Author's note: The song Bonnie sings has a similar beat as Steve Tyler's 'Dream On'.
Sometime during the PizzaPlex's prime-
~Just a few months ago, before Vanny's appearance~
GLAMROCK BONNIE
It'd been a normal day in the PizzaPlex.
Birthdays to attend, autographs to sign, schedules to keep, managers to keep appeased. There was a couple of Glam Deluxe packages with his name jotted down in the roster this week. After all, he was probably the second-most request animatronic after Freddy for birthdays. In fact, just today, he's been attending one such birthday for a girl named Kendall.
There was absolutely nothing odd about today. Nothing at all. If one didn't know better, Bonnie would've had a perfectly fine, normal day-
Save for the fact he was hearing Cassie cry from outside the daycare.
He'd been on his way to the daycare as the day closed out. It wasn't midnight yet; the lockdown wasn't initiated. He was coming to check on the girl actually, seeing as this may be one of those unfortunate nights her father would be staying in- which by extension, meant she will up spending the night here too. Not a common occurrence, but one that wasn't usually seen since the whole 'lock-in' idea was scrapped not too long ago. Cassie was an exception though; if due to the fact even her father generously gave his patronage here too and planned on giving her a birthday package soon.
Cromwell and others decided that one little kid being watched by the daycare attendant wasn't too much trouble in the wee hours; especially since it meant the attendant could stay behaved. Sun was actually his most approachable when Cassie was around; and this hasn't gone unnoticed by staff. They can see he was visibly cheered by her, and it didn't hurt that the girl has actually helped put him into repair mode a little while ago- technically saving them time, money and trouble. And seeing as she did it before Sun finished shorting out and would be rendered defunct, they didn't have to dip into their repair pool too much.
"So, let the girl spend her nights here," they've said. "Its fine. Its just ONE girl."
Yeah, sure. If her dad wasn't half as good at his job as he was, you wouldn't be saying that, Bonnie wondered.
And speaking of which, Cassie's dad was requested to work on some endos in the warehouse this evening; a task they only designated to the better-trained staff like himself. He was supposed to 'teach' them and program them as well as run repairs on any that get a little too uppity. The tasks will certainly keep him here, so it meant Cassie will be here a while. This was... less than ideal for her; seeing as it was no secret that Cassie didn't like seeing her father work so late.
Bonnie knew Cassie was sensitive about the fact her small family was already so disparate. She hardly got the time to spend with her one remaining parent anymore. Her father has even informed the buck that dealing with the girl's mother hadn't been great due to his numerous hours. It's driven a wedge into their relationship, and the marriage has essentially fallen apart. Cassie was essentially going to wind up with either one or the other; and her mother wasn't keen on letting the girl remain with her workaholic father who barely spent any time with her as it is. With the way things were going with her, Cassie will wind up with her mother-
And she will never return to the PizzaPlex ever again.
Bonnie absolutely did NOT like that idea- not he or Sun. He and the others liked Cassie and her being a 'regular'; all things considered. She was one of the only stable relationships they had here; although Bonnie understood her mother's reservations in some part. However, he also, at the time, did not understand why she was so adverse to letting her child stay here. Wasn't this place the safest in the world?
No, its not, Bonnie would one day (and far too late) realize.
The point is though, the family wasn't doing great; and the girl was spending more and more time at the PizzaPlex as a result for just a while longer. Eventually, this increased time will turn into no visits at all; something Bonnie and the others honestly dread. Cassie was very alone in the world; seeing as she's admitted she has few friends in school and her home life isn't fantastic. The animatronics here (especially Sun) have been trying their best to help her feel loved and appreciated here- and they enjoyed each other's company.
"We can be lonely together," Sun has once told her, when Bonnie was here last.
Snapping out of his ruminations, Bonnie stopped before the daycare's doors; holding his bass and blinking sadly as his ears could hear the girl crying on the other side. Sun was talking to her; trying to coax her but not managing to do so. Cassie was simply too stressed and distraught to be receptive about her current family issue and possible removal from this place.
Cassie's father had the foresight to ask Bonnie (or any other bot he can get a hold of) to go and cheer his girl up for the night. He knew staying late would make her cry and wanted to, ahead of time, make sure this wasn't as hard on her. He was struggling to make ends neat however, and its showing. He's already told Bonnie he'd want nothing more than to spend more time with her; and he's tried by having her with him during some parts of his work-
Until he started doing something dangerous- like say, dealing with the unstable endos in their earliest stages. No way in HELL he was going to have Cassie around factory-fresh endos when they don't have the inhibitions properly coded into them.
Sighing, Bonnie huffed and decided he didn't want to wait out there any longer; knocking a couple times and suddenly hearing the moment her tears stopped-
"Maybe that's him now!" Chirruped the attendant in a more jovial manner.
Bonnie winced. No, I'm not your father here to pick you up and take you home to tuck you into bed, he thought with a grimace. I'm about to be a big disappointment to them.
He backed off to give the attendant some room to shove the door open; pulling at his high collar sheepishly when he met the milky eyes of the eccentric jester. Sun didn't change his expressions physically; as his mask didn't allow it, but the way he held his head and lowered it when he saw Bonnie was enough of a hint as to how much this will be painful for the girl.
"Oh- its you," The many-faced bot grumbled.
Sun wasn't annoyed with Bonnie. In fact, they got along amicably enough most days professionally (given Bonnie could muster the gumption to stand his frenetic mannerisms). They just don't interact too much beyond a point beyond that. However, the melancholy edge to the smaller bot's tone shot a hole in the rabbit's mechanical heart. Sun had been hoping to see Cassie's father; not the damn bear's hype man.
"Ah... I uh-" Bonnie held up his bass a little, then waved at his stomach hatch. "I brought things to do... for Cassie. I just have it tucked away-"
"How late is he going to be?" Sun muttered lowly but cutting right to the point. He was looking over his incredibly thin shoulders at the girl beyond in quick snatches. Bonnie can just make out the sight of Cassie trying to peek past the door. It seems she's already getting an idea that her parent wasn't there; seeing as he hadn't come in already. Even from here, he can just catch the downward churn of her expression.
Bonnie hung his head, gritting his teeth and scratching at the back of his head. "Looks like another all-nighter for him... M'sorry," he finished lamely.
Sun was frozen for a second, doing nothing but gawping (in his own closed-mouth way) and shaking his head. He opened the door fully now, long-boned hands at his sides. He sounded resigned as he said, "Just- come in. The girl can do with uh- oh, I don't think anything I have will be helping her today. She's just ah-" He twiddled his fingers into each other. "She's just not... you know."
Bonnie nodded, carefully stepping past the attendant and finally gaining the courage to glimpse the girl fully-
And it crushed his heart anew when he can see Cassie wasn't as visibly excited to see him as he would've hoped.
