Present Day-

VANESSA

The prize counter security room had been a sort of bust... even though it HAD a generator in it. When they tried to wake M.X.E.S back up in the main server remotely, it didn't work. Cassie definitely shut it down in the PizzaPlex server itself. So then they tried the terminal- and while it worked, they've discovered something disturbing:

The bots were no longer in Security Mode, which was GOOD, don't get Vanessa wrong... but some, had gone dark. That was the bad news. This prompted a reaction from Freddy; a reaction neither boy nor woman could've expected or been prepared for. They've known Freddy to be their biggest cheerleader and most perky supporter in the months they've been together- and he's always ever smiled, laughed, and given his best self despite being a talking head. He never seemed to show much lament after a point- so it's easy to forget he could feel something of this caliber. He always hid just how sad he really was.

So when he produced some sort of whine that was more garbled than anything; as if it could've come from a gut-punch, it'd taken them rightfully off guard. It wasn't like anything they've ever heard. It was choked; as if he was trying to gather air for some sort rolling sob but his lack of compressor made it hard. When they've tried to figure out what the heck was wrong with, say Monty's signal, the bear clarified in a whispery murmur-

"It's... his chip. It must be damaged. If he can't respond, then he's..."

Gone. And while Freddy had seemed almost prepared to accept that inevitability with his friends here, it was the lack of stable signal from CHICA that had put him over his limit. Freddy shut his eyes and produced some kind of noise neither have them have never heard; something like a chuckle- but wrong somehow. It rolled in random spats; static edged its coarse nature where gasping air should be; and it broke up at random intervals.

It'd take Vanessa a minute to realize what she was hearing was his tears- a sound she never wanted to hear again.

Chica seemed to be active but- on the precipice of utter and total system shut-down. There was no ping signal, nothing. Her icon on the screen had a nasty habit of glitching out. No sort of wavelength determined sentient functionality- something akin to a brain signal. She was truly gone- her body just hasn't caught up yet. It's a grim observation Vanessa didn't think she'd be greeted with when they came here. She ran M.X.E.S on her remotely anyways so to disable the tampered signal, but it seemed their security program couldn't connect with Chica properly- which was a bad sign of further mental deterioration.

There was no saving her- not that Vanessa wanted to say that aloud. Freddy was going through enough- he didn't need it vocalized like its salt in an open, festering wound. It was depressing watching Gregory clutch at the bear's head and cradling it; his small hand rubbing at the back of it.

The other remaining signals were a little baffling but thankfully good signs- they needed the good news; especially Freddy. Roxanne seemed stable, but her connection was set to 'private'. And she wasn't the only one; it seemed the Daycare Attendant was in a similar state. They refused pings, and seemed to be on the move. At least they weren't in Security Mode anymore- so its a small solace. Vanessa wagered they can find and hopefully approach them- though she wasn't sure how hostile they may be even though they're no longer in security mode.

So Vanessa tried the DJ on a whim and... mysteriously, they got nothing from him. No signal. Nothing. He may be gone too. But to have confirmation of that on Monty was strangely bitter to know- and Chica was right along with him.

Then, something so obscenely strange happened that it'd take Vanessa a good full minute to realize what she was looking at. She was having a hard time swallowing it too, now that her green eyes were transfixed on it: They got another signal, and its one that had her gulping like a guilty convict walking towards the noose. Freddy's strangled inhaling also stopped when another beep flickered onto the monitor. His amber eyes couldn't be rounder; mouth falling open as he gawped openly at the spectacle on the slightly cracked screen:

Glamrock Bonnie's signal.

"He's... sending a distress ping?" Gregory blinked. "Wha- wait, WHAT? Glamrock Bonnie's still HERE?"

"Its a 10-1 something-signal I think? Cops would get it under normal circumstances but... the main system isn't active and it can't go through to Wi-Fi. They won't get it," Vanessa answered pragmatically.

"...Why is he... how..." Gregory shook his head. Now he looked at Freddy. "You guys can speed-dial the cops? And seriously, HOW is he here? I don't get it-?"

"Its a leftover program from the Toy versions a few decades ago," Vanessa continued for Freddy- he seemed utterly devoid of speech for a moment there. No doubt processing. "They can't use this unless special, certain parameters are met. All in which are under a state of duress- not to mention, the signal would have to be approved by security..."

Freddy's eyes coasted RIGHT over to Vanessa. The woman couldn't return it- she just couldn't. Did he guess Vanny's involvement? He wouldn't look anywhere else either; and it really weirded her out. At least he wasn't crying anymore- as its not a sound she wanted to hear repeated or continued (she didn't think she'd hear something so heartbreaking). However, she wasn't sure she can take that staring either.

"Can't get a placement on it," Gregory grumbled. "Where's it coming from?"

"Its in a safe room," Vanessa replied robotically. She typed away, then huffed. "That's why we can't get a lock on it. Its off animatronic maps. Its to prevent anyone from finding him..."

NOW Gregory was taking his turn to look at her. What the fuck was this, a circus freak show? Vanessa gritted her teeth, continuing to type away.

"You know where he is, don't you?" The boy dead-panned.

