Going Home in a Box

by Mable

(Sequel to Can't Go Home Again and Almost Feels like Home) Freddy Fazbear's has returned from the grave and brought something of hatred and agony with it. Their livelihoods on the line, Mike, Marionette, and the others must learn to handle this new threat. This is easier said than done once Foxy finds himself snared by the new location, and the white rabbit now pulling the strings.

50. Chapter 50

Mable: Two important notes here!

Firstly, I added an extra Sunny, Charlie, and Mari scene to the last chapter. It was supposed to be in the chapter, being in the outline, but I totally forgot about it until I was going over my notes later. . So, it's there now! Check it out!

Secondly, my computer went out about a week and a half ago and I only just got it back. I was still able to get some work done through alternative means, but it wasn't until now that I was able to finish and upload it. So, sorry for the delay. This time it was mostly out of my hands. XD Blame FedEx.

Anyways, I hope this chapter makes up for it. ;) Enjoy!

---

Going Home in a Box

Chapter Fifty

Foxy might've been nonchalant about splitting up, but once they got closer to Rockstar Row, he started to become much more paranoid. His head kept snapping around and he scanned his surroundings, listening closely, as they slowly edged further towards the animatronic enclosures. He ducked under the last security door and looked around quickly to make sure nobody was out and about. He waited on guard as Fritz and Scott followed alongside him.

"This be where I take me leave, aye?" Foxy asked.

"Aye, aye, Captain," Fritz agreed. "Here's wishing you smooth sailing."

"Aye. Blue skies and calm seas fer us both," Foxy agreed.

A door opened nearby, and Foxy proceeded to suddenly bolt for Freddy's door without a sound. Both watched as the door opened to reveal Freddy standing on the other side, greeting with a friendly, "Welcome back, Captain!" and Foxy speedily slipped in and pushed him back so that the door would automatically shut. Entirely abandoning Fritz and Scott by the door.

While Foxy's paranoid sprint suggested he didn't know who was coming, they knew who was supposed to be coming, and remained in place at the approaching footsteps. Soon a familiar blond wielding a flashlight walked over.

"Who's there?" she called. Once she got closer, she shined the light towards them and then quickly changed her tone. "Oh. You two are the technicians sent by corporate, right? Where were you? We closed like an hour ago."

"We got held up in the garage. Looks like one of the doors is on the fritz," Fritz replied. He couldn't help but smile wider at Natalie's feigned peeved look, eyebrow arched, and lips pursed. "I can take a look at it before we leave."

"Let's stick to one job at a time, alright? The door can wait for dayshift," Natalie dismissed. "And I don't know what they told you, but you're going to be here for a while. The doors don't open until six and those emergency doors don't open period. Not on my watch."

That comment was all the more comical considering that they just walked in through them, which she possibly wasn't aware of since Freddy had been keeping the visits with Foxy hushed.

"Now let's go. I've got rounds in twenty minutes," she said. She turned and began to head off towards the door she came through, beckoning with a wave of his free hand. The two followed closely.

Something about this situation made Fritz a little hot under the collar. Both knowing what he was doing was technically wrong and having his enforcer being his pretty girlfriend who was acting stern and direct instead of her usually sweet self- it was a lot. Though that was 'a lot' in a peculiarly exciting way.

"The name's Vanessa. Security guard, obviously, and the only employee on shift this late. So, if you see anyone else creeping around then let me know. We've been having problems with people trying to stay over after closing," Natalie listed off. She turned her head to look back towards Fritz, tossing her ponytail in the process. "What about you?"

"I'm Sam-."

"No, you're not," Scott quickly interjected with a both amused and anxious smile. Looking over his shoulder even as he said so.

"Wha- Oh! Right, he's right. Sorry, that's my nickname. My real name is…" Fritz gave a small cough. "Steve. Steve Samson."

She couldn't resist the look of amusement that slipped onto her face before she quickly turned ahead. "Alright, Steve then. What about your friend?"

"Friends call me Eggs Benedict. I know it's weird, but my real name is pretty embarrassing, so that's what I put on most paperwork. As long as its legal, I'm Eggs," Scott semi-rambled.

"Free-Range eggs are usually better," Fritz agreed.

"So, you're what, the cut-up of the duo?" Natalie flatly asked. The slightest ghost of smile on her lips but aimed away from them. Her eyes set ahead on the stairs as she began to ascend them.

"You can also call me the wild card, yes," Fritz answered. Natalie might've given an unimpressed 'hmph' but he knew she was smiling.

They got to the top of the stairs and through the doors into the massive monitoring room. Immediately a Security Bot rolled over and shined his light on Fritz who was coming through the door with a loud alert.

"You can stand down, Smitty. He's Fazbear Entertainment staff," Natalie said. Smitty immediately lowered his flashlight at the command and turned to follow her. As he did, Scott looked after the robot in surprise.

"I can't believe they actually replaced the staff with bots. I mean, I knew they did, but seeing it in person's just-." Scott was abruptly cut off by Smitty wheeling around and coming in his direction.

"Stand down, Smitty. He's an employee too," Natalie quickly called him. Once again, he turned around and followed her off.

"…There's a couple of bugs they could probably work out," Scott offered.

"Maybe not. Think about it, we could just be two random guys pretending to be employees to get in," Fritz joked.

Scott gave him an alarmed look and Natalie gave a swift, "Don't joke like that."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And come on. We don't have a lot of time before the hourly recharge," she continued. She pulled a chair to the proper monitor and Scott thanked her before settling in.

"Let's try mine first," he said. Natalie pointed him to the login and once he got there, he put in his username and password.

Neither he nor Natalie actually thought his was going to work. In fact, he tried his first to get his out of the way, to assure him that it wouldn't work, so he could use the insider's login. Alas, it came right up on a page of security feed video files.

Scott's brows shot up as he looked at the numerous files named with blending numbers. "…You said it only records for one night, right?"

"That's what they told me. Every hour records over itself or something like that."

"Oookay, then I guess I better get started. This might take a while," Scott warned. He clicked on the first file and pulled it up, got a confused look, and then pulled up another, and his brows shot up. It took a few more clicks and tests before he gave a slow exhale and pushed back from the monitor to turn towards Fritz and Natalie. "This is going to take a little longer than a while."

"What's wrong?" Natalie asked.

"It looks like each file's a different camera. And from the looks of that list and the fact they're not labelled, he's going to have his work cut out for him," Fritz said, leaning over Scott's shoulder.

"It's worse than that," Scott revealed. He had a strained little smile that was somewhere between cynical and comical. "Each of those files? Different cameras, but also different hours. Like, all of these are for midnight to one on a bunch of different cameras, and I can only guess from how they're set up that they're going to be the next to be deleted." Fritz's brows shot up in surprise. "I'll get started."

"Maybe we should take turns," Fritz offered.

"Sure, but I should be good for a while. I'm used to staring at a computer screen all day."

But before he could, there was a bump from somewhere behind them. Both looked back in tandem, as did Natalie, and listened as that bump turned into heavy footsteps up the nearby stairs.

"I've got this," Natalie assured. She walked over, trying to keep a cool demeanor while speedily walking, and opened the door. "False alarm! I have some technicians working on the computer in here!" she called down.

"What're they doing, beating it over the head?" Monty's rumbly voice answered.

"No, but if we end up losing this footage, I'm going to beat myself over the head," Natalie remarked.

She thought that would be enough to get rid of Monty, but he continued coming up and then boldly walked right through the office door. He spared an intimidating stare towards Fritz and the back of Scott's head. Scott tightened his shoulders and continuing to pretend that he was fully focused on work. Fritz raised a hand in greeting and, much to his surprise, Monty gave him a greeting or approving nod.

"What are you doing?" Natalie asked.

"I need to talk to you," Monty said. He turned to her, nearly towering over her, and lowered his voice. "It's about that guy who was in here last night. The one with the badge."

"Yeah?" she asked. He was very close. She didn't step back as she didn't want to seem intimidated, but Fritz was definitely uneasy with how close Monty was standing and watched closely.

"Said his name was Wight."

"That's him. Why?"

"Found out today that there's a guy in upper management named Wight too. The big fish in the little pond. Head honcho," Monty drawled, pulling down his sunglasses to peek over them. New ones, Natalie realized, with black and purple striped frames instead of the usual yellow ones.

"Yeah, and?" Natalie asked.

"And he ain't him."

"He's his son," she explained, trying to beat him to the assumed punch.

"I knew it," Monty growled. "That guy's got a lot of nerve throwing his weight around when the only reason he got this job is because his daddy gave it to him."

Natalie tried to not look relieved. "Bingo. That's also why he's head of security or whatever and yet I'm the one here every night."

"It's a real shame that they let this fly. You oughta go to some kinda workers bureau or a union. You got a union?" Monty asked. She shrugged. "Freddy's oughta get a union."

"Could the animatronics join the union?" Fritz dared to ask.

"You bet yer ass we're joining the union. We're the talent," Monty agreed. "I've got hit with so many golf clubs this week. Those kids may have bad aim when it comes to the ball, but they'll launch a metal stick halfway across the golf course."

Monty then proceeded to stand there for a long moment. Staring off at the wall for most of it with a distant look. Fritz and Natalie exchanged a look before the latter spoke.

"So… You want to hang out or…?"

"Right on," Monty agreed. He flipped back his sunglasses and stepped back to lean on the edge of the middle monitors, ignoring the buttons pressed underneath him and crossing his arms on his chest.

"Okay…" Natalie sighed and looked to Fritz who had a tense sort of smile.

Scott didn't even look; he just began to work and tried his hardest to ignore the literal gator in the room.

…

Freddy was a little confused when he saw Monty heading up after the group of workers. Though he was also a little glad to see him leave. With Roxanne at the raceway or salon and Chica likely at the cupcake shop or up in Mazercise, that meant Rockstar Row was empty, and he didn't have to be as careful hiding Foxy. Though he had been quickly brought up to speed on the fact that the two technicians coming here were actually affiliated with Foxy's.

He wasn't sure why they didn't just tell Officer Vanessa. He was sure she would understand that people could work at two locations. Perhaps it had something to do with this competition Foxy alluded to so frequently.

Freddy closed the curtains and turned away from the window. He smiled at Foxy who had settled in on the couch, with his arms crossed behind his head and his feet up on the table.

"The coast is clear, Captain!" Freddy announced. He came over to sit down on the couch beside him. "But it looks like we've been stranded on this little island."

"Marooned, Freddy. When ya be ditched by yer crew, ya be marooned," Foxy corrected. "Where's Gregory?"