For some reason, whenever a Glamrock got a look like that from ANY child -just for that child to realize that the bot isn't who they wanted around or to pay attention to them for their birthdays- hurt. It hurt on a scale that almost felt like Bonnie can actually TASTE it physically and spiritually. Something about his programming instantly dictated he find some way to make her feel happier to see him; to make them want him to come back (it was a vile piece of programming their developers instilled so they can charm consumers into having multiple favorites- therefore making them spend more money on the merch for that bot). They were, after all, built to try and accommodate everyone and be rewarded thusly.
Bonnie knew Cassie liked him well enough; she was even biased towards him in some ways as her dad. Problem? Well, it went straight back to her father not being there for her enough. That wasn't something Bonnie can help-
But it didn't make that nasty, maggot-ridden squirming area where his stomach should be any less unpleasant. Could a bot feel like his nonexistent innards can twist and snare?
It was in that weird, strange moment of him catching her eye that Bonnie realized how, deep down, he WANTED to be there for her just as much as her own father wanted. He wanted to be adored not as a musician, but as something better. To be closer with this sweet, gentle-spirited girl whose alone too many hours in the day. He wanted to know her better, and to hug all her problems away. This was a sensation he craved and didn't understand at that moment in time. He didn't know where it came from, and why Cassie mattered so much to him, even though they didn't get to interact as often as he would've liked.
So why is this so poignant to me?
He figured at the time this was also, sadly, a symptom of a Glamrock attaching themselves to a singular child when they shouldn't. If they spend too much time around ANY one child, they grew TOO attached and refused to let go. Because the Glamrocks didn't have any permanent relationships with anyone but each other, they too grew lonely and hurt when the dark hours ebbed in and left them to stew alone in their rooms. They only felt their happiest in a busy, child-filled room. To be lavished the attention they were technically starved of. It didn't help that, once upon a time, the Toy generation of animatronics had a feature where they don't stay in a quiet room and they migrate to where its loudest- something Bonnie suspected was carried over into his current generation.
At any rate. The crowds loved them, yes, but it wasn't anything personal or close. They still wound up alone at the end of the day. They still wound up pacing their rooms in solitary confinement; anxiously waiting for the doors to open the next day and bring whatever little attention they can have back. For the people to tell them they were GREAT and they were AMAZING. For them to feel like they matter for a short while before the bots are stuffed up in their rooms like spent toys a toddler eventually forgot about once they're buried in a closet-
Bonnie sucked in air harshly; blinking rapidly at the intrusive observation of their own lives. He didn't need to think about this now. He had a girl to cheer up.
He stepped slowly over to Cassie, fidgeting with his bass' neck while not breaking eye-contact with the distraught lass. She was definitely letting tears run free; and was at that point in her lamentation where she didn't bother hiding how tear-strained she was. Her hazel gaze was red-eyed; her face flushed with the angry and depressing realization that she will continue not having her father tonight. She wasn't going home.
He knelt down in front of her; like a knight before a mighty princess. He passed a slow blink, placing his bass down gently on the floor and propping up an arm on one of his knees. Cassie watched him all the while; sucking in air constantly like she was trying to speak, but couldn't. Clearly, she wanted to know where her dad was.
So he had to say oh-so sadly, "He uh... your dad. He's gonna be working late again... So-"
He tried not to jerk when she produced this crinkling whine and raised her fists to her eyes to rub at them. Her tears ran anew- exactly the reaction he was going to get and didn't want.
Bonnie reached out reflexively on that note; one paw easily covering both of her tiny hands and thumb caressing the back of her right one. His head dipped down to look at the floor in repentance; wishing he could be enough for her but knowing he won't ever be. Not him, or Sun.
I'm not your father, said those ugly words again. I don't have the power to make you unsad with my existence. All I can do is sing, dance and be pretty and shiny- And sell ice cream on top of all that. I can't bring you home where you'd be happy and safe. I don't have the ability to take you out of here and protect you out there. I can't even tuck you in for a sweet dream when I'm busy enough in HERE.
But I can protect you while you're in here with me. I can serve you food when you're hungry, and tuck you in to nap for a while if I'm able to between shows. I can maybe, hopefully, help you forget your troubles for a little while with my songs. That will have to be enough.
"I know its not much but... I... oh, I'm sorry. I can't dodge around that," He mumbled in a pained tenor, marginally tightening his hold on her. "I'm sorry I'm not your pops. But, if its ANY consolation, I wanna come and hang with you for a little while. I want to help you not feel sad. Given, that's okay with you and Sun-?"
She hiccupped a few times, and it would be a literal FULL minute before she found enough air in her to garble out, "A-Aren't you- *sniff* ...busy?"
He gently shook his head and kept rubbing at her mitts. "Never too busy to give love where its needed, sweet thing. And 'sides, I don't have anymore parties tonight or any maintenance to do. My attraction's clean too; so I ain't literally doing anything but meandering around in my room right now- kinda driving myself mad looking at those same walls." He shrugged and smiled here, but his words were also dead serious. He was actually eating himself alive staying in his room sometimes. She didn't need to know his words were genuine, so he waved it off and continued with, "My friends are still cleaning up their areas, meanwhile... and when they're done, Freddy said he was thinkin' of nabbing Rox and Chica and comin' to visit here? Like a kinda sleep-over. Again, if that's fine with you."
We want to be with you.
These are words Bonnie would tell her one day, but not now. He was thinking them fervently however, giving her his best approximation of a smile he can manage right now as he gingerly caressed her ever-so tiny hands. She has the cutest little paws, he figured. And yes, he called them paws sometimes.
Cassie hiccupped and found herself nodding; though she was still crying heavily. She went to furiously wipe at one eye with her sleeve; Bonnie waiting all the while with the patience of a gargoyle watching over the church it silently and stoically guarded. A sentinel finding its place right it needed to be; to protect with its mere presence alone.
Sun meanwhile meandered to their side, pulling at his hands anxiously and swapping his gaze between either or. He looked ready to jump out of his own wires; hovering about as he was.
"Okay- okay," She mumbled while still furiously pulling at the corners of her eyes.
Bonnie held her hand as long as he was allowed, then let go to settle on his rump. Folding his legs was awkward for him due to the weird shape of a Glamrock's legs, but he managed it part of the way and held up a finger as if to say 'hold a moment'. He opened his stomach hatch; pulling out a carton of nail polish, hair articles, and make-up. Cassie raised some brows at the random objects, and he was glad to note that confusion alone was helping stem the sobs.
He wasn't done there; he even pulled out another container that was now sweating with condensation; having frozen it for a while before coming here. He opened it up; then unveiled within that container, a cardboard package with ice crystals on it. He pulled that open as well; revealing to the girl a box of her favorite ice cream; caramel-topped fudge with nuts.
"Just for you," He smiled as he passed it to her and pulled out a pre-packaged spoon and a napkin. "Last I checked, ice cream tends to make anyone feel a BIT better. Or at least, I hope it would-?"
Cassie gratefully accepted the food offering, her lip-line trembling somewhat. She nodded too, her hands shaking a bit more than Bonnie cared to see. It hurt him anew to see what this family... disagreement, was doing to her.