Vanessa finished what she'd been doing, then shut down the office. Guess M.X.E.S wouldn't be needed for the moment- its bad enough they couldn't find anything on the Mimic. Its possible the bot was still off map and out of range. The woman sighed, then reluctantly bowed her head in surrender. She didn't verbalize her confirmation- no need to.

Gregory looked at Freddy, then back at her, "Can we save him too? Or... did Vanny really... I mean, his signal looked intact..." He glanced back at the screen. "He's okay, right? I don't think I saw any signal on his brain though..."

"...I don't know, if I had to be real honest, kid. When I was Vanny, I wanted to make sure the job was done. Bonnie was hurt very badly and..." She trailed off, making sure to look at anything that wasn't Freddy. "I don't even want to go into detail but... I could swear his chip was damaged. I don't understand how he can send a strong, clear signal like that. It should be flat-out impossible. And he's been in that room for so LONG... how in the world is he doing that? He should've run out of power a LONG time ago. How-?"

"A good rabbit must always have tricks."

She shook off the brief recollection, gritting her teeth anew.

Freddy narrowed his eyes, and finally looked away. He said nothing- and his silence was almost as bad as that awful, rueful noise he produced earlier. He mashed his jaw; clenching it as he lingered on any idea as to how Bonnie could last so long. "Residual power mode, is my guess," he finally said. "But you are right... its mysterious that he'd still have any kind of power left after the amount of time that's passed since he was officially decommissioned. And to be spending it on sending a distress signal- I cannot fathom how he's doing it. There is no logical explanation for that."

"I wonder if Cassie has something to do with it?" Gregory wondered. "No... no no. I dunno. Guess we'll see! Vanessa, do you think we can grab Bonnie on the way?"

She looked at them finally, but didn't say anything. She was afraid of the idea of it- as there were too many unknowns. What if Bonnie woke up somehow? He'd kill her- given he was mobile (hopefully he wasn't). And worse, even if they could leave with him, he wouldn't want to. He won't stay around Vanessa. There was no way in hell that'll ever happen. He'd probably make off with Freddy's head and find some way to rip her into little pieces despite Gregory being her kid now. The thought he'd orphan the kid out of spite chilled her.

He wouldn't do that... would he?

She didn't want to say this to them but... they had no idea what they'd be dealing with. Not even she knew fully.

"Bonnie's... not stable. I can say that much," She finally affirmed. She looked at the screen again. The brain signal was... glitching out. It was definitely hard to determine how sentient he was. "We could get him but... he'll no doubt be hostile. We didn't exactly leave on a pleasant note. I know this may come off as hard to believe, Freddy, but your rabbit friend is a little more interesting than he ever told you, I'm sure."

"How do you mean?"

"Did he ever tell you that he can rearrange his protocol, programs and behavioral tics on a whim? No?" Freddy wiggled his ears twice- a sign in the negative. "Its the ultimate form of learning for an A.I: To overwrite whatever restrictions had been imposed upon you on your own. I didn't think he had the processing power. Bonnie truly came into himself before his shut-down. He was..." She looked away again, "When I was Vanny, I saw him doing something on camera here and there... Sometimes, he'd just sit there and stare out into space... I thought he was bugging out. It'd take me a while to realize- and way too late- to know what he's REALLY up to."

She turned to look at them. She balled her fist in a dramatic representation of her next words, "He was changing himself. And he did it very... slowly. It was-" She trailed off for a moment, then reluctantly added in an undertone, "-It was terrifying. I picked a fight with an adaptable A.I. An A.I that learned to bypass our laws and make its own. And Greg, I want you to know- that whatever you went through that night I chased you around with Freddy's friends, I think its fair to say I went through something similar with Bonnie. I don't think I could've fucked up MORE too- and even now, it scares me. And the fact we're looking at this IMPOSSIBLE signal on screen? What even is this? HOW is he doing that?"

Said signal kept on blinking mutinously; as if laughing at her. The occasional spike in signal was also scary- and it could forewarn the fact that he may have found a way around his damage- not that she knew how or what. She wasn't even sure if that's the case.

Or, he's faking the broken brain signal entirely just to throw her off. Its bad enough her blocks on him were gone- did he finally overwrite those? Or was that a consequence of the main system shutting down or Cassie's shenanigans? Maybe the latter- but she still couldn't deny the fact that its likely he faked the broken nature of his personality chip.

You fucking card, you. Seems Vanny really underestimated you.

Vanessa added lowly while not taking her eyes off the screen, "And then, some ways into our game, something else changed... his behavior just got... really weird. I'm sure you noticed prior to his disappearance something went a little side-ways with him, huh Freddy?"

Freddy frowned, though his expression also shared an equal amount of horror and fascination. He wiggled his ears once in his version of a nod (seeing as he had no neck). "Yes... He changed. It was subtle at first but then I started hearing the guards commenting more on his 'aberrant' behavior. Him moving around at odd intervals, leaving his room in Rockstar Row often, lingering in strange spots across the PizzaPlex for long periods of time- Most attribute his disappearance to his programming being faulty. But nobody could get him into Parts and Service to fix it- he kept refusing. And if he went in, he was fixing himself up or someone else was helping him- We never found out who."