"I have not seen him yet, but I suppose that is due to Vanessa and the technicians being out. In which case, he is likely over in Kids Cove."

"Prob'ly with Mari by now," Foxy agreed. He cocked his head towards Freddy. "What's the plan til then?"

"We are in for quite a night!... But first, may I… shoot the breeze with you?"

"Shoot whatever you'd like, Freddy. Just don't be surprised when I return fire."

Freddy chuckled but seemed hesitant. Perhaps shooting the breeze in an uncomfortable direction if his wording was any indication. Foxy took notice. "What's on yer mind, Freddy?"

"Well… Last night when Mari was climbing inside my stomach hatch, he said something surprising. Something that I have been thinking a lot about."

"He what?" Foxy asked deadpan. He shook it off quickly. "Err, forget it. Keep goin', keep goin'." He could always ask Marionette about it later.

"He was facing his fear, and he did an excellent job!" Freddy proudly proclaimed.

"Good on him! Might'a not told me on account of all that was goin' on last night. Less he was afraid I was gonna pull the whole protective big brother thing," Foxy said with a chuckle.

"I thought you liked playing that role," Freddy said, nudging him with a bump of his elbow. Enough to cause Foxy to slide over a little.

"Eh, most of the time. When I ain't shovin' a peg leg down me gullet," Foxy answered.

"Well, he did very well… But while he was doing so, he said something…"

Freddy's change in tone made Foxy straighten up. He leaned forward, arms resting on his knees, and looked to the bear attentively.

"What did he say?" he asked.

"He said that you and he used to be… human. Sunny as well," Freddy said.

Suddenly Foxy understood the 'startled' reaction and the continued hesitation.

"Aye, we were… But that don't change who I am now. That be a long time ago," he began to explain, becoming increasingly defensive until Freddy cut him off.

"No, I completely understand! That is not what bothers me. Surprises me, yes, but I do not mind it at all. You are still my friend… I just do not understand how it could possibly be. How a human can become an animatronic. How that is possible." Foxy cringed inwardly and prepared to give the majorly uncomfortable explanation of how it was when Freddy stopped him by continuing. "And if it is possible that… I too could have been human."

Foxy's ears perked up with interest. There was that broaching point he had never been able to truly reach. Freddy was willingly offering to talk about it.

"Might be," Foxy offered. "Ya said ya don't remember it."

"I do not. I think I would, wouldn't I?"

"Depends. I did, but I know a few that didn't. They just slowly got hunches and feelings until the memories crept back up… You been having any memories, Freddy?"

"Not really, but I have gotten feelings sometimes that something is not quite right with me. At first, I thought it was an error in my programming, perhaps caused by or caused by the same fault as my collapse on stage, but it has not gotten any better or worse, and it has not been flagging for maintenance. It is just a feeling, a feeling I cannot shake."

"Can you describe the feeling?"

"Confusion."

"Ah." Well, Foxy couldn't say that was out of character. "Let's see… Alright, what's the first thing ya remember? As far back as ye can recall."

"Hmm… I think I… I can remember the first time I was activated. It was not an intentional activation I do not believe, as I was wandering the Pizzaplex… I think I might have been in the hall leading into Rockstar Row. That was back before the door began getting stuck at night… On second thought, I hope I was not the reason the door is like that. I suppose I could have walked into it."

"Do you remember walking into it?"

"No, but I suppose I would not if I walked into it hard enough."

It was growing increasingly difficult to have this conversation with Freddy.

"Then what happened?" he asked.

"My friends came and found me. They led me back to my room and helped me into the recharge station… and that was it. I remember spotty memories after that, but the ones that were successfully banked were some time later. Nothing about being a human, so… perhaps I was not one?"

Freddy seemed almost hopeful. Was it that he was afraid to find out he was a human? Perhaps scared to find out that there was a whole life he left behind when becoming the face of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

He couldn't remember being a human at all. Not even a moment of it. Though instead of leading Foxy to the same assumption that Freddy had, he had more trouble believing that Freddy couldn't be a human to him being one.

"Maybe! Ya never know with these things. Won't change anything. Fer us, I mean," Foxy assured.

"I am glad to hear that," Freddy said. That sat there silently a moment. "…What were you like as a human, Foxy?"

"I'd tell ya, Freddy… But then I'd have to kill ya," the pirate replied. "Dead men tell no tales."

"I think that might break out no vandalization truce. I would have no choice but to retaliate by coming to your business and telling everyone about my extremely high score on Street Skate Superstar."

"…You got it higher?"

"I was expecting your arrival," Freddy challenged.

"Perhaps ye did. We'll see how prepared ye were," Foxy challenged with a dramatic flourish before standing from the couch and heading to the arcade machine, Freddy quick on his heels. "Brace yerself, Fazbear. Shoot at the breeze all ye like, the wind won't be in yer favor."

"We shall see," Freddy goaded. It sounded like he was feeling better.

And he was. For now, at least, Foxy had reassured him. Reminded him that at the end of the day he was Freddy Fazbear, even if that wasn't Foxy's intention.

But that was fine. Freddy Fazbear was the only role he knew how to play.

---

It had been only a few minutes into this partnership and Gregory was already realizing that working with Ennard was going to be much different than working with Freddy. When it came to Freddy, Gregory usually could work him into seeing things his way and he was just as willing to keeping a secret. Ennard was a little harder to convince.

"Can't we just go and do it and tell them when we get back?" Gregory asked.

"I find that honesty's the best policy. Less chance of it coming back to bite me," Ennard explained. He sauntered up to the propped open orange door leading into Sunny and Jake's room.

"But they're just going to try and stop us."

"Yeah, probably. I'll take that over everyone thinking I'm some sorta creep that snatched a child."

Gregory gave him a less than enthused look, pouting at the thought of the time they were going to waste getting out of here. He already only had a limited amount of time before Freddy showed up and the plan would likely be off.

Thankfully, Ennard failed to disappoint. He threw open the door and called in, "I'm taking the kid to go scare the daylights out of Chica! Be back whenever!" Then he shut it back and jauntily strode back down the hall. "Alright, let's move!"

Gregory decided to fight the urge to question it and instead turned around and began to walk alongside of Ennard. They almost got to the poster door when their way was suddenly blocked by Marionette appearing out of thin air.

"Whoa!" Gregory cried.

"Oh, hello. I was wondering when you'd show up," Ennard cheekily remarked.

Marionette didn't look quite so enthused. His mouth a tight line and his eyes curved in tiredness.

The door behind them also flew open and Sunny came storming out jingling all the way.

"Oh, no you aren't, Bucko!" he cried with an accusing finger. He then pointed that finger down at Gregory, smiling face staring down the other clown. "This child isn't going anywhere with you!"

"What happened to me being banned?" Gregory challenged as he crossed his arms.

"From the playground, and that doesn't include stranger danger EVER," Sunny denied with an 'x' of his arms. Ennard gave a dismissive sort of shrug back at him.

"Ennard, what are you planning?" Marionette asked.

"Exactly what I said! I'm pulling another 'chasing the robbers', only this time I don't have to hike halfway across town afterwards. Don't tell Scott, I'll break the news later," Ennard half-pleaded.

Marionette sighed and pinched his furrowed brow. Sort of a replacement for pinching the bridge of a nose he didn't have, but Ennard still caught the intention. The Puppet then dropped his arms to his side.

"Ennard, you know you can't do that," he said adamantly.

"Why not? Like the kid said, I'm just giving her a taste of her own medicine!"

"Because it's wrong. It's not our place to punish Chica. Specifically, because this is not our restaurant," he said. Punctuating the last part with a dramatic tilt of his head.

"Well, you know what I think is wrong?" Ennard asked. Something else edging into his voice and contrasting his sharp smile. "Harassing a kid. And not just this kid either. That kid in there, the one in the green jacket," he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. "Face it, Mari, she's a menace. I'll give her the benefit of giving us heck since we're not supposed to be in here, but him? He's made it pretty clear he's not leaving, and she's made it clear that she's not backing off."

"That is true, but-."

"And I seem to recall you having the same idea," Ennard pointed out. His voice becoming a little slyer as he did. "I don't care about Miss Bunny, but I'm sure Miss Wolf didn't appreciate you spooking her."

That was unfortunately true. Marionette had purposefully attempted to scare both Roxanne and Monty during that distraction for let Mike get Charlie and Jessica, and he still felt justified in doing so to save them… but he had definitely gone beyond what he needed to. He had gone out of his way to rile them a little more out of retaliation. He couldn't hold that against Ennard without holding it against himself. Not when Ennard's justification had a clear throughline.

"You know this could quickly get out of hand," the puppet reminded.

"Oh, this is already way out of hand, and I only just showed up," the clown retorted.

"What do you plan on doing?"

"I'm gonna corner her somewhere dark and dank and put on the whole hungry amalgam with double voices routine, and somewhere in there I'm gonna throw in a moral about how she treats children. I'll work out the details on the way."

Marionette looked seriously doubtful and so Ennard laid a hand on his shoulder. His voice quieting.

"Mari, I can do this! I'm great at this! This is the reason I've lived this long. You remember what I did to those guys who robbed Scott, and you know how scary I can be. And when it comes to animatronics who are all put together, I'm practically a zombie. She's not even going to have the faintest clue of what I am!"

"Now that part's true, because I have no idea what you're supposed to be," Sunny murmured.

"Let me just try. Worst case scenario it doesn't work because she can tell on me all she wants. If they didn't believe her about Charlie, you know they won't believe her about me," Ennard assured.

Marionette wasn't sure about this. Agreeing to this was like signing a contract with Freddy's; it was only a matter of time until something went wrong and then it was going to all fall on him for not reading the fine print. He briefly glanced to the side at Gregory who was also awaiting an answer, and his eyes magnetized directly onto that bruise.

That bruise. The only physical mark left of what Chica put Gregory through. He had seen Sunny juggle Gregory around, knew Freddy toted him around in his metal canister of a belly, and yet this was what left any sort of mark. Chica's tight grip as she dragged Gregory up a flight of stairs. Perhaps fueled by anger at having to chase him around, or perhaps unable to recognize her strength. If she even cared.

That bruise. How Chica tore out his little home as Marionette watched. How desperate she was to find this child. Maybe she was a good person deep down, she probably wasn't genuinely evil, but she was definitely out of control.

"…Alright."

"What?!" Sunny blurted out.

"I'm tired of sitting around waiting for problems to go away. Ennard, if you think you can scare her straight then go for it," Marionette agreed. He looked back to Ennard with alit pupils and a warning look. "But keep in mind that if anything goes wrong, that's on you."

"Got it!"

"And don't hurt her."