I'm not your father. And yet he's asked me to fill in for him when HE should be there for her. He's asking a company's toys to play babysitter. This is a tall order, even for you, he wondered intrusively. Not that we dislike it- its just, something about the concept isn't right. Even though we are living beings, we are still things to them. You should be there for her; not us. We can't mend sadness that easily.
He closed his stomach hatch now, pulling up his bass and tuning it again for the millionth time today. He's already broken a string doing this, but his hands felt about as antsy as Chica's did after she shorts out eating Monty Mystery Mix. He kept his smile though, however paltry it was.
"Any requests?" He said.
"You... you playin'?"
"Just for you, doll. And for free," He added next. "If my manager wants to charge you and dad for my time, I'll give him holy hell if he does."
"I thought you hadta charge for some songs?"
"Well, yeah... but like I said, my manager can go chew on some carrots if he wants to try that with me tonight," Bonnie replied stiffly while turning a peg. "You get a song or two. For free. Because I say so. Nobody needs to know. Alrighty?
She nodded slowly, but then winced, "You and my dad won't be in trouble... right? Just so we're clear-"
Bonnie winked at her, "It can be our little secret, sweetness. Just you, me, and Sun there-" He jerked a thumb at the attendant.
The girl bobbed her head again, still looking uncertain about getting Bonnie and potentially her dad in trouble for taking up a Glamrock's time off the clock (and getting a song on top of all that. Songs are actually CHARGED). Her consideration however wasn't lost on Bonnie either; and it was something both he and the attendant noticed. It was a no-brainer why Sun liked her as much as he did.
We all adore you, he'd one day recall with fondness when he'd look back on this memory. We want you to feel adored. You don't need to be as unhappy as we are whenever you leave every night.
"Can I ask about the nail polish?" She pointed her spoon at the containers of paints and such.
"I was told by a very specific wolf that you have a fine taste," Bonnie proceeded with another crooked smirk. He noticed Sun sitting beside them now, tilting his discus-shaped plate at them. "And, you look like a girl with a FINE sense of style on top of all that. I figured, since we have the time, why not do up our nails?" He even waggled one paw at her to show, "I think I needed a couple new coats anyways, speaking of which. Wondered if you wanted to help with that?"
Cassie noticeably cheered there. Bonnie was belated to see she was producing a timid, small smile now.
"Also... maybe, we can try sticking some of these on Sun?" Bonnie shot the attendant a dastardly smile while pushing the container of make-up articles between them. "See how he looks with a real paint job!"
"I- Excuse me?" The jester babbled.
"Maybe some hair... yeah. Probably put some weave on him too, and some fake nails-" Bonnie began listing off in an increasingly smug voice.
Sun was waving it all away at first, but even he couldn't fight it when Cassie seemed to smile more. She was nodding, already imaging applying paint to him. The caretaker was resigned to his fate and even he won't say anything about it. He only sighed after that, shrugging his small shoulders.
He even said, "I always wondered how I'd look with hair-"
"That's the spirit!" Bonnie pumped an enthusiastic fist there, his voice chipper. He then leaned in to the girl, who was letting the fudge melt in her mouth appreciatively. "Now then- you haven't answered my prior question: Didn't you have any musical requests?"
"Hm... I want to hear a made-up one," She went on to say rather fast. "Something new."
He blinked and cocked an ear at her, "Oh? Any reason for that?"
Cassie's next smile was far less watery, "I coulda swore you didn't like your own music? Like- didn't one of you say the songs the show-runners have you perform is corny?"
Bonnie winced at being caught-out there. Yeah, those were HIS exact words specifically. He scratched at his head again, "Yeah... you're right. I don't much care for the music we usually do being what it is. Its kinda gratin'. I coulda swore you liked some of it though?"
"I do! I liked The Loco Lobo, Canyon Crash, and Rockin' Rabbit Rumble. But, I wanna hear something a bit different today- if you don't mind?" she tentatively tried.
The songs Cassie listed were a particular crowd favorite too; the former two being Roxy's more upbeat music she used for her raceway. The Lobo Loco was a fun one in particular Bonnie personally liked too; and something he told Roxy he danced to. Rockin' Rabbit Rumble was his own theme song; as if the title wasn't obvious enough. It was a track that tended to play whenever he did solos at the bowling alley and it cued up whenever a car at the raceway with his colors on it crossed the finish line in first place. Cassie listing off these made the buck smirk; finding that they even had a similar taste.
As for the thing with her wanting to hear something original... he found that interesting because Cassie was a smart girl who has noticed in the past that Bonnie would be flipping through his music for moments at a time at the bowling alley. He'd been fiddling with the vinyl, unable to pick ANYTHING, and she'd have to remind him that people are noticing that the company's own bot wasn't quite happy with what he had. She's seen how disgruntled he was with their own music and how picky he could be when he didn't want to play anything.
You noticed that I hate our own stuff, he wondered. You sweet thing, you. So its fair to say you also noticed I'd write our own music, if I could.
"Okay, alrighty- lemme see," He mumbled thoughtfully as he squinted at his instrument like it was going to give him all the answers. He cleared his voice box of any crackling static; strumming a couple experimental notes on the bass. All things considered, he could very easily play Canyon Crash on the bass by itself; it had that kind of VIBE that worked for that particular instrument alone, funnily enough. But something else was needed here; something a bit more personal.
A memory they can share together; just them.
He started plucking at only two strings; the same notes, over and over. They were slow, but not too much so; and he let the notes hum and hang for a certain span of time as he found the lyrics steadily building within. Already, the muse was the there; and the song he found was one born of his inspiration in simply being around her. He kept his eyes on her the entire time, smile large as he sang:
"All this time- we only have so many moments.
All these things we can have, but never keep.
But these are things... we are meant to hold forever.
Not every moment shall live on.
But the feeling of them, shall never be gone.
.
All these lives, I keep seein' ev'ry day.
A million faces that fade into dawn's light.
All these lies, our betters get to say.
A million places, we will never get to see.
Only yours, is a face that remains.
And only your song is one we'd want to sing again.
So never forget even when we're due to part-
That you would always remain, inside our lonely hearts.
Your adulations, is all we get to hear.
Your standing ovation, is our uplifting cheer!"
.
He picked it up here, alternating beats and picking up with more speed. The girl was bobbing her head along; losing some of herself in the song too. It was a good sign; as it meant she was no longer crying. Sun was even doing it too, Bonnie noticed.
So he continued on a literally louder note:
.
"We pa~arty from dawn to dusk-
Our lonely melodies become symphonies~
We hold out, even if we're on the cusp~
We haunt the halls from twilight and into the morn-
You are our highlight, when we feel forlorn!
.
Every time you scream, every you dream-
Every time we fall, every time we call-
Its not long before our soured songs
Become RIGHT and fix all the wrongs!
.
When you dream, it becomes ours too!
When you scream, we'll always come to find you.