"Yeah... not untrue, in a sense. And see, funny thing about that-" Vanessa squeezed the computer desk's edge; knuckles going white as her brain hazily coasted back. "He caught up to me eventually. Found proof of me and Vanny being one in the same. And then he... cornered me. I thought he'd just catch me just to hand me over to the police but... no. Not that day. He wasn't in the mood for prisoners that day."

Gregory and Freddy both stared, unable to say anything as she hesitated to go on.

Vanessa pushed off the computer, then grabbed their things. They had to move. "Its a long story... one we'll have to hash out later. Let's just say, I could lead you to him- but if we did, you'd have to come up with a life-saving reason why he won't rip me into pieces. Gregory may end orphaned again if he sees me- and I'm not even kidding about that."

"He wouldn't-!" Freddy started to say, his voice scandalous.

Vanessa furiously jabbed a finger in his direction, "No, Freddy. That's what I was JUST saying a moment ago: He absolutely and irrefutably would hurt me. Bonnie is legit DANGEROUS. And if Cassie's somehow fucking around with him, we need to find her fast! He won't hurt her but... he's completely unhinged and undid his Security Mode with an override that enabled him to inflict pain and kill of his own volition! If he's pissed enough, he could swing at the wrong target by accident. None of you know what the fuck he did to himself just to stop me."

She glared rebelliously into Freddy's eyes, "He's been rearranging his behavioral tics so much in secrecy that he started to evolve in extreme ways- even you noticed that! While I can't defend my position with what I've done to him as Vanny- and there's no reason that I should... he was defending himself from me, and he was within his right to defend himself! He changed BECAUSE I put stress on him. But I have to say this much-"

She straightened up, turned around, and said with the utmost conviction, "When he had me cornered, he told me in his exact words, and I quote-" And here, she leaned in, "-"There won't be anything left for the cops to find as evidence"."

She said nothing else in elaboration to that, just then lifting the sleeve on her cardigan and rolling up the sleeve beneath that. She turned and showed it to them- and the gasp that came out of Freddy had her cringing, but she wasn't sorry for it:

Her left upper arm had trailing sets of long lines coming from her shoulder; not that they can see the whole thing beneath the rolled up parts of her clothes. The white marks suggested a deepness that no doubt would've compromised her health at one point. They almost stopped at her elbow joint- and even Freddy can see that a set of metal claws had been responsible for it.

"Now then," Vanessa rolled it back down and finished picking up their belongings. "Let's go find Cassie first, then Chica. I worry about the hen at this rate. Bonnie comes MUCH later- and preferably, dead LAST on our rescue list. I'm sorry Freddy, but I'm going to have to argue that."

Gregory and Freddy had quieted after that; leaving Vanessa to wonder what they thought of her. She felt, in all honesty, she should've confessed this to Freddy a LONG time ago. This was his best friend they're talking about; and he deserved a reasonable explanation for his absence. If Freddy was mad though, he didn't show it. It was strangely impossible to tell what he was thinking some moments.

And now, a few minutes after that, Vanessa finds herself here in the atrium with her now solemn, silent companions; unable to look either in the face again after her admission of guilt.

The atrium was obviously a wreck too: With a large, yawning opening in the ceiling right in the middle where it had fallen in. There was no rays from the sun yet; as while morning had come in the time they've been here, its no doubt still low on the horizon. And despite the aperture being so huge, Vanessa doubted they could leave that way- not with the amount of distance that had to be covered between floor and roof. The room was otherwise indescribably empty- save for the occasional forklift and cargo container. It felt... lonely in here, minus the rubble in some places cluttering floor space.

The woman sighed, then turned towards the direction of the Fazerblast lobby on the first floor- their next destination. "Come on," she said to both boy and bot. "Let's get Freddy his body back REAL quick- and gun it for Cassie and Chica. We don't have a lot of time to be dawdling around. I want to get to Cassie ASAP."

"Is it cuz she may still be hurt or... it it cuz of Bonnie?" Gregory asked.

"...Yes. In fact, I have half a mind to say lets go grab her first if she's going around repairing these guys. Still, her repairing them would take her some time to do it- I didn't exactly leave Bonnie in one piece."

Freddy sputtered indecipherably.

"Anyways, I'd prefer having Freddy on hand and able-bodied in case we run into... well, the Mimic thing too," she went on to say. "So we have a lot of things to worry about- Bonnie aside. All the more reason to make this fast, right?"

Gregory blinked, then eyed the lobby before them. Again, good thing Fazerblast hadn't been far from the main entrance- skipping past it just to backtrack to it later would've been foolish. It was right there- so perhaps Gregory made the right call here.

Still, Vanessa couldn't help but feel as if they should bee-line it for Cassie- but its not like they knew where she was exactly. They'd have to narrow that down while they dug Freddy's body out of the ruins of the laser-tag arena. There was a tiny, selfish part of her that felt relieved they'll have Freddy's protection shortly- and she really hoped his body was salvageable, given it was still in there.

They'd certainly need it.

ECLIPSE

So that's what real stars looked like.

Huh.

