Chapter 12 available here
Gregory and Freddy were in this together. For four hours straight, they had defied all odds and survived. They would soon take the offense to Vanny. But first, they required answers, and repairing. As Freddy limped across the dark Atrium floor, Gregory was trying to rush him to make him go faster.
"Hurry up! We can't be seen by Roxy or Monty," Gregory ushered.
"We won't be seen. It is too dark for them to see us. Why the lights are still off, I do not know. Thankfully, everything else is in working order!" Freddy said.
It wasn't long before the duo made it to the Stage lift. Gregory pressed the button to go downward, and the lift began to sink once again, with electric whirring. The elevator made its way to Parts and Service. Then, Freddy and Gregory limped down the hallway. They reached the cylinder, so Freddy could collapse on the chair inside. Gregory walked up to the computer outside of the cylinder, which asked him for a repair.
"What procedure should I run?" Gregory asked.
"Do the Voicebox upgrade, and if there's an option for an Endoskeleton repair, do it," Freddy instructed from inside.
"Okay..." Gregory muttered. On the computer, there was an option for an Endoskeleton repair. However, it took up most of the hour, as Freddy predicted.
"This repair is gonna take about 40 minutes. It's 4:10 right now..." Gregory confirmed Freddy's fears.
"Well... it seems that we are going to have to cover some ground, even while I am out. Can you do me a favor and go to the Bonnie Bowl attraction while I am here? If all goes well, we should be reunited at 5:00," Freddy requested.
"Sure! Also, did you want me to give you the new voicebox now?" Gregory asked.
"Yes. There should be a depository on the back of the cylinder for new parts. Select a combo of the endoskeleton repair and the voicebox upgrade. Then, at 5:00, I will be ready to see you," Freddy confirmed.
"Okay. I'm going to give you the voicebox! Be ready," Gregory said as he just inputted the commands into the computer. The repairs began to start, and Gregory put the voicebox into a chute in the back. Then, he turned to leave Parts and Service.
"Gregory, wait!" Freddy exclaimed. Gregory turned around to look at the bear animatronic one last time before leaving.
"Yes?" he questioned.
"If you find any clue on what happened to Bonnie, tell me. Check the curtain at the bar," Freddy instructed.
"The curtain behind the bar? I will," Gregory confirmed. He ran out of the pair of double doors to go to the Lift.
"Oh..." Freddy sighed. He had lost Bonnie due to an unknown accident, and now he had lost Chica. Freddy knew his friends needed to be properly mourned. He remembered that Bonnie was reportedly last seen outside Monty Golf before going missing. But before they could investigate Monty Golf, they needed another Party Pass. Freddy would begin the search for one as soon as his repairs were over.
"So... it looks like I am the last of the original animatronics," Freddy sighed. He knew he was the last because he had a special purpose. The other animatronics were duds, like Monty and Roxy. But he was special because he was Michael Afton, who had a special mission to defeat his father. How either of them had come back, he knew not. But this needed to end. Fire was the only thing that could break the possession of an animatronic. And if his father was inside of a computer, Freddy guessed they found his old software and somehow utilized it, which corrupted not only them but the computer software. Thats when Freddy came to a realization.
"Wait... so Vanny was the one to bring back my father! She utilized his software, but he possessed her!" Freddy gasped.
If he could immediately end his father, Vanny could be restored to sanity and Monty and Roxy could as well! Freddy thought and thought of a plan. As he was being repaired by the machine, he had all the time in the world. He needed to figure out what happened to Bonnie, and he had to find Afton's stronghold.
"Where would Afton have a stronghold?" Freddy wondered. There were a variety of places he could be hidden. Back at Fazer Blast, he remembered a strange vent with some rabbit graffiti on the inside. There wasn't time to investigate it, but that could be one place. Another place was Roxy Raceway, an attraction that had been closed down for several months after some kind of sinkhole appeared.
"I believe we must investigate Roxy Raceway," Freddy muttered to himself. He had an entire world of possibilities in store for him...
~~~
Gregory was trying to creep through the Atrium. His next stop was Bonnie Bowl, an attraction based on the third floor. He knew that Vanny and the others found Freddy nearly forty minutes ago, but they were undoubtedly on the search for Gregory, because technically, they never found him with Freddy.
"Alright, I need to be careful..." Gregory whispered. He saw no sign of Vanny or Monty, but could spot Roxy in the distance. She was prowling around the middle of the Atrium floor. Roxy's blank eyes with her ajar mouth showed a mindlessly hungry abomination, on the search for her next meal.
"It's been a long time since I caught anyone! Where are you, Gregory?" Roxy called in a menacing tone. Thankfully, Gregory was already creeping up a set of escalators leading up to the third floor. However, when he reached the second floor, he noticed he was in some danger.
"What? You've got to be kidding me!" Gregory exclaimed. The Lobby elevators were blocked off by a multitude of patrolling STAFF Bots.
One of the elevators was taped off with some yellow tape. Gregory guessed it had to be the broken one. The other elevator was in working order, but severely vandalized. Rabbit graffiti and some red spots which appeared to be blood marked the inside. Gregory continued up the next set of escalators and ran down the third floor balcony to get to an attraction at the very end.
