Daddy, you let the other children go see her,
Elizabeth, startled to hear her name, "Me, again?"
Why won't you let me go?
Elizabeth was surprised that her Father allowed other children to see Baby but didn't let HER.
Her eye's met her older brother, Michael's eyes, who was sitting right next to her.
He seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"Why won't you still not let me go?" Elizabeth pouted.
Before William could say anything-
"It's probably for the best, Lizzy. You don't know what these robots could do to you," Charlie chimed in, trying to diffuse the situation.
William eyed her, his eyes furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you assuming that My Creations are dangerous?" He questioned, his voice tinged with annoyance and a sprinkle of menace.
"W-Well I-I that… you know… robots are dangerous and unpredictable." Charlie stuttered nervously, trying to defend herself.
William stared at her for a while, his expression inscrutable, however he then chose to look away, seemingly satisfied with her answer.
Charlie nervously shifted in her seat, feeling uneasy after her conversation with 'Uncle William'.
Michael, seeing this gave Charlie a look that could only say, 'He does alot.'
The sound of an elevator is heard interrupting the tense atmosphere.
Welcome back to another night of intellectual stimulation, pivotal career choices, and self-reflection on past mistakes.
Henry tried to break the tension and spoke, "I wonder what kind of intellectual stimulation Michael will have tonight?"
Michael, trying to lighten the mood, chimed in "Maybe I'll finally figure out the meaning of life!" He said, in a jokey manner.
Everyone laughed, and the mood lightened a bit. Even William had a small smile on his face.
One part of that commitment is ensuring that you don't get tired of the voice you're hearing right now.
Evan nervously spoke up, "Well, I like his voice."
His Father, William chimed in, "Me too, but I prefer a female voice."
Henry stared at William.
A keypad suddenly appeared in front of Michael.
"I'm still wondering how that appears." Present Michael muttered.
Using the keypad below, please select a new companion voice. For male, press 1. For Female, press 2.
Michael stared at the keypad confusingly.
Evan stared at the keypad, confused. "But there aren't any numbers," he pointed out.
His older sister Elizabeth, rolled her eyes, "Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious."
Charlie offered a suggestion, "Maybe it's like a phone's keypad."
Henry, listening, praised his daughter's suggestion, "Good thinking, sweetie." He said.
Charlie smiled from her father's praise.
For text only, press 3.
"What does that even mean?" Michael asked.
For other options, press 4.
"Does that mean I can select Father's voice?" Present Michael asked, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Well, he made it, I don't see why not." Henry replied with a light chuckle.
A Present Michael said.
Michael entered the vent and started crawling.
So, funny story,
Evan perked up, "Oh, I like funny stories!"
A dead body was found in this vent once.
Evan's smile quickly faded, and both Henry and William's eyes widened in shock.
"WHAT?!" William exclaimed, "A DEAD BODY?"
"Is… is he joking?" Michael asked.
"I hope." Henry said.
Future Michael, froze.
M'kay, so, not that funny, but, it's a story.
"Well, that wasn't funny at all," Charlie said in a serious tone, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Future Michael reluctantly continued crawling through the vent, now at a faster pace.
Exit vent
Alright, so, let's start with your nightly chores. You should check on Ballora, and make sure she's on her stage, but, whatever.
"Is this how teens act?" Evan asked, "Because Mikey doesn't act like that." He continued.
"Well… some of them do." Henry said.
Michael pressed the blue button, illuminating the Gallery.
Huh. I guess Ballora has better things to do. Let's zap her! That should be fun.
Michael quickly pressed the red button, and the Ballora Gallery was hit with a burst of electricity.
"I'm still 100% sure that's more than 300 volts." Present Michael said.
As Michael turned to leave, he heard loud grunting echoing from the Ballora gallery, which terrified him.
This sent shivers down everyone's spines.
"W-What was that?" Elizabeth asked, clearly terrified.
Henry looked over to William, "Do you think it came from Ballora?" He asked, visibly disturbed.
"I… Maybe the voice box got damaged." William said, unsure.