The bot found himself in the atrium as well; and for the last while, couldn't force himself to look away from the hole in the ceiling despite the fact he had a mission to do. He stared at the hole for as long as the night remained dark; unmoving until the stars slowly drowned amidst a slowly pinkening, rosy sea of color and blooming light. They were timid, small, diminutive spectral rhinestones whose paltry brilliance weren't anything compared to what his books and children's drawings bespoke of. They didn't have five points on them! And they all had subtle color variances- blues, pinks, yellows... he'd thought all of them where an eggshell color before, like the stars in his daycare. And all too easily, they've faded into easy obscurity and died in a magnificent, all-encompassing blanket of sunlight that teased warmth even though it hadn't rose yet. His inner timer said the sun wouldn't be fully seen on the horizon for another quarter of an hour at least-

Not that he's ever seen the real sun. Or the real moon.

Nay, the daycare attendant remained wholly entranced as he watched the sky change moods as it did with himself; but on a grander, yet more serene spectacle that enamored and enchanted. He blinked but once or twice; reaching up sometimes and measuring the distance with his spidery digits as if to pluck the weakened stars from the ocean of light like children lost in the play structures.

He learned something, right then, when his fingers phased harmlessly through the distant orbs: That indeed, while they cannot leave this place, he wanted to try. He wanted to find some way to undo his bonds here and charge his battery alternatively so he can see this sky in greater detail. He loved its romantic shift; how gradual, gentle, and while imposing, loving its been in its inevitable pace. He knew whenever night came, it was just as slow; but he wanted to see it to be sure. To be able to wholly observe the heavens as they embraced and swallowed their respective light and dark sides in silent serenity- two sides that willingly relented their vices each day and gave the sun and moon a chance to breathe equally. He heard tell, that sometimes the moon shared space with the sun in the daytime sky! Was that true?

Why can't his personalities be so gentle? To not fight with each other? Why was it so forceful for him to shift? Why did all his sides want to quarrel so badly about control? Can they not learn to be as forgiving and patient as the world above? Why was it not so below?

He envied it.

He wanted that peace too. He wanted those stars and lights and the nature of its patient change, to equally be a part of himself.

He sighed; his voice box producing a static-y overlap as he pondered his moods and his own willingness to relinquish control to one side or the other. To share the vessel and not war over it. And they all only had their one life: why battle over it when they don't have the luxury of time?

Eclipse eventually got up and ruefully glanced at the hole until it pinkened into gold and green. Such beautiful, gentle colors- maybe the next time he paints, perhaps he can recreate the morning's nuance? He'd have to make a note to come back when night falls- to see if twilight was the same color or something entirely different. The fact that he didn't know made he feel... he felt ashamed of not knowing. It hurt, and he couldn't fathom why!

His ignorance hurt.

He picked up a loose piece of concrete; then hurled it across the atrium's vast expanse; the sound echoing once it met contact with another slab on the other side of the room. He swore he'd watch the sky later on- and hopefully with Cassie! That wasn't too much to ask, was it? To share this fascination with a friend? Cassie loved them! She was here for them now- that made him feel full. He supposed then he didn't feel as bitter- but dang if he still wasn't a little hurt by the fact he missed out on so much. People see the sky every day- and yet, the animatronics here weren't allowed to step outside, even for a few minutes-

That infuriated him too. BEYOND measure.

Just as he got up to continue heading towards the daycare- that's when he saw them. As abruptly as his mind wandered, nothing compared to the strange sensation he felt when he beheld the intrepid interlopers within the rubble. He heard scrabbling sneakers and a grunt of noise- a swear or two, and familiar voices floated. He promptly disappeared from his open, lofty position on the second floor and swung like Tarzan to a pile of rebar-spiked concrete nearer to ground level; bi-colored eyes arrested on the disturbance just beneath him:

"The rule-breaker," He couldn't help but spit a little upon locking his gaze upon Gregory. His grip on the block of roof tightened when he saw Freddy's head in his grasp. "Oh! Cassie will be so happy to see this," he muttered to himself.

He recalled her mentioning Freddy's headless body... they can fix him! NICE. More friends to add to their little family! Its perfect. Would Freddy maybe finger paint with him eventually?

FOCUS.

Okay, now he found his gaze shifting menacingly to the woman beside boy and bot. He knew her name, and he knew her game. He knew her, recognized her. KNEW she was the one who tampered with them. How'd he know exactly? Moon whispered it to him- and its a secret that had been passed from Bonnie. He couldn't do anything about Vanessa though- as he'd been tampered with at the time. He couldn't fight back when she took control.

But now he can.

His face plate spun; and for one second, Moon breathed his animosity out into the world in one choleric murmur, "Naughty. Naughty. Horrible... VILE wretch! Security alert: Child in danger!"

His head spun again; with Eclipse briefly placing his long-fingered hand back onto his mask and groaning. That had been unexpected. Cassie's reboot thankfully stabilized Moon; alongside Roxy's diagnostic scan helping to repair certain damaged behaviors. But sometimes, the dramatic and impromptu shift surprised and vaguely frightened Sun and Eclipse. Its always hard to say what Moon would do when in Security Mode.

