GLAMROCK FREDDY
Freddy couldn't help but worry as his friends did; and now for an entirely different reason: What the hell did Vanny do?
No one could guess- everything seemed to be in order. Freddy wasn't even concerned with the fact he was still in the vice-like grip of the blob- even though yes, he'd been tolerating the Puppet staring at him for quite a while. No, even IT no longer worried him. Vanny's silence and her... admission, of her strange fascination with Bonnie only helped to muddle their situation. Her affections towards he and Cassie thankfully meant she would no longer hurt them, but what the hell else did she do?
Freddy hadn't had too long to sit on that; his friends finally coming into the beasts' dwelling a short bit later. Vanny had to be temporarily shelved for now- but her influence still sat heavy at the back of his mind. Even when he was looking at the blob, he could not help but be anxious about what they'll face after leaving here today.
Monty led them in here in the meantime, seeing as he knew where the tunnel was. They were all burdened with all kinds of gifts and their instruments- But, there's also no mistaking the worry upon their faces. Bonnie was fighting the need to scowl; that couldn't be more obvious. He as well as the others thankfully tried eliminating the grim expressions when they neared the tangle- the Puppet finally snapping its attention off Freddy and darting in to take a close look at them.
That's when the rest of the beast woke up too- the Puppet's movements being felt along the stretch of wires connecting it to the rest of the mass. The Funtime Freddy head seemed to be in control of the body most of the time; but the general consensus was being made by the other bots in their massive, shared body- And they ALL wanted to check out the Glamrocks as they came in. The Funtime Freddy head snapped and clacked its faceplates; as if irritated at being awoken so soon.
It bore down on the Glamrocks, but didn't attack. Freddy couldn't help but hold his breath at this silent stand-off; watching as it and his comrades passed looks to each bot in-between. The Puppet was the one who seized the most control then; sweeping in ever closer and coming to rest in front of Roxanne. Some cables wound out of its torso and body; dragging the tips along the Foxy shell pieces in her paws.
Roxy tamped down on her need to shrink away- Freddy could tell in the way her tail flicked at the tip and her ears lowering half-way to her scalp. She didn't balk though, instead braving the thing's scrutiny while offering the pieces. "Here," She said gently, in a tone Freddy only heard her use for Cassie and small children. "I think you've been missing someone-?"
She held out the shells, and watched as the puppet ever-so-gently took them from her in a long and drawn out motion. Its head darted to her, once, and then back at the pieces. This repeated once more, then the cables moved with... reverence? -Across the surface of the old shell. They were gradual, slow, gliding motions across the surface; as if the Puppet was savoring this moment. It even tucked the pieces to itself- as if to protect them from something. It went as far as to stick out one cable, and dragged it rather daintily along Roxy's cheek in a caressing motion- Freddy couldn't tell what that was, but he was pretty sure it's a significant motion. Was it thanking her?
Now the older animatronics noticed what the Puppet had: Sweeping in and tittering excitedly as they pulled and touched the Foxy pieces with apparent warmth and welcome. They ALL touched him; pretty much passing him along themselves with a vivacious eagerness as if having not seen their family in YEARS- and Freddy belatedly realized this may just be the case. They pulled Foxy to themselves and returned to the main body-
And then, Glamrock Foxy came out of the beast. The torso and lower jaw of the Glamrock was thrown away- and then the squashed head and limbs were offered to the older Foxy pieces- And the two merged. Numerous cables wound themselves inside of the bot; as if a human was trying to fit a finger puppet. Freddy watched as the cables began to animate and move the bot; and then, it fixed it's sightless optics onto its peers with clear prepense-
The child, Fritz as Freddy recalled, was still inside the pieces after all- At least some trace of him. He swept in and joined the other bots, bouncing its jaws in a rapid motion as if in excitement. There was more touches and caressing from soft paws and cables; the bots sweeping into even more of a jungle of metal and wires. Foxy grabbed at each paw that touched him; its head swiveling around to take in its lost comrades. Bonnie, Chica, and Freddy- all the classic ones, snagging and holding Foxy's pieces and tangling cables.
It'd take Freddy and the others an embarrassing amount of time to realize that this was their form of an embrace; a group hug that seemed to warm the once stagnant, chilled air. In fact, the classic Freddy turned to look at the Glamrock counterpart for a solid minute, then back at Roxy with a contemplative and jittery flick of its head. It moved its jaws, and then-
-It let Glamrock Freddy go!
Freddy slipped free of it's wiry grip, stumbling a bit as he hit the floor and turning to look at the older variant with gratitude. The classic version merely returned its attention to Foxy all the while.
Freddy walked back to his friends with his arms open; getting near-tackled by them as they closed in. Chica gakeled and leaned against him heavily (all without dropping her cake). Bonnie reached out with a paw to the back of his head, encouraging Freddy forward to forehead bump and nuzzling him with enough force to honk his nose once. Roxy butted her snout against his lower jaw- the motion far gentler than Bonnie's constant bumping. Meanwhile, Monty didn't move; still clutching his armful of toys but nodding at Freddy to try and balance out the fact he wasn't joining in on the cuddling. Monty had never been an affectionate bot to begin with, that much Freddy respected and understood.
Now the blob was watching them give each other some manner of affection as it had received Foxy; the fourth bot sitting amidst it fellows in the middle of the cables almost comfortably. The Funtime Freddy head snapped its plates once; but it wasn't a rapid motion anymore. It was just... content. As it were though, the classic purple Bonnie seemed to break off from the others and leaned in to the Glamrock version; looming over his head while locking its sightless gaze with his own. It briefly flicked its head down- as if to indicate something.
Glamrock Bonnie pulled away from Freddy, then lifted up the classic red bass, "Oh! You uh... you want this? I think its yours." He passed an uncertain laugh, "Although... you didn't give me a chance to sing you Happy Birthday yet! The gifts usually come AFTER the songs and cake. Impatient bunch, aren't we?"
It tilted its head; one ear flopping in... wow, was that a character-cued tic too? The heavy drop of its right ear was the same tic Glamrock Bonnie had. Freddy recalled they shared similar behaviors and base programming with the older bots- albeit its just in some of the smaller nuances. With this said, it lifted its head to gaze at Glamrock Bonnie, then back at the bass. Its twitchy, ominously stained paws grasped the classic bass and turned it over; the bot retracting back into the blob's main body and cradling the instrument and strumming the it- albeit clumsily.
Glamrock Bonnie wasn't done there: He then opened his stomach hatch and pulled out a compacted microphone. He offered it to Classic Freddy, who seemed to hesitate longer but took the gift no less. The brown bear turned it over, then passed the Glamrock a meaningful glance.
Now the rest of creature was intrigued: All the heads were looking up and swiveling around the Glamrocks with clear intention. Now that two of them had been given gifts, it seemed they ALL wanted in on the fun. Freddy could not help but find amusement in it- but another more fragile part of him couldn't help but both pity and lament the fact these were CHILDREN- children whose been given the raw end of life and were only just now were getting their dues. Clearly, it showed an interest in getting gifts- just as a normal child usually did. And they demonstrated happiness at seeing a lost friend again-
This was too upsetting- and if Freddy was in a more private room, he'd be taking that moment to cry. He certainly felt choked up to an extent; but maintained his passively merry visage all the while. He interlocked his claws at his front and merely continued to watch as gifts were passed around. He also backed away, watching as his friends all took turns to offer their prizes.
The classic Chica got her cupcake back from Roxanne; and while she had no arms, she used cables to hold it and pulled it to her body as if afraid someone would take it away. Monty gave the Puppet the box from the daycare- and it apparently played music. In fact, the Puppet itself picked the object out from the mass of objects in Monty's arms; didn't even touch the plush toys. The Puppet pulled the box from him, turned it around, and wound it-
It played in the soft tones of a classic music box; and it seemed to titter excitedly at the sound. It pulled the toy into its own body, leaned in to the gator, and did to him as it did to Roxy: Gently caress his face with a single tentacle and retreat. If that wasn't gratitude then Freddy didn't know what was!
