POLAR FREDDY
What a MESS.
He had so much cleaning to do! Its bad enough that the other Freddy and Montgomery broke the security office into pieces, but Luis had bled all over the facility! And add to that his own repairs on his person to make, and you can bet the bear had a full plate.
He didn't complain. He wouldn't. He couldn't. It was against the rules. You weren't allowed to complain. The employees here, back when they were here, signed a paper explicitly stating they must keep their mouths shut- and it so happened Freddy and his bestest buddy both agree to the fine print. They do not complain to their owners. They must not. They will not. Or rather... he won't. Not like his buddy was here anymore.
He dragged the mop bucket behind him, chuffing at the cold in the facility. The heat had long-since stopped working; and it proved inconvenient since he needed to keep the fluids in his body warm. However, Polar Freddy knew if he moved around enough, he can keep his motor warm and it helped. He just needed to not go into rest mode during the colder parts of the day. So long as he did his duty as a security bot and janitor, he'd be okay! He's obeying the rules. He shouldn't get into trouble for that.
But Bonnie did nothing wrong and yet he got decommissioned... No thanks to that Glamrock.
Polar Freddy didn't vocalize this however; merely dragging the mop through the blood trail on the floor and huffing. He sighed at the recollection of the meeting with Glamrock Bonnie; a little dumb-founded by his compliance and willingness to try to help despite what he's wrought at the PizzaPlex. He's actualized too; something that further confounded the white bear. If Polar Freddy didn't know better, he really could've bought into the Glamrock's ruse. He'd really been like his old buddy in some ways-
But.
His old buddy hadn't been fully realized as of yet. He hadn't gone through the trauma needed to... 'cement' that connection between soul and vessel. A certain emotional trigger allowed for this bond to occur; something in which the A.I and the remnant can link with. Polar Freddy himself became bonded to his remnant through the pain of-
No. He will not revisit that thought. No need to.
He finished dabbing up Luis' blood and soaked the mop into the bleach solution; then he was pulling the janitor's cart and bucket along the hall again to the next blood trail. He paused once to take a quick moment to move and swivel his body in greater degrees of motion; forcing his motor to warm up so the fluid in his cables didn't freeze up. He had anti-freeze in his body, but the way he was constructed didn't have a wire going from the tank to the wires in his head or extremities. Not efficient, so he needed to warm his joints and head sometimes. He had the convenience of a space heater in one of the rooms though- so it wasn't all bad!
Anyways- back to Bonnie. The Glamrock was a curious case- and Polar Freddy had, at first, wanted to rip him apart. But after further study and observation of his disposition and the fact he had remnant in him to such a degree, even he'd been struck with curiosity. He wanted to ask the rabbit some questions and keep him here (it was also for the purpose of getting the other rabbit's friends to return)- like what he was doing in the PizzaPlex in order to have elicited the shut-down of all other Bonnie models. The Glamrock, he reasoned, could not be blamed ENTIRELY when one considers that in general, most Bonnies tended to be a little... forward, in their displays of fury. Its easily the least rabbit-like trait they could possibly have but something they commonly share. And combine that with the fact he had remnant- its no wonder he's a wild card.
His Bonnie however... no. His best friend, he's never been aggressive. He couldn't hurt a fly- literally! Whenever bugs flew in during the summer, his friend would squeak and push Freddy into getting rid of it. He was seen holding a spider in his paws once; simply playing with it and letting it go where it wanted. He was so gentle- like an actual rabbit, and it was hard to believe he was considered a security bot! Who the heck thought he could do any harm?
"My girl."
Freddy snorted as he finished this next blood smear and glided to the next. He recalled the Glamrock's hardened words; saw the determination in his eyes when he talked of a girl he called his own. And then there was this other Freddy's mention of a 'cub'. They had children where they lived? How good was their life? Did they enjoy it? It seemed so... After all, Bonnie bolstered his nerve when it came in regards to this girl he spoke of.
He smelled something too, in that moment:
Something about the rabbit's aroma was... mixed. He smelled very organic- almost like true flesh and blood when some of his inflections burned their strongest. His fury, his love, it did something to him. Polar Freddy can only assume it was due to the presence of remnant in his body. No doubt the rabbit can produce certain... smells and (not to mention the blood he reeked of) respond to certain situations more akin to the human inside him. And it helped that it seemed he and this remnant in him were synergized in inflection. There didn't seem to be a lot of contrasting sentiment otherwise; which would only divide the bot from the soul in such a way that war for control would have undergone in the vessel.
Polar Freddy himself wasn't... completely synergized with his soul. The person stuck inside him wasn't alright with his situation when he died. Some things they agreed on, don't get him wrong. But not as much as the Glamrock and his soul seemed to get on.
Once he finished with the mopping, he lifted an ear and his gaze hyper-focused; a security alarm briefly tripped but then was disabled. Someone was coming in. Were the Glamrocks back already? That was fast! The polar bot left the janitor's cart behind, following where he detected the proximity threat. He was so excited to have guests! And to have so many after so long in isolation? Wonderful! But alas, he may have to reprimand this trespasser or trespassers for intruding on private property... he didn't look forward to that.
He paused and wilted when he came into the main hall leading to the entrance; his cerulean gaze pinning to dots in his head and his ears sagging to his skull.
"Sir-" he greeted politely.
The first thing he saw hadn't been the human no doubt accompanying this bot; the 'owner' was standing BEHIND this automaton for good measure. Smart enough move, but it wasn't like Polar Freddy would dare attack the human and bot before him. That'd break the rules!
The metal and fur-drabbed individual before him wasn't as tall as himself; probably standing at a modest 6 and a half feet. Perhaps he was one of the shorter bots ever made. He was scrawny, light-weight, and his wrists were thin enough for an older child to nearly completely wrap their hand around. A white, plummy tail twitched around in an annoyed flick; the fur a little bit better maintained than anticipated. He also had an equally as colorless mane; reminiscent of the Roxanne models. Tall, over-long ears that were designed to be exaggerated pert at every nuance in the environment; eyes a roiling amber sitting amidst a decorated mask of white and purple stripes that accentuated the sharpness of his optics and cheeks.
His claws were as dark as blackiron; a set on both his feet and hands were easily long enough to be a keyboardist model. As for the aforementioned markings on his face, not unlike Glamrock Bonnie, the purple markings were painted around his optics like eye-liner and trailed back from the corners. The markings on his cheeks only served to exaggerate the snarling severity of his growling visage; steel mandibles lifting off of his hideously realistic painted gums and egg-shell colored fangs.
A Foxy- a white one. He looked more or less like a hybrid of the old Funtime model and a male Roxanne; and turned into an 'Arctic' variant. Freddy therein supposed that this particular bot was a security model. He wondered for that moment why they made most of their bots white nowadays. A tad colorless... if he had to be honest. Not that he'd ever say this aloud!
Now as to the other standing behind him: The man that no doubt owned this particular Foxy was an older one; middle-aged at least. Not very tall, thin hair line, unassuming in appearance. All things considered, he looked like a normal white-collar manager of an expensive business. In all actually, that isn't untrue... except, he was no manager. The sight of him had Polar Freddy bowing his head in submission and holding his paws up in a meager attempt to look welcoming.
"S-Sir! Its good to see you back after all this t-time-" He rasped. "Its been... 2 years?"
The man strode forward past the white fox; eyeing the disheveled bear and the signs of damage around the vicinity. Polar Freddy couldn't help feeling WORSE about not cleaning up quick enough. He hadn't anticipated that the lead assistant to the CEO themself would be here today.
"You've been busy, but not busy enough, I see," he said ever so calmly.
"I- yes! Yes... I have... only recently been cued to wake. I apologize for the mess, sir. I was in the midst of cleaning it..." the white bear nodded in a jittery fashion.
