"Mike and Mari find out the terrible secret of the Pizzaplex. Along with a terrible truth from a diner long forgotten..."
Going Home in a Box
Chapter Ninety-Five
The group braced themselves as the elevator squeaked to a halt and the doors slid open. None of them knowing what to expect on the other side.
It was the last thing any of them expected, especially Mike and Marionette.
Because it looked like the doors opened right into Afton Robotics.
They were greeted by a small lobby room that immediately led into a sterile grey hallway that would've belonged better in a factory or laboratory. Cold tile on the floor, tight popcorn ceiling, and the only door they could see in the hallway before it turned around a corner was an automatic one.
It wouldn't have been too shocking normally, but it wasn't what any of them were expecting at the bottom of a hidden elevator in the corner of Roxy Raceway.
The lobby had no furniture in it, it was simply a docking station for the elevator. But that didn't mean it was empty, as there was one noticeable thing slumping against the wall to the far left.
"Freddy!" Gregory shouted.
He pushed past everyone and ran over to his side, Foxy hot on his heels and soon kneeling at his other side.
Gregory tried to shake him awake with little success. "Freddy?! Can you hear me?!"
"Oiy, Freddy!" Foxy thumped his arm to no avail. "He's out."
"What's wrong with him?!"
"If my suspicions are correct- Moon, open his arm up," Jake said.
Moon had been standing there staring at Freddy, a hand clutched to his chest, when Jake's voice snapped him out of it. He stepped over Gregory and leaned over him to get to Freddy's arm, where he pressed and turned his spikey armband before pressing into a barely visible panel. As he released it opened up, revealing a few ports inside.
Jake knelt on one knee, balancing the control panel on his other endo one, and handed Moon a cord attached to his control panel which he plugged in. Within a few seconds, Jake was able to get an assessment.
"Just as I figured. Battery's drained."
"Can we just put him in a recharge station, or do we have to take him to Parts and Service?" Gregory asked.
"A recharge station should work. If there's not one down here, we'll have to take him back up to Roxy Raceway."
Charlie looked between Mike and Marionette.
"So, what do we do now? Let Bunny go and take Freddy back up?" she asked.
Mike knew what his answer was, but he looked to Marionette for his. The Puppet's expression was incensed and his answer delayed.
"You intend to still go after them," Moon correctly guessed.
"Are you against that?" Marionette asked.
"Oh no." Moon's hand tightened on Freddy's arm. "I insist."
"Mike?"
"I'm in."
"I thought you might be. Foxy?"
Foxy took one last look at Freddy before sighing and starting to stand up. "Aye."
"But what about Freddy? We can't just leave him here!" Gregory said.
"Honestly, kid, this is probably the safest place he could be right now. Bonnie already got what he wanted from him and he's right beside the elevator to pick up on the way out… Besides, we're going to need a dolly or something to move him," Mike said.
"I'll get 'im moved," Foxy reaffirmed.
"Okay… But if we hear something going on, we're not waiting around. We're coming back," Gregory said firmly. He wasn't happy until he got nods or agreements from most of them. Then he turned back to Freddy. "Don't worry, Freddy. We're not going to let them get away with this."
In the back of his mind Gregory knew Freddy wouldn't have been happy with the idea of them chasing Vanny down, but this time Gregory was sure that it was the right thing. Vanny was behind everything, her and Bonnie, and it was time to stop them and save the Pizzaplex once and for all!
They started to head into the hallway, with Jake unplugging himself and catching up and Moon gently caressing Freddy's chin and squeezing his hand before following. Freddy did not stir.
"It looks like there's only one way in here. If we check every room, nobody can get by," Charlie said, perhaps still on the topic of Freddy.
"An' nowhere to run," Foxy added dangerously. "Starting with this 'in."
As though right on cue, the automatic door in the hallway abruptly slid open. Though it was far enough away from them that it didn't seem possible that they could've triggered it. Foxy slung his arm out instantly, across Marionette and grabbing Mike's shirt, blocking them both from moving another inch.
After a painfully long ten seconds or so, it became apparent that nothing was coming out through the door. Foxy began to inch ahead. Mike and Marionette tried to come up with him and he continuously swatted back to keep them at bay before peeking into the room.
It was a computer room. There was a circle of desks against the walls and some stationed in the center, all topped with top-of-the-line virtually identical computer monitors. An office chair pulled up neatly to each.
Well, except for one. A straight shot from the door, there was a computer that was on, casting a white glow across the dark room. The only light in the room. The chair was pulled out too, and it looked like there was a crinkled up piece of paper sitting on the seat.
Someone had left it like that on purpose.
Mike shined a light over his shoulder, and he promptly smacked it off out of principle.
"Looks like a trap," Foxy grumbled.
"Or someone leaving us a message," Marionette added, peeking into the room over his head.
"Hmm…" Foxy looked back and waved an arm to come. "Moon, go check it out."
"What? Why me?"
"Ye've got security clearance. Ya won't set off any alarms an' you'll dodge any traps."
"Only half of that argument holds any water," Moon retorted.
"Here, I'll do it-," Jake started.
"No." Moon quickly caught his arm to stop him. "I'll go."
With that, he pushed past everyone and cautiously stepped into the room. His head tilting and face spinning as he listened carefully for the slightest noise, able to completely tune out his own ticks and jingles.
It was once he made it about three steps inside, slow cautious steps, that he realized there was no trap set to sprung.
He huffed and planted his hands on his hips. Not even caring to continue acting like Moon and just instantly reverting to Sun behaviors out of general annoyance.
"There is absolutely nothing in here," he said. He walked over and snatched the crumpled paper off the chair. "Except this," he mumbled and began to read.
The others started to file in, with Foxy staying close to the door to watch out for if someone tried to creep by and get to Freddy, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed. The others migrated towards the on and open computer.
"Jake," Moon said.
"Yes?"
"Jake, get over here."
"Wait, what is it?"
"Just get over here."
Jake hustled over to see the paper. They studied it together, bent over. Mike tried to get a look but was thoroughly blocked out, so he instead dropped into the abandoned office chair and looked at the screen.
There was a file explorer open on a folder called Pizzaplex and in it were a dozen or more files. Each one with a very basic name. Freddy's Mega Pizzaplex, Glamrock Freddy, Glamrock Chica, ect. It got to some interesting ones towards the bottom that he noticed. Patient Zero, Protocol Zero, the Mimic, and more that he browsed with his eyes.
Marionette had no luck with Moon and Jake's huddling either. In fact, Moon pointedly pulled the paper tighter in when the Puppet tried to hover above him. Getting the message, he turned his attention to the computer screen, resting a hand on Mike's shoulder.
"What's all this?" he asked.
"Looks like someone lined up a bunch of files," Mike said. That much the puppet could see for himself, he realized. "It doesn't look very professional. I think someone set this up for us to come find it. Look, there's one about the Pizzaplex, each of the Glamrocks-."
"Does that say 'Afton Amalgam'?" Marionette pointed out. His mask shifting as though he was raising his brows.
"Huh. I guess it does," Mike said blankly.
They sat there silently as he rolled the mouse over onto the file but hesitated in clicking it. Moon and Jake's low conversation kept him hesitating, and he looked to Marionette before both looked back as they subtly listened in.
"This can't be real, right?" Jake whispered.
"I don't know, but thisss is exactly what's he's after. You know it is," Moon said.
"Probably…"
"Not to mention he- or she- drew all over it."
"Okay, definitely. Definitely this."
"It's definitely what?" Charlie asked.
They both looked back at her at the same time. She gave them a questioning shrug, and they looked at each other for a long second. Then Jake handed the paper over.
"It could be fake or it could be, I don't know, a trap or something? I don't think there's any way… any way this can be legitimate," he forewarned.
Charlie unfolded the paper and found it to be some sort of short, official document. In the space underneath it, someone had doodled a couple of rabbit faces and a somewhat atomically correct heart. Along with a rather unintentionally unflattering picture of Freddy's head in the corner.
But it was the actual words on the paper that were the most important. She scanned them with her eyes before reading most of it out loud.
Talgart Industries has been revolutionizing the robotics industry for years. Making progress of human evolution through endeavors such as robotic Staff replacement, Human-to-Animatronic Simulation Tanks, and their research into life elongating technology. Nowhere is that technology used more than in the ABRP program.
The ABRP program has been investigating the key to human life and transmission of said life into a physical replacement body that perfectly resembles a natural human on the outside while being made of durable synthetic materials on the inside. The prosthetic body would, in theory, feel as natural as a healthy individuals and could add years, if not decades onto the patient's life.
Testing with the ABRP program is currently underway-
Body Prosthetic #1 – Testing Completed
Body Prosthetic #2 – Testing Completed
Body Prosthetic #3 – Testing Underway
Body Prosthetic #4 - Pending
Further details on the project are restricted to workers on ABRP program and have signed the disclosure agreement.
