Mable: It's showtime!
Going Home in a Box
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chica's ready. Just let her out of Parts and Service and take her to her room. Thanks! -Stanley
Natalie's brows raised the moment she found the note left for her and at the task she had been given. She wasn't sure why the technicians themselves wouldn't choose to do this, but when in doubt it was probably because they didn't want to. Considering that the note was from Stanley and not Chaz, who usually took charge, it was possible that he just didn't want to do so himself. Stanley was a bit on the timid side, at least that's the impression she had gotten in their few meetings.
Either way, it looked like Natalie was starting her shift heading down to Parts and Service. She brought Smitty with her. Since the incident she made sure to keep him close, and thankfully he was more than willing to be obedient.
She found Chica in one of the glass windowed holding cells off to the right in Part and Service. She was sitting in the corner with her head rolled against the wall and her arms limp at her side. Natalie frowned at the state they left her in and pressed the button to open the door. As she did, Chica's head snapped upright and she blinked, then looked up at the security guard. After a moment her eyes got that tilt and her lower lids raised to signal happiness, or more likely relief at being let out.
Chica was looking practically perfect. She wobbled a little when she pushed herself up, but there were no cracks in her body. Her beak had been replaced with one that might've been a shade lighter, though Natalie couldn't tell for sure. Other than that, it looked like good old Glamrock Chica walking out of that room, and even with her slightly slouched posture she seemed to remember her.
When she asked if Chica remembered that night however, Chica shook her head no and Natalie let it drop. Instead assuring that they were all worried about her and glad to see her back.
Chica hadn't been entirely untruthful. Things got fuzzy after the trash compactor. There were blips of people and things, but she couldn't make much sense of them. She thought maybe her friends came to find her, someone like that, and she vaguely thought Vanessa might've been there but couldn't remember what happened. She had seen a glimpse of Vanessa before someone had come up from somewhere and there was pain, and then nothing. A technician, likely.
But most of that night had been glimpses and sounds. She had felt so hot and tingly. Burning up inside and yet with no way to get that heat out, a buzz through her head and splotches of red on her vision that might've been warning pop-ups.
Chica couldn't ask the security guard; she instead just rode up the elevator with her and her accompanying Staff Bot.
They walked into Chica's green room, and she immediately noticed the smell of the place. Flowers, like that spray deodorizer with a floral scent, not the lingering scent of pizza she preferred. A quick look at the corner showed why this was. Someone had come in and cleaned up all her pizza boxes, her table, and got everything nice and tidy for her return. Including adding a plethora of cards and folded up papers onto her vanity.
She picked one up and unfolded it to see a drawing a child had made of her and assumedly them. Crudely drawn but endearing none-the-less. It was nice to know that somebody noticed her absence.
"Aww, are those get-well cards? That's really sweet!" Natalie enthused without a drop of sarcasm.
Chica opened a few of them and showed them off, occasionally laying a hand to her chest in endearment at drawings of her and children with cake and pizza.
Sunny must've been behind this. She and him didn't exactly get along great. Specifically, they barely spent time in the same vicinity unless Moon was bossing her around, but he could be sweet when he wanted to be.
There was one card that stood out. It was in a yellow envelope, one of the birthday-colored envelopes, and taped to the mirror. She had a suspicion that she knew who it was from and thus avoided showing it any attention.
Until suddenly Smitty started acting weird. He made a flagging noise and waved to Natalie before pointing his flashlight at the door, signaling that an alarm had gone off.
"Looks like we're starting early tonight," Natalie sighed. Unenthused that she was already getting skirted off to check something. "I've got to go check on that, but I'll be back later, okay? You just sit tight and relax."
Chica agreed and Natalie headed out behind Smitty who led the way. Once the door shut Chica was on her own again, but at least now in the comfort of her room. She felt weary, but not in a low battery sort of way. A different weakness entirely. Maybe she would go lay on her couch and see if that took out some of tiredness away.
That was, after she addressed the envelope.
She didn't want to, but she begrudgingly yanked it off the mirror and tore it open. There was a card covered in balloons inside and she opened it up expecting one thing and finding something completely different.
It wasn't from who she thought it was at all, if the unfamiliar handwriting and doodles at the bottom were any indication. Her narrowed eyes flew open as they scanned over the writing.
Hey, Chickadee!
I'm so, so sorry things went so wrong. I hope you're back in tip-top shape soon! If you need anything, just send a little paper boat down the sewers and maaaybe I'll come back to visit! Or just leave out some unbaked cookie dough. That's my real weakness, ha ha!
-The Hurricane Clown
Underneath the message was a little section of doodles. One was Glamrock Chica's head with a thermometer sticking out of her beak, one was of the clown's head grinning, and there was a little Mister Cupcake drawn beneath them.
Chica stared at the card for a long second. Her eyes settled on the face of that clown, his self-portrait. Her fingers tightened on the card so hard that it nearly bent, and her hands nearly shook.
He…
He DID care!
She nearly crushed the fragile card against her chest. Tossing her head back and bouncing on her feet in excited celebration. It was as though a hundred sparkler candles had been lit up in her heart.
Oh, he did care! But of course he did, with how gentle he had been. That much she could remember. The only thing she could clearly remember from that night, him gently pressing her features back into place with his clever wire hands, speaking to her with such concern and gentleness compared to earlier that evening- because that wasn't him earlier that evening. The real him was the delicious doctor who had been so kind as to put her back together.
She just wanted to swoon at the thought of him. Sure, he was tribute against every rule in the book. An unsuited endo running around with all those admittedly delicious wires exposed against all protocols. He was a bad boy, or the bad boys of animatronics, but he cared. Which meant that he had a soft spot for her and, oh, after that night, she definitely had a soft spot for him. She couldn't help but mentally squeal at the thought of him creeping up out of the sewers and sweeping her off her feet-!
Chica's vivid daydream was cut off by the sound of heavy footsteps racing through Rockstar Row. Her joyous eyes lost their luster, lids lowering, and she reluctantly stashed the card away under some stuff in her vanity drawer. She would admire it more later.
