GLAMROCK BONNIE
He and Roxanne came up inside of Rockstar Row, pulling themselves from the hole in the floor previously made by the tangled beast.
His ears suggested a lack of enemies, and it's quiet in here for the moment- not even a roach was scuttling. That's good, he supposed, as it meant they were temporarily safe in here. With that said, he helped Roxanne from the hole by grabbing her coolant-stained paw; still a little confused by Freddy's plan. He couldn't help the pensive frowning, eyeing the broken display cases across Rockstar Row as he considered it.
"Can't believe he wants us to throw that THING an actual birthday party! REALLY-" Roxy spat next to him. "Of all the weird shit we had to go through-"
Bonnie shrugged at her casually, "I dunno... I think its a cute idea- and I for one would like to resolve this with as little risk to us as possible in this instance. If this works, we won't need to blow up the PizzaPlex at all! Although... I'm still worried about Vanny. She's being rather quiet-" He glanced around as if he'd find her. "Granted, I suppose she'd let us do this in relative peace, seeing as she's an enemy of the creature too. We're technically doing her work for her..."
She thought she could leverage me with the promise of helping me find the tangle creature and the Mimic: Surprise! We got that cooked and canned, Vanny. Although now I'm sure you're going to find a way to cheat, huh? You're definitely going to give me a hard time with Cassie, aren't you?
He coughed in static, flowing along the length of Rockstar Row with Roxy at his side. He eyed the ancient microphone that belonged to the old Freddy, working his jaw contemplatively at the thought. "I think... we should get it presents too. Maybe that can work as well?"
"PRESENTS? My god Bonnie, you and Freddy are really something else..." Roxanne groaned.
The rabbit shrugged at her, "If we're throwing a party, we might as well go all in! I'm going to assume it can help... So lets grab all the ancient stuff here and bring it down too."
"If this thing wanted that stuff... wouldn't it have grabbed it when it carved its way in here?"
"I don't think it can 'see' the way we can... its probably blind, but not quite? Probably sees things in a way we don't understand, and it'll miss these objects entirely," He figured aloud.
Roxy snorted, but relented there. "We are dealing with a ghost-thing... so who the heck knows," she breathed in an undertone. "I can't wrap my head around that-"
"We're creatures of logistics, Rox. I don't think A.I can ever really wrap its head around the metaphysical," Bonnie shrugged again. "I can't imagine what its like for the creature too... it likely has rudimentary A.I to go with the weird ghost crap its balancing out. I'm pretty sure the Funtime Freddy head at least had some of the same programming in it as we had- or at least its backbone."
She blinked at him, "How would you know that-?"
Bonnie's ears stiffened above his head, one pivoting once to ear and back forward. "The programming was made by Mr. Afton a long time ago... and it was passed along throughout the years to be developed and refined further- with his code being our backbone. Its still some manner of A.I..."
"That's not what I asked."
He didn't look at her, only twitching an ear in response. "Tell ya what. After we get out, I can finish telling the whole story?"
Roxy's glare can be felt behind him. "You STILL haven't told us everything, have you?"
He didn't reply, instead splitting off from her to grab the microphone stand for the classic Freddy. He ignored Roxy's scowling, turning the device over in his paws. He turned to face the next adjacent display case- and couldn't help his twitching:
He found that bass- the classic red one with the white and black trim. The rabbit was eyeing it with a hungry expression and feeling his fingers shiver at the sight of it. He folded the microphone into a more compact size, tucked it into his chest cavity, and beelined it for the ancient old-style red bass in front of Monty's Green room. Bonnie excitedly rubbed his hands together like 'OH BOY!' and pulled the instrument free from its slightly broken display case.
"Oh my god- I've ALWAYS wanted to play this baby ever since I first laid eyes on it," He was jittery with anticipation, turning to look at her with this huge grin on his face. "I even asked the curator if I can touch it... he said 'heck nah, Bonnie! You'll drool all OVER it!' Fuck it, I'm gonna play it- Right now, right before we give it to that other Bonnie-"
"Really, man?" She rolled her eyes. "And jeez, you ARE drooling on it!"
Bonnie ignored her, situating it on himself and tunning it. It still had all its strings- but its age suggested it may not play too well and was likely fragile. He wanted to try it anyways, inwardly wishing he can walk out with it instead. "Worse case," he said aloud to her, "The other Bonnie doesn't want this instrument and I can leave with it! Hahaha! Wouldn't that be AWESOME?"
She just chuffed at him in response, still clearly a little vexed about his earlier words.
Bonnie, still smiling like a maniac, finished tunning and strummed it- the 'E' string rattled strange, prompting him to look at the bridge. He noticed the problem right there; the bridge's pegs were a tad loose too. So he tightened them, strummed again, and felt his body shiver into a pile of goo when it sang. His arms trembled again for an entirely different reason.
"Oh YEAH baby... sing it sweetly," He crooned at it. "I think its just purred in a tune that just resonates with my soul, man. Trippy."
"You fucking hippy-sounding weirdo... still remembering all the times you talked to your bass in your room-"
"DUDE. Shut it," He threw back in an embarrassed manner. He shot her a venomous look, to which she only casually shrugged him off. After which, he strummed again, and started his warming exercises on it. It sang beautifully, much to his surprise (and despite his earlier thoughts of its age compromising its quality)- and it prompted yet another idea for him. "I think we should sing for them too-? Like, maybe perform for those kids..."
Roxy face-palmed. "You and Freddy are TOO MUCH. I mean really! Singing to a giant killer Frankenstein'd amalgamation that's already got a kill count in the DOZENS? You saw the footage Freddy sent! What its room looked like- literally a grave yard! it sits on its hoard of bodies like a dragon on a mountain of gold! THAT'S SUPER FUCKED, you know. You're literally suggesting singing a lullaby and HOPING it passes on? What in the world makes you think that'll be enough?"
Bonnie once again shrugged, "Come on, Rox! I can't figure a better way to end this than with a song! We're party bots, remember? Its kinda our thing. And if this plays to our strengths... why not hinge on that? And really, we are performing for a bunch of kids whose happy day got really wrecked- and they can't remember anything but pain and suffering..." He frowned as he recalled their names from the computer. "They came to Freddy's many decades ago, hoping to hear a song just for them... and I wager some never got their wish. If we remind them of the kind of whimsy and wonder they had back then, to be how it felt to be a kid again, I can't help believing it'll work. I want to believe it does. I don't think any of us can blame them for the confusion and torment they've suffered through all this time, don't you?"
Its bad enough a BONNIE killed them, He recalled. That golden Bonnie... the man Vanny wanted to bring back was the one who did it. In fact, I wager the kids old man Herman was talking about is the creature we're dealing with. God, what're the chances?