"I won't!" Ennard now spun around and pointed towards Sunny. "What about you?"

"Wh-What about me?" Sunny asked uneasily.

"You're one of her friends?"

"I-I would hardly call us friends! More like…. Coworkers! Coworkers who work on whole different sides of the world," the Sun explained.

"Eh, close enough. Close enough to tell me if I'm stepping over the line. I want your say before I do something crazy like spook your friend," Ennard explained.

Sunny was startled by the suggestion on its own, let alone being put on the spot. He tapped his fingers anxiously.

"Erm, well. I… I think Chica has been absolutely and positively out of line! Chasing children? Nope, nope, we do NOT do that here! And in Kids Cove? The daycare? This is a safe space for children! Or its supposed to be, but now with that Vanny and Chica acting like such a-!" He gave a frustrated huff. "And I like Chica! She's-!... Well, she's better than Monty by far, and she's not nearly as, ugh, rude as Roxy can be. She can say mean things when she's grumpy."

Sunny continued to prattle for a few moments, fussing and tugging on the ribbons around his wrists, before finally falling silent for a long moment. Ennard patiently waited but looked to him expectantly.

"…You're not going to eat her, are you?" Sunny asked suspiciously. "You seem awfully excited."

"I love getting this close to getting caught," Ennard clarified, pinching his fingers together. "But no! I only eat wires when I'm running low, and even then, I don't eat 'em out of living animatronics! Maybe a long time ago when I first woke up, when I was desperate and confused, but I've gotten my act together. Ask this guy, he had to deal with me at my worst," he said, turning to reach back and put his hand on Marionette's shoulder again.

"Ngh…" Sunny seemed on the fence before he looked down at Gregory. Marionette wasn't sure if he was looking at the bruise too, but something suddenly changed in his demeanor. His hands, rubbing worriedly together, slowly lowered and stilled. His white eyes began to turn a blue before flicking back to white as he snapped his head forward. "You know what? You're right, Mari. Someone reeeaally should do something about herrr."

Gregory looked up uneasily at that change in voice at the end. Only to suddenly have those large hands plop on his shoulders and pull him aside and back against his puffy pants.

"But Sunspot stays with me!" Sunny insisted.

"Yes, he really should," Marionette agreed.

"We can do that," Ennard also agreed.

"What?!" Gregory sputtered in disbelief. "No way! I want to help! He needs my help!"

"You want to be part of a possible crime, hmm?" Sunny disapprovingly questioned.

"Freddy says the only crime here is the price of the hamburgers," the boy retorted.

"We should really serve burgers at the pizzeria. We could call them Pirate Patties," Marionette murmured to Ennard.

"Great name, but I thought you guys were more of a fish place," Ennard whispered back.

"Not really. The tuna and anchovy pizza is more of a novelty."

All the while they were having the conversation Gregory and Sunny were still going off a few feet away.

An argument that was abruptly shortened by one exchange.

"Do you know how many rules you'll be breaking? This is much worse than sneaking around here after closing! Tampering with mascots are grounds for an immediate lifelong ban from the Pizzaplex! And you better believe-."

"Stop pretending like you care! The only reason you're not just throwing me out like you did that first time is because of Jake! Or Freddy! Or- Or because you're programmed to or something!" Gregory accused.

Sunny was startled. His points retracting showed as much. He sputtered and fumbled over his words. "Th-Th-That's not true! I'm- I don't act- I'm not programmed- I'm not some kind of-?!"

But Gregory had already turned his head away defiantly and Sunny's pointed popped back out with an impatient huff.

"Oh, so now you're going to pout, hmm? Well, fine! You want to go so bad? Go ahead!" Sunny turned away, crossing his arms, and tilting up his head. "But don't expect ME to come after you!"

"Good! I don't want you to!" Gregory exclaimed.

"Well, I won't!"

"Fine by me!"

"Good! I'm glad!"

"So, he's coming or what?" Ennard interjected. Knowing what the answer was and simply asking to break up the back and forth.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Gregory grumbled.

He walked over to Ennard who waved back towards Sunny. "I'll keep an eye on him! Maybe even two!"

Sunny grumbled something. His arms still crossed but now watching Gregory walk off with Ennard.

"Remember what we talked about. If things get too intense then please come back here and call the whole thing off," Marionette insisted as he passed by. He reached down and patted Gregory's head as they passed. "Be careful."

"We will, I will, and no problem!" Ennard agreed. Then he and Gregory headed down the hall and out the door.

Sunny was still riled up when Marionette stopped alongside him and gestured towards the door.

"You go ahead. I need to stew," the Sun said. Sympathetic, Marionette nodded and continued inside. He held the door momentarily before letting it shut behind him.

Charlie and Baby were waiting for him inside. Both noticing that Ennard hadn't followed from how they glanced towards the door, one after another.

"I guess you couldn't talk him out of it?" Charlie asked.

"Well… It's more like he talked me into it," Marionette admitted with a sheepish smile. To while Charlie looked less than amused.

"He'll be fine. As terribly dumb of a decision this is, Ennard knows how to handle himself," Baby flatly added. "…Though I do wish he would've consulted with me first."

"Maybe he does, but… Chica's going to tell on him. You know that, right?" Charlie asked Marionette specifically. "She made a huge deal about seeing me. She's not going to keep quiet about him. Especially if he scares her."

"I know, but nobody believed her then and hopefully nobody believes her now," he said.

Jake, who was standing by the worktable, chimed in to ask, "Was Sunny going with them?"

"No, he's out in the hallway cooling off. He and Gregory got into a little spat."

"Yes, we heard," Baby agreed.

"Huh…" Jake said suspiciously.

He looked over towards the balcony then walked over. While the puppets and clown continued speaking, he climbed up the ladder and stepped out beside the curtain to peek out. He didn't interject again for a few more minutes.

Until he did.

"Uh oh…" Jake said as he watched Ennard and Gregory make their way out. "We already have a problem."

"What?" Charlie asked.

"Sunny's not with them," Jake said. He turned around, gestured his arms out, and gave a rather foreboding, "And he's not here."

"But Mari just said he was…" Charlie trailed off at the squeak of the door and looked back to see Marionette opening it to reveal an empty hallway. "…Never mind."

Marionette looked back towards Jake. "How big of a problem is this?"

"Not too big, and not ours. Not unless Sunny brings someone back with him," Jake remarked. He started to climb back down the ladder. "I'll get on the cams."

"Well, this should be a very interesting evening," Marionette quipped as he headed over to join him. Charlie following as well, leading Baby by the hand who pushed forward with her skate before letting the puppet guide her coast.

"That's a nice way of saying it's on its way to disaster,"Baby remarked. Though her tone was light, betraying that she wasn't quite so concerned. Ennard could handle himself.

Whether or not he could handle a chicken, a child, and another clown was another thing altogether.

Speaking of which, Ennard led Gregory out into the fountain lobby outside of the daycare. He let the door open and edged out first to make sure they were alone, then deemed it safe and beckoned Gregory to follow.

"Oookay, so here's my idea," Ennard started to explain. Clasping his hands excitedly as he looked around the lobby, particularly studying the recharge station before turning to face Gregory. "We get Chica alone somewhere dark and dank. The closer to sewer conditions the better. There's nothing scarier to a robot than one wrong step leading to a short-circuit. Then I get into character, spook the chicken, and we- urk!"

Ennard looked at Gregory and was suddenly hit by a repulsive sensation that ran through his wires. A sickening tightening and blurry fuzz through his head, like he was raring to do something. A compulsion tugging at his servos and asking him to do something, and he had a bad feeling he knew what it was that it was trying to coax him to do. It might've been dull enough to control, but it was a yank of programming nonetheless.

He hadn't expected it after standing in the hallway alone with him, but apparently it was aware and waiting until they were truly alone.

"What's up?" Gregory asked. He furrowed his brows at the weird stare that took the clown's face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"HA HA! Sorry, I- I just- oof!" Ennard sputtered and stalled as he tried to recover. "Sor-Sorry! I've got this- I get bugged out sometimes. I'm not staring at you, I'm kinda staring through you. Don't worry about it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Posi-tive~!" He gave as much of a winning grin as he could and fought back the sensation to feign normalcy. "S-So, l-let's get to that plan!"

"Right!"

"I-I noticed the kitchen is super dark and dank, a-and I heard Chica's got an appetite on her."

"She does. She'll eat anything, even if it's been in the garbage. Even if it IS garbage!... But she loves pizza. Last time Freddy and me made a pizza down there, she must've smelled it and came in and ate the whole thing. Maybe we could make a pizza and use that to trick her into coming going into the kitchen, then you can scare her."

"Th-That's the idea!" Ennard agreed.

Gregory lifted his Fazwatch and pressed the button. "Freddy? Are you there?"

"Gregory, hello! It is good to hear from you, Superstar," Freddy chirped back happily. "My apologies for not being out and about tonight. Vanessa has technicians working in the security room above Rockstar Row and with Foxy here I am somewhat stuck in my room… Oh! And Foxy is here! He would say hello, but my messaging system is internal. You will have to take my word for it."

"Tell him I said hi. Hey Freddy, what's Chica's favorite type of pizza?"

"Well, Chica enjoys all kinds of pizza. I cannot think of a topping or a style she does not like, but she tends to prefer pizza with a tomato base, extra cheese, and all of the available toppings. Why do you ask?"

"I… So, Chica's been hanging out around Kids Cove a lot… Sooo, I thought maybe if we made her favorite pizza, maybe that would distract her enough that she'd leave," Gregory vaguely explained. Freddy seemed to buy it anyways.

"That is an excellent idea! And I am sure Chica would appreciate it too!... Has she been… giving you trouble tonight?" Freddy's voice became more concerned. "I am aware that you… tend to use Kids Cove as a hiding spot on nights you are here."

"She's just being a pain, but what else is new?" Gregory grumbled. "…Oh! And I met more of Mari's friends. I'm hanging out with Ennard." He held out his wristwatch towards Ennard, who leaned in.

"Hey-hey, Freddy!" Ennard greeted.

"Well, hello! It is a pleasure to meet you! Foxy has said very nice things about you."

Ennard was baffled by that.

"Is it true that you can jump car batteries with your bear hands?"

"That's right! But I don't know how he knows that," Ennard joked. He really didn't. Maybe Michael told him? Maybe Scott told someone. After all, he had seen it firsthand.

"That is quite a talent! And very useful, I know who to see if I need a quick charge," Freddy joked good naturedly. "I take it you two are in the daycare with Mari?"

"Yup!" Gregory said.