She leered at herself in the mirror as the door to her green room opened and Freddy raced in. His eyes brightening up at the sight of her and his mouth open in a smile of relief.
"Chica! Chica, I am so glad to see you! We were all so very worried!" Freddy gushed with enthusiasm. "We missed you too, especially during the shows. But do not worry, we did not have anyone fill in for you and still included you in the intro song."
Chica leered at him through the mirror. He didn't notice, instead continuing to ramble on.
"Roxy and Monty will be so happy to see you back! Roxy especially, she was very worried about you. She was prepared to fight tooth and claw to keep your spot open, but nobody could have replaced you. I know I looked over quite a few times expecting to see you and when I noticed your spot bear… but that does not matter now. What does matter is that you are here, and I am just so glad you are alright! I-!"
Until Chica couldn't take it anymore and smacked her hand down on the vanity, cutting the bear off. He stopped with surprise, only now noticing her posture.
"Chica?" he quietly tried.
She thrust her hands down at her sides angrily and turned to head for the door. Which Freddy noticed and looked startled at.
"Chica, wait-!" Freddy started to step forward only to have her hand suddenly shoved in his chest, pushing him out of her way.
Though Chica didn't move further. She stood there with her hand on his chest and her eyes on the carpet.
Then she lifted her eyes to him and revealed a look of white-hot anger and betrayal. He shirked back at her glare, totally taken aback by it. She kept her eyes on him a long second before finally walking off, letting her arm drop off his chest, and striding out of the room. She stomped off with the door shutting behind her with a clunk.
Freddy looked shock, but soon enough the expression softened to devastation, and then both his eyes and ears fell with sadness. Natalie had said she hadn't remembered anything, but that wasn't true. She remembered something.
Truth was, Chica could only remember bits and pieces of that night.
But too many of those bits and pieces involved Freddy. Freddy and that kid who pushed her into the trash compactor. It didn't take a genius to piece together that Freddy hadn't been helping her that night.
And where was he when she had been being repaired? The only person she had seen was the clown and maybe a technician. No Freddy. Nobody else.
It left her feeling hollow in a way that made her hungry, and though she knew it was useless she trudged through the atrium and up towards her Cupcake Shoppe. There was no point in stopping in to look for the boy. She didn't feel like, she just wanted…
It didn't take her long to get to the Cupcake Shoppe. She let herself in and looked around at the bakery wearily. Many of the displays were still filled with goodies of all kinds, goodies that would likely still be sold to hungry patrons the next day.
The place reeked of sweetness. A sugary scent that normally would send her into a frenzy of shoving all these leftovers down her gullet, but this time it couldn't be so easy. Her hands were shaking, and she rubbed at her hips and thighs trying to still them. Then she wandered to the nearest platter of cupcakes. Basic cupcakes; chocolate with pink icing, vanilla with yellow, pink with white and with some sprinkles on top.
She felt so empty. So hungry. She couldn't withhold herself any longer and snatched one, her finger sliding messily into the icing. She didn't care. Her other hand flying up to her beak to pull it open. To scrape over it desperately for hold.
She became more frantic as she felt the ridge, the thin separation between her upper and lower beak. She could feel it, she knew it was there. It was an opening. It should've opened, she just couldn't get ahold of it. Her smooth fingers unable to get a grip.
Desperation took hold and pride was thrown to the wind. That crack, she could still use the crack. She violently smooshed the cupcake into her face and splattered it across her casing. Trying to press it into the crack with her fingers.
But nothing went through. Not the smallest splotch made it through her beak. Almost as though the crack was just for show, built in to give the illusion of a real mouth. One that she couldn't and wouldn't open.
One that was working just as intended.
One perfect to hide the empty socket where her voice box used to be. The one they wouldn't replace. Too expensive, too much of a liability.
Chica slowly pulled her hands from her beak and stared at the colorful mess across her fingers. She could smell it, the hunger was prying at her stomach, but there was nothing she could do.
She wanted to scream, but she couldn't even do that.
She slammed her fists down onto the platter of cupcakes just hard enough to crack it and either smoosh or send the desserts falling. Then she shoved the mess off with a loud clatter to the floor. She then turned and grabbed a display holding little tea cakes and sweets and threw it across the shoppe. She smashed the glass on another display and tried to tear into a cake on display, but it was plastic, so she instead grabbed it up and threw it as well.
Chica continued to ransack the Cupcake Shoppe. She circled the displays kicking them in, sending large shards of glass across the tiled floor and crushing them under her feet. She snatched up and launched a Freddy shaped trashcan across the room. She threw over an ATM machine and was moving onto the next one in line when her tirade was brought to an unexpected halt.
At the sound of rapid footsteps, Chica turned on her heel prepared to confront Freddy, only to find someone else barging through the front door.
"What's going on in here?! I swear if that's- Chica?!" Roxanne raced inside and was struck silent at the sight of Chica standing there. She was the last person she expected to be the culprit, both because she was vandalizing her own attraction and because she was out of Parts and Service at all. Chica looked like a mess with icing smeared on her face and a wild look in her eyes, and a quick glance around showed the amount of destruction she had already evoked. "Chica, what are you doing here?! What are you doing?!"
At the question Chica seemed to suddenly sober up. Her wild look suddenly clearing up and her staring blankly at the wolf. Only for that look to dissolve into one of utter devastation, of unshed tears that didn't exist, and without warning she sunk to the floor and landed on her knees with a thump and a crunch of glass. Her head dropped forward, and her shoulders began to shake in silent sobs.
Shaking off her stun, Roxanne rushed over and knelt beside her without hesitation. She grimaced slightly at the mess on her face and attempted to wipe it off with her hand, holding her shoulder with the other hand to keep her from wobbling.
"Geez, you're a mess," she said with no insult. Her voice softer than usual and filled with sympathy. Chica said nothing, and Roxanne's hand stilled as she realized that she couldn't.
