FNAF Security Breach: Whistleblower

by FrostByterFang

Sequel to Ruination. Takes place 2 years after the fall and collapse of the mega PizzaPlex. Luis' free runs into the supply depot finally catches up to him in the worst way possible: Bringing about a series of consequences that could bring trouble to the bots and the rest of the family. Vanessa meanwhile decides to orchestrate a rescue operation to save him. Full summary inside.

12. The Habits That Don't Die

~Same day as attack. Thursday night~

SUN

He couldn't stop thinking about what he and the others just witnessed; and the fact that he'd been essentially useless.

He felt ashamed of himself. Sun was no fighter or defender. He wasn't confident in himself in that way. He was aware of the fact he was a thin, light-weight (relatively speaking) bot with more breakable odds and ends than the others. And while Moon was his security measure, even Moon hesitated to take on certain threats due to their dangers. Moon is, as far as the personalities are concerned, perhaps the most aware of their size and limitations. He was their first and last lines of defense at the end of the day, and experienced enough situations first-hand to bestow him with such an understanding-

But he also had a... a checklist, for lack of better term, to meet before he was allowed to phase into dominance. Call it a weakness.

Moon can take on humans; humans are weaker than bots as a general rule of thumb. He was NOT designed to take on other bots; that's for sure. And yes, while all the bots at the PizzaPlex were capable of fantastic feats of abilities, the jester wasn't as strong as the others. The one time he did fight another bot, it was because he was hacked and forced to do battle with Bonnie. The night Bonnie was decommissioned, Moon was controlled by Vanny into engaging the over-sized, few-hundred pound bot and he lost. One-on-one, and Moon lost due to sheer size and strength difference. Under any other normal time, Moon wouldn't even appear to fight him.

When DJ was released from his pod, Moon was only in that room as a precautionary measure to help get the kids out of danger quickly and not so much as to engage the immense spider bot. He also knew he wouldn't have engaged DJ alone; as the other bots in the room would be doing the bulk work. Moon was aware of the fact that if DJ had, in theory, attacked, he could slip across the room in a heart beat and nab the kids and get them out of danger. And yes, while Freddy had been standing there guarding them, the ursine was more wall than anything. He would've held back DJ if he charged; giving Moon time to pull the humans out of the space.

Thankfully, it hadn't come to that. And again, with that time he fought Bonnie, its good to know that Moon DEFINITELY will lose to another bot his size and frame. The time he took down Freddy when he was hacked, the bear had his guard down for just a second and was weak; suffering from a system error and unable to compute any defensive measures on time. The over-sized buck meanwhile had broken his wrist and parts of his spine, plus several other smaller parts in just one brief skuffle. Bonnie had been able-bodied and upgrading himself; leaving not much room for Moon to win that. There was no way in hell Moon can fight a bot like Freddy (had he been fully functional), DJ, Monty or Bonnie, for that matter. Its not to say he's weak- not by any means, but he wasn't as strong as the others. His flexibility and nimble fingers were his best weapons.

And it was because of the fact Bonnie had been attacking Roxy and he'd resisted ALL OF THEM AT ONCE, Moon knew he needed to stand aside or try not to get in the way. Sun's own conflicting sentiment clashed with his restraint and he desired to help in some way; thus his attempt to pull the rabbit off. However, Moon had kept repeatedly telling him to stay away; and as a result their shared body temporarily went on the fritz when Bonnie lunged at Roxanne. He wanted to help, but the command to call Moon wouldn't come. And, one of the mandatory requirements needed for Moon to emerge (besides darkness in the room), was a good chance of him being ABLE enough to take on the threat. And sadly, he knew first-hand how that went the LAST time it happened. Bonnie would break him in half if he tried more than what he did today-

Still, Sun felt terrible for the fact that he knew he wouldn't have been able to do anything; him, Moon or Eclipse. The fact Bonnie was possessed and a bot almost twice his size in terms of weight and four times more powerful than he was kept the idea of calling Moon forward in check. Indeed, Moon would only appear if he's apparently bugged, in darkness, and/or he can actually take on the threat. AND, he also wasn't programmed to come out on a whim or against other bots anyways. And even when engaging another threatening bot, he had to be in darkness and he needed an advantage. Moon took a lot of risks engaging the enemy since its ALWAYS close quarter. Its not like Moon had any real weapons but his own hands. He had no claws, no fancy voice box, or huge amounts of strength. He was an acrobat and a performer; not a solid tank like the others.

No. He was meant to catch and disable; not to fight or skirmish with something larger than he is in a BRIGHT room.

The joys of our programming, Sun griped to himself.

There was also one other teensy thing to consider: The fact that Sun and Eclipse jointly hesitated on letting Moon take over sometimes. This felt silly, seeing as its been two years... but after having been under his control for so long and unable to do more than whine and whimper beneath the surface was suffocating. Letting Moon helm the body for any length of time always made Sun and Eclipse nervous after the way he behaved back then; whether or not he'd been bugged out thanks to Vanny. And if one also recalls, the jester in GENERAL has always been a bit buggy. Routine maintenance had to be done to help him stay stable. So any time, ANY personality can bug out again.

The transition from one program and personality into another sometimes created these issues in his system; a very small trip and a stall on occasion, or some sort of computing error that very RARELY triggered any fits. Still, it goes to show that this body and its capacity to change on a whim will eventually need to be fixed. All long-running programs eventually act up- its a natural expectancy with anything as intelligent as even basic computers; let alone an advanced A.I with THREE different personalities over-lapping each other. Glitches will happen; thus Sun's own frenetic demeanor and Moon's sometimes overly hostile demeanor.

Now with all this said, there had been the lack of darkness in that room, the fact he bugged out right when he didn't need too, and the fact he was dealing with Bonnie B. Bunny in a screaming fit of paranormal madness that kept Moon from emerging.

Thus why he was sitting in here getting checked.

Luis was doing it; the man typing away at the repair module while Sun scrutinized the... rabbit... spirit thing... whatever or whoever he was right now, apart from him. Sun was sitting in one of the swivel chairs, drumming his over-long fingers nervously on his lap while Luis and M.X.E.S diagnosed his glitchy task management and fixed him up. A wire was connected to the circuit board on the back of his faceplate; being fed into the repair module as Luis typed away on it.

The man eventually turned around and said, "Alright! You're done now. Hold still a sec-" Sun felt the port get disconnected, then Luis sat back, "There we go! Shouldn't have anymore of those nasty repeating bugs for a little while. You feeling okay?"

"...Better than him," Sun jerked a thumb at the unmoving Bonnie; who was lying unconscious again in the armature's seat. The manacles were activated; a series of shackles that binds legs, wrists, and the torso to the seat. The shackles have never been used until now, but the sight of them and the fact Bonnie hadn't been... Bonnie, still unnerved the usually excitable bot. When Freddy told Vanessa and Luis the shackles would be needed, she, him and the kids all looked at him funny. Now, Freddy's foresight had sadly paid off. Sun kept rapping his fingers, humming and tittering to himself without noticing.

Spirits. Ghosts. Remnant. Possession. What is this? A horror movie? What even is this tragedy of our lives?

This was all over his head; all three of his heads. In fact, it was all over the others too; even humans barely understood this. And the fact he'd been looking an angry... unfathomable, incomprehensible force in the face absolutely frightened him and his other sides. This was no longer just a man bound to a metal body; but a force beyond nature itself.

That was... incalculable.

How could he possibly swap personalities if his personalities can't calculate the right moment to emerge? Every bot was built on a sort of arithmetic; math. Code. Pre-programmed behaviors. He had nothing in him to told him to fight whatever this was. And while Sun and the others have now far exceeded what was pre-established as a bot, sometimes, these things catch them off guard. He supposed in hind-sight, there was still something organic to be found in his lack of proper reaction; as it seemed even the humans didn't all the way understand and couldn't do more than scream or cry in the face of the unknown. Both bot and man had that in common.

Moon was sorry- he said as much. Moon had told him he was sorry; as his presence still meant Cassie would be safe. Cassie had been in that room; screaming and crying in both fear and alarm. Her yelling had set off something else within Sun at that moment; and he hadn't wanted to jump in to fight Bonnie. No. That was crazy and he knew he couldn't do more than flail angrily at him. Sun was more useful being ready to protect the child- it made more sense to have some sense of preservation for that reason.

The thought made him feel better.

Luis was now walking around the rabbit, fidgeting a lot and holding up his tablet. He sighed, "Oh... he's got a signal in his head again."

"Really?" Sun stood up, still pulling on his fingers.

"Yeah... I think... I think whatever that was... its over," the man shrugged. "Christ, I don't know... what you saw- it was heart-wrenching listening to Cassie scream like that just from the recording Mex showed me. I can't imagine what it was like for you to be there in person." He banged the tablet against his face; his glasses and its screen producing a dull tink! as it did. He also gestured to the repair module; the rabbit sprite briefly blinking into view when his nick-name was used. "You don't forget a sound like that. And then... I... I can't imagine what that was like for her too. To know and see her father's spirit in such a state- and to know that he was... he was..."

Sun hung his head, the pulling on his fingers greater now.

"Sun, I'm not an expert but... you sure you or Moon never seen anything at the PizzaPlex? I know Moon was... he's able to get places the other bots couldn't-" He frowned. "In fact, didn't you tell me Bonnie roped him in for an investigation?"

Sun nodded rapidly, "Y-Yes... Moon, even after Bonnie was decommissioned kept looking around the PizzaPlex. He recalled that Bonnie asked him to investigate since there was disappearances happening and... to see that happen to another bot- of course we were both curious." Sun got up and paced around, his faceplate locking onto both the man and bot nearby. "Moon's investigations were halted though after a hacking attempt. It was... it's what lead into his disposition warping and changing. My guess is that Vanny knew Moon was still doing Bonnie's favor and went to stop him remotely; and it spiraled from there into his subsequent meltdown and malfunction."