Monty passed his trademark lop-sided grin and pulled back from it, then nodded sheepishly. He offered the armful of plushies to the others too; the diversity in which Freddy found shocking: He didn't think some of these plush toys were still around. But, they were of some of the Glamrocks (no Bonnie, as the toy was discontinued), and even of the older bots! The only Bonnie toys sold that Freddy recalled was the classic version, and even it was present in the armful of toys. The amalgamation didn't seem overtly interested in them, but the cables poked and prodded and turned the objects around with fleeting interest.
Monty then pulled out a Bon-Bon puppet; one of the expensive ones that had a couple automated parts that made it blink and move. He walked up to the Funtime Freddy head and offered it- to which the white Freddy took an immediate interest. It swept in and leaned over Monty's head, scrutinizing it with something like calculation- then, it took the toy with a single cable and turned it around. A few more cables went inside of it- then it started to actively control and use the Bon-Bon toy as if bemused by it!
It didn't give Monty a passing touch in thanks as the Puppet did, but there was a contemplative twitch of its plates and a long, seemingly meaningful look from it as if it betray a sort of gratification. It retracted back, played with the toy, and that was that.
In all of this excitement, it wasn't lost on the bots that Circus Baby had kept her distance. She did NOT look intrigued or interested in any of the objects- its clear she didn't want any material items. It just sat there, almost seemed to glare, then turned away with a slow and almost methodical precision that didn't suggest it had a cable body. It just didn't care.
Chica hummed, them looked at the others. "Lemme try something," she said to her friends, then she was walking over to the older bot-
It rapidly turned its head and flared its endo at her in threat- Hissing in static and grinding its cables like a rattlesnake shakes its tail. Her facial plates snapped open in violent motions- producing a glitching scream that made all the bots freeze and Bonnie to snap his paws to his head as if to block out the sound-
-The Funtime Freddy head wasn't having it: It whipped around and hissed back at it; as if to kow it. Defending Chica? Interesting, Freddy realized.
"I-its okay! I don't need help," Chica said to the white-faced Freddy, moving past it and towards the Circus Baby bot. She's put down the large cake she baked for the other bots, then opened her stomach hatch- revealing a secondary small strawberry cake within her. She pulled it out, walked over to the elder bot, and sat in front of her rather placidly.
"This is all for you-" She said to it. "The strawberry colors and the way its looks made me think of you, actually. I know you can't eat it but... you seem to be someone who appreciates a good culinary delight and its presentation? I remember hearing a long time ago, that the original Circus Baby served ice cream and smelled like birthday cake; how she always stole the show with her lovely voice and glittery dress. She was the first, and the ONLY Circus Baby to date. No other have ever been made to replace her- unlike the rest of us-" She waved around at herself and the other Glamrocks.
Chica watched it for a moment, waiting to see if it understood her. It bear no reaction, so the chicken went on despite the fact its likely Circus baby really didn't get it. "I wouldn't be surprised that when I was made, they might've been thinking of YOU instead and put its as an inspiration for my design. I run a bakery after all! But I digress-" She continued eyeing her, then blinked at a thought, "If I may ask, why is it you don't want to join the party? We have a song we want to share! It'd be nice to perform for the originals; even an honor! And it'd be nice if someone could throw a party for you for once! You all deserved better than this-"
She waved around, "This... this whole thing has been hard on all of you. I can only imagine you barely even remember your names, or who you used to be. Don't you want to remember that? Even a little? Maybe we can help with that, doncha think?"
Circus Baby didn't respond immediately; choosing to sit and continue to scrutinize the other bot for an uncounted span of a minute or more. Her faceplates shuffled; then she finally moved. She slithered across the floor, one cable reaching out to snag a piece of flesh-strung metal: A piece of Spring Bonnie. Chica watched with confusion as she turned the metal shard over; the flesh on it rather scant and dry but still very smelly. She slithered back over to Chica and set it in front of her, right between them.
Chica tilted her head, burbling contemplatively. Was she asking for something?
Suddenly, there was an "OH!" and all heads turned towards Glamrock Bonnie; whose ears were madly twitching towards Circus Baby's direction. "Oh shit! M.X.E.S- he's translating something!"
"She's TALKING?" Roxy asked.
"YEAH. Holy Easter baskets, I can... kinda understand her-? Wow!" He tentatively toed his way towards her. He leaned his head in, his ears both facing Circus Baby fully. "I'm not getting much... mostly interference. Damn, I almost wish we had a built-in spirit box!"
"What she's saying?" Chica was up and in his face in-turn.
"Lemme see. She's saying... 'I don't... remember. Name'," He started slowly, as if having trouble picking words out. "...'Just... what daddy... wants'? Huh- DADDY?" He stared at the spring Bonnie pieces.
Freddy glanced around, then stared at Circus Baby. "I get it now," he started. "I think Afton himself built the Funtimes with a certain directive... it's slightly different from the any of the other bots ever built. So maybe she sees him as her father, in a way? Or-" He was looking at Baby now, "-It could be likely one of Afton's own children is trapped in that one... Huh. No wonder you're the odd one out!"
Is this WAS Afton's kid, Freddy already understood just from that alone why the rest of the amalgamation wouldn't want her around; after all, the rest of its body was the child victims of the man's madness. Meanwhile, it sounded like Baby hadn't minded what he's done... which was gross to think about.
Freddy narrowed his optics at something, now looking at Bonnie in particular, "I think... hm. Afton had a few children, did he not? Didn't you see any names that stuck out to you?"
Bonnie frowned, "Afton's dossier in Vanny's private computer was pretty extensive... but I wasn't really looking at it. I was reading all the kids he's killed!" He shook his head in an disgusted manner. "There's so many... but I definitely don't recall seeing of his OWN children on the roster. I don't think Afton would do that- so if this is his kid, they'd be an accidental death."
"Accidental-" Chica parroted in a dispirited manner, looking at Baby. It was studying Bonnie intently now. "Oh... oh dear..."
Circus Baby unwound itself from its position on the floor; slithering over to Bonnie's face and occasionally moving its lower mandible plate. Bonnie's ears twitched at it, then he narrowed his eyes.
"You've got to be kidding me... he built you with the intention to hurt MORE kids?" He looked at Funtime Freddy, who, at the very least, didn't seem to eager to lumped in with the topic of discussion. "Did he REALLY do that-? Like, seriously build you to hurt people? Is this why there's people stuffed in robot parts in here? Cuz you were LITERALLY built to do that?"
Funtime Freddy's right cheek plate here merely flexed in one smooth motion- was that a show of shameful affirmation?
Circus Baby meanwhile kept talking; evident in her attention on Bonnie and staying near to his ears like she was whispering a secret to him. Bonnie glowered at her and subtly moved away, shaking his head, "You- you can't be serious!"
"Well? What'd she say? Spit it out already," Monty broke in this time.
Bonnie hissed; an odd noise coming from him, "She... she said she LIKED it! She wanted to make her 'daddy' proud- Fucking nine hells!" He stared coldly at Baby, then turned his attention to Funtime Freddy, "You too?"
It shook its head almost rapidly- that was a CLEAR no.
So it DOES understand, Freddy noticed. At least, some of the time it does.
Bonnie twitched an ear at the white Freddy, then looked at Baby, "GEEZ. So that's why Circus World failed. No fucking wonder! I'm shocked all his messing around hadn't had the police onto him sooner! How the hell did this company get away with so many deaths and still make enough money to build us?" Bonnie produced another aggravated noise, "We weren't exactly CHEAP to make and maintain!"