"They're building robotic bodies for humans to possess," Marionette said in disbelief.
"Or trying to. Who knows if they had any real success," Jake said.
"Perhaps not, but at least now we know what is so important for them to hide a lab down here. This… There is no possible way this experimentation is anything less than dangerous. There may be a freezer full of corpses down here!"
"And that's the best-case scenario," Foxy cryptically added.
"I wish I could say I'm shocked, but I'm not," Mike remarked. They looked at him and he shrugged. "I mean at this point why not? We know something's going on here, they've got what looks like Afton Robotics hidden down here. Them secretly researching androids doesn't shock me at all…" He paused a moment, tapping his fingers on his leg. "What DOES shock me is that this is the closest we've got to any Freddy's admitting that there's hauntings going on. They've got to know something about that if they're talking about humans becoming robots."
"We need to keep looking," Charlie said.
"Yeah, and I know just the place."
He turned back to the computer.
"Let's see what Vanny wanted us to find."
He started to pull up the first file, the one on the Mega Pizzaplex.
"This is what Bunny wants," Moon clarified as he did, taking the piece of paper from Charlie and holding it up between her and Jake. "He's always searching for a body. This is it. He wants his ticket back to humanity."
"And what happens if he gets it? What's he going to do?" Charlie asked.
"Anything he wants. Just like he always does," Moon vocally sneered. "Only cares about himself."
"I don't care if Bunny wants a body. If he does then I would be happy to assist in moving him into any animatronic he would like, but I draw the line at giving him access to one that looks human. None of us should have that. It's too dangerous," Marionette solemnly explained.
"Sure, but- if you could, would you? You know, move into an android?" Jake asked.
"No," the Puppet said with no hesitation.
With a break in the conversation, and his eyes still glued to the screen, Mike began to read out what he had found.
Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex-
Talgart Industries and Fazbear Entertainment's first active collaboration. Being spearheaded by Dr. Talbert and Dr. Taggart.
"Taggart?! He's-?!" Jake started.
"Alive?! The old fool!" Andrew finished.
"You know him?" Charlie asked.
"Yes!" both shouted together.
"He's the one who put us together in the first place!"
"And tore us apart to do so!"
"And wouldn't listen to me when I told him I was a real person, not a toy!"
"He's a monster! Even more than Bunny could've ever become," Andrew hissed. "Who knows how many souls he experimented on trying to prove his theory on Agony."
Now Marionette was nearly staticing up but he swallowed it as much as he could.
"Mike, keep reading, please. We need to know what's going on here."
So, Mike did.
"The Pizzaplex aims to be an open environment for the creation and collection of remnant while also doubling as a business venture to fund further studies moving forward. Due to the amount of frequent guests, including children- who have been noted as the most successful candidates to leave Agony infused objects after death- the Pizzaplex will cultivate new opportunities for research and development moving forward while Fazbear Entertainment will cover any legalities that may get in the way of progress."
"And there it is, the mark of Taggart. It oozes all over this," Andrew hissed out, gesturing a frustrated hand towards the computer.
"I can't believe he's still alive... I mean, I'm glad we didn't kill him, but I can't believe he's here!" Jake said. Charlie gave him a funny look. "It's a long story, but we accidently pushed a bookcase onto him."
"You might've accidentally pushed it, but I didn't," Andrew swiftly corrected.
"What's 'Agony'?" Gregory asked.
"It's this hot burn. This overwhelming animatronic fever that fills your mind with screams when it flares up," Andrew explained cryptically.
"Creepy."
"Taggart believed in the power of emotions. He thought it wasn't souls that would haunt animatronics, but memories and feelings," Jake explained, mostly directed to Charlie. "That's why he's so dangerous. I actually spoke to him, and he didn't believe I was real. He just thought I was some sort of living memory."
"Then what's all this talk 'bout remnant. That supposed to be us?" Foxy asked.
"I think so. Unless we're supposed to be the Agony-infused objects."
"I think it's both," Charlie spoke up. "I think they're trying to make sense of the hauntings. Remnant has to be like a 'remnant' of a person. The souls that are left when a person dies, the spiritual remains. At least, that's what it seems like."
"So, lemme just rephrase this-," Foxy said. He pointed at the screen. "It says they built the Pizzaplex just so they could farm haunted animatronics."
"It seems like-."
"And they said right up there- where's it? Right here that children are the successful candidates."
"And over here-," Mike started to add, but was cut off by the continuing Foxy.
"An' you two said this Taggart fella knew somethin' 'bout these haunted animatronics, but he thought they be haunted by 'feelings'."
"Something like that," Jake agreed.
"An' here? Says Fazzy's coverin' the legalities. The lawsuits."
"The lawsuits," Marionette echoed, it finally clicking for him.
"So, lemme straighten this out fer all'a ya, because I'm thinkin' I'm the only one who got this straight," Foxy said. He thumped his hook onto the desk, it lightly stabbing into the table. "The Pizzaplex was built so kids would die here an' they'd become haunted robots fer them to study."
There was an eerie silence across the group.
"That's exactly what it's saying," Mike said.
"That… That can't be what it's saying," Jake said.
"That is what it's saying. Isn't it?" Andrew asked. More of his Sun persona slipping into his voice as the anxiousness crept up. "That's what they meant."
"That is what they meant," Marionette said with completely clarity. "That is exactly what they meant."
"Bloody 'ell that explains so much…" Foxy mumbled.
And it did. It seemed so matter of fact at first but after a moment of thinking Mike suddenly got the repercussions. Was that why there were so many risks? 'Unstable' animatronics? Unfinished rides? Were they purposefully riding the risk in the hopes that someone would die so they could use it for their work.
Is that why the footage automatically erased every night?
…Did they know about Vanny? Somewhere in his gut Mike had a suspicion that they did.
Charlie leaned over his shoulder to see more. He pulled up the files for her and after a moment she pointed one out.
"There! Click on that!"
"Patient Zero," Mike read.
"We heard something about a Patient Zero, right? Well, let's see what this thing is."
Mike agreed and eagerly clicked on it and the others closed in around him to see. Charlie at his right, Foxy at his left, Gregory trying to push in in front of Foxy and Moon and Jake over Charlie's shoulders.
Marionette was standing behind him with his hands on the back of his seat peering overtop his head. Mike felt him jerk as the file opened. He had reacted to it faster than anyone else had.
He gave a sharp, staticky gasp.
…
Patient Zero-
Manifesting in a 1980s-centric model Fazbear Prize Puppet, this embodiment is the creator of other remnant constructs seen throughout the history of the phenomenon. Ergo the name Patient Zero, as it is believed to be both constructed of the Agony created by the victims of the original Freddy's and has spread it through other machines. It is to date one of the only known consistent creators of remnant and is capable of manipulating the substance to create synthetic life. Due to its multitude of unexplained paranormal abilities, it is believed to be a hivemind similar to the Afton Amalgam.
It is currently homed in Foxy's Pirate Cove where it is kept in stability. It is docile towards children and adult caretakers and currently not seen as a threat. Moving forward- our hope is that Patient Zero will be coaxed into the Pizzaplex facility due to the surplus of emotional auras where we can study its effect on replicating false life.
Final call is to leave Patient Zero active in the wild to encourage the production of more remnant constructs. Protocol Zero is prepared if there is need of quick capture.
…
"It's me."
The picture above the passage, which was what everyone instantly reacted to, was one of Marionette himself mounted at the Prize Counter from the old Freddy's. The one Fritz and Jeremy worked at.
"WHAT?!" Foxy barked. "WHAT?! DO YOU- ARE YA SEEIN' THIS?!" He turned to the still stunned Marionette. "THAT'S YOU! THEY GOT- THEY'VE GOT ME LIL BROTHER IN HERE!"
"They know about us," Marionette said quietly.
"E-Everyone just calm down. Maybe this isn't what it looks like," Jake tried.
"Then what is it then?! You read it! What's that-?!" Foxy leaned in to read and then pulled out to recite, "LEAVE PATIENT ZERO ACTIVE IN THE WILD?!"
"They know about us…?" Marionette repeated. His voice growing more fearful.
"Mari," Mike said and grabbed his hands. He didn't know what he was requesting, just holding him there, eyes wide in the same dread and shock that took the Puppet.
"This better not be another trick by Bunny- I swear if it is- I swear if it is-!" Andrew rambled.
"I'd maybe believe that if there wasn't THAT WHOLE PARAGRAPH 'BOUT THEM MAKING THE PIZZAPLEX FER COLLECTING DEAD KIDS!" Foxy waved frantically. "AND MARI'S THE HARVESTER!"
Marionette was taking this just as hard, but on the opposite side was deathly quiet. Slowly reeling as he stared at the screen. Mike quickly closed the file, returning to the list so he didn't have to see it, and turned back to him, taking his hands once again.
"It's going to be okay. We'll figure this out," he said.