He held up a hand to silence him. "Pay no heed, I'm not angry. I blame the owner of this building himself for letting it fall to this state. He was promptly let go. Now, young Jamieson tells me we've been having issues with some of our staff's thievery however... and you were kept asleep on purpose until a certain point. You aren't in trouble, Freddy. However-" The older man frowned, "I am still disappointed in the fact you hadn't caught the man responsible for all this when he was in your talons. What happened, exactly?"
The white Foxy glowered at him with the animosity one does when they realized they just stepped in a pile of shit and had to wipe it off.
Freddy had, for that obscene moment, wondered about omitting his meeting the Glamrocks, but he wouldn't dare lie to this man or his higher-up by extension. "I had an... interesting encounter with the man's friends," he started slowly. "Apparently, he'd been stealing parts for... I do not know if you can believe this but... for the Glamrocks. From the mega-PizzaPlex?"
The assistant blinked several times, turning to glance at the white Foxy and then back at him. The purple streaked animal snorted; a cloud of steam escaping his mouth and tail flicking in irritation.
"The... Glamrocks," he reiterated.
"Yes... it seems this young man, Luis Cabrera I believe the name was- had been stealing to use these parts for repairs of the Glamrocks? I had not anticipated they could exist outside the PizzaPlex though." The bear frowned, gladdened that the other bot hadn't been incentivized to any hostile action, yet. "I came face-to-face with a handful of them; Glamrock Freddy, Montgomery Gator, and... again, I am not sure if you can believe this, but Glamrock Bonnie! They also had a young woman with them- I could not immediately identify her however. Her face did not register in my system."
"The Glamrocks... and Bonnie. Of all things. You are sure you've seen them?"
"I have the footage in my head," Freddy tapped his skull. "Would you like to see it?"
"I think the boss man himself would be interested in seeing it, frankly," The assistant smiled in a pleasant manner- but Polar Freddy saw no warmth in it. "And while we're at it, we might as well get you out of this building. Its been deemed as 'condemned' as of recently and has been slated to be demolished within the month after being left to sit for so long. We can move you to the main building itself; been needing some more bots on hand."
Polar Freddy blinked several times, feeling his jaw open and close rapidly. He turned to look back at what has been essentially his home and entire life; his only remaining attachment to his Bonnie. He turned slowly back to the assistant, "Am I... being repurposed or... taken apart-?"
"Repurposed! And repaired. Do not fret my giant friend, you are not in trouble. We've been going around revisiting some of our previously owned structures and salvaging what we can. It so happened that, after the PizzaPlex, this location was next. Imagine our surprise when everything we needed for a new line of animatronics has already disappeared!"
"Yes... Mr. Cabrera has done a lot to atone for," Polar Freddy agreed uneasily.
"Oh, no doubt! That's why, as of this moment-" He pointed at the white fox. "Foxy here will be taking over sentinel duty here for a brief time while we finish emptying this place out. I'd leave behind your cleaning duties, Freddy. You will be moved post-haste to the main building for some long over-due maintenance and upgrading. After which, if you behave, you can rejoin Foxy here for the investigation of these... errant bots. It sounds like this may be a task demanding the paws of more than one sentinel model."
"Yes sir. Right away-" Polar Freddy smiled, wondering if he should go back and grab whatever little he had of his bestie; a pile of books he's drawn in when he'd been here.
It doesn't look like he would get that chance when the assistant turned and motioned, "Come along. I don't wish to sit in this cold for too long. Its going right through me!"
You cannot complain or make requests. You cannot complain or make requests.
"Yes sir," He added, fighting to keep his tone polite as he was led away.
Foxy snarled and snapped at him on the way by; the arctic model fox bending over onto all fours to sniffle along the long corridors and no doubt likely going to find the sources of smells so to memorize them. Freddy didn't doubt this Foxy can track Luis and the Glamrocks outside this place once he had a read of their smell identity.
He kept glancing back however, feeling something in his chest cavity grow infinitely heavier as he stared back at the hall; catching sight of the stickers his lapine friend had put up years before. An ugly noise wanted to tear out of him, but it didn't show on his face as he followed the assistant loyally out the building; not daring to glance back again beyond the one time- in fear of saying or doing something he'd regret.
He was getting a new life again. His owners had come back for him. He was getting fixed up and put into the main building! That was an honor to serve the CEO himself, was it not?
But why did it feel like he was just being further chained down?
GLAMROCK FREDDY
He couldn't stop thinking about that other bear.
And sometimes, he couldn't stop thinking about his life from before the fall of the PizzaPlex.
He had to remind himself that sometimes, he was living this new life; that maybe he wasn't just imagining that he was living with his best friend, a whole family, and a boy he called cub. And that Vanessa, despite all her bluster and disgruntled demeanor back when she was a security guard, actually cared about him. That when he repaired his friends back at the PizzaPlex, that he managed to actually get them all back. All of them.
How unrealistic was that?
Sometimes, Freddy never vocalized this, but he was afraid of talking about it; in case it wasn't real. That he was just a talking head still, or he'd been left behind at the PizzaPlex to rot with them. That maybe Chica really died in that building and he never found Bonnie. That Cassie got taken by Vanny and she went to war with Vanessa and Gregory and would be striving for revenge after she believed Gregory dropped that elevator. He knew his life wasn't fake; but it hurt sometimes to ponder that he'd been this close to losing them forever. If Bonnie hadn't backed up their personalities, he would have. He couldn't imagine his life without his friends.
He was in the garage right now; bent over DJ's new body with Bonnie. He stared at Bonnie more often than not; not really meaning too but he couldn't help it. Bonnie was here, and yet, he wasn't? Sometimes that soul in his body made it hard to see whose speaking. At least his Glamrock buddy acted himself 80% of the time. He'll take it, any day.
DJ's body meanwhile was now finished. The bot stood roughly Freddy's own size; maybe slightly taller by a couple inches. The chassis was white like the bot's old body; but then, they added something like a black tunic paint job over his upper body simulating a shirt or coat. he could easily pass as one of those burly bouncers at the entrance to a night club with the outfit he had. He even had the Glamrock grade leg chassis too; flared at the ankles but it was meant to stabilize the DJ's heavy upper body. Even though he was pretty much his own size now, DJ came in at a whopping 500+ pounds with that set of extra arms. His arms weren't huge like Bonnie or Monty's or his own, more like Roxanne or Chica in width to help make them lighter. But yes, DJ retained his spider-like traits with the fact he had four arms and four fingers on each.
The arms were painted black too; and the hands ended in gloves, again, not unlike his prior form. He also had something like shoes on his feet; a huge pair Vanessa had to custom order for him that allowed freedom of movement for the toe segments present in all endos, and still be able to bear the weight of a metallic automaton in motion. DJ also looked like he was wearing slacks; stylish to say the least!
As for his face, it was probably the more interesting aspect of his design. Bonnie himself had some creative liberty with it in his tinkering; giving him hair to work with. He had pink hair now! He must've got the hair from the crafts store or something- and it looked like Roxanne got a hold of it at some point and put it into dreads. He had several hanks of woven pink hair that all ended in blue ties. And the way his scalp was painted, it gave the odd illusion of it being a simultaneous undercut. Very punk in its display, if he do say so himself.
He had the music man's typical face still; white, with black eyes styled like glasses. Apparently, Freddy learned the design of the music men were actually taken from the inspiration of a real life singer; thus the unusual look. DJ meanwhile, he had those badass circular framed, silver rimmed shades draping over his pink nose and tied to his scalp. The shades were a close part of his construction too; the 'tied-on' portion containing wires that fed directly back into his head. The shades showed displays of his emotions for some moments; like his prior eye models did in his old body.
