Mable: Sorry about the delay! I hope you enjoy!
Going Home in a Box
Chapter Forty-Six
Charlie and Jeremy dragged themselves into the daycare and began the long hike up to the Daycare Attendant's room. Before they could even get there, they were met by the Nanny Bot outside the Fazbear Theater.
"Hey Jake," Charlie nonchalantly greeted.
The Nanny Bot waved and then followed along beside them. While the Staff Bot couldn't emote, it almost did so in a worried or fussy way. It brought a smile out of her.
Then again, he could've also been looking at the Minireenas. The only one who returned to the comfort of the jacket was Forget-Me-Not, who decided after he brief shake up that she liked the feeling of being cradled. Or perhaps decided she was simply done with the evening. Daisy and Rose sat on each shoulder respectively and were keeping a lookout. Daisy was eyeing the Nanny Bot with an intensity that wasn't typical with her.
The two made it into the cracked poster door and headed inside, with the Nanny Bot waiting outside the door behind them. By time they got down the hallway and through the second door, Jake was waiting for them, control panel in hand.
"Couldn't find them?" he asked.
"No, but we found something else," Charlie said cryptically. She leaned on the door to shut it behind them.
It didn't take too much perception to read that response and know something went sour. Jake didn't press her for answers yet, instead turning to Jeremy who still had his hands full.
"Who're these little guys?" he asked in a friendly way. Even though the dolls were now eyeing him.
"Daisy, Rose, and Forget-Me-Not's in the pouch. My girls," Jeremy introduced. He smiled a little and it seemed like he was doing a little better. Charlie hoped so, at least.
"They're pretty cute. Nice to meet you three too! I'm Jake," he introduced. "I've got an idea! Why don't you show them to Sunny? He could use a pick-me-up and it'll give me a minute to, uh… get up to speed on what's going on. I don't want to stress him out."
"Sure, I've been dying to meet him," Jeremy agreed. He scooted over and crouched in front of the open tunnel. "He's not going to be upset if I go in?"
"No more upset than he was when I came out," Jake answered.
Taking that as probably a 'no', Jeremy crawled into the tunnel. Taking care not to jostle Forget-Me-Not while Daisy and Rose hopped down to lead the way inside. Meanwhile, Jake turned back to Charlie.
"Let's go up on the balcony," he suggested. She looked a little surprised.
"Aren't you afraid someone'll see you?" she asked.
"Nah, not really. Not tonight," Jake said. He headed over to the little ladder that climbed up on the balcony stage. She followed him up the ladder and out onto the balcony.
The view was pretty impressive. It didn't look like it would be much seeing it from the floor, but from up here the room looked huge. The colorful playground stretched out beneath them. The stadium lights above keeping the room comfortably bright. A far cry from the cold, dark basement tunnels crossing the underside of the Pizzaplex.
Jake sat near the edge with one leg dangling off and the other, the endoskeleton one, bent and resting before him. Charlie sat alongside him and let both of hers hang. Far beneath her she could see the rainbow-colored moat of plastic balls.
"Did you see the endoskeletons down there?" Jake asked.
Charlie shook her head. "We didn't get that far."
"That's for the best. But if you need a description, try to imagine a metal frame in the shape of Freddy. They're pretty sturdy," Jake explained. "…You know, this leg didn't come off one of those endos." He tapped his leg.
"Where'd it come from then?" Charlie asked.
"It came off of the endo that we were sharing before we became these guys, the Sun and Moon. See, back a long time ago, Andrew and I ended up in the same body. It was pretty rundown, but we made it work for a long time. We used to hide out at this old factory and made trips to and from the dump. We had a couple of hideouts and just sort of survived together. The three of us."
"The three of you?" Charlie asked questioningly. "Not you two and the endo."
"No. We had a third friend. He didn't share our body; he had his own. Except that it was a plush toy instead of an actual robot. Didn't really seem to bother him too much. Like, he would complain about it occasionally, or us not picking him up fast enough, but he never seemed too upset about it…" Jake trailed off for a long moment.
"What happened to him?" she asked. She noticed he hadn't given his name either but decided this was the more important question to ask.
"The long and short story is Freddy Fazbear's happened. One day they come into the factory looking for parts to be used in this place. We didn't have a chance to escape, so we just… let them take us… We were dumped off in the basement with the rest of the endos and that was when we decided that maybe it was time for a change. Or, well, we ended up finding a pair of bodies that might work better. Our old one was really showing its age."
"And Andrew's Sunny," Charlie confirmed.
"Right. Just don't call him that. He gets touchy about it. It's okay if I do it in private, but he tries sticking to his character."
"Foxy's like that too. I guess maybe it's easier to stay in character than switching back and forth. Or maybe staying in character keeps you away from what you left behind," Charlie suggested.
"I could believe either. I was never great at it, but I never made it to opening day."
"Jake, what happened?" the puppet asked more directly.
"…I don't- I don't really want to talk about it, but… this." He gestured to the entirety of his body. "A lot of this came from them taking out my light emission system to put into Andrew. When they decided he would take over both roles."
"But you were damaged before that."
"…Yeah, I was… disassembled a few times…" Jake trailed off, resisting a further explanation.
Charlie looked at him for a long moment before lowering her head in understanding. "It's okay. I'm not going to make you talk about it. I appreciate you telling me this much, what with all that's been going on."
"No problem. I thought maybe you'd get a kick out of it. You know because the leg?" Jake asked with light playfulness. She smiled back at him. "So, it's your turn. What did you see down there?"
He tensed up as though bracing himself for the worst.