She stared at her momentarily before her shoulders slouched, her silently staring at the other Glamrock for a long moment and processing what was happening. And then, just as silently as Chica, pulling her into a sudden embrace, ignoring the icing mess entirely.
Chica slumped against her while still keeping her eyes down into her lap. Roxanne didn't push her to respond, she just gave her the support she could.
And to think they were planning to celebrate when she got released. Of course, it couldn't be that easy.
Freddy was still sulking when he entered his green room. He tried to cover before he headed into the back room, but he couldn't cover the sad look in his eyes. As he walked past the elevator and into the back, Gregory poked his head out of his hiding spot.
"Did you see her?" he asked.
"I did. She is over in her room. Or she was…" Freddy said vaguely.
"So, what's she look like? Did she get her face fixed?" Gregory pressed further.
"She did! She looks good. Very good, like there was no accident at all," Freddy assured.
There was something weird in his voice and look. Gregory wasn't stupid, he knew when someone was hiding something, and Freddy was holding in something bothering him. He pried a little further.
"Then… what's wrong?"
Freddy was about to protest when he saw Gregory's face and knew he couldn't lie to him. He certainly didn't want to burden the boy with his problems, but he didn't want to lie to him either. With a sigh, he wandered over and sat down on the floor beside him with his back against but not resting much weight on a stack of boxes.
"Chica is upset with me. I could tell as much when she stormed out while I was there. And the look on her face…" Freddy's eyes down casted with sadness. "I have… never seen her so upset. She would not even speak to me."
"Wait, does she remember what happened…?" Gregory asked. A low dread in his voice, one that doubled when Freddy nodded.
"I am afraid she may. At least, she remembers what I did."
"But you didn't do anything wrong," Gregory said defensively.
"I did not follow proper protocol. I also allowed it to happen by not being diligent. Perhaps that is why she is upset."
Or perhaps it was because he didn't let her get to Gregory. The fleeting thought upset him more than he thought it would, so Freddy tried to brush it off. No, she was probably more upset that he hadn't helped her as much as he should.
Freddy sighed and looked to Gregory. Upon seeing the uneasy look on his face, he was quick to change his tune. Perking up in tone and expression as he continued, "But she is alright and that is all that matters. She has every right to be upset with me, but that does not mean we are not friends. We will make up and be back to making music in no time. Err, well, we may be making music sooner than making up."
"Okay." Gregory seemed uncertain, but if Freddy believed that then he wasn't going to stop him.
It was then that Freddy got yet another security alert. He had been ignoring them with the upset going on, but he had been getting them back-to-back for a few minutes now. He hummed curiously.
"What?"
"There has been a security alert from somewhere in the building. It has been going off repeatedly for the last few minutes. Which is strange, normally the Staff Bots do not repeatedly flag an alert unless there is an active problem," Freddy explained. He reached up to his temple and checked its location: the basement. He tapped his claws on his head. "Officer Vanessa- I mean… Officer Vanessa should be on her way to investigate, but perhaps I should too."
"Do you think it's Foxy?"
"I hope so," Freddy admitted. His voice betraying how much he missed him.
"Then let's go! What are we waiting for?" Gregory said. He eagerly crawled out of his hiding hole wearing an oversized Freddy head orange shirt and dark blue pajama pants dotted with spaceships. Freddy looked to him with shock.
"I am sorry, Gregory, but it is too close to your bedtime. And you are already in your jammies! I would not be a sufficient caretaker if I allowed you down in that cold basement at this time of the night," Freddy declined. Gregory gave him a less than enthused look, appropriate considering that Freddy had taken him into the basement this late the night they met. Unable to see what the big difference was. "But I could call Sunny to come keep you company while I am gone."
"I don't need a babysitter. I just wanted to see what was going on," Gregory pouted.
"Well, I would be happy to tell you when I get back! Or tomorrow if you have already fallen asleep. For now, let us get you into bed. It is never too early to get a good night's sleep!"
Gregory grumbled a little and reluctantly scooted back into his bed. Freddy chuckled and leaned over to tuck him in, pulling the blanket up and around him, and carefully poking it in around his sides. While Gregory usually resisted Freddy doing stuff for him, he didn't mind the tuck-ins. This was their fourth tuck-in and by now Freddy knew exactly how securely he wanted the blanket tucked, how loose he wanted it at the top, and how he didn't like it tight at all around his feet.
Basically, he liked to be able to move but still wanted to feel surrounded. That Freddy could do!
"I should not be gone long, and I will check on you as soon as I return," Freddy promised. "Try to get some rest and first thing tomorrow morning we can get in a few games of Street Skate Superstar before opening."
"Yeah, okay," Gregory agreed. He tried to push down a little smile. "But what if Foxy's here? Can I get up and hang out with you guys?"
"…Well, I suppose it would be a special occasion… Maybe! But let us see if it is him first," Freddy partially agreed. He ruffled Gregory's hair fondly. "Good night, Superstar. I will be back soon."
"Night, Freddy." Admittedly, Gregory was only being so cooperative because he could tell Freddy was upset and didn't like it.
On the flipside, normally Freddy wouldn't stray too far when Gregory was heading to bed, but he was feeling awful about Chica and was really hoping that the alarm going off was Foxy or one of his friends.
Things had been rough at the Pizzaplex.
Chica's absence had made the employees antsy. They had been regulating the Glamrock's daytime schedule a lot more closely, even when there were only a handful of human employees in the building to do so. Which wouldn't have been a problem in and of itself as Freddy didn't mind sticking to a routine, but it had become more rigid in the last few days alone. He was encouraged to not approach customers- apparently Monty got too chummy with a group and handed out free stuff and now the higher ups were taking notice.
But it wasn't just that. Without Chica it was like the glue that held the band together had fallen apart. That is, Roxanne could seldom be bothered to hang out or practice with how distracted she was with Chica's situation and Monty wanted to spend all his time up on the catwalks. The only one Freddy regularly spent time with Sunny, but the daycare was absolutely off-limits during the morning and daytime hours.