He also had actual eyes too- real ones. Real optics he had to borrow from the Glamrocks. He apparently wore the Chica variant; lavender optics to somewhat go with his pink hair, nose, and mellow toned paint job. The eyes were commonly covered by the shades though; and no one would see them unless the DJ pulled the adjustable shades up and down his nose. And even then, you couldn't pull the shades off due to them being a part of the DJ's body. In that aspect, considering the shades and his new optics, you can say he had four eyes and it was literal? Guess it was another, more interesting nod to his creature inspiration.
All-in-all, the design was unique, interesting, and had what Bonnie called a 'chiller' flare. Freddy frankly loved it and thought it was even an improvement to the old body he used to have. And while Freddy thought DJ always looked awesome, one cannot deny that his huge, unwieldy body was sometimes... inconvenient. He'd never been able to explore his own home beyond the Fazcade thanks to his large frame; and it was lonely in there in its off hours.
But now he has new life. New freedom. Surely this will be enough?
Freddy stepped away as Bonnie continued typing on the computer, the rabbit frowning intensely at the monitor and typing so fast that his crimson claws were a painted blur over the keyboard. He was leaning in too close to the monitor too; frowning with a quality that wasn't very Bonnie-like. If Freddy didn't know better, he could swear this was Cassie's father sitting in that chair right now and not his long-time friend. Cassie's father was a tinkerer and a man who adored the intricacies of animatronics; a true engineer in some ways. Bonnie himself? Just a somewhat lazy, stoner-vibing rabbit with a love for ice cream and music. The lines had blurred at some points, and now Freddy really was having trouble separating the two in front of him right now.
Bonnie's new taste in clothes didn't help... he was wearing a literal white collared shirt. Super plain, button-down, where the collar folded over the edges. And the sweats were too much. Where did he get those anyways? Did Vanessa get them? Did he get them when he went to the store over a week ago? He looked like he was going to an office job interview shortly but gave up halfway into dressing. The button-down portion was also undone at the collar; allowing the rabbit's puffy stone fur to poke out over the rim. Bonnie wore his own shades sometimes, but he wasn't wearing them now. If he did, Freddy would feel like something of his bestie was in there.
He couldn't help it. He had to ask.
"Bonnie... are you... you feeling okay?"
The rabbit jerked out of whatever focus he'd been in; turning around in the swivel chair to face the ursine. There was a raised brow and a very Bonnie-like look of confusion on his face. "Uh, yuh? I'm good, my brother. Chiller. What're ya asking for? Are YOU okay? You haven't spoken in a while... 'til now."
Oh my goodness he said 'chiller'. That's him. Thank GOD.
Freddy nodded, eyes unhelpfully looking up and down the rabbit's weirdly casual-formal hybrid attire. He was having trouble computing that. Freddy himself meanwhile continued to adore his 'commando' outlook, a somewhat brazen notion that went accepted with the family, weirdly enough. Granted, you can't say he was naked if he's wearing his fur all the time. But Bonnie was wearing clothes over his fur- that was so strange. And all of things, these particular clothes? WHY WAS HE WEARING CLOTHES? When did he start doing that?
Bonnie meanwhile was slightly tilting his head, one ear flopping more heavily than the other. He kept his singular earring at least; something the Glamrock wouldn't ever take off unless its to get one of another color or he wanted to match Freddy exactly. His torn ear meanwhile flopped over his face slightly; the rabbit twitching his nose at Freddy like he was weighing his well-being through scent alone.
Realizing he was taking a while to respond, Freddy reciprocated, "I've been... I've been... I-" He glanced back at DJ's unmoving body. "I'm... worried. I cannot deny that. I'm worried and... I don't know-"
Bonnie moved out of his chair and reached out; grabbing the bear's paw and gently rubbing a digit into his knuckle and massaging it. "My man, my greatest love, my soul brother. My entire world. If you're worried about DJ, I'm confident M.X.E.S and me did this right... his personality is intact. We've long-since finished diagnosing any trace of Vanny left in it and-"
"No... no. Not that. Well, kind of that but-" Freddy shook his head and shyly gripped back, his cerulean gaze falling to the floor. "I am... I... I was thinking. Of something else..."
Bonnie strode forward and went to lean against him; his nose tickly against Freddy's neck. The whiskers being what they are did it; grazing his own muzzle and snuffling at a speed that would've incited a sneeze in an organic being. Freddy couldn't help breathing easy that his best friend was acting himself. For a while there, he thought he was losing his buddy to the other inside of him.
"Talk to me, papa bear. Talk to me. You have my attention," he encouraged.
Freddy sighed again, then lead Bonnie to the wall of the garage to lean against it. The pair slid down its stony surface until they hit the floor; the two staying leaning on the other as they could. The fact Bonnie moved easily with him also helped; easing something out of the bear he hadn't expected.
"I was worried about you, I admit," Freddy began candidly. "I have been... struggling, lately. Beyond dealing with that white Freddy, I er... sometimes, I admit that I'm terrified of you being more one person than the other. So its DJ, you, this bear... its a lot. And watching you work right now felt less like you and more like... you know."
Bonnie's maroon optics shut as if he was shouldering some sort of physical ailment; his teeth flickering into a grimace. "I'm sorry, my man. I really am," he rasped. "But I assure you, I'm me. I couldn't be more me whenever I look at you! I promise."
"And you are not just saying that?"
"Freddy, let me be real with ya," he started with a surety that Freddy lacked himself right now. "When we left the PizzaPlex behind, I swore on whatever dang god that'll listen as well as your own name that I won't hide anymore horrid secrets from you all that would be detrimental to anyone's well-being. And, I swore I'd be as much of myself I can be; the ME I never got to be back when we lived in that stupid mega mall-" Bonnie focused on Freddy's optics directly. "Cuz you know it, and I know it, and we ALL know it: We know we weren't allowed to be ourselves when we lived there. We had to conform to their standards, and not do what we felt we can be as sentient A.I. I know I feel different now, and granted, its not ALL totally good-"
He booped Freddy's nose then, his sniffer giving a soft 'honk!' as he did. Freddy's eyes crossed to tract the motion, "But my love, my heart, now, now we can be ourselves and the best we can be; and I'm leaning FULLY into that. The change is startling, don't get me wrong, but I literally couldn't be more me right now, being surrounded by all of you. And Cassie's dad? I admit, sometimes I worry he's been having a bit more hold on me than I thought- like on the anniversary of his death? But that's something I can understand and forgive. He shouldn't have died the way he did and he wants to be close to his little girl when she cries. Hell, I want to too! And its not all terrible- he's teaching me how to really live as a person. And its not like he can take control of my body and just pilot it around. I don't think he CAN do that-?"
Bonnie frowned, "And if he COULD... well, its not like he would. He wouldn't take that from me unless Cassie's life is, say, for example, in danger. I don't think people can just take over like that easily if the 'vessel' has a will of its own. I trust him, and he respects me. We respect each other-" He waved a paw back and forth between them as if to indicate him too physically. "So Freddy, please. Its okay. I'm ME! I promise you. I'm the best I can be now. You just haven't seen the real me back when the PizzaPlex was around. None of us could be our true selves then. Its different now. Yunno?"
"I feel so stupid..." Freddy slapped a paw upside his head where it rested. "You're right... I... I should have trusted that, you know."
"I'm just surprised you hadn't asked sooner-" Bonnie frowned, squinting at the bear's knotted visage. "We've been livin' here two years now, and only now you're asking?"
"Its just..." Freddy now found it within him to laugh, albeit its a bitter noise. "Your ah... your clothing kind of threw it for me. It does not look like something you'd touch otherwise! I could swear you would try brighter colors and tighter things and- I do not know. Literally anything that isn't somewhat formal? I know your Glamrock chassis had that... what was it? Exercise suit thingy?"