"We saw that woman in the rabbit costume."
Jake relaxed right afterwards. "Oh, it was just her? Huh… Well, at least you got to see her for yourself."
Charlie sent him a deadpan look at his lack of a reaction and clarified, "She pulled a knife on us."
"She what?!"
He hadn't noticed that her opposite arm had been staying at her side with her hand in her pocket until she drew out the knife she had been partially concealing in her pocket. He made a startled, nearly choked-up noise.
"She actually drew a knife on you!" he blurted out.
"That's right," Charlie said. "I slapped it out of her hand, so I guess it's mine now."
"…Oh okay. This is a big problem now," Jake said. He looked ahead in a sort of state of shock. "A knife. Can you believe that? I know she was trying to copy the murderer back at Freddy's with the whole rabbit thing, but THIS?"
Charlie almost asked him how he knew about Afton before remembering that Andrew was one of his victims. Though that still raised questions about Jake.
"Did you ever see him?" she dared to ask. He shook his head.
"No. I died at home. I was a sick kid, and I didn't make it. Next thing I knew, I was sitting in a doll in the basement of some crackpot would-be scientist with something to prove," Jake lamented with a humorless laugh. "…You?"
"A few times. He's gone now but he had a direct hand in me becoming this… But that's okay. He didn't get what he wanted and that's what counts," Charlie said.
They fell back into silence for a few minutes as they continued looking out over the daycare.
"So," Jake broke the silence with a lighter tone. "If you don't mind, how'd you wind up living with the Puppet and a bunch of humans? And what's the deal with Foxy's? Is it really its own thing?"
Charlie began to tell her story from the beginning and once she made it past the tragic beginning, she was able to smile freely at the anecdotes. Jake seemed to appreciate the escape; he was fully invested. For a little while, it was as though the rabbit lady didn't exist at all.
Meanwhile, Jeremy scooted his way into the tiny room and looked around. It was messy, but there was a sort of comfortableness to it. The sterile nature of most of the Pizzaplex felt more like a facility than a pizzeria. This messy room was the closest thing in the whole building to a well-used apartment. He had to step carefully but not at the risk of immediate bodily harm.
That was when he got his first look at the elusive Sun. Laying on his right side facing the door with the arm he was laying on bent up to hold a pillow to his face. His points peeked around the edges of the pillow and his coloring has turned yellow, with his blue glow replaced by a yellow one. Except for on his left arm, which was laying limp in front of him, carefully posed to not touch the exposed wires, and instead a whitish-grey color without any light coming from it.
His long legs were bent and pulled up close, borderline in the fetal position. He didn't move at all, but he unexpectedly spoke before Jeremy could announce his presence.
"S-So, I was thinking and I-I dunno if I want this to be my life from now on-n," Sunny quietly admitted. His voice meek in comparison to his shrieking earlier. His voice had slightly changed from when he was the Moon, but not too much. Just enough to lose the previous hoarseness.
While Jeremy didn't like seeing anyone in obvious pain, he took this as a semi-good sign. That tone of defeat could mean he was starting to reconsider not going to Parts and Service. "When Mike gets back-!"
"EHH?!"
Sunny sort of jumped. Or he kicked a little bit and grappled at the pillow before yanking it down. White eyes stared into the unexpected visitor, who now had an awkward and almost guilty smile. Before he could even begin to get huffy about the uninvited guest, he suddenly noticed the two dolls standing on their own in front of him. He immediately recognized them as animatronics instead of toys.
"OH!" he shouted in delight. He began to push himself up on his elbow. "WHY, LOOK AT YOU LITTLE- AUGHAHAGH!"
He must've moved his chest too much as he suddenly writhed back. His head thumping painfully on the floor as his hand grappled tightly at the pillow.
Jeremy's brows shot up. "Do you need some… help?" he asked, genuinely afraid that Sunny might've broken something.
"I'M fiiiine!" Sunny had his fist against his teeth like he was preparing to stifle himself with it. That was, if he could open them. He calmed down after a moment and dropped his arm to the side.
Then he turned his arm around, twisting it backwards to lay his hand flat on the floor and start to slowly push himself up. Jeremy watched uneasily as the jester dragged himself up into the sitting position, giving another pained hissed- more like a boiling teapot than a robot- and got into a crossed legged position.
By now Forget-Me-Not was peeking out of the collar at the scene. Rose covered her mouth with her hands while Daisy looked back up at Jeremy. He gave her a shrug and she pointed towards the Sun, as though telling him to do something.
"Err, sorry. We didn't mean to barge in like this, but Jake wanted to talk with Charlie and thought maybe you'd like to meet the girls," he hastily explained.
"YES! Y-Yes, I do!" Sunny gushed. He gave a mechanical groan as he finally pulled his second leg into position, resting his hand and weight on one of them. "O-Okay. Okay. Allll better," he said. His voice stuttering as he managed to lift up his drooping head to look down at the Minireenas. "H-H-Hey there, lil dollies! Oh, you're so c-cute!"
Rose lowered her hands and rubbed them worriedly before giving a little curtsy. Daisy followed suit afterwards. Forget-Me-Not stared with scrutiny.
"Aww-w-w! And so polite!" Sunny gushed. His good hand coming up to cup his cheek. Him slumping a little at the loss of it propping him up. "Well, hellooo! I'm Sunny! Bu-But you can call me Mr. Sun or Sunflower, or whatever-er!"
"Well, uh, sure! But they don't actually talk. They communicate in their own ways," Jeremy explained. Daisy nodded and rose up onto her toes in a ballerina pose.