The jester shrugged his thin shoulders, "Vanny was to blame all along for Moon's state- as you know. Once he was sufficiently hostile, he became that way even to me, his own alter, and he suppressed me the times he could surface. The lights in the daycare had to stay on all the time after Bonnie vanished... It became a RULE. It was so bad. Just... so bad." He hugged himself and broke contact, "Just... We couldn't continue anymore. Moon wouldn't- and I... I wasn't allowed to leave the daycare much anymore after a point. My technicians said so."

"And they hadn't noticed Moon had a glitch in his system that whole time?" Luis raised a brow.

Sun took a moment to respond; searching his memory banks of his tenure in the PizzaPlex. "I think... I think they knew. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them knew of Vanny and they just don't bother. That or they weren't paid enough to 'fix the glitchy clown'." He air-quoted there. "I was a waste a money to them. That or they knew and they wanted Moon to not look around for anything suspicious in the megaplex. Or... there was some other, hideous, gross reason for leaving me and Moon like this." Sun flickered his milky eyes to Bonnie, "I wonder... if Vanny was using us to help her get remnant or something... I wish I knew, but I'm also glad I don't."

Luis tapped his device to his chin, his dark eyes an obsidian richness that actually reflected his intuitive nature rather well. His brows wove and tangled into the other as he pondered the information, then returned his attention to Bonnie, "So... you think you coulda seen anything, but just don't remember?"

"Perhaps," Sun shrugged again, feeling absolutely uncomfortable with this room suddenly. He was locked onto Bonnie now, half-afraid the rabbit will jerk back up, break his shackles and kill them both. He did no such thing of course, and the jester continued, "For all we know, any one of us could've discovered their secrets- both Vanny and the staff around the PizzaPlex- and never be able to remember because we are programmed to not do so. Or it was strictly deleted. If we knew anything, we wouldn't know the truth was there unless we were given a prompt to link us directly to it." He shrugged helplessly there, "I'm sorry... but you'd have to search our memory banks manually for whatever secretly archived information is there. And you know Mex has already been through our heads enough to have found something; should it be there."

Luis sighed, stepping away from the comatose rabbit bot and returning to the module. He gave M.X.E.S the command to start the rest of Bonnie's repairs, then gestured, "We may as well get out of this room. I admit, I feel... cold. Sick. Sick or nauseous being in here. I think standing near Bonnie though is what's doing it."

"Instinct is so weird," Sun dead-panned, walking alongside the man as they left the module to do its thing. "Can you explain that at all?"

"Eh... creatures don't explain instinct. They only feel it. I could give a dictionary definition, but it apparently doesn't help you at all, does it?"

Sun said, "...'An innate, typically affixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to stimuli.' Or, 'imbued or filled with a certain quality; especially a desired one'."

"Did you really just pull that off the internet?"

"I did... and something similar was in the dictionary in the book shelf..."

"My god, no wonder you guys don't understand," Luis heaved, having turned off his tablet and tucking it to his side. They made their way to the living room; stopping so he can continue with, "Now, as far as I know, instinct for us isn't as innate as it used to be. Man is too far removed to truly understand their own instincts anymore. They still exist, this 'pattern' of behavior, but things like being able to sense danger or react in time is sadly dull for us. However, it still exists enough so that we can... let's see, we can 'feel' it, like a distant voice in our heads and stomachs that say, 'don't do this' or 'yes, do that. You must!'."

"...Like an alter?"

"Hm... well, not really? People just call it, 'the little voice in the back of your psyche that typically goes ignored', seeing as we listen to our heads all the time and not the one that exists inside our bodies. Our bodies have an independent command to them in some part; some things like impulses and what-not that- oh, dammit. I'm probably making this more confusing to you," He gestured at him helplessly. "I'm so sorry for that!"

Sun waved him off, "No no! I get it... I don't think we can understand even if you explain it better. Its just going to elude us unless we were imbued with remnant or whatever-" He waved around, "You can almost start to see why Fazbear Entertainment wanted us to be so 'life-like'; to give us a better understanding of our world so we'd know better how to dismantle it for their own gain."

Luis said nothing there, his expression slanted seriously as he peered into the den and caught sight of DJ. The spider bot had been watching them, looking up upon their entry. He had listened to the horrid attempt at explaining 'instinct' with a vested interest. Once they were done though, he signed with, 'How is Bonnie? And is this instinct of yours saying anything now? I am intrigued.'

Sun translated for Luis, who couldn't make heads or tales of the bot's signing. Luis hummed, then responded with, "Bonnie's reading normal now... weirdly enough. Mex has him covered for the rest of the night, I think. As to this other question-" He fixed his glasses a little bit; a habit he indulged in as he pondered certain queries. "My gut says to stay as far away from him as I possibly can until he's ALL THE WAY normal. Literally, being around him when that... spirit-thingy actually takes a tangible grip on him makes me sick to my stomach. It couldn't feel more unnatural- wrong." He put a hand over his gut to physically indicate it. "I feel cold, but I also get the chills and sweat anyways; it just creeps me out. And every little nuance in my stupid monkey brain says I need to vacate whatever room Bonnie's in until that spirit lets him go. You kinda get it? Er, a little bit?"

DJ leveled a 'so-so' gesture and folded his secondary set of arms over his abdominals. His primary signed, 'Perhaps you should listen to this 'other voice' and do so until you are well. Shall I render assistance in any way? I feel bad about not being able to do more earlier.'

After translation, Luis smiled and shook his head, "Nah. Mex and I had it. Anyone's heard from Cass as all?"

DJ produced a winding down noise like a loudspeaker being powered off. A 'no' then.

"Huh. I'll go see her," He put the tablet down on the table near them. "Feel free to take a look at this if you want to monitor Bonnie's vitals remotely. It'll let you know if there's any dramatic changes- given Mex doesn't just show you from your Huds!" He turned to walk up the stairs, "Gonna head to bed after I check on her. On that, note, beunas noches, muchachos!"

He went upstairs, leaving the two to themselves.

Sun meanwhile couldn't stop pulling on his hands again, pacing the area and eventually sitting on the couch. DJ watched him the whole time, then eventually sat beside him and lightly gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder and a reassuring hold. He beat-boxed this time; something Sun understood as well as signing, 'It seems I woke up amidst some interesting developments. This 'ghost' thing... I'm afraid I just cannot comprehend it.'

"I don't either!" Sun flared his arms out like he's gesticulating to the world at large, "Its WAYYY too confusing and we were able to see a lot of the weird stuff happen first-hand! I feel bad about you-" He gestured to the much larger bot, "You never left the Fazcade... you couldn't possibly know! Heck, I don't understand even from living here half the time what the heck's going on!"

DJ frowned; a pink brow slanting beneath his shades. His shades even flashed a color or two, then dimmed as he signed this time, 'Well, you'd be hard-pressed to believe then I may know something? Vanny had controlled me a lot and often. I was her frequent Guinea pig seeing as I was far removed from the rest of you; and not generally talked to beyond a point. And seeing as I couldn't communicate in a way familiar to to others... it made me an easy target. I also wasn't as advanced as you all in terms of personality; which made her vice on me all the more powerful.'

His hands wove faster suddenly, as if agitated. Sun was a master at body language; something he never told anyone, but he knew body language well and could catch the nuances of DJ's mind even though he was largely unfamiliar to him in some ways, 'Your terminal- the one that stores the copies of your personalities, memories, and back-ups of everything vital to us... I've finished giving M.X.E.S everything I know and he's scanning it now on that terminal. He has communicated to me however that he's found some things within my memory intriguing and worth mentioning to you and the others- but I asked him not to say anything yet until I am able to sort through my own thoughts. I apologize.'

Sun blinked at him, then leaned in with interest, "You think you have something?"

'Perhaps. But again, I'm hoping that something in my head hasn't been too badly tampered with by Vanny can add to the ability to stop Fazbear Entertainment; seeing as that goal is high on everyone's minds right now.' His chest moved in a sigh, the great, immense barrel-shaped quality of it making the motion nearly echo as he continued with, 'Vanny was thorough not to let me remember too much, but she left enough data to perhaps be useful. I am reviewing this info with him on the side. I made mention of this to Vanessa earlier. I'm still vexed by some of it...'

Now his head turned away; pink dreads slipping around his face and framing the squarish quality of it, 'I do not... want to remember some of it. I do remember some things- like nearly hurting Bonnie that night Vanny lured him to the Fazcade and had me nearly crush him while he was rendered unable to defend himself. And then...' His brows disappeared behind his shades, 'Some things I think I recall but... its hard to talk about. Most of it is scrambled. Mex is going through it and helping me piece it together.'

Sun was now very much interested what he had to say, but the music man left him disappointed. Looks like he was having more trouble than everybody thought. And at some point, the music man had removed his hand from his shoulder; folding both sets of his arms and slumping back into the couch with a clearly troubled expression. He was turtling up.

Sun had his turn to offer some sort of physical affirmation when he rested a nimble hand on the music man's shoulder; even leaning against him and saying, "Do not worry! We have nothing but time to mull this all over. No one here is rushing you. The only one that seems to be rushing you is yourself. If you want to scan your files more carefully, it is even encouraged!"