Bonnie threw back his head and cackled there, "YEAH. That ain't wrong! Okay, I get it. The clothes are a bit much. Although... I suppose in hindsight, I guess its me 'remembering' for Cassie's dad what it felt like to have certain preferences. He wore things like this, yeah, but not very often. He tended to wear grease monkey stuff- dirty overalls and the like. But even then, he'd wear these when he went out into public with his girl. Frankly, I also thought these looked right smart on me! Wanted to try something different, while kinda 'fulfilling' the idea of 'remembering' for him. Yunno?"
"I understand- that's actually... huh. Okay. Thank you for telling me!" Freddy smiled there, certainly feeling better about it. Now he raised a brow, "So uh... 'remembering'?"
Bonnie bobbed a shoulder, "Sometimes, I feel things and sensations that are no doubt organic in origin. Like 'dreams'. And having the compulsive desire to stuff my face even when I'm bored! GOD. I just wanna eat myself to death like Chica used to! At least she was programmed to eat the way she does- but me? What's my excuse for wanting to eye hump every standing morsel in my way?" Bonnie snirked, teeth flashing, "Its just that I can! And apparently people like eating because... well, they're bored. Not hungry. Or... they just want to taste it or- eat during movies and- you know what I mean? they just focus on eating about 2/3's of their day away! And its not just food-"
Bonnie sat back and folded his arms, "Sometimes... er, I can't explain it, but there's some sensations I've yet to explain. That I don't understand. And while I'd think I do, I don't, and I KNOW I don't. I wondered about asking Vanessa but haven't ponied up the balls to do it. I want to understand it on my own time, what these weird feelings are. I have all the time in the world now, after all. Yunno?"
"Could you explain them? I mean... you seemed able to differentiate what a dream is."
Bonnie gave a slight shake of his head, "I still dunno, man. I think I may not ever get it fully but I ain't bent outta shape about it if I don't. I got everything I could possibly ask for! You, me, Cassie, that freaky kid you call a cub-"
"Daw. Shush," Freddy chortled.
"Hey! I swear that kid ain't human. He's too damn INTENSE! AHAHAHA!" Bonnie slapped him back. They both wore long grins as Bonnie continued, "But yeah. I'm alright, Fredster. Nuthin' doin'. I promise you. If I had something really wrong with me, I promise I'll talk to you about it. Okay? No more secrets."
"No more secrets."
"Good. Now! Can I ask about you? You said you were having a little uh... a little mulling over there when it comes to our white friend. Tell me, something about that you wanna talk about?"
Freddy's expression weakened there, then he glanced back at DJ. He frowned, "I just feel bad for him... And, he's a Freddy, who wanted to hurt a Bonnie! And he'd been treated so badly- living a life I cannot unsee for myself in another lifetime." He, in a Chica-like way, pulled his legs up to hug them. Bonnie's paw found itself on his back and shoulders to rub as he continued, "Sometimes, I'm afraid that maybe, just maybe, I really did get left behind in that PizzaPlex and I'm rotting away and I'm imagining this. Maybe I'm dreaming instead? That all this isn't real and..."
He frowned, "What if I'm actualized and I just don't know? I DOUBT it but... I'm afraid of the fact I could be dreaming this unrealistic life up! I'm scared of the fact I could lose you and the others again, or that Gregory- that he isn't-" He bared his teeth and his forehead went into his arms; protecting it from view. "What if we all died in there? What if we never left and we THINK we're living the life?"
Bonnie frowned and glanced away; not that Freddy saw it. He leaned back onto the bear in earnest and nosed into his furry ruff. The sensation of it felt both ticklish and pleasant. "I know what a dream feels like, Fredbear. I know. We ain't dreaming- but you can't say we aren't living one of some kind! I can tell you from the perspective of a dead man what true living and true death really feels like."
The terms had the bear staring back up at him in intermingling amounts of grim alarm and acceptance.
Bonnie's own visage waned as he waved around, "I've died. I won't lie. There's me, the rabbit who lost to Vanny in that back room, and then there's Cassie dad. We both died. So, I've died twice? I know how it feels from the perspective of both, at least. Sometimes I think this could be a dream, but then I search myself and find that what I'm feeling is still very real, no matter what shape the world around me takes. Every time I look at Cassie and you and the others, and then look in a mirror and see them freaky bloody tears, for some reason, it kinda... helps me? Kinda." He leveled a so-so wave there. "And then, you guys hug me and... it helps. If this is a dream, I don't wanna wake up from it. I'd stay in it forever if I could, and I've no qualms about it. No use fighting yourself over that. No use spending all that extra energy being worried when you're floating in an ideal current that's determined to sweep you out to sea. I know that don't sound great but-"
He passed the bear a gentle smile next, reaching up and gently rubbing Freddy's face, "This ocean's just too vast to be empty of these possibilities; and its too powerful for us. We can fight it, but we'd never win. Nature doesn't think about win or lose; it just does. It moves forward, and it keeps doing so. I'm just taking a leaf from its book and moving forward myself. To go with it, and use the energy I have to keep you all afloat instead of fighting the current. If I did wake up, then I'd float in that direction too-" He shrugged casually, "Its all, for me, just a matter of tackling it as we come to it. Instead of worrying about it ahead of time and worrying myself into a third grave, I'd only worry about how it puts my loved ones at risk."
He squeaked Freddy's nose again, then leaned on his shoulder and settled, "I'll take it if its a dream. I'll take it if its reality. Either way, both is a world fit for me; and its a world I'm glad I got to know while I can experience it in the truest sense. I have no regrets in that. I'm just appreciative of what I have right now; and I will never be lost so long as you all are in my thoughts; whether its a dream, or its reality. I love you all, and that is literally all that matters."
Freddy had, at some point, felt a weird numbness that settled in; just for it to vanish again and reignite into something brighter and warmer. He sniffed loudly; the honking indicating his invisible tears as he settled against the rabbit and simply thanked the fact he could have Bonnie to himself in that moment. It was a luxury the other Freddy didn't have however; and that sort of pain redefined and reaffirmed the value of what he had right now.
"I was lost without you," he hoarsely told the rabbit, straight up. His voice came out in a whispery crackle; the usual timber and strong baritone weaker than a fluttering candle flame guttering in strong wind as he half-murmured and half-sobbed, "I can't go back to that. If I woke up and realized you weren't there after this dream, I would destroy myself so I could be with you again." He inhaled noisily; swiping a paw across his muzzle and burying his head into Bonnie's shoulder and neck fluff. "If we never left that PizzaPlex, I'd be okay with it so long as I have you. I would happily rot in every waking layer of Hell for you."
A rude smell hit his nose, then he turned and focused on Bonnie's face. A crimson trail was getting caught in the fur of his eye socket and lid; but it didn't trail down thanks to this same fuzz. It flowed powerfully and heavily though; coming from his left optic and not his right one. Unusual, but Freddy stopped questioning it at that point. When he blinked, it trailed and smeared across the optic.
Bonnie hadn't noticed it; he never actually felt the tears until they hit a certain region of his face. However, it seemed he's gotten good at being more aware of them whenever he felt a certain strong emotion. He wiped at his face and frowned at the bloody spot, but then he shrugged it off like it was normal and leaned against Freddy again.
"The feelin's mutual, my soul bro," He throatily returned. The rabbit's ears fell heavily upon his crown; as if he couldn't be bothered holding them up anymore. An arm wrapped around Freddy's shoulders and pulled him close; attempting to assuage the cries the bear couldn't help garbling out.
They must've sat there a while; because dinner came around by the time someone came into the garage to check on them.
