A/N Hello everybody, and Happy Memorial Day. Night 3 is officially beginning now, so I hope you're all excited for what I have planned. This night will probably take fewer chapters than the others, not counting the aftermath, but I think it will be just as much fun. Alright, enough of me, let's get to the story.

For most of the gang, it didn't take long for energy levels to rise again after they got their rest. By the time they all got a sufficient amount of sleep and charge, most of their time was spent either in preparation for the big night tonight, or blowing off steam. Gregory even found time to fulfill his promise to Fifi, and teach her how to hotwire a car…Of course, Vanessa caught them trying to sneak into her van to do this and naturally forbade them from that. But to their surprise, she pulled up a diagram on her tablet and they used that to learn.

Vanessa did think it was interesting how close she'd gotten to this band of misfits over the past few days, but admittedly, it seems she was starting to build connections she'd wanted for the longest time. Sure, she gained friends as she grew up, but they all came and went, especially for someone in a position like hers. But with this group, it seemed like she was getting something close to a family, something she hadn't had since she was a kid. She wondered how Roxy might change that dynamic, if they could get her on their side, but for some reason, she felt they could get through anything, even with that.

The blonde did notice, however, that while Freddy was still willing to help with everything, he still seemed more distant than usual. He seemed to be distracted when he was left on his own, and not the most enthused. But then, who could blame him after last night? He was brutally tortured, betrayed by his old friend, and relived some unsavory memories about his previous life as Michael. Vanessa certainly had concern about him facing these things, since she found out he was her adoptive brother, but they had a lot on their plate for tonight, so she decided to drop it for now.

Everyone piled into the van around 11:30 that night and the whole drive to the diner, the air permeated with both excitement and anxiety. They knew what they were going to do tonight had a lot of risk, but they also knew how much it may help. They walked to the door with a lot more vigor than they had the previous nights, and after they were escorted down the stairwell by Rockstar Bonnie and Funtime Chica, Vanessa didn't hesitate to explain their plans for the night to Foxy.

"So," the fox commented with a fake scowl, "you're goin' after me little replacement, are ye?"

"Yep," Vanessa confirmed with a smile on her face. "Hope you're not too upset."

The pirate soon dropped his façade of anger and gave a hearty laugh.

"Well, when you get that virus out of her and she's got her head back on straight, introduce her to me. I've been want'n to see how she handles them kiddies…and herself."

"Did you just say 'when,' Foxy?" Gregory observed. "You seem pretty confident in us all of a sudden, and I mean more than when we met."

"Aye, that I am, lad," Foxy responded. "I thought sure you'd be a goner if Cassidy got a hold of ya, but here you are! And if you can get out of that, there shouldn't be any other trouble for the rest of yas. You'll have Roxy here on a leash before the night is out."

There were smiles all around, save for Freddy who looked like he had something to say. He finally took the opportunity, though.

"Actually," he said, "speaking of Cassidy, I think there is something I need to take care of with her."

Everyone then stopped for a moment to look at him. "What to do you mean?" Vanessa asked intently.

"Cassidy and I have had some…history when I was Michael," he explained. "We were not on the best terms, but she knows I have been going against Dad as well…maybe I could convince her to help in some way…"

"What?!" exclaimed Gregory. "She literally just tried to kill me last night for even suggesting we get rid of Afton! How can you convince her to help?"

"I was never able to effectively speak to children before," the bear continued. "She is still a child inside even though she has been trapped for so long. Since I have this programming now, maybe I can actually speak to her about this, but I know the danger of it. Which is why I'm going on my own."

"No! Absolutely not!" said Vanessa. "What have I literally been saying this whole time? We have to stick together! If you do this now, you'll be in more danger than any of us! It's not even worth it! You probably don't even know her anymore!"

"Maybe I don't, but you said yourself we need as much help as we can. I just want to try and—"

"Stuff it, Mike," Foxy interrupted. "You and I both know you ain't going down there for Cassidy. You might as well tell them the real reason."