Roxy shook her head at him as she grabbed Chica's cupcake, muttering to herself something about Bonnie and Freddy being out of their minds. She didn't argue back, so Bonnie assumed she saw his point. She started heading back to the display stand in front of her room while turning the cupcake around in her paws and flinching at its appearance.
"Man this thing is creepy..." she grumbled as she peered at its glossy eyes. "I swear this thing's gonna come to life and chew my face off."
Bonnie sniggered at her, to which Roxy glared at him in warning. He ignored her of course, still playing away on the bass and humming a melody afterwards.
She broke her focus from him and (reluctantly) tucked the over-sized cupcake into her stomach hatch. She hadn't responded to Bonnie's words all the while, eyeing the Foxy pieces inside the case. It was a lower mandible and a torso- not a lot of Foxy left as a whole, but it was something. Roxy took the jaw out and turned it around, weighing on Bonnie's words and releasing a sigh. "Fine... Guess we'll sing Happy Birthday too. Man this is such a weird day."
"No- it'll be their happiest day!" He chirruped jovially. He kept strumming the bass all the while, smirking increasingly more as it hummed in his paws. He paused once, then looked back up Roxy, "Er... yunno something? I just now recalled... should we maybe... I dunno... grab our own instruments when we go to leave? We can't perform that song for Cassie if we don't have them!"
Roxy blinked, then worked her jaw, "Yeah... I'll grab the instruments from our rooms. We can use them for the... tangly mass, we seem to be calling it now. We can probably just walk out with them after this..."
"Maybe!" Bonnie excitedly clapped his hands and got back up. He pulled the bass's strap over his shoulders and meandered to Monty's room- Roxy heading for her own.
Bonnie entered the gator's space- and was abjectly horrified by the look of it: He blinked as he toed around it, having turned his LED lights on so to see better. The claw marks, broken furniture, ripped plushies... it's a disaster! And from the looks of it, Monty hadn't been stable at ALL prior to being decommissioned. He internally wondered if it's because Bonnie taught him to change his routines.
"Guess Monty likes to party HARD," he muttered to himself, although now he was making an internal promise to help the gator control himself better. He wondered if teaching him had been a bad idea, but Bonnie also supposed he was glad he was back now- so he can make due on assisting Monty with further alterations to his programming.
He also noted how this room used to be his own. Bonnie had wrecked his room too just before the night he got decommissioned- but within reason, he'd seen some of the worst of Fazbear Entertainment and its driven him to near and total madness when he did it. And from the looks of things, he assumed it'd been a rushed job to put Monty here. He wasn't going to lie- he wasn't upset that Monty replaced him, but the casual way the PizzaPlex went about removing all traces of his existence was admittedly disorientating and frustrating. All throughout his wandering inside here after being reactivated, he hadn't seen ANY signs of his influence on the PizzaPlex. Save for the bowling alley (and even then it had the face of the OLD Bonnie- not his own), his existence had been ERASED.
It made him hate the company more.
He looked around the room, but found no bass. He groaned, then pinged the reptile in question, "Yo dude! You hear me?"
"What's goin' on, compadre?"
"You have any idea where your bass is? I can't find it in your room..."
"...Why're you in my room for?"
"I wanted to grab the bass for Cassie... had a song for her her dad asked for? And its for the tangle thingy too, wanted to sing it a song. But- OH. Right... oh... Nevermind," Bonnie trailed off, recalling that there'd been another Monty here. The one he was talking to was set back to before Bonnie was decommissioned- and the one that could've misplaced the bass was still in pieces in Parts and Service, and had been decommissioned AFTER Vanny hacked the PizzaPlex in its entirety. Yup, he forgot.
"Wha- you can't find my bass?" He said, breaking Bonnie from his thoughts.
Somewhat mind blown by the fact Bonnie was talking to an older version of their friend, he promptly dropped it, "Its okay man... Nevermind. Its just not in here. Never- just keep doing what your doing. I found another bass."
"Okay... sure?"
Bonnie's mind ticked, then he face-palmed, "Actually. Yo dude! I just realized: You reckon you can get a gift for them? The tangly thing."
"...I don't understand. Wut?"
"So you know we're throwing a party for the cable monster, right? And Rox and me are gathering up gifts for them. You wager you can stop by one of the gift shops here and pick up something for me?"
"Getting... gifts- I swears you and Fatbear are insane in the mainframe. Whacha gettin' at?"
Bonnie chortled at the wording, internally wondering if he could make that a song lyric at some point. "Well, see, Rox and I have gifts for the classic versions of us... and I just now realized the creature's other heads may want something too! I think I know what to grab the Funtime Freddy head... You remember the Bon-Bon hand puppets?"
"Oh! Yeah, he'll like that, I think," Monty agreed.
"As for the other two heads... er, Rox and me will have to figure that. They're a puppet and a Circus Baby, yeah?"
"Yeah. Freddy says the Circus Baby thing seems the odd one out... doesn't like to play nice or interact with others. It'll be hard to figure something for it... I wonder what person got trapped in it?"
"Wish I knew... when I was on the computer Vanny had in her secret hidey-hole, I saw the names of the children... there was a lot. And their pictures had the bots' faces next to them..." Bonnie rubbed at his chin, "Hm... I don't think I recall Circus Baby's ghost though. It might've been a little girl. I know the names of the classic bots... Gabriel, Jeremy, Susie... and Fritz. And I think Charlie- also a girl, was the puppet-? Circus Baby eludes me though."
"Yeah. Good luck with that," Monty harrumphed. "Wish I can say I know something that'll help. I think all I knew about 'er meself is her ability to make ice cream? Oh wait- HA!" Monty's laugh caught Bonnie off guard, "I just realized, you an' her do the ice cream thing- but she can actually MAKE it! Dude, maybe there's a thing here you can hinge on?"
Bonnie had forgotten that. He hummed contemplatively at the idea of being able to make ice cream from his own belly (he had all that extra space, after all), and it was strange he ran a creamery and was never given the ability Circus Baby did. He felt like he should rectify that after he left- given he doesn't make an artificial stomach for himself. In the meantime, it gave him an idea of where to start there.
"Alright, Monty. Just go grab a Bon-Bon hand puppet for the Funtime Freddy head, and see if you can find something for miss Charlie... I'm pretty sure she's an older girl too? So nothing too kiddie."
"Man... fucking sobering to know we're doing shopping for dead kids," Monty sighed.
"Don't remind me," Bonnie sighed. "But, think of it like this: No one's given them anything but a hard time in decades. This will surely make them happier!"
"Eh... that's stretching it too far... but here's hoping."