There's no way he could promise that, but he still was adamant in doing so. It was all he really could do.
Because it was clear that he was internally freaking out just as much as Marionette was. He didn't swear, he didn't shout, he just instantly went on autopilot- that alone showed that he knew how serious this was.
Because there was a huge difference between knowing about the hauntings and knowing about him.
Marionette's pupils flicked between him and the screen, locking onto a familiar name under the files. He locked onto it, the ticking and static slowly growing in his chest.
"Wh-Whose the Afton Amalgam…?" Marionette timidly asked.
Mike looked back over his shoulder at the screen.
"Christ, it's probably Ennard," he muttered in realization.
Charlie took the initiative to grab the mouse so that she could click on and open the file for the Afton Amalgam.
The picture supplied with the file was unfamiliar, but able to be dated instantly. It was Ennard, but he was wearing a weird Freddy mask and sitting in a dark room at a desk.
"Bloody 'ELL that's the-! The-!? Pizza- FAKE pizzeria, bloody mother of Mary- That be taken by Chance!" Foxy sputtered out.
Something about this was what finally tipped Foxy over the edge. He then proceeded to start to spasm and shake, letting out disjointed noises as he twitched and sputtered.
"Foxy!" Gregory shouted. "What's wrong with him?!"
"He's just haywiring, he'll be okay," Mike hastily answered. He got up from his chair and grabbed Foxy by the shoulders. "Hey! HEY! Foxy? Can you hear me? We've got this! We'll fix it! I need you to try to reel it in, okay? Just ease it down."
Marionette snapped out of his haze at Foxy's predicament and rushed in to assist, reaching for his arm. But much to his shock, Foxy flinched away from his touch reflexively. Almost like it burned him.
He thought he was just overwhelmed at first. It wasn't until Marionette yanked his arm to his chest that he realized how warm he was, feeling how cool his buttons were compared to his fabric.
The overheating had come back, just like it always did when he got upset. Except this time he had a name for it.
The Agony. Could that be what was inside of him? Where did it come from, that Skinny Baby? No, earlier than that. That overwhelming heat and noise, there was only one place that even sounded close.
The Red Lake.
The burn they mentioned, the burn he felt when he grabbed Vanny, it felt too much like the sensation inside of that Red Lake. Like he had somehow brought it out with him.
As Jake quickly toted a chair over and got Foxy to sit down, with him finally starting to get control over it without shutting down all the way. Mike still had to help him sit down though with how rigid he was and nearly got kicked in the shin by Foxy's twitchy legs. Jake tried to help assure him as well.
This left Moon open. Marionette turned towards him.
"Do you… know anything about a red lake?" he quietly asked.
Moon tilted his head in confusion. "No…?"
Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was mistaken.
"But…"
Or maybe…
"Bunny did. He mentioned having a dream about it once."
Oh no.
What did that mean?
"Is it real? Have you seen it?" Moon quietly asked.
"I have," Marionette whispered back. "I drowned my father in that lake."
Dull unlit points popped out of the side of Moon's head, the only sign of his shock. He quickly shoved them back in with one hand.
Charlie was leaning over the desk finishing the file on Ennard. It was alarming, to say the least. With the picture being the least of the issues.
…
Afton Amalgam-
This construct of pure Remnant is believed to have been created through the fusing of the Circus Baby band located inside of Circus Baby's Rentals/formerly Afton Robotics. It is unknown how it came to be but from a journal entry written by the late Chauncey Evans, it may have been an experiment of William Afton's.
The Afton Amalgam is capable of shifting its body into any form and mimicking voices it has heard. Due to this, it may have also consumed the initial Mimic Prototype, of which the current location of is unknown. It is known to cannibalize other animatronics to reinforce its body and through this likely holds a surplus amount of Agony.
Due to the danger the amalgam poses, attempts to have made to locate and trap it to little success. Eyewitnesses have reported seeing it near the Hurricane City junkyard and further attempts will involve the surrounding area.
Decoy has been dispatched in the Hurricane City junkyard.
Decoy was dismantled by unknown sources and confiscated by local law enforcement. Efforts for retrieval are underway while second decoy is primed for release.
…
"Geez, Ennard. Quite a reputation you've got here," Charlie mumbled. Though there was nothing comedic about this situation. She turned back towards Marionette and Moon. "They're trying to find Ennard…" she spoke up. "It says something about them leaving decoys to try and find him, and they know he hangs out at the dump. No surprise there though, half of town knows."
"Oh Ennard…" Marionette said somberly. He slouched for a second before straightening quickly. "You said decoys?"
"A decoy that was dismantled and confiscated by the police," Charlie said cryptically. "Maybe that fake Baby that attacked that girl in the junkyard?"
They shared a concerned look.
"It had a chip that said Talgart Industries inside of it," Moon revealed.
"How did you know that?" Charlie asked in surprise.
"Michael told Jake and Jake tells me everything."
"Could they have sent the other one too…?" Marionette asked distantly.
"The one that broke in? They couldn't have. Baby said they found it at an amusement park."
"But it had the same heat! The same- The Agony we were just talking about!" he said, gesturing to Moon beside him. "It cannot be a coincidence!"
"You're right, and you know what? I bet there's a file here that'll tell us all about it," Charlie said.
With a look of determination, she closed out the file and began to scan through the list. That's when she found another title of interest hidden in the codenames of various animatronics.
"Hey…" she said quietly. "They have one about Protocol Zero in here."
Marionette leaned in beside her. She looked down at his arm in surprise.
"You're very warm…" she said.
She was a clever woman, Marionette thought. He knew she had already figured it out when she looked up at his mask questioningly. He just stared at the computer screen, at that file was labelled 'Protocol Zero'.
"Open it. Please."
Charlie did, and within seconds the world came crashing down again.
Mike was alerted to something being wrong by the ringing tone that suddenly invaded his ears. A high-pitched sound, almost like the ringing in your ears you might get from a cold. Except Foxy heard it too and was shuffling uncomfortably because of it before leaning to look past Mike at the source. Mike followed his gaze and looked over his shoulder.
He found Marionette shaking with a look of absolute horror on his mask. His arms up and hands grabbing his head as he stared at what was on the screen. The pitchy tone was coming from him.
Mike rounded so fast he almost made himself dizzy and leaned in on the desk to speed read whatever was opened up.
And what he found was absolutely devastating.
Protocol Zero - procedure for capture and containment of Patient Zero.
The Glamrock band has been formatted with specialty parts for use in Protocol Zero with necessary programming to be downloaded upon initiation. As programming may become unstable, updates to the software will not be released until the protocol has been confirmed with both Dr. Talbert and Dr. Taggart.
Upgrades are as followed:
Chica- Voice box, for luring and disruption of music-based programming.
Monty- Claw enhancement, for quick nullification of wire string mechanism.
Roxy- Enhanced eyes to detect nearly invisible apparitions and track paranormal hot spots.
Inactive upgrades:
Freddy- Reinforced stomach hatch for containment. (Interior and latches have not been installed)
Bonnie- Audio Receptor to detect paranormal frequencies and track. (Out of Service)
They didn't just know about Marionette. They had plans to capture him.
They had purposefully lured him here and had the means to contain him if they decided to. Luring, stomach hatch containment, that picture of Ennard-
They knew about Lefty. They knew what made Marionette tick.
Mike was about to have a panic attack.
It crept up on him, but it was there now. With him breaking into an instant sweat and it starting to feel watery under his tongue. He was nauseous all of a sudden, and the room seemed to be crushing in around him. All hot and suffocating, and him struggling to get it under control fast because he couldn't freak out at a time like this.
Then Marionette said in a surprisingly calm tone, "I think I'm about to explode."
"Just- Just give me a second," Mike said. He pinched bridge of nose, trying to calm down. Only a second later having his brain process enough to remember that he needed to be there for him, not himself.
He finally dared to look at Marionette. He was in the same pose but now looking at Mike with a devastated look. Not missing a beat, Mike pulled him into a tight hug.
"I've got you," he promises. His throat is tight as he spits out a low, "They're not going to lay a goddamn finger on you, you hear me? Not a finger. I swear to God," in an unfiltered ramble.
Marionette could only squeeze him back. His eyes still wide with fear as he did so.
"What'd it say?" Foxy slurred.
"Uh," Charlie started only to see Jake shaking his head and making x's with his hands. "It's talking about how if Patient Zero, Mari, got out of control they'd try to capture him."
She assumed a gentle half-truth would be better than a lie.
"…IT BLOODY SAYS WHAT?!"
Apparently not.
"Calm down. Relax, okay? You're going to burn yourself out," Jake forewarned Foxy. He squeezed his shoulders, giving him a small shake to try and bring him back down.
"IT SAID-?!"
"I know what it said, but you can't do anything if you're on the verge of sputtering out," he affirmed. "Nothing's happened yet, right? We're alright."