"Very good, you should be safe there. As soon as Vanessa finishes with the technicians, Foxy and I will come to meet you and we can try your pizza idea. Then perhaps we could play a game of Fazer Blast?" Freddy offered. "With Ennard and Mari too, of course. Perhaps we can even convince Sunny to join and have two full teams. It will be a blast! A Fazer Blast, that is."

Gregory fought the urge to roll his eyes at Freddy's leap for a pun. "Sounds good. See you later, Freddy."

"Be seeing ya, Freddy! Make sure to brace yourself!" Ennard joked.

"I will! Take care, Gregory. I will let you know when we are on our way."

"Got it." Gregory removed his finger from the button. "…We're still going right?"

"S-Sure thing! Unless you cha-ange your mind."

"No way," the boy said steadfast. He began to lead the way towards the security door.

…

"Gregory said hello! He is over in the daycare with Mari and Ennard, who I was also able to say hello to as well. You are right, he does sound a bit like Sunny. They could be brothers!" Freddy explained.

Foxy was currently hunched over the Street Skate Superstar arcade machine with his patch up and his eyes locked on. That was Freddy's biggest sign that he was getting ever closer to the most recent high score.

"What did I tell ya? Could've been separated at birth!" Foxy assured. Even though his only experience with Sunny's voice was secondhand accounts. "What're they up to?"

"They are over in the daycare right now. Gregory was asking about Chica's favorite kind of pizza. He had an idea to bake her favorite pizza to distract her. It is very clever!... But… I wish he did not have to do this," Freddy said defeatedly.

"She givin' him trouble again?"

"She had a hard day today. She was very excited to take up the place as secondary singer and now… It is unfortunate that it did not work in her favor," Freddy said sympathetically. "…But perhaps Gregory's plan is exactly what we need! It will distract her from him while also cheering her up with a freshly baked pizza. Nothing lifts her spirits more than a hot and cheesy slice of pizza!"

"Eh, I'm on board but we've seen her chew through a pizza in seconds flat. Might buy her some time walking down there, but unless she gets holed up in the lift, she ain't gonna be held off fer that long," Foxy pointed out.

Freddy hummed and tapped his chin. "That is a good point…" he said quietly. He continued trying to think.

Then something changed on his face. Foxy didn't notice because he was focused on the screen, but Freddy's deeply thoughtful look was replaced with one of realization, then softened with trepidation and somberness.

He stood there silently pondering something for a moment before closing his eyes once more.

…

Gregory and Ennard had just made it into the lobby, intending to take that way into the atrium to avoid Chica, when he was startled by a voice unexpectedly coming from his Fazwatch.

"Gregory, I was just thinking… Foxy brought up a good point about how a pizza alone may not be enough to distract Chica. It might not be enough to even coax her away unless we get it close to here. Which we can, but that would defeat the purpose of getting her away from Kids Cove. However, there may be something else that we can use as a distraction. Something that would surely keep her occupied…"

"Great! What is it?" Gregory asked.

"Monty Mystery Mix."

"What's that?" Gregory asked. He really hoped it didn't require him going back into Monty Golf.

"Monty's Mystery Mix is a retired syrup used for slushes. It had to be discontinued only a few days into opening both because of the poor reception to the mysterious flavor and Chica's reaction to it. Chica liked it a little too much. They could not stop her from going around the counters to get a taste and decided it was simply not worth selling under such conditions. The leftovers had to be hidden so she would not find them. They are up in… the bowling alley. In the backroom."

"You think that stuff'll distract her better?" Gregory asked. He looked to Ennard to make sure he was listening, to which he was.

"I am certain it will. However, it is too dangerous for you to go up there alone. I… I will take you there… Later. Once I can leave my room."

There was something strange about Freddy's voice. He seemed seriously hesitant about the idea, which should've made Gregory nervous if not for it being his ticket to a Chica-free future.

"Okay. Thanks, Freddy!" Gregory thanked.

"It is no problem, Superstar. I will be seeing you soon!"

With that the exchange was over.

"So, it's called Monty Mystery Mix and it's up in the bowling alley. Let's go."

"U-Up to Bonnie Bowl? Or Bunnie Bowl?" Ennard asked.

"Well, yeah? Where else?"

"Well, here's an idea," Ennard suggested, lifting his index fingers. "How about we try the pizza thing annnn-d if it doesn't work then we'll go up to bunny th-themed bowling alley?"

"Why? Are you scared?" Gregory asked with a quirk of his brow.

"The word 'dangerous' kinda makes me nervous, yeah," Ennard said. The boy didn't seem impressed by the idea. "Okay, okay. W-We'll get the stuff. You want to wait here while I go get it? I can go get it fast, you can wait here. All good."

"No, I want to see what the bowling alley looks like. I know Freddy likes bowling because he has bowling balls and pins and stuff, but he never offers to go up there."

Ennard sighed and gave a defeated, "Then let's get this over with…" He dragged himself into the elevator, only to turn around and point towards Gregory. "B-But if there's some crrrazy bunny mascot running around up there, kid… I'm gonna thank you. Bec-Because if it's the one I'm thinking of, ha ha, that's going to make my job a LOT easier."

It didn't take a genius to understand that he was referencing Vanny. The mention of her was the only thing to make him second-guess this decision, but he followed the clown in, and they headed into the atrium.

There wasn't a Staff Bot blocking the bowling alley like they usually guarded the attractions. Gregory could only guess that it was the same reason that there were so few Staff Bots out, because of the incident earlier. He wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and the two walked through the unguarded doors and into the bowling alley proper.

The entrance lobby to the bowling alley was rather typical to what he expected. There were a few glass cases displaying bowling balls and trophies, and other memorabilia that might be purchasable somewhere in the establishment. The walls were a teal green on the top and an orange-red brick along the bottom, with a high ceiling dotted with artificial stars. Up on the left wall was a red, orange, yellow, and blue sign that read out "Bowl". On the right, star decorations.

The mascot, painted on the inside as it had been on the outside, looked to be a calico bunny. Ennard specifically noticed that it seemed to be a poor job, with the pupils being uncentered and the proportions being slightly off. Probably a rush job done by a single person, and for that he was sympathetic.

"I-Is that what Vannny looks like, kiddo?" Ennard asked. Gregory looked up at it.

"Not really. The eyes are red, not pink, and she's all white. It kind of looks like the Easter Bunny on that commercial with the peanut butter cups."

"I'll be darned, you're right," the clown realized. He squinted at the image before snickering. "I can't believe that! Th-They were worried about a lawsuit with Bon-ngh-nnie, so they ripped off the Cus-Custard Crème Bunny!"

"Who's Bonnie?"

"Eh, old news. Old character from Freddy's. No big deal," Ennard shrugged off. He then continued ahead, eyes lighting up curiously, and literally, as he wondered what else lay ahead.

There was a security door with bowling pins on them in front of them while a hallway led to the left down towards some bathrooms and couches. They continued through the security door into a small arcade and through that into the bowling alley proper, and it was quite a sight. The room dropped down into the long bowling lanes, illuminated by the neon glow and star shaped lights on the ceiling above. Screens above the allies either showing scorecards or adds.

Against the far-left wall was what looked to be a diner. Or more specifically, a snack bar styled like a diner. Though the most impressive part of the room was on their right, and what Ennard spotted right away.

"Would you look at this?!" Ennard exclaimed as he made a beeline for a wall of windows. He looked down through them and grinned with excitement. "Take a look at that view!"

The windows didn't look outside, but out over a large go-kart track. A line of snack bars beneath them, a mountain of bleachers against the opposite wall of the auditorium, and an even bigger mural of Roxanne Wolf waving two racing flags staring over all of it.

"That's Roxy Raceway! It looks huge!" Gregory said in surprise. It was just as amazing as the ads spread around made it out to be.

"It IS huge! Forget laser tag, we should go goof off down there! Look, they've got the karts out and everything!" Ennard pointed out, tapping on the window. After a little longer of looking he finally pushed back from the window. "How in the heck did they pull off building a whole racetrack in here? It's crazy!"

"I know," Gregory agreed. He was distracted though, looking down at Roxy Raceway with wide eyes and not seeing it as a place to hang out, but instead a place to hide away. He could probably lose Roxanne easily in a place like that, and there had to be tons of food sitting around in the concession stands.

"C'mon, kiddo. I- I don't want you getting too far away in case there's some-someone else up here," Ennard coaxed. Gregory pulled his face from the window and followed him.

They made their way over in the direction of the dining area.

And that's when Ennard saw it. Something that made him stop in his track. Something standing behind the counter.

"Oh no…" he drew out. Hissing lowly through his teeth, sympathetically and worriedly.

"What? The Staff Bot? I don't think it's going to stop us," Gregory pointed out.

"Nah, not that. But yeah, that," Ennard murmured.

No, it wasn't the Staff Bot itself, but the particular design that it had. It may have shared the same shape of any other Staff Bot, but it shared the colors and pigtails of something else entirely.

In short, it looked like Circus Baby. An orange and red colored Staff Bot with high orange pigtails styled in in the shape of Circus Baby, a character who Fazbear Entertainment may or may not have owned.

It looked like Baby's worries weren't unjustified after all.

"N-No problem! Just, uh… Don't tell Baby about this, m'kay?" Ennard asked.

"Why?"

"Long story," the clown dismissed with a wave. He started down the counter towards the door that would lead around back. His eyes settling on a stage at the end of the line. "Weellll, there's something."

It was a small stage set with a red curtain and closed attraction sign posted in front of it. It was about the size of Marionette's stage from Foxy's, only big enough to serve those who would be seated at the counter or in the diner booths. Curiously, cautiously, Ennard listened in for any signs of movement and, when he got none, he slipped his fingers in and drew open the curtain. Alas, there was nothing inside.

"Huh… Well, guess we can confirm that something was up here. Or is up here. Cre-reeping around," Ennard said as he looked back to Gregory. "…Yeeah, so stay close."

Gregory nodded and then took the lead to sneak behind the counter and towards the door behind it, being the only door that led to anything that looked like a 'backroom'. He expected the Staff Bots to try and stop him, and though one watched them go through it didn't do anything. Ennard followed close as they stepped into a chilly hallway. To the left were some mini-freezers and supplies while the right direction led off somewhere, so they stuck to the left.

And it didn't take them long to spot something of interest.

"Is that it?" Gregory asked. He pointed to a box on top of the freezer.

It was a carboard box with the Pizzaplex logo on the side and a section cut out of the side and top. Inside of the cardboard box was a large plastic sack with a little spout attached to it. It was filled with a noxious green syrupy mixture.

"S-Sure looks like it!" Ennard said. He easily hoisted up the box and set it on one on the floor so Gregory could see it. The boy reached out and poked at it. It was like plastic covered jelly.