Freddy stared at the fox. He knew he was right, but he didn't want to make things more personal than they needed to be. But then, he looked at the group in front of him and realized this was the closest he'd gotten to anyone since his whole escapade started. He knew they had a right to know. He took a deep breath.

"Remember how I said sometimes more than one soul can be connected by Remnant filled objects?" The group nodded in response. "Well, that is the case for the Fredbear casing that Cassidy is attached to…I'm sure you remember how I told you my brother died."

Vanessa's eyes went wide with realization. "Oh my…Evan's in there, too, isn't he?"

The bear nodded. "I at least wanted to apologize to him. Maybe then, my mind can be at ease again."

Fifi was incredibly quiet through this whole ordeal. She was still trying to process how Freddy, an animatronic made for children's entertainment, could feel the way he does, even if he's being possessed by a dead man. It disturbed her to think that a machine with a simple purpose in mind could think so much like the humans she'd seen around her during training. So much going on in their lives. Sadness, anger, grief. She hated seeing them feel that way, and she hated seeing Freddy like this now. It was then that the mouse decided that if what he was going to do would make him feel better, she would help.

"I'm going with you," she suddenly blurted out.

"Fifi!" Vanessa exclaimed indignantly.

"I was supposed to help kids stop being sad and scared," the mouse argued. "Maybe I can help get them to listen to what he has to say."

"I cannot ask you to do that," Freddy said. "This is my burden to bear and I do not want anyone else to get hurt."

"You're not asking me," she replied, "I'm telling you I'm going with you. I just want to help. That's all I've wanted to do since you got me involved in this."

Freddy looked at Fifi for a moment in shock, but realized she completely meant what she said. He then turned to Vanessa again with pleading eyes. The blonde knew in that moment that neither of the animatronics were going to take "no" for an answer, but how did Gregory feel? She looked at him expecting a comment, and she got it.

"I don't know about you," the orphan said, "but if I had a chance to see my parents again, I'd take it."

He didn't say his exact thoughts, but he didn't need to. Vanessa had only gotten to know him too well over the past month. She heaved a sigh and turned back to Freddy.

"Just promise me…you'll do your best to come back in one piece," she finally warned. "It was hard seeing you like that last night. Especially knowing what I do now."

The bear gave a sad smile and took Fifi by the hand.

"We still have the Fazwatches," added Gregory. "We'll be in touch."

"Just so you know," Foxy interjected, "we're still having a bit o' trouble keeping coms up, but we're working on it. So, give us a yell if ye get into trouble, too."

"Thanks, I guess," said Vanessa, not feeling any more at ease.

"I marked where I came from last night on the map," said Gregory. "You can get to them from there."

After a pause, the boy immediately ran up and hugged Freddy knowing what was to come, and after a moment it was returned. He looked up at the bear on the verge of tears.

"Just be careful," he squeaked out, "…Okay?"

Freddy brought him closer. "Same to you, Superstar."

Vanessa then gave Foxy a nod and he opened the door. The group walked together down the hall until finally splitting in halfway through. It was clear that none of them were that comfortable with doing this, but it's what they chose to do. There was no turning back now.

Freddy and Fifi immediately headed for the point marked on the map. They faced no opposition on the way there save for a few easily dispatched S.T.A.F.F. bots and reached the door downstairs in excellent time. Both were feeling quite uneasy by the time they reached the door, though, especially when they saw how Gregory had barred it the night before. Despite this, they came here for a purpose and they removed the 2x4 from the door handles, entering the stairwell right after.

"I've still got a bad feeling about this, Freddy," Fifi noted as they descended the stairs.

"…Honestly, so do I," he replied, "but I have to do this."

When they reached the bottom of the stairwell, they both hesitated when it came to opening the door in front of them. As animatronics, this was a place they had never hoped to be in, and knowing that something potentially monstrous was down there made that feeling worse. They'd come this far, though, so why stop now. They opened the door and were immediately greeted by the piles of rubbish in the dim light.