Freddy had received two strict warnings to only go into the daycare for parties. That he would just be a distraction. So, Freddy avoided the area during the day, and tried to give Sunny enough space at night to get ready for the next one.
It was as though Freddy's world had been shrinking around him.
Which was why he was direly hoping that Foxy had finally returned. The two had stayed in touch on the phone- Freddy's calls had thankfully not been noticed by management- but it was different to having Foxy here. Foxy had a way of making the Pizzaplex seem like their own playground, and making such big problems seem so small in comparison. With Foxy, Freddy didn't feel guilty bending the rules.
Alas, Foxy had not returned since the incident with Chica. Which made sense, but lefty Freddy feeling especially lonesome. He wished he was here.
He wished Bonnie was here too. Bonnie would've been able to figure this all out.
But right now, it was just Freddy. Gregory too, but he couldn't count on him. He was his caretaker now; he couldn't put these problems on him. It just wasn't fair.
This brought his mind back to Gregory and as Freddy stepped out of his green room, he pressed his fingers to his temple. Since Chica stormed off, Rockstar Row was empty, but he still didn't feel comfortable leaving Gregory alone. Especially when he might not make it back for the hourly recharge. Sure, Gregory had his flashlight, but that wasn't enough to make him feel safe. He sent a call out.
"Moonlight, I need you," he rumbled lowly through his link.
He got a response almost immediately.
"HHSHSHHHZZWHWHWHATTT?!"
Oh, right. Odds were that it was still Sunny right now.
"Oh, my apologies, Sunshine. I knew there was a fifty-fifty chance of it being you," Freddy replied. No doubt his dire tone must have alarmed him from that flustered reaction. "My apologies for frightening you. I am sure my dire tone must have done so."
"THAT- That is not- That is NOT-!... Yes, that's it," Sunny finished in almost a meek squeak. "Whatcha need, Carebear?"
"Have you heard that security alert from the basement?"
"Tch, how could I not?"
"I am going to go see what it is. Maybe Foxy has returned… I have just tucked Gregory in. Would you do me a favor and come watch over him until I return? Or ask Moon to do so?"
"Sure thing! I'm on my way!" Sunny chirped.
"Thank you," Freddy said. He paused for a long moment before adding. "…Sun, Chica was just released."
"I heard. How's she holding up?"
"She is looking good! She has a new beak, and she is looking perfectly on-model. Better than ever!..."
"…"
"…"
"Buuut?"
"But I think she might remember what happened."
There was a long pause over the line. Freddy expected Sunny to be alarmed and frightened, but the response he was met with was instead calm. Maybe a little too calm.
"What did she say?"
That was definitely Sunny's voice, but it sounded like something that would've come from Moon. Eerily calm, perhaps the slightest bit threatening- to anyone who didn't know the Daycare Attendant as well as Freddy did.
"Nothing. She is not speaking to me, and she is very upset with me. From that alone I can only assume she remembers," Freddy quietly, somberly admitted. "But she has every right to be upset. I let her down."
"Accidents happen, Freddy. What happened that night was an accident. And I don't recall her being squeaky clean that night either! And, uh, me neither... None of us were looking good that night, but sheeee was breaking a whole bunch of rules that you and I weren't," Sunny defended. The further he got along, the more he sounded like his usual self and much less defensive. "Don't worry, Freddy. It'll be okay! Even if Chica remembers, I don't think she's going to tell- nope!"
"It is not her telling that I am worried about. I just… I wish it had not happened. I hate seeing her like this almost as much as I hated seeing her like that," Freddy said quietly.
"Give her time, give her space."
"I will, I will. And I am heading now to check on the alert."
"I'm leaving the daycare now! Say hi to Foxy for me!" Sunny chirped over the line.
"I will, and thank you again, Sun. I do not know what I would do without you," Freddy said. He got a smile at the resulting giggle that was broadcast between their connection before lowering his hand. Though with it his face fell as well.
He really wished he could do something more, but there was no quick fix for this. He would have to deal with the repercussions of his decisions.
He really, really hoped Foxy had come back.
Natalie had taken the stairs down from Rockstar Row into the depths of the basement with Smitty in tow. The basement was as muggy as usual and just walking the length of it was tiring in and of itself. Though more so because of the tediousness of it than the distance.
Especially when Natalie had to stop at every turn and have Smitty flag her in the correct direction. It would've been easier if he would've just led her himself, but he seemed either unwilling or unable to. He was also unable to specify how far the flag was. So, she was aware that at any point she could just waltz up on a catastrophe, or likely Foxy hiding in a crevice somewhere.
She couldn't say she was surprised when they walked up on the source of the alert and found a downed Staff Bot. Not just any Staff Bot either, as she realized when she saw the familiar little scuff and dent in its head. The Mop Bot notorious for falling down the stairs was at the bottom of the basement stairs, having fallen onto them, twisting its arms around and letting out repeated alerts.
"Alright, Buddy, we're here. We're going to get you right up," Natalie assured. She set her flashlight down, since between Smitty and the light from the stairs she didn't really need it and pulled the Mop Bot up onto its wheels.
But the flagging did not stop. In fact, Mop Bot kept trying to go up the stairs, only succeeding in knocking itself forward again. Natalie managed to pull it up a second time, getting between the Mop Bot and the stairs when it tried to tip itself again.
"Wait, wait. Stop that. We'll find you another way up," she assured. Apparently, it recognized the word 'stop' as it no longer fought to go up the stairs, but it soon became apparent that something else was wrong.
She had never seen a Staff Bot act like this. It kept twisting its head around, arms raising and flinching, and still it was flagging and alerting for help.
"What's going on, Buddy? What's wrong?" Natalie asked with concern.
She didn't expect it to respond. Staff Bots seldom did, with Smitty being the only exception. Yet suddenly the Mop Bot suddenly turned and pointed further down the hallway. Smitty turned as well and pointed his light down the tunnel.
"Is there something down there…?" Natalie asked warily. She picked up her flashlight and shined it down as well, but all she could see was a tunnel.