"I-I guess you're right… shocking a robot won't give good results." Henry said.
Let's check on Funtime Foxy, make sure he's ready for showtime tomorrow.
Future Michael took a deep breath, trying to Calm Down.
Charlie observed Michael's reaction and sighed. "I feel bad for Michael. He's doing this job all alone," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Let's check on Funtime Foxy, make sure he's ready for showtime tomorrow.
"He? I remember daddy saying that Funtime Foxy is a girl." Elizabeth said, confused.
"Lizzy, It's just a Robot." Charlie said.
'It's just a Robot, she says. She knows nothing!' William thought to himself.
Michael, after calming down, pressed the blue button to his right, and as usual it was empty.
"Oh… we're shocking him again…" Michael said in a depressed tone.
"Come on Michael! It's just a Robot!" Charlie.
This annoyed William even more. Henry, however, noticed this.
Before Future Michael could press the Red button to administer a control shock, he heard a deep voice.
Great... Great... Great…
Everyone felt an uneasy feeling.
"W-What's wrong with him? W-Why is it speaking like that!" Elizabeth said, disturbed from the sound.
Henry looked over to William, "William?" He asked, waiting for an answer.
"Seems like a malfunction." He answered simply.
"This place is starting to give me the creeps. It feels more like a horror attraction!" Present Michael exclaimed.
Charlie, sensing that it was her time to shine, "I agree with you, Eggs." She teased with a smile.
Present Michael glared at her, "Now's not the time." He said.
This earned some giggles, which lightened the atmosphere a bit.
There seems to have been a problem with the voice synthesizer. Default settings have been restored. Please proceed through the vent ahead of you to Circus Baby's Auditorium.
Evan, who was clearly scared earlier, seemed to perk up at the news. "Good, I like this voice better." He said with a smile
Michael, gaining his demeanor back, started crawling through Circus Baby's Auditorium.
As they watched Future Michael crawling through the vent, they couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that something was off.
Circus Baby had a busy day today. Let's check the light and make sure she's in proper working order.
Charlie's eyes widened, "People actually rent these?" She said, surprised.
"Of course people would rent them!" William exclaimed, clearly proud of his creations. "After all, they're My Creations and so they're best." He continued
"Of course people rent them! After all, they're My Creations and so they're the best." William said.
They watched as Future Michael checked the lights to make sure Circus Baby was in proper working order.
"Looks like they still haven't fixed the lights." Present Michael said, his voice filled with disappointment.
Charlie rolled her eyes, "Well, what do you expect from this place? It's not like they prioritize maintenance." She said.
William surprisingly chose to stay quiet.
Oh, Circus Baby! We aren't here to play hide and seek. Let's encourage Baby to come out of hiding with a controlled shock.
Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows.
"He's still on to that?" Henry said, "Didn't see what happened to Ballora?" He continued.
Michael quickly pressed the button that would administer a shock, trying to finish this as fast as he could, but something unexpected happened. As he pressed the red button, only a few sparks came out, leaving Michael and everyone confused.
Let's try another controlled shock.
Michael pressed the red button, but the same result followed.
"What's happening?" Present Michael asked.
William hummed, "Seems like a power malfunction," He answered, deep in thought.
There seems to be a power malfunction that is affecting our ability to properly motivate Baby. Please stand by while I reboot the system. I will be offline momentarily during this process. Various other systems may be offline as well, such as security doors, vent locks, and oxygen.
William's jaw dropped, as did everyone, "OXYGEN?! IS TRYING TO KILL MY SON?" he shouted in rage.
Henry's pleading eyes met William's as he asked, " Please tell me you added a backup Oxygen supply."
William didn't move, making Henry pale with worry.
"He's joking, right?" Charlie said, eyes wide.
Commencing system restart.
"Of course he isn't." Charlie sighed, clearly worried.
Henry looked at his friend in disbelief, "Why didn't you add a backup Oxygen supply?!"
"I didn't think it was important!" William argued.
Henry had an exasperated look on his face, placing his fingers on the bridge of his nose, shaking his head in disappointment, "William… this place is literally underground." He said.