Gregory had poked his head in and stared at the crumpled bots, raising a brow at the sight of them and the fact Bonnie had dried-up blood on his face again. He gave a worried look, then cautiously entered and stooped before them. Bonnie gave him a surer look when he did, his visage a certainty that helped belay the boy's internal disquiet.
Still Gregory ventured, "Hey. You okay? Am I... intruding on something?"
Freddy reached out and grasped the boy's head; suddenly and breathlessly glad he wasn't phasing through him. The feel of the lad's scalp was a solid and warm sensation that trailed from his paws; with Gregory falling to the ground and slithering up to hide against Freddy's breast fluff. Freddy rested his heavy head over the crown of his cub's scraggly head; arms wrapping around him and breathing out in sheer and dizzying relief. If that grip he had was anything to go by, then surely it wasn't a dream? And even if it was a convincing one, Freddy was glad he had it while he did.
Bonnie was right. They really shouldn't have to keep staying in that darkness anymore. Maybe he was just paranoid that this was a dream, but it was really real and he was having a hard time stomaching that. Its been years now, technically. And yet he still struggled to cope with that pain.
The smell and hold of Gregory had become a fixture for the Glamrock; something he couldn't help but latch onto with a stranglehold that nearly suffocated. Not for the first time, Freddy contemplated how many kids he let slip free from his paws during his tenure at the PizzaPlex and how many could've died, been lost, or simply never returned because he wasn't there for them. And even if they move out and get rooms of their own, Freddy wasn't sure he could stand sleeping apart from Gregory beyond a certain point. He slept in the boy's room all the time now.
Gregory meanwhile looked up and watched the blue rabbit, going on to ask, "What's going on? You guys okay? You've been quiet... you run into any problems?"
Bonnie grazed a talon across Gregory's face, then sighed, "Nah, little man. Just been having a heart-to-heart with my other heart here. That's all."
Now he frowned, "When you say 'heart', you mean Freddy or... that... soul in your body? Kinda hard to tell."
Bonnie cackled gently, "Yes."
Gregory stopped questioning it and simply settled into Freddy; the bear remaining silent for the moment. He couldn't seem to muster much strength to even open his mouth.
"So... you guys do know dinner's ready, right?" He eventually stated, fisting a clump of Freddy's fur and watching the long hairs conform to his grip. "And your face has been running again."
"I know. And... Yeah... just been taking it easy," the bunny drawled. He started picking at that bloody splotch on his eye socket and upper cheek. It was disgusting how much of it was there. He grimaced and muttered, "Carrots, gonna hafta scrub that out. Man that's annoying!"
"Talking about it like it normal, sure," Gregory rolled his eyes playfully, but his expression remained reserved.
"Is Vanessa awake?" Bonnie tried with a polite brow raise and a slight look of concern, changing the topic. "I know the poor woman's just... yunno. Plain tuckered out and I'd get her still being asleep and all-"
"Cassie's getting her up. If she don't move, Chica was just gonna bring her a plate of food to her bed and let her go back to sleep. She hasta work tomorrow anyway so... I kinda get it."
Bonnie put a paw to his chin and hummed. Then, "Alrighty. Welp, guess we eatin'! Freddy? You okay, my man?"
"Yes. Yes. I am now," He breathed; the steam of his motor escaping his muzzle and ruffling hair on Gregory's head. He felt... oddly sore. Freddy frowned at the alien sensation of it, but something inside him felt painful and he couldn't put a talon on it. As it were though, it wasn't a terrible burden; nor was it the kind of pain that actually inflicted true harm. It felt more like a... well, could pain be comforting? He just couldn't describe it.
He put Gregory down, but kept a hold of some part of him as he began to move towards the kitchen. His motor stalled suddenly; knocking the air out of him and surprising the bear like someone gut-punched him. Freddy bowed over and forced himself to breathe; he really hadn't thought he'd been in the amount of pain he'd been in until now. His eye flickered and he shook his head.
Bonnie and Gregory stared at him. "Yo," the rabbit broached. "You okay, buddy? You look odd."
"I... I do not think I feel that well, suddenly," Freddy admitted. "But, I just have not felt great since we left that white bear behind. Perhaps some time to myself would set me right."
"You sure-?" the rabbit peered into his face, snuffling and frowning as he did.
"I'll be alright, my friend. Please, let's just have some dinner! Some of that food suddenly looks especially desirable right now," he smiled wanly.
Bonnie suddenly put a paw in the middle of his expansive, barrel-shaped chest; right where his heart would have been. His expression narrowed, "Your motor's working hard for some reason. You're like, super warm. Its trippy. You should probably stand outside for a minute and cool off. I'll make you a plate!"
"I thought he felt hot-" Gregory muttered.
"Am I that bad?" Freddy blinked, looking at the boy, "Was that hug uncomfortable?"
"Not at all! Just, a surprise. You hadn't moved and it was just... yunno what, just do what Bonnie says and stand outside for a minute until the cold helps. You sound like you need a breath of fresh air," he shrugged.
Freddy nodded reluctantly, then smiled weakly at them and started to walk away. Before he left completely though, Bonnie shot at him, "Hey yo, Fredbear. When was the last time Vanessa checked your motor? Or you let her do so? Or Cass or- anyone? Beyond getting your stomach hatch fixed today, did anyone check your core and if it was, yunno. Good?"
"Er... no. No one's checked it," he admitted.
Bonnie chuffed, "Let me do it after you cool off and eat. Okay? No biggie."
Freddy passed him a thumbs up and simply went out the side door to the garage; closing it thereafter. He didn't see Gregory and Bonnie's concerned glances.
If he had to be honest, standing outside wasn't a bad idea after spending so long inside the garage today. He and Bonnie might've been in there pretty much the majority of that day just scrutinizing DJ and talking. In fact, Freddy had been helping the rabbit look-over the bot's programming and making any slight adjustments for the last few hours. Bouncer mode was, for instance, removed. He never saw the point of keeping that. It was like when they looked over Chica and had to fix some of her programming that forced her to compulsively eat. Anything that looked odd was removed and refined.
And then they had that little sit-down- something that Freddy felt like he desperately needed. He wasn't dreaming; he'd been afraid of it. If he had to be honest, as a bot, he'd once been curious about the idea of dreaming; but he was somewhat frightened of it. People talked of bad dreams and how strange even the good ones were. He'd once been curious about them, maybe try it, but he's long since given up on that seeing as he's a bot.
He hugged himself; heavy paws brushing up and down his forearms as he recalled the earliest memories of his life:
He hadn't been 'sentient' in a sense. He recalled looking at humans and feeling nothing of them. He recalled those colorful padded rooms. Remembered how strangely confining they were. Remembered ripping one sheet of color off the wall just so he can feel it in his paws- er, bare hands.
These were the memories of an endo who hadn't been turned into a Freddy- who was being groomed into one. A memory he wasn't supposed to recall, but he can. He needed those baser memories because they were from the time his human 'trainers' and engineers taught him to 'feel' or act a certain way. Him during 'school', essentially, and him needing to take that information into the modern day so he can use what was socially acceptable. His development had been fragile; and if the wrong thing had been imprinted, it was likely Freddy wouldn't have ever become a Freddy; just, some bot with no name or meaning. A means to an end for Vanny's manipulation, at best.
He remembered those endos they left behind in the collapsing PizzaPlex. Any of them could've been a new Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, or even a Foxy. Any of them could've been a new Roxy or Monty, or even a Mr. Hippo! No matter what, those endos had been their child versions. Sometimes, Freddy had been disturbed by the fact they've needed these endos for parts and for new bodies. And the rest had been controlled by Vanny when she went to dismantle the PizzaPlex; or how the group left them to be buried within the debris as it came down.
