As Gregory caught Bonnie up on recent events, he checked on the signs painted on the walls to be sure they were going in the right direction. Sure enough, he came across one leading to the Daycare and to Monty Golf.

"Shouldn't Vanny be here?"

Gregory's step wavered. However, no red eyes glinted in the dark and his senses were just fine. Maybe she thought we slipped past her and went into the atrium? Or maybe she didn't expect us to get lost and tried following us to Rockstar Row.

"Wouldn't that mean she would be in Rockstar Row?"

Gregory half wanted to ask Chica to keep a look out for him, but he knew how futile that would be. Instead, he shook his head. No, she'll have moved on. Right? We'll just need to be careful. That's if she was there in the first place, which she might not be!

Still, anxiety got the better of him and he stopped and turned around. We can get there through Monty Golf. There's only a small corner of the atrium between Monty Golf and the hall leading to Rockstar Row. And I can flash Roxy.

"As good idea as any, I suppose. I wish we knew where she was!"

As Gregory started to climb the stairs back up to Monty Golf, the shadows shifted behind him. He jumped and spun around. The kid from the endoskeleton maze stood at the base of the steps, staring up at them, his hold on the creepy yellow bear lax. Gregory relaxed somewhat. "Hey. So, you don't just haunt kiddy mazes, then?"

"No," Evan said. "I mostly just stay here."

"Here? Like the utility tunnels? Or Monty Golf?"

"Freddy Fazbear's." The spirit frowned. "I shouldn't, but I do."

"So, this place is haunted?"

The spirit nodded.

Gregory pointed up. "Well, I'm going to Monty Golf and then to see my friends in Parts and Service. You wanna come with?"

"No," Evan stated. "I'll stay here."

"Okay, sure." Gregory looked up. Then he looked back at the kid. Curiosity overtook any caution he might have had. When the spirit showed no signs of moving, he descended the stairs, stepping around the other kid as he did so. "So, uh… did she kill you? Is that why you're here?"

He shook his head. "No, not her. It was… an accident." Evan looked down at Fredbear and fiddled with his paw. "I get that. It's not right, but it was. He didn't mean to."

Gregory tipped his head. "How do you accidentally murder a kid?"

"By being mean and stupid." Evan pointed down the hall. "You should head down that way if you want to meet your friends."

"Okay, thanks. Hey, so, like… why are you talking to me now?"

"Because I can. It's easier to talk to people when it's quiet."

Gregory's eyebrows furrowed. "Is that why you aren't around when I'm up top? Well, then, why haven't I seen you in the utility tunnels before? Or in the sewers?"

"We–I wasn't interested in talking to you before the time loop," Evan said. "I thought you would be another dead kid. It would be easier talking to you when you were… dead. You're always with someone else down here. It's always so loud that you wouldn't be able to hear me and you pay too much attention to the animatronics to see me. Which is what you need to do."

"Oh. And 'cause they're not here, you're able to talk to me, now. So, because you're able to talk to me now, can you tell me who you are?"

"I don't think you want to know."

Gregory snorted. "What, are you some parallel version of me or something? Some version of me stuck in an infinite time loop? We don't even look the same."

"You actually do look pretty similar."

"No, I'm not you," Evan admitted.

"Is he from the old location?"

"Bonnie asks if you're from the old location," Gregory translated diligently.

The kid blinked owlishly at him. "…yes."

Gregory perked up. "Oh! That means you're one of the children the old Freddy models ate! Er–sorry."

"Gregory!"

The spirit grimaced. "The others weren't eaten by Freddy, they were killed."

Gregory looked down at Bonnie. "Sorry. I thought so. Just, you know, stories and stuff. Most people think about the disappearances and murders and stuff and they think ab–the others weren't eaten? Does that mean you were?" He looked up, but found Evan gone. He sighed. "I'm an idiot."

"Yeah. Come on, idiot. Time to go help your friends."

Hey! Gregory continued walking down the tunnel.

"Heh! I'm kidding! …you really shouldn't ask a dead kid if he got eaten by Freddy."

One of the branching tunnels led to Rockstar Row, but another led directly to Parts and Service. "Hey, guys? I'm almost there!"

Beep! [Oh, good! I was getting a little worried. I'm glad you found your way.]

Beep! [I'll, uh, put myself in the cylinder.]

"Well, Bonnie, one more repair. Then we'll fix Roxy and maybe we'll find a way to help Freddy, too!"

"Definitely find a way to help Freddy."

One of the double red doors opened and Chica waved at him. "You can come in! Hello, Gregory!"

Gregory grinned and ran up to her. "Hey, Chica! Man am I glad to see you!"

Chica laughed and, when he passed, shut the door. "I'm so happy to see you, too. I'm sorry for leaving you alone, but the only way I could talk to Monty is if you weren't there."

