Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ennard knew he shouldn't have let him go. It was only for an hour, meeting at the Fazcafe with James Wight. They needed a voice actor for Sunny and Moony in their cartoon and after hearing Scott’s work in other cartoons he had done, they wanted to propose the idea and have him try out a few lines. It was daytime, there were workers moving in a bunch of equipment, and when Scott hung up the phone, he didn't even sound nervous. At least, no more nervous than he typically sounded.

Though both the clowns knew that something was up when one hour turned into two, which turned into three.

Scott had driven Michael over to the house before he left for the meeting, knowing Ennard would be as anxious as him over it and wanting him to have some sort of relief- or distraction- while he was gone. It was him who actually spoke up about his absence.

"Why don't you give him a ring? If he can't answer, I'm sure he'll decline it quickly and you'll know he's safe." Michael didn't trust the Pizzaplex, but he also doubted anything would occur at 2pm on a sunny Thursday afternoon during a scheduled meeting. Ennard agreed, leaning over the side of the couch the grab the phone and dialed the familiar number.

The phone rang. It rang and it rang, and it rang. Soon after that Scott's voice came on, chirping to leave a voicemail so he could get back to him as soon as he could. He quickly set the phone down, not wanting to accidentally spark it. They all gave each other a look, joints tight and the air was silent.

Something was wrong.

-

Meanwhile, at the Pizzaplex, Wight had approved Scott of being the perfect Sunny voice actor. In fact, when Scott wasn't confirming the position quick enough, he began to offer a few added Pizzaplex benefits on top of the money he would earn from the cartoon. Toys and trinkets, food court discounts, a free pass into the Daycare for his two nephews he should not have mentioned.

"I-I would really love to! Just... let me check on a few things. Uh, y'know, gotta make sure nobody... technically owns the rights to my voice?" He wasn't sure how believable of an excuse it was, but the other man was quick to schmooze along with it, reassuring him that even if he said no, he'd stay in contact. It didn’t come off as reassuring as it was meant to. Scott couldn't help the nervous sweating in his palms, swearing he could see the old owner of Fazbear Entertainment in his face... but Scott knew he was gone. He knew it was his paranoia seeing things, even if it was hard to believe it in the moment. He shook his head lightly, head pointed into his lap as he tried to stay calm.

Soon Wight excused himself, letting the other man leave on his own time. Scott pulled out his phone as he stood from the table, intending on calling Ennard and contemplating if he should get a little snoopy. Though he had a mild temptation, he couldn’t help but hope the clown wouldn’t latch onto the idea. He’d rather get home and out of this looming building, feeling a light headache starting. He assumed it was the neon lights.

However, he wasn't aware of the person listening in on their conversation, certain that he'd found the perfect fit. Scott didn't expect the surprise attack, phone flying from his hand and under the seat. Map Bot knew he was doing the right thing.

-

Sunny's fingers twitched lightly, right at the fingertips, dragging against the floor. His sun spikes twitched in and out, ever so slightly, just enough to show his sentience. A foot twitched with a small jingle, his leg jerked up into himself, his shoulders tensed. Freddy breathed out a mechanical sigh of relief, resting a hand on the Daycare Attendant's back, just above the hook of the jester lying face down on the ground.

It hadn't been instant. Freddy was glad that he was around, having just recharged minutes before. He'd be able to wait with the man for a while, offering him any sort of comfort as he came to.

Sunny let out a slight bit of static, pushing himself up on shaky arms before falling back to the ground in defeat. His eyes dimmed and then relightened, as if blinking, head twisting a few inches with a light creak.

The fatigue wore off the moment his eyes slid to the right- beneath the dome that was filled with light, leaving the change unnoticeable- and met the bear's bright gaze. He jumped up, doing half a flip with a choke of static and then landing heavily on his back. One hand was in front of him defensively, the other keeping his balance as he used his legs to push him backwards across the concrete floor. Freddy pushed himself into a half crouch, half standing position and reached a hand out towards the animatronic.