"But we are in Safe Mode now!" he muttered to himself- or, more or less his other selves. "We have control. We don't need to hurt anyone. No, we can take Freddy back to Cassie! It will make her smile. And..." He squinted as the rule-breakers jointly convened on the lobby of Fazerblast. "-We can save the boy too. That woman needs to go- to leave here forever. And I think that's something we ALL can agree on. Right?"

He didn't get any verbal clarification from his other sides, but he could almost swear there was nods of certainty somewhere.

And with that, he dipped into a slit between the concrete rubble and stalked after them.

ROXY

She couldn't stop crying. How could she?

She managed to find her way back to Parts and Service- didn't take as long as she thought. She still had to find her way out of the second basement layer, but at least she'd lost the Mimic good and proper under there. When she left it behind, she also made sure to put Chica down, and bar her own path she took back by pulling mountains of garbage over the walkways to make it appear like dead ends. If the Mimic was determined enough, it wouldn't stop it or hardly slow it down- but then again, she just had to make it look like a dead end. If it thinks its looking at a wall, surely it'll move on?

And it was something she kept doing all the way out. She pulled garbage over the fenced gates to barricade and cover them from view; covered button panels with garbage bags and forgotten clothing, and then made sure to use her ears to listen for any pursuit. The Mimic had found its way out of those strange tunnels at some point- and its likely it'll find its way into the PizzaPlex soon if it stuck to those tunnels. Roxy knew it was only a matter of time before it wised up more. But at least it didn't have a direct path up- it needed to climb; and thankfully, it only had ONE ARM.

So they had a few advantages now, but all it did was buy time. Sooner or later, Roxy would have to face it again- and she'd prefer to have help doing so. She wasn't sure if Eclipse could help in a fight though... which left her to wonder if they can go ahead and find Bonnie and see just how bad off he was. Cassie said he had all his parts- so that was more than what Chica had already. Its a matter of dealing with his personality chip that bugged her.

In the meantime, Roxy found herself setting Chica down in the chair inside the cylinder; the chicken twitched and moved sometimes; made reaching motions here and there, but not towards anything discernable. Roxy went to the computer and scanned her, then slumped when the automated voice gave her a HUGE list of things wrong with her.

No joke, it was listing these things off for 10 straight minutes.

She watched Chica from her position by the computer ruefully; the hen twitching and jerking at unpredictable intervals and waggling her naked, cheese blanketed head around like she didn't understand where she was. Its bad enough she didn't seem to recognize Roxy or notice she'd been carried all this time. The lack of intelligence was telling enough.

"I'm so sorry," Roxy murmured at the glass. Chica didn't respond to it; just twitch her head around.

Roxy returned her attention to the computer, typing furiously away and wondering what the hell she can do to help the hen anyways. The automated voice ran diagnostics and corrected Chica's security mode at least- so the hen shouldn't be swinging at Cassie anymore. But then, the voice attempted to punch in permission to run repairs- and then it just had to make the oh-so intelligent observation regarding the hen's chip that made Roxy sob again anew.

And then, it said something that freaked her out.

"Oh no! It seems we cannot restore Chica to her quirky self. Her personality chip is damaged and in need of replacement. In order to get her back up running, we would have to configure a new personality chip from the manager's room in the warehouse. You must have permission in order to proceed- or, we may have to retire Chica depending on the word of the manager."

...Wait. What?

Did they... have doubles? Of their chips?

"I am in NO MOOD for this existential bullshit!" She spat at the machine. "WHY IS THERE DOUBLES OF OUR CHIPS?"

She rapped her claw tips, glaring at the unresponsive computer and watching Chica scratch helplessly at the chair with her only remaining hand. So Chica CAN be repaired... but it wouldn't be THEIR Chica. The new chip was nice but it wouldn't have Chica's touches or personal memory on it.

Roxy clucked her muzzle, then typed again. Now on screen, she could see a program running that was scanning Chica's memory banks and whatever little was salvageable on her chip to use. Her memory was corrupted too- as if to fuel to the fire. Her security mode had bugged it very badly-

She didn't know their security mode could DO that.

"Whoever tampered with us," She spat at the monitor like its a person she was putting into interrogation, "Is in for a fucking NASTY surprise! If I fucking find out who did it-"

She didn't finish, typing for the computer to shut Chica down for now. The hen stopped moving; forcibly put into rest mode for a while as the computer mulled over her memory and the remains of her chip.

Roxy refused to grab another chip. They were essentially rebuilding a new Chica if they did- and she wasn't keen on letting this one die fully yet until she's absolutely exhausted everything the computer knew. Worse case, she'd have to flip her power box in a short while and find a place of rest for her.

She prayed it wouldn't come to that.

Roxy eventually decided it was time to check on Cassie; leaving the sleeping Chica inside the locked cylinder to be scanned. She toed her way back to the padded room, glad to see the girl still lost amidst her mountain of plush toys. She honestly looked a little better now that she had some rest-

But, she couldn't help but groan when Cassie suddenly jerked awake like she was jumping form a nightmare.

"Oh- Cassie, are you okay?" The wolf queried as she slowly made her over to her. "Take it easy. Why're you awake? Are you in pain?"

The girl wrinkled her nose, then quite flippantly said, "What STINKS? Its so bad! The smell woke me up!"

"...Oh shit."