Chica recoiled visibly, but hadn't picked the cake back up. "Surely she doesn't understand what she's doing? I can't imagine a child would want to hurt more people like this!"
"I dunno," Bonnie shrugged, unable to break 'eye contact' with the Baby animatronic. "-But she sounded mighty unrepentant from where I'm standing. She also says she loves playing 'Pretend', and got very good at it. If that's true, then I can't tell if she's finding it hilarious to mess with us like this or not! Geez- how very... Vanny-like." He stared back at the older bot, then asked, "I just CAN'T understand the mentality in wanting to hurt others in the capacity you had: I truly don't-"
He was mysteriously cut off when Baby flapped its lower mandible again; the motion looking rather like she was... smiling? She was sneering at Bonnie somehow- Freddy didn't know why, but that was the impression he got. And seeing as Bonnie was rigid with apprehension the next second thereafter, it must've been a sore point for the rabbit. This had all the bots in the room collectively tense and watching Bonnie quite carefully.
He was seen backing further from her, then he bit back, "No... I DON'T enjoy it, Baby. I wasn't built for it like you were! I don't-"
She rushed into his face; as if in accusation. Bonnie meanwhile was silent and unmoving for a solid minute after that; the older bot eventually drawing away as if a mocking manner. She lifted a cable at him, pointing and even touching his chin once. Bonnie jerked out of her grip and snapped his teeth at being touched.
"Bon-?" Roxy started again, walking up and gently touching his shoulder.
Bonnie hadn't broken eye contact, but now he was silent. Baby meanwhile pulled away completely- giving off a self-satisfied air like she's made her point. Her shoulders even jerked rapidly a few times- was she laughing?
Freddy walked over, then gently touched his friend too, "Bonnie? What did she say now? What happened?"
Bonnie took a long time to speak. But when he did, it was in a hushed tenor, "She said I was just like her. I enjoyed killing the manager- enjoyed removing one problem from the world. Said she can almost smell the stink of another's death on me. You heard me say I wasn't built to hurt others... but..." He glanced at all his friends, then at his own paws, "She... she may be right in one thing: When we were built, we were given a lot of expensive and interesting parts. They even gave us a 'Security Mode'; and that mode undoes all inhibitors that dictate we don't hurt someone. Its bugged, but I think they left it bugged on PURPOSE. I know this cuz they've never bothered to fix it, even when they got the money. We keep saying to ourselves that we aren't meant to hurt others... but... Security Mode changes that. We ARE allowed to hurt people- Fazbear Entertainment even ENCOURAGES it! Look at the Funtimes- look at what they're made for!"
He passed his friends a distressed expression, "If the PizzaPlex was broken into, we're allowed to hurt that person if we do desire! Even make them disappear- the manager himself doesn't care if we do this- its all encouraged! GOD-" His head hung, "Baby's right... I think... I think we're all meant to be like the Funtimes in a way. What the actual-"
Freddy shot the older animatronic a solid GLARE. He growled lowly at her- not something he didn't expect himself to do, but do he did; all the while clenching his friend's shoulder and pulling him further from the bot. "I don't believe that. I will chose to reject this logic-" he told his blue lapine friend. "We were built to protect as well; to watch over and care for children! Its within our core programming!"
Bonnie shook his head again, "Then why was Chica allowed to prioritize pizza over the welfare of the patrons? That's how I learned to rearrange my protocols in the first place: because Chica was allowed to see her job in eating pizza as more important than the well-being of people near her- the fact we were BUILT to prioritize advertising over keeping people safe says enough."
The hen nearby clacked her beak, then stared shamefully at the floor. Bonnie hadn't meant to out her like that, but it was the truth. They were all fallible and terrible in different ways.
Freddy maintained his solid stare, "Even if this is true, Bonnie, I will continue to reject this. And I know I can reject this because I know I've done better now: We all have! I protect Gregory because I love him- nothing else matters, or could distract me from that duty. I can rewrite myself into continuing to protect others. We have that power now- to change our programming. And while what Fazbear Entertainment wanted in the past was truth-" He grabbed both Bonnie's shoulders and faced him fully, "-It's no longer applicable now. We make our own truths. And my own directive now is to return to Gregory and the others safely, and continue being there for them as a family. I have that power to change from what the company wanted. We all do."
He smiled at the others more encouragingly, then focused one Bonnie once more, "Now let's not dwell on it anymore. We are different now, and while yes, I don't usually approve of harm being cast to others, the manager was still someone who imposes that we hurt others wantonly. He threatened to decommission you, Bonnie. To hurt you, and he allowed it so that we would hurt others. No one, and I say NO ONE would miss a sadistic brute like that! I don't want to say his removal is good but..." He shrugged, "-Its not the worst to have happened."
Bonnie passed Freddy an uncertain look, "Who are and what have you done to my Freddy? I mean really! You, of ALL bots here, saying its GOOD I killed the manager!"
Freddy glanced away, then back at Bonnie, "I believe I just made it a point to say that the manager was a killer who needed to be stopped as well. So no, I don't regret my words, and I will not take them back."
Monty produced a low whistle, "Day-umm! And here I thought you were a fruit cake! Guess I'm wrong there!"
Freddy harrumphed at him, but kept his attention on Bonnie all the while.
Bonnie meanwhile twitched an ear, passed Baby some looks, then sighed, "Well... no matter what, we still have one more thing to do before leaving here today-" He brandished his yellow bass, strumming it and looking back at the blob. He was keeping his eyes off of Baby, Freddy noticed, "I guess, in this den of killers, there's still children who need a song to dance to that isn't one of violence or hate. What say we give one more song, regardless? We passed out the cake and presents- why not keep to tradition and perform?"
Freddy frowned, "Biscuits... I can't join in and sing. Oh, how that bugs me-"
Chica shrugged nearby too, "I don't think either of us can. Man that's a bummer."
Bonnie was about to say something, but froze next; he was watching the blob now, his expression warranting Freddy and the others to do the same:
Classic Freddy already had a cable inside his torso; having exposed his endoskeleton to all those present. A single wire was floundering about his throat pipes; taking out what appeared to be a functioning piece of equipment. A voice box, no less-
Glamrock Freddy blinked rapidly in surprise as it was offered to him! Everyone present felt their jaws flop open, watching the exchange with equal amounts of surprise at the kindness. Freddy meanwhile couldn't barely muster the gumption to move; one paw going to his head and pulling uncertainly at his scalp. He gesticulated to himself, then back at the other Freddy.
"That's for... for me?"
The classic version shoved it gently into his chest, as if to insist.
The Glamrock took it slowly and reverently; turning the old box around in his hands and sizing it up- and while it's no doubt ancient, it's still very similar to the one he and Chica tended to use. The wiring was the same, and not that long ago, Freddy heard the other one laughing with it. So yes, it does work.
The rest of the blob was about as surprised as the Glamrocks, each of the heads turning to look at itself in varying degrees of shock. But then, the elder Chica bot hovered over to the newer one and did the same! She pulled out her old voice box, and happily shoved it at the Glamrock with a feverish motion that betrayed something like excitement. She even poked the box at her chest like, "Take it! Take it! Take it!"
Bonnie blinked, "...She said... she wants to hear you sing?" He looked at Chica, "Susie. That's her name... Susie says... you were always her favorite. And she thinks you're very pretty-?"
"AWWW!" Glamrock Chica fluttered about in place, taking the gift and producing noises like she wanted to cry. "Oh my god. That's so CUTE. Thank you thank you thank you! I don't think I EVER got anything so nice from anyone!" She leaned in to the older bot, "And I think you have a very pretty soul, sweet thing. Thank you!"
The older bot bobbed excitedly upon its mountain of wires, then pulled back and settled. It seemed she was getting 'comfortable' so she can listen.