Neither of them made a noise as they walked along the rubble, each taking note of everything they saw. The parts of older animatronics, old technical equipment, even some arcade cabinets. Things they've seen so full of life now broken and lost to time, though they had the sense they were being watched. Perhaps it was the animatronic heads that still had eyes in them, or maybe something else. Neither of them knew what to expect anymore.

Fifi looked at each pile with a disconcerted look on her face.

"I wonder if this is what it's like for humans to walk around in a graveyard," she said softly.

Freddy's look was somber, too. "I've walked in a graveyard as a human…and yes, I think it is like that." He sighed. "I'm sorry, but…I want to stop for a moment. This is too much already."

He absentmindedly leaned against a large pile, but the part he was leaning on gave way under him. He fell to the ground but picked himself back up again, tossing debris off himself. Then, he saw what he revealed after taking his tumble, the giant face of what seemed to be another animatronic with deep black eyes, a big pink nose, and piano keys for teeth. It was a face that Freddy knew, and he fell back to his knees when he saw this.

"Oh no," he muttered. He touched the face gingerly and cast down his head. Fifi was quite taken aback by what she just saw to say the least.

"What…or who is that?" she finally asked.

"DJ Music Man," the bear said sadly. "A good friend from the Pizzaplex."

Fifi gasped at this. Another Pizzaplex animatronic, and one so big! She was intimidated to say the least…but then she realized it wasn't moving. No lights seemed to be turned on or anything. The first Pizzaplex animatronic confirmed not to be functional.

"I…I don't think they told me about him before," she noted.

Freddy strained slightly at his words. "He was…a nice fellow. You would have liked him…"

As if coming down here to find his dead human brother wasn't bad enough, now he's permanently lost a friend from his life as Freddy. This night was already going to take a toll on him, and Fifi could see it. He needed help now more than ever, and she wanted to do that as much as she could. With an empathetic look, she walked up next to the bear and put her arm around his shoulder.

"Freddy," she whispered, "I'm so sorry."

That's when they heard a terrible racket off in the distance. Their heads popped up at the same time and they looked in the direction it came from. Target sighted. The Blob knocked over pile after pile of scrap making its way to the two animatronics. Fifi instinctively backed off at the sight of it until Freddy grabbed her arm and gave her a reassuring look. Then he pulled them both directly into the amalgamation's path when it was about fifty feet away from them.

When it saw them, the blob screeched to a stop about ten feet in front of them, and the pink-and-white Freddy head stared down at them intently. Freddy could tell instantly that he was recognized, and was standing his ground in preparation for an onslaught, holding on to Fifi, the whole time. Fifi was expecting to see something insane when she thought back to the tentacle she saw the night before, but this…this was something else. After a few seconds, the amalgamation's chorus of voices finally rang out.

"So," they snapped, "the demon's son shows himself at last, and in such a fitting form. We had a feeling this would be an…extraordinary night."

"Please listen to me," he called out to them. "I do not want any trouble. I just want to work things out with you."

"You had over forty years to 'work things out,' Michael," came the heated response to this, "but this whole time, you've been bowing to your father's whims like a dog. Look at you now. You've even become his mascot! Were you perhaps bluffing when you said you wanted nothing to do with him anymore?"

"I don't, but I was trying to figure out what he was doing and how to stop it! There has to be a way other than torturing him for all eternity. That would be as much a punishment for you as it would be for him. You don't really want that do you?"

The Blob forcefully opened up and the Golden Freddy suit was briskly presented to him.

"Who are you to decide what I want?!" Cassidy's voice roared. "You keep claiming everything you've done is for our benefit, but the only benefit I will ever have will be his screams in my ear. The month I spent torturing him was bliss! Watching him die over and over again, I felt closer to heaven than ever. You don't know me."

"I know," the bear retorted, "but I still want to make things right, not just with you, but with everyone he's wronged. Can't tonight be the start of that."