Roxy looked herself over- right, she smelled like Chica now. And the garbage she literally surfed in to block the Mimic with. Fantastic.

Cassie gawped, then noticed Roxy's face, "Oh! You're repaired! But uh... where there no clean parts for you here?"

"...They were clean."

"Oh- uh, what happened? Can I help clean you up?"

Roxy shook her head, then sighed. She sat cross-legged in front of the girl and hung her head. "No. I'll do it. You should just- oh!" She opened her chest hatch, then pulled out the cans of soda. Thankfully untouched. "I found these at the raceway. I sampled them myself. They're flat but you can drink them."

"Oh, thank you," Cassie gladly and eagerly took the pink lemonade (Chica flavored)beverage; inhaling it a few hearty gulps. Then she stopped and looked at the can with some level of concern. Her attention hovered back to Roxy, "You went out to the raceway, you said. Did you find her?"

"...I did."

Cassie's expression turned grim at the look she saw there. But tentatively she pressed on with, "What happened?"

"I brought Chica here to be fixed but... I dunno if it can be done. I'm having the machine look her over on its own right- Oh Cassie, don't..."

As soon as the words, "I dunno if it can be done" were uttered, the girl was sobbing immediately. If Roxy wasn't covered in a layer of filth she would've hugged her. The girl rubbed at her eyes, then tearfully said, "Did you check everything? What did it say to do?"

"Her chip was rotten. It said I can replace her with another one."

"NO!"

"I KNOW! I didn't do it- She's still in there and- CASSIE!"

The girl was fighting to get back up to her feet; pulling at the wall and slumping back over in a huff when her leg throbbed. Roxy caught her in mid-fall, though she felt gross touching her at the moment.

"Cassie! Lie back down. Its looking her over right now. She's resting. I'm going to exhaust every resource we have before anything can be said. Okay? Just sit."

"But I can't relax! She needs our help! I want to go in and-"

"No. I'm doing it. I'm running a full diagnostic on her now. It'll take a while but it'll pull everything that can be salvaged from her out and store it temporarily until something is decided with her files. If there's enough data to use from her memory, maybe something can use the spare chip and sync it. It made be her best chance-" Roxy slumped however when she said, "But I'm not placing any bets on it. Chica's in worse shape than any of us thought."

They were silent for a moment, the girl holding the can of Fizzy faz like it meant everything to her. She wept anew; the tears more or less silent this time. She also pulled a Chica plush close; crying into its soft head as her shoulders bobbed.

"Oh please... please," she hiccupped. "Please please please... Please be okay. Please let there be enough to fix."

Roxy rested her least-gross paw on Cassie's shoulder, pulling a Chica plush herself. She hung her head as she turned it over, nosing it and stroking it herself. She sighed, and then said, "One time. I walked into Chica's room. I wanted to ask her something- she was making a lot of noise, see."

Cassie kept crying, but listened intently.

"-Chica's notable for being really... loud. Super loud," Roxanne continued in an undertone. "She crashes into things, plays her guitar loud, CLUCKS loud, laughs super loud, and one time, even stole some pots and pans in the kitchen back to her room. Why the fuck she do that, I wondered. Staff complained about her making a nuisance of herself as it is. It was just so WEIRD though... I mean, stealing pots and pans? Why?

Her muzzle pursed out the most bitter smile possible before it faded just as fast. "So I went to her room- and sure enough, I can HEAR it: She was just... banging them together. Like a toddler having a tantrum. I had no idea why! All I knew was that it annoyed me and I wanted to scream at her." A head shake, "So I went in there, opened the door, and started to open my big mouth- I was so prepared to piss her off. I wanted to pick a fight with her loud ass. I wanted to annoy her like she annoyed me! Kinda... like how siblings would fight? I don't mean anything hostile. Just... she's banging pots and pans. WHY?"

A thoughtful pause. She inhaled slowly; her compressor whirring as it channeled air into her motor. Her voice was a whisper now; the sound intimate and secretive. "But... there was nothing I ever could've known about her that would've prepared me for what I was about to see... even now, the image of that is still stuck in my head. I couldn't scrub it from memory banks, even if I wanted to."

She shifted on her seat, tail wrapping around them both. The fluffy appendage was nice to have back: and she used it now despite Cassie having a copy of another tail piece over her shoulders. Roxy used her limb to pull the girl in; wrapping it around her bottom just so its end could fall into her lap. The girl messed with the offered tip; combing her Roxy-themed painted fingers through it. The observation made the wolf feel a bit better for some reason.

"So there she was, on the floor, hunched over, banging them fruitlessly on each other just to cover up what she was really doing: She was... she was..." Her ears sagged all the way against her head, "She was just... she was in hysterics. She was crying so loudly! I was so shocked by the look on her face- and the fact it looked like she got some of my make-up at some point didn't help. She had scribbled on her vanity in some places with my lip paint. She banged her pots, sobbed, and ignored me all the time she sat in the middle of the floor amidst a chaotic mess of open pizza boxes and cheese-covered plush toys..."