"Oh, th-that's okay! t-talk enough for everybody anyway-ay!" Sunny remarked. "What's their names-es?"
"This is Daisy." Jeremy gestured a hand to Daisy and on that cue, she gave a dainty spin and a giggle.
"And they dance! Th-That's pre-cious!" Sunny seemed to be overloading at the sight of him. Or that could've been because he was still wincing over his side. "Th-They're little ballerrrina babies!"
"Well, they're my little ballerina babies," Jeremy agreed. After getting a little poke in the chest he added, "Except Forget-Me-Not. She's a little ballerina lady." He pulled his collar out further. Forget-Me-Not slid further down into it.
"A-And what about this one-ne? Let me guess, she's a shy violet-et."
"Close! That's Rose," Jeremy introduced. Rose was staying close to his leg. "Everyone's just a little on edge. Normally they're a lot more social."
"Aww, it's okay! I-I know how to get some smiles on their faces! Er, m-more smiles! Hand me that box-x?" He pointed beside Jeremy. There was a folded closed cardboard box labeled "Spare" in squiggly handwriting and he passed it over. Sunny pulled it open with one hand that he then dipped inside and shifted around. "Wh-Who wants…" He pulled out his hand to reveal a Glamrock Freddy hand puppet now slipped over it. "A puppet show?!"
Daisy gave an encouraging giggle and that was all Sunny needed. No amount of pain would keep him from winning over his newest, tiniest audience.
Back on the balcony, Charlie was still telling her story. She had gotten midway through the part about her reunion with her friends in the processing facility when she heard the sound of a security door. She paused and Jake leaned forward to look past her. Then he promptly pushed back and crab-walked back into the safety of the balcony door while Charlie turned to look down at the entrance.
Much to her relief, there was Mike, Marionette, and Freddy all walking through the door. There was no sign of Gregory peculiarly, and Freddy was leading the way with a steadfast stride like he had somewhere to be. She stood up and called over with her hands cupped around her mouth.
"Hellooo!"
Freddy jolted to a stop and looked over. Then he gave her a wave in return.
"Hello up there!" he called back.
Mike waved as well with a casual, "Yo."
"The door's open! Come on around!" Charlie called. She waited until they headed through the guest gate before heading inside. She then stopped at the sensation of a fluctuation behind her and looked back to see that Marionette had teleported onto the balcony behind her. She smiled at him and greeted him with, "Glad to see you made it back safe."
"I could say the same for you. I heard about your little race with Roxanne Wolf," Marionette lightly teased.
"That's not even the half of it."
"Not for us either…" He folded his arms behind himself and looked aside. "…We saw the woman in the rabbit costume."
Charlie couldn't say that she was surprised with how she had been running. "Yeah. So did we."
Marionette did get a look of surprise though and she must've unconsciously fidgeted with the knife enough to draw his attention, starting to pull it out and then hesitating, that he noticed and looked down. She took the knife out to show him. His eyes widened and he gasped, but that shock quickly turned to anger.
"She drew her knife on you?!" he cried, static jumping in his voice. That fury was just as quickly replaced by worry. "Are you alright? Did she hurt you?" His hands went to his shoulders before patting down her arms. Likely looking for wounds.
"We're fine. She didn't get a chance to do anything, and then I smacked it out of her hand to make sure she didn't… It was hard on Jeremy though. It shook him up," she explained, voice sympathetic.
That stopped his fussing, but his hands stayed where they were. He held her like he was afraid she was suddenly going to float away. His expression sharing her concern.
"I can't imagine how that must've been for him," Marionette looked down and around the room. "…Where is he?"
"He's in with Sunny right through that tube," Charlie said and pointed the entrance out.
He nodded and released her momentarily to begin to turn, but then looked back at her, turned back, and pulled her into a tight hug. She returned it and accepted the comfort that came from it. She might've not gotten as spooked as Jeremy had but that didn't mean it hadn't gotten to her. At the time she had gone through the motions fine but thinking back on it made her much more uneasy. Especially when she thought of what could've happened if Jeremy had been stabbed.
Not that she wanted a knife through the belly either, but at least she wasn't at a risk of bleeding out.
Marionette gave one final squeeze and only pulled away so he could go check on Jeremy. He dropped down at the ladder and finally noticed Jake who was moving some boxes underneath the stage. They exchanged a brief greeting.
"Hello again," he greeted.
"Oh, hey," Jake said. He shoved a large crate aside. "Glad to see you made it back in one piece. I'm guessing Gregory's with Freddy?"
"He is. They should be here shortly. I need to check on Jeremy, if you'll excuse me," Marionette said. Though not curtly, and Jake didn't stop him. Charlie almost did, confused at how she had missed Gregory, but decided to let it go for now.
Marionette ducked down and hastily climbed through the tube before popping out on the other side, startling both Jeremy and Sunny. He wasn't sure exactly what he had walked in on, but Jeremy was wearing a Chica and Monty Gator hand puppet on each hand, Sunny had a Freddy one on his good hand, and Daisy was standing there with a Roxanne one pulled over her upper half like a costume.
"Sorry to interrupt," Marionette excused. He didn't wait for an invitation or explanation and instead climbed in the rest of the way and knelt alongside Jeremy. "I heard about what happened with the rabbit woman. Are you alright?" he asked worriedly. Laying a hand upon Jeremy's shoulder.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine. I just got a little, uh… I'm guessing Charlie told you what happened, so yeah, I had a moment," Jeremy vaguely answered. He seemed a little embarrassed about it now, but Marionette was still concerned for him.
