Droplets twirled in the brisk wind, spattering over cars, umbrellas, hooded jackets, and the hair and clothes of anyone unprepared for the weather. Bodies cloaked in thick fabric of every color scuttled through the bloated parking lot and to a beacon of light and heat. Four cartoon characters behind big neon icons and words stared down at the cold soon-to-be patrons, the bear's hand extended out beyond the lights, its cardboard outline rimmed in a halo of pink and blue.

A young, lone boy approached the entrance, his thin frame engulfed in a thick orange jacket and pants that reached his old orange and white sneakers with blue lightning bolts on the outward-facing sides. A thick, knitted cap with long ear flaps and a pom-pom on top and dangling from long strings pressed down on his short, wavy hair. He wrapped his arms tight around himself and an old red, blue, and cyan plush bunny pressed tight to his chest, hidden from the inconsistent, sharp drops by his jacket. After a quick glance around, he spotted one adult and two teens swarmed by twelve children his age. Despite them all being clustered together, the only thing they had in common was their age. Even then, of the eleven and twelve-year-old kids, one was seven at most.

Gregory snuck forward further until he was close enough to gain the attention of two of them.

The girl in front of him looked back. "Hey, uh, hi."

"Hello." Gregory returned. "You guys are in a party?"

"Mhm! It's my cousin's birthday!" she answered cheerfully. "What about you?"

The boy beside her asked, "Yeah, uh, why are you over here?"

"Oh, I had to go back to the car to get my little sister's toy." Gregory indicated the bunny toy with his chin. "Have you been here before? I know all the best places." He glanced at the adult with an exaggerated tilt of his head to be sure the two saw the action. He lowered his voice, "And how to make the machines give you tokens back."

The dubious boy's eyes brightened. "Really?"

Gregory nodded. "Yep. See, if you put four quarters into one of the soda machines and then press the return button, sometimes they'll give you five quarters back. And there's a machine in the East Arcade that doesn't work right. If you kick it in the right spot, you'll get extra tickets and sometimes get your tokens back!"

Gregory chatted with the two birthday party kids as they pushed their way through the line of glass double doors. Four neon heads of the band members stared down at them as they passed.

They wove through the crowd directly toward the entrance stands, skipping the ticket lines entirely. The two teenagers walked around them like border collies, ordering kids together. A girl with short, spiky pink hair tipped red and wearing a leather jacket looked Gregory over. "Where are you supposed to be?"

The girl he talked to, Amanda, said, "Oh, his parents are inside! He was just getting his little sister's bunny."

"…okay. Just don't run off or whatever."

When the teen left, Gregory threw a quick glance around. Two adults with a little girl stood near the golden fountain. The girl sat on the man's shoulders, head tipped back as she admired the golden statue of Freddy.

Someone in a neon orange uniform with a winking Glamrock Freddy on the back stood by the ticket gate in front of them, a tablet in their hands. A second uniformed employee–another teenager barely older than the pink-haired one that scrutinized Gregory–stood on the other side with a handful of bracelets. One of the kids held up a wrist and received a bright blue wristband. The second kid–a girl with a Roxy sweater–gained a purple one and a crown. A once-shiny orange wristband hugged the thinnest point of Gregory's wrist.

Gregory looked back at the kids he'd been talking to. "See you!"

"Bye!" the two chorused.

The boy, Chris, said, "Thanks, by the way."

Amanda nodded. "Thanks! It was really nice of you to get your sister's toy."

"Yeah, guess so." Gregory edged around the crowd of kids. When he tried to get through the ticket stand, the employee with the tablet looked over at him. "Whoa, kid. Wait in line."

Gregory showed off his wristband and toy. "My little sister left her toy in the car, so I went and got it. I'm supposed to be here."

"Oh." Still, the employee scrutinized his wristband. "…eh, looks okay. Go ahead."

"Can, um… can you open this? I dunno how…"

"Can I have your ticket?"

"No?"

The girl in line for the birthday party complained, "Come on, I'm next in line! You're supposed to be paying attention to me!"

"I'll be right with–"

The pink-haired teen said, "Dude, just ring her up."

"I need to–"

"Hold on." The girl narrowed her eyes. "Is… no. Alex?"

The employee turned to their tablet. They took a card attached to their waist by an extendable string and scanned the ticket stand in front of Gregory. "Uh, there you go. What's your name again?"

"Alex, you work here?"

Gregory walked through the open gate and toward the adults. He walked straight past the party of three up one of the set of stairs flanking two huge faux palm trees.

Heh! That worked better than last time!