He hung up after that, sighed and left the room. He found Roxy outside with her keyboard and Chica's guitar. "That'll do," He smirked. "Could make a song out of that!"
The wolf shrugged, "We have a functional bass, and this stuff. We can totally make a song. Also..." She frowned at him, "I forgot that Monty likes leaving his things every where... the eh... man, that still fucks with me... that Monty being repaired in the way he was..."
"Let's not mention it," Bonnie held up his hands in submission, his tone rueful. He folded his arms, then frowned, "I think I'll try asking Gregory and Cassie about the bass... Cassie's been around the PizzaPlex before we got fixed so... maybe she's seen it lying around?"
Roxy shrugged, "She and Vanessa still outside, right?"
"I'd think so! Hold on a sec-" He huffed as waited for Gregory to pick up. The kid having his fazwatch was hella useful.
"Hello-?" Gregory's voice.
"Heya kid! You guys alright? Sorry we're taking so long!"
"You haven't reported in! And Vanessa's had to fight me and Cassie from going back in there!'
"Sorry, kid! We're all okay- Freddy too! We actually stumbled on a possibly better and more peaceful way of dealing with the giant cable thingy. It actually hasn't hurt Freddy."
"It... then why did it take him-?"
"Apparently he had something in him it wanted. So, we realized this thing just wants some objects around the PizzaPlex that may possibly belong to the old bots stuck in it. So, Rox and I are in Rockstar row collecting the old stuff. If we bring it to it, it should let Freddy go!"
"Will that work-?"
"Freddy thinks so! And I'll defer to his judgement there. Anyways, I wanted to see if we can play for it too-"
"Wha- HUH?"
"Okay, so here's my thinking, rockstar-" he continued amicably, "Freddy's idea, since we're dealing with a mass of... wrathful souls trapped in a body from a horror novel, he figured if we found ways to remind itself of what it used to be, it'll move on. And... since its a buncha kids in that's trapped in that thing... we wondered if playing for it will pacify it. Yunno? Its weird enough its not hurting Freddy- but it goes to show its not what we thought it was. So surely we can do something here without having to blow ourselves up and risk getting crushed? Its neutral towards the Glamrocks, and I think we can use that."
"You're gonna hafta explain all this weirdness when you get out, cuz I'm lost," Gregory went on to say.
"I will! Anyways, Cassie there?"
"I'm here!"
"There you are! Good to hear your voice," He looked at Roxy, who also seemed to be relieved. Seems Vanny's leaving her alone for the moment, he internally wondered. "So, Cass, sweetie. Could you be a dear and tell me if you saw... oh, I dunno... my bass? The yellow one? The one with the sick tiger stripes?"
"I did! Its actually in Monty Golf- there's this off-shoot room there... its... kinda hard to explain..."
"Coolio. Can you guide me at all?"
"I can try-?" She pondered. "You really going to throw this thing a party, Bonnie?"
"That's the idea! I mean, its a bunch of children's souls we're talking about here whose been suffering for literally decades-" He snorted, "With that said, Freddy wagers if we give it at least one happy memory to account for, maybe they'll finally move on- or make it feel something that isn't hatred for a little bit. He thinks we don't need to do any harm to it. Personally, I'd rather not hurt it to begin with, all things considered."
"Well, I like that plan, and I think it'll work! " She agreed with a confidence that somewhat helped his own. "Okay, so. If you head to Monty Golf, I think I can direct you from there."
"Thanks! We'll contact you back once we get there," Bonnie smirked.
"Please be safe!"
He gave her another sound of affirmation, nodded to Roxanne, and they started making their way out.
GLAMROCK CHICA
How the heck can she make a cake in this MESS?
Chica was a master cook (the times she's not eating her own food), and she was programmed with more than 30 different baking recipes for just a single type of cake alone- but pulling out decent ingredients in a kitchen THIS bad? She wasn't a miracle worker!
But alas, she wanted to try and do right for those children trapped within that thing. And while she knew she couldn't use milk for the cake she had in mind (as it's all obviously spoiled and turned into a calcified, stinking rock in the fridges), she figured she can used the canned stuff in the pantry. She was fortunate when she found some condensed milk instead- and some sugar was located in a plastic, sealed storage bin in one of the closets. Some of the food ingredients were stored a certain way so to prevent rats from eating into it- and the foresight seemed to help in this instance. She was able to scratch up some make-shift stuff.
On a more negative note, she still had to clean the kitchen a little bit in order to use it. She needed access to the stove and a couple dishes that didn't have roach feces in it. At least she had a generator, so she can power one of the stoves for the final bake.
It seemed in the months that the Glamrocks had been wandering around, the construction workers had come into several of these places with the intention to use the facilities too. She assumed to make themselves some lunch, and to wash the dishes they could've brought from home. Pretty much most Fazbear Entertainment employees had a 14 hour shift or more on average... and these workers are no different: They would've NEEDED to use some of the appliances here to make themselves something to eat. So for Chica to find the stuff she did was astounding but not impossible.
And the proof in the pudding was in the fact Chica has seen some pizza around here that hadn't been sitting out long enough to turn moldy- and apparently she missed it during her zombified trance. She'd even seen other kinds of foods around that didn't look like they were served on the menus here situated in weird places- Hell, Chica got lucky and found what looked like a small (very small) strawberry cake behind one of the counters! That HAD to be near fresh, or close to it. One of the workers must've bought that from a store or made it to share with his coworkers- and left it here in a hurry to escape the creature.
She still felt like the cake wasn't good enough, even though it's probably fate that left this particular cake here for her to find. She'd seen bugs slithering around it- and she knew its quality would be questionable at this point after sitting for probably more than a couple weeks. She was shocked nothing had grabbed it yet- but considering the fact this place was haunted by ghosts and killer A.I rabbits, even normal animals like rats wouldn't be dumb enough to stay here. In fact, didn't animals tend to run from areas with ghost activity? Was that why they haven't seen or heard any rats?
Huh. Makes sense, I think, She pondered. Meanwhile, the roaches get to make the most out of the meals here they find. Anything larger than a bug doesn't stay here unless its human. So strange.
She was able to start making a very crude cake... but she prayed the thought counted. If she put her effort into making one, even though the beast can't eat it, surely the children's spirits would appreciate her heart being put into it? It's why she wasn't using the very obvious and easier solution like taking the puny strawberry cake she found. Indeed, she wanted to make a reasonably sized cake for that mega-mass of souls.
Its all about the heart, She reminded herself. And as Bonnie says; there isn't enough love in the world. Why not put some love back into it?
That was her mantra now; and the reason for her staying here and resisting the temptation to eat her own cooking. She just had to get this right- and while she had very few decent ingredients to work with, and a very filthy kitchen to make her gift in, it HAD to account for something. Freddy's life was still on the line after all!