"What do you think it tastes like?" he asked. A slight wrinkling of his nose signaling that he wasn't curious enough to try for himself. Ennard on the other hand-.

"Here, lemme take a taste," Ennard volunteered. He pulled off his glove and stuck his finger under the spout, drizzling some of the green syrup on the edge of it. It had the texture of maple syrup or liquid candy.

"P-Probably lime or maybe like a sour fruity taste," he guessed.

He brought his finger up and slid a wire tongue out to lick the substance off. He took in the taste, rubbing his slightly sticky finger and thumb together as he did, humming.

"…Nope! Tastes like pizza. That'd be one rancid slush right there!" he said.

"Eww," Gregory agreed.

"It's not that bad! It's just kinda… funky," Ennard said. He licked his finger again to rub off as much stickiness as he could before slipping on his glove. "Alright, K-Kiddo! We're off!" He directed, hoisting up the cardboard box.

Gregory nodded and checked his watch, and then nearly did a double take at the time before groaning.

"What?"

"It's that stupid hourly recharge thing. In three minutes, all the lights are going to go out and the elevators won't work," Gregory explained.

"Ha, well we're not st-sticking around for that! Let's go!" Ennard said. He then turned on his heel and began to hustle down the hallway. Less afraid of the lights going out and more of what the lights being out might do to him.

Unfortunately, time was not on his side. Ennard knew he wasn't about to make it across the bowling alley in three minutes unless he jumped the counter and bolted, but he couldn't risk losing the child he was escorting. So, they only made it around the counter and halfway back towards the arcade when the lights suddenly died. The neon lights died on a dime and left them in pitch blackness. Gregory pressed at his watch to make it light up, but it still wasn't much.

Ennard went rigid as he waited for the worse, but thankfully nothing changed. That dull buzz was still there, but the lights going out hadn't effected his handle on it. For that he relaxed a little bit, though stayed on guard.

He felt like he was being watched. He decided to keep his cool for Gregory's sake.

"Heh, uh, well this is… spooky," he said.

"Yeah… It's pretty dark…" Gregory agreed. "…You're not scared of the dark, right?"

"Me? Nah! As a matter of fact, I can see in the dark! But, umm, not as good as I see in the light."

"Can you make your eyes glow like Freddy's?" Gregory asked hopefully.

"Ehh, kinda." Ennard looked down at the boy standing beside him and pointed at his eyes. Sure enough, they were illuminated in blue and yellow, but it was a dull glassy glow. "D'you know what the word autonomic means?"

"No?"

"It's like breathing and blinking, it just kinda happens and you don't really control it," Ennard explained.

"Oh… Neat! Can you do that when you're scaring Chica? Or try?"

"I can try!" the clown agreed.

It was painfully awkward. At least it felt like that for Ennard, who was much too aware of his behavior. Though it was hard not to be when standing in a dead silent room. Well, not entirely silent, that was. He could hear some distant groans and echoes through the walls, which he could only help wasn't coming from the structure itself.

There was also this faint ticking noise. He had noticed it earlier too but assumed it was coming from the Staff Bots, who had gone prone at the counter. He looked back towards them.

There was a lowered ceiling that sat like a roof over the diner's counter. There he saw a white face staring back at him surrounded in a cloudy blue hue. A blue hue that turned out to be the glow from its body once he realized what he was looking at. Which wasn't hard when he recognized the face, then the gangly limbs bent around it, and realized that he was staring at the Sun's other half, Moon. He recognized him from the pictures.

"Ha ha, well hey diddle diddle, Mister Moon! Fancy seeing you up here! Or hearing you," Ennard greeted him.

Moon hunched back like a frightened spider until Gregory spin around and spotted him. Then he quickly took a casual pose, propping his glowing face in his hands. Gregory gave a grumpy frown.

"What happened to 'don't expect me to come after you'?" he challenged.

"Sunny is so easily swept up in his emotions," Moon rolled his words dismissively. "What happened to your little plan, hmm? This is faaaar, faaaar away from Kids Cove."

"Oh, we're just getting some bait," Ennard answered. He gave the cardboard box a hearty pat. "Nothing like a bag of pizza slime for the pretty Chica-dee."

Moon gave a disgusted noise at the sight of it. "Yes, the rejected Faz-flavor… You best be careful with that."

"No problem! This is stainproof," Ennard replied, tugging at his collar. "Even if it wasn't, how would you spot the stain?"

He was purposefully playing around, and Moon was aware of it. Not amused, but aware that his ignorance was an act.

"If you get aaaany of that on you, stains will be the leeeast of your problems," Moon warned with a roll of his face and a dark giggle.

"Aww, are you worrying about lil old me? Ha, I'm flattered! But no worries, Glowworm. This stuff's going straight on a pizza on a silver platter."

"That easy, is it?" Moon asked.

"The hardest part's going to be getting undressed," Ennard assured.

Moon cocked his head suddenly. Something Gregory almost did too as he looked up at him in befuddlement.

"Wait… You're going to take your clothes off?"

"That's the plan!"

"Uh, why?"

"Whyres."

Gregory furrows his brow harder and Ennard waved it off.

"It'll make sense later, just trust me on this. Way scarier under the suit," Ennard assured. Gregory looked him up and down, a little more doubtful than concerned, before deciding to take his word for it.

"Okay…" He looked up at Moon again. "You're not going to follow us down there, are you?" he asked accusatorily.

"I certainly could, couldn't I?" the Daycare Attendant teased. "…But no, no. I won't be a part of this- but certainly good luck to you both, hmm? You will need it, you will."

"Stop that. You're just trying to creep us out," Gregory said grumpily.

"Yeah, and we've already got Freddy telling us its dangerous and an empty stage over there," Ennard pointed out. "What's the story on that?"

"A tale of big business and small companies, and a past longed to be forgotten… and a lawsuit waiting to happen, a trademark of Freddy's. A story for another time, yes, but a story I am sure you and I both know well," Moon answered.

"I might need to hear that story. But first thing's first, we should probably skedaddle before Chica smells this stuff early and catches me with my pants on. You wanna come with us?"

As much as Ennard offered the notion with friendliness, it was also an attempt to get the programming monkey off of his back. Just having him here was already helping it ease up. Not that he was going to tell Gregory or Moon that.

Moon pondered it for a few seconds, rocking his face, and then crawled forward and hopped down from the ledge, landing easily on his feet.

"Perhaps I will," he agreed and slinked over. Gregory might've pouted at this, but Ennard was glad to hear it.

"Ha ha, great! Glad to have ya!" he greeted. He then turned back towards the direction of the arcade, which was now just a dark room- a stark change to the flashing lights and chiming music earlier.

He wondered how Scott was handling this. With his head clearer, it dawned on him that he wasn't the only one stuck in complete darkness. Scott handled the dark well enough, but the same couldn't be said for blackouts.

Ennard fished out his radio and clicked the button a few times on.

---

Searching through security footage hour-by-hour and camera-by-camera was tiring work but someone had to do it. That someone was Scott, and it meant that he didn't have to be one of the someones behind him who were currently chatting up Monty Gator like it was a completely normal occurrence, if only to keep him distracted and unsuspicious.

Though as uncomfortable as Scott had initially been, Monty seemed to be much more passive than everyone had let on. He wasn't nearly as talkative as he had initially made himself out to be. Or maybe just didn't feel like talking, instead simply listening in as Fritz and Natalie did. Occasionally chiming in with something. Sometimes just a "Rock on" or "Naw", sometimes a more substantial contribution, but this was a far cry from the aggressive bot Scott had been warning about.

Then again it was possible, neigh likely, that Monty was just so docile because there were three presumed workers in the room. He was probably programmed to have his behavior regulated around workers. It made just as much sense as anything else did in this place. Case in point, this egregious security system. It was almost like they didn't want anyone to find anything.

Actually, that would explain some things.

But before Scott could even consider voicing as such, which he likely wouldn't do with Monty in the room, the power suddenly died. Without warning, the whole room fell into darkness, the monitors went out, and a powering down noise echoed through the building around him. Scott's breath hitched as his heartrate began to increase before suddenly jumping into racing.

"There's the hourly recharge," Natalie sighed, squinting over at the clock on the wall. She looked back to nod and Monty, "You might want to get charged up before Moon starts prowling."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Monty said. Sunglasses still on, he began to walk through the darkness towards the door, only lit by Natalie's flashlight. As soon as he was out and could be heard walking away, Scott dared to speak up.

"Please- Please tell me there's like a-uh automatic save feature or something like that," he said pleadingly.

"There is, don't worry. Normally it just kicks back on where it was," Natalie assured.

Scott breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great news, because otherwise… yeah, I would've probably been doing all that over again. Just to find where I was," Scott admitted. He managed a dry chuckle and rubbed at his temples.

"Are you okay?" Fritz asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeeeeeah," Scott stretched out.

Deciding that the answer didn't sound sure enough, Fritz walked over and planted his hands on his shoulders. Giving them a reassuring squeeze and encountering tight resistance at his tense shoulders.

"It's just five minutes. No big deal, right? It's all good," he assured him.

"Yeah," Scott said with another empty chuckle. Now pulling off his glasses to rub a hand down his face. "Heh, just like the good old days. At least- except we're not getting paid, and we're not in that much danger… Yet."

"We don't get paid unless we're in danger," Fritz said.

"True. That's sort of the, uh… y'know, the trademark of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza."

"You know, I would've appreciated somebody telling me that before I signed up," Natalie said with exaggerated, pretend annoyance.

"We can't tell outsiders…" Fritz said cryptically. He turned back slowly and sent her a smile. "She's one of us now, isn't she, Scott?"

"Eggs."

"Actually, it's Steve. Nice to meet you."

Scott actually did laugh at that. A short one but a real one. It was just so much like the jokes Ennard constantly popped at him that it caught him off-guard. Fritz, proud at his work, patted his shoulders alternatingly.

Less than a minute later, they were interrupted by a clicking from Scott's coat. He hastily got out his radio and pressed the button.

"Ennard?"

"That's me! Is it safe to talk?" Ennard whispered back.

"It's all clear," Scott said with a smile. "And it's good to hear your voice."

"Then get ready for a whole lot of it, 'cause I've got plenty to spare! I do a mean 'dashing ringleader' impression, but you already knew that.~"

"Full disclosure, but Fritz is standing right behind me," he warned. Not necessarily telling him to stop but letting him know what he was getting into.

"He can take notes," Ennard joked. He snickered a little before adding on, "Sooo, how's it going? You get in?"