"It is okay, I will not hurt you." Freddy reassured from a distance. Sunny scrambled back into a pile of half-used paint cans, twisting unnaturally to find the source of the clatter before readjusting his course. Though it was now that he looked at his long fingers in front of his face, giving out half a laugh in a stunned manner. He flexed those long fingers lightly, gaze still heavily trained on the orange bear towering over him.

Freddy knew this wouldn't be the last time he'd be the face they would wake up to, he knew he needed to figure it out... but he felt so helpless. He stood up fully, lumbering down the hall towards the sun and scooping him up into one arm. Scott fought at him, pushing at his chest and hand, giving grunts of exertion- but his new limbs weren't anything compared to the strength of Freddy.

"Shhhh. I've got you." His eyes shone down onto that permanent smile, patting his forehead with two fingers as he would a child with a tight jaw. His face trying to give a reassuring smile through it all. Sunny calmed slightly, either out of weariness or acceptance, and his eyes grew dim as he fell into a shutdown state. He didn’t even fight it, his body going limp in the bear’s arms as his spikes turned in. Freddy gently carried him over towards the elevator in his room, humming the band’s theme song as they went up. He took the path out of his room and towards Roxy’s Parking entry, going through the gates and through the atrium to the set of elevators. Freddy let the second elevator take him to the lobby, sprinting into and around the Daycare and to the doors.

From here, Freddy let himself in. He glanced around the Daycare for a suitable spot to rest the animatronic, spotting the giant Freddy plush doll and resting him up against it, sitting back to watch him again. Freddy was concerned over the man but feeling more confident than he had in the past three days.

-

The only thing driving Ennard on at this point was sheer love. He'd pinned up large sheets of papers to the walls, blueprints to the different floors and sections scribbled out across them. He'd spent two nights looking for an entrance, finally finding one in the sewers- the last place he'd checked around the entire building. He cursed himself for not thinking to check if there were any hatches leading into the sewers previously... though it appeared they'd upgraded from a hatch panel to a stairwell at this joint. After finding his place of access, he spent the next few nights crawling through the vents and getting a good layout of the place. He'd scoured the basement, finding over a dozen endoskeletons. Refusing to let himself think Scottie could be in one of them. Or be in none of them...

He'd searched, avoiding a few main areas where a woman had been patrolling. He was surprised she never investigated the movement in the vents, sure she'd heard him at some point.

The laundry room felt like a maze... and that was where he'd found him, covered in a clean white sheet. Long past gone, colder than cold, but he still sent voltage through his body as though he could jumpstart his heart, pounding down on his chest with his large hands in an attempt to start up his heart again. Panic swelled as he felt Scott so lifeless, unresponsive beneath him. The horror wasn’t comparable to anything he’d been through.

Ennard couldn't describe the range of emotions that flooded him, he could hardly remember the few hours between then and his sudden realization he needed to leave before the place opened. He’d spent the time desperately trying to resuscitate him, only stopping when he thought he heard a crack. He’d sobered up immediately, unwilling to damage Scott’s body in his delusional attempts to get his human back. He remembered brushing a gentle hand down his face, wiping his hair out of his eyes. Staring at his face resting peacefully. At least his eyes were closed... maybe it hadn’t been painful. He made a mental note of where Scott's body was, not wanting to leave him to rot. He couldn't handle carrying him right now... and didn't want Baby and Michael to be jarred by him coming home with a body, even if it’s what they silently expected.

A bot had been dragged away from his body, down the hallway that he'd turned down to leave. It was shattered, a mangled mess, covered in blood. Blood… Ennard was quick to scoop up the bot hopefully, figuring it was the best chance of having picked up Scott's remnant. (Yes. This part is entirely inspired of Mable's lil thing about Ennard finding and fixing up Map Bot. Also, yes, Freddy beat the everliving daylights out of Map Bot. He’s a sweetheart, but he’s also protective.)