It took her an hour to make it- an extra hour Freddy had to spend inside that thing's grip.
At least his signal was still pulsing- indicating that he's still alright and the thing hadn't attempted to tear him apart out of boredom. It's reassuring; beeping at the forefront of her Hud as her internal screens showed the map of the underground. Chica didn't have any memory of the place herself- and she wasn't sure if she's ever been down here. If she had been, she certainly wouldn't remember. The area was creepy though; and it didn't help that she was alone now.
She was carrying the two cakes- best not to waste either of them. The small one was in her stomach hatch while she carried larger one in her hands. This was her worst work yet; but again, she blamed the ingredients for its odd smell and the way it looked naked without any decent layer of frosting on it. She hadn't able to find any frosting packs that hadn't turned hard with time. It's supposed to be plainly flavored; vanilla. The extract hadn't hard to locate when she mixed it into the batter. Again, she'd been making due with terrible ingredients and a shit-show kitchen.
She eyed up the signals of the others on her Hud, as well as ambiently listened to their chatter back and forth whenever someone made progress with getting a gift or item. She listened to Bonnie and Roxy speak to Cassie a couple times to get this bass back; and it seemed they managed to succeed. She hadn't needed to comment, nor did Monty despite the channel being open comm. At most, Chica merely listened and continued diving into the depths. She focused instead on the sounds of the shifting earth around her; completely fixated on not dropping her worst and most difficult cake ever made.
She didn't think it'd happen this fast... but that monster- It forced their hand. Bonnie had been hoping to take out Vanny first before they focused properly on the Mimic and the giant bot, but it seemed nothing would go as planned. Vanny had been priority for everyone; especially considering her effect on Cassie and the harm she's caused. But now that the the thing has thrown in, and Freddy believed there was an easy way to deal with it, something had to be done.
Chica wasn't sure how this was going to play out. She was scared, but she needed to be brave! For Freddy and her friends! She needed to be the best of herself she can be; to be prepared for whatever happens. This all felt so very end-game- And that intrusive thought that they won't be able to walk back out was also considered.
No doubt her friends were thinking it too- and the fact that even with the careful prep put into this final hurrah, anything can happen. If the creature still rejected all these offerings and refused to let Freddy go, they'd have to get their friend free by force. And while even Bonnie hadn't accounted for how to do so, all the bots knew was that it could still get them all killed. Literally, Chica couldn't be more anxious just thinking about it.
For some reason, while the path taking her down there was long, it didn't feel long enough. She was nothing but nerves, minus the fact she didn't even have them. She was clacking her beak and gakeling constantly- she couldn't help it. She was too frightened to break eye contact with her path ahead too.
Finally, she made it into the underground labyrinth in front of the pizzeria. The tunnel itself leading to its parking lot was dank and grody just from a single cursory sniff. The only lights it had in here was a generator fueling power to some scant flood-lights. And beyond them, Roxy and Bonnie stood around the entrance to the pizzeria itself; waiting on her. Monty was likely still in whatever tunnel he was taking down here.
Meanwhile, the rabbit and wolf were murmuring between each other; Bonnie looking rather anxious if the bobbing of his leg and stressed mussing of his hair wasn't anything to account for. Both of them had instruments on them; Bonnie carrying both the antique bass and his and Monty's) shared yellow one. Roxy had her keyboard- apparently they were going to add a song in to this party. She also had Chica's guitar strung over her back; balancing the Foxy pieces all the while.
Bonnie's expression only lightened marginally at her approach, "Hey Chic-a-rita. Ah- oh! That cake don't look too bad... smells weird, but it don't look too bad."
She nodded tentatively, watching them carefully, "I... thanks. Kinda had to fight the kitchen itself just to make it." She sniffed once, "Had to work with gnarly ingredients... I got lucky and found a proper cake some construction workers left behind-" She opened her stomach hatch to briefly show them, then shut it, "Strawberry, I think. I believe these will do."
Bonnie nodded, his tiny nose bouncing as he measured their quality through scent alone, "Honestly, considering the state of this place, I'm shocked they look and smell half as good as they do! I think the tangle thing will be satisfied with them. Doncha think, Rox?"
The wolf snorted, rapping her claws along the Foxy pieces she held. "Don't worry, Chica. We got this," Roxy told her with a certainty that actually helped somewhat with her nerves. "We have a plan, and we have an escape route. And the humans are safe and sound- So its something."
Chica nodded, unable to reply there.
The trio decided to go inside and looked around briefly wondering how they were going to get to the creature in the attic above them. There wasn't any direct paths up, from what they can see. Bonnie assumed there a pipe or literal hole in the wall they can use, so he told them to break off and look around.
Chica meanwhile stopped once to look at the stage in the center of the dining room in passing. Something caught her eye- standing up on the center of it and shining feebly in the flickering light:
A broken framed picture of a black bear that had the vague resemblance to Freddy- burned at the edges and glass broken from intense heat. Chica blinked at it curiously, having never seen an animatronic like this. She didn't touch it- with Bonnie nearby noticing her attention to it. Roxy caught on too, tilting her head at the sight of it.
"What kinda bot is that?" She asked for Chica.
Bonnie bobbed his shoulders, "Dunno. All I know is that there's been all kinds of superstars that's gone forgotten in this place- maybe many others besides. Not all their likenesses were represented in Rockstar Row... and they were left behind to rot in this darkness- which I'm sure became a part of that thing. When I first saw that picture, back before I got decommissioned, it had me consider the kind of life I've lead..." He trailed off, his tone hushed and intimate. "A little part of me became frightened by the idea that, I'd end up like they did: lost, forgotten, and unloved in this hellscape."
"It kinda DID happen though..." Roxy unhelpfully dead-panned.
Bonnie huffed resignedly. "Yeah well... for a time, maybe... But, Cassie and Gregory and Vanessa too, in her own way- they didn't leave it to be that way. They care! And because they care, we won't share that same fate the amalgamation does. They came back for us when all the rest of the world left us behind." There was a smile on his face there, "It makes me feel better. And now, when we leave here- think about it! We're going to a place that's actually called home. How wild is that? Vanessa's opening her home to us, even though we may be too much-"
He paused, his expression contrite, "I owe her the biggest apology ever. And I aim to make due on it- make up for what I've done to hurt her. She and Vanny really aren't the same, like I thought they were." He blinked back at the photo of the black bear, "Meanwhile, these poor children here... they'll continue to rot in darkness unless someone comes for them too. Makes this more important, yunno?"
Chica hummed, pulling away from the picture but not without leaving an affectionate pat on the crusty edges. "We're the ones whose saving them... I guess. Nobody else will," she mumbled.