"I just wanted to make sure. I know that can be upsetting for anyone, but…" Marionette trailed off.
Instead of finishing, he wrapped one arm around Jeremy's shoulders and pulled him into a hug. As he did, Forget-Me-Not turned around in Jeremy's jacket and gave him a hug as well. Or pressed her hands and cheek to his chest in a sort of hug.
Jeremy appreciated it, patting Marionette's arm and Forget-Me-Not's back respectively. Still wearing the hand puppets as he did so. They sat there a moment.
Then Sunny interrupted with a frustrated huff.
"Wh-What did she do this time-me?" he asked.
Marionette was contemplating how to go about telling Sunny when Jeremy beat him to it. "She sort of… Well, not sort of. She pulled a knife on us, me and Charlie."
Sunny went still for a long moment. As still as he could, it seemed, as even in that rigid posture his head slowly started to lean towards the right. Probably to help take off weight from his left side. Then he gave a crackly laugh.
"Y-You're joking!"
"No-."
"Weapons aren't allowed in the Mega Pizzaplexxx."
It was almost jarring how easily that hoarseness slipped back into his voice. They were almost surprised that his eyes didn't turn red too.
Jeremy wasn't sure why he felt like tempting fate, but he found himself asking, "What about tasers?"
Sunny gave a staticky little tsking noise. "Fa-Fazbear Entertainment em-employees are allowed to carry tasers for the protection of themse-selves and guests. Si-Since you and Mike are former employees, technically I-I can trust you with them."
"…How did you know we were former employees?" Jeremy asked.
Sunny's face didn't change but his voice grew coy. "W-Wouldn't you like to know-w?"
If anything, that was more concerning. Though before Jeremy could ask what that meant, there was the familiar- familiar to Marionette and Sunny- sound of thumping footsteps coming past the back wall. Sunny turned his head sharply and glowed, only to be rewarded with a sharp pain and flinching with a squeak. He head cocking sideways as he tried to swallow the noise.
"Th-That's Freddy," Sunny remarked. He looked at the hand puppet before shaking it off into his lap and then running his freed fingers nervously over his points. "Oh boy, he-he's gonna flip when he sees me-e…"
"He's very worried about you," Marionette agreed.
"Y-You told him?" the Sun squeaked, grabbing his points tighter.
"Gregory did, but we would've."
"O-Of course he did-d…" Sunny sunk into himself slightly. Or into himself and slightly to the side.
Marionette pulled back from Jeremy with a pat on the back. "I'm going to go tell Mike what's going on," he said. He then turned and in a smooth motion was going back through the tunnel.
"I'll come too," Jeremy agreed. He removed the hand puppets and set them back into the appropriate box. "Girls, you can stay if you want. I'm not going far."
Rose nodded and Daisy stuck an arm out to wave. Before he could slip into the tunnel, Forget-Me-Not decided to slip out from the bottom of his jacket and join her siblings. He smiled at her before continuing through.
"I never knew that was a door!" Freddy could be heard saying from the hallway. His footsteps grew closer before they stopped outside the door and he knocked.
"She said we could go on in," Mike reminded.
"I know but I feel it is only polite," Freddy said as he opened the door and stepped it. He stopped in place so fast that Mike might've walked into him if he hadn't been paying attention.
The bear looked around with wide eyes at the room. Slowly he stepped into the middle of it, looking at the clutter and cobwebs and broken things- though not noticing Jake squeezing behind the boxes.
"This is… I was aware he did not have a green room, but this is not…" Freddy spoke. He was too distracted by the sight of the room to notice Marionette whisking Mike aside and whispering to him. "This is not what I expected…" Freddy said. His expression and voice dipping sadly as he saw the state of it. Though his eyes didn't focus on the clutter, but the storage, the barely painted walls- which were not painted anything close to Sun or Moon's coloring.
Gregory pushed for the hatch to open and looked around. "Looks like a dump."
"Gregory!"
"What? That was what you were saying, isn't it?"
"That was not at all what I was saying! It is… It is a very nice room! Sunny has done so much with… so very little."
Though while they were distracted talking, Marionette whispered with Mike behind them.
"Mike, we have a problem," he said.
"Sun's still refusing to go?" Mike guessed.
"Vanny pulled a knife on Jeremy."
"What?!" Not even seeing Vanny had filled him with as much alarm.
"He wasn't hurt. Nobody was, Charlie got the knife away from her. Now, I checked on him and he seems put together, but I can't imagine what it must've been like for him."
"Jesus…" Mike exhaled through his teeth. Looking over to see Jeremy coming through the tunnel and immediately heading over to him. "Jere? Hey, are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm half-blind and haven't slept," Jeremy joked. "But what else is new? Oh, thanks." He took Mike's offered hand and was helped to his feet. He was then put in a familiar position when Mike threw an arm around his shoulders reassuringly. "I guess Mari already told you about what happened in the basement."
"He brought me up to speed," Mike agreed. His face showed his protective concern and not a shred of nonchalance. "Seriously, though. Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Low enough to not draw anyone else's attention.
"Uh…" Jeremy considered it for a moment. "…No. But I can pull through tonight. It hasn't really hit me yet."
"If you're sure. If you change your mind and you need to tap out, I can give you the keys and you can head out to the car. Heck, you can just take my car home and we'll catch a ride with Natalie or Fritz or something," Mike said.
"I'm not about to leave you here and take your car," Jeremy said with amused exasperation. "At worst, I might go out in sleep in your car. But only if I get really desperate."