A sigh, "...One of those toys was a Bonnie. It was the only untouched toy there too- immaculate, and clean. So she kept crying, banging, and banging her HEAD on one of the pots! It scared me to death! And then- The noise was so substantial, Freddy was marching over in the next minute too-" The girl said nothing as Roxy went on with the occasional pause in her words. Then, "Freddy got her talking... touched her gently on the shoulders, and crouched over her and pulled her into this actual bear hug. I couldn't do anything cuz... I dunno. I don't think I was processing what was going on so well. I was so confused, mad, scared, and confused again- and all the while, my eyes arrested on the words in the mirror, and the untouched toy on the floor."

She leaned in, looking Cassie dead in her own set as she said, "Her vanity was covered in these little hearts, with she, Freddy, and Bonnie's names in them. They said stuff like, 'We're besties forever and ever!', 'No greater love in the world!', and then I see 'Where's my blue bun boy?' on the center of it. And nearby her, she had the bowling ball within reach." She severed the eye contact, "Bonnie hadn't been gone that long, but... I never imagined I'd see her take it so HARD. It was awful listening to it- it was like the whole world was going to die in some horrifying heat death that'll vaporize us all. I just stood there, basking in her sadness. I was rooted to the spot- watching Chica cry out her every frustration and pain over Bonnie's loss- She even screamed, 'It'll happen to all of us! No one will care about us being gone. They'll treat our image like they treat his!'"

And she was right, was the words that didn't follow that last bit of portent.

There was a pause then, and it lasted a good minute before she added, "I wager she was SUPER pissed about the sudden removal of the Bonnie merch and decor in his bowling alley. She threw a FIT the day they started removing it all. She clucked to cover her swears; garbled and spat and stomped like a three year old. She also railed at the manager HIMSELF when he told us to stop looking for him the day before. I've never seen her loose her top like that."

Cassie's tears were drying up at some intervals; only to pour again anew here.

"As for Freddy? I've never heard him cry before. NEVER. None of us ever saw it in all the time we've known him. I didn't think he was capable of it- he's smiling so much. But then, amidst Chica's crashing, I saw him bunch over and- and it- and he-" Her voice cracked here, nose producing an audible sniff as she cracked on, "I've never heard such a sound from him. But he sat there, shoulders jumping, and cried on the floor with her. I felt like an intruder- so I eventually walked out! I couldn't fathom what I was feeling after that. I was sad too but- I dunno."

Her messy paw found her face, sounding genuinely lost as she mumbled on, "I dunno. I guess I still couldn't properly process it. Bonnie wasn't my bestie. He was annoying, full of himself, and he loved buggin' me- a REAL show-boat. But I knew he was good and loved them just as much. He's not huggy, but he loved THEIR hugs. So when he was gone, I know they felt like they lost most than a Glam brother- he was their brother. You know?"

Another sigh. She wondered about stopping there, but couldn't help it when her mouth seemed to move without her input, "During some stage performances, he'd break script and- it was fun watching him play, I admit. He'd THROW his bass in the air with a flourish-" Her smile was weak, but present as she blundered on, "Then flick his ear a certain way- Chica apparently understood it cuz she'd run right into his hands, and he's spin her over his head while she shreds this sick, wicked solo on her guitar. Crowd went nuts every time! Then, he threw her into a gentle slide across the stage again and catch his bass like it was no sweat. He fucking knew how to own a stage. He preaches showmanship- I tell ya, he's almost as loud as CHICA when it came to some things."

Her smile remained, but took on a bitter note as she said, "I hated how much he showed off sometimes. I was a little jealous of it. He was easily cool and he made it no sweat. I was the fourth and last member to be added to the Glamrocks, so I felt like an outsider sometimes in the beginning. I knew that... Bonnie, Freddy and Chica were an OG trio since literally ancient times. I felt completely out of my depth with them. I wanted to make the crowd scream the way they do! And not ride their coat-tails for it, yunno? Those three had the advantage of carrying the names of legends. I didn't. My fucking NAME rhymes with FOXY. I'm a FOXY replacement!"

Cassie reached out this time, then grabbed the wolf's paw to snap her out of it, Roxy hadn't realized she slipped somewhere there. The wolf clutched it back; her eyes now on Freddy's immeasurably soft touch- her paws. Not his.

"Freddy was his best self when that asshole rabbit was around. He and Bonnie would talk about stage tricks sometimes- and they'd try 'em outside of script. He asked me to join in one time and... I was too timid to do it. I didn't feel cool enough- and I was afraid of messing up. But one time, during this LIVE show, Bonnie and him threw each other this look, and boy it was evil. Pure evil, I tell you. So then, Bonnie throws his bass at Freddy! And Freddy grabs it and... guess what? HE KNOWS HOW TO PLAY. His claws and soft paws ain't super great on it, but he played it good! I didn't know he can play bass.

"And then, Bonnie slides up like a smooth criminal and scoops me up! I was so shocked I almost dropped my keyboard! He spun me around and says right into my ear, 'SHRED IT!', and then he kept spinning me until I did. And then he slid me over to Freddy, who tossed the bass back at him. Then Freddy did the same thing with me- spinning me around above their heads as if to show me off to the audience! Those two numbskulls were flinging me around like I was a toy!" She elevated her free paw and held it to her ear, as if she could almost hear the adulation, "And MAN, Cassie. Listening to that applause shot my confidence RIGHT up. I don't think I was the same since then. I would've stayed mad at them but... it was opposite. It was the push I needed."