"Unless you wish to join us, I have no desire to speak to you."

"I can live with that, but at least let me speak to Evan."

The suit was pulled back by the blob slightly. "Why should I?" Cassidy asked incredulously. "Do you think a stupid apology is going to be enough to sway him? Any of us."

"…No," Freddy said, "but I just want to say my peace."

Fifi was slightly glad that no one was paying attention to her now, but she was concerned about the interaction she just witnessed. Just how far do these two go back?

"Please," the bear pleaded. "Just let me talk to him."

Fifteen more seconds of silence, no one daring to move.

"…Fine," came Cassidy's spiteful reply. Then, a dim white light slowly appeared in each of the suit's eyes, and after a few seconds, a new voice spoke. Another childlike voice, but this one more boyish, and timid."

"Michael?" it said. "Is that really you?"

The bear now wore a sad smile.

"Yes, Evan," he said, "It's me."

Meanwhile, Gregory and Vanessa were still on the search for Roxy. So far, they had seen absolutely no trace of her, not even a lock of her hair, which was undoubtedly falling out at this point. A few of the 'Nightmare' animatronics had come their way so far, and they were easily avoided. There was some trouble with some endos earlier as well, but they eventually managed to squeeze by them as well. Now, though, they were dealing with a few smaller groups of S.T.A.F.F. bots. Vanessa, in particular, was becoming quite annoyed at the number of distractions coming their way.

"I thought for sure we'd have seen her by now with the amount of racket we're making," she commented after stunning a bot with her taser.

"It's a big place, Vanessa," Gregory retorted, "with great security."

Three more bots appeared as he said this, and he shot them all down with the Fazerblast like it was second nature. Vanessa could never hide how impressed she was with the boy when she saw something like that.

"I still stand by what I said before," she said with a smile. "You're a good shot kid."

"Thanks," he replied, "but save the praise until after we find Roxy."

"Yeah," she nodded as they walked away. "Speaking of which, I'm still not a hundred percent comfortable with this, especially now that it's just us. She came close to killing you quite a few times at the Pizzaplex, and now—"

"I said before that's a risk I'm willing to take," he interrupted. "It'll put my mind at ease over what I've been feeling the past month, and if she can help us, that'll be even better."

"…I get it, kid," she responded, "I do. But what are you going to do if—"

Distorted sounds from the hallway to their left interrupted her. They both turned and saw Glamrock Chica running at them full force. Gregory turned and tried to shoot her, but his Fazerblast was out of power for the time being. Vanessa cursed slightly when she saw this, but immediately rushed Chica and stunned her with her taser.

"Okay, forget it," she said. "Let's go."

They ran in the opposite direction and followed the hall they went through. There were multiple points where it was blocked off, which meant their places to run and to look were becoming limited. They knew they had to deal with that somehow, but right now, the priority was getting away from the threats. They finally stopped, when they reached the end of the hall they were in, and it split off in opposite directions. Neither one of them recognized what was in either direction.

"Which way do we go now?!" came Gregory's frustrated response.

"I-I don't know," said Vanessa. "Maybe we—"

They both jumped back when something dark suddenly landed in front of them. They were on the defense for a moment, but they both relaxed when it lifted its head and a—somewhat—friendly face was revealed. It was Charlie, and despite the expression on her mask, she did not look happy.

"Do you people have a death wish?" she hissed. "Or are you just that stupid?"

Now it was Gregory's turn to get annoyed. "Well, excuse us for trying to find a way to stop all this. We could help you, too, you know."

"There's no help for me!" the puppet replied. "I've been trapped here for so long, and there's no way out of it unless I get destroyed. That was because I tried to dig too deep into something that wasn't my business. Don't you get it? I'm trying to save you from facing that!"

"What's wrong with taking risks to do the right thing?" Vanessa interrupted. "It seems like the best people always do. Who knows, he might just be one of them."