"Oh, sssomething has already happened…" Moon said cryptically.
"What's happened?" Gregory asked. He had been uncharacteristically quiet through the whole thing, watching the grown-ups in the room panic and breakdown over stuff that he didn't even know about.
"They found out about us," Moon continued. He leaned over to look at the screen while reaching to corral Gregory in closer with his arm, feeling threatened by the whole ordeal. He pointed at the file list box half covered up. "Find the one for Glamrock Bonnie. We need to know how much they think they know."
Charlie pulled it up. She was rightfully stunned. "Oh! Okay. Glamrock Bonnie. Currently possessed by the entity believed to be the shadow of William Afton."
Marionette's face twisted up into something between disgust and rage. He wasn't about to explode; he was about to engulf in flames.
He very quickly pushed himself back at arm's length of Mike, holding him by the arms but trying to not burn him, and twisted his head around to glare at the computer. Then snapped the rest of the way to look at Moon.
"That better be wrong," he warned. His voice echoing underneath layers of static and twangs.
"It is," Jake said. Marionette glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. "You've got every right to be suspicious, there's… there's a lot we haven't told you. But not that, you would've known."
"Bunny had his life ended by him," Moon said with upmost sureness. "He hated him almost as much as you do."
"And you believe him?"
"I don't believe anything Bunny ever said to me, but I know it was true."
Marionette's features softened up but he still looked concerned and confused. "But the Red Lake…"
"What about the lake?" Mike asked.
"Bunny has seen the lake."
Marionette turned his head back to explain more and that's when he finally noticed that something was wrong with Mike. He had a somewhat unfocused look in his eyes and he was running his fingers through his hair almost obsessively, trying to quell the panic and focus. All it took was a second of attention to notice how high Mike's heartrate was getting too.
That snapped Marionette out of the overwhelming, intense feelings long enough to recognize what was happening. He came to his aid quickly, putting an arm around him and starting to turn and guide him to the door.
"Let's step outside," he coaxed gently.
Foxy started to get up. "Lad-."
"I'm fine. It's Mike," Marionette assured.
"Yeah, throw me under the bus," Mike joked. Or tried to joke through clenched teeth. He accepted the out without hesitation. "Just give us a second. We'll be back."
"Aye. Careful," Foxy agreed. He let himself sink back onto the office chair and watched them leave.
They stepped out into the cold, sterile hallway once more. Marionette pressed the Freddy head button on the outside wall, closing the door and giving them privacy. Then he turned to Mike, wrapping his arms around his middle and pulling him close. Mike hugged back. He could feel how warm his fabric had gotten but was relieved when there was no burning, stinging, or auditory hallucinations.
Just a warm puppet holding him in a cold hallway.
"Deep breaths," Marionette said.
"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm fine," Mike assured.
"No, you're not. But that's okay. I'm not fine either."
They stood there for a little bit. Eventually Mike's heartrate lowered and the rush of panic was replaced with a post-adrenaline crash. He felt alright. He felt like he made an ass out of himself, but he felt alright.
Now time to check on Marionette.
He drew back to see his face. It was pointless to ask if he was okay, he clearly wasn't. That too-wide smile gave him away.
"What're you thinking, Stripes?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing much," Marionette said.
A beat. That expression started to break, the smile growing tense and the eyes growing soft and sad.
"It looks like I have more fans than I realized!" Marionette joked. Strained, with a laugh that twanged behind every chime.
Mike just pulled him back into another hug. He held the slender doll tightly in his arms.
"I meant what I said. They're not going to get you," he promised.
"That's not what I'm worried about…"
There were dozens of things to worry about. The pizzeria, their customers, the others, the other animatronics- them. That's what Marionette was likely thinking about. Them and Lefty, and Glamrock Freddy.
"Christ, he was in his stomach," Mike realized. The panic started to rise again, but he put a stop to it. He forced himself to reign it in and stop thinking about it. Later, not now. "Sorry I freaked out. I just got spooked, I know his isn't about me."
"Of course it is. This is about both of us. All of us," Marionette said. "And I'd rather you freak out than me."
"Thanks."
"Well, at least then I can do something about it!" he chimed. Emphasizing by giving him a tighter hug.
For a second it almost felt like normal. Like the whole world as they knew it hadn't just spiraled out of control.
And then Mike just happened to get a feeling. That sort of feeling that makes you check over your shoulders and make sure someone wasn't there. He didn't even get that far, just turning his head enough to see the end of the hallway.
A white rabbit head was poking around the corner. It was Vanny.
Marionette felt Mike tense up and hugged him tighter, nuzzling his mask into his cheek with a soft trill. Trying to assure him, entirely oblivious as Mike blankly stared at Vanny, expecting her to bolt. She didn't.
"Don't look now-," Mike started.
Marionette promptly snapped his head around and instantly locked his eyes onto Vanny.
She had been somewhat cartoonishly peeking around the corner. Her ears bobbing and her fingers hooked around the corner. But when Marionette looked at her, she flinched upright in alarm, still staring but looking like she was preparing to run.
There was a long silent pause where she stood there with Marionette staring her down. Neither making a move.
Until Mike took a step and leaned forward around Marionette to press the button for the door. It opened with a clatter that echoed in the silent hallway.
"Hey, she's out here," he called in.
An instant later Foxy came tearing into the doorway. Vanny saw him, turned on her heel, and bolted off.
"OIY! You come back here right now an' give us some answers!" Foxy barked and sprinted after her. Ignoring any calls to stop him as he sped around the corner.
Vanny didn't go far. She bolted down the length of the hallway and stopped halfway down at a large open doorway that led into a big, dark room. She didn't go in though, nor did she pay attention to the reinforced double doors at the end of the hall or the closed security doors on the opposite side of the hallway.
She stopped right before that opening and spun around. Pressing something on her wrist as she did, which made her eyes alight in their normal glow. Then she stood upright with her arms tucked behind her and her heels together, watching as Foxy skidded to a stop. She shuddered a little seeing him, no doubt uneased by how close he got before he stopped.
But Foxy wouldn't dare get any closer than five feet. Not when she turned to challenge him like that. It became clear that this was some sort of a setup, and he held an arm back as the others came around the corner behind him, signaling them to stop too.
He stared her down. They all did, waiting to see what she was going to do. A whole swatch of animatronics, all of which were faster than her- except possibly Jake- a man, and one angry child.
"What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head. "We're you looking for little old me? I'm right here." She waved her hands tauntingly. "Don't be afraid. I'm just a woman in a costume, aren't I?"
"A sheep in wolf's clothing, maaaybe," Moon hissed. His own head cocked mockingly. "Where is he?"
Vanny just stared back.
"What's wrooong, little rabbit?" Moon continued to jeer. "I asked, where is-?"
An arm reached out of the dark entryway and clawed at the tiled ground behind her. It looked like an endoskeleton arm.
Jake came forward with a start to see, caught by Moon who kept him back. "Bunny?!" he called worriedly.
The endoskeleton arm slid along the floor before grabbing onto Vanny's ankle. She didn't even flinch. Then another arm came out of the darkness to grab onto the doorframe. This one green with black tipped claws.
The third arm was a dark purple color, as was the fourth, and when they pulled together out lurched a half-incomplete torso with a flower on its chest. There was a dog animatronic laced to its back by oily black wires mixed with its own internal wiring. A matted mess of electronics wiring the bodies together.
And even more flowed out amongst them. So many torsos, random legs and arms, and occasional heads sticking out of the mix. No less than three Monty Gator bodies, a dog, what looked to be Mr. Hippo, a large boxy machine with a broken smiley face on the front, several Staff Bots, an orange arm with a purple wrist guard and a hook at the end like Foxy's, what looked almost exactly like Glamrock Chica except she was yellow-.
It was a mountain of animatronics. A massive amalgam that nearly filled the entire hallway, crawling with its many arms and less legs.
And one stood at the top. He grabbed onto the top of the doorway with his sharpened bass-playing claws, now freed from any casing, and ducked underneath to full reveal himself.
Glamrock Bonnie, merely a torso himself, with the mound beneath him replacing the legs he had abandoned. His shell cracked in broken and black oil stain down the side of his face from his broken left eye. His ears bumped the ceiling, and he had to keep his head tilted forward just to fit, which only succeeded in allowing him to look down upon them.
His eyes glowed in an ominous red that perfectly matched Vanny's own, and his mouth was agape in what was no doubt a beaming smile.
"You the guys giving my girl a hard time?" he asked.
His eyes locked onto someone and glowed even brighter.
"Hey, look who finally showed up!"
Vanny sidestepped to the wall, their only warning before the mound of limbs and animatronics suddenly lurched in. Careful not to hit her but crashing against the floor and walls as it rushed them.
The group reacted quickly. Moon grabbed Gregory and spun around, pushing him out of the way, Jake grabbed Charlie from behind and yanked her away, and Foxy leapt in front of the lot and raised his hook threateningly.