Even when we are due to part-
You are always to remain in our hearts!
When tomorrow comes, we can sing together again!
Even when the light dies and it all fades to black~
We get our fight from you and we come back!
.
Every time you scream, every you dream-
Every time we fall, every time we call-
Its not long before our soured songs
Become RIGHT and fix all the wrongs!"
.
The song grew softer at this point; winding down to the modest two notes. He leaned in here, strumming gently all the while.
.
"All these lives, I keep seein' ev'ry day.
A million faces that fade into dawn's light.
All these lies, our betters get to say.
A million places, we will never get to see.
Only yours, is a face that remains.
And only your song is one we'd want to sing again.
So never forget even when we're due to part-
That you would always remain, inside our lonely hearts."
.
He would end the song on those prior beginning notes; but allowing them to lilt and warble as his own voice did. He stopped there, and was further cheered when both Cassie and Sun clapped. The girl was still plainly ruddy in the face, but it seemed the song had done wonders to perk her up. He even bowed his head, unable to fight the urge to move his stiff jaw in the best approximation of a smile he can manage. His eyes would have to do to compensate for what the rest of his face couldn't, on that note.
She even said, "I think you SHOULD write your own music. Kinda a shame you can't use this song, for instance."
Bonnie shrugged, putting the bass to the side. "I offered the idea to Cromwell and the other show runners, but they weren't too keen on that. Its kinda a case of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. We've had showrunners since like... the beginning? Literally since the diner days when it was just Freddy and Bonnie. Its never been changed, even with the advent of our sentience." He shrugged helplessly, "Never understood that. They gave us intelligence so they can give people the best show possible- and yet they won't even let us use our newfound creativity to help?"
"That makes no sense," Cassie agreed.
"Oh please-" Sun waved it off. "Honestly, its a small wonder this place is till running! Taking me off stage, and not letting a musician actually write his own music. Goes to show what THEY know! The bunch of self-absorbed plebs!"
"No foolin'," Bonnie agreed. He narrowed his eyes at something, then pointed at Sun, "What a sec- right. You do stage-play. Have you actually performed for Cassie?"
"Er- no. I haven't," Sun sighed.
Bonnie clapped his hands and smirked, his grin wide and full. He even rubbed his paws together enthusiastically, "Guess we know what ELSE we'll be doing tonight! We are gonna make the most of this little soirée of ours!"
"What's a soirée?" Cassie asked.
"It means an evening affair," Sun defined for her. Now he turned to Bonnie, "And... huh. Honestly, that sounds like fun! So, you are going to try an act of some kind?"
"I wanna. It sounds fun," the buck smirked. But now he was giving the attendant an especially evil smirk, "But this also means, you gotta LOOK the part. Doncha think?" He pulled up the container of wigs and nail polish as an fanned them at him teasingly; making the bot groan.
Cassie clapped again, but this time in excitement. It relieved Bonnie to see it. "Oh! What are we gonna do then, Sun? What act? I don't think I've seen an act here that wasn't hosted by Comedy bot-"
Sun got especially huffy there, "That was no act- that was a JOKE! And they're not even the FUNNY kind of joke! BLEH. His stand-up isn't even-" he trailed off before he shot off into a tirade. He then said, "Well, you know what I mean! None of his material is GOOD. No no- I shall show you what a REAL savant thespian is all about!"
"A what now?" Cassie blinked innocently.
"A thespian-" Sun began to say-
Until Cassie interrupted it with, "Isn't that like, illegal in 67 countries across the world?"
Bonnie and Sun took an embarrassing second to realize that she just told a JOKE, and then, they both cracked up and died laughing right there. They were holding their guts and rolled over, with Sun saying something like, "That was REMARKABLY better than Comedy Bot's material!" in-between guffaws. She laughed as well; rich, full and wholly beautiful.
Bonnie vowed to get a laugh out of her every time he saw her after that; and to give her the love she deserved as well as required. After all, while he was built to be a child's toy, he was happy to be one some moments-
Especially if he can get a smile that big off of her.
~A few months after~
~Night 4. Time Stamp is 12:15 AM. Unknown area of derelict pizzeria deep underground~
The perpetual grip of a bloated, loaded silence enforced a hush that'd make any living creature hold its own breath- but in the case of the bunny bot, he felt no such thing. Not completely.
Instinct isn't something bots have. They run on programming variables. Calculations. Observations prompting certain reactions. In this sense, perhaps the organics can have a tally to themselves; as instinct was a means of survival, of extending their welfare. Bots may be more intelligent, powerful and adept, but they can wander into something they shouldn't and not understand that they are in danger. Never fully. They were created to defend and shorten workloads- or to entertain sometimes.
In Bonnie's case, he knew it's all of the above. He was more than adept now, and equipped with abilities that simulate instinct. He possessed the intellect to know he was in danger in this silent sepulcher. His whiskers detected shifting conditions in the stagnant, deadened air; his ears picking up the very instant rock shifted upon itself on an uneasy foundation. The earth around him sighed as if releasing a final breath; its ghastly release a foul, rancid aroma that carried rot from varying sources of dead or inanimate things.
There was no life here. Not even a single rat to account for. Maybe deep-dwelling arthropods, but Bonnie couldn't sense or find any that he can recognize as a species. Everything in here was an alien wrongness he couldn't properly identify; leaving the bot to wonder what kind of rabbit hole he's truly delved into- no pun intended. He snorted once; producing a plume of warmed air that briefly appeared in the cold, desolate atmosphere.
He paused; lifting his head and sifting the air again- frowning when he noted just how very lacking in flow it was. No breeze; no subtle channeling of a fresh zephyr. Nothing. This place truly was in every aspect, a diseased and forgotten corpse in the final stages of decomposition- a phase where the last vestiges of stink were on the cusp of altogether disappearing.
Another puff; his ears swiveling when he caught the crumble of stone falling in the distance. His head zipped in its direction; both appendages on high alert above his head. His LED eyes widened in the gloom; aureate disks of light akin to the saturated gleam of a cheese-slathered moon. He didn't even blink; his gaze a firm and unyielding hold on whatever it landed upon. He ducked lower, ears briefly dipping lower before flicking back up into full alertness.
When nothing else happened, he toed his way forward. He won't lie; he didn't much like the sensation of his polished feet on slimy stone. The sound it produced a distracting, echoing intrusion in the catacomb labyrinth. He slipped once; the rabbit catching himself swiftly but grunting in surprise nonetheless. He's pretty sure his chassis was cracked in some places already and he's only been down here all of a few measly minutes.
He took the same route he had that time; when he went to find Roxy and Freddy. In no time at all, he found himself once again before the ancient pizzeria. Beside him, a fallen, classic brown Freddy head blinked aimlessly at the unseen cavern ceiling; its single, remaining eye a strange brightness. Bonnie raised a metaphorical brow here; as he knew this place shouldn't have any kind of power- and yet the sign and mascot decor were alit and glowing anyways.