Gregory nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. But I'm here, now." He pushed through the other door and approached the cylinder. The first thing he saw were Monty's clawed feet and hands and his yellow chin. He walked to the computer terminal, its screen glowing a dark green with lighter green letters.

"Select Upgrade" in digital, light green letters stamped across the top. Under it was a list with slightly smaller printed words. "Power Upgrade" "Claws Upgrade" "Voicebox Upgrade" and "Eyes Upgrade", all in off-white text, listed below with "Exit" in lime text.

The computer said, "Welcome to Parts and Service. Please select your desired procedure."

Gregory pressed the down arrow and it flipped to the next screen. "Select Repair" replaced the upgrade heading. "Hardware Scan", "Physical Scan", "Routine Check-Up", and "Custom-Repair" were listed below it.

He decided to do a hardware scan, first–like he'd done with Chica. Nothing was wrong with his outside body.

The computer announced, "It seems that Monty is under the weather. It seems Monty's basic security protocols have been tampered with. A report to the main office has been filed. For liability reasons, Monty will now be disconnected from the main network until further notice. Activating safety protocols. Rebooting in Safe Mode."

The cylinder opened beside Gregory. Monty got up and walked out, ducking his head a little as he went.

Gregory asked, "So, how do you feel?"

"Better," Monty admitted. "I… feel different." He hesitated and then looked over at the far side of the room. He looked at Gregory. "Hey, Little guy? Can you try runnin' over there?" He pointed to a spot at the end of the room.

"Sure!" Gregory turned and raced over to the spot indicated. He stopped and looked back at Monty and gave him the thumbs up.

Monty gave him the thumbs up back and laughed. "You did it! Good job, kid!"

Chica clapped her hands together. "Oh, this is so exciting! And no one got hurt."

The time was four-fifty-five am.

Gregory winced as the lights went out around them. Monty growled and lashed his tail, his claws out beside himself. Chica took a few steps back. "Gregory, you can hide in the charging station."

"No!" Gregory countered immediately. "Then he'll just attack you again! I am not going to just stand around and let you get taken by that stupid jester again!"

Two red lights glittered through the glass. He looked out through the double sets of glass to the utility tunnels to see Moon peering inside, head cocked.

Monty cut in, "Climb into my stomach hatch. Then we can hide together and Chica can go to her room. Right, Chickadee?"

Chica gasped and nodded. "Yes, good idea!"

The time was four fifty-six am.

Gregory looked at Chica as he untied his coat and slipped it on. "Promise you'll go? You're not gonna wait?"

"I promise."

Gregory ran up to Monty, who stood up straight and opened the hatch stretching from the top of his chest down through his stomach. Gregory had to be careful of the wires and inner mechanisms of the animatronic alligator, but there was room for him if he curled up tight enough. The stomach hatch closed and Monty leaned forward again. Gregory's glasses hooked up to the cameras in Monty's eyes so he could see out into the world beyond and not just his cramped space.

Chica walked up the stairs. Monty turned and pushed through the doors. He stopped upon almost immediately running into Moon.

The jester hopped back, hissing madly. He cocked his head. "Monty Gator, that's dangerous. You could hurt the child."

Monty lashed his tail. "You're dangerous!" He tried to walk sideways, but that required twisting around in such a way it compressed the compartment Gregory hid inside of and the boy let out a terrified squeak. Monty stopped that particular move and raised his claws. "I ain't afraid to defend myself, clown."

Moon flipped forward so he stood on one hand. His bells jangled quietly in the quick, fluid movement. "You could hurt the child." He rotated his head so that it was right-side-up. "Release him."

Monty snorted and stalked toward the recharge station. In two bounds Moon was between him and it.

The time was four-fifty-seven am.

Monty growled and lowered his head and parted his jaws so the jester, hopping from foot to foot just like his statue, could see his plastic teeth with metal jaws and reinforced claws. "I'm tryin' to be nice, but yer wearin' my patience. Get!"

Moon stated, "Release him. It's past his bed time, and he's been a naughty boy."

Gregory shut his eyes. Bonnie, I hope this works.

"Hope what works?"

He tapped his glasses and concentrated on Moon. He breathed in a voice hardly louder than his thundering heart and definitely quieter than Monty's growling, "Can you hear me?"

Moon's dancing stopped and its head turned ninety degrees clockwise. Beep! [You speak? Why don't you talk outside?]

"Because you hurt Chica and you scared me."

Moon, still on one foot, withdrew a little. Beep! [She was malfunctioning. She needed help. I did not hurt her.]

Monty's growl tapered off, though he didn't make a move against the jester.

"She would've did it on her own. And you still scared me. Monty's my real friend. And you're threatening him!"

Beep! [Monty harmed you.] Moon's head turned upside down, now. The bell on his hat jingled morosely at the slow movement. [He frightened you. He nearly killed you.]

