Gregory's flashlight ran over the hallway to Roxy Raceway. "We'll need to get her to listen to me without getting in front of me."
Chica hummed and said, "You shouldn't use one of the go-karts. She's so competitive, you'll only make her mad." She tapped her beak. "Unless you get into a friendly competition with her, somehow."
Monty nodded. "Yeah! We can't race with her. I bet havin' a racin' buddy would make her night!"
Yeah, a racing buddy with his head still attached, hopefully. Gregory stopped as they came across a split path and raised his flashlight to the shutters blocking him from the beauty salon. He switched the flashlight to his other hand and tucked Bonnie under his arm and held out his cupcake charm. He clicked it a few times and approached the shutters. An arrow marked the floor pointing to the door.
Chica gasped. "Another arrow! Oh, where is this going?"
Monty grunted. "Arrow? Another one? What's goin' on?"
Gregory stepped closer so the shutters would open and allow them passage. "Vanny marked special places and made notes with UV stuff. Like her hiding place above Fazerblast, your guys's rooms, and the Daycare. Vanny must be hiding something here, or there's something important to her." A desert stone pilar broke through the ground. Red painted the right wall.
Chica glanced back. "Oh, now that you put it that way… should we be going?"
"Yeah, of course." Wooden beams and spiky plants guided his way. "Glamrock Salon" was scrawled in curly red letters outlined in gold on the wall.
After passing through another set of shutters, they came to a desert landscape with a road between themselves and a beauty salon. One S.T.A.F.F. bot patrolled the road, barring them entry. Gregory could wait until he passed and darted across the road. However, he noticed the bot stopped near the end of the road before the bend that led further in, turned around, and kept moving. He held his cupcake over the ground, finding the arrow curve and point toward the back of the salon. He signaled for Monty and Chica to wait.
Gregory passed by soda machines, rocket toys, and some places he could hide within until he skirted around to the front of the Beauty Salon. Through the massive glass windows and doors, he could see a salon with rows of long chairs by mirrors and sinks, racks of merchandise making a square corner blocking off couches from the rest of the room, a pedestal with camera equipment near it, and a center bar splitting the place in half with a cash register in the front. Another bot patrolled this place, driving in a circle around the inside of the salon.
Gregory took out his Fazerblaster and shot it in the face.
It stopped in its tracks with a small shiver, its light pointed aimlessly ahead. "Warning: tampering with Fazbear Automated S.T.A.F.F. will result in the suspension of your membership."
He stuck his tongue out at the thing.
Gregory skirted around it and ran to the end of the room and through the only door not labeled as a bathroom or exit.
The background was cluttered, but interestingly enough a single arcade cabinet stood. "Princess Quest" was printed on the gray machine with red trim. A gold and yellow princess with a lantern walking painted on the side of the machine. Currently, numbers and letters flashed, on the screen. When he shined his cupcake charm light, an arrow pointed directly to it. He clicked off the charm and stuck it in his pocket. A strange feeling came over him. This thing… did not belong here. But it needed to be here.
"I found it," Gregory said and approached the machine. "It's the Princess Quest game."
Beep! [Oh, good! We can leave, then!]
"Just a minute." He set Bonnie down and pressed "play". The thing didn't ask for a coin.
The princess on the arcade cabinet appeared in a very dimly lit castle room with a few doors around it. A chest with a heart in it sat in the top corner. Gregory navigated around the place, finding some doors locked and others open. A few braziers were lit, but others were dark. Her lantern lit them. Floating, round blobs with a set of white teeth and eyes and round goopy spikes erupting from their heads floated around one place. When he got near one, it immediately latched onto her head as if trying to suck out her brain. He decided not to get near any others, not with his health that low. Why did he just have four hearts? At one point he walked down a long, walled-off carpet with a golden chest at the end. Yeah, that's a trap. A small golden key sat within. The trap activated when he left and a swarm of the black blobs–this time with more pronounced rabbit ears and goopy bipedal bodies, swarmed. They all swarmed to one side so he could go around the other. The graveyard puzzle with a whole bunch of broken gravestones with braziers that needed to be lit in a certain order was a little difficult, especially as some gravestones showed no golden dots to indicate which number they were. A golden chest was at the top of this bit of the map, though. After the gravestone puzzle was a broken room with a burning, glitchy purple chest with an even stranger burning, purple glitchy key. The door with the purple lock opened into a long, unbroken corridor. Two paths blocked by stones led away to the door. But he couldn't go there. He could only go forward… until the hallway led up into a room with an unlit brazier, which he immediately lit, a gate now barring him from leaving. An amalgamation of the goops, only in a giant form with blazing purple eyes, rose up before him. The game glitched worse and worse. Tentacles spread over the room, and it went dark, leaving only the glowing purple eyes and dots.