Chica would be crying if she could; blinking rapidly as if to blink away tears that weren't there. She then opened her stomach hatch and called Roxy over to help her get the new voice box in place. The wolf complied.
Meanwhile, Freddy had Bonnie help with his own; his mismatched eyes on the creature on occasion. Circus Baby was sulking in the corner again, prodding the flesh-covered shard in silence. Freddy didn't understand that bot; but he wondered inwardly if she only enjoyed the work she did because she truly didn't know better. And if this is a child of Mr. Afton himself, maybe she just really didn't understand how wrong her actions were-? And she only did them because of the horrid example her father set. Either way, both Baby the bot, and the girl within, they both seemed to synonymously care about Afton's ambitions and worked to enact upon them.
The poor thing was still trapped in its own way. Freddy doubted a song will help her, even if it did help the others somehow. He didn't know why, but Baby felt to be a problem that may have to be dealt with differently. The rest of the blob- Funtime Freddy included, seemed neutral or benign in nature compared to her. Was it possible Baby sometimes took complete control and helmed the creature to hurt humans? Suddenly, the idea of it didn't seem improbable- but Freddy also wasn't sure how true that was and if she was strong enough to do something like that- not when she had other conscious beings to wrest for control with.
Freddy kept his eyes on her even after Bonnie finished his voice box; the rabbit stepping back and placing Chica's old voice box into his stomach hatch for safe keeping. Best not to waste functional parts, they both figured. "Well? Test it. I'm curious," he prodded.
Freddy ran a brief diagnostic on it, then spoke, "Testing. Testing. Peter Piper picked a peck of peppers? Um, something something seashells seashells on the seashore-?"
He blinked at the noise he produced- the new box hadn't sounded like this on classis Freddy, but it's also remarkably not unlike his usual voice- If he didn't know better, he would've thought this was a replacement voice box for the Glamrock models! The only difference between them besides age was that it didn't have the same metallic, rocker's rasp that gave Freddy something almost guttural in terms of tone. It had a gentle, rolling richness in it that chortled and carried warmth naturally; a deep-chested baritone not unlike the one Freddy was usually known to use.
"Huh," Freddy hummed at that, the sound rather smooth as it escaped him. "I quite like how this sounds! Its not too bad! Oh-" He turned to the classic one, "Thank you very much! I've actually wanted a newer voice, and you made my own birthday wish come true! Thank you so much! Gabriel, was it?"
The other merely glanced away- was that sheepishness?
Chica meanwhile tested hers- and the voice came out with a draw not unlike Monty's own southern one. It still had the same airy lilt her usual voice did, but the accent noticeably changed her speaking mannerisms. "Real interestin'- oh wow. Do I REALLY sound like that? Like, the old me? So weird! Hey Monty! Reckon's I sounds like you now!" She finger-gunned at him in bemusement.
"You like it?" Roxy asked, all the while nearby, Monty was chuckling at her new voice.
Chica actually nodded rapid-fire, "Imagine me singing country songs! I bet I can make 'em sound real nice! Remember when we had that western-themed section of the PizzaPlex, near the raceway? With cowboy Foxy and me in that cute purple dress? Oh my god! Imagine me with an actual acoustic guitar and singing like this now! AHHHHH I'm excited- I can't WAIT to try it!" She beat her arms like a chicken would flap its wings. "I LOVE IT!"
Bonnie winced at the scream- simply because it was high-pitched, but not because it hurt. He blinked, then smiled, "Chica! That scream didn't hurt! Holy HALLEAUJAH we can do duets together!"
Chica spun in circles and rushed at the older version of her, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you-"
Roxy pulled her off, "She gets it! Now, how about we light the dang cake?"
She turned to the cake Chica had gently deposited on the floor, flipping open Freddy's index finger to reveal the lighter- to which the bear had forgotten Roxy was wearing his paws. She gently lit the dozen candles on it (something Chica had gotten lucky in finding) and stepped away. She looked at her friends, then frowned at another errant thought.
"So... what do we sing? One of the company approved songs?" Roxy folded her arms, flicking one ear as if in dismissal of the idea already.
"Heck NAW," Chica chirruped, already putting her new voice to use. "How's about we make one up as we go!?"
Bonnie smirked, "Oh my lord. Us making up a song! That'll be cool... Okay okay- hold on a second-" He tuned the yellow bass, then gestured at Roxy and and Chica to check their instruments. He glanced at Monty once, then passed the bass to him, "Here, my fine reptilian friend. I think you can play this one. I'll just sing!"
Monty blinked at him, flapping his jaw once, "Wha- why? You're better at it than me."
Bonnie rolled his eyes, "Not this again... Monty, you're a FINE bass player. And I know you prefer playing over singing. I like singing! You go ahead and play me something, and I'll go along with it! Go on!"
The gator produced a sigh, but reluctantly took it.
Nearby, the classic purple Bonnie was seen leaning in to the old Freddy as if in a conspiratorial manner; its head jerking at unpredictable intervals. The motions were... strange. But then, it too slowly leaned over and returned to its position in front of Glamrock Bonnie- only to return the red bass to him. The Glamrock blinked, then stared at the elder animatronic in confusion. His right ear swiveled forward, as if to listen to it. Was it talking?
After a half a minute like this, Bonnie very slowly took the instrument, but frowned, "I don't get it. I got this for YOU. This is yours! I don't want to poach your stuff-! Dude- this a BIRTHDAY GIFT. Why would you return it?"
It moved its lower jaw flimsily, and no doubt that whatever its speaking wouldn't line up to what's its saying. However, it talked regardless, and the Glamrock understood it. It eventually pulled away, resuming its position by classic Freddy and Foxy.
Newer Bonnie meanwhile kept passing uncertain glances at it, then smiled in a way like he was going watery-eyed from it. "Thank you, man. I..." His voice ran thick there, then his eyes went wide when he heard something else, apparently. He was looking at the Puppet briefly, his expression surprised and... not alarmed, but something like it. "I... oh... I... Well, of course I would! I mean- how'd you-?"
"What now?" Freddy inquired.
Bonnie waited until the Puppet was done before looking at Freddy, "It... she... Charlie, the Puppet, she said I should be singing for someone else when I can. And she and the older Bonnie had briefly talked about giving me this bass-" He held it up, "They want me to have it. Man I'm one lucky rabbit!"
Roxy chortled nearby, "Wish granted, blue boy. You happy?"
"Yup," He was smirking so widely here it was infectious.
The orange ursine meanwhile frowned, redirecting his friend's attention back to the matter at hand. "Singing for... someone else-? Do they mean Cassie?" Freddy asked.
"I think so..." Bonnie stared at the blob with a strange amount of attention, his tenor taking a secretive undertone. "Not that it knows her name or properly met her... its just weird they knew that. They all know a lot of weird stuff. Like precognition, but not quite?"
The Glamrock bear shrugged, "Let's just chalk it up to one of those 'weird ghost things' and just sing. They're waiting!"
"Yeah, yeah you're right," Bonnie nodded, smiling at him and back at the creature, "Thank you again!"
He stepped back, double checking it but not needing to do so- it's already tuned. And on his person, Freddy couldn't help but inwardly comment how it matched his friend's get-up. The red bass looked nice with Glamrock Bonnie, honestly. Meanwhile, Monty got to keep the yellow one! He felt like in a way, they all got some gifts themselves!
What was it that Vanessa said once? Good karma, and its pays back? Now I don't know much about karma... but it almost seems to feel like its doing something here, he wondered.
Chica plucked first at her guitar, as if checking for a sound she liked best. The hen was pretty good with picking out something that worked most times- besides Bonnie himself. She seemed to find something she liked, then gently picked strings in a relaxed manner- only to stop for a second and blink.