Only to be promptly shoved aside and into the wall, pressed in by a cluster of hands.
Marionette only had a second to duck in front of Mike before Bonnie's face was shoved into his own.
"About time you got here," Bonnie said.
He was talking to him. Marionette's surprise was short-lived, Bonnie's challenge not slipping by unnoticed.
"Oh, our meeting was definitely overdue," Marionette replied. He boldly gave a bow, pupils glowing up at the rabbit. "I am Marionette, you may know me as the Puppet. Or I know you certainly do."
Bonnie didn't look impressed. His mouth starting to close, closing up that smile as his eyes narrowed.
"I know you by a lot of words I'm not allowed to say in front of kids," Bonnie spat back. The grin returned. "I'm going to take a guess and say Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbass over there didn't tell you who I am. No doubt to protect themselves, considering they brought you down here to beat my ass. Well, guess what?! I don't HAVE an ass to beat anymore! Frrrrrztkn Monty Gator made sure of that," Bonnie spat, pointing down at the Monty down at his base.
"Monty…?" Jake asked in quiet horror.
"One of the seven Montys held up in that room. All of which would've been a better Monty than he was," Bonnie clarified. He looked at Marionette now, giving him an unenthused look. "And they're all empty, so you don't have to come in here and try to save a bunch of souls or whatever those idiots who run the place think you do. He saw the files, right Honeybunny?"
"They saw them," Vanny agreed. She now stood beside the wall, carefully framed by limbs to keep from getting crushed. She didn't seem concerned in the slightest.
"Oh, we saw them alright," Mike added.
"Good! We can cut back on a whole lot of explanation." A whole new glow took to Bonnie's eyes as he spread out his arms- his real arms. "I'm BONNIE THE BUNNNY! The classic, the original! Coming to you live from where fantasy and fun come to life!" he boasted.
Marionette smiled blankly back. The slightest edge of confusion tightening his brow.
"Familiar, isn't it? That tagline. You remember it. The old place."
They were interrupted by Foxy grunting. He shoved back an arm only to have the hand smack onto his muzzle, sliding between his teeth to silence him.
Of course, that didn't work when he had an internal speaker.
"Get yer hands off'a me!" Foxy snarled.
"Please let my brother go," Marionette requested.
"No, he's mine now," Bonnie said non-seriously. "I'm doing something here. Pay attention."
Mike subtly tried to step up to Marionette's side, but he blocked him, gave him a firm push back to keep him behind him. Bonnie acknowledged him only with a glance.
"That your boyfriend?" he asked.
"He's much more than that, but yes."
"Huh. Cool," Bonnie dryly answered. Almost as though he already knew. "Looks like we share one thing in common… Oh wait, there is that other thing. Y'see, you and me? We go way back, and you don't even know it."
"What do you mean by that?" Marionette asked. He then interjected before Bonnie could answer. "I was the one who put you in your original body," he guessed.
"No, but good try," Bonnie replied, unimpressed.
Then he grinned again, though now there was something ominously threatening in it. Maybe it was the way the arms attached to his mass twitched and clenched into fists. He was trembling too.
"You came from the same diner, you and me. We're like brothers! Except no, we are not."
"Well, of course. My brother is-," Marionette started to gesture towards Foxy.
"Our dads worked together," Bonnie interrupted.
Marionette's eyes widened.
"They… did?" Charlie quietly asked.
Bonnie momentarily glanced at her before quickly glancing away.
"Yeah, that's right." He gave a shaky shudder, all the limbs beneath him twitching in reflex. "My dad really, really loved Bonnie. Like, really loved Bonnie. I think he loved him more than me. Scratch that, I know he did. He didn't love anybody as much as he loved Bonnie."
His eyes narrowed. "Except for you."
"What are you saying?" Marionette quietly asked.
"You. The only thing he loved more than that piece of shzzzzt," Bonnie spat. "You getting it yet?"
"Are you talking about-?"
"Let me phrase it in a way that'll get through that thick porcelain of yours," Bonnie said. His voice lowering dangerously. "You are N̵O̸T̷H̸I̸N̷G̷ but MY re̴p̵la̵c̴e̶m̷e̵n̵t̵."
Marionette's mask morphed into shock. His heart might've dropped and shattered at the implications. He knew, he knew what he had to be saying.
Replacement. Rabbit. Their fathers worked together. His father loved Bonnie, and he chose him.
"He chose YOU," Bonnie spat. "Bet you feel real proud of that dontcha? Or I bet you don't, since you don't even know my c̴r̸r̸r̴r̶c̸k̷-ing name."
But Marionette did know. At least he was certain that he did.
He knew that one of them was Sammy.
And he was starting to believe it was himself.
"Well, come on. Say something."
Marionette struggled for words. He looked at Foxy to see his reaction and saw him still trying to pry the arms off. Maybe he hadn't realized it yet.
He then looked towards Vanny and Bonnie quickly leaned to the side to block her.
"Don't look at her. Look at me."
"I… No, that can't be," Marionette forced out. His eyes began to well with purple tears. "It can't be…"
"Oh, it is," Bonnie assured. He cracked a grin. "You gonna cry?"
"Screw you. You're taking this pretty damn well," Mike spat.
"Sure I am. That's why I'm like seven Montys right now! I'm handling it all real f̶a̵z̶t̷a̵s̵t̷i̴c̴!" Bonnie snapped back.
Marionette didn't know what was worse, the true horror of what he just realized or the fact that Mike too had already seemingly figured it out. He stole a look back at Charlie.
She looked utterly shocked. Almost comically so, mask's eyes wide and typical grin flipped, but there was no laughing in this situation.
She was reeling. All this time she had been searching for her twin and here he was unceremoniously dumped into her lap. She looked to Marionette in shock and he quickly turned away, back to the grinning Bonnie.
"And now that you finally get it, here's the deal. You're going to tell all your little friends here- including those two flip-floppers-." Bonnie pointed back towards Moon and Jake. "To head right back up where they came, and then you and me are going to settle this."
"And how exactly are you going to do that?" Mike asked suspiciously, already having a good hunch of what he was suggesting.
"Do you think I just wear twelve bodies all the time? I know you all showed up for a fight, so guess what? It's going down. Now. You and me, Puppet," Bonnie hissed. "And nobody else. So, you don't get to play the hero."
"Yeah, that's not happening," Mike said.
"Yeah, you say that. But look." Bonnie gestured over at Foxy. One of the disembodied endo limbs swung back and then forward to get Foxy a patronizing pat, or uncontrolled thump, on the head. "He stays right here until we settle this. And how're you going to open that cheap little Fredbear's wannabe without the star on stage?"
"Yer lucky ya got the drop on me, Bunny, or I'd'a gouged yer bloody eye out fer what ye did to Freddy!" Foxy barked.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Freddy's best friend."
Something about Foxy getting threatened flipped a switch that hadn't flipped when he himself had been threatened. Marionette's eyes lit up again and those half-formed tears were the only ones as he snapped his gaze back up to meet Bonnie's. Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden change in intensity.
"I will not go easy on you," Marionette warned. "I am willing to let you and her leave if you will, but if you make me fight you, I will break you down."
"That better be a promise," Bonnie said. His grin returned almost excitedly. "You know how many times I've been busted up? You really think you're going to do anything worse than what he did?"
"I know I can," Marionette promised.
All Mike needed was one look at Bonnie to not like their odds.
"Whoa, whoa! Wait a second-." he interjected.
"I know what I'm doing, Mike."
"No, I don't think you do. Look at him," Mike whispered. He stepped out to address Bonnie, fighting against Marionette who kept trying to slide in front of him. "Look, we already said we'd let you walk out of here. Just drop Foxy, grab your bunny, and go. There's no point in you two tearing each other apart."
"Gee, I don't know. I could think of a few good points," Bonnie said dryly. "For starters, I hate him. He stole my life, he chased my girl, he turned those two against me- Honeybunny, what am I forgetting?"
"He let that, umm, him- the yellow rabbit? Let him in."
"Oh, YEAH, I forgot all about that! What's the deal with that?!" Bonnie snapped. He pointed towards Gregory without looking at him. "You'll bring a bunch of clowns in here, but you won't take the kid on your way out!"
Marionette ignored the comment. He addressed Mike while still locking glares with Bonnie.
"There's no point in bartering. If he wanted to leave, he would've already done so. This is personal."
"See, he gets it! This is between him and me," Bonnie said. His voice dropped lower, "Where's your yellow bear now?"
In that instant, 'Pop Goes the Weasel' began ringing out from Marionette's music box. Quick and agitated.
"I think we're done talking," he said.
And that was when it happened.
It happened in a split second. Marionette was preparing to pounce, Bonnie looming over him, and then-
Charlie yelped and Vanny screamed, "Bunny!"