"Definitely. You're lucky those teens recognized each other. You should've stayed with those kids longer."

Yeah. That's true. But we're in! Gregory stopped at the top of the stairs near a pair of ticket booths pressed up back-to-back. They stood across from a kiddie rocket pressed against a wall between two elevators. The kiddie rocket squeaked as it rocked, and a little boy held on for dear life.

Gregory entered the right elevator with a few other people talking amongst themselves. He perked up. Walking beside a taller woman was a curly-furred, red-and-white-patched dog with a red vest. "DO NOT PET" stamped on the side facing Gregory. The boy looked at the dog and then the woman. She didn't have one of those long sticks and sunglasses like blind people do. At least, from what he saw in the movies.

The elevator doors closed, and it jolted and sang.

Above them, a cheerful man's voice interrupted the music. "Before their extinction, bears were known to attack pizza delivery trucks more than any other food service vehicles. This has been another fun Faz Fact!"

Did they really do that?

"Maybe. Pizza is pretty good."

The elevators opened.

Gregory stepped out last, his big brown eyes running across the gargantuan room large enough to hold a three-story house with room to walk. The center of the area was dominated by long party tables and flanked by smaller, fenced-off dining areas. Photo booths and fake plants lined the short fence around the main atrium space. Individual dialogue combined with the music and pounding of feet into a dull roar. Lights glowed and flashed, and TV screens hung over the walls and were attached to a huge box hung like a chandelier above them.

He shifted his hot coat and unzipped the front. Warm but not uncomfortably hot air rushed under his coat and brought attention to the damp skin beneath his old shirt. He ruffled his coat to bring air through his sleeves before finally taking it off and tying the arms before his chest and over his shoulders like a cape. Gregory relaxed his grip on his toy and held it at his side.

Gregory had been planning on making the show, but he had quite a bit of time to kill. He had told those two how to trick the machines. Maybe he could try it out again. But he also had a Party Pass he had been saving for weeks, now. He'd stolen it from the Hell-beast and originally planned on returning it, but running away from home left little opportunity or desire for that.

…Well, Gregory had never gone mini-golfing before. Or golfing. So why not?

Gregory skirted around the crowd past a giant lifted area of floor with a huge golf club and golf club amidst massive fake fronds. Beyond that was a room of various greens covered in fake greenery. A giant golf ball with large spokes ending in the bottom half of golf balls ringing it sat in the middle of the room.

A S.T.A.F.F. bot with a tablet whose screen faced outward–or perhaps there were two screens–stood before a large doorway into a wide green hallway. Gregory stopped in front of it as the thing let out a warning beep and held out its flat, three-fingered hand. "PARTY PASS" glowed in golden letters on the tablet screen facing Gregory.

With some hesitance, Gregory drew a golden pass from his pocket and held it out. The bot took it from him, tossed some confetti in the air with a happy trill, and stood up straight again. Another few people standing behind Gregory gave over their tickets.

He tromped down the hallway with a gradual bend decorated by Monty stuff, different cartoon versions of the animatronics with golf clubs, and a few ads.

At the end of the short, wide hall, he walked out onto a balcony overlooking a huge mini golf course full of lush trees and bushes. A trail wound through the room decorated by mini golf holes. He made his way down the stairs–unable to run due to the people around him–and grabbed a club, ball, and score sheet from one of the windows. There wasn't much money left in his pocket after, but eh, there were people he knew who only gave him food or supplies, anyway.

Gregory set Bonnie down next to himself at the first hole.

He… well, bigger numbers were better, right?

Or was that in every other sport except golf?

After nearly reaching the limit of strokes on hole four, he picked up his shiny violet golf ball at hole five and puffed, "You're supposed to go in the hole!"

Behind him, a loud and heavy voice said, "It ain't the ball that determines your score, y'know!"

Gregory bristled and spun around. Monty, a golf club over his shoulder, stared down at him. Being an animatronic, Gregory couldn't see any facial expression, only teeth and glasses.

"How're you doin', little guy? Knocking the ball out of the park? Or, in the park, I guess."

Gregory puffed, "Well, I lost it a couple of times. This sucks. I'm not good at it."

Monty made a weird noise like something between an "aw" and a laugh. "You'll never get better with that attitude! Here, kid, lemme show you a few tricks. How much have you played?"

Gregory shrugged and looked down at the ball. "Um… not. I haven't."

"Ya haven't? Then don't be so hard on yerself, little guy! Not all of us get to be born golfers. How's about this: I'll give you a few tips. But you gotta be easier on yerself, okay?"