Michael was still over, not feeling safe enough to leave the amalgam at home. At this point it was clear that Scott was either dead or being held up somewhere. Neither of them tried stopping Ennard's search, wanting to help but neither of them had the flexibility that Ennard did.

"...is it him?" Baby asked, voice hollow.

"I'm not sure... if it's not... I found him. We- he's gone. We need to fix him." Ennard's voice was even more hollow, as lifeless as Scott’s corpse, with him not even having the energy to disguise his voice that warped on a middle line between his usual one and his true one. Just needing to figure this out. For Scott. Michael was quick to push himself off the couch and the two headed into the garage quickly, pulling out the tarp and getting out the tools. Baby feeling helpless, unsure of what she could even do... She sat there, the Baby cartoon playing through on mute... until the phone rang. She straightened, turning to it with eyes glowing green.

-

Sunny had been adjusting to his body quicker than Freddy had expected. He seemed to understand and grasp the concept of him being a robot right away, eager to try and teach himself how to control his body. He seemed to struggle the most with his balance, often forgetting to move his right foot to accompany whatever odd pose he tried, his body naturally settling into exaggerated stances that matched his character. Freddy had come in from a charging to Sunny sitting on the edge of his castle, staring in amazement as he rolled his foot around.

That wasn't to say that he'd taken it well. He put on a facade, but when Freddy would look back at the animatronic, he could see him clawing his fingers at his face, into the grooves of the moon. Feeling over the face he refused to acknowledge as his own, powering on with a single goal in mind.

His programming was strong. The more control of his body he gained, the stronger his programming took a hold on his mind- it appeared as if his mind hadn't fully merged with it when he possessed the body. Freddy wondered if that was common. He wouldn’t know.

Once he became in tune with his internal clock, Freddy knew that there was more to come. He'd been thinking that perhaps the Daycare Attendant's programming had faded when he'd become possessed, but it didn't appear so. He'd never forget that shocked movement after Scott had turned to him right before the hour and spoken his first words, staticky and broken, but still there. "Nighty ni-iiiight~" After that, he'd followed Freddy out of the Daycare and towards the charging station outside of the Daycare. Freddy wished he had had a warning of what was to come.

The lights in the daycare hadn't been shut off, not the ones connected to the generators, so Sunny hadn't ever had a full on transition in the way his programming ripped any control he had away from him once they'd stepped out of those bright generator lights. He let out a broken shriek, amplified to the max volume his voice could reach, feeling as if he was losing his body and soul. Clawing Freddy's arm desperately, who was panicking and unsure of how to help him through this, turning up the brightness in his eyes but it didn’t stave off the transition. He fell to the ground, pounding his fist against lightly it before falling still, fist resting on the cold floor. His sunspokes turned all the way in, his usual eyelights dimming and the bright red LED lights beneath them shining through. A laugh left him as Freddy left Scott with an apology and hustled to the charging station. The Moon approached the hole in the front, reaching a hand in and patting the top of his head, to the side of the melded on hat.

Freddy sat in the pod for a few moments as the Daycare Attendant went off, more agile in this form than he'd ever been as Sunny. Freddy didn't know if that should've scared him. It certainly didn’t ease him.

After that moment, Scott felt compelled to check in on the other animatronics. He didn't know if it was his programming itching this worry into his brain. It was like a drug- after that first time, it was much harder to ignore that compulsion to roam. Not that he would've had a choice once one of the technicians noticed the generator lights were on and shut them back off, threatening to fire whoever had turned them on. Scott couldn't cost someone their job.

He grew familiar with the softplay tunnels, the weird comfort of fitting in a tight place and the sense of joy that rushed over him every time he gave into his 'childish desires.' He didn't much like being in his room, not when it was so messy, and he was stuck with the endless loop of organized and clean. He learned how he liked to keep his daycare, craving children to come around so he could cater to them and let his programming shine through. He dreamed of hearing their squeals of excitement, to watch their feet bounce across the cushioned floor, to feel their hands grabbing at him and urging him to follow along and fuel their fantasies. He wouldn't even mind cleaning up after them! He was content in his routine. Not happy, but content.