Marionette had his head shoved down as something sprung over him and Bonnie looked up in time to catch only a glimpse before Moon crashed into him.
Bonnie didn't have much time to react as Moon clawed and clamored over him. Digging his feet into the mound beneath him and forcing the rabbit's head back, wrestling with him.
The multitude of limbs flailed around them. Vanny pressed tightly to the wall staring up at the scene while Foxy was finally able to overpower one limb, twist the one in his mouth to break the wrist of the other, and then clamor, climb, and hop over the last barrier and to freedom. Mike pulled the still off-balance Marionette back out of the way, and Foxy rushed to their side.
The fight was quick. Crashing and thumping against the walls and ceiling. Bonnie tried to push Moon down into the bed of parts where loose wires caught around his ankles. But Moon wasn't done, he twisted his upper half to free up his arms and lurched in. He grabbed Bonnie by the hands and overpowered him, forcing him to bow back.
Then Moon wrenched one of his hands free and lashed out for Bonnie's chest, grabbing the edge of the hole torn into it and pulling, yanking loose a large section of remaining paneling and leaving him gaped open.
"BUNNY!" Vanny screamed. She helplessly clawed at his limbs, trying to climb up them but helpless as they moved too erratically. Nowhere to grab, nowhere to step. "NO, STOP! STOP! PLEASE!"
Moon shoved his arm deep into Bonnie's depths. He reached up and felt with his fingers.
He found his prize at his core. Tucked high into the back of his belly was the old rabbit doll, worn and oily. Missing an ear and a leg, losing stuffing through various holes stuck through with wires.
His fingers grazed stained fabric and he tried to grab it.
But he couldn't.
To his immediate horror, Moon realized that the wires had been able to pull the plush up just enough that he couldn't reach it- and the various limbs holding him down made sure of it, as did the hand grabbing his arm.
Moon snapped his head up to look at Bonnie.
Bonnie stared back. Not in anger, but in shock. Eyes wide and mouth agape.
"You… You just… Were you just…?"
And then came the devastation. A newfound flow of black plasm oil oozing through the crack under his eye. Moon's non-existent heart clenched with brief regret.
And then, finally, came the anger.
And with it came an insurmountable amount of heat. Burning at his ankles, on his arm, everywhere that they were making direct contact. It was like he was touching liquid fire.
Bonnie's eyes glowed brightly and narrowed, and he exploded.
"You son of a BITCH!"
Bonnie shoved him back, forcing his arm out of him, and then before Moon could recover, he rammed him into the wall. Not enough to damage him significantly but enough to have him fully ensnared in seconds, grabbed him by his own hands, and then shook him like a ragdoll.
"After EVERYTHING- First you chose THAT KID over me, and now you're choosing the Puppet?! The guy who put you in that stupid worthless little dog thing?! After all I did for you- You'd be sitting in that garbage heap under the Pizzaplex if it wasn't for me! I had your backs AND YOU STABBED MINE!" Bonnie babbled. "Just a two-faced, no-good BACKSTABBER! That's all you are, Andy! A BACKSTABBER!"
Moon tried to twist himself out of his grasp. "You're out of control!"
"I'm out of control?! You just tried to kill me!" Bonnie spat. "I KNEW this was coming! I knew you were going to stab me in the back!"
"Well, PERHAPS I wouldn't have stabbed you in the back if you wouldn't have TURNED IT ON US!" Moon yelled.
He took a swing and smacked Bonnie in the cheek, to which Bonnie yelped and thumped him back.
An arm swung out and one of the wires connected to it lashed across Foxy's leg. Just the slightest touch was searing, if the stifling heat filling up the hallway wasn't any indication. Bonnie was overheating with that poisonous infection, whatever it was.
So, when Marionette prepared to spring to rescue Moon, Foxy tackled into him and caught him around the middle. The Puppet fought against him, his voice drowned out by his music.
"Not now! He's hot!" Foxy shouted.
Mike was feeling that radiating warmth too. He needed to know if it really was the same thing that had been happening to Marionette. This could maybe be their only chance, with Bonnie distracted by Moon.
"Well, no time like the present," Mike thought.
He waited until he had an opening before ducking in under a kicking Monty leg and pressing his hand to the purple torso stuck under it.
He was instantly overwhelmed by internal sound and images shoved into his mind, though he couldn't make heads or tails of the flashes. It was like he was having stills popping before his eyes. He thought he saw a stage, maybe a bar, a door. All backed by a distorted blend of music and voices screaming in a discordant chorus.
He ripped his hand away and staggered back quickly to avoid getting hit and into Charlie. A painful throb briefly settled over his right eye. "Oh whoa..."
"Are you okay?!" Charlie asked.
"Yup," Mike said with strain. He gave her an unconvincing thumbs up as he tried to blink his vision back to normal. "Good."
She didn't believe it for a second, but she couldn't do much other than brace him and watch the scene unfold. She noticed Jake suddenly rush past and get close to the amalgam.
"Jake!" she called. Her voice largely drowned out by the noise.
But Jake did hear her. He just didn't stop.
"Bunny, please! Don't hurt him!" he cried.
Bonnie snapped his head to look down at him with eyes narrowed in disdain.
"I'm not going to hurt him! Actually, scratch that- I am going to beat the ever-loving HELL out of him, but you can drop the whole 'oh whoa is me, BuNNY is so BAD such a bad, bad guy he's gonna hurt my best fwiend! Where'd it all go so wong?!' bullshit, buddy boy! You let this guy run around harassing EVE-RY-BODY! That glass house is full of holes!" Bunny was shuddering like he was panting, then spat- "I'M NOT THE BAD GUY!"
"You're not making a great case for yourself!" Charlie shouted back.
"Oh GOD, you too?!" Bonnie cried, rolling his head back in exasperation.
All the while, Vanny was standing there off to the side, her hands over her mouth. She just watched the scene but made no effort to stop him.
This was only noticed by Gregory, who was standing there waiting for someone to do something more and not sure why they were holding back. Maybe they knew something he didn't, but Moon was in trouble. He could tell from how desperately he was thrashing. He looked like a toy being held by a kid, and Gregory knew how easily toys could break.
Bucking up the courage, he ran right up to Jake's side.
"Stop! Let him go!" he yelled. Jake tried to reach out for him but he sidestepped to not be caught.
Bonnie looked down at him now and ground his jaw in irritation.
"You want him, kid? Why don't you come over her and get him?!"
"Gregory, don't! He's lying!" Moon yelled.
"The only liar here is you, Andrew! You've been playing us all!" Bonnie swung an endo arm out in front of Gregory, poised to strike. "LAST WARNING, get rid of that kid before I send him flying!"
Foxy suddenly ducked in, still with Marionette around the middle and half over his back, and pushed Gregory away from Bonnie.
"Lad, get out of here! Get back to the elevator!"
"But what about-?!"
"We'll get him!" Foxy promised.
He then proceeded to toss Marionette into Mike, who only barely and half caught each other, turned on his heel, and sprung into the amalgam of tangled limbs. Unlike Vanny, he easily climbed it, hooking onto whatever he could and crawling up toward Bonnie at the top. The burning and agony ignored through a mixture of concern for Moon, anger on Freddy's behalf, and spite.
Bonnie turned his attention on Foxy and made a grab for him too, which turned into a battle in and of itself as Foxy swiped at Bonnie and Bonnie tried to snare and shove him back. The two yelling at each other so loudly and with so much colorful language that it was impossible to get any word in edgewise.
Taking that as an opportunity for distraction, Marionette tore out of Mike's arms despite his efforts to hold him at bay, and sprung at the only opening he had. Up onto the ceiling and then down upon him.
It turned out however that Bonnie had been keeping an eye on him the entire time. Despite still shoving Moon to the wall and fighting back Foxy, giving no indication that he was paying attention. It was a split second shift, with Marionette pouncing down and Bonnie suddenly twisting his body and slinging his arm, bringing it down on the Puppet and knocking him on his back onto the mound.
Normally a blow like this wouldn't do much, but Marionette was quickly engulfed by the searing agony. The tangle of a body beneath had been one thing, but actual contact with Bonnie was so much worse. He struggled to keep his head clear but managed to grab that arm in a vice grip and started to wind his wires inside.
Bonnie gasped and started yanking back, "Get off! GET OFF!"
The mass rolled and Foxy, who was just about to swing for his broken open chest, was suddenly forced down through the amalgam before landing belly down on the floor, held down by the entirety of the broken dog body. Jake ran over to try and pull him loose. He managed to grab his hand and tugged with all his might while Foxy clawed with his hook, but he was too pinned to make much progress.
Marionette too was sucked down, oily wires sliding out of the busted bodies and wrapping him up. Each one hurt, but he pushed through, forcing his strings inside even as he was pulled down.
Bonnie looked like a frightened animal. The panic was etched all over his cracked face. Then he steeled his jaw and suddenly yanked his shoulder back.