DJ huffed, then weakly signed again, 'I saw that computer, by the way.' His abrupt change in topic caught Sun off-guard, but apparently there was a reason for it when he continued with, 'Cassie has some interesting files on it. I wasn't trying to look but- I was passing by and I caught something: She and Gregory had their heads bent over it- but there was a folder there strictly named 'dad's stuff'. When they walked away for lunch, I could not help my curiosity; seeing as her father is a strong topic of discussion here. So I looked at it-'

He paused here; if for dramatic effect or hesitation, Sun didn't quite know. He eventually went on with, 'There was a LOT of files there about possible ideas she could pose in a court case. A lot of it looked scrapped though; as if she's been giving up on the idea of taking this to court. I also saw their search history- looks like the two have been dabbling around with law and how it works. I think Cassie is seriously wanting to bring her father's death to light. She is likely looking for a way to prove it was Fazbear Entertainment's fault but seeing how the company works... its likely they have a waiver her father signed at some point releasing them from liability. I wager she's been talking to Vanessa about it; as there was a TON of curious and relative searches like that in their browsing history.'

Sun blinked, then slumped and pulled his legs in. He mulled over this information quite carefully for the next minute.

DJ said, 'I believe... and here's hoping, that maybe I have something that can help. Or at least we can use it against them. I now recall my time as their tool with some clarity and I've had time to reflect on exactly what kind of life I led. What we've ALL had... and while I'd been complacent in their treatment then, this is no longer the case. Something needs to be done about Fazbear Entertainment.' His signing and beat boxing was mixing up; as if to indicate his agitation, 'I want to help in whatever capacity. And I pray whatever I could know could offer something. And this talk of the depot- I wish to go along.'

"Truly?" Sun looked up there.

'I will pose the question to Freddy later on. I only recently learned of it. But now that I know of it, I sincerely wish to go as well. I want to understand. I want to help,' His signing eased a bit, as well as the skipping noises and mic-boxing noises he made. 'Cassie's father... he was very kind to me. He visited me more than the other staff; did what he can to help me when I glitched out. Vanny's programming however was better than whatever he could repair though; and she kept messing up whatever he amended. He was working on me so often... talking to me, making me feel a bit more than just a prop in a pizza joint. I feel like I owe him; even though I know he would not see it that way.'

His shades fell along the bridge of his nose; allowing Sun to see his eyes directly for the first time since he awoken, 'I owe a part of my sentience to his compassion and patience. I had no concept of it back then. I was learning as much as all of you. I get a lot of human interaction, sure, but never anything significant enough to warrant me in being sympathetic and me learning its nuances so well. If I acted kindly, it was a result of my coding imposing that I act; not because I WANTED to voluntarily. This is now no longer the case; and I thank him as well as you all for that. It was bold of Luis and Vanessa to program this newfound intelligence in me even though some of my code was corrupted, but I appreciate it. Such love is beautiful and worth singing songs about.'

"It is," Sun nodded, feeling the odd shape of his actually functioning mouth emulate a smile as best it could.

DJ sighed again and stood back up. He eventually added on, 'The people in this house... they are different than all others I've ever seen in our years at the PizzaPlex. I cannot think of anyone who would so willingly house and repair death machines and bestow upon them such intelligence and actual weapons like those claws. They took a great risk in giving me a body even though they had no real basis in doing so. This act of kindness will not be lost on me. I will make sure of that.'

He turned around, his shades being pushed back up to cover his lavender optics. He seemed apologetic then, his signing slower as he added quickly, 'I also must thank you for listening, Sun. I enjoyed our talk.'

"OH! Oh- thank you for even confiding in me with it," He amicably returned, suddenly ceasing with his finger pulling. He found it already strange; seeing as others would think him a blabbermouth (not that anyone here thought he was- but it was more in line with others thought back when he was still in the PizzaPlex).

'I know staff have talked ill of you then. I hear things; seeing as they did not deem me of proper intelligence and they figure talking terribly around me was safe,' he continued. 'After all, they were still calling me 'it'. It. Freddy however, and Cassie's father... they call me 'he'. It goes to show the difference in views. And what I hear of you- they were words not spoking with kindness and with little understanding of your own situation. You were barely above being called 'it' by them. Others say 'it' or 'they'. But here, it is different. I am glad to see that.'

"Vanessa gave me a mouth to work with, and brows!" Sun flexed his thin plastic sheets above his milky eyes; as if for emphasis. "And she and Luis and- all of them worked so many hours to fix me up! And yeah, its nice they don't see us as things!"

DJ nodded and turned to the arm chair he seemed to have taken possession of for the last few days. He was sure to fix up the fort behind it (which warmed Sun's circuits) and he sat down with an easy grace. He eventually added on with signs, 'If you need to talk at all, you are free to approach me. I apologize for talking your own ears off and not giving you the chance to say more!'

"That's okay! We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other," Sun blithely returned with a pump of his arms. "I'll just be sure to bug you next time!"

'I look forward to it,' He returned, settling down and relaxing near the fire. He looked the picture of comfort therein, his own mouth moving into a simple smile. It was a complex feature on his face; and he no longer had the music man's piano key teeth or rectangular length. The bottom portion of his face was made of a material like latex or close; giving his structure some realistic flexibility like human lips. Sun found the design choice almost eloquent and fascinating.

Sun meanwhile went to settle in his fort for the night; sitting right behind DJ on the floor and taking a pillow Vanessa had left for him. He laid down and sighed; finding that moment to placidly relax with his new friend near. They spent hours just quietly enjoying each other's company; not needing to talk beyond a point and simply being.

It would be that way the rest of the night.

---

~Time cannot be estimated. Perhaps after midnight~

GLAMROCK BONNIE

Initial scans read that he needed to be deep cleaned- BADLY.

And GEEZ. Was that smell coming from himself? He really needed to clean up! Now while every bot in the house chose a time of the year to sit down and REALLY pick themselves clean, Bonnie was starting to wonder if he should do so more than just a couple times of the year. Its bad enough this pervasive aroma was sitting thick and cloying in his nostrils; but now he felt like there was gunk in his eye sockets and in his throat pipe-

His eyes flickered open, and he heaved. It was so gross. He literally heaved; then, he could taste the lingering aftermath of that last damn 'spell' sitting heavy like a cottony, dry and sickly flavor on his tongue and teeth. The stench of dried blood and some other foreign material remained in his olfactory chambers; and how it no doubt slid into his artificial gut and just sat. He needed to clean his gut out anyways; it was about that time. But the fact he felt something sticky and gooey in his face too as well as his mouth and internals disgusted him beyond measure. That was also new. He couldn't make heads or tails of it; but something about it couldn't be more repugnant. His head felt... thick. Just, thick. Thick with goo, confusion, and a pervasive lack of clarity or memory recall-

That's when he noticed he was strapped down. He blinked awake fully now, the low lighting of the garage greeting him. He flexed his wrists again, looked down, and puzzled over the sight of the manacles. Worse, his ankles were tied down too, and his torso- why was his fur burnt in two spots? Why did he smell burnt fur and his systems read a recent repair? How come he couldn't remember anything?

"Er- Mex?" He tried. "You there?"

M.X.E.S flickered into his Hud as well as the computer monitor on the work table near him. "User Bonnie. Good to see you are reading normal."

"Uh, yeah... so uh, what's with the Saw re-enactment? Why am I tied down?"

"Apologies. You were acting out of sorts a short while ago. You being tied down was a necessary precaution after you lunged earlier. We believe something in your spell upsetted the soul in your body, and he attacked Roxanne-" M.X.E.S's pixelated face seemed to glitch and lose focus; then fixed itself back into something emulating a... was that pain? It was so hard to tell with him. "You had harmed her, I hate to say. Vanessa has repaired her already, so no true lasting damage was done-"

"What."

M.X.E.S visibly hesitated. That was already a bad sign.

"You lunged at Roxanne- or, Cassie's father did. He lunged, held her down, and almost completely ripped her throat out. It took Freddy, DJ, and Sun to hold you back. Gregory had to disable you with the taser- thus the burnt spots on your waist. Do you wish to access this footage?"

"UH- YEAH?" Bonnie instantly shot at him. "I'D LIKE VERY MUCH TO SEE WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED! WHADDYA MEAN I HURT ROXY?"

"Be warned. The information you are about to see may be hard to view. User Frederick already told me to not give you this footage, but I figure it will be worth noting for you," M.X.E.S went on to admonish. "This was taken approximately several hours ago from the point of view of user Frederick."

Sure enough, a video was downloaded from their safety terminal and fed directly into Bonnie's memory; the rabbit carefully scoping out what he was offered-

And he was immediately wishing he hadn't asked.

Sure enough, he saw Roxy and Freddy were trying to deal with his overly chilled body- something Bonnie definitely didn't remember. They've attempted to warm him up with DJ and Sun (and he noticed the graffiti too- that would have to be something he'd need to address later); and then, sure enough, he attacked Roxanne and very nearly killed her. Freddy did everything he could to try and pull him off; but Bonnie's body produced so much more force than he could normally generate. That within itself was strange-

But then he saw his own face.

Bonnie wanted to take a paw to his jaw and wipe at the traces of blood there, but couldn't when he realized he was still bolted down. He watched in grim reverie as he was taken down and dragged out of the room like some sort of crazed, rabid dog that needed to be put down. And the sound of Cassie's tears-

Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. His compressor whirled painfully, then he turned off the footage and felt his head slump. He needed to process this.

"Thank you," he told M.X.E.S simply, his inflection absolutely toneless.

"Do you wish for me to submit a request to call the others in here and let them know you're alright? Or remove the shackles?"

"...No. Not yet. Let me scan myself first. Let me sit here. Keep the manacles on. When I'm ready, I'll let you know," He dejectedly shook his head.

"Request logged. Please take your time."

Bonnie said nothing as M.X.E.S left him alone with his own thoughts for the next while thereafter.

---

He'd be there until morning of the next day.