Any of those endos those could've been a child version of himself or anyone. They were still children in the sense of artificial life. And the fact that, at some point, Freddy had been a normal endo that was being tested for sentience was a scary thought: How one person's mis-click during his fragile learning process could've thrown his entire personality out of whack and essentially thrown his life away. He could've never become Glamrock Freddy and befriended Bonnie; to have the luxury of becoming who he was now. If his personality was altered or he made the wrong decision as a 'toddler', he would've been 'repurposed' or salvaged into something or someone else.
No. Gregory had been right: Seeing those endos just wasn't good for your programming. Even today, all this time later, something of that hurt. He hadn't been able to process this during his time at the PizzaPlex, or enduring the shock that Bonnie was back from the dead- and the time after where he was trying to fit into this new life. Only now, in the wake of all that and after meeting another Freddy, did this become so poignant. He's been pushing this all down; burying it where he couldn't see it until today. He felt for those poor endos and the fate they met; the fact Vanny controlled them into becoming her slaves and to hurt and maul each other. How she used them to hurt the Glamrocks themselves and could've very easily destroyed them with these 'child' versions of themselves.
He inhaled shakily, breathing back out in a huge gout of super-heated air as biting winter cold started to drive its way into his fur. He felt physically a bit better standing here, but emotionally? It couldn't be further from the truth: He just didn't feel well, and he doubted enough hugs can help.
I could've been anyone. Anyone. If my creators and programmers willed it; or did the wrong thing, I could've been like that other Freddy too; just some pet guard dog. Or a slave. Or a 'spare' for parts. But I was perfected... built more meticulously as a prototype. I was given 'remnant' so I can behave better. It was only trace, but I had been given a tiny bit to help push me to be here.
But I'm me now. And I have a family who loves me. I do not have that remnant in me anymore. I'm lucky. I'm happy with them. I love them. They... they validate my existence.
I am nothing without them.
His next exhalation came out in a shaky manner; his eyes unfocused as he gazed listlessly out into the streets. He shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. His jaws parted; and suddenly he was panting like he ran a mile. His chest hurt.
What hell is wrong with me right now?
His head bowed lower, eyes heavy and his body a shuddering mass of cold metal. his restless mind refused to leave the memory of his earliest days; the days in the wake of his creation. The days where he was learning humans mattered more than himself. That he was 'supposed' to behave within a certain parameter. To follow rules.
Oh. Now he understood how that other bear felt.
Freddy found himself feeling rather weak; leaning heavily against the side of the house as his panting grew heavier and he sucked in great gouts of biting, wintry air. His eyes narrowed as they floated around the darkened streets and he glimpsed the lights of the resident homes around him. He was the only one outside right now; not even a neighbor's dog was barking at the usual tom. The snow fell around him in quiet, white solemnity; a gentle sprinkle that wasn't heavy or unpleasant or bitter. He reached out a paw; watching as one errant flake descended as if willingly into his open palm.
I never thought I can touch snow or feel rain on my face. Or grass against my feet. Or direct sun against my shell. I wasn't taught to think of these things.
The flake melted; the bear closing his blue talons around it and then gazing at himself again. He was getting covered, and he was also steadily getting a tiny bit soaked.
I am cold. Wet. I can eat now, I am breathing free air. The only thing I can't do is cry. Bonnie could do that but... the cost of that ability is just too high.
He rested a paw onto his chest again; wincing when he heard- yes, heard- something whine. Something was wrong. He jolted, shuddered; jaws staying parted in a show of stress. He supposed this sign was meant to be programmed into him to be demonstrative of 1) being a bear. And 2) perhaps a character-cued trait or 3) it was supposed to warn his human 'handlers' and engineers that he needed to be checked or 4) all of the above. His next inhalation was strangled; then, he was bracing himself again on the house and shutting his flickering eyes.
His Hud was giving him odd readouts. His body seemed to know what his brain couldn't grasp; telling him there was a lot of disturbance and damage to his core. Moisture getting caught in his circuit board, maybe. Most likely from the snow as of recently. But then, it hadn't bothered him last year... what was going on?
Just then, he heard the front door open and Roxanne was poking her head out. Her nose was twitching a million miles an hour and her ears swiveled towards him. Behind her, Bonnie appeared and his ears were ever-so busy as they leaned towards Freddy. Both of them looked alarmed; with Bonnie pushing past Roxanne and getting into his face. He hadn't eaten any of his dinner; from what Freddy can smell. He hadn't finished washing the blood out of his face either; if the rude looking brown splotches were anything to go by.
"Hey- hey man! Dude! DUDE- can you hear me-?"
Freddy thought he was responding, but no; his mouth hadn't flexed in accordance to words. He tried nodding; but it must've looked more like he was having a fit because Bonnie's expression slanted now into one of absolute terror.
"DUDE! Shit- shit shit shit shit shit- Roxy-!"
She was striding over just as Freddy slid to the ground, his breathing accelerated and his motor burning up. Suddenly, he smelled smoke; and then, he saw nothing. The last thing he'd recall was the sight of the rabbit and wolf trying to get him to respond to their unheard words and the sight of the kids poking their heads out the door- Gregory rushing at him with an expression like the entire world was going to black out-
And black out, it did.
ROXANNE WOLF
She'd been the first to detect the odd smell that brought her out here.
The wolf was sniffling and snorting all over him; feeling something of herself panic when she smelled a violent shut-down come after. Did Freddy... just have a panic attack? The idea of it was so ludicrous that she couldn't wrap her own mind around it; couldn't properly perceive the fact that a BOT could even have one! Granted, Bonnie can cry bloody tears so... she supposed weirder things have happened.
She was helping Monty haul Freddy back into the garage; with the bed-headed Vanessa standing around the armature and commanding M.X.E.S to run an emergency diagnostic. The security program complied, of course; no doubt invading Freddy's mind and rapidly checking his systems and what could've constituted this catastrophic failure.
Bonnie was rapidly shaking his head now, undoing the chest fur by pulling it from its velcro grip and yanking it over to reveal the new stomach hatch. As soon as he got it open however, it blasted his face with a ton of smoke; the waft about the color of asphalt and smelling almost like smoldering rubber.
"DUDE! HE'S FUCKING BURNING UP- WHAT THE HELL!" He spat.
Vanessa coughed and pulled the garage door open so the smoke can float out; then commanded Gregory to get the fan going. Roxanne meanwhile reached up and turned on the emergency fan attached to the armature; built in for just such an occasion. The fan started sucking in the choked, black plume into itself; revealing a bit more of Freddy's internals.
His smell.
It was all wrong.
Roxy glanced at Monty, who was definitely smelling the same.
She peered into his belly and waved away the smoke; noticing the occasional spark from a frayed wire. So stupid- he must've not noticed it when the frost bear struck him the day before. It was a minor detail but... the single wire helped command his body to release coolant in certain areas so he can not combust like he did just now. But, he wasn't exactly moving or excercising- so why did his body just-
Now she was smelling the REAL problem. Smelling, and seeing. As she peered into his motor- his heart, she saw it:
His circuit board that controlled his body (his second brain, one can say) was deep inside a console in front of his coolant tank; which was also anchored nearer to his spine. But then, the board, now that she was looking at it directly and managed to move it away from its anchored cartridge, had moisture on it. It must've short-circuited and stopped commanding the coolant to flow into the rest of him. And the real bitch of it-
Roxy sniffled again, and felt herself wilt as she properly identified the maddening source of this horrid incident. She reached in, grazed a single, jade-colored talon across the dark liquid oozing from his core, and held it to her jaws. Monty did the same beside her; even taking a claw and tasting it. His hydraulic jaws clenched and gritted, then he gazed at her in with a plethora of intermingling woes. His expression confirmed what she herself felt and smelled.