The girl was listening so raptly- her expression completely wide-eyed and her tears now dry on her face. She sucked on another can of fizzy faz as Roxy concluded it with, "At any rate, I still don't always feel super close with him. But Bonnie knew I wasn't a hugger by nature. He... most of the time anyways... respected it. He's an ass, but his loss KILLED them- killed all of us. Freddy and Chica can't seem to play the same since then. There's a reason why people kept asking for him. It pissed off and frustrated poor Monty all the while- being compared to him. I feel bad for the gator. How can you hope to aspire to that kind of cool? That was so much pressure on him."

She sighed, then glanced off to the side, "No wonder Chica was lost. She was never the same since then. She didn't synergize with Monty- didn't try too hard either. I didn't see much of her hanging around him. I hung around Monty when I could to make him feel a bit better- maybe some of that cool Bonnie had would rub off and on me and Monty, but I don't think it was very effective."

"I... huh. My dad used to tell me Monty was unstable and unsafe to be around. He kinda... showed it. Sometimes. I never liked Monty myself cuz my dad's bias towards Bonnie... I feel bad about it now..."

"You can't blame him. Monty wanted to ooze cool the way Bonnie did. He's got the flashy looks and style... he's just, lost. And I was lost with him!" Roxy shrugged, then frowned, "Oof- I went on a while, didn't I?"

"I enjoyed hearing it! I want to hear more when I can," Cassie encouraged. She reached out and grasped Roxy's cheese-slathered paws again. She didn't seem to care at least, "And Roxy, you ARE the coolest. You had to keep up with real superstars and you did it in your own way- with help from them, sure. But you managed on your own after a while. I think you're shooting yourself down too much. I still remember the one time, YOU picked up FREDDY on stage. And the look on his face!" She giggled. "That was priceless! I loved how he flopped dramatically in your hands like a fainting princess while he kept singing. He looked so silly!"

"You were there for that one?"

"Yeah! That was one of my favorite concerts. I saw a lot of them with my dad-" She mussed with the plush Chica's hair piece. Her face fell, "Still... I can see how when we go to find Bonnie, this will be hard. I don't... If Bonnie wakes up, I don't know how he'd take what happened to Chica... but tis a given he DOES wake up."

"He wouldn't... take it well. At all. He was kinda..." Roxy flashbacked to the last days she spent with him. "Not quite himself, in the last days we were around him. He's a bit over-protective of us. He was leaning towards extreme in his last days. I think he knows who tampered with us even before we were tampered with. Even if we can't bring him back, I'd love to see what's in carrot-breath's head anyways. He may have some data on who caused all this."

Cassie motioned, "I want to take the moment to go to the bowling alley then- see if we can at least get his head and scan it. Now I don't know about his chip, but I wager its in better condition then Chica's... his cranial casing and shell thankfully absorbed a lot of the blow from that bowling ball by the looks of it..."

"HE'S BEEN BRAINED BY A BOWLING BALL?"

Oops- looks like Cassie hadn't gotten into that detail. The girl winced at the raised tone, "Y-yeah? To be fair, his chip's protective casing- it was cracked but I didn't see anything suggesting complete shut-down in his head? Granted I'd need to look at it again."

Roxy flicked an ear towards the direction of where she heard the cylinder. Still processing Chica, no doubt. She then stood up, then asked, "Since you're awake now, do you feel up for a visit to the alley? Or you could just tell me where to look- and you can stay and watch Chica for me and wait for Eclipse? He should be coming back with something to- SHIT."

She slapped her head, "I need to contact him! SHIT. Hold a sec-" She stared at the wall vacantly, her Hud revealing her narrow contact list. She shot a message to him, but didn't get a response immediately. She pondered this until she got something:

'Found some intruders. They have Freddy's head- heading towards Fazerblast. Following them- I think they intend on fixing him. Watch Cassie. I may be late.'

Her mouth came open, then she noticed the girl watching her raptly.

"Guess Eclipse will be late. He found Freddy's head, at least!"

"REALLY? Owwww... ow ow ow ow-" She doubled over and held her chest, Roxy bending down onto one knee and rubbing her back.

"Watch it, kiddo. Keep your voice down. Hey, just a thought but-" She looked off to the side again, then focused on the girl, "I don't think I want to leave you alone in here suddenly so, while Eclipse is running his errand, we'll visit bun-boy. Check him out together. Chica won't be out of that cylinder for a while so, it'll be just you and me for a bit. Do you think you can make it?"

"You kidding? I want to move anyways," Cassie grumped. "I can't eat so... I'd rather be focused on something that isn't food. And if I'm doing something, I don't need to think about it."

"...Fair."

"And you need me to help you with finding that room. I dunno if you'd find it easily if your sensors and internal maps make it invisible to you."

"Also fair, and both valid arguments," Roxy harrumphed and sighed. "Okay, I'm going to very quickly scrub myself off and come back for you. Then we're taking a little field trip. Guess Bun-boy's coming home today."

"Mm-hm!"