Against her better judgment she began to walk down the tunnel with Smitty at her side. The Mop Bot slowly rolled after them as they continued down the shaft until something came into view.
There was the Mop Bot's squeegee laying on the floor. Natalie picked it up and handed it to it, and it took it in its hand and gripped it tightly. It continued to stare past her into the hallway.
Smitty suddenly flagged. It was unexpected, but Natalie took that as a sign to suddenly turned around and grab for her taser. She didn't see anything coming at them, but there did look to be another downed Staff Bot.
It wasn't until she crept up further that she realized what she was looking at wasn't just a group of downed Staff Bots, but a massacre.
Three Staff Bots were spread out across the tunnel. Their chests had been gutted open and they were missing limbs and fingers. One of them had their head partially smashed and an eye broken in, but it was clear that most of the damage was from their chest wounds. It was as though something either broke or pried them open, and from how deep the light reached inside she could tell that their insides had been pulled out.
It was a harrowing scene. Suddenly Natalie understood why the Mop Bot had been acting so strange. He must've come up on the scene, if not having seen whoever did this before fleeing for the stairs.
"Who did this?" she asked in disbelief as she looked over the broken bots.
This certainly didn't fit in with Vanny's usual schemes. While it could've been her, Natalie had some doubts. Unless there was something she needed out of the Staff Bots it just didn't seem like her.
Maybe she could get some answers out of the Mop Bot. As limited as their communication ability was, they had shown they could answer easy questions, and Mop Bot itself had been able to point her in this direction. She turned back to question it.
When she caught sight of the scene behind her.
Mop Bot was standing there with its hands sort of folded together in a default position in front of itself with its mop in hand. Its head was down aiming its ever-unfocused eyes on the floor. That wasn't too peculiar. What was would be Smitty standing alongside it with his free hand resting on the Mop Bot's shoulder, as though he was lending comfort or his support. A strangely human gesture for bots who seemed unable to express even the most basic of emotions. This was the first time she had seen anything close.
She almost hated breaking it up with how endearing it was, but she didn't have much of a choice.
"Hey," she began. Both Staff Bots turned to look at her. "Did you see who did this?"
The Mop Bot pointed towards the wall. Natalie shined her flashlight over and noticed a broken open vent nearby. The cover was laying in front of it, with the middle smashed outwards. Something with an amount of strength behind it must have struck it.
It was becoming increasingly less likely that this was Vanny, and something about that uneased Natalie even more.
Though before she could even consider this longer, she heard the familiar thump, thump, thump slowly raising out of the distant tunnels behind her. Like a rumble slowly travelling down the line. She knew who it was even before he jogged up to the scene.
"Officer Vanessa, I was coming to- what happened here?!" Freddy's voice shifted immediately upon seeing the downed Staff Bots littering the hall. He looked around in shock at the carnage. "Who could have done this?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Natalie agreed. She pointed over at the vent. "But it looks like it came through there."
"That is… Could it had been an Endoskeleton?" Freddy walked over and knelt to look at the vent. He supposed it could've been, but there wasn't a telltale.
"Would the Endos attack Staff Bots?" Natalie asked.
"They have not before, but I cannot imagine anything else that may be down here," Freddy replied.
Which was mostly a non-answer, but Natalie took his word for it. He knew from Mike and Marionette at least that the Endos were aggressive, so perhaps one just got set off by something.
Natalie sighed as she looked at the scene. "These poor guys. They were just doing their job, they didn't deserve this," she sympathized. She sent a look back at Mop Bot. He was looking around in constant alert now, more alert than even Smitty, as though expecting something to drop out of the ceiling and attack him.
"It is a shame… but we may be able to fix them!" Freddy suggested. Natalie gave him a doubtful look. "It is not as far-fetched as it seems! Staff Bots hold most of their servos and processors, the parts which make each one unique, in their heads. They are also made with easy-to-detach heads, and there is a facility up on the West Arcade for repairing these Staff Bot heads so they may be attached to a new body. We could take their heads up there, repair them, and then the technicians could affix them to new bodies!"
"They can do that? Then why didn't they do that for all those Staff Bots in the basement?"
"I am… not sure… Perhaps because most of them were Alpha Staff Bots. I am not certain if the Alpha line came with the easy to remove heads," Freddy said with a slight shrug.
"Then let's go for it. I rather that then them ending up down there too," Natalie agreed.
Freddy nodded and crouched closer to the nearest Staff Bot. He maneuvered something around the neck and clicked in a few specific points, and then off the Staff Bots head detached. He carefully tucked a few loose wires back into its neck before cradling it in his arm and moving to the next one.
"The West Arcade is that one between the bowling alley and Prize Counter, right?"
"It is! But I would be happy to take these up myself, if it is alright with you. I could use a reason to stretch my legs," Freddy offered.
Stretch his legs- more like walk off the disappointment that Foxy hadn't shown up.
"That would be great, thank you! I need to get this guy upstairs and start looking through the cams," Natalie said. She reached back to pat Mop Bot's shoulder. "He's been through a lot tonight."
"I cannot imagine, but at least he is safe. And soon his friends will be as good as new!" Freddy assured. "I will drop off the Staff Bot heads with you when I am done."
"Thanks. Remember, I moved from the Lost and Found to that security office right beside the lobby."
"I remember! Take care getting back."
"We will, you too." Natalie then turned to her Staff Bot companions. "Let's go, Smitty, Buddy." She waved them to follow and the two did, staying close as she turned around to head back to the stairs.
Freddy took a shortcut up to the atrium through a separate hall and staircase, and then began the long ascent up to the West Arcade. His features falling as he began to head up. As though tonight couldn't get any more ominous and dismal. What on Earth could've attacked those Staff Bots? Likely an Endo, as that would have been the only thing down there, but it seemed so senseless. The Endos weren't supposed to move on their own at all, let alone attacking innocent Staff Bots!