His arm broke off without much resistance. The plates falling into pieces and Marionette's strings left tangled around the abandoned endo arm, leaving only a flood of the same dirtied wires hanging out of Bonnie's arm socket. Vanny screamed, and then Marionette was suddenly pulled down into the pile of bodies.
Now it was all over him, overwhelming and consuming him. The wires tight on his joints and sharp metal and plastic digging into his fabric. He fought against it, twisting and contorting his body, but it was like he was fighting against the ocean. Or a lake. The lake.
It felt like the Red Lake. Sucking him in. Swallowing him down. But this time there was no Yellow Bear, nobody casting the line to reel him back out.
Before he could entirely disappear into the chaos of noise and pain, he reached out desperately for something or someone to grab onto. Right when he was almost lost to it, someone grabbed back.
In one firm pull, with one foot up on a Monty and his whole weight into it, Mike managed to pull Marionette out from the mess. Freeing his arm and head from the slithering wires. Charlie joined him then and they reached into the wires, fighting through the burn to pull them off and pull him free.
Bonnie watched the scene with disgust and frustration but instead of stopping them he turned his attention towards Moon. He pointed at the hanging cluster of wires where his arm once was.
"I'm blaming you for this!"
"Lie in the grave you dug yourself!" Moon hissed.
"Oh yeah, real cute, Andy. You think of that yourself? Doubt it. You couldn't think your way through a freaking CROSSWORD PUZZLE unless Jake was feeding you letters! You snively little bast-."
In short, it was a disaster. Any semblance of control was quickly lost by everyone involved.
Gregory found himself obeying Foxy's previous order and running down the hallway, around the corner, and sprinting back towards the elevators. There was only one person who could stop this.
He ran into the elevator lobby and right up to Freddy.
"Freddy!" He dropped to his knees beside him and began to anxiously shake him. "Freddy, wake up! Come on, I know you can! Get up! I need your help!"
Freddy was still unresponsive. But Gregory believed he could hear him. Somewhere in there was Freddy, and he didn't need a battery to be alive. He could wake up. He had to.
He needed him to get up.
And every second he didn't Gregory lost more and more hope. Yet instead of giving up, he just shoved harder and even banged his fist on Freddy's chest. As though it would jumpstart his dead battery.
"FREDDY! Freddy, come on!" He frantically shook his heavy arm. "Fred- Dad! DAD! Get UP!"
As though that magical word would somehow reach him.
He tried everything he could. Every desperate cry and frantic shake, but Freddy still remained motionless.
"Freddy, wake UP! PLEASE! We need you!"
…
…
..
.
"Fr…"
"…ake up…"
"…need your help…"
He stirred within his own body. Everything feeling heavier than it ever had. He felt cold, frozen in place. There was no loading screen, no booting page, just a dark void.
"Dad! DAD!"
Was that…?
"Freddy, wake UP!"
It was Gregory. He sounded like he was right beside him.
"Grr… Gre-e-egorrry?"
"Freddy?! Freddy!"
Freddy forced his eyes to open and though they felt heavier, he slowly focused his vision. There was no bootup screen, no hud display issuing warnings, just clear vision.
He spotted Gregory out of the corner of his eye to the left and forced his head to turn. Everything was bizarrely heavy. As if he wasn't moving his own body but pulling everything on ropes leading it to cooperate.
Gregory's face lit up with a smile despite the glassy near-tears look in his eyes. He dove in to hug Freddy. It was a little awkward with the angle, but he didn't care.
Freddy struggled to lift his arm but managed to and laid a hand on his back. Or more so, dropped it on Gregory's back, causing the kid to grunt.
"Oh, sorry."
"Don't worry about it! I'm just glad you're okay!"
Freddy could tell something was wrong right away. Gregory wasn't usually so clingy- not that he minded getting a hug at all, but he seemed almost fearful.
What had happened? All he could remember was being in the elevator and now… where was he? He could hear distant yelling.
"Where is Bonnie…?" Freddy asked.
Gregory pulled away and pointed back at the hallway.
"He turned into a big monster, and he's got Moon and Foxy!"
"…What?!"
Now Freddy was entirely alert. Though his body was still lagging behind, sluggishly sitting up from the wall.
"Yeah, and they're all fighting right now!"
So, that explained the yelling, and the banging and clattering echoing down the hallway. It certainly sounded like a bunch of animatronics were fighting, but Bonnie? A monster?
Freddy started to push himself up more. "Take me there, if it is safe for you. If not, tell me where I must go."
"It's, uh… I'll be fine."
Gregory stepped back and let Freddy get up, noticing how much he was struggling. For Freddy it was as though his body weighed a true ton. Maybe it was a low battery, but there weren't any alerts. In fact, nothing at all still, and when he tried to run a diagnostic there was still nothing.
None of his electronic components seemed to be working. His body was functioning properly enough, but his scanner, his messaging system, all his internal systems that connected him to the Pizzaplex were entirely non-responsive. It didn't make any sense. It was almost like he was off, and yet here he was still able to move, though with some difficulty.
Gregory noticed him struggling to get up.
"What's wrong? Is it because your battery's low?"
"My battery… My battery is not low, Gregory. I believe it is entirely empty."
"What? Then how are you moving?!"
"I do not know…" Freddy couldn't understand it either. But seeing Gregory's concern, he tried to brush it off. "Consider it a second wind."
"Okay… Maybe… Maybe you shouldn't go. Not until we get you into a recharge station."
"No, I must. I must confront Bonnie. I will be fine, but please do not stand behind me. Just in case I fall."
"That's really assuring…"
"We will just need to take it one step at a time. Please, take me to them."
"Okay…"
Gregory began to lead him to the hallway, watching Freddy sort of shuffle and limp with a hand resting on his stomach. He started to wonder if he was making a mistake. A feeling of dread and protectiveness crept up, but there was no other options. Freddy was his only chance at saving Moon and Foxy and stopping Bonnie and Vanny once and for all.
Freddy got up with a dead battery. As far as Gregory was concerned, he could do anything.
But in the hallway, the situation continued to spiral out of control.
Mike was trying to hold back Marionette who was shaking off a sort of feverish delirium from the contact with the 'Agony'. He kept trying to pull free to throw himself back in almost mindlessly, but Mike held firm.
"Hey." Charlie caught his arm and attention. She held up her taser. "Think it's time for a controlled shock?"
Would that even work on something the size of Bonnie? Maybe if they hit the loose wiring.
"Worth a shot," Mike agreed. He reached for his taser where it was normally hooked to his…
Belt, which he wasn't wearing, and found no taser, which he also didn't bring.
He really hoped that wasn't a mistake that was going to cost them.
His quiet swear tipped off Charlie whose mask edged into a small, dry smile.
"I've got you covered," she said. "Stand back and hold him tight."
Mike did both and Charlie stepped ahead to approach the mound, nearly getting punched by flailing limbs undulating and gesticulating along with Bonnie's ranting. She stole a look up and Bonnie wasn't looking at her. The smeared oily substance on his cheek made it look like he was crying but only out of one eye. She wondered if it was true oil or some sort of ectoplasm like Marionette's were, or hers.
She steadied her nerves, stepped in, and drew back an arm to strike in between the bodies and into a thick coil of wires.
Only to have her wrist caught and yanked. She stumbled and spun around to find herself face to face with Vanny. She hadn't even heard her coming due to all the noise.
Vanny pulled again and before Charlie could balance on her pointed legs, she was kicked in the middle by a bunny foot shaped boot. She fell backwards right onto and over the endoskeleton torso and into the mound. The burn spread across her back and she could hear familiar, distorted music like a song stuck in her head.
Vanny gave her a sinister little wave before getting blindsided by Mike. She tried to shock him with the taser but hadn't gotten her thumb on the button all the way. They fought briefly before Mike got ahold of it and ripped it out of her hand as he shoved her back.
She stumbled but didn't fall. He waggled the taser at her mockingly.
Then had a mound of metal slam into his side so hard that it knocked him off his feet.
Bonnie had finally noticed, if the fact that he had crawled down his own tangled body to tackle Mike was any indication- shoving off Charlie into the barely standing Marionette in the process. Holding himself up with the extra arms, he grabbed Mike's ankle with his remaining original one and pulled him back to him.
Mike fought past the growing audio hallucinations and turned over on his back. He held the taser up in defense, but he knew he had no chance. Bonnie grinned at Mike's wide-eyed dread.
"Those things don't even work on me," he chided.
He grabbed ahold of Mike's shirt and hoisted him close. To which Mike suddenly shot his taser toting arm into the hole on his chest, to which Bonnie got a look of panic and slammed him back onto the tiled floor so hard that he felt it through his lungs. He could feel a Monty hand clawing at his leg and burning.
He looked up and saw-
He saw a grinning golden rabbit staring down at him. Broad teeth and a round head. Sunken human eyes staring out through the holes. Breathing heavily as it reached out and-
"BONNIE!"