"Well, he didn't mean to. I know he's my friend. He helped me." Gregory couldn't help but look at his arm. Hidden beneath the sleeve of his coat were bandages covering marks left by Monty's claws. "It was an accident."

Monty echoed, "An accident?"

"But he's still trying to help me. He's awesome and he's been great to me, even before the Pizzaplex closed and Vanny attacked me. You weren't. You're broken. The lights are left on all the time because no one likes you! No one likes you because you act like a jerk!"

"Gregory! Stop!"

"Get out of the way of the recharge station. You're not gonna get me again. You can't kill all the children you meet."

"Stop, seriously!"

"Go back to the Daycare and sulk you stupid security bot!"

"Gregory shut up!"

Gregory shut his mouth. The sudden spike of anger in Bonnie's voice cut off any other words that might have come to mind.

Moon's foot landed on the ground and his head rotated right side up.

The time was four-fifty-eight am.

Moon asked, his tone indecipherable and its pitch as weirdly warbled as always, "Do you feel better now?"

"…Bonnie's mad at me."

"You're damn right I am."

Why?

Moon cooed, "It's bedtime, naughty child."

Monty stormed forward and lashed out with teeth and claws. Moon leaped up and clung to the wires thicker than Gregory's arm above the recharge station. Monty opened the recharge station door with a cackle and stepped inside. Moon landed behind them, hissed, and then spun around and darted off.

The time was five am.

Monty huffed, "You really went off, didn't you, Little guy?"

"Heh, yeah."

The animatronic alligator stepped out of the recharge station. Gregory immediately left his stomach hatch and landed deftly on the ground. He pulled off his coat and wrapped it around his neck. Monty asked, "You mentioned an accident. That it?"

Gregory looked up at him and then his pointer finger and his own arm. "…yeah. It was an accident. You remember when the rabbit was there, and we ran from her? Well, that happened, sort of, but with Roxy and Vanessa chasing me." Gregory gave him a very short recap of the story, from how Monty tried to eat him but stopped upon recognizing him to him defending Gregory from Vanessa and accidentally cutting him with his claws.

Monty looked at his claws with a low huff. "Been doin' that a lot. Accidentally breakin' things. Hurtin' people. May as well just stop touching things at all."

"It was an accident," Gregory reiterated. "You didn't really hurt me. You just nicked me. I also got cut on a vent, so I need bandages there, anyway. You're not dangerous, Monty." He set down Bonnie and grabbed Monty's hand with both of his own. "You're not stupid. You're not dangerous. You're an awesome alligator and my best friend. Even if you don't remember it."

Monty stared at him for a long moment. He chuckled and ruffled the knitted cap on Gregory's head. The boy ducked, laughing. "You're a good kid, y'know that? There's a family out there lucky to have you, an' we're gonna make sure you get back to 'em, alright?"

Gregory's grin went slack and he looked away. "I don't–"

The double red doors opened. Chica poked her head out. "Hello!" she chirped and waved.

Gregory let go of Monty and waved back. "Hey, Chica!" He picked up Bonnie and ran to meet her. Monty was quick to catch up.

Chica stepped out into the utility tunnels so the door could shut behind her. "Thank you so much, Monty! Aw, look at you! You are just the cutest thing, Mini-Monty!" she cooed.

"I'm not cute," Gregory corrected, gaining an amused chortle from the bird in return and muffled snicker from the gator.

"Well, you are to me," Chica decided. "I knew Monty would keep you safe. See? No one got hurt!"

Gregory's smile fell somewhat. "You did."

Chica shook her head. "Gregory, it takes a lot more than that to hurt me. Moon is specifically programmed against harming other animatronics."

Monty looked between them. "What happened?"

Gregory said, "Moon attacked Chica when the lights went out."

Chica stated, "I was critically low on battery and hid Gregory in a recharge station rather than use it myself. Moon's job includes bringing malfunctioning animatronics to Parts and Service."

Monty grunted and crossed his arms. "That creepy clown's still tryin' to hurt the kid, if you'd rather hide him in a recharge station than risk letting the little guy stay outside of it."

Gregory nodded.

Chica sighed. "Monty, name-calling is rude, first of all. Second of all, yes, I am protecting Gregory from Moon. But that doesn't mean Moon is bad. I protected Gregory from you."

Monty recoiled. " I wasn't actin' right because of somethin' that rabbit did to me!"

"Maybe it's been affected by Vanny like we were."

"Or maybe it's 'actin' weird' cause it's just plain malfuctionin' an' the maintenance crew ain't doin' anything to fix it."

Gregory looked down at Bonnie and quietly ran his fingers over the rabbit's ear.

"It's okay, Gregory. I know them. They aren't actually mad at each other."

Chica shot back, "I know Moon can do good, and being around Gregory is making it act unkindly. Like when Gregory ran from you, you started chasing him."