Now he looked at the entrance proper; it being now completely clear of the wall of rock he and Roxy had to climb through when they were here so many weeks -a couple months- ago. The neon sign was quite obtrusively lively; its electrical hum one of the only sources of sound in the vicinity. He looked away and noticed not too far from him were a handful of modern endoskeletons- likely stolen from Parts & Service up above, and probably the reason as to how the rest of the debris got removed. Hacking them was no issue for Vanny. He wondered why she bothered with Freddy that time if she could've used these things this entire time. Perhaps, he assumed, a test run of whatever illicit virus program she has yet to release. Or simply put, Freddy was just stronger than a typical endoskeleton and it was quicker to have the bear dig this place out.
Regardless, they were all on borrowed time. She's been testing this hacking program for weeks and now, Bonnie was pretty sure she was going to unleash it soon. He hadn't come down to this assumption soon enough, it seemed. Him seeing the endos here reminded him of it; prompting for further frowning on his part. His claws untucked from his pelvic chassis; his motor a low, thrumming resonance in his otherwise hollowed body.
He was scared now; good and proper. He's always been frightened of some of the things Vanny's done in the last while, but something about this place and the brevity of what he's absorbing was truly hitting home just how fragile their fleeting lives were. He was created to be a glorified children's toy; there's no getting around that. The paltry significance of it was suddenly a lot more... crushing.
When he looked back at the pizzeria, his expression sloped into one of rueful distaste. Whatever animatronics may have been here might STILL be here; forgotten articles that no child would care to return for. No adults would return to salvage. No customers for them to enthrall. No Cassie to liberate them from the depths of their own lamentation.
"You are but polished, luculent representations of innocence and phantasmal whimsy; objects of desire and fortune that many a man cannot achieve on their own. You are flawed as we are, but not as axiomatic as we. You are, in some way or another, a testament to our own flaws as well as equal parts success."
Cromwell's words returned unbidden; Bonnie briefly shutting his eyes as he weighed his last exchange with him. The manager put it in pretty words, but he wasn't wrong: Bonnie and his friends weren't anything but fleeting, fancy and expensive play things that can play at fame for however long they can afford. And if any of them ceased to be useful, popular, or interesting, they'd likely be scrapped for the next big thing. All his legacy really hinged on was the legacy of the OLD Bonnie Bunny: The purple rabbit whose face decorated the halls of Rockstar Row and his own bowling alley. The PURPLE rabbit's likeness; not his own.
He wasn't art.
He wasn't anything.
No one but his friends, Cassie and her father were a stable fixture in his life. The girl and her parent came to the PizzaPlex a lot and often; as her father worked here and tended to bring his daughter along rather often. Bonnie recalled the feel of his talons in her brown, coconut and chocolate-scented hair; the girl hugging his leg as her father spoke to him was a feeling he greedily relished. The feeling of relief he gets every time they return usually left his motor skipping. He knew his friends felt it too- the smile on Freddy's face was usually an infectious, deadly thing that'd leave the others dizzy with smiles as well whenever Cassie threw a chipper 'Hello!' at them.
He blinked. He didn't expect to be remembering them right now, but the thought of her was helping him to find his center again. Cassie was stable; safe. She always came back for them.
But one day, she will be able to, said an intrusive voice he didn't recognize.
He inhaled sharply and held; his compressor heaving and humming as it channeled pressurized air into his fans and chest. His breast plate moved with the artificial illusion of lungs filling; the rabbit closing his eyes briefly as he weighed what little he and his friends truly had.
Cassie. Her father. They were truly the only things they can truly call part of the family. They were all they really had, besides each other. They made his life worth it; and all the more worth him putting his all for. Vanny can never be allowed to take them away.
I swear on that, he thought vehemently.
He now stepped into the pizzeria; blinking out of sync again as he took it all in: Cassie and her father never left his mind as he pondered this forgotten place; the buck unable to stop lingering on how lucky they were to have them as he slanted this dreary world a rueful eye. The number of families whose likely come in, and the number of faces that'd go forgotten here. He saw what remained of a stage; the lights around it blinking in phantom expectancy of superstars that'd never return to perform again. There was water dripping around it; forming puddles too near the exposed wires on the checkered floor. Upturned tables, holes and fallen ceiling debris lined the walls and parts of the dining area. There was some star decals hanging from the ceiling too; warped from the moisture in the air.
Bonnie carefully snuffled around; bending over to pick up what was a broken, framed picture of a child's forgotten fancy. The picture within however was no longer truly discernable; having been curiously burned around the edges where glass had popped from the intense heat. There was the signs of a bear with a black coat and puffy red cheeks and a star on his breast- curious.
A black Freddy? He blinked at it as he turned the frame around to look at the back, then flipped it back again. He couldn't tell- but they weren't framed in Rockstar Row. What kind of animatronics go unremembered throughout the annals of Fazbear history, he pondered.
He turned it up and down and around on last time; then gently placed it back on the stage upright so it can face the dining room in full display. It had no place on the floor. He didn't know who this bear was, and it hurt because he didn't know. He wondered intrusively if one day, he and his friends would go forgotten in this manner too. That love shouldn't be left behind or lost so utterly and completely.
Never.
He dipped his head at the black bear in respect, then proceeded along the pizzeria. He inhaled, held, then flexed his ears again. He can hear the electricity circulating this place- and wondered what Vanny wants down here. How'd she come to know it even existed? And what did she mean by not being the first nightmare ever nurtured? She bluntly told him disappearances were common and they had a basis in how Fazbear Entertainment worked- the thought spooked him anew.
He jumped when a piece of ceiling crumbled nearby; his motor skipping once and settling back down when he realized his error. He clenched his jaw, proceeding into a hole below the dining room. There was something like a basement to this place- and the fact he had to go even deeper down into the depths worried him. He had a distinct feeling that whatever lie here was still beneath his over-sized feet.
How deep into the earth did this place go? He didn't want that answered, if he had to be honest. But, here he was; going anyways, and he'd soon get the answer to that question regardless:
His breathing was measured, but it was a tense flow that held too long at times. His LED eyes weren't needed anymore as he passed areas where lights flickered. At length, he found yet another sub-layer; prompting another raised brow he simply couldn't indulge in thanks to his rigid face plates. He didn't know why, but he felt this might just be the place.
"To the end of truth," he said again, as if to convince himself.
He slipped in easily, landing amidst an otherwise nondescript room besides being obviously wrecked from time. It had no paint, memorabilia, or too much in way of furnishings. Cluttered debris and pieces of ceiling spiked with rebar framed its perimeter, no sign of the same decor as the pizzeria above. It had a couple air vents and the assembly of... a recharge station? In the corner. Did Vanny have something in mind here for this recharge station, he wondered.
He looked behind; noticing a sunken mattress too. It looked recently used; so he went to work smelling it. Cupcakes- definitely her. Did she really sleep down here sometimes? Grody, but at least he knew where she hid sometimes. It seemed she had some sort of obscured project down here in the works involving that recharge station. He couldn't find anything though, which puzzled him further.