He grew quick with his tuck ins, earning a couple extra minutes that his programming left for him to get back to his daycare and using it to explore the Pizzaplex instead. Though he never would risk being late, unsure if it was a compulsion tied to his organized regime or just his lingering fear. He knew humans had a way of forcing animatronics to bend to their will... hmm. It felt odd being the one to refer to humans as if he weren't one. Something in his head burned with a crippling pain that had him clutching his spokes desperately, a nearly maniacal laughter tearing from his chest as he waited for the pain to fade.

Between that and the shocking, it took his mind back to his clowns. He felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt- how hadn't he thought of them before?! Was the programming numbing his mind that much? Now his thoughts obsessively swirled around his clowns, his found family, yearning to be by their sides. Perhaps this desire outweighed his desire to pander to the children. The two came from separate places of his heart, leaving them incomparable. He missed them.

Sunny wasn't a rulebreaker! He really wasn't, and he didn't want to be banned from the Daycare himself. He was clever in the way he called down his cord- which he'd only figured out to call down hours before and was proud of himself for that- and looped it around the phone, dragging it to the edge of the counter and tipping it off, all while keeping every inch of his metal on the outside of the security area. It caught on the cord, clattering against the side of the desk, and he tugged the rope to bring it closer to him. Keeping a careful eye on the edge of the floor, the split between office and daycare, he typed in the first few numbers and-

There was a booming voice. "What are you doing?!" Freddy rushed through the door and over to the jester, who was cross legged next to the tipped phone. He looked down at the phone, then back up, silently explaining himself. "...and can you talk?" He... hadn't got that far. He wasn't able to force out words that weren't programmed into him, and even then, it was difficult. As though multiple voices were calling to his name at once, and his throat closed up when he wasn't sure how to achieve a single one. Freddy made a grabbing motion with his hand, to which Scott handed over the phone dejectedly before typing in the familiar number, which was harder to recall than it would've been if he were human. He also pressed the button to put the phone on speaker. His inability to speak didn’t mean he couldn’t hear their familiar voices.

Freddy sat next to Sunny, who looked towards the phone with a tilted head as the phone rang. Once, twice, and then it was picked up. There was a prolonged silence on both sides for a few long moments.

"Uh... hello?" Freddy asked into the phone, unsure of what else to say. Where would he even begin?! There was a click signaling that the phone had been hung up. Scott huffed with static as Freddy carefully tapped the phone to redial.

The phone rung longer this time before they both heard that same click, Scott straightening in surprise, glancing to the phone hopefully. Whoever was on the line still stayed silent.

"Ahem. I'm Freddy Fazbear!-" The phone got hung up again. Sunny let out a frustrated cry, pressing the redial button himself and yanking the phone from Freddy, who gave a sheepish shrug. His spikes jittered angrily, the fingers that rested on the floor to keep him balanced forming a fist. The phone was picked up almost immediately this time, and Freddy leaned over the Daycare Attendant to speak into the phone in a firm tone. The tone he might use to reprimand a disobedient child. "Don't hang up. He's going to try to speak."

Sunny held the phone close to his chest, speaker letting out a large amount of static as he tried to force the sound to shape into words, a soft whine appearing at the bottom of his voice the longer he struggled, feeling the pressure. As if this was his one chance to keep his connection with his clowns. But then...

"...Scott?" The voice whispered into the phone. It was Baby. He nodded, clutching the phone tighter to his chest with slight giggles- they knew it was him. Maybe they could take him home! A weird vice tightened around him at that. He loved home, he wanted to be home, with his clowns, with his cats…. but he also loved his daycare. He wondered if that was the programming talking. His fingers loosened, rubbing against the soft padding of the floor as Freddy spoke up.