William looked at Henry, a stupid look planted on his face.
"Can you guys keep quiet?" Present Michael said.
"Yeah, we wanna see what happens next!" Charlie said.
The room immediately went pitch dark, a woman's voice saying that the vents are being opened. The thing that could be heard were the vents opening, which were echoing throughout the entire building.
Future Michael stood there, trying to keep his cool, but that idea was immediately shattered, as he heard sounds of Something crawling through the vents.
The group tensed at the sound of something crawling through the vents.
"Is.. is something moving inside the vents?" Charlie asked with a quivering voice.
"That… shouldn't be possible, as Michael is the only person there-" William stopped mid-sentence.
Henry, realizing what William wanted to say, widened his eyes, his face contorted with fear , "William… could it be that.. the Animatronics are inside?" He asked.
Charlie's eyes widened, "T-They're just machines… they wouldn't do anything… right?" She said, trying to calm her nerves.
…..
Everyone started fearing for the worst.
I don't recognize you.
Michael jumped in surprise.
Everyone got startled by the sudden arrival of someone's voice.
"W-Who said that?" Evan asked, fear lacing his voice.
William's eyes widened upon realization, "It's Baby," he said quietly.
You are new.
"William?" He asked, worried.
"It's Baby." William said, louder.
"What?" Henry spat.
"It's Baby who's talking." William said.
Charlie furrowed her eyebrows, "How are you sure?" She asked.
"I… programmed Baby's voice to sound like Lizzy." William answered.
…
"A-Also, I'm not sure if I impletened it, but… I planned for her to be sentient." William added, while stuttering.
Henry paled.
They all chose to stay quiet and continue listening.
I remember this... scenario, however. It's a strange thing to want to do, to come here. I'm curious what events would lead a person to want to spend their nights in a place like this, willingly. Maybe curiosity? Maybe ignorance.
"What does that mean?" Present Michael asked, breaking the silence.
Charlie interpreted, "I-I think she's trying to ask, what's your motivation to come work here." She explained.
Henry, surprised at his daughter's answer, praised her, which made her calm down and smile.
There is a space under the desk; someone before you crafted it into a hiding place, and it worked for him.
"H-huh? Why is she telling my future self to hide?" Michael asked, unsure.
"Th-This is ge-getting scary." Elizabeth said.
"I-It worked for him? What does that mean?" Charlie said, feeling uneasy.
Henry's eyes widened.
I recommend that you hurry, though.
"W-Why?" Michael asked no one.
You will be safe there. Just try not to make eye contact. It will be over soon.
"W-what?" Both Evan and Elizabeth said simultaneously.
Charlie looked over to present Michael, worry filled in her eyes, "W-what does she mean? Safe? Safe from what?" She exclaimed.
They will lose interest.
That whisper made everyone shiver.
Michael goes under the disk and finds a metal lid, which he uses to close the space.
The room was filled with dread silence, as the only thing that could be heard is everyone's and Future Michael's breathing.
It stayed quiet until future Michael heard movement and then whispering, which made him freeze.
Psst, he's down here.
Everyone froze.
Feeling the worst for their older brother, both Evan and Elizabeth clung into Michael's arm, to which he didn't resist.
It stayed quiet for a couple of seconds until…
CLINK CLINK CLANG
The sound of something started hitting the metal lid with enough force for it to make a sound, echoed throughout the room.
Present Michael felt his two siblings clung to him even tighter, which made him a bit happy.
Future Michael's face etched with fear and apprehension. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, a testament to the intense emotions he was feeling.
The tension in the room was palpable as everyone waited for something else to happen.
Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, the lid started opening.
Evan buried his head into his older brother's shoulder, seeking comfort in his embrace. Present Michael instinctively wrapped his arm around his little brother, while Elizabeth held onto one of her older brother's hands, to which he gave a reassuring squeeze.
His father William, looked surprised by the display of affection, having known Michael to be someone who rarely showed it. 'Maybe a change is starting to happen?' He pondered.