Bonnie elaborated further, "True. I told myself I'd never forgot these other bots' names, faces, and identities- so that they'd never be completely forgotten. Its not fair that they'd be left to rot in an old, bad dream while the rest of us gets to taste freedom. If I can eventually learn about 'em, I will so that they don't have to vanish completely into the ether."
"I won't forget either," Chica added there. Now she was looking around, eyeing up the burnt room and taking in more of its details. She even internally took photographs- imprinting it to memory. "Or at least, I'd like to learn about those that's come before too- so that they don't have to be lonely like we were for all those months."
Roxy jerked a thumb over her shoulder, "Look uh... Let's get movin'. And we can reflect on our mortality and our place in life once we're clear of the danger. 'Kay?"
Chica and Bonnie nodded, following the wolf down the hole in the floor. There was another destination they had in mind after all, and they might as well hit it before meeting the giant creature. Hopefully, they can find a path back up from there.
Down the ways, they took the same path to the Mimic's former residence as Cassie had before; Roxy's hair standing on end along her tail. Chica would've clung to Bonnie, but she had to keep her grip on the cake. Bonnie himself meanwhile seemed relatively unaffected by the hostile feeling of the atmosphere. Chica marveled at that, wishing she had the same courage. But for all she knew, he was just better at hiding it now. His ears stayed constantly on the move; swiveling to and fro and betraying to the ladies that all was quiet for the moment.
They found Monty in the M.X.E.S terminal room- the gator holding an armful of toys of various kinds, alongside a box Chica recognized from the daycare. She raised a metaphorical brow at it, as she recalled that the attendant used to use it to play sleepy-time music for the kids. She questioned the choice in objects, but she also assumed there's a reason for it.
On a side note, she also supposed then the tunnel Monty took down here was VERY nearby- and the path leading to the bot behemoth and Freddy by extension. After all, Monty had been using that same tunnel to get down here originally when Freddy was first snatched. For the moment though, the gator was leaning against the M.X.E.S terminal while turning over his gifts with a skeptical air.
He straightened at their approach, "-'Bout damn time. I'm gettin' crusty waitin' on you lot. Was gonna go back in there my damn self."
"I'm surprised you aren't trying anything suicidal or crazy-" Roxy said while juggling the Foxy parts in one arm while planting a paw on her opposite hip. "So, I'm guessing even YOU know when to not throw yourself at something?"
"Can't say the temptation didn't hit me," He scratched at the underside of his jaws in a character-cued tic. "But then again, we don't need anymore of us being turned into princesses that need savin' either. And while I know I'm amazin', I don't think I can go in there alone without getting turned into an expensive purse."
Bonnie didn't reply, shooting straight for the terminal and its module. Monty blinked at him, watching as the rabbit went to turn it on. He scratched at his wispy remains of a mohawk, "Er... you know that's pointless, right? I mean... considering the Mimic's dead 'n all... But then again... there is Vanny-"
"Yeah. That's the point," Bonnie cut in somewhat brusquely. "She's been too quiet while we've been doing this. I betcha she'll make herself into a problem again once our backs are turned. M.X.E.S will have even more processing power than before too, so even if she decides she wants to fuck with us, we can deal with her more easily while we're working with the tangle thing."
Chica tilted her head, "By chance... will we be needing to use the tanks we got earlier?"
"We might," Bonnie sighed. "And it wouldn't be for the tangle now... but just to bring this place down. The PizzaPlex can't be allowed to stand anymore. Think about it: There's a lot of people that's died visiting it in the months its been shut down. Even if the amalgamation is put to rest, this place is still a hazard, and it has all kinds of tech in it that looters can use to make more Vannys without knowing it." He shivered at that, "Yeah, we're definitely still blowing this place to hell."
"Ya reckon we might hafta fight the giant mass?" Monty wondered.
"Dunno, and don't think so... but in case we do, I want my motor to myself so I can help ya'll fight and not over-heat so fast. With this terminal on, I can have my body to myself, and M.X.E.S will have even more computational power. He can scan Cassie's chip while we're here. He and I both agreed that if something happens to the terminal, he can just put himself back into my CPU- and he'd give me some warning, if possible."
Roxy folded her arms next, "Um... you sure that thing isn't sentient and you just haven't been sharing your body with it and its just not... bothering you? I find that real weird."
Bonnie hummed, "He feels sentient... He's a step down from full awareness but that's it: Just a step down... huh. Yunno... I think, in all the time he's been in my body, he might've gained some sentience-? Huh-" He paused thoughtfully, frowning at that, "I actually... haven't stopped to consider that... he's like an entire A.I and he's been exposed to the same elements in my body as Vanny had to Vanessa's... he may very well be sentient now...?"
"And that doesn't weird you out?" Chica wondered.
"Er... not really? He's not a terrible house guest-" Bonnie shrugged, turning away from the terminal. "He's been good about helping us, and he's quite reasonable. Extreme, but not unjustly so. He's also done a good job guiding us and improving us with our subroutines, helping us in general. So even if he's sentient, I don't mind sharing my body with him so he ain't trapped in this digital space. He really ain't a bad fella! I like him, personally-" He shrugged. "Guess I'm just used to him now. He's been good in helping me keep my own head, at least!"
The others would've raised brows, but didn't argue.
Roxy then went on to say, "He's been in all our bodies now, just not to the same extreme as you... so, can't we all just share the computational power? I know he can't reside in all us, seeing as his brain would be fractured... but, with the terminal on now, and all of us combined, could we maybe use that-?"
Bonnie nodded, then flipped the switch on the module. "I had an idea just now- since M.X.E.S is back online, we can use it-" He was grinning as he said this, stepping away from the large, thrumming terminal beside them.
Monty jumped away from it when a pair of hands shot out of it- garbling in static and swears as a huge, digital entity poked its head out of the terminal. From inside their perspective in the AR world, the bots can see it: the M.X.E.S emerging from the giant computer and coming to drift in front of them. Anyone who didn't have access to the AR world wouldn't really be seeing anything happening in real life- unless they had a mask like Vanny's or the bots' own eyes.
Chica babbled, grinning and saying to Bonnie, "Oh my god you're right... he IS hot!"
Bonnie produced a blown raspberry noise and outright laughed. Roxy face-palmed, and Monty just shook his head.
The entity came to drift around Bonnie, eye-level with him and moving in a way that looked more like he was struggling with frame rate issues. He 'glitched' across the space, disappearing and reappearing in a storm of pixels every time he made a massive movement in particular. His mouth didn't move- but his featureless, cubic-shaped pupils did.