Gregory looked up at him and then at the flag at the end of the course and let out a short sigh. "Okay. You'll, uh… you'll help me, though? Aren't you busy or something?"

"Busy keepin' kids like you in the green! C'mon, little guy. Set yer ball down here. You'll want to move yer feet a little so yer square by it. A good angle is just as important as a good swing."

Gregory sidled around so he stood where Monty told him to, set down his ball, and held his club.

"Put yer hands down a little, like this. You want full control of the club. Ya wanna hit the ball, not yerself or anyone around!"

Gregory hit the ball four times before it rolled into the hole. Gregory bounced on his heels and peered into the once-empty hole. "I did it!"

"Four strikes! That's a birdie. Not bad for a first-timer." Monty ruffled his knitted hat.

Gregory ducked out of compulsion, leading the alligator to pull his hand back as if burned, but relaxed when Gregory laughed and stood up straight. "Thanks! Can we do another?"

"Depends. How many's on your score sheet?"

"Um… five."

"Five, huh? Weeeell, fer bein' such a good sport…" Monty leaned down and lowered his voice to a loud whisper, "Don't tell anyone, but I'll let ya run the course again. Bad luck an' all with the first few holes. How 'bout that?" He tipped his head a little so Gregory could see him wink behind his star-shaped shades.

Gregory grinned and responded in a loud whisper, "Okay!"

Gregory picked up Bonnie and his golf ball and scurried off as Monty turned and lumbered off to the golf club rental shop.

Monty is so cool!

"He is. Always was a little… off, though. To me."

Really? Why?

"Well, he wasn't part of the band. He was also really new. People like bowling. I don't blame him for being a little standoffish with me. I was a classic, after all. Like Freddy and Chica."

Oh. That's true. He's still really nice. Gregory set Bonnie down beside himself and the ball.

When Monty came back, they went back to going through the course.

Monty asked as they traveled to the next hole, "Where are yer parents, anyway? You wanna show 'em your score sheet?"

Gregory shrugged. "Well, my dad's not here. I came here with my brother and sister. My sister's going to some princess birthday party or something. My brother is supposed to watch her. So, he just let me play mini golf."

Monty made a low noise. "Golf ain't that fun alone, y'know." He looked up. "Hey, kid! There are some others at the next hole. What do you think of joinin' them?"

Gregory looked down the course at the next hole. Another girl his age and an older boy were there as well as two adults. "Can't I play with you?"

"'course! But I got a birthday party I gotta go to in a little bit," Monty admitted. "Sorry little guy, but I can't stay much longer. Hey, maybe you'll make a few new friends! Anyone who likes mini golf has to have somethin' goin' fer 'em."

"…okay. Thanks! Um, you'll still help me with this one, right?"

"O' course, little guy. I said I would!"

Gregory managed to get to Hole Ten by the time the younger girl set her ball down for her turn. The family, upon spotting Monty, greeted the animatronic alligator, the boy more enthusiastically than the girl.

"How's this party goin'?" Monty asked.

The girl exclaimed, "Great! I'm beating Jeremy!"

"By, like, one point!" Jeremy countered.

"Competition's healthy, just make sure you don't fight over it," Monty pointed out. "…but you got this, Jeremy. Good job… Mary!" Monty paused for just a moment as he looked at her. Did he know all the kids here? "What do you guys think of an extra hand? Gregory here's been going down the courses, an' we were thinkin' a bigger party might be fun."

Gregory, clutching Bonnie with one arm, nodded. Though normally standoffish, Gregory was a little more relaxed with the animatronic alligator at his side talking for him.

Mary looked up at Jeremy, who shrugged, and their parents.

The woman said, "The more the merrier! Have you been playing long, Gregory?"

Gregory shook his head. "I've never played before. Monty helped me, though!"

"That's nice of him. Thanks, Monty."

"Any time, Mrs. Caviler. Have fun an' score some good numbers!" Monty turned and walked off into the trail flanked by lush, fake greenery.

Mary asked, "So, who are you?"

"Gregory," Gregory answered.

"Well, I know that. But I've never seen you before. Do you live close to here?"

Gregory shrugged. "Sorta. How long have you been here?"

"We just moved."

"That's probably why. Anyway, are you going to go?"

Gregory was quiet for most of the holes. He went last and was nowhere near Mary or Jeremy's level, both of whom competed fiercely. Even with Monty's teaching, Gregory was still new to the game. Mary and Jeremy's parents did play, though, and Gregory managed to outdo their father. By the time they'd come around to the last hole, Gregory no longer stood on guard.

As Jeremy went, Mary asked, "So, what's with the toy?"