"Oh crap... just realized," she started again briefly. "I haven't played in a long time... have I? I don't think I've played since before the PizzaPlex closed down... when Gregory came here. And... this would be the first time we've ever performed together as a group since before Bonnie was decommissioned, huh?"
Bonnie blinked, cocking his ears at different elevations. "Yeah... been a while. Gotta thank Vanny for that," he bit.
Chica hummed, then resumed playing the experimental tune she picked before- she started bobbing her head at some imaginary timer; keeping track of how many measures she was piecing together rather carefully. And while Chica usually SHREDS her guitar, her playing this time around was already much more meticulous and patient. The tune itself was milder and easier to keep up with- which was good, seeing as the group needed to figure out how to follow along.
Freddy opened his mouth- and although he meant when he said when he told his friends he couldn't wait to let them take center stage at some point, Gabriel over there wanted to hear him use his new gift. He would not disappoint! So, he started them off, his pace akin to a lullaby:
"Oh so many fears, oh so many throes
Oh so many years, where everything goes.
Older souls have wavered, where you tread
And yet you've gone on, haunted by your own dread
Having forgotten your names, but never the pain.
.
The light's are all out, and its almost dawn.
No need to pout, the guests have all gone.
The party's nearing over now, no need to go on.
But before we say so long for this final rite-
We have one more song, then we bid good night!
.
Sweet eyes of dark, warming coals that dull the day's cutting glare~
Glowing eyes of light, sparking embers that brighten night's blinding snare~
Let my voice carry you to a place of rest-
There lays a freshly made cradle-bed, upon Heaven's own crest~
.
Let my voice carry you to a place of rest-
There lays a freshly made cradle-bed, upon Heaven's own crest~
Chica inhaled as she relaxed into the melody; only to jerk when Freddy elbowed her. She didn't break her string plucking, but smiled as she got the hint to pick it back up for him. After all, the older Chica gave her a new voice for a reason. So she went on:
"This world takes more than it gives us
Demands more then it gives back.
It bruises, bludgeons and cuts
And we all go on attack
But ne'er do we forget
All the love we can carry and beget~
.
Now the hour has come at last
To recall that embrace in ages past-
How it carried you to bed and the bejeweled sky-
Would shine over-head and you'd hear that final lullaby.
To hold onto that love, a throbbing heart song
A cooing dove's final measured sing-a-long~
.
Sweet eyes of dark, warming coals that dull the day's cutting glare~
Glowing eyes of light, sparking embers that lighten night's blinding snare~
Let my voice carry you to a place of rest~
There lays a freshly made cradle-bed, upon Heaven's own crest~
.
Let that heart shine bright again and pray-
That this would be your final night and let you be away!
Tired little angels who fought their best-
Let us remind you, and finally be at easy rest-"
Behind she and Freddy (whose taken front row positions to the others), Bonnie, Monty, and Roxanne were along with gentle patterings of keys and meticulous twanging of lower-toned strings on both bass. Bonnie was watching his friends with this look on his face- one that continued to warm circuits even after he'd long sever the contact. It was a different kind of fever that'd stay with both ursine and hen; and while he said he's sing at first, he'd fallen deathly silent as if in a thrall. He played, yes, but he only spectated.
Before them, the beast was indeed listening- much to the surprise of all those present. The Puppet was... sagging? It seemed completely at ease, if anything. Its head limply focused on them, as if indeed sleepy. Its occasional movements were the only signs that betray its awareness.
Music seems to be something it definitely seems keen on, Freddy had noticed early on. The fact it picked the music box earlier said enough.
As for the rest of the behemoth, each head had received the song in different ways; but all good, as far as Freddy can see. The Funtime Freddy head kept tilting and peering closer, as if trying to listen better. The classic Freddy, Bonnie and Chica were staying rather near Glamrock Chica as she played- as if truly enamored by her lovely, saddened warble. The Glamrock/Classic Foxy hybrid stayed stoic, but certainly showed no inclination to break the lull that's befallen them.
Circus Baby was the one who had Freddy's interest though: Its faceplates fluttered a few times- he couldn't fathom why, but it betrayed something like annoyance once or twice, and then it mellowed- only to get annoyed again. Was she anxious? Did she want more? What was going on in her head? She also had a cable wrapped around the spring Bonnie piece, another wire prodding the strawberry cake that was left all for her.
Finally, at length, she seemed to decide on something and neared Chica as she sang. The hen also elbowed Freddy, encouraging him to join in with her for the last stanzas:
"Sweet eyes of dark, warming coals that dull the day's cutting glare~
Glowing eyes of light, sparking embers that lighten night's blinding snare~
Let my voice carry you to a place of rest-
There lays a freshly made cradle-bed, upon Heaven's own crest~
.
Let that heart shine bright again and pray-
That this would be your final night and let you be away!
Tired little angels who fought their best-
Let us remind you, and finally be at easy rest-
.
Let our voice carry you all to a place of rest-
Tired little angels who fought their best-
There lays a freshly made cradle-bed, upon Heaven's own crest~
Let us remind you, and finally be at easy rest-"
Freddy had to say so himself; the combining of Chica's own song with his was a wonderful cherry topper in his biased opinion. While he wondered why the rest of their friends hadn't deigned to join in, they still ended the song with their own instruments. They each had their own parts in a sense; and with it, Freddy couldn't help but hope this song would be one of many more they could do together.
Meanwhile, the ghastly mass of souls slithered around them and flexed different pieces; all motions smooth and unworried- all good signs. Classic Bonnie was the only one with both his paws though- and was the only one who could clap. But the fact he DID do so said enough, and it continued to warm the group in its respective right. He clapped as if to do so for the rest of the tangle; his head flopping left and right sometimes in nuance. He tried clapping loudly at that; but his fuzzy paws didn't permit it. He eventually settled for a thumb's up. It was so cute Chica burbled at him. The other heads all ducked and weaved around in ways that betrayed its ease and excitement at the song- as if trying to clap in spirit.
Freddy meanwhile took the hen's hand and took a light bow; not a big one, but a more reserved one that only slightly bent the back and head. Behind him, he could hear his friends do something similar-
And then he heard a gasp escape one of them.
"Bon- Bonnie- Dude. You okay there-?" Roxy's voice.
Freddy turned around now, he and Chica doing so jointly.
The rabbit had fallen out of line with the rest of his friends at some point; his paw over his right eye. He was blinking rapidly- as if there was something in both optics. He was huffing too- the noise was subtle, small, and nearly missed; but it betrayed something was wrong. The huffs were usually typical in cases of him crying over something though, that or he was hurt. Was he choked up? Well, they did just sing and play to a bunch of dead children...
Freddy still couldn't help but worry though. He slowly meandered over, tilting his own head too. "Bonnie-?" He trailed off.
Roxy was sniffing loudly next to the rabbit, her gaze warring with itself as she eyed him. Freddy sniffed now as well, seeing as it was easy to forget he had the amazing ability too. He couldn't help but frown when he thought he smelled something off with Bonnie. His scent hadn't been detectable before: he just smelled like recycled metal and new pieces and warm motor. Sometimes the sharp scent of coolant made itself known-
But now, he smelled both coppery and salty? Where the heck did that come from? Literally in the span of the song, something changed with him. Freddy didn't know what, but something within his core said something was wrong.
The Puppet seemed to wake back up; it was hard to tell if it actually nodded off, but it goes to show it enjoyed the song in a different way. It moved with purpose now, flowing over to Bonnie and leaning over him curiously. One tendril out-stretched and daintily touched the paw covering his eye; the Puppet's mask barely inches from his muzzle. The rabbit kept huffing repeatedly- seeming to not notice the weird shift in behavior from the beast.
"Bonnie, are you okay?" Chica walked over now, blinking at him and trying to look past both the old bot and the paw covering his face.