"We did, and you're going to get a real kick out of this. So, there's got to be hundreds of videos here, and you'd think there'd maybe be one for each camera? No, no. There's one for each hour of each camera, and they're not labeled."

"Ouch," Ennard sympathized. "They should be paying you for that." Scott snickered a little. "You already said that didn't you?" Ennard guessed, a grin in his voice.

"Something along those lines. How's your night been?"

"Great!"

"I can't tell if you use that sincerely or sarcastically," Scott teased.

"It can go either way- just like me! But you already knew that.~" If it was possible to hear a wink, Scott heard it.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." He was starting to get a little flustered- probably because Fritz was still stationed behind him- but he much preferred a flush of embarrassment to the chill of fear. "Seriously though, did you finally meet this Sun I've been hearing so much about?"

"Yeeees, I did! Matter of fact, I met the Moon too. He's been eyeing my suit since he showed up, so if I go missing you know who to look at," Ennard joked. Though then his voice became slightly more serious. "We also got a good look at Chica as she tore up Gregory's little hideout. She's something alright. Something awful."

"That bad?"

"Oh, much worse!"

"Well, try to steer clear of her. Maybe try to keep Baby away from her too."

"Funny you should say that! We were-."

That was exactly when the lights kicked back on. The office hummed back to life and Scott watched as the computer started booting back up in front of him, eventually coming back onto the same screen of files he had left it on. Fritz finally let him go but didn't go far, just walking back over to Natalie to give Scott slight privacy. Even though it was hard to not hear Ennard's voice over the receiver.

"There we go! To quote the big guy in the sky: let there be light! Ha, I half expected 'em to stay off. Things always break when I don't want 'em too."

"On the one night we're in here while there's a clock ticking down to footage deletion? Sounds about right… But then again if that happened, I'd be thinking it was sabotage. I'm already thinking this camera system is some kind of it," Scott murmured as he clicked onto and began to comb through the next video. He gave out a small hiss. "Yeah, I'm an hour ahead. That just wrote over the last hour."

"…Huh."

Scott noticed Ennard's pensive tone. "What?"

"Weird how it deleted all those videos when the power was supposed to be off. That much footage would've had to take at least a second or two, right? But it was already done when you booted up. Weird."

That was a little strange. Sure, it could've automatically done it while the power was shutting off and coming on, but that seemed awfully quick.

"…You know, everything didn't shut off," Scott said lowly. Even though Natalie and Fritz were the only ones in the room he kept his voice quiet, unsure if someone else would be listening and unsure if it was his paranoia or valid concern. "I could still hear the sounds of things running from somewhere and it kind of sounded like… I don't know, creaking? Did you hear that?"

"…Actually, I did. I thought it was just shoddy construction."

"Err, yeah. That's possible."

"But there was a dull sorta hum coming from somewhere… Something's still running even when the power's off. Or maybe the power isn't quite as 'off' as we think it is."

"You think?"

"I don't know. I notice the security doors stayed closed, but that's only a thing to notice if they didn't fix that major health hazard of having the doors swing open when the power dies."

Scott cracked a smile, but it was equally anxious as it was amused. He continued to work.

"I wouldn't put it past Fazbear Entertainment to think they're shutting everything down and miss something, but I also wouldn't put it past them to leave something on just because it would be harder to boot up later. Even if it defeats the whole purpose of cutting costs on electricity. Who knows… Anyway, what were you saying before about Baby?"

"What? Oh! Yeah, we ended up spotting Chica creeping on that kid again. Oh-ho boy, Baby must have a whole lotta restraint because she downright hates her! I'm not so fond of her myself."

Then Ennard went weirdly quiet. There was a long pause on the line. Initially, Scott thought maybe he got to a place where he couldn't speak and because of that he too remained quiet, waiting for whatever threat it was to pass. Silently worrying until the clown finally spoke up.

"Scott…" His voice was quieter, but not out of keeping his voice down to stay hidden. "I'm… I'm going to go scare Chica, so she'll leave that kid alone. He showed up with a bruise on his arm the size of Texas and she's tearing up his little hideout… I know I shouldn't be doing this because I know she's going to rat on me and I'm putting this whole thing in jeopardy, but I kind of feel like if I don't do something I'm going to kick myself later… and if I DO do something I'm still gonna kick myself."

"Oh…" Scott said. He wasn't expecting it, but he also wasn't surprised by it. He had known it was Chica that gave Charlie a hard time that night Baby was on the phone with her, but he didn't realize it was that serious.

Sort of like how that Moon character chased Charlie around and now they were on friendly terms, to the point that Ennard was chatting him up. Animatronics chasing animatronics just sort of happened. Sometimes they fought. In the case of Michael, he fought practically everyone at least once and they were now all on good terms.

It was different when there was a child involved. Especially when that child had bruises. Where were they, on his face? Because Ennard must've easily seen them. He saw Monty, animatronics this large could severely injure a child with one hit.

That instantly dredged up distressing memories of Funtime Freddy. The oversized bear animatronic slumped innocuously in a garage, bent on inflicting pain for no reason except it wanted to. Except that it was made too.

All of these animatronics were built like Will's and Will always built to inflict pain.

"Scott…?"

"I'm here, sorry. I was just… thinking about things," Scott said. He rubbed at his temple absentmindedly as he tried to think about this clearly and logically.

"I swear I'm not going to hurt her or anything, no funny business. I already told Mari and he went along with it after a little cajoling. Pretty much because the kid was on board with it. He's a feisty little sport."

"I'm standing right here," a child's voice could be heard in the background. Something that immediately had Scott gritting his teeth because that was clearly a child. Ennard had a tendency to call everyone younger than him 'kid' or some variation of it. No, this was a little boy.

"But it's… it's your call. You're my better half and all. I sort of just jump into this stuff without really thinking it through and IIII… am asking you what you want me to do, and I'll do it."

Scott knew he would. He knew he could tell Ennard no right then and he would stop. Just from the remorse in his voice he knew Ennard would.

Because there was a huge difference between chasing down a couple of robbers and confronting Chica. In fact, the only similarity was the risk in getting caught, but unlike with the robbers where the authorities didn't care to get involved, a company like this might start poking around if it gets out that some clown shaped endoskeleton spooked one of their intelligent animatronic mascots and ran off. In this case the robots were capable of and expected to talk back.

Fazbear Entertainment might've not been the same beast it used to be- that is, no longer constantly in the grip of William Afton- but from all of these cut corners and safety concerns, along with their attempts to discredit past employees and the losses of numerous missing children, showed that they were still just as ruthless as they ever were. It had little to do with morality at this point, but more the risk versus the outcome.

As angry as it made Scott to think that Fazbear Entertainment was getting away with having their animatronics run loose attacking guests…

…

…Forget it.

Forget Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex. Screw Afton's design. Ennard knew what he was doing, and he could do what he wanted, and Scott wasn't going to stop him. Scott didn't want to stop him.

"Ennard, I'm more afraid of you getting yourself hurt to you hurting someone else. I know you wouldn't do that. Not unless it was like, you know, another Funtime Freddy situation. In which case, yeah, you've got my full go-ahead," Scott said. His voice more certain, edged with the slightest tinge of bitterness.

"Right! Right, I know. That was, heh… That was a living nightmare," Ennard admitted. A tinge of nervousness to his voice. "And with Chica…?"

"Go ahead."

Ennard was shocked for the second time that night. He didn't actually think Scott would so willingly be on board.

"Just… be careful. I mean it, I'm much more afraid of you getting yourself hurt. I don't want these guys cornering and ganging up on you," Scott warned.

"Aww, have you been worrying about me?" Ennard asked with mild playfulness. There was a serious silence on the other end of the line. "…Wait, you really were? What did you think was gonna happen?"

"Well… I was expecting you'd try to come find me and all the animatronics would be here in Rockstar Row and they'd just… pounce."

"I wouldn't let that happen," Ennard assured. While there was some amusement on his voice, it was still softer and edged more towards serious. "You know I wouldn't. You come first hands down, but I can take care of myself."

"I know… But I don't trust this place to play fair."

"Sure, but I fight dirty, so it evens out."

Scott gave a light chuckle with a slight amount of force. Ennard sensed he was sort of humoring him, but he was just glad he was willing to do that all things considered.

"Well, when you're done call me and tell me if I have to come by and clean up," Scott joked back. Almost immediately he hit himself with the unintended implications. "I meant that as a play on words, not that I expect anything to happen."

"Nah, I get it! And I love you, Scott. I'm going to be fine, okay? You worry about yourself and that nine-to-five job you're working over there."

"I'll try to," Scott agreed. "But I mean it. Call me back when you're done."

"Sure thing, Chief!"

"And I love you too."

Ennard gave a happy little rumbly chuckle on the other side, one that always sent those little flitters through his stomach. Enough to ignore the sound of Gregory making a grossed-out noise in the background.

After little more than that and a soft, "Take care. Over and out," Scott reluctantly ended the radio call. He wasn't sure what he was feeling right now after all of that. It was enough to have him staring silently at the list of videos.

"Feeling better?" Fritz asked in a timely fashion.

Scott cleared his throat and gave a nod. "Much better, thanks." He scooted back forward and returned his fingers to the keys. "Back to work."

---

The pitter-patter of squeaky little sneakers on tiled floors was a dead giveaway that he had returned. Chica knew he would eventually. If he wasn't hiding out somewhere in this pirate-themed playground, then he was going to show back up at any time. Somehow, he had either heard her or was just trying to rush by, because all she heard was the soft patter of those feet as he made a run for it. Loud enough for her to follow right after him.

Behind the snack bar and to the service elevator that led down to the lower floor, to the kitchen, and stopped by its closed doors. She knew he was in there and gave an impatient little stomp of her foot before crossing her arms, shifting her hips, and tapping her fingers as she waited. She wasn't going to risk rushing off for another way down and risk losing him, not when she was this close.

After a ride down in the elevator, she sauntered out of the lift and listened for any sign of the boy. Though that sense was quickly overridden by another, her sense of smell. There was a familiar scent wafting in the air.

"Pizza?" she gasped in delight. Suddenly the need to find that child and take him to- take him to- take him to- didn't matter anymore, because that was fresh baked pizza and it smelled delicious.

There was something specifically in the scent that Chica recognized and yet couldn't put her finger on. It certainly smelled good though! So enticing, with a sharp tang of pizza on top of the melty cheese and sizzling meats.

In seconds Chica was practically running for the kitchen. She didn't even think twice about the child and instead barged through the double doors of the kitchen. Her eyes darted around the room, but she didn't have to look far to find what she was looking for. There, sitting out on a counter by the pizza oven, was a freshly made pizza. She eagerly hustled over, not noticing that the target she just lost was currently hiding under another counter and peeking out at her.