"Just know the option's there if you need it," Mike said sincerely. After a beat he managed to crack a smile, "And what, you don't feel like sleeping in the middle of a football stadium with circus music blasting over your head?" He wasn't in the mood to joke around, but Jeremy looked like he could use it. At least it got a smile out of him.
"Eh, no different than sleeping at work," Jeremy half-joked. "…Maybe you should take the car. You look tired."
"I'm starting to feel it," Mike admitted. His voice betraying the weariness left behind after coming down from the high of the Vanny scare. He was sure Jeremy was probably feeling the same thing.
"I am sorry to interrupt, but where is Sunny?" Freddy asked with concern.
"In here," Jeremy answered, tapping on the rim of the tunnel's opening.
"Thank you," Freddy said and began to carefully cross the cluttered room.
This was technically Jeremy's first-time seeing Freddy in person. He knew what he was supposed to look like from the statue and advertisements around the Pizzaplex, but this was the actual real deal in person. Something that wouldn't have been so significant if this wasn't the friend Foxy had been meeting up with for the last few weeks.
"How is he?" Freddy asked lowly.
"He's in some pain, but that's not stopping him," Jeremy offered.
Freddy gave a discontented hum and started to crouch down on one knee while resting the tips of his fingers on the tunnel. Before he could get into a full crouch though, he glanced back up to Jeremy as though to say something. But then he noticed something, looking a little closer at Jeremy, his eyes widening.
"Wait a moment…"
Mike was prepared to interject and introduce Jeremy if Freddy was about to grow suspicious, but instead the bear's eyes alit with an unexpected excitement.
"Blond hair, blue eyes, wearing glasses- you must be Jeremy!" Freddy gushed in delight. He stood right back up, towering over the blond. "Foxy has told me all about you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you!"
"That's me!" Jeremy agreed, trying not to seem too relieved. A clawed hand was offered to him, and he took and shook it. Freddy had a strong but controlled grip, not forcible or overpowering, he noticed. "Hope he's said good things."
"Only the best for his first mate," Freddy assured with a chuckle. Jeremy might've imagined that tone in his voice if Mike hadn't heard it too. "I am Freddy Fazbear! Welcome to the Mega Pizzaplex!"
"Glad to be here," Jeremy joked. "I, uh, thought it was time I dropped in. Foxy's talked about it so much I had to see it for myself."
"I am glad to have you! Is Foxy here too?" Freddy asked eagerly.
"Ah, no. He has a show tomorrow and we had to fly over here. His brother was supposed to call him, so don't be surprised if he just shows up."
"That's our Foxy!" Marionette chimed in, now standing alongside Charlie who had come down.
"Oh. Well, that is for the best I suppose. With all that is going on tonight," Freddy said. Though there was a tinge of disappointment in his voice, one quickly replaced with a regretful tone. "My apologies for the… current state of the Pizzaplex. It is a fantastic establishment during the daytime hours, but we have been having some… peculiar incidents at night. Including but not limited to a dancing rabbit lady who is not on the guest list," he said awkwardly.
Jeremy couldn't help but visibly tense up. Freddy did not seem to notice.
"But that is not the most pressing matter… One moment please." He crouched down and started opening his stomach hatch. "Gregory, would you mind stepping out? I need to crouch down to look through the tunnel."
"You've crouched down with me in you before," Gregory reminded as the hatch opened in front of him.
"Only when it was absolutely necessary. It is a more perilous position. Without proper handgrips, you will not be able to hold on adequately."
"Fine…" Gregory sounded like he might've considered still arguing his point but decided in the end to just go ahead and slide on out.
He hopped to the floor before looking back at the tunnel. He stared a moment before looking back at the bear.
"Freddy, there's no way you're fitting in there."
"You do not think so? Hmm. That might be a problem." Though the way Freddy said that implied it was another one of his goofy jokes instead of an actual comment. Though his face sobered up as he leaned onto his knee to look through. "Sunny? Can you hear me?"
Sunny had his hand pulling at his points again. He tried to steady his voice as much as he could to reply. "Yes, Freddy?"
"Good. It is good to hear your voice. How are you?"
"Doing… Fine! Great. Great!" Sunny said, trying too hard to sound normal. "What about you Fred-d-d-ddyy?"
He slapped a hand over his frozen mouth. Not that it helped silence any of the crunchiness. On the other side Freddy got a much more concerned look while Gregory looked all but deadpanned.
"I am… I am well! I had my upgrade and I am now showtime ready… And Parts and Service is empty. There will not be any technicians in there until tomorrow morning, when Chica, Monty, and Roxy get their upgrades."
"…Good," Sunny said in a tiny voice.
There was a tiny thump from under the stage. Charlie had a feeling it was Jake dropping his head forward or back against a crate.
Freddy made a noise like clearing his throat and continued, "Gregory told me that you had an accident in Monty Golf. He said you were split down-."
"I-I know what you're getting at Freddy, and nope! N-Not going down there-re!" Sunny interrupted. Having to sacrifice any ruse of normalcy for that declaration. "…B-By which I mean I don't NEED to go down there-re! I- hah- I can fix this-s myself! All I need is a little elbow grease and some duct t-tape!"
Freddy's face fell with worried doubt.
"What happened to 'I don't want to live like this'?" Jeremy challenged.
"I changed my mind-nd!"
This was rewarded with a huffy "Uh!" from one of the Minireenas. Which quickly turned into a chorus of them. Sunny looked to them in surprise and disbelief as they fussed at him.
"You're just scared," Gregory chided. "You've just got wires hanging out. When we found Freddy, his head wasn't even on! If we could use that machine to put his head on, why can't we use it to put your wires back?"