Bonnie's huffing sharpened and turned alarmingly rapid; transformed into something much more audible and harsher- it almost sounded like someone hyperventilating. The noise had all bots focused on him now.
And then, in the AR world, Freddy saw it: M.X.E.S appeared beside the fellow rabbit and loomed around him; not that the Puppet could see it. The security program robotically announced for the benefit of the other Glamrocks, "System Overload: Showtime mode over-ridden. Danger: Total system shut down is eminent: Glamrock Bonnie is in danger of-"
The rabbit wobbled upon his footing, and fell backward-
"DUDE!" Roxy would've tossed her keyboard, had it not been strapped to her. She caught Bonnie in mid-fall; she and Monty jointly. They gently lowered the lapine bot to the floor, laying him flat- And it was then did Freddy and the others see it:
The rabbit had a single, bloody-colored tear runnel on his right cheek; and its origin couldn't be divined. The sight of it had left everyone present rightfully baffled; and many to assume its evidence of some sort of coolant leak- seeing as the color was similar. But the smell of it was wrong- all wrong.
Monty blinked at that, and took a single claw to the fallen rabbit's face and wiped. The way it stained and clung to the metal didn't seem more aligned with the runny nature of coolant; prompting Freddy to wrinkle his nose anew. He watched Monty hold the stained digit to his own partially open muzzle; using the over-powered sensory features in it to correctly identify what the substance was. He even put it into his mouth; using his (actually functional) tongue to finish identifying it- all the while Roxy was trying to find the leak in the rabbit's face.
Only to stop dead when the gator said-
"Its... its actually blood-?"
GLAMROCK BONNIE
The first thing he realized upon regaining his sobriety was that he was in some sort of... room?
Not a room in real life... nor was it a domain in the AR world. It felt like a cut-off room, he supposed. He remembered making a room to house parts of his mind and connect his fragmented self to the Mop bots; and in this case, its saved his life. This room however was... well he'd say its LIKE that but... it's very much so different in nature.
It's just a void. Vacant. Blank. Nothing but white. He couldn't see anything in it- not even data streams. He tried wracking his mind (literally) in order to figure out what he was processing, but his logistical side refused answers. He was an A.I, after all. And this world? It went beyond what he understood. He literally couldn't figure it- but now, he realized he may have to err on the side of the organic and metaphysical in order to properly perceive it.
This white void... it didn't have anything visual in it, but, it did have SOMETHING-
A feeling.
That was it.
Now, Bonnie knew he and his friends went beyond simple mechanics after a point. They were fully actualized individuals: People with animal skins and tics, sure. But even then, they were limited to logistics since they were also machines. And because of this, they couldn't obtain full organic assimilation and 'dream'. They can't dream, or process organic compounds like food. Or breed and reproduce. And even their emotions, as Vanny once said, they process few of at a time.
But recently, Bonnie achieved something of even more and total sentience due to the hybridization (and subsequent bastardization of the natural world) of his metallic 'flesh' with something metaphysical. Vanny called it 'remnant', and its piece, the person residing within him gave him something more to add to his intelligence. It allowed him to feel on a broader spectrum- and its why he loved Cassie and his friends to the extent he did-
And it's because of this feeling, right now, that he could even SENSE the 'feeling' in this mindscape.
He wasn't in the AR world. He was dreaming. He was DREAMING!
And yet, it wasn't... anything.
He just felt it. Still couldn't process it, but he was feeling SOMETHING.
He blinked, looked around, found nothing. He scanned, attempted to reason, failed to find said reason, and attempted to repeat the process. He felt like something was asking him to divide by zero. He then proceeded to process what happened that lead up to this:
He'd been playing that badass red bass generously given to him by the older Bonnie... enjoying himself, relishing the fact he was listening to Freddy and Chica. And just as the bear and hen were concluding the song, he'd been hit with something; and it was so powerful, it felt like someone was wailing on his head with another bowling ball: Sadness. He'd felt sad, and its weight alone had been so insurmountable, Bonnie was forced to stop what he was doing just to process it. He backed away from his friends, and felt choked by how imposing it was; how strongly he felt- And then he passed out. That's it. Nothing else.
A fully actualized emotion that he already knew of- and yet, he felt like he was experiencing it anew: Sadness and all that it carried. As a bot, he could just barely comprehend it. It was sadness at its rawest, baser form; and so immeasurably great in its vice that it allowed the rabbit to fully understand the creature they'd been playing for:
He'd been sad because of the tangle and its many souls. He'd felt so terribly sad that these children got the worst end of their life. And the fact their only gifts were going to be given to them right at death's second door. Who knew death had multiple layers to it? And it was in this epiphany, he felt something else-
Empathy.
It was different from sadness; he now understood it too in some measure. He thought he knew it before, but nothing could compare to what he was feeling now. Understanding the creature before him had breed empathy and sewn it into the fabric of his lamentation. He felt powerfully enough that it literally startled him senseless; knocked him out so badly that his mind had to shut down in order to finish coping with what he just experienced.
He blinked now, staring into the white space and while not seeing anything, he could feel the emotions there; they didn't have a color or shape or data imprint in which for him to visually absorb; nay, he knew he was feeling what lay hidden within the white either. He was processing emotions gifted to him by another force entirely-
Another person inside him.
Was it the manager?
No, he realized. The manager has no empathy. No sadness to share. He cannot impose and project himself unto me when we're on completely different wavelengths. I wager it wouldn't translate too well...
But then... who is this?
Vanny wanted to know who it was... she said so. But then, she seemed amused by the fact it could be the manager; but even then she hadn't out-right confirmed it. Even she said there was more to understand here; and she had a means learning who could be here with him.
"So then... this feeling here-" He wondered aloud now. "Is this your doing? Are you sad for those children? Do you wish to go with them?"
He didn't get an answer- not an obvious one. He figured he felt something shift in the great oblivion around him; but he wasn't sure what. Was it possible even it... they, didn't know?
Bonnie raised a paw to drag nervously at his hair, pulled, and let his paw slide down his face- only to jolt again when red came with it. He fingered it, smeared its color across his fingertips and measured its thickness- only to realize that's he's had blood on his paws before. He's stained himself with the blood of people on purpose. He knew what blood looked like on polished metal-
And there was no mistaking the blood on his hands right now.
He stared impassively at it, didn't feel surprised by it suddenly. He just rubbed, shrugged, and looked up. "Right... of course. I'm a haunted, possessed object. So... possessed objects sometimes kinda betray signs of being haunted, yes? So... is this your sign? Bloody tears? Real classic, and classically macabre... and a tiny bit cheesy, if I do say so myself! So, what, is this a calling card of some kind?"
Still no reply. Was he expecting one at this point?
Bonnie huffed, but this time in exasperation. "Did you put me to sleep for a reason? I'd like to know," he tried this time.
When he still got nothing, he just straightened up and eyed the blood again. He wondered if it had a type, or if it's not actually blood, but something that looked horrendously like it. But, writing it off as tainted coolant didn't seem quite right, seeing the situation he was in. As it were though, he realized that, at this point, his stupid robot brain was STILL trying to understand the logistical side of the weirdness and it was coming up short. He needed to think outside the box here. He needed to expand his mind to the metaphysical-
He needed to think like a proper person here.
"Okay. So, I'm a haunted object," he said again. "-Whose showing signs of possession. That's fine! Totally fine. I'm completely fine with this."
Not even one minute passed and he immediately followed it up with, "Yeah, no. I lied. I'm VERY MUCH not liking this!" He circled around in the spot for an anxious minute, simply pacing and pulling his mussed hair. "Oh carrots- crap baskets. Crappy Easter baskets! I think I'll need to be asking Vanessa more about this when I can- cuz this is just too weird." He sighed, "The heck is even going on here?! Can I PLEASE have my body to myself? Can people STOP messing with me for ONCE?"