"Uhm, he can't really talk just yet. But he's nodding." He recognized the soft gasp that came from the other side of the line, the faint sound of wheels rolling as she burst into the garage. "Ennard!" She called sharply, his head snapping up from their work and onto her. She looked down on the robot they were working on and quietly added. "...if Scott's on the phone, then what’s this thing?"

"Scott's on the phone?!" Ennard leapt over the robot, nearly tackling Baby for the phone and shoving it to his 'ear' with a clatter. "Scott?! Scottie, can ya hear me?!" Ennard could hear the static as Scott tried desperately to form words. Just Ennard, just a few sounds, please. Voice, please, just his name. "csssssttsss Ehh.. eshhhkt." Sunny let out a frustrated cry, tossing the phone at Freddy so his hands could dig into his spike mechanism. His spikes were flared, pointed all the way out and unmoving, and his eyes were dimmer than usual. He pulled his legs up to push his face into his knees with a whimper.

"He's... he's trying. I don't know why his voice is giving him so many problems. Maybe he doesn't know which one to use." Freddy explained. "He's right here and can hear you... I didn't know his name was Scott. I've been calling him Sunny." Ennard had no idea what more than half of that meant, but he didn't care. While there was a voice that reminded him this could be a trap, a lie, he couldn’t help but feel hopeful. "...ah! You probably are confused. He's got a new body... but it's still him! Mostly..."

"Oh, trust me! I know alllllll about what's going on here. Alrighty, here's the deal: I should be over there in maybe... fifteen minutes. Thirty tops. You guys are at that blasted Pizzaplex, right?" "Yes, we are at my Pi-" "Great! Haha, I'll see ya there... there better not be any funny business going on here. I'm not afraid of you." Ennard showed he wasn't as carefree with what was going on as he portrayed with that threat before he hung up the phone. Sunny tensed at that. How could Sunny prove himself to Ennard?

Sunny hopped up, hooking himself to his cord and skipping along the floor towards his stage. He wasn't used to this, yet he still jumped up and felt the cord tightening, bringing him up into the air. One hand scrambled backwards to tighten on the fabric with a last second fear, the other hand reaching out in front of him as he visualized his movement, legs seemingly walking through the air. He'd timed it well, shuffling his feet downwards the slightest bit before feeling them both touch the ground. He gave a little hop onto his toes in place, letting his hook let go of the rope before dipping back behind the curtain.

Meanwhile, a sheepish Ennard called the number back, awkwardly asking where in the Pizzaplex they were. Freddy rattled off the directions from the main lobby, letting him know that he would meet him at the door to open it and to not be alarmed. "And if... you come directly on the hour, or minutes from it, be gracious. We recharge every hour, on the hour."

He glanced up towards Sunny's room curiously, setting the phone down once the person on the other side had disconnected. He could hear the light static from here. "Sunny? Are you doing okay?" Sunny's head popped out, stared at Freddy for a few moments, and then an arm popped out to give him a thumbs up. He dipped back behind the curtain to do... whatever he was doing. Probably obsessive cleaning.

Freddy sunk into his thoughts. Sunny was his friend, his pal, and he wanted the best for him. He was so happy that he'd get to reunite with those he loved. A pain scraped at the inside of his plates, gutting the space inside left for oversized birthday cakes... he knew Sunny couldn't go home with them.

Minutes later, he heard the lithe body crashing into the ballpit with a giggle, long arm held high with a piece of paper to keep it from getting ruined. Sunny skipped out of the ballpit, under the bridge and towards the slumped animatronic. He proudly presented his creation, still damp with the glitter glue. There were three similar sized beings, looking as if a child had drawn it. Done in crayon with glitter glue smeared over parts of it, including the party hat and skirt. He'd glued a pair of googly eyes to each person as well, and even stuck a few painted macaronis around it. There were a few spots where it looked like they might have fallen off.