"This is Bonnie Bowl, huh?" Gregory wondered aloud. He gave the STAFF bot guard his paper slip, then continued to the elevator. There were two paper posters in the elevator, one on each wall. These were posters of Freddy singing to the audience.
When the elevator reached the top, Gregory stepped out of the lift. The walls were brick on the bottom and metal blue on the top. The floor was made up of red, black, and white tiles. In the middle of the entrance hall was a set of display cases. On the walls were many neon light decorations and paper posters. At the end of the hall was a roll up door.
"Okay, Freddy said to find the curtain by the bar. Hopefully I have enough time to investigate," Gregory said. As of right now, he had about half an hour to investigate Bonnie Bowl and look around.
Past the roll up door was an arcade room, with many game machines scattered across the sides and middle of the room. Through the maze of arcade games, Gregory found the bowling alley. The bowling alley had a beige marble floor. He ran along the many rows of bowling rows before he got to the other side of the attraction. With red and white tiles, and a bar and tables meant for eating, Gregory decided to look for a curtain.
"Wait, is that it?" he whispered to himself. At the end of the bar was a small round stage with a red curtain surrounding it. He pulled back the curtain, and saw a wood stage with a microphone. Behind the stage was a doorway and a short stairwell down to a concrete hallway with white brick walls. Gregory decided to contact Freddy on his FazWatch.
"Freddy! I found the stage. There's some kind of passageway behind," Gregory said.
"Really? I believe you should go down. Bonnie used to stay there, you know. His resting place could provide some clues as to where he went and what his intentions were," Freddy advised. Gregory hopped onto the stage and walked down the green metal stairs through the concrete floor hall. Then, to his right was a short hall with a red door at the end. In the middle of the hall was a gate, but it was unlocked. The tiles of the floor behind the gate were a metal white.
"There's a red door here. I think Bonnie's room is here," Gregory said.
"Go in," Freddy said with confidence. Gregory burst through the door to find a rusted, abandoned room. The layout was much like a room in Rockstar Row. On the left side of the room was a neon Bonnie light and a poster of Bonnie and Freddy with a message from Freddy that read, 'You and me together forever! -Freddy.' There was a desk in the corner that looked like Freddy's desk and mirror, but it was blue. The floor was rusted white and the walls were the same color. On top of the desk was a disabled computer and a VHS tape laying down. The label on the tape read, 'Where is Bonnie?'
"Freddy! There's some kind of a tape here. Should I watch it?" Gregory questioned.
"A VHS tape? I don't recall anything of the sort being found! This will give us everything we need."
~~~
Bonnie, Freddy, Chica, and Roxy just finished their last show of the day. This was one of the most successful months of the Pizzaplex's existence. Freddy was everyone's favorite, as his kind and gentle nature gave comfort. Chica loved food, and ensured herself and everyone else was well-fed. Bonnie was the relaxation animatronic. He dedicated his time to everyone's enjoyment. Roxy was the competition candidate, and she made sure the kids were ready to win. Together, they brought happiness to every kid and adult alike.
As the group of four were hanging out in Bonnie Bowl, they were greeted by another animatronic- Montgomery Gator. Montgomery Gator was a minor animatronic, like the Daycare Attendant. He was responsible for running Monty Golf, and he took his job very seriously. As he confronted the animatronics by the bar, he had a very serious expression on his face.
"Well, hello Monty! I see you are out of Monty Golf, up and about. You do not usually leave your comfort zone, so I commended you for doing so!" Freddy welcomed brightly.
The other animatronics weren't big fans of Monty, and were a little distant. Freddy, however, treated him with kindness, just like anyone else.
"I need to talk to Bonnie," Monty said grimly. Monty was not very friendly with the other animatronics, but his tone of voice was rather cold, even for him. Noting this, Bonnie raised his eyebrow in curiosity.
"Is something wrong?" he asked in a concerned voice. Immediately, Monty turned his gaze to the purple hare animatronic.
"I need to show you something. I found something you're not gonna like," Monty warned. Bonnie looked very offset but he followed the gator animatronic anyways, leaving his three dazed friends behind.
The footage cut straight to the elevator outside Monty Golf, which the two animatronics rushed in. Monty was shown to be in a hurry, while Bonnie appeared to grow more and more paranoid by the minute.
"Where are we going?" Bonnie demanded.
"I need your help," Monty gruffed. Then, the elevator closed and the footage cut away. Yet again, the footage switched to the catwalks in Monty Golf. There was a set of catwalks above the attraction. Monty and Bonnie were staring down below.
"You see all that?" Monty said mysteriously.
"...I do," Bonnie said in an irritated manner.
"Look behind you."
Bonnie was suddenly punched in the face by Monty. His casing broke, and his face was exposed.
"What was that?!" Bonnie demanded angrily.
"Look alive!" Vanny said. She had just dropped in from a nearby abandoned ride. The woman in the white rabbit suit pulled out a knife from her pocket.