His ears went erect when he heard something; Roxy's voice? Freddy's? His appendages swiveled, and then, there was no mistaking the sounds of his friends now. He could hear them in this place, if a little. Was this what it took to wake up? Him listening for them? He felt like if he went towards them, something would happen.
So he tried it- simply walking towards where he was hearing them. Even now, his robot rabbit brain was frantically trying to juggle the weirdness of this scenario with the idea of running as fast and as far as he possibly could. Like I said: Robot RABBIT brain. He wanted to run from all this nonsense! To hide, and to bury himself with his friends and Cassie and stay hidden for a long time. He was tired and fatigued from all this-
And speaking of which, he felt it; fatigue. REAL fatigue. He felt truly tired as he's never perceived it before. He couldn't hold up his head for long before he felt himself sagging and slowing down. His breath came to him; and he felt his broken breast plate move with it- it gave the grotesque illusion of actually having lungs. He FELT like he had them!
What the heck was going on with him?
Now he stopped; eyes shutting and once again tried to contact his senses; to which they've promptly left him. So, he tried calling M.X.E.S; only to find that connection absent. The fact he couldn't find any signs of his more mechanical facets right now in this white space was horrifying and alien. He couldn't pull up his hud, he couldn't pull up his ping radar, he felt like he was breathing for real- and it physically hurt to do so! The motions felt labored, heavy; as if his mounting panic was finally catching up to him.
He couldn't stay calm like usual; as a bot, being composed was second-nature in some ways. But this? This wasn't a branching facet of his mechanical nature. In this world, he couldn't have felt closer to organic synthesis. He felt like he remembering how it felt to be alive.
His ears went painfully erect; his breathing intensifying as he felt and heard something else:
A heartbeat.
He could hear its resonance in his ears; a throbbing, tympanic wave of rhythmic chaos that sometimes drowned out the voices of his friends. His paw went to his broken breast plate- but to his relief and lack of surprise, all felt normal. He even opened his eyes back up and looked down at himself. Still Bonnie, still broken.
Then where the hell was this coming from?
He inhaled again, attempted to calm himself as he felt centered in the fact that he had no actual beating heart that he can see. He was still a broken, wild-looking wreck of a automaton. His humming motor beat within his body, puffed steam on occasion- warmed his chassis in a way reminiscent of a mammal retaining body heat. He was still a robot cartoon rabbit, no mystical changes there, even inside this dreamscape.
"Vanny. She said..." He trailed off as he measured her words to him. He frowned as he tried to scratch them up, "She said... she said that... her questions... what'd she say-?"
"Your body... it almost... I want to say, STANK, of something spectral. Something anomalous..."
"-I dunno how you could've done it- especially since no one's come to visit you in that room in all that time... I want to know how and what you did! And how you feel. I want you to tell me about yourself! All of it. Do you remember anything of another life? How extreme do your emotions get?"
"-So tell me, you remember anything weird or something that doesn't belong? Like a memory that isn't yours?"
"What about feeling things that don't belong to you? Like beyond your little temper problem?"
"Vanny knows," he mumbled, eyes wide in their sockets. "She's the one who knows about it... She..."
No. I can't just ask her... she'll just lord it over my head, huh? She also left the PizzaPlex, hasn't she?
He just didn't know, but he felt like whatever Vanny knew would remain out of his realm of understanding. He was grossly tempted to go and find the ghost rabbit- to ask her about all this in detail. But, she'd only come forth with the answers if he'd brought Cassie and himself to her, huh?
Bonnie sat down- his fatigue caught up to him. He just plopped down, crossed his legs, and had a good long think: Vanny was gone. She left them a nasty gift outside of the amalgamation's lair- daring him into one more of her final challenges. She'd encouraged his survival though, as if to tell him to come and find her-
"Well, that's the bitch of it now, isn't it?" He said aloud now. "She left, knew I'd be wracked with questions, and feel tempted to come after her. And bloody hell, even if I wasn't having an existential crisis, I'd have to come after her anyways simply because she's a threat, huh?"
He let free an ironic chortle.
"Vanny Vanny... you really are the queen of con: You knew I'd want to come find you, huh? You knew I wouldn't resist continuing chasing you down some more. You knew you couldn't end this game but with a typical checkmate... that'd you'd lose the further it went on. But then, you just... took away my moves now, to prevent me from winning-?" He inhaled, held, and listened to the weird and impossible sound of a heart in his ears. "Well played, miss rabbit. Guess this will end in a draw after all. 'From doe to buck', you said. Now I get it."
This game still won't have a final standing ender, that much he knew. She may have surrendered to him in some ways, but Bonnie knew, deep down, she was STILL going to win this little competition between them in smaller ways. He hated that, but he accepted it. They've both played to a different strengths- they've played the Cheater's Ultimatum. This game was far from over, even thought the story was closing quite soon.
Having come to terms with this, he got back up. For some reason, a nasty, horrible, unknown part of him was dreadfully and painfully attracted to that appeal. To the fact she played the way she did, to keep him wanting more- to keep him hooked even after he's told himself so many times that he was going to rend her of everything she is- they've had way too fun with it. And now, he wanted more. He's picked his poison, and he wanted to keep on drinking it in.
Now he understood why she couldn't directly finish him- because what he felt right now was exactly what she felt too.
The heart continued to pulse in his ears; a wicked, beautiful tempo that beat to nature's own song and dance. It was maddening and calming in ways that should be impossible- juxtaposed to everything he knew that was sensible. He listened to it for another solid moment, simply reflecting on it and his position in this whole debacle.
It wasn't lost on him that they were both red-eyed rabbits with a strong connection to Afton's ambitions. They both captured everything he's ever wanted in their own rights, his madness immortalized so long as they both existed- they were both the pawns to his own motivations. Vanny can keep killing, and Bonnie can keep playing- and it would always be to someone else's beat. There was no denying that. But, he also knew this: The day he finally became nonfunctional for good, this whole sad story will have its end right then. And with it, Afton will truly die. But not before then.
Why did that calm him? He didn't know. But now resigned to this, he temporarily shelved it and pondered back to his current predicament; and the creature he came to rescue: Afton's victims, individuals that should've never been his pawns in this fucker-up game. He may not be the final ender to this whole thing, but he will play along as long as it took to put them all- Vanny, the tangle, Afton's dreams, ALL OF IT, to rest.
That was an absolute.
For now though, he pondered back to his being here; how a bot can exist in a dream. He supposed therein, he should keep moving. So he walked, his only company being the constant song of an alien pulse and the concerned vocalizations of his friends. He pondered then if what he was experiencing right now what was Vanny wanted for herself; to be fully actualized in a semi-organic manner. Bonnie knew that he'd be different from this day forward- that the inflections he's balancing right now were something he finally understood after so long in this space.
Was he brought here to understand that? No... he doubted it. It was simply because his own mind had, at that moment, absorbed its ability to properly comprehend the 'human condition'. He hadn't been awake too long... maybe a day or two at best, so this manifestation of whoever was inside his body seemed rather late at first- but it couldn't be more the opposite. They've properly bound themselves to him after he's been awake a certain amount of time; apparently attracted to the memory of him and anchoring themselves due to a sentimentality he shared in kind.
He meant something to someone... to several someone's. Some of the kids that's passed away... like Jeremiah, and Kendall. To the manager- and even Cassie's father. Yes, Vanny was right: There was a lot of people that were attached to Bonnie and how he meant a lot to them in life. He had a list of people he can draw from the top of his head- some in which he can guess the names of who could inside him right now-
But only one name stood out amidst it all.
Now he knew who sat beside him right- both beside, and inside. He didn't know why, but suddenly it calmed him. He didn't feel so upset as he'd been prior- yes, he was juggling these feelings fast, but he was also still a robot at the end of the day; he can process hella fast once given the chance to think.