Charlie's gaze shifted towards her friend, Michael, worry creasing her brow. Her father, Henry, on the other hand, had resorted to biting his nails, a nervous habit he had developed since he was a child.
Michael panicked as he saw the lid being opened, he didn't expect this! He frantically grabbed the lid and started pulling with all his might.
Everyone held their breath, anticipating what was to come next.
After a couple seconds of intense struggle, it gave up.
The group let out a collective sigh of relief, thinking it was over.
'Finally, it's over.' They thought, but their relief was short-lived.
Michael's eyes widened, as he saw a plastic eyeball staring at him through one of the holes. He gasped. Without warning, the lid started opening again, this time with even more force.
Michael pulled with all his might, determined not to lose the struggle.
Everyone watched the screen in silence, too scared to make a sound.
As the struggle continued, Michael began to lose strength, and it seemed like he was about to lose the battle. But to everyone's surprise, it lost interest and stopped trying to open the lid.
Charlie broke the tense tension, "I-Is it over?" She asked, her voice quivering.
Henry placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and sighed, "Let's hope so." he said, hoping that the whole ordeal was finally over.
The group watched as Future Michael remained glued on his spot for what seemed like an eternity. Time seemed to stand still until Baby's voice broke the silence.
When your guide comes back online, he is going to tell you that he was unsuccessful.
William's eyes widened in horror, "Oh no…" He whispered, dreading what was to come.
Henry looked over at William, concern etched onto his face, "Something wrong, William?" He asked.
"Just watch…" William said, his voice barely above a whisper.
That you must restart the system manually.
"William… How exactly do you restart the system manually?" Henry asked slowly.
William chose to stay quiet.
He will then tell you to crawl through Ballora Gallery as fast as you can to reach the breaker room.
Henry placed his hand on his face and took a deep breath, cursing William for his horrible layout of the building, 'Damn you, William,' He thought.
"That… doesn't sound… that bad…" Charlie said, trying to reassure herself, but her voice lacked conviction.
If you follow his instructions, you will die.
That last part echoed throughout everyone's head, causing a wave of panic over them.
Silence filled the room as everyone tried to process what had just been said.
"WHAT?!" William exclaimed, his voice laced with anger, "WHY WOULD THE GUIDE THAT I CREATED TRY TO KILL MY SON?!" He shouted.
Michael, Elizabeth, Evan and even Charlie felt uneasy, as William screamed.
"She could be lying…" Present Michael suggested, trying to break the tension.
William shook his head in response.
"L-let's continue." Henry suggested, his voice barely above a whisper but can still be heard.
Ballora will not return to her stage anymore. She will catch you. The power will be restored shortly. When you crawl through Ballora Gallery, go slowly. She cannot see you, and can only listen for your movement. When you hear her music become louder, she is growing near. Listening for you. Wait and be still.
"Is she telling the truth?" Present Michael asked.
All eyes turned to William, awaiting his response, who is seemed to calm down.
William nodded his head, "She's right, I planned that Ballora would move to the loudest sounds of children." He explained.
After a couple seconds of silence, the guide came back.
Thank you for your patience. It seems like the power system cannot be restarted automatically. You will need to restart the power system manually. Please return to the primary control module.
"I don't like him anymore." Evan said, still spooked by the whole ordeal.
Charlie furrowed her eyebrows, "How did she know? It's like it happened once before…!" Her eyes widened as she remembered Baby's words, 'There's a space under the desk; someone before you crafted it into a hiding place, and it worked for him.'
Charlie stood from her seat, "It happened before!" She exclaimed.
They all looked at her, confused.
"What happened before?" Elizabeth asked.
"Baby said that she remembers this exact scenario. Then she said that someone before him crafted the hiding place, so that means that it happened to the guy before Michael!" She explained.
"D-Does that mean that the guy before… died?" Elizabeth asked.
…
The group fell silent, the weight of the realization heavy on their shoulders.
"I-It's just a theory of course!" Charlie quickly added, trying to dispel the uncomfortable atmosphere.
They returned their attention towards the TV.