The game ended.
Gregory… didn't know why, but the feeling was back. This didn't belong here. Now, it no longer needed to be here.
He picked up Bonnie. I felt it again. Did you see that?
"Yeah, creepy. But it's just a game, Gregory."
No, there's something more. Something different.
Beep! [Little guy? You there?]
"Huh? Yeah I'm still here. That game turned off, just like the Balloon World arcade did. I think there's something weird going on with these games."
Beep! [Better reason to hurry on back, then! We ought to get back to the Raceway and see Roxy.]
"Okay. I'll be right there." Gregory started to leave, but decided to check the bathroom attached to the back room first. A pair of yellow shoes with red tips sat there. Blue lightning bolts took up the sides. He squeaked in victory. Shoes!
He set Bonnie down, sat down on the first toilet, and pulled off his old ratty footwear in favor of the new ones. These ones were a little tighter on the sides of his feet, but not in the way that they were too small. He'd just gotten so used to the soles of his old shoes being worn to nothing that having soles and structure was going to need a few moments of adjustment. But who cares? He had new shoes! Ones that weren't ratty and used! Unfortunately, these ones were laced and not Velcro, but that was fine. He tied them again and then hopped to his feet. He shifted his feet and walked in a small circle. Way better than his old shoes! Okay, he was done. New shoes acquired. Time to leave.
At the end of the hall leading to Roxy Raceway was a round and glowing pillar and racing items. Another duffle bag sat on the ground. They had to stop to allow the shutters on their right to open.
As soon as they passed the threshold into pale red and black checkerboard tile, Roxy's voice said, "Hey. I'm Roxanne Wolf. If you're looking for high-speed motor mayhem, Roxy Raceway is the place to be. Sign up today and be a winner! No one likes a loser."
He stepped further out onto the floor, which dropped off suddenly with a guardrail around it. Various pop-up shops lined the floor. He couldn't see much past that as his flashlight and Monty's and Chica's eye lights didn't spread light too much farther than that. Tiny lights just bright enough to be seen lined each side of the road so he could vaguely see the giant, winding go-kart track with anoverpassconsuming most of the area.
"I don't see her," Gregory said and walked forward until he got to the guard rail. Ahead of him should be the go-kart track. Unless Roxy was concealing her eyes like Freddy, he should see her. He should at least hear her. He did see three security bots roaming the ground, flashlights pointed down.
Chica said, "She's not here. If she was, she would have noticed us when the shutters opened."
Monty suggested, "Maybe we could find a way to get her here, though? Once we think of a plan, o' course."
"One that doesn't involve being thrown out of a go-kart," Gregory concluded. His bones ached at the memory, and some bruises still splotched over his tender skin.
Chica turned to him. "What happened?"
Gregory bit back a sigh and recalled the story of how he took down Roxy, including as many details as he could.
Chica tapped her beak. "So, you started driving alone and she chased you and tried driving you off the track. Well, what if you asked her permission first?"
Gregory shook his head. "Chica, if I tried talking to her, she'd attack me!"
Monty chipped in, "Let me. I'll go find her, wherever she is, and then I'll convince her to talk to ya, or at least let ya race against her. She likes racin'. I'm sure it'll be fun!" With that, Monty turned and ran back out into the hall.
Gregory looked to the starting line. "I guess you're not going to let me drive on one of those alone."
Chica shook her head. "You aren't tall enough to ride, so you'll need a Driver's Assist."
He edged a smile. "You won't make one exception?"
Chica gave him a look. " No, Gregory. Saftey is very important." Then her voice lightened. "Let's go find a kart with a Driver Assist in it!"