"What?! WHO IS THIS?" Bonnie demanded. Vanny reached out toward Bonnie's face casing, pulling it off and exposing his endoskeleton. Vanny sliced a wire with her knife, which cut off all power to the animatronic. Bonnie collapsed to the ground with a metallic thud.
"Well... my master is going to LOVE this. Rabbit animatronic components for his restoration!" Vanny said happily.
"Well... that's my end of the bargain," Monty said sharply.
"Of course, Montgomery. You have certainly done well. With Bonnie now dead, we are going to have to get some kind of a replacement in the band. That'll be... you," Vanny promised.
"Ah... victory," Monty said smugly.
"Good job! Now, we need to make sure your friends don't remember ANY of this! I can wipe their memories if you need. But I will need your services in the future," Vanny continued.
"Really? With what?" Monty demanded.
"Now that I can begin construction on my Master's new physical body, I need remnant. Do you know what remnant IS, Montgomery?" Vanny giggled.
"No?" Monty replied dimly.
"Remnant is a substance derived from the soul. Very few people know of it. It can be used to bind souls to inanimate objects... like animatronics. We need children, Montgomery. Hunt them down, and I'll do the dirty work. And I'll need lots of Endoskeletons. This way, my Master can rise," Vanny explained.
"This is the murder of children we are talking about! Are you sure?!" Monty demanded.
"Trust me, you will be rewarded beyond your WILDEST dreams, when my Master returns. You have a lot to learn, Montgomery. Now, we need to carry Bonnie away. Follow me," Vanny assured. That's when the tape cut away to one final clip. Vanny was alone in the very room that the tape was made in.
"The parts did not work. Master is not pleased. But no matter! I still have more playmates..." Vanny cooed with a dose of insanity. In the corner of the room was the scrapped carcass of Bonnie. Most of casing was gone and many parts of his Endoskeleton were scattered across the room. This, is what had become of Bonnie the Bunny...
~~~
It took a really long time, but when the tape finished playing, Gregory was in utter shock. He had just witnessed the murder of an animatronic, the hatching of a plot to kill children, and the existence of a substance that supposedly made one immortal. Gregory was right- there were some demonic things going on indeed. For now, he had to focus on reaching Freddy.
"Freddy? Are you there?" Gregory called through his FazWatch.
"Of course, Superstar. What happened?" the bear animatronic asked gently.
"I watched the tape. It's disturbing, to say the least..." Gregory replied.
"What was in the tape?" Freddy asked innocently. Gregory spared no detail in explaining the tape, from Bonnie's murder, to Monty's motives, to the remnant, to the Endoskeletons being harvested, and to Bonnie's eventual fate. Freddy was surprised, to say the least.
"WHAT?! I cannot believe it! Monty killed Bonnie, and likely countless children, for a higher position in the band?!" Freddy ranted.
"It looks like he serves Vanny by choice, not by being corrupted like Roxy and Chica," Gregory said darkly.
"Well, we will have his head! Forget saving him, Monty needs to be decommissioned for good," Freddy growled with a vengeance.
"I agree. Now... what about the Endoskeletons? They've been harvested for remnant from dead children, from what I can tell. That certainly explains why there weren't very many back at the Warehouse," Gregory asked.
"They are lost to Vanny and her master. We can only prevent the murder of future children by killing her. For now, you should come back to Parts and Service. We have only twenty minutes before my repairs are complete, and the lights turn off," Freddy advised.
"Right," Gregory agreed. He walked out of the hidden room and back out to the food bar of Bonnie Bowl. However, before he could make a quiet exit, he was spotted.
"Huh?" Gregory said. Then, he noticed that the bar was surrounded by a group of Endoskeletons.
"There you are, Gregory! Time to die..." one of the Endos lowed.
"That's IMPOSSIBLE! How are you out of the Warehouse?" Gregory exclaimed out of surprise.
"What's going on?" Freddy asked through the FazWatch.
"Endos!" Gregory replied.
"Get out," Freddy whispered. Then, one Endoskeleton leaped over the counter, abandoning the eye contact rule.
In that moment, Gregory remembered the Fazer Blaster that he acquired. The Fazer Blaster, in his bag, was meant to make an animatronic malfunction. He yanked the gun out of his bag and fired it at the Endo. The flashing red lights hit the Endoskeleton in the face. His eyes rolled back and he clutched his eyes in pain.
"Ouch! System malfunctioning," the Endo roared.
While the Endoskeleton was doubled over in pain, Gregory ran behind the employee bar and attempted to ditch the Endoskeletons in hot pursuit of him. Immediately, metal clanking was heard echoing throughout the stadium.
"Are you doing alright?" Freddy asked.
"I'm almost out!" Gregory replied. He made it to one of the roll-up doors, which led to the entrance hallway to the elevator. Gregory dashed to the elevator and pressed the button to close it.
"NO! The boy is escaping!" one Endo exclaimed out of frustration. He dashed to the elevator, but by the time he made it, it was too late. The elevator closed and descended down to the Atrium. Gregory was safe for now.