Bonnie meanwhile was properly slack-jawed as he delicately traced a talon inside of the bear's body too; extracting his own claw and holding it up for the benefit of the family around. "Oh you've got to be yanking my little cotton tail-" He mouthed as he tapped his digits together and fussed with the liquid. "Fucking- blood? DUDE. DUDE. DUDE. DUDE. What the shit-" He was darting frantic glances at the bear's face and his belly. "How. What. When. Where- And most importantly, WHO?"
Gregory was shaking his head rapidly at the sight, falling backwards into Vanessa and shivering. Cassie meanwhile hadn't moved beyond a statue-esque limit; keeping her hands over her mouth and her mocha complexion now ghost white. From the entrance to the garage, Chica and Sun merely watched, unable to do more than gawp. Chica warbled and produced stressed clucks that thrilled loudly; the hen fidgeting in place and pushing into the jester like she couldn't see him there and worming her way in. She stopped short of the armature, resting her white hand across Freddy's arm and grabbing his paw so to hold it.
Roxy sniffled and put her nose inside of Freddy; smelling the source and noticing only now that it was slowly working its way up into Freddy's neck and face. She watched in sick fascination as it crept up his body like rain water slipping into a gutter; stopping beyond a point before it actually touched his throat thanks to the way he was laying.
She shook her head and stared at Bonnie, "I don't understand. What- weren't you two just talking and you were doing your thing to calm him down? He seemed odd but- what happened?"
"I don't fucking know! I thought I helped him- NOT BREAK HIM!" Bonnie was pulling on his ears and looking as freaked as he could ever be. His eyes were wide in their sockets and he literally looked like he wanted to bolt. "We were talking and h-h-he told he wasn't feeling right a-and he was SCARED and h-he was having trouble coping with the idea of the other bear a-a-and- OH GOD DID I KILL HIM?"
Roxy slapped him upside his face; the rabbit blinking rapily and staring at her in both shock and thanks. He got his cool back, huffed, and bent back over Freddy.
"I dunno," he breathed eventually, answering Roxy's prior question. "I just... I thought when we talked he'd feel a bit better. You know how it is... we both always come out of our convos feeling better but... this? I didn't- I guess he had more on his mind than he let on... Hilarious he was just commenting about being afraid of being actualized. God, talk about jinxing yourself!" Bonnie slumped and gritted his buck teeth, expression leaden as started trying to clean Freddy up. His next words were said in a weak, shivery laugh, "Hell if I know, Rox. Hell if I know."
The wolf stared into space as Vanessa, tired or not, was once again putting her hands amidst a bot's body in an effort to help. To which end, Roxy grabbed the woman and shook her head, "YOU should get out of here and finish your dinner. Or go back to bed. You can't be doing this to yourself, you know."
"Like I can sleep after THIS? For fuck's sakes, guys!" She spat. "I'm not made of glass! Don't coddle me."
Gregory snagged her this time; the boy's expression absolutely militant as he seized her wrist and stared into her face, "Then let me help! You're the one who taught me how I can help repair him!"
Roxy snapped her teeth; fangs click clicking as she thundered, "How about you BOTH get outta here! Fuck off and go to bed already! YOU have school and YOU have work! I know how to fix Freddy, so just let ME do it!"
Roxy snarled at the both of them next; hair bristling and her teeth on full display. It was all pomp, but it usually worked to kow her intended targets into compliance. In fact, it thankfully seemed to work here; both the woman and Gregory hesitating briefly and steadily moving away. They knew Roxy knew what she was doing, she and Bonnie. Moreover, while Roxy knew they wouldn't be able to fall asleep, they had to try.
"Fine. But wake me up if ANYTHING else happens-" Vanessa snapped, pushing the rebellious Gregory out. "Come on kids. Out of the way!"
Roxy then turned to Chica, "What about the food? It shouldn't sit out."
Chica was giving her a look that even Roxy found intimidating. Like she was going to eat her alive, kicking and screaming. "I want to help," was all she said, her face something carved from marble. Her tone was also deadpan; wooden.
Monty stared between them, then backed off. "I'll just uh... yeah. Get outta of the way. You should too-" he said to Cassie and Sun.
Sun twiddled his fingers around and said, "I'll clean up the kitchen then... and save the food. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help!"
"Thanks, but we got it," Bonnie assured.
The jester coaxed Cassie into walking out, then he, the girl and Monty left them be.
Now it was just Roxy, the rabbit, and the ruffled bundle of shivering feathers meant to be Chica.
"I don't get it," Roxy started for them. She was looking at Bonine, "You're like, the only expert on this. You have any idea what just happened?"
The blue rabbit sighed, "Only Vanny can really tell us... I hate to say. And even she told me that she didn't know as much as she wished she knew. Its why she was so interested in me; cuz she finds this whole nonsense actually fascinating. HA!" He threw back his head and produced a harsh, cruel and ironic chortle, "God, wonder what she'd say to this after laughing it off? She once said Freddy's predictable!"
Chica narrowed her lavender optics, then pressed, "I know you told us whatever little you could but... you sure you didn't find anything else? Like say, in the chip you've been working on for almost 2 years?"
He shook his head. "Sorry, but nah. Nothing more than what I already knew. At this point though... I think the frost bear may know?" Bonnie waggled a single talon as if to gesticulate to the idea cloud blooming above his head, "I told the bear we'd come back, and we weren't planning on leaving him alone in there. And I wanted to bring you two along this time! Maybe we can ask him?"
Roxy snorted like a winded bull and snapped, "Uh, hello? HE TRIED TO RIP YOU INTO PIECES? Why is returning a good idea?"
Bonnie gave her a sad expression there as a response; the quality of it so leaden it actually started to drain the energy out of her. "I'm a BONNIE, Rox. I can't just make a promise to a Freddy and not abide by it. It literally goes against my programming, and its a character tic I've never rewrote on purpose. I actually WANT to help, regardless if its a character tic or not. 'Sides, that poor bear isn't... he ain't... he ain't well but I don't think he's as mean as even HE thinks he is. He's dangerous, don't get me wrong, and definitely unpredictable... but he's a Freddy at his core. I think we can talk to him. We'd just have to deal with fighting him off afterwards." Bonnie bobbed a single shoulder there, "He can't be reasoned with, but he seemed conversational when we engaged him. He talks a lot actually! I wager if we ask the right questions, he'd respond in kind. And frankly, I'd rather deal with Polar Freddy- a FREDDY at the end of the day- than bring back fucking Vanny for answers. Don't you?"
She and Chica passed each other looks.
"That's what I thought. Okay- so, when we can, we should try to return to the warehouse while Vanessa's at work or something. That way she can't stop us," He leaned n conspiratorially at that, getting them to do the same and nod in response. "Now then. Let's fix our bear- god I'm glad Luis got the dang parts!"
Roxy huffed and started undoing all the clamps that kept Freddy's motor firmly anchored into his body; finally able to extract it in full and lay it on the large, heavy-duty work bench beside the armature's chair. She and Chica bent over it as Bonnie went to clean up Freddy and scrutinize what other parts got damaged by the burnout. He replaced wires by hand; running both the armature's diagnostic module and M.X.E.S for his investigations.
They'd be at it for a while.
Roxy was dumbfounded by the blood inside his core; her eyes keeping their narrowed, annoyed, puzzled expression throughout the operation. She and Chica had to manually deep clean him too; and gods it was time-consuming process. And while they cleaned him, Bonnie would have his turn at prodding the motor and checking it over. He sniffed it too; as if he could maybe detect the source of the remnant. Roxy wondered on and off if maybe he could and he was just realizing he can do that.
Sure enough, something on Bonnie suggested he's feeling it now. He shook his head and eventually said, "It wasn't like this when we talked... not this... imposing. You know? He feels different but... its not like the other Freddy, but it doesn't feel like me either? Can't figure it."