Gregory looked through his chat logs. He stopped by one in particular. [That is fair. But please, youneedto turn the lights on! He doesn'twantto hurt you. But his security mode is… out of sorts.] Sun had sent that one when the lights were off, and Gregory hadn't trusted him enough to take his advice about how to open the Naptime Room door.

Gregory chipped in, "Maybe Chica has a point?"

The quarreling animatronics looked down at him. The chicken animatronic winced and bowed her head. Monty asked, "What do you mean, Little guy?"

"I mean: Sun said his security mode was acting weird. Moon isn't just a security bot. He's also in charge of putting kids to bed. So, what if we disable his security protocols or something? Would that fix whatever's making him go crazy?"

Monty looked at Chica and then Gregory and nodded. "Y'know, that ain't a bad idea. That would also make it harmless."

Chica slowly agreed, "Moon wouldn't be able to hurt you. Or attack anyone. Or defend itself."

Gregory's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Sun doesn't have security protocols, and he can't defend himself," Chica explained. "He can alert us, and we can deal with the intruder. Or security can, I guess."

"You know how the neighbors declawed their cat to keep it from clawing the furniture?"

Yeah. Why?

"This would be sort of like that."

"Oh." Gregory thought for a long moment, not really looking at anything. "So, what do you think?"

"I think we can restrict his security protocols."

Chica asked, "Who are you asking?"

"Bonnie," Gregory answered. "He said we can restrict his security protocols instead. Taking them away would be like declawing him. And you shouldn't declaw cats."

"I once took away a cat that was declawed. It was unfortunate. It didn't last long."

Gregory gasped and held out Bonnie. "What happened to it? How did a cat get into the Pizzaplex?"

"It's a long story. You should talk about Moon instead."

Monty asked, "Eeeeeh there isn't a cat in the Pizzaplex?"

Chica stood up straight. "Well, sometimes animals sneak inside. But the staff will get them out soon enough!"

Gregory shook his head and held Bonnie close again. "Well, whatever, right, okay. Anyway, Bonnie said we should talk about Moon instead. Which is a good idea. The only way we can get to Moon is if the lights are off. And Sun definitely isn't leaving the Daycare."

Monty snorted. "I ain't turning out the lights."

Chica nodded. "He would be very mad if you did that. And he would be right, too!"

"Which means we need the lights to turn off on their own," Gregory went on.

"An' so we wait?"

Gregory shook his head. "Waiting won't help. Time doesn't move forward unless we make it move forward. There are a few times that the lights have gone out. There was the time Chica malfunctioned." He held up a finger. "The time I repaired Roxy." He held up another finger. "After we left the Daycare." Another finger. "Just now when I fixed you, Monty." He held up another finger. "And then when I picked up that pass from Chica's room." He held out his thumb, splaying his whole hand. "So, five whole hours. Time skipped over the end of the hour when Vanessa grabbed me at two am yesterday, so I didn't see Moon. Even if I did, Vanessa already had me. And that's not something we can do."

Monty tapped the air. "So, Chica can't malfunction again, and you already fixed me, that's two out."

Chica chipped in, "We already left the Daycare, and fixing Roxy would put us at five-fifty, meaning you would need to leave at six am."

Gregory finished, "So that just leaves the Party Pass in your room! If I grab that pass, the lights will go out. Then Moon will come out to get me. We can lead him down here and trick him into Parts and Service."

Monty laughed. "That's brilliant! You're a smart kid!"

Chica put a finger to her beak. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Tricking people is wrong."

Monty pointed out, "Moon would say 'no' and so'd Sun, you know that. I said no the first time, before I knew I was gonna hurt Gregory. Moon knows it's hurtin' Gregory an' it still won't stay away."

Gregory frowned. "You're right, Chica. It's wrong to trick people. But Moon is seriously smart. If we ask him or Sun, they'll figure out our plan. We only have one shot at this. It's this or Moon keeps attacking me. Maybe he'll stop attacking you guys, too! You said you wanted to help him, right? Maybe this will help! And you don't need to be part of it if you don't want to. You can stay in the charging station while I lure him into Parts and Service."

Chica clicked her beak. "I still have a bad feeling about this. But… if it helps… I guess it's okay just this once."

"Just this once," Gregory accepted. "And not again. If this doesn't work, we won't try to trick him again."

Chica nodded. "Okay. But you need to promise that you won't hurt it. Neither of you will hurt it." She narrowed her eyes at Monty.

Monty held up his hands. "Alright, alright! I won't hurt it, I swear."

"Promise," Gregory agreed.

Chica nodded and relaxed. "Good! Now, I have a Party Pass on my desk. Is that the one you were talking about?" She opened the doors to Parts and Service and walked toward the stairs.

Gregory ran up to her side so he could match her speed. "Yep! That's the one!"

Monty followed behind. "Well, this aughtta be fun."