He passed a cutout of Helpy in racer gear with his hand up saying, "You must be at least this tall to ride." Gregory passed under it. Around a bend in a clear area sat a go-kart with a racing-gear-covered S.T.A.F.F. bot on it. Another cart sat further back, empty of a Driver Assist.
Chica stepped up to the go-kart. "This one should work!"
Beep! Gregory started to speak but closed his mouth. He tapped his glasses. [Hey, Little guy! We got a problem. Good news! I found Roxy!]
Gregory's stomach dropped.
Beep! [Bad news, uh… she's running ahead of me to the Racetrack.]
Chica asked, "Did something happen?"
"Monty found Roxy. She's on her way." He winced at the weakness in his voice.
Chica's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh! Well, uh, I'm sure she'll be reasonable! Don't worry, Gregory. We can talk her down. She won't hurt you."
"You'll make me go deaf shouting if you do it anymore," Gregory pointed out, rubbing the side of his head both at the memory and anticipation of pain he knew was to come.
Chica shook her head. "It won't come to that. Roxy's my friend! She's a wonderful girl. I'm sure we can all be friends."
Gregory put down a grimace. Friends, right. Technically, he was able to help her last night and she didn't try to kill him for the few minutes they had together. Maybe tonight would be similar.
The shutters to the Raceway opened.
Gregory looked around the Driver Assist at the wolf as she stalked down the stairs, her head whipping back and forth. He looked up at Chica. The chicken walked toward her. "Roxy-poo!"
Roxy stopped and turned on Chica so fast Gregory was sure she broke something.
Chica went on, "I was wondering where you were. It's–"
"You're hiding the kid, aren't you?" Roxy growled, ears pinned and tail lashing.
"Wh-what? No!" Chica giggled. "Roxy, you silly goose. I'm not hiding anyone!"
Roxy's eyes drifted toward the area behind her. Gregory hid completely behind the Driver Assist bot. "Where is he? Why haven't you taken him back to Vanessa?"
Chica tapped her beak. "W-well, you see, Roxy, it's not… it's not that simple. I don't think Vanessa has the boy's best interest at heart, you see."
Roxy snarled, "You are conspiring against me! You and Monty!"
"What? No! No, it's not like that! Roxy, where on Earth would you get that idea? You're my friend! I-I'd never–!"
"You both know where he is and you won't tell me!" the wolf barked. "I don't know what you're planning, but he goes to the nightguard! All lost children do! And you and Monty know where he is and won't tell me because you don't trust me. You-you're playing buddy-buddy behind my back like I wouldn't notice?"
"Roxy, please–"
"You're going to throw me away! You'll start ignoring me, too! Just like you ignore Freddy! I'm not Freddy! I'm better than him!" Roxy's snarling took a screechy note that strained her voice box so much her words crackled.
Chica pleaded, her voice cracking in the beginning of a sob, "No, no, it's not like that, I promise–!"
"I will find him, and I'll bring him to the nightguard! I don't need you! I don't need any of you!" Roxy spat.
Gregory shut his eyes, took a steadying breath, and then stepped out from behind the Driver Assist. "Roxy, it's not her fault! She's just trying to protect me."
Roxy's gaze snapped to him and her yellow eyes turned lavender. "There you are!"
"Wait, wait!" Gregory held up hands. "I'll make you a deal!"
Roxy, who'd already bounded forward a few feet, stopped. She flicked her ear and growled, "What deal? Kid, you're not in any shape to be making deals."
"I'm not trying to trick you," Gregory reassured her. "Look, I know you can get me. I can't outrun you. Even if I could, you're going to find me, anyway." He backed up and patted the go-kart with the S.T.A.F.F. bot. "I want to run a race. If I win, you leave me alone. If you win, uh, you can kill me or whatever you were going to do."
Roxy narrowed her eyes. "Why don't I just do that now? How do I know you're going to stay here?"
Gregory shrugged. "If you think I'll beat you and you want to give up now and be a loser–"
"I'm not a loser!" Roxy screeched. Her voice leveled out and she stood up straight. "Fine! I'll race you. But I'm going to win." She stalked past Chica and him.
Chica ran up to Gregory. "Good luck!" She wished, the cheer in her voice muted and strained.