He'd asked for the privacy. Others had attempted to come in (likely they saw his improvement through Luis' tablet), but he told M.X.E.S to keep them out until he was ready for it. Once he was sure he'd been sitting here scanning himself all night and double-checking to make sure he wouldn't be attacking anyone else, did he finally and reluctantly bid the security program to let his comrades and family in.

His despondent gaze fell upon the kids first and foremost; and the sight of their expressions was already breaking his mechanical heart. Cassie looked like she hadn't slept at all- and Gregory wasn't much better. The girl was also red-rimmed with the remains of tears and she smelled heavily of salty water and mucus from wiping her nose. She was being pulled by Roxy; the wolf scanning Bonnie's face as if to make sure he was himself- and her expression softened noticeably when they caught each other's eyes.

The first thing out of anyone's mouth came from Bonnie instead; the rabbit breaking the terse silence with, "I'm so sorry."

That was apparently more than enough. Roxy let Cassie go like she was releasing the kraken; the mocha-skinned girl hurling herself at Bonnie at Mach 5. She collided with his body and clambered into his lap; thin arms finding a way around his fluffy neck and small head tucked under his chin. She would sit and weep for another solid minute; garbling something like how she was glad to see him- not that her words made much sense after a point.

Freddy of course was coming in too- him and Chica. Literally, the bulk of the family poured into the garage and paused around his chair; with M.X.E.S releasing the shackles on his body without a word. Bonnie hesitated about moving his arms, but he eventually wound them around Cassie and hugged her back. Something about her presence helped him; not that he could put a claw on it. Somehow, he had the weird, detached idea that if Cassie had thrown herself in to stop him last night, it might've even worked-

Not that he was willing to put that to the test.

He couldn't deny the sensation of the girl attempting to fuse with his fluff was satisfying in ways he couldn't fathom right now. Something definitely felt different with him, but he didn't know how to word it. He fixed Cassie in his lap and pulled one leg up over his knee; keeping her cradled there as his maroon optics scanned each uncertain but friendly face in the room. Her weight on him felt grounding; and something within his core eased further. He can only assume Cassie's father felt better with her around.

Eventually, it was Freddy who asked, "Do you feel well at all?"

That was a loaded question; and although a seemingly mundane, innocuous and careless one, it was dreadfully locked and loaded. Bonnie mulled it over quite carefully before saying anything; one paw finding itself over the girl's back and rubbing.

"...Could be better," was his truthful but most ambiguous reply. "I also know what happened. Been awake a while, just... didn't want any of ya'll in here until I knew I felt alright. Asked Mex to do so. Sorry for the worry," he replied carefully, but his words were mostly directed at Cassie. Now he focused on Roxanne, "And I'm sorry about what I did. I really am. I couldn't be more-"

She reached out and pinched her fingers over his snout; shutting his jaws and shaking her head. His eyes crossed to rest on the green talons over his mouth as she said, "Not like you meant it. There is no way in hell in your right frame of mind would you have done that. If you wanted to hurt me, you coulda done it the night Vanny had me decommission you." She pulled her paw away and also shrugged, "Why would I think you did that on purpose and why would I be mad about it? There ain't anything to be sorry about."

"But- he... I-"

"Don't start with that. Look, I've already reasoned that Cassie's father is upset with his exit in life. That is no fault of his, nor anyone else here," Roxy wisely went on to say. "Whatever happened to him, I lament as well. I was able to see and smell the very weight of his existence, frustration, and the amount of pain he's in. Why the hell should you apologize for something you NOR him had any control over? I highly doubt that attack was something even he coulda managed-"

Bonnie blinked and frowned, "You honestly think that?"

She shrugged, "Her dad's been good about the whole 'sharing the body' thing for the last couple years. Obviously, something about this particular spell upsetted him and reminded him about his pain. I find it weird he 'woke up' for a sec there, don't get me wrong-" She waved it off, "-But we have reason to believe that he's just upset over something in particular and it boiled a little closer to the surface this time around. We were caught unprepared for it."

"...You're making it sound like it was just a little temper tantrum," Bonnie raised a brow, tone bitter.

"I'm not saying that... but I don't think its too far from the truth? That he's just having a bad day himself and couldn't feel settled for a bit," Roxy attempted to assuage. "He's had two whole years of being quiet inside your body and playing bystander. Him freaking out almost felt like a long time coming."

"...You serious?"

"He's trapped in a cold, metal body, Bonnie. No doubt against his will. I'd be upset too if I had to keep quiet about it for two straight years without complaint and I was having an off day," the wolf smoothly continued to say.

"Rox, we coulda killed you! That ain't anything to be-"

"Tut tut tut! Enough-" She seized his mouth again and shut it. "I know it isn't anything to be dismissive of. But I'm telling you, Bon, I'm not mad or upset or... anything. I only feel sad for him at this point. We just need to be a bit more careful for now on. That is avoidable, and we're all the wiser for it. Okay?"

Bonnie narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. He only snorted as a response; his breath ruffling Cassie's hair.

Roxy stepped away, "Truly, Bon. Don't apologize. Its a waste of our time; yours and mine."

"By chance-" Freddy now began, gaining the rabbit's attention. "Did you have any dreams or something this time? Do you recall anything?"

Bonnie searched his memory banks- and came up with a sound blankness he felt he should be concerned about. He frowned and crossed his eyes; then rapidly shook his head like he was dizzy. He still felt... thick. Fuzzy.

"Nuh... nope. Not-uh. Nothing. If I dreamt, I don't remember what it coulda been. My body was shut off so... I don't even think my secondary security camera in my head was active. I can't pull footage of ANYTHING from yesterday-"

"Your entire body and the majority of your systems were shut down. You have no possible way to recall anything," M.X.E.S suddenly threw in.

"Ah. Well, case in point," Bonnie waved at the rabbit sprite at the computer nearby.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Cassie asked beneath him.

The stone blue rabbit frowned, then produced a noncommittal scoff, "I remember being sleepy... like, truly tired. I felt like I HAD to lie down... We had dinner the prior day... We- oh." He glanced at Chica now. He winced as he recalled her hesitation about making them food, the rabbit suddenly feeling newfoundly guilty about it. His ears drooped. "DJ was playing in the living room... the kids, Freddy, Rox and Chica were watching... I fell asleep after that... I was just so tired! Like I HAD to go lie down and nothing else mattered-" He shifted slightly in his seat, making sure not to disturb Cassie too much. "That was Wednesday... then, I guess that spell was on Thursday-? What day is it right now?"

"Friday morning," Roxy shrugged. "You'd been out literally almost a full day and then apparently woke up in here and stayed locked up after a point around Midnight-ish, according to M.X.E.S."

"Okay... so not a huge amount of time," Bonnie nodded at length.

Gregory folded his arms, "So, how about this: Did you feel anything different that coulda lead into it? Emotionally, I mean."

"Eh... not beyond the fact I felt bad about Chica making us food-" He gave her a soft glance. "Sorry Chica. I know you don't wanna keep making me any carrot cake, and-"

The hen grumbled, then (lightly) slapped him in his mug with a feathery covered arm. The motion was mostly for pomp; no real harm beyond making his whiskers and nose tickle. "Don't be ridiculous! Not like I'd want to stop making you food when I enjoy seeing how happy it makes you! And geez, Bonnie- do not tell me you felt so bad that it put you under like that?"

"No... I don't think so. Mighta been something else but-" Bonnie felt his eyes widen, then nearly jumped out of his seat; Cassie stayed latched on as he braced himself on the chair and leaned forward, "CARROTS! Okay, I think I DO remember something! Shit- I was tired and- I recall thinking on my days at the PizzaPlex, right? And my memory fell back to there-" He moved his arms over his chest and crossed them; squishing Cassie to himself but not too uncomfortably. "I felt something! I was remembering some of the staff and... I told myself, 'I really want to find a way to close down Fazbear Entertainment for good', and I was just kinda spending the rest of my night thinking on it-"

He looked at the glass case near the module, his optics narrowing as he eyed Cassie's transmitter.

"...I need to mess with that thing again. I have to," he said, gently nudging Cassie so she can get up. "I feel like I need to dig around some more-"

"Why?" Roxy spat. "For fuck's sake, Bonnie, leave Vanny in her grave! I do not want to wake her ass up in that thing!"

"No no... you don't understand," He quickly waved at her. "Here's my thought process; if Vanny stored such copious amounts of data like copies of animatronic personalities and lists of code, surely she has something that proves that FE is guilty of their crimes in all of her archived data packages?"

There was several blinks around the room. A lot of skeptical brows ascended too.

"See here, I had that thought, and I felt so strongly that I can find something-" Bonnie went on to say. He pinched his talons together like he could physically grip the idea, "And I desired it so badly. SO BADLY. We all want that! We want them to shut down for good. And Vanny, whose seen behind the scenes and is an egotistical killer who likes remembering all her best kills, would KNOW something's up and likely compiled PROOF of something somewhere because she likes being reminded of her 'fun' kills or... things the staff did! Its just freak psycho nature at its worst- er, best? You know what I mean. And you want me to be REAL honest?"

He pointed dramatically around the room. "I had a brainwave and figured, 'What if our manager not only knew of Vanny existing inside the PizzaPlex, but he's been letting her do these kills since he wants the remnant in the bots he oversees?' And if that's TRUE, then we can get proof of their corruption somewhere! And when I thought of Mr. Cromwell and Mr. Morris-" He blinked. "-That was when I blacked out. I felt so ANGRY at them, and so tired. I just get the feeling some of the stuff on the Faz-heads may ALREADY be within our reach and I just need to poke her brain some more-!"