Michael slowly left the desk space and crawled through the vents, till he reached the Primary control module.
You will now be required to crawl through the Ballora gallery using the vent to your left to reach the breaker room. It is recommended that you stay low to the ground, and reach the other side as fast as possible, as to not disturb Ballora. I will deactivate myself momentarily, as to not create an auditory disturbance.
Deactivating…
Cautiously, Michael approached the vent that led to the Ballora Gallery, peering into the darkness beyond, he could just make out a door. He took a deep breath, the third time this night, trying to calm his nerves, so as to not cause any sound, before hesitantly slipping into the vent and entering the Ballora Gallery.
Once again, the room was shrouded in a thick veil of suffocating silence, as the only thing heard was each person's breathing.
The Ballora Gallery was silent, suffocatingly so, as Michael crawled through the gallery, trying his best to remain silent
The only thing is the quiet sounds of Michael crawling on the floor. Everything was going well until…,
It seems you are taking a long time. Please proceed as quickly and as quietly as possible.
Michael froze.
"WH-WHAT'S WRONG HIM?" Charlie screeched, pulling her hair in frustration.
"I-Is he trying to kill him?!" Elizabeth said, outraged at the audacity of the guide.
'What's wrong with this place?!" Henry thought.
After a couple of seconds of silence, Michael resumed crawling.
It felt like an eternity as Michael crawled through the gallery, but then… he heard it. Ballora's music was growing louder, and Michael froze.
The group held their breath.
Both Elizabeth and Evan clutched their older brother's arm once again.
Michael remained motionless until the music faded away completely, before he decided to resume crawling.
Slowly, Michael reached the Breaker Room. He grabbed the handle and carefully opened the door and slipped inside, making sure to close the door.
The group let out a collective sigh of relief.
"I-Is it finally over?" Evan asked.
You may now interface with the breaker control box. Using the interface may disrupt nearby electronics. If you feel that you are in danger, feel free to disconnect the interface temporarily, until it is safe to reconnect.
Present Michael let out a tired sigh, 'Of course it's not over.' He thought.
Elizabeth looked confused, "Danger? What does he mean by danger? He's safe… right?" She asked, trying to assure herself that her older brother is going to be fine.
Charlie noticed something, as the lights were flickering, "Wait… is that Freddy?!" She said, while pointing at the screen.
Michael's eyes widened, "It is!" He said.
The group felt a sense of fear for Future Michael's safety.
Future Michael noticed Freddy, keeping one eye on him, he opened the laptop in front of him. He quickly scanned through the interface, trying to understand what he was looking at.
The interface showed a map that was covered with danger signs, a danger level, and rooms that he could restart. He chose to restart Circus Control first, but realized that the Danger Level was increasing at a fast pace.
Knock Knock, anybody home?
Michael froze, as Funtime Freddy showed himself.
Evan and Elizabeth held into Michael even tighter.
Funtime Freddy has white plastic skin to replace the fur a normal bear would have. His ears, stomach, joints, muzzle, and cheeks are a magenta pink color. He has a small black top hat and bow tie, below that on his chest is a speaker and below that on his chest are two buttons. He also had a blue Bonnie puppet that also had 2 magenta pink dots on cheek on his right hand.
Unsure on what to do, quickly pressed the 'Play Sound' button.
Everything is okay, go back to sleep!
This caused Funtime Freddy to go back. Also the Danger Level decreased and went back to green
Future Michael tried to restart Circus Control again, to which he realized that that percentage was saved, which was a weird system.
He quickly moved on to the other rooms and started restarting their systems. This kept for a while, until he was at the last one.
Bon-Bon, say Hi to our Friend!
They were all shocked to see that Funtime Freddy was almost in front of Michael.
He quickly pressed the 'Play the Audio' button.
Aw Calm Down, I think it was just a Mouse!
Finally, Michael was done.
The group breathed a sigh of relief.
Great job. This completes your tasks for the night. Please proceed back through the Ballora gallery with care, and we'll see you back here tomorrow.
Elizabeth spoke up, "Okay, so he just needs to leave the Ballora Gallery."
