a movie sounded great right about now. Besides, he had to remind himself to introduce the bots to media outside the 80s.
"Sounds like a plan," he said. Both Scott and Chica got up and went downstairs, making their way into the living room where they were so happily greeted by the rest of the Toys.
Earlier That Day...
Fritz sighed as he finally got back to his apartment. Lord, what a night.
"Hey, Whiskers," he muttered, smiling as he got a small meow in reply. He sat down on his couch, groaning and sighing as he finally got a chance to relax. Said relaxation didn't last long, however, as he leaned over and picked up his phone. To his dismay, he still had one thing to do. He dialed in a number, and waited for the dial tone to subside...
"Hey, Boss?", he asked. "Mind sending someone over to the 80s location? Some vandals messed up the outside walls, vandals who I caught." He waited for a moment as some incoherent words poured through the phone. He rolled his eyes.
"Yes," he said. "It actually happened. Though... I guess I didn't do it single-handedly. Be sure to relay this one to that Mike guy, but... "
"You will not believe who and what I found there."
A/N: Well, here we are, huh? The final chapter! Thanks, all of you, for your continued support and all that such. You guys really are wonderful! I hope this fic was as good, if not better than the last one! I feel like I rushed/stumbled in a few places, but eh.
Regardless, I hope you guys like the way I wrapped things up! I decided to deviate from the usual FNAF fare in how the robots are constructed, if not to spice things up just a bit. ...And explain some of their tendencies in this fic and the last one. And, again, I can't stress enough how awesome you guys are. NickinChicken, DeltaV, EzyGuy00, ZeroTheKitsune, RonweTheFallenOne, and all the rest of you who read, review, follow, and/or favorite this! I hope you all have a wonderful evening, and happy Father's Day!
The Rare Endangered A/N Part 2: I know this is a repost, sorreh 'bout that. I don't usually like to do it, mostlybecauseIthinkitmightbeagainstsiterules, but Sunday night probably wasn't the best time to post this. Situations like this will be the only times I'll repost chapters. Again, sorreh. But, again, thanks for the support!
Until Next Time!