But if she had been thrilled before then that was nothing compared to when she actually saw the pizza itself, because there was something very special about it. It had all the normal toppings- sauce, cheese, meat, and not meat- but there was also an ingredient that stood out above all the rest. Largely because of its sharp green color and because it had been divvied out in little puddles across the pizza, making it even more noticeable.

She dipped a finger in and raised it to inspect it and gasped, pressing her other hand to her cheek.

"This is-!" Chica cut herself off with a squeal. Then she promptly began to shove the pizza into her beak. Frantically gorging herself, shoving the pieces into her beak and pushing them down into the abyss behind it.

She was restless, starving, insatiably filling what little emptiness where was inside of her shell with a mush of barely chewed pizza. Piece after piece pressed in, smearing green fluid reeking equally of pizza along her beak.

Somewhere in that frenzy she heard a squeak and still with a slice clamped in her beak she turned her head and caught the glimpse of a white face peeking out from the machine at the end of the line. It was only the faintest glimpse, not enough to see all of the details, but Chica filled them in quickly and had a hunch that she knew who she was looking at.

"Dolly? Is that you?" she cooed. Pressing the rest of the pizza piece into her mouth with her fingers and then doing her best to wipe off the sauce left behind. She began to walk over in a slow sway. "I'm sorry, was this yours? Ooor… was this a gift for me? That's so sweet! Well, now that we're friends, how about you come out of hiding, hmm? We can have a pizza party and talk about boys! What do you say?"

But Chica's tone left much to be desires. In the back of those sugary words was a bitter drawl, a threatening edge like a tightening noose. That kindly offered laid out slowly and methodically, like a line cast out in a pool of hungry fish.

She slowly looked around the corner, but she saw nothing there. She hummed again and was rewarded with a shuffling and squeaking further in the back of the room. She hustled into a jog to the back and came around the counter to catch a glimpse of something, then rushed back to the next aisle only to find nothing there. She began to walk down the aisle, her eyes narrowed as they scoured the bottom of the counter.

There was a clattering of plates near the front.

"Stop!" Chica called. She broke from a jog into a clumsy sprint and stumbled out in front of the counters again and looked around. Still nothing to see.

Chica hummed and slowly walked around the pizza oven.

"Don't be shy. You're not in trouble. I think you're just lonely, and that's okay! But I can't fix it unless you come out, come out," she said with a wink.

The animatronic didn't bite. Chica gave a disappointed little 'hmph' and continued down towards the remains of the pizza. While she hadn't given up her search on the doll or the boy, since she was here, she could grab another quick bite. She reached for the largest of the remaining slices.

A hand reached out from under the counter and clamped onto the end of the table.

"Bwack?!" Chica cried out in surprise and stumbled back.

In her place something climbed out from under the counter, contorting its body to fit through the cramped space. Its body a nest of wires tangled together in the vague form of limbs. A white face twisting around as its neck rotated and twisted along with its writhing structure. Another hand smacked onto the tilted floor and scratched its fingers down the surface, an endoskeleton hand weaved in wiring.

A bent leg slid out as it suddenly spiraled upright. It jerked and shuffled as its body parts reset into their assigned location. All the while its white face was aimed at her, its mask segmented into familiar plates. Its glassy eyes leering at her through the eye holes, twitching, adjusting, refocusing across her face. One of the plates over its jaw drifted back, revealing a metal mouth of needle teeth hiding underneath.

"L-Look a-at yy-oou…" the creature rattled out in a stuttering, garbled voice.

It took a lurching step forward and closed the gap between, plates clattering and wires shifting as it did. Its eyes scraping across her frame in sharp, jerky motions.

"S-So neeew. Fr-Freshh no r-ssst. Plaaastic shell. Want-t-t to ssss-ink my teethhh in-in-into that sssofft sshhh-sheelll."

Its needle teeth dragged together as it suddenly hunched in, limbs and head rolling as it stared her down.

"And tassste… yoour-r-r inSIdeS…"

"You're… You're-!" Chica sputtered. Her eyes were wide, and she was practically trembling.

"St-t-t-ARRvingg," the creature rumbled. Its wires sliding together as it readjusted upright. A faint glow taking its eyes.

Chica's hands raised to her mouth but stopped on their way. Her fingers tightening and clenching up.

"Y-You look- You look so- so- look so-…"

Chica was cut off by a noise that was something like a simulated gulp before her beak all but dropped open and the words spilled out.

"So good, so good, so good, so good, so good, so good."

The creature stilled. Its eyes had not released her, but all of its motions halted. Frozen like one of the statuesque endos crowding the basement.

"What?"

Chica slowly dropped her head as her eyes focused on the real source of her interest, his chest of tightly weaved wires. They moved so fluidly together. Tense now, perhaps, but smooth and silky, like the most polished of metal.

"Oh so, so good. Those… Wires, those wires look so good! Where- Wh-Where did you get those? Oh, so good, been looking so, so long and never saw something so good."

"Whhat are you t-tall-king about?" the creature asked. The increased corruption of its voice betraying its discomfort in what she was saying. Or even in the way she was looking at it.

"I've- I've been looking forever and ever forever for those wires and UGH! They are just so good- Never could find a proper replacement, but you have so, so many! I'm… I'm sure, sure you could spare… just a few…" Chica started to reach out.

"St-Stay back. Don't t-touch mee-e."

"Shh, shh, shh. No, no, it's- it's okay! Let's- eat- Let's just, just let me, let me have one bite. One bite! Just one bite, okay? One bite and I promise I won't tell anybody anyone you're here, I promise. One bite, one taste! And I'll let you go, and nobody will know, okay?" Any fear Chica was presumed to have had was long gone as she walked up on the amalgam with wild eyes and shrunken pupils. Her beak spreading wide in preparation of that one longed for taste.

"Get back. Now."

Chica stopped in her steps. There was a twitch of her eyelid as the partially uttered programmed phrase sunk in. Then the twitch stopped, and she was left standing there unmoving and unblinking. Her mouth still open wide, her shoulders slouched and hips shifted, and still staring at the amalgam who did not dare to move until it was clear that the command settled in.

But the more time passed without her doing as told, the more obvious it became that while the phrase had done something, it hadn't stopped her.

And before Ennard knew it, Chica lunged.

He smoothly dodged to the side, but she managed to still catch a hand on his shoulder and dig her fingers into the wires. She pulled at him with an unexpected strength and went to grab him with her other hand, but he caught it by the wrist and immediately applied a shock directly to it. One just strong enough to ward her off. Or that's what should've happened in theory, because instead the shock only landed on the casing and other than the smell of burning plastic, she was unfazed.

They began to struggle. Ennard trying to wedge his fingers through the casing, but the way she had her hand bent he was unable to reach, and he couldn't risk sliding his hand up or she could pull away. She was manic, continuing to shove herself at him and pin him into the counter. He managed to leverage her force against her and slipped aside, letting her fall into the counter instead. The pizza pan clattered to the floor, taking the last soggy pieces with it.

Chica pounced again and this time Ennard caught both arms in a way that he could hold them over her head and hold her back. She was still fighting with him, but then she also began to plead with him.

"Please, please, please! Just one bite! I need it! I feel so empty! So hungry!"

All the while her face held the same dead-to-the-world look it had since he had tried and failed to ward her off. He could only watch in aghast as what was clearly a breakdown of misaligned programming. He could probably shock her now if he pulled his arm back and moved quick, but he wasn't even sure if he should do that in this state. A hesitation he soon regretted when she flopped forward and bit the wires alongside his button.

He shoved her back so hard it shoved her to the ground, pulling his wires loose from their coiling but also from her dull beak. Any hope that this was going to snap her out of it fizzled out quickly as she started to get back up.

He could see Gregory climb out from under the counter behind her and run for the door where he started to call for help.

"Moondrop, are you here?! We need help! Chica's gone crazy!" Gregory called out.

But the person who answered his calls was not Moon.

Chica climbed to her feet, sliding slightly on the mess of green fluid and pizza remains left on the floor. Her chest craned forward and her eyes wide as she regained footing with a look both empty and full of hunger at the same time. She was about to lunge again. Ennard knew it and was bracing himself for her. She took a few clumsy, heavy steps towards him that were only stopped by a voice cutting through the kitchen.

"Don't you dare touch him."

And stop Chica did. As did Ennard- freezing up as he heard an unexpected voice from the kitchen door and looked past the stilled animatronic to see Baby standing in the doorway. Her holding the double doors open and shooting daggers at the back of Chica's head through her glowing green eyes.

"Ba-Baby!" Ennard cried in relief and immediate panic at what was about to transpire. "H-How did you find me?!"

"Sun gave away your little plan and I came to make sure nothing got out of hand," Baby said. She rolled in, shutting the double doors behind her. "I am glad to see my intuition still hasn't failed me."

Ennard detected that this could easily spiral out of control, especially with Gregory sneaking back in behind her. He tried to defuse the situation.

"Baby, I got this under control! Why don't you just-?"

"I… know… that… voice…"

The clarity in Chica's voice was alarming. Ennard looked back to her face to see her staring ahead with realization. Then she gasped loudly, so much so that it crackled at the edges if her voice, and of her upgraded voice box.

"What?" Baby asked in confusion.

Chica turned around slowly and stared at her. Her eyes narrowing as she looked her up and down before fully turning around. The look in her eyes showed recognition, Baby could tell that much.

"Do I know you?" she asked.

"It is you… Do you know me?" Chica repeated. Her hands tightened into fists and her body shifted and fidgeted like she was fighting herself. "Do you KNOW me?! You SHOULD know me! You ATE me!"

At that second not only did Baby realize who Chica was, but she was struck by a feeling of panic she had never felt before. Her hand clutching at her chest in alarm.

So many animatronic models looked the same and seldom was one a true successor of another. Yet here stood a pale Chica with pink accents, claiming to be one she had seen before. It couldn't be possible.

"What, don't recognize me?" Chica continued to goad. "I guess I did clean up pretty nicely after you totally trashed me!"

"You were… No, that can't be right. She… She wasn't alive, that Chica in the mall. You couldn't have been her. She showed no signs of life," Baby insisted.

"How could I show signs of life?! I couldn't move! I was all locked up!" Chica shrieked back. She stumbled a few steps forward. "You- You broke into MY place, knocked me down, tore open my chest, and ate my guts! And then- And then you just ran off on your merry way and left me there! On the floor, empty!"