"Directive: You request assistance with Cassie's technicians chip. Do you wish for me to make it priority?"
The voice was still very clearly automated and synthetic in origin; not really containing many notes pertaining to either gender. Perhaps it contained traces of male if one squinted hard enough- but even then, the entity spoke with a perpetual, pragmatic calmness that couldn't be more robotic and dead-pan.
Bonnie meanwhile nodded, "Yes. Since you have access to all your resources now, and you have all of us to account for, do you think we can hack Vanny's control on the chip? And tell me, can you see Freddy too? How well off he is-?"
"A moment," it responded. Not even a full one later it spoke again, "Yes. All faculties and defensive measures are now online. The amalgamation is still stationary above us. Freddy meanwhile seems to be intact and still whole."
"I wonder why it took the Mimic apart, but not Freddy," Chica murmured to herself. "That's still so weird..."
The entity drifted around until it blipped in front of Chica so to directly address her question. She jumped when it did, nearly fumbling her cake. "The running theory is the trapped souls within the tangle choose specific and problematic targets. Their common threat has always been anything related to Afton- and the program he created was mirrored in the Mimic- therefore, they took the Mimic as a secondary Afton despite the Foxy costume. As to why it didn't dismantle Freddy- its assumed they do not sense the hostile intent- but this unit does not understand the motivations so well."
"Er... 'This unit'?" Monty mumbled nearby.
Bonnie looked at him, "M.X.E.S doesn't see itself as an individual really... so it doesn't use the pronouns 'I' or 'me'. I like using 'he' or 'him' sometimes anyways. As to the idea why the tangle didn't kill him... I think I know-?" He folded his arms, "I think it has something to do with Freddy having 'remnant' in him too... But I don't know fully. Like when it took that music box out? I think its because of it once being a part of one of their heads kinda... man this complex to explain..."
"Eh... 'Remnant'-?" Chica squinted.
Bonnie sighed, "There's a LOT I've yet to divulge. Its just complicated, yunno? And I only learned about some of this VERY recently- as in, literally within the last few hours recently. I'm still trying to process it. I'll have to elaborate on that when we get out. Remnant and what it is will hafta come after we're done here." He bobbed his shoulders, "As it were, while I doubt it'll attack us, it may still try if we swing at it instead- so we aren't going to do that!"
"But... what if it does?" Monty asked.
"Let's just hope it doesn't," Bonnie's tone was unhelpfully enigmatic there. "Cuz I don't have a plan for if it does- besides flailing at it."
M.X.E.S returned to its position in front of Bonnie, "The motivations of the transcendental also elude this unit. When you were here last year in the room near this one and when it met you, it tried to communicate with you. However, Freddy arrived just as it got to your face, and he naturally assumed it hostile and attacked first." He gave a slight incline of his head, the motion still twitchy. "It was producing a frequency from some of its heads that can be picked on only select devices: the most common ones that comes to mind is 'spirit boxes'. This unit has attempted to transcribe these frequencies since it too can hear them. This unit cannot see the amalgamation, but it can hear it the rare times it speaks."
"What- HUH? THAT THING WAS TRYING TO TALK TO ME?" Bonnie hollered incredulously.
"It can TALK?" Roxy spat too.
M.X.E.S looked impassive, but Chica could almost swear it wanted to show some annoyance at having to further simplify this discussion. "Yes, from what has been observed. Surely you knew already? You can hear it too, sometimes. Not always- as to you, it just comes up as garbled screams and raucous static."
Roxy was the one who got it quicker this time- suddenly snatching Bonnie's arm and pulling on him, "OH MY GOD, I REMEMBER! That time you recorded it, when we went to save Freddy the first time he disappeared? The day Mendez and Gordon vanished? You were hearing it in the walls! You heard voices and screaming! And you showed Freddy and me the recording! I think that's one of the times you could make it out- kinda?"
Bonnie blinked several times fast, then face-palmed, "I can't believe I FORGOT. I didn't even make that connection! GOD. I feel like such a bloody fool!"
M.X.E.S went on with, "When you and Freddy came down here at the behest of Vanny- the fourth night of your 'game' with her, you both ran out after enraging it- and it seems to be very and especially emotionally charged and reacted instinctually. If it really wanted to come after you, it would've just done so and finished both of you off. Its more than powerful and fast enough."
Bonnie thought back on his last encounter with it- evident in the way he grabbed his chin and hummed at the thought. Chica and the others could only look on in confusion. He then asked, "What was it saying? I still couldn't make it out... you said yourself it just translates as screaming to me-"
M.X.E.S twitched an ear- seeing as it didn't (or couldn't?) blink. "Playing back audio file," it robotically went to say. Its body didn't move or react in a betray that's obliging the command, but they DID hear something emerge from the M.X.E.S itself a few seconds later a sound like cracking wind, more static, crunching, and general interference-
And then, they heard the countertenor of a child's voice:
"...Krrrrrrshhhhhh... Frriii... Friiiiiiit... Frit... krsshhhhhhhh... Shhhhhh... Shhhhhhh... Friiii... shhhhhhh..."
The M.X.E.S stopped the noise, then watched the others. Bonnie's face definitely suggested that he knew the noise, but still couldn't make it out. So, it went on to say, "This unit believes the amalgamation was looking for something. Its been searching the PizzaPlex for a reason- and it may go with what the message is."
"You actually got something from that?" Roxy prodded.
M.X.E.S blipped in front of her, making her jolt as well. "A name. It was trying to convey a name. If you speed up the audio file and removed the interference, its sounds like the name Fritz." His cubical eyes went to the Foxy body, "And it appears you have answered its request."
Bonnie smiled nearby, then focused on the M.X.E.S again. "Okay. So, did you do the thing I asked earlier too-?"
Chica and the others didn't have enough time to finish processing what Bonnie was thinking before the security program went on with, "As for the system user Cassie- Yes. We can now disrupt the malware Vanny's signal. But Beware: Once Vanny realizes what we are doing, she will resist. And when she does, she will have the power of some of the last endoskeletons assisting her with her digital counter. It is recommended we do this fast- she has taken notice of our activities and will act accordingly. Interruption of her control on the chip will take some time."
"Crap baskets... How much," he hissed.
"Approximately 5.34 minutes. It could be shortened with Freddy's assistance to approximately 4.50 minutes."
Bonnie inhaled, held, then said, "Okay. Let's see here... so, do we deal with Vanny first? Right now? Digitally? Or can we do it at the same time we deal with the tangle?"
The entity once again inclined its head, eyes unblinking as they seemed to scan Bonnie, "We do this right now, before you go to find Freddy- who will be fine in the next few minutes. And while we hack the chip's encryption and disable security measures around it, one of you can also start disabling the endos helping stall Vanny with the additional computation power. She does not have many under her thrall as well: As you and Roxanne's activities earlier have improved our chances by 15.5%."