Cassie's suddenly trembling body had Bonnie immediately holding her again; the buck taken off guard by her sudden reservation but wasn't thoroughly surprised by it. He noticed Vanessa nearby too; the woman hugging herself and stepping back like he said a no-no word. No doubt the both of them didn't want to be hearing anything about Vanny ever again.

"But must you do this?" Freddy asked now, the bear leaning over and grabbing Bonnie's arm. He traced a gentle talon over its length, "Its not like you're waking her up or anything, yes?"

"Not at all," He quickly assuaged, setting a gentle paw on Freddy's own to hold it. "Vanny's left a lot of herself in there but... I'm pretty sure I can dig up the info without delving too deeply into the part containing her mind. With M.X.E.S' help, I think we can do this. Not to mention all of you guys-" He waved around. "I ain't stupid enough to do that alone again. Come on. If we all work together on it, surely we can make some headway?"

"Well you're damned right we'd help," Roxy harrumphed. "-Cuz the last time you did something by yourself-"

"Yeah yeahhh... I know," Bonnie rolled his eyes. "I done killed myself. Gods, you ain't never gonna leave me alone about that!"

"And we don't plan on it," Chica said this time, hands on her hips. "You dig the holes, we dig you out of them. Or we jump in with you!"

Freddy was seen clenching his jaw, then retracted his arm. His expression was troubled, cerulean optics arrested at some foreign point on the floor. He eventually tried, "Bonnie... what about that other Freddy? You think we can get more from him before trying Vanny at all?"

There was more uncertain glances, but the rabbit himself was nodding with some surety, "I imagine if we play 'fair' for him, he could comply with some choice questions. Polar Freddy's talkative... and I think we can lean on that if we're careful and lucky. And 'sides, if we go back, all of us together can take him on and that Foxy! That Foxy wasn't shit once he got beaten down!"

"I'd be careful of those words, yunno," Roxy admonished. "No need to be biting more bullets here."

"Alright! Enough-" Vanessa was now stepping in-between the entire group; coming to pause right next to the rabbit and the quiet girl. "We'll deal with this later. Let's just help you clean up, and get straightened out. And we need a plan- cuz ain't no way in hell you're going back to that fucking depot until we've weighed everything. You hearin' me?"

"Crystal, chief," Bonnie winked. "You are our boss as far as I'm concerned."

Vanessa huffed, "Don't start with that cute shtick of yours... at least I know you're feeling alright. Anyways, just get cleaned up- you actually do stink though." She huffed at him there, stepping away and fanning her nose, "Christ in heaven that's awful!"

Bonnie blinked several times, then looked down at Cassie. "Um... am I that bad? Be honest," He carefully murmured.

She gave him a so-so gesture.

Bonnie pushed her off and stood up, "Carrot on a stick... right. I'll deep clean myself. I'll be at that all damn daaaaayyyy. Man I hate that!"

"Allow me to help," Freddy offered. "I can-"

"Noooo no. Not this time, papa bear. I know your nose gives you too much feedback as it is," Bonnie pushed on his chest, as if to make him budge. Freddy did no such thing however. "I got it. Just help Chica in the kitchen and-"

"Nope! I'm doing it," He insisted back, pushing him back with enough force to make the rabbit stumble. "You're going to need the help. Most of the scent is in your face."

Bonnie blinked, worked his jaw and rolled his tongue along the roof of his mouth, then shuddered. Ew. Freddy wasn't wrong though; every time something had to be done with their cranial cavities, assistance was mandatory.

"Can I help?" Cassie queried. She then waggled her fingers at them, "Maybe my tiny hands could get those hard-to-reach spots?"

"Tiny hands are useful," Freddy chortled, ruffling her fluffy scalp. "Bon?"

Bonnie didn't have to think twice. He was already sitting back down taking the fur off his head.

"Meanwhile-" Gregory sneered at him, "Guess what?"

"What, you little hellion? You get a bunch of minions to finally help you with your secret crimes?" Bonnie teased on purpose; wishing very much to lighten the air after their prior topics had weighed each person down so heavily.

Gregory waggled his fingers like he was gunning things down, pronouncing in a sing-song manner, "Nah. Even better: We got some party requests~ LOTS! Had a lucky bout yesterday and ran into some interested customers!"

"Oh yes! And Reggie Willis was there-" Freddy blithely reminded him. "You hosted for his younger brother, Mathias, a few years back? He asked for you."

"Retired," Bonnie jabbed a talon into the air pointedly. He felt bad saying it; he quite liked Mathias. Still, after this recent issue with his behavior, there was no way in HELL he was going to host anymore shows. "Sorry, fellas. I know I'm awesome and totally high demand, but retired means just that! Also-" He winced. "I don't want to freak anyone out with my 'fits'. Let's just keep it chiller. Yunno?"

"Understandable" Gregory shrugged. "Dang shame, but I get it."

"I like making kids smile, don't get me wrong," Bonnie told him. "But sadly, I ain't riskin' it for a biscuit. My muse don't work that way anymore anyhow. I only ever wanna play for your guys, and that's all. Now-" He pointed at his now exposed metal chassis, "Guess we got cleaning to do. Please don't make any comments about how gross it is... please. I'm askin'."

"No problem," Freddy coaxed. "I must ask you do the same for me, should it ever be like that."

"I pray it won't, my friend," Bonnie returned uncertainly.

---

~Friday afternoon~

Bonnie was deep-cleaned quite thoroughly after that; spending literally that entire morning doing it.

He hated cleaning day. He wasn't the only one though; every bot here (unless you're Roxy) hated the meticulous amount of time spent into keeping themselves spic and span. It literally meant digging beneath wires and areas human fingers certainly didn't need to be. Vanessa had to get a special cleaning machine that can both suck out debris or blow it out of them; with a nozzle so fine and thin, a baby's finger looked fat in comparison. And Bonnie had to deal with literally getting prodded in the face for many hours; Freddy and Cassie digging inside his own head to fish out the mysterious ichor and dried blood. He even had to get his optics soaked in a soapy solution; rendering the rabbit temporarily blind.

The other fluid was... new. Bonnie let M.X.E.S scan it- but he came up with a blank match to any particular liquid that could possibly exist in nature. The fact that remnant can produce something so alien only served to thicken the mystery of its truest nature; and Bonnie was left once again loathing Fazbear Entertainment for wanting to mess with something so innately powerful and misunderstood. Somehow, this only served to harden his zeal; with the rabbit once again locking himself inside the garage so to study the chip and this black material.

Cassie's presence helped him somehow. He knew why, but he also didn't know why. He couldn't explain it, but Cassie's father's love for the girl no doubt had a hand in keeping him here in this world. And once again, Bonnie couldn't help but be certain that, had Cassie told him to stop, he may have. There was nothing inside him that suggested that he'd accidentally hurt her. He had no basis in that- and while he didn't want to prove that theory true, he wagered her father knew the difference between his flesh and blood and the rest of the world at large-

Now if only he saw the difference between friend and foe.

As he bent over that counter later on in the day, mulling over their next visit to the depot, Cassie of course had wandered back in with a plate of carrot cake in hand. It was freshly made- something that had Bonnie already turning his head and raising a brow; button nose waggling interestedly. Cassie only smiled at the sight of its bouncing, looking so utterly adorable with that prideful leer and her confidence brimming as she placed it next to him.

"I helped Chica make it!" She told him. "She was so totally enamored with it, she even ate some herself for once!"

"Oh?" He blinked, feeling his smile return from the dead somewhere. Something in his chest eased; the giant lagomorphic bot taking the platter and smirking at the sight of its presentation and smell. The aroma was absolutely promising already. He didn't leave her disappointed either; knowing Cassie was looking to see him try it. He did just that; glad his mouth had been cleaned earlier and he can freely savor it. He melted at the taste; having even shut his eyes just to focus on it alone.

"Cass, I want you to know, this is the best damn thing ever and lordy, I think I'm gonna need a second slice after I finish this one!"

Cassie grinned brightly; but then her honey-kissed gaze focused on the computer. Now her pretty features warped, "You've been working on this thing for literally two years now... its not gonna take another two years for you to find anything, right?"

"Nope, I have a plan for this venture," He supplied, waving the fork at her. "I'm gonna take some time to step away from this and let the others have a crack it. Fresh eyes will yield answers I've likely got hanging in my face. I've been trying to tackle this monster alone for far too long... not totally smart on my part." He shook his head, "So, when I go to rest mode tonight, it'll be Eclipse checking this thing over next; then Chica. Then Freddy- or whoever wants to take a crack at it. We'll be sure to cycle through it too. Also, I've been trying to isolate the files from Vanny's core code-"

He frowned at the screen. "I guess this is her last laugh because... I have to detangle the archived stuff from her directly. She used herself as an encryption key and security measure for these data files. Clever girl. She knew I'd go digging through them and planned on making it hard on purpose." He took another bite of the cake, "So, I have a puzzle in front of me, and I just need to go at it the right way. Killers however have a pattern though, soooo... I'm sure there's some way to go at it. I just need to find the right way to connect the dots and slowly drag the files from her without waking her up."

"She can wake up though?"

"In theory... yes. Its why we're gonna go super slow," He flowed a hand through the air for visual emphasis. He took another bite of the cake; and lamented that he already finished it. He bemoaned that, then offered the platter to her. "Can I um... get some more?"

Cassie nodded and took it, apparently super glad to oblige. She also walked up and kissed his cheek; her own grazing whiskers briefly but not unpleasantly.

"I'll be back," She chimed as she exited.

Bonnie turned back to the computer in the meantime, tapping claws on the desk while using his other hand to support his head. His ears drooped too; suddenly feeling drained of all energy and frustrated at the lack of progress. He also, side note, felt terrible about not actively helping his friends make any money. This side job they're doing was a useful way to make due, but Bonnie was now far too afraid and invested in this 'retirement' idea to back track now. He still felt bad, yes, but he wasn't going to change his mind.