He saw a computer monitor nearby too, thought it looked more on the older side. He couldn't discern the date. It was turned off at the moment, so he meandered on over and shook the mouse. He got no reaction from it there, so he assumed no power was being fed to it. It was then he noticed it was attached to a generator; so he revved it up and turned the device on.
He clicked around on it for a brief moment before he found exactly what she meant: His ears lost sensation in them; falling to his neck completely as they flattened in horror.
Children.
So many deceased children on profile.
Many had 'X's over them; and they all had dates in which they've gone missing or... worse. Bonnie was continuously horrified to recognize Jeremiah on the file- and the poor, doe-eyed boy wasn't the most recent one. She'd apparently gotten another child as of late; a young girl he recalled had a Chica-themed party about a month ago. Alisia Wilders- 8 years old. Fair hair and light eyes too, not unlike Kendall. And speaking of Kendall... she was on here too! He JUST had a birthday her a few months ago!
His teeth gritted anew; the bot seeing red as he read on.
Some of the likenesses went on- he suspected no less than 20 children were on profile here. While all of this was indeed disturbing, he noticed another page. He clicked on the link- and this brought a noise of confusion from him.
More children but... these ones had been gone for decades. Cold cases. Some of the older names were of a Jeremy, Gabriel, Susie, and Fritz. He saw newspaper clippings with their faces on it in low resolution; and the faces of the old animatronics right next to them.
Why did he get the feeling he just opened Pandora's box here?
He noticed the pictures of the children were also arranged strangely... each one lined up with a bot's face. Why? There was question marks here and there- as if Vanny herself was confused about something. There was links attached to the bots' names; with Bonnie blinking as he clicked on Freddy's own name and was redirected to a new page. Apparently there's a page here that covered the bot's profile itself; like serial number, general personality matrix, and what parts were salvaged for later dates. How long the bot was functional, and what routines it checked out and what glitched, its voice lines, and which one of those lines tended to fail.
So weird. Why does she need the bots lines? He wondered. She even has its personality too- oh?
That's when he caught that some of the personality traits it had seemed to be highlighted in red; as it to suggest that's where it bugged out. Apparently, this old Freddy had a tendency to stare at adults and glitch out. The laughing mechanic seemed to be broken too, although Bonnie wondered why Vanny would make a note of it.
Why is she detailing the abnormalities of the bots so intimately? Why is that important? He tilted his head there. And WHY are their links attached to these long-dead kids?
He clicked back, not understanding it. He gazed at the children again, now noticing something ELSE horrifying and strange about them:
A lot of the children looked alike... Kendall and Alisia looked vaguely like Susie- the first girl who vanished more than a few decades ago and whose image was attached to the Chica model. Jeremiah looked vaguely like Gabriel or Jeremy (whose image was attached to Freddy and Bonnie, he noticed)... and it got even more convoluted beyond THAT:
The names. Many sounded similar too. Jeremiah and Jeremy had been prime examples, but there was also Gabriel and Gabriella. Susan. Jerome. Frigg. And the last names? Also along similar planes.
That's when it clicked to the buck: Vanny was recreating the tragedies of the older generation. But why?
He folded his arms now. She has said there was more to it than that... and its been going on a WHILE. In fact, some of these children he was looking at may not even be her doing. These were cold cases form the old murders. So people working for Fazbear Entertainment had been murdering kids for a LONG time, and it wasn't the even the strangest bit!
Now while that last portent couldn't be anymore disturbing than it already is, Bonnie knew there was more to be found here. What did they have to do with the bots though? He was clicking around for a good few minutes before he found his answer- or at least, part of one.
The older bots apparently had these other unusual behaviors. They were fine at first, but then... they started acting out of sorts after the tragedies. They would stare at people, hurt adults, and on one occasion, a Foxy variant killed a security guard named Jeremy. And there it was... that NAME again, he quickly noticed. He also noticed more clippings of the pizza places closing repeatedly and reopening with new brands and images- but the tragedies CONTINUED.
It was disgusting.
If Bonnie could retch, he'd projectile vomit all over this device.
It seemed the bots were just robotic at first, but they began developing more complex and unusual habits after the deaths at each location- even though they weren't adaptable. They weren't sentient either... the technology didn't exist in the time. They didn't have the proper sentience that one could perceive- but their later erratic behaviors gave them the illusion of sentience.
The further Bonnie looked, the more he realized that maybe, just maybe, the child's name and the picture with the bot who they were aligned with might make more sense after all. He leaned in, then frowned anew. Did Vanny think that the children's souls... merged, with these bots? He queried inwardly. But that's utterly ridiculous... what is this thing with souls- no...
Remnant.
That's what this text is. Remnant. She says there's some kinda remnant-thingy here... the hell does that even mean? Does she seriously think that gives them their intelligence and the life-like behavior Fazbear Entertainment so lovingly preached?
"The bots you see everyday in the Rockstar Row museum... the older variations of you. You cannot even comprehend the amount of pain and suffering it goes into making a single one. A Glamrock is different, yes- But not as much as you'd think. More advanced for sure, but there's more to it. You are admittedly the first actualized and acknowledged A.I- that is truth. But... the others who came before... they were different in ways no bot can truly understand. Even their own CREATORS cannot fathom it- let alone normal people."
Bonnie blinked dizzily, then staggered back as if someone blew wind into his ears. "Shit," he spat, unable to properly process what the fuck all this really meant.
"Let me tell you: I'm not the first nightmare this company has ever nurtured; and I'll be far from the last. Oh yes. There is a reason why disappearances at Freddy's is so... common. Pretty much a trend each generation, you know?"
"Fuck me. Fuck me. FUCK ME-" He jumped away from the computer as if it burned him; the rabbit finding himself suddenly far too shaky for his own liking. He raised his claws and looked at them; wondering if ANY of that was to be true, then...
No. He was an A.I. Not... this. He wasn't a dead soul. He was an A.I. Not some forgotten, deceased soul. He was HIMSELF. He was BONNIE. Not some Jeremy. And he wasn't just a Bonnie, but GLAMROCK BONNIE. He was the best Bonnie ever! Even Vanny said they were special.
But whose to say, they might not be both AI and soul?
The rabbit fought for air; suddenly finding function in his body a little precarious. He blinked rapidly and scanned himself; inhaling and fighting to cool his warming motor as it almost seemed to throb too powerfully and forcefully within his chest. Did a heart beat feel this painful? Had he HAD one at some point?
No. He was the pinnacle of technological evolution- not just Fazbear Entertainment's cruel joke and prized one-trick show-pony.
Technology has advanced enough to allow the bots to become SENTIENT. He had an advanced computer for a brain in both his head AND body. He didn't need a soul to FEEL.
He glared at the screen with increasing rage, talons biting furiously into the desk as he braced himself against it.
Am I not me? Am I truly not the me I want to be? Or am I really just making assumptions where there is none?