Freddy sighed deeply as he approached the West Arcade doors, passed the Staff Bot guarding the door, and stepped into the entranceway. A pillar surrounded by planted shrubs sat in the center of the entrance, with a hall leading off to the left to the Prize Counter while the security door lay ahead. He walked up to it and let it roll open, and the splendor of the West Arcade was revealed to him.
Unlike the East Arcade, which was large and overflowing with games, but all on a level playing field. The West Arcade was masterfully vertical. Even standing in the lobby he could see evidence of it, with a towering faux-gold statue of him and his band mates standing before him. Almost standing tall enough to reach the dangling lights hanging far from the distant ceiling. It was an impressive sight.
But there was a reason that Freddy did not come up here.
Freddy straightened his back and started to make a beeline forward around the fountain at the base of the statues. He kept his eyes down on the lime green floor before raising them up into the wonder of the West Arcade. Numerous arcade machines drenched in soothing neon in a circular room led up into by a spiral staircase, which he eagerly headed up. Even in a place as large as the Mega Pizzaplex, the West Arcade stood out in its size and design. Though Freddy kept to his work, quickly heading to the security office and fixing the heads.
It was on his way out that Freddy slipped up. So far so good, he hadn't felt any unnecessary tugs in any wrong directions. He was able to get in and out without a problem, and for that he had gotten a little too relaxed.
Until he just happened to look over past the fountain as he was walking by. The entrance was right there, he was so close to just walking right out the door, and he accidently ended up looking into the other doorway. Into a large room obscured in a light bed of fog. An archway of dimmed neon signaling the stage beyond it. The dance floor hidden just beneath it, currently unlit, waiting, calling for him.
He could feel the programming kick in as he suddenly flipped from dread to the unexplainable and irresistible urge to approach the dancefloor.
It was an order by design, and Freddy had no choice but to carefully set down the Staff Bot heads beside the fountain, apologizing as he did so, and make his way into the cloudy room.
It was a programming bug, they said. But Freddy had his doubts. He believed it was something much deeper, much more instinctual. He was born- built to dance.
As he stepped onto the dance floor it alit underneath his feet. Spotlights above shined down upon him and dimmed neon burst to life around him. It was as though he was standing at center stage, emphasized by an automated voice overhead.
"Now entering the dance floor: Freddy Fazbear!"
The ambience music was replaced with a striking riff that led into an electronic rendition of the Pizzaplex main theme. Freddy pointed to the sky as though standing on stage and prepared for the performance of a lifetime.
When suddenly the music shut off. There was a low hum and creak before the neon lights and floor dimmed to their previous state. Freddy's closed eyes popped open in surprise as though ripped out of a trance. He looked around and then towards the stage.
His answer came when he met the eyes of the DJ. Large and black empty discs staring out of the cave of a booth it hunkered down in. Standing twice his height with twice as many limbs, a massive creature with a tight row of teeth to emulate a smile.
It answered him not with words, but by lifting a large gloved hand and then sending him a point. A smooth, friendly sort of, "I've got you," kind of point. One that brought a sigh of relief from Freddy.
"Thank you, DJ. Something about the music and atmosphere of this place makes me lose all control of myself," Freddy thanked. He walked up to the DJ booth freely, feeling only a slight static on the bottom of his feet as he did. "My apologies for not stopping in to say hello. I came to repair a few Staff Bot heads for the security officer. She found then vandalized in the basement. Unfortunately, we are not sure who may have done it."
The DJ tilted his massive head thoughtfully. Its body groaning at the motion, but Freddy could've imagined a thoughtful hum.
"But I really should stop in more often to visit. It has been much too long," Freddy said kindly.
Considering that the last time he came in for a proper visit he was with Bonnie, it had indeed been much too long. Which was a shame, because the DJ was also so polite and welcoming to others. He was also typically alone as well. With the Hive Attendant restricted to the Hive Arcade and the Glamrocks seldom coming up here- Freddy was sure he was the only one who ever came up here- it must've left him lonely.
Which was a shame. He couldn't imagine why Chica, Monty, and Roxy wouldn't want to come up and play some arcade games, or sing some karaoke, or dance it out together. It was such a good idea that Freddy would've offered if not for the current situation. Though he doubted they would say yes. Even before this, his bandmates tended to like doing their own thing. Which he did not mind, but it was a shame. Especially since it was so incredibly cool up here, but also so safely secluded.
Nobody came up here and yet there was so much to do. He really should have brought Foxy.
In fact, he really could bring Foxy.
Like he said, the Glamrocks didn't want anything to do with up here. The DJ was friendly and didn't seem like the type to refuse company. There were plenty of activities to throw the most rocking get-together and still be totally under the radar.
Excitement swelled in Freddy's chest at the idea, but he couldn't get too excited yet. First, he had to run it past the DJ himself, who was now waving a large hand in front of his face as he stared off towards the wall.
"Oh! My apologies, DJ. I was lost in thought… And I was thinking… I know this is against protocol and many of our rules, but what would you think about us having a private get-together here at the West Arcade? And by us, I mean myself and a few friends of mine… friends from outside the Pizzaplex," Freddy began. The DJ tilted his head, and Freddy clasped his hands together and continued to explain. "I know my friends are not supposed to be here and due to these circumstances, I am not able to see them. However, if I brought them here, perhaps we could spend time together without them being discovered. And they would follow all the rules of the arcade and be very careful with the equipment, I am certain."
The DJ considered it for a moment. He even tapped his finger on the side of his headphones thoughtfully and tapped another hand of gloved fingers on the edge of his stage. Then he gave a firm nod of agreement.
"Really?! That is wonderful! Thank you, DJ! I will take care of everything, and if anyone finds out then I will take full responsibility," Freddy reassured. He was absolutely brimming with exhilaration now.
The DJ gave him a thumbs up. He didn't seem concerned in the slightest. He didn't even motion to ask further questions, either trusting Freddy's judgement or equally excited at the idea of company. Something worth rousing himself from his typical napping for.