"So, wait, you're Funtime Chica?!" Ennard realized. He put a hand to his head. "Oh, that explains a lot of this…"

Though Ennard's comment went ignored by the two currently staring each other down. Baby in a state of shock and if looks could kill then Chica would've struck her dead.

"I couldn't see you, I couldn't move, I couldn't stop you, but oh, I could feel! I felt every. Single. Wire you pulled out of me and shoved down your throat!" Chica continued to yell. A brief look of pain passed her face as she grabbed at her middle. Her fingers clawing at her exterior. "And now I'm empty… They filled be back up, I fill me up, over and over, and I'm STILL EMPTY! BECAUSE OF YOU!"

She pointed an accusatory finger at the clown who was still in a state of complete shock.

Back then Baby might've not cared much for those she used, but she had truly thought it was an empty machine. Though she might not noticed or cared that there could've been someone feeling what she was doing. Now with this new context she felt an unimaginable horror. Monstrous, it was a monstrous feeling.

She wasn't even sure how to respond, but she attempted to.

"I'm so terribly sorry. I… I can't imagine-."

"Whatever you're going to say, I don't want to hear it!" Chica shot down. A hand on her hip while she flicked her head away. Though that passionate pose devolved quickly, her body shaking and almost buckling in anger. "Who cares what you say? You did it! It doesn't change anything! And you- You CAN'T imagine it! You have no idea- NO IDEA!"

There was a long beat of silence. Baby didn't try to speak again. She had been rendered speechless.

Not Chica though, who suddenly snapped her eyes over. Then her head slowly followed to stare at the clown with a narrowed gaze. She looked over her body, took in her model, knew what she was made of, and came to one assumption.

"…Maybe you should."

With that threat the mood shifted instantly. The look in Chica's eyes changed as well, from raw anger to something much more insidious. Something empty.

"Wait. Let's not do anything rash," Baby said, trying to get a quick handle on the situation. "Ennard, stay back."

Ennard paused in mid-step and waited.

"I know what I did is terrible, and I can't change that, but I can make it right. I can get you more wires. The kind that I initially took from you," Baby attempted to barter.

"I don't want more wires! I want MY wires!" Chica cried. Stamping her foot like a child on the verge of a tantrum. She began to step towards Baby threateningly. "I bet you still have them, don't you? I bet they're still all coiled up your belly!"

"Ennard, stay back. I can handle this," Baby called past Chica towards Ennard. She made no motion of her own to retreat.

"Are you going to handle me like you did last time?! Huh?! Is that why you're here?! To handle me like last time?!" Chica yelled before unexpectedly rushing her and throwing herself at the clown. Baby didn't attempt to flee, instead bracing herself and taking the hit head-on.

There was a brief tussle, Chica swinging her arms and clawing at Baby's face and chest as the clown shielded herself with her claw. Bringing it up and down to knock into Chica's hands when they got too much of a grip. The chicken making increasingly frustrated cries as she failed to do any damage. Eventually she clocked the claw aside and grabbed Baby by the chest, trying to squeeze her fingers into her plates and pulling at them.

She didn't notice her fault until Baby swiped her claw in and closed it on her wrists. Not enough to break them, but enough to get a grip and pull them off, upward, causing Chica to stagger as she tried to pull against the vice grip.

"You have every right to be angry. But please, for both of our sake, don't give me a reason to defend myself," Baby said. Her voice shifting from apologetic to firm in a matter of seconds.

If anything, that just made Chica more defiant. She yanked her arms down, Baby's claw still locked on tight and pulling it with it, and unexpectedly kneed her in the belly. Clattering into the hinged pleats of her skirt and hitting with a thump.

Baby promptly uppercut Chica and it devolved into a brawl. The chicken twisting her arms free while the clown swung at her until the two were hurling blows and insults.

"Ugh, it just makes me- ugh- SICK looking at you and knowing- ngh- you took MY wires and stuck them in your gross… puppet mouth!"

"Such childish insults, how cute. Is this- mph- your first time?"

"No, I've seen trash before!"

"Perhaps in a mirror."

It was hard to count the blows and shoves when they were so fast and, to the watching eye, appeared to be doing no damage on either party. Baby wasn't fighting hard enough to damage Chica and Chica simply didn't have the means to severely damage Baby. Not when she was so capable of deflecting the hits.

Ennard didn't know what to do. He stood there hands out ready to intervene when he was needed but didn't know how he was supposed to do so. Ignoring that Baby told him not to, what could he do? He couldn't guarantee a shock on Chica- even if he did he would probably shock Baby too- and if he manhandled her he had a risk of breaking something. That was the risk, Ennard could break animatronics too easily and in this case he couldn't, not unless Baby was in real danger.

Meanwhile Gregory could only watch in shock as his plan continued to spiral out of control. Not only had they not scared Chica, but to him it looked like she was getting the upper hand, considering how offensively she was fighting. And now she knew he was here too and that he had been with them, and she was going to tell Freddy and he was going to take her side, and he was going to get kicked out of the Pizzaplex and back out into- He had to do something.

He had to do something, but he didn't know what. He couldn't distract them, he couldn't pull them apart, he could only watch as they continued to fight.

Right beside the trash compactor.

Gregory hadn't known what it was until Ennard told him. To him it just looked like an empty little room with a second room to the left with a bunch of trash bags shoved into it. It didn't smell that bad, maybe because the trash was all from that day. He pointed it out while Ennard was getting ready, and he explained what it was and what it did. Not that the title of a trash compactor needed too much explanation.

A big room made to smash up trash.

Maybe there was another way to stop Chica.

Gregory looked for a button to control it and saw nothing by the door, but when he followed a cord leading from it across the ceiling, he found it ending in a dangling button beside the counters. A button with a piece of tape on it that had the word 'Trash' written on it. He stared for a long second at that Freddy head button before another loud crash of metal on metal caused him to take the plunge and press the button.

"Push her in! Now!" Gregory yelled.

Chica's head snapped to him as Baby shifted to get her shoulder into position to shove Chica away from her. Chica's eyes widened as she turned back, and Baby pushed forward.

Only to have Chica's leg catch under hers and pull her rollerblade out from under her. In that second Chica all but rammed into Baby, throwing her off balance and causing her to fall directly into the trash compactor.

"NO!" Ennard cried and ran for her.

Chica turned to meet him, but he all but shoved her out of the way, to the ground in fact, ducked down, grabbing her around the thighs and all but threw her to the ground before throwing himself into the compactor.

It was already starting to lower, and Baby was struggling to get out, having started to tilt back into the garbage. She reached her claw desperately for Ennard, but he ignored it, instead choosing to grab up a metal bar off the ground and quickly wedging it up into the corner of the compactor. It managed to catch its weight. Or, more likely from the error noise from above, the compactor sensed the pressure the bar gave off and stopped its descent.

Then Ennard reached for Baby's claw and started to try and hoist her up. He didn't get far before Chica was on him again, but this time Ennard wasn't playing so nice. So, when she got her fingers into his wires and started pulling, he twisted his arm back and caught her by the neck before using the leverage shove her off and into the right edge of the compactor.

Unfortunately, this was what got Chica's eyes back on the bar holding the trash compactor up. She leaned in to reach for it, trying to grab it without putting herself inside. Seeing it as a last-ditch effort to finish this once and for all.

Gregory didn't see what she was doing, he just saw it as an opening. The only warning Chica had was a few rapid footsteps and she tried to turn back only to have Gregory shove her with all his might. Chica fell back into the corner of the trash compactor on her backside, falling into the pipe in the process and knocking it free.

Baby saw it. Ennard saw it, so he didn't see Baby's claw swing out until it hit him in the chest and knocked him back to the floor.

Gregory saw it all. He looked on with wide eyes filled with horror as Chica reached back for him.

Only to have the trash compactor fall and crush her beneath it.

Ennard let out an agonized shriek as he stared at the large crushing slab laying near flat with the floor. He was already bordering hysterical, on his knees clawing at his mask, and watching with abject terror as the slab began to raise.

Underneath it lay Chica. She was prone on her belly with her head turned to the side. Her shell was covered in thousands of cracks, like an eggshell cracked under the firm smack of a metal spoon. She had been entirely crushed.

Then there was Baby, laying back in the trash with her legs up towards the ceiling in the most ridiculous pose one could've imagine, but having just dodged being smashed. She dropped her legs, still bent so they wouldn't be under the compactor, and started upwards in just as much shock as everyone else.

"Oh, than-thank you, G-God! THANK YOU, GOD!" Ennard choked out. He started trying to lean back in for her. "Baby, we have to get you out-!"

When suddenly Gregory was grabbed by the leg.

He let out a yelp and tried to pull away, but she tugged roughly and pulled his leg out from under him. Gregory fell on his bottom before being pulled in close as Chica lifted her head with a metallic shriek.

Her voice now a sharp whirring of wet mechanical parts grinding together. Just as shrill and painful as her mishap on stage, but now much more terrifying as she stared up at him. Her face was a hideous mess of cracks showing into a dark hollow underneath. Her beak was barely staying on. He kicked at it, trying to get her off, but all it did was shove the beak deeper into the gaping cavity of her mouth.

The look in her eyes was nightmarish. It degraded her from the mascot he once knew to a crazed machine in a matter of seconds. It was like he was staring down at a monster.

Ennard looked back and didn't just see Chica, but the wall behind her starting to press in on them. Baby gasped, but not from the incoming wall, as Ennard looked back to find Baby sinking into the trash. He grabbed her by the claw and tried to hold on but the grip wasn't tight and the angle was all wrong, and Baby slipped from his hands before plummeting into the falling trash with a scream.

But there was no time to react. The wall was just about to crush them all and Ennard just barely scooped a hand backwards and caught Gregory's chest, pulling him with him out of the reach of the trash compactor. Chica was still holding on, arm still latched onto Gregory's leg.

"Getbackgetback-!" Ennard warned. He was cut off by the crunch of Chica's head getting caught between the wall and the edge.

She gave another mechanical wail that was cut of by a crunch as her head cracked under the pressure. Enough to dislodge her eyes from their sockets, leaving them sticking out unfocused as she crumpled to the floor after the wall began pulling back. But she didn't stay there long, soon starting to slide back into the same abyss that Baby had fallen down into. Her fingers still gripped tightly onto Gregory's leg.

Gregory yelped as he was smoothly dragged after her, only to be caught around the middle by Ennard and pulled back. This finally dislodged Chica's hold from her leg, and he watched as she disappeared down the garbage chute.

Finally, it was silent. But as he sat there in Ennard's grasp staring into the abyss, he knew it wouldn't last for long.

---

Middle of the story, we got all the past in view. Got to where living was something you'd do.
For the time.