He started clicking around again; frightened to consider that maybe, JUST maybe, he'd find more recent deaths and the Glamrocks' own faces next to that. He'd be at this for a little while too- but he was partially relieved (and disturbed) by the fact he found no people's images next to the images of the Glamrocks. He wondered therein if perhaps if they were somehow dead people caught inside these bodies, if he'd have to find the proof elsewhere.
Still.
He refused to be the company show-pony anymore. He will not perform for those Faz-fucks again. Whether or not he was a dead soul or an A.I or both, he had the freedom of will to give to himself that much: to no longer be a means for the company to lure in customers just for Vanny to kill them for stupid mumbo-jumbo REMNANT-thingy or whatever. For the company to use said remnant for future bots-
The idea that they would kill people just for... for this. To become their NEW toys-
His chest heated rapidly; the rabbit clenching his maw so tightly his teeth screeched together. He picked up a piece of debris with some rebar stuck into it- then raised it high above his head-
And with an almighty, hell-born screech he brought it down on the offensive device with all of his 440 pounds of force and the Monty-strength enhanced torque behind it. The ancient device screamed and sparked violently as it died; pieces flaying and flying around with the velocity equivalent to burning shrapnel from a firing shotgun. The shards lodged in various things around and in him; some of them sticking into his chassis in earnest.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGG!"
He kept beating it and beating it until there wasn't anything left of it- kicking and throwing aside the pieces in this rage-induced frenzy. He even hurled the concrete rebar-spiked make-shift mace into the wall; forming a huge indentation in it and causing a rippling shockwave that trembled the air and floor around him. His shoulders whined from the amount of force exerted; the rabbit having nearly popped his shoulders loose from his own sockets.
His motor frantically pumped heated air out of him; forming violent plumes around his nose as he huffed in the aftermath that followed. He slumped over like a tired madman; ears falling closer and lower to his eyes as he scowled at the hole in the wall and the shredded remains of the ancient computer on the floor. His paws flexed and clenched; the carmine tips biting mirthlessly into azure palms.
He wouldn't move for some uncounted moment or more; unable to find the ability to move until his ears caught something-
His eyes fluttered again. Then he straightened up and listened-
Shhhhhaaaaaaa...
No. Bots didn't have instincts. But for some reason, Bonnie thought he felt the ghost of one form within him as he listened to the eldritch specter hidden within the deadened earth move not too far away from himself. Frozen with shock and rage, he stayed rooted to the spot; his ears being the only thing that moved as they followed another source of sound now-
Cables. Numerous cables slithering down cluttered tunnels around him.
He still didn't move, but from the corner of his eye, a lone tendril colored like burned metal moved in slow-motion out of a single hole in the ceiling; flicking around like the whiskers on Bonnie's own face. It experimentally poked and prodded the air; like it could taste something in it. Bonnie watched it impassively; only just now truly realizing the kind of danger he may be in-
And he couldn't afford to care.
There was no love left in this cruel world- save for the little he found in that girl. Cassie. Beyond her and her ever-busy father, there wasn't much of anything left.
What reason did he have to defend himself with if there was no one to give back the love he gave in-turn? To continue to punish and take and step on him and his friends? To continue to destroy and spill innocent blood for the purposes of SHOW BUSINESS?
But for Cassie and his friends... he should TRY to defend himself from this oncoming monstrosity. They gave him THAT much.
Shhhhhaaaaaaa...
His left eye spasmodically twitched; the rabbit hissing and chuffing as the tendril wormed its way slowly over. He bared his claws and flattened and his ears; mouth open and every flat-edged tooth in his muzzle exposed. He lifted his fists as if to prep himself into fighting back-
But he had no ability to do so in that moment. He just... lost, the instant his ears could HEAR it:
The sound of many wailing souls screaming from the depths around him.
That was no monster. This was them. The missing, the dead. The forgotten. The DAMNED. The children of before.
He was at war, but he wouldn't even pick up the gun to defend himself with. How could he possibly fight against a bunch of dead KIDS?
He snapped his teeth once helplessly and kept his ground as the owner of the tendrils bled from the pitch blackness beyond it: It's cerise eyes were a subtle, unblinking set of radiated pinpricks in a face wreathed in white, pink and caked-on filth. The anthracinus, smudged quality of it's visage was besmirched by hells' own forgotten fires- a crowning testament to it's enduring hath its rage and pressing on. The Funtime Freddy-themed colored face plates moved individually; reminding Bonnie of a beetle shuffling its carapace in preparation of flight. There was a curious head tilt here as it descended upon him; as if it struggled to see and was trying to feel it's way around to compensate-
It had no real eyes. No optics to account for. The laser-light pricks indicated where there should've been some. The tendrils also moved with careful, meticulous slowness as if prodding and poking the air for something to grasp- was it actually blind though? Or did it have another means of sensing where he was?
Still, it didn't help that Bonnie's teeth snapping made noise- not to mention his banging around a couple minutes before. It knew where he was, and it was taking its sweet time in joining him in this lost, isolated, forlorn room. Its face got within a foot of Bonnie's own, the Freddy head chittering its plates creepily. All around the amalgamation, the numerous other bots Frankenstein'd inside of it reared their broken heads and cocked appendages at him. He even saw the purple rabbit himself; the OLD Bonnie staring fathomlessly into the ether.
Dead souls. I can hear them, was all he can think as the Funtime Freddy head slowly opened up his face plates. My ears hear all. That's what that garbled static was I recorded that time when we saved Freddy; the screams of the dead.
We are... people. People trapped and lost in hell. This IS hell.
And I'm going to be burning in it with them-
He was unable to look away from the truth itself; the bastardized beast of cables boring down upon him with all the tangible proof he denied himself but a moment before.
Remnant made a bot sentient. Not super high-tech. How could technology possibly emulate the human condition? It was no wonder the company kept luring customers back to make more bots.
The Funtime Freddy head opened its plates up fully and hissed at him; its unending mass of a body circling around as if to greedily embrace the Glamrock into its own slithering mass...
-And the last thing Bonnie expected to hear was the sound of a bear's roar above him instead of in front of him.
He snapped his head around; the thing before him- or They, he will come to realize- doing the same. They snapped it face plates shut and flared them again rapidly; snarling back at the owner of the first roar. Its tendrils lashed out-
Glamrock Freddy caught the bunch by embracing them; pulling them to his body and letting the tendrils hurl him around the room.
Bonnie snapped to his senses and bounded over; watching as Freddy was thrown aside not seconds later by the force of the movement. The lead singer slammed into the wall; prompting for a flickering of lights in his cerulean eyes. He likely blinked out for a second there.
Bonnie hopped to him and snapped his teeth again; chuffing and flaring his talons as They lunged again. Bonnie slashed back at it; having not intended on defending in any capacity- but with Freddy here, it changed things. He wildly swung and scoured burnt metal bodies; They retreating and hissing and snapping face plates.