"What?" Charlie quietly asked Marionette.
"I'll tell you later… but yes, that was exactly how it went," he replied.
"His- His- What?!" Sunny sputtered. "What-at?!"
"I had a battery upgrade," Freddy clarified.
"…Y-You're battery's not in your head-ad?! Oh, for- forget it- FREDDY, I am fiiine! I can fix this my-myself!" the jester continued to argue.
But somewhere in that the straining caught on his voice and Freddy was able to hear the pain he was feeling. Which made sense; as much as Sunny hated Parts and Service, this amount of defensiveness was less about the location and more because he was helpless with his valuable wiring exposed. No wonder he was more frightened than usual. Between hearing that and seeing this room…
Freddy's fingers tightened on the edge of the tube. It was a real shame he couldn't just force himself through, but unless he could pull of his head and roll it like a bowling ball, that just wasn't going to happen. He leaned down a little further to try and see better through the tunnel and realized that if he angled himself, he could just see the edge of Sunny's points. He had to be hiding just around the corner.
Hiding from him, Fredy considered. Maybe that wasn't the intention, but it felt like it. He sighed a little and spoke into the tunnel. His voice lowering further to a mere rumble of what it was moments earlier.
"Sunshine…"
Mike definitely recognized that tone. He stole a glance in Marionette direction and saw him peering back with a tiny smile on his face. So, he wasn't the only one who noticed.
"I know you do not want to go down there. I am… aware of how the employees treat you…" Freddy looked back briefly and looked up at the room before his eyes dropped to the floor. A solemn look of pleading and concern settled on his face as he looked back into the tunnel. "But I also know that you are in pain. If we head down now, then perhaps we can repair you. All of us, together."
There was a long moment of silence before there came a shuffling inside of the room. Freddy looked hopefully inside of the tunnel and soon saw Sunny's face appear on the other side.
The jester turned onto his knees and leaning into the tunnel, purposefully hiding his chest underneath the lower rim. His frozen expression might've depicted a smile, but his listless points depicted elsewise. He rested his arm and head in the tunnel and tilted his face to look at the bear.
"F-Freddy, you know what's gonna happen if I go down there. If I get on that table it's not just gonna be to fix me-e… I-It's gonna be to fix me-e," Sunny murmured.
"There's nothing wrong with you, Sunnydrop," Freddy assured.
"Th-That's not what they think!" he hoarsely whispered. "I just know they're g-gonna try getting another software update into me while they've got the chance-ce!"
"We will not let that happen," Freddy insisted. He looked over the other's draped posture and felt his heart sink. "I know you are hurting. Please let us help you."
"Wh-Whatcha gonna do if I don't? Climb in and get me-e?" Sunny lightly teased. Walking his fingers down the tunnel until his arm was stretched out and tapped his fingers.
Freddy took the offering and reached in to lay his hand on Sunny's. He gently closed his fingers around Sunny's only to have his tightly squeeze back.
"No…" Freddy said. "…I will send in Gregory."
Sunny gave a half-offended huff and Freddy smiled back at him and gave his hand a tiny tug.
Sunny gave an exasperated groan and pulled his hand back, rolling his head back and around to simulate the eye rolling that he couldn't do. He disappeared out of view, hissing as he maneuvered himself around, and then eventually he returned, waved Freddy to move back, and then started to pull himself into the tunnel.
Freddy stood up and stepped back to give him room, and nearly knocked over a stack of cardboard boxes in the process. He righted it right before Sunny stuck his head out.
"I-I'll go down under one condition-on," he said, raising a finger. He then turned his hand around and beckoned him with the finger, then pointed it towards the door. "T-Talk to me in private-ate?"
"Of course! All you need to do is ask."
"No, th-that's not the condition," Sunny corrected. He twisted his body enough to get his legs out and finally stood up. He still had that shuffling little gait he had before they split up.
Freddy had to withhold his shock at the sight of Sunny's injury. Not just the loose wiring and open chest panel either but the fact that so much of his lighting was out. It took him everything he had to stay quiet.
"Y-You stay here," Sunny said, pointing at Gregory as he passed.
The boy returned an unimpressed frown and watched Freddy follow him out and shut the door behind them.
"I-I need you to do something-ng," Sunny instructed. He could tell from how intensely Freddy was staring him down that he was fighting not to look down at the exposed injury.
"Anything," Freddy agreed. He was almost surprised when the jester reached forward and dropped his good hand onto his shoulder, then pulled him in quickly to whisper to him.
"T-Take Gregory downstairs and PLEASE give him a shower. H-He's been in that nasty, germy water over in Monty Golf-f. H-He jumped right in-n!"
"My Gregory? Why did he do that?" Freddy said, surprised by the news.
"To drive me insane-ne," Sunny fussed. "Here." He had been carrying something tucked under his arm and only when he tossed it to Freddy was it revealed to be a shirt. "H-He can wear this. It's a little big, but it's clean-ean."
"Thank you, I appreciate this. As I appreciate you keeping an eye on Gregory while I was not here," Freddy said. He unfurled the shirt in his hands and peered down at the sun face staring back at him, then gave a deep chuckle.
"A-And what's so f-funny?" Sunny asked while putting his hand on his hip.
"Oh… Nothing," the bear said. Though between that tone and the slyly lidded glint in his eyes it was hard to be believed.
"Oh, I-I know what you're thinking- and nope! Th-This was just the only one I had that wasn't all dusty-ty. See, I don't put as much importance onto a shirt-rt. N-Not like some people," the Sun denied.