"You can tell?" Chica queried.
"I think I can... now that I'm faced with another bot that's like me. I've never been able to 'notice' before cuz I was the only bot here with this remnant thingy and I'm used to my own presence," He tried reasoning. "So meeting this other Freddy put into perspective what I can or can't feel; like instinct? Something close to it. And now, after this... this thing, with OUR bear... I can feel it? But its not as heavy. Its weird, and I wish I can properly give it a better explanation. But its like a 'heaviness' that saturates the air with a certain feeling; and the feeling seems to be different per individual. You guys don't have 'instinct' so... I wish I can tell you what I'm getting here."
"Even that explanation isn't something we can wrap our heads around," Roxy groused. "All I got from it was that you 'feel' something that's different to each individual."
"I guess... yeah. Yeah. That works-" Bonnie shrugged off as he continued replacing wires and soldering new ones into a brand new circuit board. M.X.E.S was helping with the process by taking direct control of the armature's various tools and holding them above the table with the new parts on it. "At any rate, Freddy will be done shortly... I just wonder why he ain't waking up?"
"When you passed out-" Chica started, no doubt referring to back at the PizzaPlex. "You were out only a few minutes... barely that. You said you 'dreamt'?"
"I did. Yeah. I wonder if Freddy's seeing something else?" He pondered aloud as he watched the bear's unmoving countenance. "Maybe he's talking to whoever's in his body? Or... he's having a dream or nothing at all. I'm interested in seeing what he says when he gets up."
"There's not a chance he won't, right?" Roxy carefully tried.
Bonnie flapped his jaw, passed her a pensive and no doubt anxious glance, and grimaced, "He will. He's Freddy! He will. He wouldn't leave us in suspense like that. Right?"
It sounded pleasant, but Roxy didn't know what to expect here. Now she was referring back to her own background as a developing endo. She had no memory of ever having remnant put inside of her to help her 'actualize'. Most of her memory of that time was simply her reading pictures and scenarios and what to do with it. It was a very simple matter of 'memorize this'. All robotic, in a sense. She wasn't taught to feel towards certain scenarios in particular.
But then, that's what the remnant was for, she realized; to help her 'connect' to whatever she's experiencing on an emotional note. To be invested into the present and to react as realistically as she could. As a young bot, even she can say she had no feeling towards people. She was taught to react and to pretend to care- but the capacity to actually CARE wasn't something no engineer could ever hope to impose.
A paw found itself to her own breast; as if to clench over her core. The tangle never removed anything from her, so she wagered she still had a piece of something with remnant in it inside her. Her endo hadn't been replaced, and while she's had a lot of parts exchanged, she still felt.
Now she looked at Chica and pondered both her and Monty: Chica was super emotional even though her old body was left behind at the PizzaPlex in a room like a make-shift crypt. This was a new hen before them; even though the personality was still all hers and it belonged to the old Chica. Old, and new. However, when Vanessa helped assemble her, she hadn't said anything about the endo being odd at all. Was it possible that the endo they used for Chica had remnant in it already and its just trace? Or did her old personality 'remember' what it felt like to have it? Did she and Monty have any trace of this remnant in them?
She looked at Bonnie, "Hey, carrot-breath. Question?"
He glanced up, raising a brow.
"By chance... if you can smell it or... whatever, you wager you can tell we all have remnant or something? Maybe you never noticed before because you're just 'used' to us or something..."
Bonnie flickered a glance between them, the expression uneasy. "I think maybe I can, but I also don't want to invade your personal space and uh... frankly, I'd rather not know if you don't. Yunno?"
"Yeah... I don't think I wanna know suddenly," Roxy admitted.
Bonnie sniffled however, as if unable to stop himself. He frowned and shook his head, "I don't know if I could, per se. Maybe if I really scrutinize you I can tell but... if you have remnant, its far more trace than this. Not as easy to detect. On that note, its probably for the better for all parties." He leaned in and sniffed Freddy all over, "And now that he's had a few minutes, I'm starting to actually smell it on him. Like a heavy cloud. It wasn't there before cuz... well, it didn't- what's the word? Manifest? Man this is stupid-" He grunted that last part with some amount of childish vexation.
Chica removed her pliers from Freddy's body and huffed, "Finished here. You guys good?"
"Yeah, I think we got it," Roxy sighed. "Geez. What's taking Freddy so long?"
Bonnie shook his head and went to help them with the motor. The group resituated it and anchored it back in; then went to reconnect the wires. M.X.E.S meanwhile ran one last preliminary test to make sure everything was back in place and tested the connection the motor and its new circuit board had. The armature did the rest; refitting the artificial gut and pulling his stomach hatch shut. Bonnie finished it up by pulling the fur over the bear's abdominals until the skin was taut against the velcro strip.
"Done!" He stepped back, peering into Freddy's unmoving face. He frowned, noticing no immediate reaction. Now he turned towards the monitor; that in which had M.X.E.S' own face on it and he too was watching them. "Yo, Mex. What's the sitch here? Why ain't he movin'? Didn't he get the electronic cue?"
"He is ignoring all manual command prompts beyond whatever ones were issued for maintenance," it stated simply. "If Freddy wakes up, he would have to do so on his own. And before you ask, no; this unit does not have a time estimate in which to determine when he wakes."
"Dammit," Roxy spat, rapping her talons sharply and impatiently on the chair's rest. "So now what do we do?"
"I guess... we just... go to bed?" Bonnie harrumphed. "I can watch him though. No biggie. Also, I wanted to finish up DJ. I mean- he's DONE but. Yunno."
Chica turned towards the open pod keeping the DJ's new body upright; staring it up and down. "You still don't want to wake him up? I thought you were confident you got everything?"
"I'm anxious, okay? Sorry!" Bonnie threw up his hands like he's fed up. Chica winced at the motion, clearly apologetic. "-I just dunno what we'll get when we do that! It doesn't help that DJ's... well, he's never been quite like us in demeanor? I don't think he's a bot they considered giving remnant to. And how... robotic he may or may not be. Mex and I have been working on him so long and... I just don't want this to blow up in my face and put the kids in possible danger by waking him up! After all, I had to salvage Vanny's fucking copies in order to get as far as I did. And if I had to be really honest? I wondered if working on him was a waste of time!"
He looked apologetic for the words, but there they were. The rabbit threw himself down onto the swiveling chair and slapped a paw to his face; digits covering the grody brown spot under his eye. "If Freddy hadn't asked me, I probably would have given up on DJ. I won't lie about that. And I'm sorry if that isn't what you wanna hear but, here it is."
Roxy folded her arms and walked up to DJ, then huffed, "Whatever the case, I think you hesitating on him isn't a bad thing. Once Freddy wakes up, we can ALL wake up DJ together, in case something screwy happens. You know? Don't sweat it, blue boy. I think you did right here, if I had to be really honest."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence, at least," Bonnie smiled. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Literally, don't," Roxy fluffed her mane.
Bonnie produced a sheepish laugh and then settled next to Freddy. "I'm gonna sleep here tonight. Keep an eye on him. Can you check on Cass for me? I can hear her up there-" His torn ear flexed, "Still awake."
Roxy blinked and sighed. "Alright. I will. And Greg?"
"Also awake."
Roxy shrugged and turned to Chica, "You staying here?"
The hen sat on the chair beside Freddy, as if to concrete her point. She produced a low, annoyed series of rapid chirps that blended together; like a broody hen sitting on a batch of eggs. Roxy rolled her eyes playfully at that, but didn't argue. She turned to leave- catching the last glimpses of their own lingering stares as they focused on Freddy.
Freddy would not wake that night- not that they knew at the time.