"I will give you the details once I speak with them, but for now I should be going. Vanessa is counting on me," Freddy explained. He turned to hurry out, waving back at the DJ as he did, an excited little hop in his step. "Sleep well and thank you again!"
The DJ replied with an approving record scratch from one of his soundboards and another supportive point in Freddy's direction. It sounded encouraging to Freddy.
He grabbed up the Staff Bot heads and headed right down to drop them off at the security office. However, that pep in his step started to quickly wane, and it wasn't long before he was having second thoughts.
Specifically, when he arrived at the security office and dropped off the Staff Bot head. Initially the plan was to tell her then about the idea, but then he saw the survivor Mop Bot slowly wiping at the floor in the hallway, with Smitty following slowly behind him, and it reminded him of what had transpired earlier. Natalie was friendly with an appreciative and somewhat awed, "Good job, Freddy!" and he couldn't bear to tell her of his idea. Maybe later, maybe once he called Foxy.
Though as he started making his way back to Rockstar Row, he began to second guess himself. There was so much going on right now, and a significant chunk of it was caused by what happened the last time he had gotten too lenient letting people visit. He should've been watching, but instead he had been letting himself get distracted, and it ended up putting Gregory, Chica, Baby, and the entire Pizzaplex at risk.
There was a reason Foxy wasn't asking to come back, because it simply wasn't safe. Freddy squared this away with a sigh as he made his way into Rockstar Row.
And much to his surprise, he found Roxanne waiting for him. She was sitting on one of the circular benches. Or more like laid on it with her arms crossed and one leg up. She noticed the door opening and got up as he approached.
"Hey," she greeted.
"Roxy, hello. I did not expect to see you waiting for me," Freddy greeted.
"Where were you?" she asked. Only now did he realize how tired she sounded. She looked it too on closer inspection, with even her hair a little more ruffled than usual.
"I went to check the security alert. It turns out Officer Vanessa found three broken Staff Bots in the basement. They had been attacked by something that had broken out of a vent. It could have been a rogue endo."
"…I'm sorry, what?" Roxanne stared at his solemn nod before shaking her head with a huff. "Right, that's exactly what we need right now."
She seemed more upset than usual. He could only assume why.
"Have you seen Chica?"
"Have you?" she challenged back.
"I did a while ago," he agreed. "She is very upset with me. She stormed out without a word."
"Maybe because they didn't replace her voice box?"
Those words sunk in quickly and Freddy's head snapped up in surprise.
"What?!"
"And they sealed her beak shut. Or this beak's just for show and doesn't open at all,"" Roxanne explained. She crossed her arms again, resting her weight on one hip. "You didn't notice?"
"I-I noticed she was not speaking, but- but she was so angry that she stormed out-."
"And you let her go?! Freddy, she's not okay," Roxanne scolded.
"I know, but I… I did not want to make it any worse than I already have. I thought if I gave her space that I…" Freddy trailed off and like releasing a breath, his body slouched with guilt. It was clear that he had no ill intentions, and Roxanne gave a begrudging sigh.
"…No, you made the right call. If she left then she wanted to get away, not have you follow her," she agreed. "She's up in Mazercise blowing off some steam right now. I came down to tell you and Monty."
"How did he take it?"
"I don't even know where the hell he is. He's out of range, so he's probably up in the catwalks again," Roxanne vented with frustration. She planted her hands back on her hips. She couldn't keep them in place, and her leg was starting to twitch; she was clearly wound up. "Look, you're good with the human employees. They actually listen to you. You'll need to talk to one of the technicians about getting Chica's beak fixed. Really fixed, not just this duct tape-and-done thing. They can be lazy and stupid off the clock."
"I will see to it. It is highly irresponsible of them to not fix her properly and then still expect her to perform," Freddy said, notably upset as well. Roxanne gave a satisfied nod at the spark in his voice.
"Good. I'm going to go see if Monty's in the Atrium and check up on her. If you see him, tell him what happened."
"I will."
With that, Roxanne headed off on her way and Freddy started to drag himself towards his room. He felt even worse now. He had noticed her not speaking and barely acknowledged it- how oblivious could he be? He understood exactly why she was so upset.
And so was he. He was very upset. With himself, with the technicians, with this entire situation and the numerous others counting up. He froze in place for a long moment.
And then…
He turned around and started heading back out. Heading towards the nearest phone, knowing everyone would be too distracted to hear him make a call. He couldn't stand it; he needed an out, even if it was just for one night.
The only way he was going to get through tonight was if he had something to look forward to tomorrow.
Freddy hadn't gotten back as quickly as expected, but Gregory wasn't worried. On the contrary, he kept himself quite entertained on his own. Unable to sleep and still wide awake, he rolled onto his stomach, propping himself up over his travel pillow, and broke out his action figures. So far, Gregory had only collected two; a Freddy he had saved up a ton of tickets for- and got some freebies from Freddy himself- and the Roxanne he cleaned up from the sewer.
It was Gregory's goal to get his hands on a full set, but for now he was content enough with Freddy and one-legged Roxy as the stars, with some plastic Faz-meal toys to play the roles of bad guys they had to beat up or good guys they had to save.
Roxy was in the middle of using her nub leg to 'hi-yah!' kick some little mushroom looking guy when he suddenly heard a familiar ticking noise. He furrowed his brows and wrinkled his nose questioningly, before having that question by a red glow shining on the side of his tent. He heard tsking even before he poked his head out.
There was Moon halfway through the vent. His long arm hooking on the edge of the vent while his head hung down, face spinning and teasingly wobbling upside-down at the boy.
"Such a naughty moonwort," Moon scolded. Though he almost sounding delighted to have caught him in the act. "Here I was coming to read you a bedtime story and you're ssssneaking to stay up! Tsk, tsk."
"As a matter of fact, Moondrop, Freddy said I could stay up until midnight as long as I got in bed," Gregory said and crossed his arms. Which Freddy had said… a few days ago, but he had said it and it probably still applied.