"Perhaps I do. I just found it peculiar that you would give him one of your shirts when they are so rare. I would understand if they were the only ones you had, but with all those boxes and access to your gift shop…" Freddy had a coy look and tone, and Sunny could only assume he was being cheeky just to push his buttons. "That is very generous of you."
"I-I'll have you know that the only one who's soft on that little m-mischief-maker is you-ou," Sunny denied.
"Hmm… I should take your word on it, but… I think that… I think you might like Gregory. I dare say you might be attached to him too."
"Oh ho, so I'M attached am I, Papa Bear?! Wh-What about you!? Giving him free photo passes and sne-sneaking him into restricted areas! L-Let alone your green room-om!"
Freddy's eyes widened at the comment. "You know about that? I… How?"
Sunny rested a hand on his cheek with a mockingly coy head tilt. "W-Wouldn't YOU like to know?"
The look on Freddy's face would've brought a snicker out of him if he wasn't direly afraid that it would hurt like the dickens.
"L-Let's just say that Moony tells me everything-ng," Sunny clarified. He leaned in a little closer, voice lowering in suit. "Everything."
"…Does he tell you how cute you are?"
Sunny's points retracted instantly before he gave a flustered cry, smacking a hand over his face, points popping back out.
"WH-WHYYY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?! I'M ALREADY EMBARASSED ENOUGH AS IT ISSSS!" he choked out. Freddy didn't know whether to chuckle or try to calm him down before he hurt himself. So instead, he got a rather goofy expression and started to reach for him. Sunny waved his hand away. "Oh, no! Y-You keep your hands to yourself-f!"
Now Freddy devolved into chuckles, but he stifled them as Sunny shuffled past him to open the door.
Meanwhile, the moment the two had headed out the door, Charlie walked up to Mike.
"Hey. Take a look at this," she said. She flashed him the knife half hidden in her pocket. He hissed at the sight of it.
"That's a knife alright. A kitchen knife too, just like the one Natalie saw," he reminded. He stared at it a moment longer before adding, "I'm surprised she didn't pull it on one of us."
"She wouldn't have had a chance to pull it on me," Marionette said lowly. His voice edging with static.
"She wouldn't have had a chance to pull it on either of you. It took her a couple of minutes to get it out of where she was stashing it," Jeremy said matter-of-factly. He bent down to pick up the Minireenas who had followed Sunny out and came to stand around his feet. "It must've been in her boot."
"I think so. It was a little too low for a leg strap," Charlie agreed. "She was… creepy. I got a bad feeling from her."
Mike sighed and looked to Marionette who had come up beside him.
"Well, Mari, there's your segue," he quietly coaxed. Marionette nodded, and Mike looked back toward Charlie and Jeremy and added, "Her name's Vanny."
"Vanny?" Jeremy asked.
"Right."
"So, it is Vanessa?"
"Right… Maybe," Mike caught himself. "Natalie raised a good point. She said the bunny chick might be looking to frame her."
"I bet it is her," Gregory suddenly chimed in. Effectively reminding everyone that he was there. "There's something weird about her."
There was a thumping noise and a "Sorry!" from Jake.
"It couldn't be. She and Roxanne were chasing me at the same time Vanny must've run into you guys, because we ran into her running- I guess- away from you. What happened with you?" Charlie asked, looking to Marionette again.
He hung there a long moment before giving a low, slight tinny twang of a noise in his chest.
"I ran across Vanny in the basement after she had run off from Mike and Gregory. I began to chase her, intending to scare her straight, but… When I grabbed her, grabbing her just by the shoulders, I was filled with this pain and fear that was so bad that I couldn't do anything by collapse on the spot. It was very much like the feeling I had when I touched that Baby lookalike, but so much worse. So all-consuming that I couldn't handle it."
Both Charlie and Jeremy looked shocked by the news. Even Jake was, though his reaction was unable to be seen. Marionette turned towards the other puppet with a solemn look.
"Charlie, whatever you do, do not touch that rabbit again. I'm surprised you were able to so much as knock the knife out of her hand," he instructed. "Whatever she is or whatever's inside of her, I don't want it getting anywhere near you."
"Do you think she's possessed?" Jeremy quietly asked.
Marionette hesitated so Mike offered his answer, "Yes-."
The door slammed open. "W-Whoever's taking me down, get on up-p! This train's a 'leaving! Choo-choo!" Sunny called in. The moment broke up immediately, silently decided to be dealt on later.
Freddy came in as well, donning a smile in contrast to the grim look when he left.
"Gregory, I have an idea. How about we go play a few games in the arcade after we get back from your shower?" he offered.
It took Gregory a second to unpack that sentence because he knew something was off in it, and it became clear quickly that it was the last part.
"What shower?" he asked.
"The shower you will be taking to clean off the water from Monty Golf. It is a safety precaution," Freddy answered.
"Let me guess, that was the "one condition"," Gregory said, making air quotes. He looked suspiciously at Sunny and Freddy glanced over as well.
"It was... However, I too would have insisted on you washing off. The artificial pond in Monty Golf is a prime spot for tired guests to dispose of their refuse. The water IS treated but I would strongly recommend a quick rinse, just to be safe."
"But Freddy that rabbit lady's running around, Chica and Monty were both chasing me, that security lady's out there. I can't just stop and take a bath when the whole place is looking for me!" he exclaimed. Not to mention that he didn't want to take a bath when he had to run at any minute. It was bad running around soaking wet the first time, and he had only just started to dry off.