The booming voice cut straight through it all.
Bonnie looked up with a start and his pupils shrunk as he saw none other than Glamrock Freddy standing there in the hallway, Gregory at his side. Neither looked pleased.
"Freddy!?" Foxy called in surprise.
Vanny took a few unsure steps back.
Moon gave an almost relieved, and somewhat bitter, chuckle at the sight of him.
Still holding Mike by the shirt, Bonnie yanked him to one side before firmly sliding him towards the other, to Charlie and Marionette. Marionette grabbing ahold of Mike while glaring at Bonnie, his crackling music picking up speed. Him refusing to break that glare as he patted Mike down to make sure he was unharmed.
"Freddy, this- this isn't what it looks like!" Bonnie fumbled out. He scrambled to pull himself back onto his mound of bodies. "We were just- uh… Okay, so, funny story-."
"Bonnie…" Freddy looked over the amalgam of bodies with growing horror. His eyes darting back and forth as he slowly climbed it, briefly darting to Foxy and Moon, and then to Bonnie himself. "What have you done…?!"
"This isn't what it looks like! These are all storage bodies! They weren't being used! This was just-." He noticed Freddy looking at Moon. He looked too and then pointed accusatorily. "He tried to kill me! And I have a history with this one here!" He pointed at Marionette.
"And you also have history with that one there!" Freddy accused, pointing at Vanny.
Vanny put her hands up as though Freddy was aiming a gun at her.
"Bonnie, how could you do this?! Chasing Gregory?! Trying to take him from us?!"
"Hey, I tried to get that kid to leave-!"
"And attacking your friends, our friends, and this?! This! Is this what you meant when you said you wanted a new body?!"
"No, no, no-!"
"I promised to help you, and you… I do not understand!" Freddy limped a little closer. Bonnie cringed as his wobbly gait. "Explain it to me! Explain this!"
"I… I can't!" Bonnie tossed up his arm with an exasperated smile. "The whole thing's kinda wrecked, Freddy!"
"Then tell me the truth! You lied to me, Bonnie. How much? How much of it was lies?!"
Bonnie opened his mouth and said nothing. He couldn't. He didn't know what to say, and that broke Freddy's heart even more.
He couldn't believe this. Here he had always saw Bonnie as his goofy but delightful friend who he almost lost forever, who he barely found alive, who he had a second chance to save and bring home.
But that wasn't true. None of it. Bonnie had been working on the other side the entire time and Freddy had just been a fool, blind to it like he had every horror in the Pizzaplex.
And yet every time Freddy found out the truth it hurt like the first time. Over and over again.
"You were my best friend…" Freddy said, his voice choked up.
Bonnie dropped his arm defeatedly. "Was?"
Freddy looked away and Bonnie did as well.
"Let Moon go," Freddy solemnly said.
Bonnie looked towards Moon. He was looking at Freddy but that mocking smile was always there. He knew that Moon was taking some joy out of this. He just knew how Andrew was. He hated seeing Freddy sad, but he was glad to see his enemies get their comeuppance, and he was now his enemy.
He had lost both of his best friends in one night.
…
But…
There was something Freddy didn't know.
Just as quickly that sadness turned to anger, and that anger led to a wicked grin showing through his eyes. Any relief Moon had was quickly washed away at that look.
"Yeah, Freddy. I'll let him go- but first!" Bonnie raised a finger, then slowly looked around at the group of onlookers. "I didn't mean for this to go so bad, right? You guys heard me. I wanted a one on one, with him."
He and Marionette shared a stare down that lasted a few seconds until Bonnie conceded.
"Anybody here know the difference between an accident and an on-purpose?"
"I do!" Vanny played along. She got right back into character, waving a hand.
"What are you getting at?" Moon hissed. The wires tightened roughly around him.
"I'm doing something, okay?" He glanced back at Moon with those brightly glowing eyes. "You'll thank me later."
That was when Moon realized something terrible was about to happen. Bonnie turned back to the others.
"An accident is like when you accidentally lock your car. Or you accidentally step on someone's foot. Or that time the girl at the concession stand accidentally put nacho cheese on our popcorn instead of butter. Remember that, Honeybunny?"
"Ugh, yes. How could I forget? That was so- ugh." Vanny gave a little shiver. "So, so, so, so slimy."
"But so, so, so good. Like, that's an on-purpose sort of good," Bonnie remarked. "But an accident. Or like the time Freddy accidentally nailed Foxy over here with a lazer shot to the eye. That right, Foxy?"
He pulled back the dog animatronic to free Foxy up a little, with the pirate quickly crawling out from under him, kicking the body off for good measure.
"Get off'a me!"
"Yeah, whatever. Bad example."
Bonnie tapped his cheek and then his eyes brightened with an idea.
"Oh, hey! I've got a better one!" Bonnie looked at Moon and bumped him as a nudge while gesturing elsewhere with his hand. "Or like that time Jake killed that technician."
All the oxygen could've been sucked out of the room.
A crash broke the silence and everyone looked to Jake. The control panel once under his arm now laying at his feet, his hands shaking as he stared up at Bonnie in shock.
Charlie's eyes widened as Bonnie's words sunk in. "Jake?!"
Jake looked to her, still shaking, sputtering out, "I-I didn't mean to! It was an accident, I didn't-!"
"It was her fault! She led him to the daycare! She made this happen!" Moon shouted, pointing accusatorily towards Vanny, who put her hands back up again.
"Uh huh, yeah. I guess I did. I did. I let it happen," Bonnie said. There was a somber remorse there, but it was brief. He turned to Moon again with a heated glare. "But you did something too, didn't you? And yours was on purpose..."
He grabbed him by the waist with his remaining real arm and swung him forward in front of him. His wires and extra limbs holding him despite his attempts to wiggle free, twisting him around. Moon didn't realize what he was doing until Bonnie released his waist and grabbed him by the side of the faceplate, forcing it up to look towards Freddy.
"So why don't you tell Freddy where you hid that body before you stuffed it down the elevator shaft?" Bonnie hissed.
Freddy's eyes widened in shock. "M-Moon?"
Moon was forced to stare back, unable to look away. Bonnie forcing him further forward.
"You look Freddy in the eyes and TELL HIM WHY HE'S ALIVE!"
He couldn't. He could just stare back, the guilt in his silence. Watching as Freddy's world crashed around him once more.
And it did.
"And THEN you tried blaming it on ME!" Bonnie snapped. He tightened his grip, causing Moon to gasp and twist in it. "But I am DONE. COVERING. For YOU TWO! Now they alllll get to see what you two are capable of! Here you go, Freddy! He's yours!"
In one awkward motion, Bonnie slung Moon with the various limbs and wires, tossing him forward. Freddy gasped and rushed forward to catch him, having the jester careen right into his arms.
But any relief was short lived. The effort must've jolted Freddy's battery to life just long enough to fill his screen with error messages. Warnings for a dangerously low battery flickered in his eyes as he felt a numbness spreading down his fingers and up his arms.
"Freddy?!" Gregory cried.
"Battery… low…" Freddy warned.
It was so much. So much to bear all at once.
His teetered back and his vision went black.
"Shutting doooowwwwwn…"
And with another deafening clatter, Freddy collapsed to the floor and his eyes lulled shut.
Moon, who had collapsed on top of him, shot up in a panic. Grabbing his head for points that weren't there. "FREDDY!"
"Freddy, no!" Gregory also cried.
"Oh, for the love of- Freddy!" Bonnie cried with exasperation. He gestured an arm in his direction. "Well, good. Now he won't have to see this shitshow."
Marionette rounded on him. Bonnie glared back.
"Yeah, that's right! What, you thought I was just going to let you off the hook because Freddy hates me?! He can get in line with the rest of you!" Bonnie shouted back. "It just- just means I've got nobody left except her!" Bonnie pointed towards Vanny. She waved. "And she's all in!" She nodded. "So, what the hell else do I've got left to live for?! What do I got to lose next?!"
He slammed his fist down on one of the upper torsos and there was a sickening crack. It wasn't immediately clear if it was from the torso or his own hand. His body was breaking down.
"N-Not long. Y-You can't keep up for-rever," Marionette cryptically forewarned. His voice still marred with static and twangs.
"Hey, forever and ever, BUDDY! Do you know who I am?!"
Bonnie spread his arm wide in mocking grandeur.
"I am the original! I was THE FIRST!"
He cackled almost hysterically.
"I ̷A̵M̷ ̶T̶H̵E̵ ̷ON̷E̴ ̷H̶E ̵S̴HOU̴L̴DN̶'T̴ ̶H̶A̷V̶E̵ ̷K̷I̵L̶LE̶D̵!"̴
His eyes glowed bright as he loomed over his onlookers.
"SO, OOON WITH THE SHOOOW!"