"Bonnie?" Gregory asked, inadvertently tightening his grip a little on the toy. "Um, he's mine. Why?"

"I was just wondering. You look kinda old to be carrying around a toy, y'know."

Gregory shrugged, his eyes set squarely on her. "Yeah, well, what of it?"

"Nothing, I guess."

Mrs. Caviler said, "Okay, you three, Pizzaplex is closing in an hour. Gregory, where are your parents?"

"They're not here," Gregory said, looking up from his ball one stroke away from the hole. "I came here with my older brother and little sister. I'm going to meet up with them… um… an hour before the Pizzaplex closes."

Mr. Caviler asked, "Your brother? Where is he?"

"Probably by the Daycare. That's where the party rooms are." Gregory tapped his ball into the hole, snatched it back out again, and scribbled down the last number on his scorecard, folded it, and stuffed it in his pocket. "It was really nice seeing you guys!" With that, he ran back to the golf supplies shop and returned his club, ball, and pencil.

Then, Gregory left Gator Golf. He did throw one last look back to see if he could spot Monty. But if the green and yellow gator was there, Gregory couldn't see him.

An hour.

"There's probably plenty to do for an hour. Or maybe we should head back before it gets too cold."

It's already cold. Might as well stay inside for a while.

"That's true, but if you wait too late it'll get way too cold. Or you might miss the bus."

Eh, I'll take the next bus. Come on, Bonnie, we haven't been here in forever!

"Yeah, I know. I just don't want to be stuck outside."

Trust me, we won't get stuck outside.

Gregory made his way through the wide hall from the golf course to the entrance area in the atrium.

Gregory wasn't all that pleased when he entered the atrium and found it so completely packed that he couldn't get through the crowd. Oh well. It wasn't like he'd be able to see it from the tables, anyway. The staff didn't let anyone stand on the tables.

So, he skirted around the crowd and up on the raised platforms with tables, only to find them crowded as well. Except it was worse because the people there talked loudly to one another. Gregory ended up standing at the fringes of the crowd, sulking. He did try to backtrack and stand on the balcony of the second story, which a few other people did as well. He leaned on the glass and clutched Bonnie tight, refusing to look straight down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" a robotic, lively voice boomed. "Put your hands together for the one, the only…"

The stage split open, revealing Freddy, Chica, Roxy, and Monty.

"Freddy Fazbear!"

The crowd cheered as the band ran to the front and side of the stage, the sides lifting to show off the girls as the boys stayed on the main part of the stage. They weren't quite close, but they were both in full view of the crowd.

Gregory hugged Bonnie tighter. However, the experience that once brought him intense excitement and joy failed to bring anything but a hollow pain in his chest.

"You'll love them, Honeybun. You remember them, from the game, right? These are a little different. Freddy, Chica, Bonnie, and Roxy."

"I saw them before."

"Well, yeah. I mean, they're at the entrance. But! They're even more different in person. Ray's mom told me that they can walk and talk on their own. Maybe we'll meet one in person!"

"Like Bonnie? I want to meet Bonnie!"

"Yes, just like Bonnie."

Gregory set his chin on the railing.

"We still have each other."

I know.

Still, he fought to hold back tears. In fact, he tried to concentrate so much on both the concert and keeping himself together, he developed a headache. It quickly grew from bad to worse. Though it didn't feel exactly terrible–he'd live–it became too noisy to properly see or to hear the people around him or the animatronics singing on stage. He took a step back and looked over the roaring crowd below and the line of people with him, barely hearing their chatter or the booming music from every speaker. To his right, meters away partially hidden by a plant and beside Roxy Raceway's entrance, was a… mascot? Bonnie was the last rabbit at the Mega Pizzaplex. Did they introduce some obscure other rabbit while he wasn't looking? Unlike Bonnie or the older versions he'd seen–like Bon-Bon and Spring Bonnie–this one was white with giant red eyes and a huge smile. Then again, there had never been any wolves or alligators before the mall. So, something new was nothing new, technically. His headache was making it hard to see her appropriately.

The white rabbit waved. Significantly shorter than the actual robots, and her movements quite fluid, he wouldn't have a hard time believing she wasn't one of the bots and was just the company trying out a mascot costume before bothering to spend the money on a bot.

Gregory looked around at the patrons, but none of them paid any attention to the slightly off-white rabbit. When he looked back, she stopped her waving and gestured for Gregory to come forward. The boy was hesitant, but when the white rabbit said nothing, he approached.

She backed off before he could get too close and walked into the hall leading to Roxy Raceway. Curious, Gregory followed her.

She skipped through the empty hall, sending a look back behind her as she went to be sure he was following. Follow he did.