I'm too dangerous to be around strangers and their children like this. I don't want to have a sudden fit and drop dead right in the middle of a song, he groaned. A paw found his head next, And carrots... I scared her. I scared Cassie so damn bad- I can't be doing that again. I can't.

...Is that why I ain't still possessed right now? Is it possible her father wouldn't have let me go? He ain't like that, right? I know death would change anyone but... there's just too much of this we don't understand.

Cassie was back in short order, meanwhile. She had two plates as well; one likely for herself. She set Bonnie's down and pulled up another chair to sit beside him. Bonnie decidedly focused on her and waited until she bit hers first to continue his. He was glad she was here; he was getting too lost in his head again.

"By the way, Cass," he started, ears drooping. "I... I know that... well, I'm sorry. For yesterday. I really am. I couldn't be more sorry," He broke contact with her eyes, his gaze focusing on the ground, "I don't think either one of us wanted to scare you like that. I am so-"

She reached out and grabbed one of his paws, silencing him. She was seen shaking her head, her expression briefly grim but no doubt accepting of his apology. Knowing her, she likely didn't want it either; knowing neither could control themselves after a point. There had been something about her earlier smiles that had thrown Bonnie; and no doubt she'd been trying to put it behind her.

So, he stopped and breathed. Best not to hash it out again. Instead, he decided since she clearly didn't want to talk about it or be reminded of it past a point, he'd switch to a more innocent topic. So he said with a cough of static, "S-So! You said you helped Chica, but don't be modest: You made this all yourself with her guidance, yes?"

She shuffled and nodded, smile back again.

Bonnie once again felt gladdened for this girl before him; for the very person that has, in some literal way, brought them all out from the darkness. And she was cooking for him too? She's already spent a few hours meticulously and patiently trying to clean him up today; even though he'd scared the hell out of her. What more could she possibly want to do for him?

I've said this before and I'll say it again: But bless her heart, he wondered. Because I know she will always have all of mine. Mine, and her father's own. You can really start to see why he never wanted to leave this world. I can't deny that I would have done the same.

He ate in companionable reverie; feeling immensely better despite his earlier ruminations and heavier thoughts. Once he finished the cake, he got up and took her plate as well as his. "For the record, sweets," He began again, his tone a reserved, reverent quality, "-I don't deserve you, but I'm glad I have you. I figure I should say that more often."

"Didn't a wise man once say, 'life ain't about what you deserve, but what you sew?" She retorted smartly and confidently.

Bonnie snirked, "I believe so!"

"Well, I worked hard to get you here and keep you all here. Isn't that something?"

He bent and nosed her forehead; the whiskery sensation of it ticklish for her. "You did. You did just that. Well, on that note-" He withdrew and started towards the door, "Aight, how about we do something together? Besides you maintaining me all the dang time! You deserve something, yunno."

"Aren't I still grounded from last week?" She asked.

"Don't tell Greg-" He leaned back in conspiratorially, his smirk crooked. "-But you are un-grounded as far as I'm concerned. You just spent your entire day just trying to focus on making me feel better about my shitty situation when it should be the other way around. And I know, despite this thing between you and Marvin, you can't be blamed for your frustration, angel face. I know Greg would be a bit jealous you got off the hook so fast though." He leveled her his more serious face, seeing her from the tops of his eyes as if he was seeing through his shades, "I should be doing my job making you smile. And by god I'll do that while I'm able. So we're gonna go have fun and focus on that, yunno?"

She bobbled her fluffy head; wild, volumized hair a chestnut chaos atop her shoulders.

Bonnie turned towards the monitor, "I'm gonna call it for today, Mex. Thank you again for all you do, by the way! We really all appreciate it, and I mean that."

The program actually took some time to respond. And while his tone sounded its normal, genderless quality, Bonnie can almost swear there was some gratitude in there when he said, "Acknowledged, user Bonnie. Have a good rest of your eve. I hope you find your leisurement pleasurable."

"Thanks man," He returned amicably.

The pair walked out after that, with the rabbit heading to the kitchen to deposit the plates and tentatively sniffing the air. Chica was of course, still in here, bent over the dishes while Sun ran around behind her prepping the rest of their dinner. They paused at his entrance, Chica producing an adorable, lovely little chirp Bonnie always loved hearing back at the PizzaPlex. He couldn't remember the last time he heard it, feeling bubbly upon catching it though. Her odd little noises were something else and always left him smiling like an idiot; and he knew this particular noise was just for him. She had her own for Freddy.

"Seeing as you're eating as much cake as you are, I'm gonna guess that not only did you love it, but it helped," Chica smirked with some self-satisfaction.

"Well of course! Cassie made it, didn't she?"

"She did! The little doll. I think I want her in the kitchen with me more often," She crooned, the noise a soft, throaty resonance only directed at children. Not even Freddy or Bonnie got that rolling, tiny purr from her. Once again, probably a behavioral programming tic as a result of being a chicken- and a literal doting hen on top of all that.

"I enjoyed doing it," Cassie told her. "It was fun! And licking the bowl is always hard to argue with."

"Agreed!" Sun boisterously added, "I couldn't stop eating the batter after a point!"

Food must be something else to him, Bonnie wondered. He still remembered the first time the jester tried food after having new sensors installed along with that new stomach. Sun admitted to never wanting to go back to not eating again; and he took great pleasure in indulging himself every time something was being made in the kitchen. The visible awe on him when he first tried cake and ice cream was still fresh in his mind. It's no wonder he helped with the kitchen work; he must enjoy it as much as Chica does, on some level.

Chica meanwhile focused back on him, her expression now furrowed, "By chance... you are feeling okay, right?"

"I am. No lingering after-effects," He told her with a dip of his head. "And Cassie's done cheered me up plenty! I was wondering about doing something..."

Chica hummed, then paused amidst her dish washing to look out the window and judge time. She rapped her fingertips and turned back to them, her lavender optics also now on Cassie, "Well, maybe you can revisit the park? Or try a movie... Its a nice evening out. Get out of the house a bit."

Bonnie folded his arms and leaned coolly against the doorway, raising a brow at the hen and briefly passing Cassie a look. It seemed she also had the same idea he was having. Great minds, he couldn't help inwardly snickering.

"How about this: You should join us for something too," Bonnie goaded. "You're always in the dang house! You never get out enough! Come on, nuggets!"

"I get out enough-" She brushed him off rather quickly. "I like parking my fluffy butt right here."

Bonnie's smirk grew more crocodilian in quality, "You call grocery shopping getting out?"

Cassie narrowed her eyes at the hen.

Chica turned very slowly then, her expression stiff, "If I recall... it was you who told me to STAY PUT when I asked to go along with you to the depot?"

"You pulling that card on me? Ouch," He slapped a paw on his chest dramatically. "That was also different-"

"Uh-huh. And what did leaving me at home do?" Her hands planted her hips, talons tapping on the floor.

To which, the rabbit couldn't find an answer. He only grimaced.

Cassie took control of the situation with, "Well, all the more reason you should come along with us! So you can continue to, how'd you put it? 'Dig out his bunny butt from any hole he digs into'?"

Chica clacked her beak once, then settled, "Oh... you have a point there, hun. Very well. A walk then?"

"A walk, nuthin' too fancy. And that way, we're keeping to the buddy system," He gesticulated. He frowned as he recalled the white Foxy and said, "And... maybe equipping ourselves for the walk before we go. And definitely avoiding the back road... we ain't repeating what happened a few days ago."

Chica nodded and took off her apron, "Lemme get my coat and other voice box. Sun? You got it in here?"

"I do! Do not worry. I'll ask Freddy for anything if I need the help," he assured. He then put a finger to his mandible. "Or DJ? Could give him something to do and try."

"DJ cooking dinner... yeah, I wonder if that'd turn out good?" Bonnie mused aloud. "He's got enough arms..."

Chica smirked, "Get him in here and try it! I'm curious. We'll be back in time to likely turn the roast around."

Sun flashed a thumbs up and got to work. Meanwhile, the hen and rabbit returned to the garage to get their proper parts pulled on and Cassie went upstairs to dress and let Vanessa and Luis know where she's going. Once the family was informed of their intentions (Gregory moaned about being left behind), out they went into the chilled evening; promising to keep their ping signals open so M.X.E.S can track them.

---

The trio headed out into town with Chica wearing that lovely coat from the prior day. Bonnie himself meanwhile was wearing actual clothes; seeing as he didn't want to run 'nude' out in public in just his fur. He had this reddish-brown leather motorcycle jacket (something Roxy also recommended to him one day while they were out shopping) and his familiar white button-down beneath it. He was wearing his black sweats below that. No shoes; him nor Chica don't have anything that would fit.

He adored what Chica was wearing. Bonnie hadn't had the pleasure of seeing it on her; even grabbing the material and thumbing it as they walked. He hummed appreciatively, "You dressed real nice for the therapist! Its looks good." He then leered at her, "And its so sweet that you dressed real pretty for me today too, huh?"

The hen blinked rapidly- a few too many times Bonnie noticed. "Thank you," She returned with an odd primness that raised a brow. It confused him, but he didn't say anything as she added on quickly, "A-And don't let it go to your head! Seriously. I get enough of your 'charm' as it is."

"You'd miss it! You already did-"

"I said, stop letting it go to your head. Man you're insufferable," She bemoaned.

He produced a pouty face at her, "No fun if you ain't slinging back, Chic-a-Rita. Come on! Do me dirty. Insult me for Pete's sake!"

"I can't believe I'm hearing you begging her to insult you!" Cassie laughed from up ahead of them.