"Gregory, nothing is going to get you while I am here to protect you, and I will always be here," Freddy said in a softer tone. He leaned down to lay a hand on his shoulder. "And part of protecting you is making sure you are cared for."
Because while Freddy would never say it, he noticed the unwashed texture to Gregory's hair. He was not an unkept child by any means, so this lead him to believe that he just didn't get the chance for a proper wash regularly. Which is awful.
Gregory wasn't sure what to make of all of this. Sure, Freddy had been feeding him and playing with him, and keeping him safe from the others, but the idea of being 'cared for' made him feel weird. Like a little kid that needed to be babied, which he wasn't. But on the other hand, he wasn't going to make the mistake of putting up a fight and have them think he was just a little kid refusing to take a bath. Whatever, if Freddy insisted.
"Okay, fine. But its got to be a quick on," Gregory said. His face then scrunched up in unease. "I'm not going to have to take a bath in a sink am I? Or like some kind of water hose for cleaning off robots?"
"No, no! The Pizzaplex is equipped with a showering facilities for the staff, and since I am staff I can let you use them," Freddy said. "We can even wash your clothes. There is a laundry room down there as well, and I have this shirt for you to wear in the meantime. It is very cool."
It was very orange too, so Gregory guess it had his face on it. He decided to agree and gave a nod.
"Okay. As long as it doesn't take too long," he said. Freddy opened his hatch, and he was about to climb in when he remembered something. "Hold on," he said. He took off his backpack and then Mike's jacket and handed it to him. "Here's your jacket back. Thanks for letting me use it."
"No problem Least I could do after getting us lost," Mike said. He tossed it over his shoulder instead of putting it on and hoped the chlorine smell didn't stick to his hair.
Marionette watched Gregory climb back into Freddy. Just the sight of the motion made him uneasy, especially when this time he had a better look at Freddy's insides. Not to mention the latches that would secure the hatch in place-.
"Actually-."
Mike was surprised by Marionette's hand quickly reaching up and grabbing his jacket. He took it in a much gentler manner though, a sharp contrast to that initial snappy movement, and folded it over one arm. Mike willingly let him take it with no more than a raised brow.
"I think I will accompany Freddy and Gregory to the showers. Just to keep an eye on things," Marionette said. He turned his head to look at Mike and he noticed his pupils were alit, betraying his hyper-vigilance. "I'll wash your jacket while I'm down there. Don't want you catching a cold."
"Alright…" Mike agreed with only slight hesitance. Which he covered up with a more certain, "Alright. Just be careful, and don't go chasing any rabbits."
"I'll try not to," Marionette said.
"Thanks, Doll." Mike hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him in for a kiss on the cheek. He could hear Marionette's ticking, but it turned into a much more comfortable trill after the kiss.
With his stomach hatch secured, Freddy waited until Marionette caught up with him at the door before starting to step out. Stealing one last look to Sunny as he did.
"If you need anything, I can be down to you in only a few short minutes," he reminded.
"Y-You better not. Y-You just keep that little bridge troll out of trouble-le."
Freddy gave him a little two finger salute and left with Marionette in tow. Sunny helping push the door shut with his foot after them.
The moment that door was shut, Mike felt a sudden spike of anxiety as he second-guessed his decision.
"I shouldn't have let him go. Not alone," he thought. "She could just show back up. She knows she doesn't need the knife now, and then she's got a straight shot to Gregory. Unless Freddy's immune to whatever that was."
He couldn't get that image of Marionette on the floor out of his head. That image would probably haunt him for years to come. He wasn't particularly clingy, but it took every ounce of willpower not to give an excuse and race after him.
He reigned in his thoughts at the sound of thumping and looked to see Jake climbing out from behind the boxes. Brushing dust off his cloak as he did so.
"So, I pretty much already know the answer to this, but do you want me to come with you?" he asked.
"NO! No, no, no, it'll go great! Y-You stay right here! I will be one-hundred and ten bazillion percent okay, okay-kay?"
"That's a lot of okays, but okay," Jake agreed, knowingly. Charlie found it weird that his didn't push harder than that, but she supposed it had more to do with the risk of him being seen.
Mike turned his attention now on Jeremy who was trying to balance his dolls. "Why don't you just hang back here? Charlie and I can probably handle it," he offered. Charlie nodded in agreement.
"Thanks, but I'm good to go. Gives you another helping hand if something goes wrong," Jeremy offered. He noticed Sunny's head slowly turn towards him, the points sluggishly pulling in as he did. "Not that anything's going to go wrong! Just if you need an extra person to help out."
"We'll give you a broom and you can beat back that Bot that hands out maps. He's got it out for me," Mike offered. Jake snorted a little at that. Or the mimicking animatronic equivalent.
"Deal," Jeremy agreed. He started to slip the Minireenas back into his jacket for safe keeping.
"We'll take good care of him," Charlie assured Jake.
"I'm a little more afraid of how he's going to take care of you," Jake lightly joked.
And even though it was clear that he was joking, there was something strained in his voice. A genuine worry, and she reached out to pat his shoulder before following along with the others. Once again Mike offered to help Sunny, to which he was quickly rebuffed as the Daycare Attendant wobbled out the door. After giving Jeremy his deadpan look, Mike followed after him. Soon the door was closing behind them too.
Jake promptly got his control panel out and climbed back into the tiny room. He plopped down on the mound of bedding and hooked himself up to the panel.
Sunny would never allow Nanny Bot back in the daycare if she went into the basement. So, with a rather mischievous mirth glinting in his good eye, Jake connected himself to the next best thing. The only logical choice.
Hopefully Mike and Jeremy were bluffing about the broom.