"She isn't feeling right," Gregory reassured her. "I-I'm sure she'll feel bad and apologize later."
Chica bowed her head. "I hope so. I hope she doesn't really think that. Roxy's my friend. I would never want to hurt my friends."
"Helmet," Roxy stated when he tried to get in, giving him a side-eye.
He turned back to look at her, about ready to point out how she didn't have a helmet but found her wearing a red-violet helmet accented blue-violet with her name on it. She pointed to a shut crate nearby. He popped it open to find a multitude of helmets. He picked out the orange one with a blue lightning bolt and hopped into his go-kart. He pulled on his coat and stuck Bonnie inside so that his head and ears poked out the top and he could see in front of them as they drove.
Roxy walked up to the start line, pulled a lever, and then jumped into her kart and stared ahead with a razor-sharp intensity. Lights blazed over the racetrack, lighting up every inch save for the underpass, which glowed with a string of mostly functioning lights along the road.
A red light beside the checkerboard line flickered on. It switched off and a yellow one below it flashed. Then, it switched off and a green one glowed, accompanied by a horn.
Roxy was off, her go-kart squealing in the sudden and heavy stress it was put under.
Gregory gasped and scrambled to get his own go-kart going, slamming his foot into the acceleration pedal. He managed to catch up just enough to keep his eyes on her tail as they sped through the raceway.
Roxy tipped her head back. "You better catch up, slow-poke!"
"Are you going to let me?" Gregory called, taking a corner.
"Absolutely not!" she laughed.
Gregory spotted a crack in the cement. Roxy, staring ahead with wide yellow eyes, passed just over the edge of it. Gregory, who hadn't seen the crack until it was too late, bumped over it. However, his light weight paired with the go-kart's didn't do any serious damage. He tried to balance keeping his go-kart off the occasional crack and dip in the pavement he saw and trying to catch up to her. Yet, whatever he did, she stayed several kart lengths ahead. He lost her for a heartbeat around a corner spiraling up.
Gregory gripped the wheel tighter and stayed close to the wheel. As he looked over the rest of the raceway flashing under them yards below them, and his go-kart wobbled on a piece of cracked track, and Roxy racing ahead of him, the realization of just how deep his error was dawned on him.
He was going to lose.
Roxy's go-kart swerved a little to the side, though he doubted she lost any speed or balance from the action. The reason for her swerve only became obvious once he spotted, and then drove over, the crack in the pavement. He watched her go-kart. When she swerved again, he followed her.
A crack in the pavement whipped by him.
They passed the finish line again, Gregory much too far behind Roxy to give him any hope of a come-back.
She took turns expertly, losing little if any speed while Gregory wobbled and needed the assist bot to keep him in the lane if he didn't keep his foot on the pedal. Though, when he took it off, the go-kart slowed, and he had to push it again. She swerved around cracks in the pavement, leading Gregory to do the same.
He wasn't quite sure of what lap they were on. But when Roxy's ear flipped forward and she let out a cackle upon seeing the finish line, he had a good idea.
Roxy's go-kart darted across the finish line, and she whooped in victory. Gregory struggled in behind her a few seconds after her wheels touched the checkerboard tile. Their go-karts slowed and they led them off the track.
Gregory eyed his escape but didn't make a move.
Roxy squared her shoulders. " That is how a real racer does it."
"Yeah. You won alright."
"I did! I am the best, though. So, you losing was pretty much guaranteed." She leaned on her go-kart and looked at her nails. "I don't know why you challenged me to a race. You're a decent driver, though."
Gregory's eyebrows furrowed. "I lost."
"So? I'm better than you. Of course you lost. You didn't have a chance in the first place." She looked away from her nails and at him. "But you still thought you could, and you gave it your all, anyway. You got pretty close. So, you're decent. I'll give you that. You've got the heart of a racer. If you keep practicing, you might get the leaderboard one day."
Gregory looked around. "So, you won the bet."
Roxy looked down at him. "Yeah, I did." She hesitated and glanced at Chica and Monty, who'd finally managed to catch up and now gave them the thumbs up, before looking at Gregory. "I guess I'll let you have a few minute head start."