Bonnie chortled, shoulders bobbing in shared merriment. "I like seeing the girls at their most fiery! Come on, Cass, you can't tell me they both don't look pretty at their most lively? Like Roxy getting super competitive? She's her most confident when she's fired up."

"I think they both look pretty all the time!" Cassie returned.

"Thank you, Cass. Its appreciated. Now tell Bon-Bon here to stuff it," Chica grinned maliciously.

Here, Bonnie's ears flattened and he narrowed his eyes, "What. Did I. Tell you. About that nick-name. I ain't NUTHIN' like that little midget sell-out! Its bad enough he's HALF a rabbit! Doesn't even have the curtesy to be called a real rabbit! Pah!" He folded his arms and pouted, sticking his nose in the air like a spoiled child being told to stand in the corner for the very first time.

At that, both the girls laughed.

Cassie turned to look at Chica, saying over her shoulder, "You know, I still can't get over how good that coat looks on you! I never got the chance to see it yesterday, seeing as you and Vanessa were out the door so fast!"

"Roxy did it," Chica informed them. "She certainly loves dressing us all up..."

"She takes forever to do my make-up, but I don't mind it," Bonnie smirked. He dragged a talon beneath his eye; following the black pattern lining it. He even gave a prideful toss of his head; cerulean hair bouncing. One can imagine a twinkle coming off of him. "I look so damn sharp I can splice diamonds! I mean, look at me!" He puffed up, literally as his fur fluffed, "Mm-HM. Only thing prettier than me is my reflection! So if Roxy wants to take the extra time to add to perfection, I say, go for it!"

Chica groaned again; especially loudly here. "Nice to see he's normal again..." she said under her breath, something Bonnie definitely didn't miss. He only preened himself there.

As it were, they were taking a public road for right now; the long one leading into town. And while it'd take a considerable amount of time to get to town and back than the backroad did, Bonnie didn't mind. The wintry air felt nice and brisk in a pleasant way; and it helped balance the heat his motor generated and what his fur insulated. He was saddened he couldn't wear the fur in the summer; Vanessa had roped in Roxy and Chica to help her with a sewing project to make thin coats that wouldn't hinder them too bad. "Like actual animal summer coats," she'd told them.

Bonnie took a contemplative claw to his breast fluff; glad it was repaired after Polar Freddy had torn into it a little while ago. Cassie liked laying on it when she cold, so it sucked it had to get damaged the way it did. He scratched, then flexed his 'wrecking' talons and measured their sharpness in the light of day. These will do, had been his thought before he left the house. If he had to raise a claw, these will rip through steel like a hot knife through frozen butter. He didn't like wearing them; but they were needed after a point (pun somewhat intended) to help with their flip jobs and now, dully enough, defence.

Chica was careful to not sing meanwhile; and Vanessa had alternatively given her something else to use as a means of defense: The hen had her front talons (her three forward-facing toes and not the single back-facing one) replaced recently in light of the depot incident. Luis had commissioned one of their metal worker buddies for a set of replaceable steel 'wrecking' talons that can interchangeably be disconnected from the foot via a switch in her knees. Right now, she was wearing them; and if she wanted, she go full cassowary and gut whoever's standing in front of her.

Why the extra feature? Firstly, why not? Its badass, in his opinion. Secondly: Her voice box could hurt Bonnie and damage him. And while she is wearing it right now, it would be an absolutely last means of defence. Her toe talons would be her first form of offense and only real way to prevent harm from coming to him. She didn't need to use her voice box on the polar bots and HIM at the same time. It wouldn't bode well.

Even better, Chica had personally requested some parts of her body to be replaced with enhanced and more durable components thanks to the inspiration of her old body at the PizzaPlex. Luis in the last two years managed to equip a lot of her with a harder material throughout time. While not her whole body was rigged, she had a better endoskeleton now and a set of auto-locking braces in her limbs in case she had stop something with force to compensate for her lack of strength augmentation. Its also made her heavier as a result, but thanks to the fear Chica had of seeing another hydraulic press (a reasonable fear, at that), she got her wish and was given these additional measures for wellness of mind. So if she somehow magically got stuck inside of a confining space threatened to pulverize her, the locks on her braces inside her arms would flip on and stop it. It was just as effective as the Monty-grade servos.

It saddened Bonnie to see just how terrified she was of everything. Food, another trash compactor, her own voice- she had a LOT of fears. A lot. Its turned her into a nervous wreck with time. Its bad enough that she had to don her voice box and deal with food; two of her own fears already she had to literally carry around. She was very far removed from the hen he used to know. She was also quicker to lash out; something he hoped wasn't from feeling pushed into a corner. But, he also supposed, in a horrible way, this shift in her demeanor could give her the initiative to attack first should they all find their backs against the wall.

His optics briefly moved to her feet; being sure not to stand that close to them. He did not need one of those new talons lodged in his ankle. That would suck. He did get a hold of her hand though; watching his talons carefully. The arm-warmers on her were layered with feathers like a real chicken. She can slid these arm warmers on and off easily for house work; both pragmatic and convenient! At the motion of his paw slipping into her hand though, she jumped a bit but clenched back. She burbled contentedly, a sound he was used to hearing a long time ago.

His ears swiveled around; the rabbit being rather careful with taking in ambient noises. His nose also worked; and while not as sharp as Roxy's or Freddy's (or Monty's for that matter), he could smell pretty damn well. What his eyes miss, his nose caught. What his nose missed, his ears made up for the weaknesses of both. And seeing as he had his claws, Chica had her own as well as her voice, the group also had an animatronic taser on them. Cassie was carrying that, meanwhile.

So no. If that Foxy showed up, he'd be sorry.

Let's hope he and that Polar Freddy don't try anything... but it doesn't look like that other bear would try something when we're out in public, he wondered as he looked around. The trio had deliberately moved into areas where there's people, on that note. No need to be getting ourselves into trouble today.

Suddenly, Cassie GASPED. This made both Chica and Bonnie pause, ruffling her feathers and his fur. "What is it!" He barked at the girl.

"Oh my god! I just remembered-" She turned around and looked at Bonnie with nervous arms; gesticulating all over the place. "Oh my god, oh my god- I can't believe I forgot! Chica, aren't we supposed to do a FEAST tomorrow?"

Chica blinked rapidly, then swore in a cluck. "Oh snicker-doodles! I completely forgot about Jacob! His parents wanted to come over for a special dinner!" She turned and looked at Bonnie. "OH MY GOD I'M AN IDIOT. We need to grab a couple things after all!"

"...Really? We're still heading to the grocery store?" Bonnie raised a dull brow. He really hated going in there. It only made him bored and tired. And he complained a LOT.

"Yes, you idiot rabbit! I need a couple things for a sweet potato casserole I had in mind, seeing as Jacob's mom is bringing a special pudding- OH OH. And some marshmallows!" Chica pointed. She then started to tick off, "And some graham crackers for a fine crust, some whipped cream, cherries, cranberries for a sauce-"

"Okay I get it. God." Bonnie face-palmed. "And here I thought we were going for a walk!"

"Sorry bun boy. Kinda needta do it," Chica shrank. She knew how much he hated the grocery store.

"Oh don't- don't look like that! Man. We'll get it, okay? No sweat. Cass? Still got Ness' card?" Bonnie queried quickly, keeping his hold on Chica's hand.

She held it up, "Yeah! It was nice of her to let us borrow it. We still gonna stop at the one ice cream shop first?'

"Oh we most certainly are! I wanna check out what they had in there for some inspiration," Bonnie smirked. His smirk turned especially crafty when he added, "And... maybe kinda sorta borrow certain recipes for other things..."

Chica rolled her eyes.

"To Coldstone then!" Cassie pointed dramatically.

"To Coldstone," Bonnie whooped, though he gave Chica a sorry look. She only shrugged though, as if not bothered.

---

They didn't spend too long in there for Chica's benefit.

Side note; the hen was admittedly curious about the shop and was pleased to see an array of interesting ingredients that were healthy to add to the ice cream. Some of them with nuts and berries had her attention; as well a strawberry flavored ice cream she actually looked like she wanted to try. Bonnie didn't force her though; and when they walked out, he could tell she was relieved.

It was worth it to see Cassie enjoying her treat though. She didn't get a huge serving thanks to dinner in a couple hours, but she deserved it after what she's been doing today. Bonnie told Chica about it while they'd been donning their weapons in the garage (yeah, that sounds bad as it is). Chica had agreed wholeheartedly that Cassie deserved to check out something of her choice; and the group headed out to Coldstone for that reason. And now, the trio wandered town for a bit of light window shopping as well as the grocery store. They'd have to carry these things back, but its not like they needed much a lot. At least, not enough to require a vehicle since the bots were large and strong enough to carry as much of the stuff they needed.

Bonnie himself was enjoying an ice cream of his pick; having scanned the ingredients (secretly) and memorizing what he saw. As for the treat in his paw, Cassie had raised a brow at it but said nothing. He asked her why, but she only shrugged and said nothing. Cryptic.

Now they were in the grocery store, the rabbit still enjoying his treat and letting it distract him enough so he wasn't focused on being bored in here like some whiny three year old. God he HATED the grocery store. HATED. Hated with a burning passion. He actually nodded off in here once standing in line; having been out with Vanessa that time. The dull music, the gross sounds of people coughing on the produce... the CRASH and BANG of carts being shoved around startled him badly sometimes.

He crunched on his vanilla cream waffle cone serve; savoring the caramel topped, nutty goodness on his sensors and breathing easy when Chica visibly cheered up at the sight of a gingerbread kit. She produced a cute noise; a series of chirps like a chick finding a fat grub and running off with it. Bonnie wondered why since its sweets ironically she seemed to despise, but then, she said-

"I wanna make a gingerbread house! Just once-" She whipped around to Cassie. "Would you make one with me?"