She giggled, a noise that immediately spiked his heart rate. She asked, "What is your name?"

His headache eased enough to where he could think of the words he wanted to say. "I-I…" A sudden apprehension crept up on him. He blurted out, "Evan."

"Evan? What a ni-ice name!" Her voice glitched in the middle. Was she actually a robot? Her voice had a metallic tinge, and it did glitch in the middle. Did that mean, if she was a robot, that she wasn't functioning properly? Or maybe she was using a not-so-good-quality voice modder.

Bonnie?

"…"

The white rabbit went on, "You have a nice toy. I saw you were alone. Where are your friends, Evan?"

"Um… at the concert. My sister and brother are downstairs. I didn't want to be in the crowd," Gregory went on easily. "Our dad is picking us up after the show."

"Maybe I can meet them after the show," she offered. "But right now…" She turned her head back and forth so he knew she was checking their surroundings before turning to him. "I can sneak you backstage to meet with the glamrocks."

"Really?" Gregory's eyes went round.

"Yeah! I work here, Evan. They let me go anywhere I want." She tipped her head, flopping her long, perked ears to the side. If she could close her eyes, she'd probably be winking. "What do you say? Who do you want to meet?"

"Monty!" Gregory exclaimed. Then, he hesitated and narrowed his eyes. "Why me? What do you want?"

She sighed. "I saw you all alone, Evan. Seeing kids sad makes me sad. So, I wanted to turn that frown upside down! What do you think? We can go to meet Monty and you two can get your picture together. I'd bet my ears that he's already given you something, huh?"

Gregory slowly nodded. "Um… yeah."

"Did he ask any of the staff if he could do that?"

Gregory stayed silent.

"Don't worry, I won't tell on you! Either of you!" She giggled to herself. "So, what makes you think he wouldn't take one little picture with you?"

That's true. Bonnie?

"…"

"Oh good! Come with me! I know a shortcut." With that, she turned and skipped through the carpeted balcony and down the stairs. Gregory, his muscles a little stiffer, followed. The near-empty Roxy's Raceway expanded far out to his right. She led him around to the bumper kart corral, empty of staff–human or bot. He just saw a door close. The white rabbit led him around the go-karts and into a new door.

It closed behind him.

The white rabbit stopped and looked back at him as they entered a severely different environment. In the cement tunnels, colors were far scarcer, and machines and covered construction equipment were more prevalent. "Come on, Evan. Rockstar Row is just down this hall!"

At first, the boy couldn't force himself to move. This… was a horror movie. Plain and simple. He just followed a strange person into what was basically a dark alley, alone, without telling anyone where he was.

Gregory immediately spun around and pulled at the doorknob.

Cli-click.

"Evan!" The rabbit chortled and strode up to him, her large feet bouncy and nearly silent on the hard floor. "Come with me, I won't hurt you!"

Gregory jingled the door again. "No, no! No, I want to leave! I don't care about the picture, thanks!"

A soft, pale-furred hand landed on his shoulder. Now that her masked face was about three inches away from him, he could see the stitching holding together off-white patches of fur on her suit. While some were white, others were gray or tan. Some fur was thin and short, other patches shaggy and thick. One patch on her hip going down her thigh and on her right hand weren't furry at all, or even blank white. Was it a picnic sheet? A few wiry whiskers poked out of her snout and scraped against his face. "You already made your decision," she whispered. Something moved up to touch his face. "Now–"

Gregory shoved her away and screamed. He turned tail and fled through the hall. Pain cut across his cheek and blood swelled from a nick the white rabbit's knife left behind.

The once-silent footsteps thumped against the cement behind him.

He looked back and choked on his breath upon seeing the white rabbit running full pelt at him. She did have to pick up her legs further and move her feet in such a way that she wouldn't trip over her own costume. With that edge, Gregory focused ahead of himself. Bonnie! Bonnie, I need your help! Why aren't you talking back?!

"…"

"Gregory! Come back here!" Her snappy voice sank into his core like a tiger's claws and turned his blood to ice.

Gregory turned a corner, staying between yellow and black banded lines warning him of dangerous equipment. Names flashed above various splits in the halls. Names of attractions like Roxy Raceway, names of food storage, and names of staff-only places like Parts and Service. Most of them were "barred" from him by gates, though the chain locks on most of them wrapped around the locks, one chain link door was cracked open. Ones without chains and instead a light at the top right were also cracked open with the light being red.

He turned a corner and hopped into a large laundry tub. He curled up into himself and cupped his hand over his mouth. The white rabbit raced past him.