Then, obscenely, a body from its immense mass rose up to meet his eyes; a purple-furred face he knew from Rockstar Row. It was missing optics, but Bonnie knew he could see him just fine. The limp-eared, ancient rabbit opened its mouth and SCREAMED at his face; the higher frequency something he didn't expect. Bonnie's ears rang violently; his eye-sight flickering out completely and vaguely registering the sensation of hitting the ground rather forcefully.
He knew that rabbit. He knew him.
He knew all of their names. He just saw them... in the computer. That was Jeremy; trapped within that old Bonnie.
He couldn't fight back. He won't fight children- even dead ones.
He refused.
He stayed on the ground instead; or at least, he tried too. But then, he suddenly felt Freddy's large arms wrap around his middle and toss him over his shoulder. The bear's red pauldron dug into Bonnie's gut; but the sensation didn't hurt. Bonnie flimsily braced himself on Freddy's back and cracked a single eye-
Just to see They had retreated for a moment. They were taking a different route after them.
He winced and hissed; fighting Freddy's grip and slipping from his friend's shoulder. "M'Fine! I can run on my own two feet-" he started to babble.
"Then MOVE already!"
The bear's tone wasn't anything Bonnie has ever heard before- and the crisp, clear prompt in it compelled him to match his friend's pace as soon as he was put down. The two began messily clambering their way out of the pizzeria's foulest belly; the abomination of a forgotten era following them from within the walls.
Shhhhhaaaaaaa...
The pair ran out of the old joint; just missing a set of tendrils as they erupted from the ground around them. Bonnie slashed one as they went; no doubt pissing it off but it would've snagged Freddy's ankle. They kept on running; with dozens of pinprick laser eyes seeming to consume the noirceur walls around them. The numerous bodies screeched and whined and cried- their numerous voices a strident chaos of forgotten calls. Tendrils lunged from the inky veil; Bonnie's ears catching the wind of it and shoving Freddy aside to avoid it. They continued running.
Once they found the elevator, Freddy had an idea apparently. He turned to some wall and ROARED at it; surging into the rock itself and throwing his fists crazily into it. Bonnie caught what he was up to and started to do the same. Their talons crushed and pulverized boulder; but it was doing the same to their own paws. It wouldn't be long until their paws broke from the constant pressure.
Above them, the tunnel began to splash down bodies of boulders and shifting rock; with pieces no smaller than a child's head hitting the pair as it continued to tumble around them.
They- the amalgamation, it seemed to pause when some of the rock hit some of the bodies along its own immense one; bits and pieces of itself screaming and writhing in an furious flourish as it realized this area of the room was coming down around it. It snapped face plates again; then screamed in the direction of Freddy and Bonnie-
And then it continued despite the chaos around it.
The ursine and lapine bots bolted towards the elevator and yanked doors shut; and while they didn't see it, some sort of god-sent debris stopped and slowed the amalgamation pursuing them. Freddy slammed his fist on the elevator button, heaving and panting as he and Bonnie listened to the rockfall on the other side of the door. The enraged mass of souls screamed beyond it; Bonnie unable to block it out as they ascended.
He could never forget the sound of a dozen or more screaming souls ever again.
Once they were at the raceway again and the door opened, the two stumbled out drunkenly. Both paused once; clouds of heat escaping gaping muzzles- And they just toppled over.
Bonnie rolled onto his back, puffing as his motor clawed for coolant flow. His maroon eyes fell upon Freddy beside him; noticing the bear stay on his belly and pant like a dog into the raceway's floor. He twitched into the recovery position; lying on his side and staring dazedly at Bonnie like he was dreaming him up. He was covered in dents and scratches- and Bonnie had no doubt he looked the same.
Eventually, Freddy said, "You... dummy. You went... Right into... Her trap."
"...I know."
The bear reached over; his paw finding Bonnie's face and gently grazing it in affection. "I told you... I would help you. You left without me. Kinda mad. About it."
"You'll get over it."
Freddy harrumphed; then pulled the same paw that touched Bonnie's face into the rabbit's nearest paw; grasping it and squeezing meaningfully. "I can never stay mad at you. But dang if you are not trying me tonight."
To which, Bonnie can only weakly smirk back- or at least, try to. The attempt at the motion only made his jaw twitch, at best.
The rabbit's face was falling again within a moment as his mind processed what he just saw down there. He vehemently meant what he figured on; coming to embrace this new resolve with a punishing amount of focus and poison in his mind. His gentle look was replaced by a feral glare; the rabbit grunting and groaning as he finally found his way up and rubbed his dented head with a free paw. He let go of Freddy next.
"I ain't doing this anymore," he told the bear outright. "I'm done."
"Wha- huh?"
"I ain't playin'. I ain't playin' for them. I ain't picking up my stupid bass ever again unless its to beat their heads in with it," He snarled, looking Freddy right in the eyes as he said it. "I'm not kidding, man. I'm not working for this company anymore. What I saw down there-" He inhaled again, trailing off and unable to pick it back up.
Freddy slowly sat up, giving Bonnie an alarmed expression. His eyes fluttered once; as if waking up from a long nightmare. "What're you- I don't understand," he numbly shook his head. He even used contractions there, the brevity of this reality that punishing for him.
"I ain't playing for this company anymore. I mean it," Bonnie spat again, jabbing a talon into his marred breast plate. He swayed a little when his eyesight flickered. He'd been hit in the head with a large enough rock, it seemed. "And if I picked up my bass again, its to smash ALL these murderous bastards in the face!"
The swear was one thing- but the fact Bonnie MEANT it was another. Freddy was giving him this hollow-eyed look like he just spat out the biggest blashmeny- and he might as well had.
"Y-You... you can't just-" The bear was shaking his head in denial now. He even took a step forward. "Bonnie- if you QUIT, they'll just SCRAP you!"
Bonnie clucked his tongue and smirked ironically, "Honestly? I don't care."
Freddy squeaked out in distress, "BUT I DO! ARE YOU INSANE IN THE MAINFRAME? HELLO!" He glared at his friend, but only fear lie in his eyes as he strode closer to him. "Bonnie! Seriously, maybe we should just take the time to process. You don't even know what you're-"
The buck cut him off, "I know EXACTLY what I'm saying. I know EXACTLY what I want, and what I mean to people in this world. What my continued existence means for others-" He closed his eyes as another bout of emotional pain struck him. He wayed uneasily again; grabbing his head and holding it. He managed to straighten himself out before he actually toppled over.
After a moment like this, he leaned in real close, barely a hand-span between their muzzles. He then said in a voice like thunder made into screaming metal being rasped by sandpaper, "I. QUIT."
He turned away- leaving the poor bear struck speechless in his wake.
Bonnie knew he was going to be sealed in his room in Rockstar Row soon anyways for his errant behavior 9a lock-down procedure), so why bother returning to Parts & Service? He'll wait in his room until tonight for his cue to meet her again.
And then, he's going to bring an end to their little game. On his own terms.
It was time to rock and rumble.