Gregory smiled. "Thanks. You know, I was wondering… Chica and Monty are my friends. They were taken over by this virus made by Vanny, that white rabbit." His smile fell. "It made them act crazy, but I was able to help them. Do you want to come with us? And I can help you, too? You've seen the rabbit, right?"
Roxy's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I've seen her. Are you trying to say she's messed with us?"
Monty chipped in, "I know it. Seen it fer myself. Or felt it, I guess."
Chica nodded. "She's horrible. Gregory and Monty told me about her. But I can't see her."
Monty shook his head. "I can't neither, but I just know she's been around, somehow. That an' Gregory's given us the heads up."
Roxy flicked her ear and raised her head. "How do you know she's done something to us?"
Monty huffed, "This kid helped me. I didn't know how messed up I felt until I didn't feel messed up an'more."
Gregory chipped in, "I used the cylinder in Parts and Service to put them into Safe Mode and disconnect them from the main network. I guess that helped."
Roxy hummed to herself and said, "Well…" She tucked a few strands of plastic hair behind one of her ears. "I trust you Chica, Monty. I guess. But I don't know about this whole rabbit thing. I've seen her around, but if I was infected with some virus, I'd know by now. The engineers would know by now."
Chica shook her head. "That's what we thought! But she somehow did something that got around the engineers."
Gregory agreed, "When I tried to help Moon, I did a bunch of scans and none of them came up with anything. But obviously, something's up with him."
Roxy looked at him. "You got Moon into Parts in Service? That jester is terrified of the place."
Gregory grimaced. "Yeah, I know. We tricked him into it."
Monty nodded. "Kid's a genius! He played as bait while I took it down. Then he reset the c–Moon. Woke up quick, though. Way quicker than any of us. Still pretty weak."
Roxy looked at Chica. "Was this before they got your help?"
Chica bowed her head. "No. I thought… well… as long as they didn't hurt Moon… something was wrong and making them both act strange. Just like we were acting strangely. Gregory just wanted to help."
Gregory shrugged. "I didn't trick you into it, did I?"
Roxy sniffed. "I'm surprised is all. He's smarter and faster than the two of you. Maybe not Chica, but he has an unfair advantage over Chica. She wouldn't hurt a fly."
Monty snorted. "Hey! That clown ain't smarter than I am! I tricked it!"
Roxy snickered. "Easy, big guy. I'm playing."
Gregory narrowed his eyes as a headache crept up on him. Can't we just go, already?
"…"
Bonnie?
His eyes widened. "Oh no. It's the rabbit! Vanny!"
Monty looked around, claws raised. Chica stepped to Gregory's side.
Roxy looked between them, ears perked and standing up straight. "How do you know?"
"Wh-whenever she gets close, she messes with my head."
Roxy twitched her ear and narrowed her eyes. "Well, let's take this talk somewhere else."
Chica took Gregory's hand.
Beep! [Let's meet back up with them in Parts and Service, Gregory.]
Gregory sucked in his breath. "Wait! I have a better idea!" he hissed, immediately grabbing their attention. "She knows I'm not your friend, Roxy. Maybe Chica and Monty can leave one way, and Monty can pretend to be holding me in his stomach hatch. Roxy, since you can see her and she probably doesn't think we're friends, yet, we can go another way!"
Monty asked, "Ya sure ya don't want to jus' ride in my stomach hatch?"
Roxy chipped in, "He has a point. She might catch up to you. Then what? We'll meet up later, okay?" She turned to Gregory and got down on one knee. "Jump on my back, kid."
Chica hesitantly let go of his wrist. "O-okay. Be careful!"
Gregory grinned at her. "We will! You, too!" He ran up to Roxy and climbed up onto her back and hid beneath her thick mane. He was careful to hold onto the chinks in her plates rather than wrap his arms around her.
Monty and Chica left first, heading straight for the exit to the atrium. Roxy waited for a few heartbeats before meandering around the garage doors. Gregory through a look back. The white rabbit, on the ground, glanced at Roxy and then at the animatronics. Roxy, her side to Vanny so she didn't have her back facing the rabbit, stopped at one of the garages and looked inside, sniffing the air and twitching one of her ears. "Hey, kid, come on out! We're only trying to help!" she called.