Cassie's face, smudged slightly in chocolate and traces of vanilla at the corner of her lip nodded. She was trying to gently wipe away the remains of her treat and smiled. "You sure you're alright with that?"

"Its making something different," Chica assured. "I like the idea of working at it. Not like I'm eating it! Its only gonna go on display, right?"

"Yeah! I ain't a fan of gingerbread myself," Cassie shrugged. "So I wouldn't be the one eating it either. Monty on the other hand-" Cassie smirked, "It may disappear if you're not careful."

The hen rolled her eyes, "He touches it, he loses his tail. Told him that the last time I baked a cake too. Still haven't forgiven him for eating Luis' birthday cake last year."

Which reminds me... I need to get him back for that graffiti, Bonnie squinted at a space beyond him as the girls chatted.

Cassie laughed there, "Last time I checked, you hit him so hard, that he had to replace his skull chassis, right?"

"You bet your tail feathers he had to replace it. And his lower jaw. And several of his teeth. And his fingers," She snarled. "His tail, I swear, is gonna be next."

The girls cracked up. Meanwhile, Chica rubbed her hands together and snatched the kit; smirking at the sight of the different icings it came with. No doubt it had some things in it to stem some creativity. In fact, she grabbed TWO.

"For Sun," She told them at their expressions. "I think doing a kit with him will be fun. He'll love building a gingerbread house!"

"I don't get it," Bonnie eventually said at length. "I'm surprised you'd wanna do this at all. I mean... I know you said you wouldn't eat it but-"

"Did I not say I enjoy the creative process of it? Its is own art-" She told him. "Making desserts is... kinda in my programming. Can't help it. I kinda hafta make it sometimes. I like doing it. I just don't want to keel over from eating it again!"

Right. She had a bakery to herself, once. Bonnie couldn't believe he'd forgotten that. Chica used to spend copious amounts of time in there before she started bugging out so bad that she started eating her own creations and they had to shut down temporarily because she destroyed some parts of it. He really was still surprised she'd want to do this however, with that said. Couldn't she rewrite herself to not like it?

Oh. Maybe she... huh. A thought clicked to him then. I'm guessing she really just wants to push through this. I guess she still loves food in her own way, deep down. She's already expressed wanting to eat with us...

They eventually finished up and got the ingredients needed for the feast the next day; and yes, you can expect there was the customary staring people did when they saw Glamrock Bonnie and Glamrock Chica just walking around in broad daylight like its totally normal. People definitely gawped at their imposing sizes too; and the fact that the weight and machinery was noticeable if they stood close enough. People can hear the servos whirring in them sometimes; as well as the gentle thrum of their motors and compressors channeling air into them. The animatronics were not quiet entities by any means.

On one occasion, someone said, "Nice costumes!" And Bonnie can tell he was being genuine; but something about the comment rubbed him wrong. Still, he and Chica smiled at him and said "thank you" regardless. And on another instance, the cashier asked, "Isn't that heavy to wear? Or uncomfortable?" To which end, Chica allayed her with, "Nope! Its like a second skin."

Whatever she made of that would not be seen. The trio would leave after that and head straight home; seeing as evening had fallen upon them. They needed to be back before dark; having not expected to stay out as long as they did. Bonnie carried the groceries for the ladies; meanwhile, Cassie was grabbed by Chica and put on her shoulders so the girl can stay warm in the feathers as well as hurry their pace.

Nothing really happened, thankfully; unless you count some neighbor's dog barking at them from his yard. Bonnie had been paranoid that something could be following them, but he was rewarded with a slight ease of his circuits when his ears hadn't caught anything and they managed to make it home on time. They could smell the roast even from outside! And from the looks of things, the house was going about its usual activity.

Chica held the door for Bonnie, having let Cassie down and letting the girl in first. Bonnie thanked her and proceeded in; his olfactory chambers filled with the delightful scent of their home. Something else eased in him, but he wasn't sure what. He hadn't realized he'd felt so wound up today until truly as of this moment; the rabbit breathing more easily as he stepped through their door and towards the kitchen.

Freddy greeted him first, the bear's paws already making their way to Bonnie's own to snag the groceries. "Welcome home you three! I hope the evening has treated you fairly?" He politely queried.

"Eh, nothing beyond lotsa people staring," Bonnie shrugged, taking off the heavy reddish coat. He threw it over his shoulder and cocked his earring studded ear, "Walk was pretty nice. Leave the kits out by the way! Chica wanted to have at those later."

"Kits?" Freddy blinked.

Bonnie followed him to the kitchen island and pulled it out; flashing the prize at him. He'd tossed his jacket to the side meanwhile. "Chica wanted to make a gingerbread house. I wondered why she did that but... eh."

Freddy raised a bronzed brow, his matching colored jaw clenching. "Curious, but its nice that she's doing that! Did she tell you at all about her therapy session either?"

The rabbit shook his head.

"Ah. She told us earlier while you were in the garage bent over that chip that it went well. Miss Howler was apparently interested in her and Chica said she was so nice, it took her off guard," Freddy's smile was earnest there. "It gives me hope to see that maybe we can have a place out there too, you know?"

Bonnie nodded slowly, gladdened to hear that and looking away. He frowned there, "I wanted to go... But... I don't wanna scare anybody. If I went anywhere, I'd hafta ask someone comes with me, you know?"

"I understand. And the others do too," Freddy encouraged. He put a paw on Bonnie's now exposed shoulder, "I'd go with you if you wanted to take a day to try!"

"Would you?"

"But of course! Why would I not? And besides, I think nobody here can argue that keeping you company is of no greater pleasure!" Freddy bumped his head with Bonnie's own in their formal sign of affection. His baritone slipped lower next, "I certainly know I feel that way."

Bonnie held their contact for a full moment; simply standing there smelling him and enjoying the touch. After they realized they were standing in the way of the others however did they finally part.

"Go on! Go sit in the living room. I will be in there shortly for a movie," Freddy told him.

"What're we watchin'?"

"The Zombie Clause. Greg's 'hate pick' of the week," Freddy air-quoted.

"Ah! A dumb, B-rated Zombie and Christmas movie hybrid! Nice; a double whammy of mediocre," Bonnie smirked. "He always knows the dumbest movies for some reason?"

"So it seems!"

After he parted, he caught Cassie's look. He hadn't expected it. Looks like she'd been upstairs and changed out of her clothes already; but now she seemed to content herself watching him. At this, Bonnie approached her and knelt a bit to meet her level. She was a growing girl and not as tiny as she used to be, but still quite small compared to the rest of the group.

"What's wrong? Don't want a hate-pick movie today?" He gently asked, taking a talon and grazing some of her wavy hair out of her eyes.

"Its not that..." She started, a bit weakly. Her honey-kissed eyes were on the floor now, her hands at her sides.

Bonnie instantly got the feeling she'd been hiding something, but he didn't want to say or force it out of her. Instead, he settled for a different method and took one of her small hands; rubbing a finger tip into the palm in gentle circles. The motion came naturally; and even he blinked when he realized he hadn't done that before until now. What a curious gesture. He supposed he got the idea from Sun and Eclipse however; as they tended to perform something similar with crying children to help ease their nerves.

Eventually, Cassie said while watching their hands, "About the ice cream today... I wanted to mention something... besides a thank you for it. I enjoyed it."

He said nothing. Just waited for her to continue.

She was struggling with this; that much he can see. He'd have to wait for a full minute before she finally managed to force out, "The ice cream you ordered... the caramel topped one. Its different..."

"Uh, is it bad somehow-?" He pressed gently.

"No no... it's just..." She inhaled, held, and eventually said in a halting manner, "That's the exact same ice cream my dad ordered 3 years ago. It was one of the last things we did together. His hospitalization happened the very next day. From the fixings to the flavor used- every detail was spot-on. It was just weird you ordered it the same way he did-"

Whatever noise or commotion was in the room died away instantly; the rabbit left unable to speak as he processed the words in startled silence. The motion on her hand paused, his maroon optics falling to the floor and lingering. An odd bloom of... something unexplainable yawned in his core; and suddenly, he wondered exactly what that last spell did to him.

He hadn't felt quite like himself, had he?

No. I'm still me, he acknowledged. I have confidence in myself as a being. I'm a super talented, super sexy, and a super amazing bot. Yeah. Totally! That is totally me. Her dad meanwhile... he gets stage fright, he isn't as confident in himself as me. He isn't-

Bonnie paused. How come he can't find a lot of things to separate them?

Cassie eventually pulled on him, using the contact he still had on her hand to do so. "I shouldn't have said anything! I'm sorry..."

"No... its okay! Its okay-" He sucked in air and held, steadily blinking at something else. His eyes found Freddy in the other room beyond her, and suddenly he felt better looking at him. Finding his nerve, he gently pulled Cassie into his arms and got to his feet again. He started carrying her into the living room, "I wouldn't worry, love. I'm just glad you brought it up. I need you to help me realize myself, you know? To remember. So don't ever be afraid to speak up. Please."

Please.

"Okay," was all she said to that, her hands gripping shirt and fur.

He found himself unable to let her go after that; feeling slightly dizzy with worry and stress. He didn't show this however; sitting onto the couch between Freddy and Chica. Gregory was on Freddy's other side; filling the couch full. Bonnie kept the girl on his lap meanwhile, his eyes sweeping to the screen and staying; a placid smile on his face. His breathing felt like it wanted to grow harsher, but did no such thing. He controlled it, smiling warmly and reassuringly all the while. The rest of the room was filled with the others; and Bonnie would not try to think of it any further than that.

The observation would haunt him for the rest of the night.