Charlie turned to the blonde aggressively. "You're one to talk, demon spawn. You're the one that brought him here these past few nights, knowing he could get killed! Blood or not, you're just like your father."

"Hey!" Gregory suddenly yelled. "I wanted to come here. She didn't want me to get involved in this, but I've been involved since I met Freddy. Don't blame her for what I'm doing!"

Vanessa's eyebrows were raised now. Was this the same little brat that said he didn't trust her from the time they met? The same kid that wouldn't speak to her for three days after she took him in? Did he really defend her just now? The things that can change in a month.

"And now that I have an idea what's going on," the boy continued, "I'm gonna do my best to set things right, starting tonight. First order of business, find someone here I've wronged and apologize. Maybe you know her? Roxanne Wolf? Seen her 'round?"

Ten seconds of silence.

"You've lost your mind!" the marionette quietly exclaimed. "She undoubtedly had the potential to be a killer when you met her, but now…You need to leave, before anything else goes wrong."

"Not without her!" Gregory bit back.

"Forget her! Forget all of this! Forget whatever it is you're looking for! The only thing you'll find here is death and despair the likes of which you've never seen if you keep pushing his buttons. JUST LEAVE BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT OF THE BUILDING!"

Gregory suddenly realized his back was against the wall from how close she got to him during this rant.

"Sheesh," he breathed, "and your dad said you always protected the innocent. That sounded pretty harsh to me."

A gasp escaped from Charlie when she realized what Gregory just said.

"My…My dad?" she stammered. "Y…You've met my dad?"

"Yeah. Henry, right?"

She stepped back slightly, but nodded.

"He was in that room you took me to Monday night. We took him home with us. He's been helping us. He wants this to end just as much as we do…I was hoping you'd feel the same way."

"I…I thought Afton would have deleted him by now. He's…He's okay?"

"A bit shaken up I guess, but he's fine."

The puppet was visibly shaking. That seemed to finally reach her. However, she quickly regained her composure.

"Well, I can say that he's right about me wanting to protect the innocent," she said. "In case you couldn't tell, I've been trying to do that for you."

"Heh heh. I'll let you in on a little secret," Gregory snarked back. "I'm homeless and an orphan. I've had to fight for survival ever since I was four. I've seen the worst of the worst out there on the streets. The worst thing humanity has to offer always came to me, and because of that, I don't trust people, especially not adults…Well, until recently."

He shot Vanessa a smile at this, which she returned, albeit facing away.

"I don't need protection. I'm the furthest thing from innocent. If anyone in this whole place is innocent, really, I think it's Roxy."

"How?" The puppet asked. "She doesn't even have a soul attached to her. How could she be anything more than one of Afton's pawns?"

"You wouldn't be asking that if you saw her crying."

Charlie was really taken aback by the boy's response here. "…Crying?

"Yeah," Gregory replied. "It was when Afton took control of her at the Pizzaplex, and it had to do with her not catching me. But she was crying because she thought she was a loser, even though she seems conceited…I should have realized right there that she was more than a mindless monster…that all of them were. Freddy even told me I might have had a chance at saving them, but I didn't. Instead, I crushed Roxy with a go-cart and did a lot worse to the others.

"If anything, you should be protecting Roxy from me tonight, but like I said, I want to make things right and try to help her. I don't care whether or not you want to help me Charlie, but you're not going to stop me…any of us."

The marionette stared at Gregory for a full thirty seconds, then she hung her head down and sighed. She lifted her arm and pointed down the left hallway.

"You'll find her in a breakroom to the left," she said. "She's waiting for you, Gregory."

A/N And that's that. Let me tell you guys, I put a lot into this chapter in particular, because my family decided on impromptu travel for the long weekend. I got it done though, and I hope you guys can give me some good feedback on how I'm writing Cassidy and Charlie. They may not be major players in the games, but I feel they are very important. I hope I'm doing them justice. As always, though, I thank you all for reading and please leave a review if you can. That's all for now. Have a good one.