And it helped that the person inside him also shared his same love for the friends he had, and the girl he swore to stand beside against all else.
It literally couldn't be anyone else.
It was then upon this realization did Bonnie sense it- the feeling of this void taking on a new tonal and paradigm shift. The melancholy that's besieged him before subsided; it still dragged at his coat tails, but it wasn't as oppressive as before. 'Like trees in November', to take a famous quote from a book. It was a crash of worlds; the A.I's mind perceiving the silent and unspoken will of the individual who followed his shadow; whose darkened it without turning it to pitch. The individual whose unshed tears now ran red on the rabbit's own broken visage. He needn't say the man's name, or turned to see or perceive who it could be- Bonnie simply felt his unvocalized will drive him towards the end of oblivion.
Vanny did this. He didn't know why, but being here had allowed him to understand why he was being possessed and driven forward. He knew how, and what to do now:
He will escape, and Vanny will be waiting. And he will meet her there, gladly.
And he will obey this person's unspoken desire, happily.
He paused therein, his breath deepening as he listened to the heartbeat grow louder. Its as if his resolve and acceptance of this person inside him only helped to assuage the strangeness of the situation; their own feelings in-tune with his own once they both fell to thinking on dealing with Vanny, and taking care of Cassie.
Now he understood.
"Your dream is mine own too, innit?" he said aloud now, speaking into the empty either. "Its why you couldn't connect before, huh? Cuz I wasn't completely in line with it. Its why I passed out- both of us not really in sync until now, right? Not singing the right tune?" He heard nothing, but the feeling of acceptance persisted. He waited regardless, as if still expecting a reply to his queries- not that he'd get any.
His mind went back to Cassie. He hadn't had enough time with her before Vanny had the girl leave them. They hadn't even had her back long either; just long enough so that Bonnie only had a single conversation with her to see if she was alright, then he was pulled away by the fact Freddy had been abducted by the metal many-faced beast.
The urge to simply run and find the girl just to hug her was over-whelming and border-line unnatural- but then again, it was unnatural to a pragmatic bot; not to a being who loved her so completely. And it was because of this love for a girl he's never spent so much time with that was driving him to leave now; as if to make up for it. He wanted to remove Vanny, remove her from Cassie's life completely, and then settle in with his friends and the girl and simply rest from therein.
The image left him feeling complete, regardless if Bonnie ever had the remainder of his questions answered by Vanny.
He sighed, then murmured to the unseen being around him, "I guess I always loved that girl, even though I've never had the one-on-one with her like Roxy did. Guess I always a little jealous of that? Heh-" He scoffed there. "Every time she and you came in, and you had to go work, having Cassie around felt stabilizing. She and you were some of the only consistent relationships we had- and after a while, it became the source of our sanity."
Bonnie inhaled gustily, feeling gut-punched again for a different reason. He shut his eyes, sniffled, then nearly whimpered at the sensation that hammered itself home.
"I hated my life. I didn't know it at the time... I thought I loved and accepted being an awesome, super talented and super sexy bot 'n all. And... I mean that's all still very true-" He waved at the air like there was a person there. "But, watching kids I was programmed to love and protect became horrendously painful to deal with because I wouldn't even SEE them again. We were told to love them, to adore them as they adore us, to spend time with them, know their names- and they leave the PizzaPlex forever and leave us with broken hearts every day at closing time. And we had only a night to deal with it, then its back to being dragged through the mire the next day."
His mind's eye pictured Cassie then, "You and your girl are the only things we really had to calling 'stable'. I don't think a living, thinking being can deal with getting their hearts broken repeatedly on a routine basis would've ended well for us- regardless if Vanny came to the PizzaPlex or not! In fact, Glamrock Foxy- now that I think of it, he was the daycare attendant then, right? He went batty because he was constantly and emotionally bogged down." He meandered in place, flexing his paws all the while, "Foxy became 'aware', became actualized because pain carved him into shape. He couldn't deal with the emotional destruction anymore- and he went mad from it. To let his rage out on the employees that put him through his paces-"
He shook his head, "He loved all his children that'd come into the daycare. You know that, and I know that. Sun and Moon? They were beginning to come undone with time. Sun became a nervous wreck because he wasn't being repaired, true, but its also because he had to keep saying goodbye to his charges. If we're told to treat a child as our own, we do so- and do so gladly. And then they expect us to tell them goodbye at the end of the day and never see them again? That wasn't... that wasn't living. No, I don't think it would've been long in coming for all of us to go mad here."
He held up both paws now, "We were all on that precipice. We would've gone mad like Foxy in time. Roxy started acting out by hitting all the S.T.A.F.F bots... Freddy locking himself in his room so no can see him crying. Chica playing so loud just to not hear herself think. Monty ripping things apart because of how LOUD his anger can be- no, we wouldn't have been long in coming at all. Vanny only helped push us there... but we wouldn't have needed her help before we all collectively snapped, huh? Its why I killed the manager and enjoyed it-"
Another long inhalation, throwing back his head and looking up at a featureless sky, "Stability wasn't something we had; only the illusion of it. Its why I cling to that girl the way I do- why Roxy does too. Besides our friends, she and you-" He felt something like tears burning at his optics; an extension of the alien wrongness of this place passing him the ability to do so. "-You 'n her... you were all we ever had. All the love we could be allowed to keep. Is that why you stayed working here? Stayed here, even though the working environment was so awful? Because you knew how we felt? It wasn't just because of how much Cassie loves us, huh? Because you knew we needed that love too? Is that why you're here with me?"
Now his paws found his face again; burying his visage into them and rolling his shoulders. By the gods, he'd never felt so physically and emotionally distraught before; NEVER like this.
"I don't want to let go of anyone else. I just can't-" he choked up. "I can't deal with it anymore. I literally can't! NONE of us can. We can't..."
He jerked when he could SWEAR there was a hand touching his shoulder. His crying immediately cut itself off just as it began; the rabbit staring transfixed into the emptiness beyond him but being aware of the fact that Cassie's father was standing right behind him. He didn't turn around though- afraid that if he did, the feeling would go away. He felt the hand clench, hold tight, and didn't sever for the longest time.
Bonnie had been on his knees, but hadn't even noticed he'd fallen at some point. He remained on them however, simply letting it sink in to the fact that Cassie's father was with him right now and was gently sharing in his own lamentation. That he too and his own feelings of regret was being projected and understood by the rabbit bot in-turn. They both idled, shared in the emotional tumult, and remained thus even though Bonnie's friends' voices were still ringing around the emptiness on occasion. No words were exchanged between them; simply feeling.
Bonnie slowly reached to grab the hand holding him together; kept his gaze forward as he did. He didn't feel anything from his paw, but his shoulder still said the hand was there. he tried squeezing anyways. he felt his fluttering nose stop waggling; his eyes wondrously blearily in a way he's never understood.
And then, a sound like honey being poured over guitar strings rang out:
"Never be alone again. And never let her be alone again either."
Bonnie turned around at that-
And found nothing there. The feeling on his shoulder had gone; and he was left in a fading of white into darkness-
And he left the dream behind-
Only to wake up to a nightmare.
Bonnie jerked awake; the rattle of the trembling earth screeching around him as debris crumbled free of the ceiling. He was still inside the amalgamation's claustrophobic dungeon; his friends all leaning over him- but no giant creature to be seen. He blinked away his grogginess (also a new feeling) as he was forcibly pulled up into a sitting position-
And then Roxy was shouting, "Bonnie! Get UP! Vanny's fucked us GOOD this time-"
"Wha- huh?" He fluttered his lids, then was turned to forcibly face Freddy-
The bear couldn't look more frightened than at any other point in his life.
"Vanny blew up the tanks! This place is coming down RIGHT NOW!"