"Oh shit! Taking those things apart was a good thing, Rox!" Bonnie smirked.
She nodded, then she had her turn to address it, "So, we sit here and do this now? Help Cassie, I mean."
"Correct. Once we assume control of the chip, we can keep Vanny out of it for a time. However, a portion of her personality exists within the chip itself; it's not so simple as just directing a signal to her host," It elaborated. "What this means is that even once we jam signal access completely, Vanny's leftover personality in the chip can still control the girl independently of her will- So, there would be akin to TWO Vannys in place." The group hissed at this as M.X.E.S went on, "We go to dismantle the code written within the chip- it will disrupt her hold for an undetermined amount of time- likely long enough for you to bring the girl to a hospital, as the effect would be akin to what its been for user Vanessa."
"That'll do," Bonnie smirked. He looked at the others, sitting right beside the terminal.
Monty and the others did the same. Chica burbled, a little uncertain about just taking 5 minutes to fight a digital war with Vanny right here while Freddy was waiting in another area beyond them- and in the monster's nest no less. But it clearly didn't want to rip him apart, and whatever Bonnie was figuring could play into it.
"Okay, Freddy? You hear me?" Bonnie went on to say.
"I heard all of that," The bear immediately went to say, his voice a whisper. "And I agree with M.X.E.S: Cassie first and foremost!"
Roxy flapped her jaws, "Wha- you're talking now. Did that thing let you go?"
"It still has a grip on my body, but yes, I can move my muzzle. Trying not to talk too loudly. It seems to be sleeping now-? Minus the fact I have one of the heads watching me." There was a contemplative noise there, "The puppet is the one watching me, but no harm is being done."
"Er... have you tried talking to it-?" Bonnie blinked.
"I have... but it ignores me. I think your offerings and the music will be what it hears best."
The others passed each other glances. "Here's hoping," Roxy sighed as she gently placed the Foxy pieces on her lap.
M.X.E.S meanwhile projected a hologram of the technicians' occipital chip: with a vast line of code trailing around it and in separate windows. "Vanny has noticed this unit is back online in its entirety. Interesting- she isn't trying to gain control of the chip... Instead, she is sending a coded message to the server. And, it is directed at you, user Bonnie. Do you wish to accept the incoming message? User alert: we now have more than enough power to thwart any potential trojan or malware inside the data package."
"Let her through. I'm actually interested in hearing what she has to say," Bonnie smirked.
M.X.E.S waved its hand, then another window opened up. It flashed red, but was quickly contained. Chica could already see that Vanny tried to sneakily pass a virus through- and of course, now the M.X.E.S, herself and the others were collectively enacting on any digital protocols, it took no effort for them to neutralize its threat.
And then, Vanny spoke.
"You cheated again. Of course you did," She sounded remarkably calm and almost wistful, Chica noticed.
Bonnie seemed to assume the message was directed at him solely, the rabbit maintaining that immortal smirk as he responded in kind, "Vanny, after all our games, what makes you think I wouldn't try to cheat again, despite your earlier warnings? You said it yourself, and quite eloquently might I add, that we both are going to keep at it. We're creatures of habit, it seems. And I think you said something about it being fun-?"
There was an audible sigh, "It is, and I still stand by those words. But now, we are at an impasse, dear Bonnie. It seems I may have to relinquish my hold on Cassie after all! I could fight back, but it'd only postpone the inevitable-" There was almost a shrug that can be heard through words. "As I know your friends and your chisel-cheeked buddy there will just completely rip my influence of that girl apart in a little while. I give it ten minutes- not even that, then she and you would be scampering free!"
Bonnie's expression deepened into something like a suspicious scowl, "You're... you're... giving up-? Wha- HUH? That's not... that's not like you. I mean-" He babbled like an idiot for a minute and leaned in. "EXCUSE ME?"
"You sound upset! Did I disappoint you?"
"Vanny, knowing you, you're only surrendering one chess piece cuz you gained another. I won't deny, I'm now worried," He went on to say. "You've got one more ace, don't you? You lorded Cassie over my head, but now- I can't help fucking wondering what in the seven hells you've done! What did you DO?"
The group passed each other looks, each wearing a wane and hardened mask.
There was a giggle from her end, "Oh my lovely blue belvedere of bedlam! Of course I do! I suppose its characteristic that I should lord it over your head... but no, for some reason, I don't wish to do that today. I think, if I had to be honest, I may just be... done, with all the pomp."
There seemed to be a thoughtful and long pause. Another sigh was heard, the rasp of her voice box distorted but no less clear in another way. She sounded, if Chica had to be honest, tired.
"You remember, yes?" She began again with something like reminiscence in her voice. "-How I said I enjoy our games. And I don't like boring, and how I missed you even after I removed you-" She chortled again, but the sound was strangely half-hearted. "There's a nasty, small, tiny little bit of me that doesn't want to lose you again after all this. Would you believe me, Bonnie, if I said I wanted to keep you around, and all to myself? I did say I quite liked you."
He blinked furiously, "Er... you did? Wait, like-" He shook his head, "Wait... um. WAIT. Can you... clarify-?"
"So smart... and yet, still a GUY. So stupid... I swear, boys and men are stupid. Dunno why Vanessa tried bothering in all the time I've spent in her head-" The group can almost hear the eye roll. "But Bonnie, I told you I actually LIKE Cassie. And if I didn't, I would've killed her. You know that. What makes you think I don't genuinely like you too?"
"Y-yeah, but... but if you changed her, like you threatened to do, you would've killed the part of her you YOURSELF said you grew to love her for. So, I can't help wondering-" He trailed off.
She picked up from where he left off, the back-and-forth so easy-going it was strangely alarming to all those present. How often did Bonnie talk to her, Chica wondered. "Yes yes. I anticipated you'd play that card on me... and it would've worked in a sense! But now we come back to YOU: And, all things considered, how I actually LIKE you too. How you've always been a superb pain in my tail, and one whose delighted me time and again." Yet another laugh from her end, "Losing you again, would you believe me if I say, would actually be painful?"
"I feel both flattered and skeptical and grossed out," He said to the window. "But it wouldn't stop you from trying to off me anyways. I mean, you killed me once before!"