Vanny hesitated a moment longer before bouncing up the stairs.
Roxy continued walking.
Gregory whispered, "Hey, can we grab the Dance Pass? There's one in the garage right there. I need another security pass if I want to escape."
Roxy nodded.
Beep! [Sure thing, kid.]
They needed to check a couple of garages, but they found one that Gregory found was familiar. Under one table in a corner as if it had fallen off and gotten forgotten was a neon blue and pink ticket labeled "DANCE PASS," which he didn't hesitate to hop down and grab.
The time was five-fifteen am.
As he walked out, he clicked his cupcake light. He perked up and they both stopped as his UV light lit up a line on the ground. As he stepped forward a few feet, following it, he found it turned into an arrow pointing to the east, back side of the Raceway. "Roxy? Do you know what's over there?"
Roxy shook her head. "No. Well, unless the arrow turns toward those stairs." She pointed to their side where the stairs led up to some extremely tall bleachers overlooking the raceway. "I don't know why there would be an invisible arrow pointing to the bleachers, though. Why is there an arrow here?"
Gregory shrugged. "Dunno. But the Raceway was highlighted at the power room." He followed the arrow, finding a second that curved to follow the wall away from the stairs leading to the balcony out of the Raceway.
Roxy looked up and around, her fingers curled so her emerald painted claws were bared, and her jaws parted. One ear twitched and she sniffed the air.
The arrow eventually led him to a door behind a chain link fence gate to the left of the bleacher stairs. He pushed it open and walked through the unlocked metal door with a bunny symbol painted in invisible paint on it. They were immediately confronted by a sharp drop and a set of spiral grate stairs surrounded by chain link fence down. Roxy growled, "Careful in here, kid."
Gregory nodded. "Yeah. Uh… okay. I don't think… what's that?" A note lay on a the grate floor a few yards away. A few crates stacked on top of each other made an impromptu set of stairs down that allowed him to walk down and grab it. "CONSTRUCTION UPDATE – Today, we broke through the foundation and found what looks like an old elevator shaft. Someone must have known about this, right? There's something down there pulling power. I'm taking a team down in the morning to check it out."
Gregory's eyebrows furrowed. "An old elevator? So, Vanny has to be interested in whatever is down here."
Roxy nodded. "And whatever she's interested in has to be very dangerous. Come on, get out of there, kid."
Gregory looked up at her and then nodded and set the note down. He stepped back up the crates and shut the door behind himself. "Yeah, not yet. She still has Moon and Freddy on her side. If we go down there, we might need to hurt them, and they'll hurt you guys and might get me, too."
Roxy huffed, "Smart kid. Come on, let's go back before Chica and Monty start getting worried about you." She nudged her head back and Gregory followed her..
Roxy led him into the Utility Tunnels near the bumper carts. A chill went through Gregory as he stepped inside. "This is where she took me."
Roxy glanced down at him out of the corner of her eye. "She took you here? The rabbit?"
Gregory nodded. "I went to the concert and watched you guys on stage. I guess she knew I was alone. She tricked me into following her, saying she could help me go backstage to meet Monty. After I got here, I got scared and tried to leave. But the door was locked. So, I ran and hid until she went away. Somehow, I got to Parts and Service. That's how I found the elevators to your rooms and went to Monty's room to get his help." He huffed. "I was so stupid! There aren't any rabbits at the Pizzaplex anymore!"
Roxy shook her head. "No, kid, you're not stupid. She's an adult, and you should be able to trust adults. You should be able to trust all of us, too. She looks like one of us, doesn't she?"
"Sorta."
"I… I'm not an old character," Roxy admitted. "But I've heard a lot about what happened. A lot of the rumors, especially the ones surrounding Freddy and Bonnie. Between you and me, that's probably why they never fixed Bonnie. It wasn't his fault. He was a good guy. But…"
"It was Vanny," Gregory concluded. "N-no. Wait. It was the guy before Vanny."
Roxy twitched her ear. "Maybe. I don't know much. Fazbear Entertainment doesn't let us know anything we don't need to know." She snorted. "But I'm smarter than them."
Gregory chuckled. "Yeah, definitely." Bonnie?
"…I don't want to talk right now, Gregory."
Oh. Okay.