Charlie laughed, "He said that he will see him tomorrow, I doubt that Michael's coming back."
Michael slowly opened the door, his eyes fixated on Funtime Freddy's position. As he stepped out, he immediately started crawling.
As he crawled, Michael heard music coming from his right, causing him to freeze in place once again. He waited until the music stopped. Suddenly, he saw Ballora dancing around right in front him, causing him to cover his mouth, preventing himself from making any sound. Sweat was starting to form on his forehead.
Hello? Is someone there?
Future Michael's eyes widened, his expression softening.
Present Michael froze, recognizing the voice "She… sounds familiar." He whispered, lost in thought.
"Hm? Did you say something Mike?" Henry asked.
Michael looked deep in thought, "Mom… She sounds like Mom." He finished, his words causing the group's eyes to widen.
"M-Mom..?" Both Elizabeth and Evan whispered to themselves, surprised by the revelation.
Both Elizabeth and Evan don't remember much of their mother. She died due to an illness when they were both young. Michael had fond memories of her, Elizabeth doesn't remember much, while Evan was still a baby.
William smiled sadly, "Oh…, that's because I programmed Ballora to sound like your mother." He explained
His family stares at him, stunned.
William raises an eyebrow, "Didn't I tell you?" He questions.
They shook their heads in response.
"D-Does that mean that Ballora's design is based on Mom?" Elizabeth inquires.
Her Father nodded, "Your mother loved dancing, ballerina being her favorite." He said.
Henry and Charlie chose to stay quiet, allowing the family to process the information.
After a while the music and Ballora disappeared, causing him to snap out of his trance and continue crawling until he reached the Primary Control Module.
The screen went dark.
…..
As dramatic music fills the room, Mike recognizes the tune and smiles, knowing what's coming next.
The screen lights up, revealing Michael sitting on his couch, munching on some popcorn while watching TV
Announcer: As the sun sets, so also does another chapter in the saga of love lust between Vlad and his distressed mistress.
"Oh, we're watching this again?" Charlie interjects, breaking the silence.
Mike turns to his friend, "What do you mean? This is the best thing that happened today." He argues.
Charlie waves her hand dismissively, thinking to herself, 'Whatever makes you happy, Mike,' and gives a small smile.
Announcer: Can they be reconciled? Can their love rise again? That, and more, is happening now!
Both Present and Future Michael's looked excited as the scene unfolds.
"Why is he so… dramatic?" Charlie asked, rolling her eyes at the announcer's exaggerated tone.
Before Mike could answer, Elizabeth chims in, "It's what makes it good."
Charlie gives her a confused look, and she responds with a shrug, silently conveying, 'I don't know, it's what he tells me.'
Charlie nodded slowly.
Vlad: Clara, the baby isn't mine.
Charlie rolled her eyes at the recurring drama, muttering, "He's still on that?"
Clara: It is, Vlad! They had trouble catching him in the nursery today!
Vlad: So what? Lots of kids get hyper and run around and stuff.
"He has a point." Henry admits.
Clara: They had to knock him out of the air with a broom!
Henry looked embarrassed, "Oh… I forgot that he's a vampire." He said while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
Vlad: I have to go.
Clara: They're going to dock your paychecks.
'What a bitch…' William thinks to himself.
Vlad: They can't do that; I'm a vampire! I don't get paychecks!
Clara: You work the graveyard shift at the Fry-Me Taco! Don't lie to me!
"That's rough buddy," Future Michael quips, between bites on his popcorn.
The group giggled at Michael's comment.
Announcer: Ohhh, the humanity! When will the heartbreak end? When will these two ships passing in the night rekindle their long-lost love? Tune in tomorrow to find out!
The screening ended.
….
"That was terrifying." Michael said.
"Right with you, Eggs." Charlie said, giving Michael a smug look.
…
"Charlie…" Michael said.
"Yes?" Charlie replied, still smiling.
"...Fuck you." He finished.
"Michael!" William shouted.
Everyone began laughing.
Henry, observing everyone, thought, 'Looks like everything's back to normal.'