"Tch, of course Freddy would go soft," Moon said. He rolled his eyes, his face, and then himself out of the vent opening. Still holding on with one hand, he lowered himself around the remaining boxes and slinked to the floor. Sure enough, Gregory noticed a couple of books clasped under his other arm. He stepped out into view and waggled a finger at him. "It is not good for you. Put down the toys, it's time for bed," Moon said a little more firmly.
Gregory rolled his eyes and disappeared back into his hiding spot. While he could've just ignored Moon, he was awfully tempted to with how he was bossing him around, he decided he rather not test him. He didn't exactly trust Moon to not turn on him like he had the night they met. So instead, he gathered up the toys and put them away into the little shoebox he had for them. The red glow falling over his shoulder signaled the jester peeking in.
"Listening tonight? Goood. For that, I think you deserve this bedtime story after all," Moon decided. He pushed aside a few boxes and plopped himself down outside of the entrance in a cross-legged position.
Gregory's brows furrowed once again as he noticed the glow from the Christmas lights reaching the clown's lap. "How come you're not turning into Sun? I thought light's what changes you into him."
"Indeed, but thisss is not enough light," Moon explained. The lights of his eyes half-lidded. "If you think Sun will be any more lenient on your bedtime, he will not."
Gregory looked just as unamused by this comment as Moon did. The clown straightened up and opened the book in his lap.
"Now then: The Fazbear went over the Mountain. It was a bright and sunny day. It was such a sunny day that Freddy Fazbear decided it would be a nice day to take a walk outside. He packed up a basket with pizza and other goodies and left the Freddy Fazbear Mega Pizzaplex to find a good place for a picnic. It didn't take him long to find a nice grassy hill underneath the blue, blue sky. Freddy sat down the basket to spread out the blanket when he heard a big whoosh from behind him. He turned around to see a light coming down from the sky and sucking up his picnic basket! It was a UFO! Before he could say so much as a word, it flew off into the deep, dark forest. Freddy got out his Fazer Blaster and bravely ran in after it…"
Somehow, Moon was a good storyteller. It surprised Gregory at least. Or maybe it was just because the story wasn't as boring as he was thought it would be.
"-The leader apologized for tricking Freddy and returned his picnic basket as thanks for helping them find their way out of the scary woods. Freddy was so glad to be out of the woods and to have his basket back that he forgave the aliens and even invited them to his picnic. Soon they were all sitting out on the blanket under the big blue sky. It was then that Freddy knew that the only thing better than a fresh slice of pepperoni and cheese pizza was sharing one with friends. The end."
Moon closed the book in his lap.
"Do you know what the moral of the story is?"
"Pizza's good?" Gregory asked. Moon wasn't amused in the slightest. "Don't steal stuff," Gregory corrected. The old tried and true, and the most predictable moral ever.
"Perhaps, but that is not all. It is also about forgiveness. Freddy forgave the aliens and because he did, he was able to make new friends," the jester explained. "Ssssometimess it is hard to forgive those who hurt us, but sometimes forgiveness can help take that hurt away. It can let new friendships grow."
"If this is about Chica, I don't feel like forgiving her. Not when she's being mean to Freddy," Gregory quickly turned down. He looked down at his blanket defiantly, a strange mix of guilt and anger welling up like a ball in his throat.
"No, it is not," Moon said. "But since you were so kind as to bring her up, I will be staying with you until Freddy returnsss."
"I'm not scared," Gregory quietly said.
Because she looked normal now. She wasn't scary anymore. He wasn't going to be afraid of her ever again, not like that night. That Chica only existed in his nightmares.
"I know you're not, but I cannot take any risks."
"Yeah, okay," Gregory acceded.
"Gregory…" Moon said quietly. He leaned his head in with a tilt. "Do you know what you did wrong that night?"
That took Gregory entirely off-guard. He looked up in surprise. Milky blue eyes stared back, which Gregory found weird but that was the least of his problems. Like with the storybook, Gregory knew what he had done wrong.
"I… I pushed Chica into the trash compactor. She got hurt because of me, and now she's mad at Freddy because of me."
"No. That was not what you did wrong," Moon disagreed. Gregory looked to him in confusion. The jester raised a finger and explained, "It was setting up the scheme to scare her in the first place. That was out of maliciousness. You wanted to get back at her. You wanted her to feel the same fear that you had felt. I understand how you felt, but what you did was wrong. Pushing her into the compactor… Mmm, it depends on if that too was out of anger or as self-defense, BUT you put yourself in that position."
"I know… But-."
"No buts," Moon interjected surprisingly gently. "Take care to recognize who you are hurting. Your actions effect many, Chica is only one of them."
The boy nodded stiffly, feeling thoroughly corrected in a way Freddy hadn't done. He wasn't sure what to feel about it. He felt like he needed to challenge Moon, but something held him back, and it wasn't just a fear of riling up the clown. It could've been because he knew Moon was right. Not in all those extra details, but he had known what he was doing was wrong before he did it.
He just hadn't realized how wrong it was until he saw Chica's battered body. Both laying broken in the gutter and getting up on its own accord to haunt him. He would never forget it and now- a look of fear settled on his face- she was back. Chica had returned and she remembered everything. She was going to come and get him for sure; even Moon knew it. That was probably why he was here. It was only a matter of time.
Gregory was startled by Moon reaching for his chin and lifting his face. He almost recoiled from it but was perhaps too shocked in place to do so. He waved a finger.
"…And if Chica ever, ever grabs you again, you will tell me. You can tell Freddy, but you will tell me, and I will put her in her place," Moon said. His voice fell into a sharper edge, his red pupils cut through the milky blue.
"You will? Even if she's just chasing me?" Gregory asked. To which Moon nodded. "Then I will!… I, umm, thanks."
"You're welcome, Moonchild," Moon drew back into his seat and switched the book out for the second one. "Now then… Another?"
"Okay!" Gregory tried to not seem too eager as he squirmed back under his blankets to get comfortable. "I'm ready."
Moon opened the second book and they disappeared into the next story.
…
He wasn't sure if he was, but Moon felt like maybe, just maybe, he could be forgiven.