"And all that did is make you smarter and more determined to get under my skin- metaphorically speaking. And under normal circumstances, yes, I would try to just kill you off just to be done with it. However, you also must recall I'm more interested in the soul of the person inside your body. How you've perfected the game between us, and how I'd be loathe to see such a waste of life go! So, I'm glad you picked up my little message-"
She continued in a mystifyingly blithe but weirdly somber tone. "Cuz I want to give you a FAIR warning about my last 'ace'. I'm playing one more card, and I'm going to give you some time to realize what it is, and act accordingly simply because I actually don't WANT to see you die, Bonnie. I WANT to see you live- to give you a chance to play back. It's be a real waste of artificial intelligence otherwise."
"Oh gee! How lovely," Bonnie reciprocated with cold sarcasm.
"Laugh all you want, blue boy, but I couldn't mean it more. I want to say this since I still have your attention, and even if your little friends are listening in:
"I want to give you my best, and to wish you a bitter goodbye. You are an exemplar in the world of the robotic, and what Mr. Afton has craved in all his work- and really, it'd be shame to besmirch his aspirations by trying to kill you directly again," She went on to say. "But if you actually got caught up in my last hand as I deal it, then you wouldn't be so rightfully deserving of that life. So, run- run away, run and weave through this last hurdle, my vainglorious prince of tricks. Run away, or cheat your way out of this last obstacle- because I so dearly want to see you win.
"-'Til time do us part- as death has failed us in that stead. Be knighted in this last hurrah, and earn your way to kingliness in this last bid. Your queen of con will wait patiently on the other side- I give you my last and the best of my tricks. From one rabbit to another: From doe to buck. Goodbye."
The window closed out, and the whole room fell to silence. It would be like this for several minutes at a time; the group of bots and the A.I security program itself also sitting there baffled by this countergambit. Everyone here, so ready and completely dedicated to the cause of saving Cassie-
And Vanny just gives up.
This couldn't raise more red flags; and everyone was now looking at Bonnie- to the person she referred to with such clear admiration and strange amounts of respect. Chica couldn't help but wonder about Vanny's true feelings too; and if what they heard conveyed through her words was nothing but truth: That Vanny gave up because she actually LIKED Bonnie, and also acknowledged that she's been bested-
But then, even if that was all true, why did Bonnie look like he was scared for his life?
He sat there staring into the space for an uncounted amount of moments; moments in which they would've spent hacking their way into Cassie's chip. Moments they've been given extra of; and yet no one could figure what it was they should be spending them on. Moments they could use trying to figure out Vanny's final game- whatever her final move could be. And despite the look on Bonnie's face, even he looked lost.
At length, Monty spoke, "So uh... Cassie's been saved? Just like that?"
More of the bots glanced at each other; but Bonnie didn't move that whole time. Roxy turned to him next, "Yo- dude. The hell's going on? You have any idea what she means?"
His eyes moved- a very subtle motion that barely indicated that he'd snapped back to the present. Bonnie clearly had been lost in the recesses of his mind; his worry etching his already ragged face into harsher relief. He inhaled gustily, then squinted worriedly.
"I... I dunno. I... I'm struggling to figure out what she's done. I knew she'd been quiet but... I didn't expect this..." He finally said. "She loves giving me a hard time. I don't get this- this... THIS! I don't get it! THE HECK SHE DO? WHY'D SHE GIVE UP ON ME? THE FUCK!" He was on his feet and looking around the room like she'd materialize right there and give her secrets.
Roxy blinked, then pinged Gregory, "Yo kid. You guys okay up there?"
"Yeah! Did you deal with the tangly thingy yet?"
The fact Gregory sounded calm made all of them worry more. Vanny hadn't messed with the kids, Vanessa, or Eclipse either- the observation only serving to dump more ice into their innards.
Roxy went on to say, "We're... we just got word that... Vanny surrendered her control on Cassie. You there, Cassie?"
"Yeah... I mean, yes?" Cassie eventually returned.
Roxy shook her head, "You SURE you're okay?"
"Yeah. Nothing's happened up here... its just been quiet while you've all been down there... And before you ask, we hadn't seen or experienced anything weird... What's this about Vanny, by the way? She won't control me?"
"No... it... I don't-" The wolf helplessly shook her head again, her mismatched eyes on Bonnie now. "Vanny just... surrendered her control on you cuz we woke M.X.E.S back up... and, all of us were going to jointly hack your chip. But... she just-"
"That's not good," Vanessa was heard saying. "That is SO not good! You guys need to leave RIGHT now."
Bonnie glanced at Monty once, then he pinged this time, "We're going to leave the building right after we deal with the tangle creature. We still need to grab Freddy."
"Well do it fast. Cuz if Vanny just gave up like that, then you KNOW she did some bunk-shit," the woman went on to say.
Bonnie was seen picking up the old bass and turning to the gator, "Monty, show us the tunnel leading to the amalgamation's lair. Sooner we get Freddy and leave, the better."
The gator nodded once, then frowned as he stood back up, "By chance. You still dunno what she coulda done?"
M.X.E.S was the one who spoke this time, "Vanny has surrendered all control of the AR world- she's used the endos for something, but this unit cannot divine what. She has also relinquished her control of them. This whole facility is now ours in its entirety."
"She's escaping!" Roxy realized. "I bet she's leaving the PizzaPlex through another route!"
"Most likely- but this unit cannot divine the location. It is likely in an blackened area of the PizzaPlex where there is no camera feed or functional barricade or active security measure. The PizzaPlex has at least a handful of these areas to account for- no doubt Vanny has found one and may be on her way out."
"We need to stop her-!" Chica started.
"No point. By the time you all get back to the surface, she would be long gone. You might as well grab user Frederick Fredbear, and leave. This unit will prime the explosives and cave in the PizzaPlex after you get a safe distance." M.X.E.S drifted to Chica's front again, its gaze strangely- she couldn't describe it, but off somehow. "You will have another day to find Vanny and combat her. That is all you can do. It just so happens she will wait for you all outside the PizzaPlex."
"I just don't get it!" Monty growled, his baritone a crackling spit of razorblades on a chalkboard. "What is her DEAL with Bonnie? I don't fuggin' get that!"
Chica blinked, then passed Roxy a look. They shrugged at each other, then gazed at their lapine peer. "Maybe..." Chica muttered. "She actually... like LIKES him? I mean... that makes no sense to me- we don't exactly... I mean- I dunno. I don't get it either!"
Bonnie huffed, "Why do I attract the weird ones? I always do." He shook it off, "Whatever. I doubt Vanny's gonna be active much more beyond this point. We might as well focus on what we're doing-"
"You have any idea what she could've done?" Roxy cut in.
"No... M.X.E.S and me just scanned this place and got NOTHING suspicious! I dunno what she did, if I know her as well as I think I do... then we take her word SERIOUSLY and run like hell after we grab Freddy," Bonnie told them. "Now come on. We got one more birthday to celebrate. Let's give the kids in there the whole Glamrock experience!"