On the left was some guy who looked to be in a gray jumpsuit, with a red nose and a party hat. On the right was a princess-looking girl with pigtails and rosy cheeks. In the middle was a guy with brown hair and sun spikes around his head... he assumed this one was meant to be Scott.

"Great idea! You're showing them that you know who they are before even seeing them!" Freddy praised, lightly patting Sunny on the head. Sunny let out soft static, trying to say something again but unable to get the words out, straining his voice box. "Just in time too, we should go wait for him!... or I should go wait for him. Sorry." Sunny huffed, dramatically falling backwards to sit and wait. Oddly enough, his body was contorted, legs folded above his head as he laid his front to the ground and rested his cheek against the padded floor. "...I'll be back, Supersun."

He sent one last glance towards the artwork before he headed for the door. It was nice to see Scott starting to accept his programmed urges.

Freddy walked up the stairs, skirting around a single cleaning bot as he headed up through the gate, avoiding the little chairs. He tapped his clawed foot as he waited for the gate to open, tediously slow, annoyed that they felt the need for such high security on their innocent Daycare Attendant. Anything monstrous that may now be inside of him was their doing, why must they punish him for it? Once it rose high enough, he ducked his head down to walk beneath it, continuing on his way through towards the other end of the hallway. God was merciful, as instead of another gate, the main entrance to the Daycare was a set of double doors. Freddy walked through them, closing them behind him and crossing his arms as he waited.

It was a few more minutes of scanning before he heard the scraping, jumping slightly as his eyes moved everywhere quickly, trying desperately to source the noise. He heard it coming up the stairs, unable to see the person. That was, until a clown face peaked around the stairs, scanning the area and seeing Freddy's feet, looking up slowly to meet Freddy's eyes with his heterochromic set. He'd been hunched in a crouch up the stairs- he must've been pretty stealthy if he'd been able to get to the stairs undetected by his bright eyelights.

But that wasn't what surprised Freddy. What surprised Freddy was that this clown was clearly an animatronic, or some sort of endoskeleton, standing up to full height at the top of the stairs. Well, close to full height, as he stood in a defensive crouch. He appeared closer to Sunny's height than his own, though Sunny's posture was kept to keep him looking shorter, smaller, and Freddy wondered which of the two would end up being taller. He seemed a lighter colour than most endoskeletons he saw. Strangely enough, he wore a human's coat over his wires.

Freddy gave a friendly wave, as if he wouldn't have seen him. "Ah. That makes sense!" Freddy commented as he took in the broken-looking clown. Said clown tilted his head in questioning. "Sunny didn't even seem confused to wake up in his body. Scared, but not confused. I would've imagined it would be jarring. It makes sense that you're an animatronic!"

Ennard said nothing to that, wires tightening in a slight glare. He didn't like the way this bear spoke of his human boyfriend like he knew him, and he didn't trust this bear for a second. For all he knew, the bear was the one who took his human away from him. His hands were prepared to shock, ready to be led into a trap.

But he wasn't, he realized as the bear awkwardly opened the door and gestured for the clown to go inside. He kept his gaze on the bear... for the most part. He noticed an odd pod sitting up against the back of the brick wall, as well as a couple of bathroom doors and a sign pointing towards a painted-looking garage door. "Y'know, for a daycare, this doesn't seem very... inviting." Ennard commented, keeping himself a half a step behind Freddy.

"When the doors are all opened, that's when it's a place of beauty... I would imagine. Never been down here during the day. Other places feel more welcoming when they're open!" Freddy responded cheerfully. Ennard was unenthused, especially when realizing that meant they were locking Scott away. He nearly said something on it too, but the door opened when the pair came closer to it.

Now this looked more like a daycare. So many bright colors, as well as a slide down into a ballpit. Tiny tables were set up with between two and four chairs around each one, there were cubbies for the kiddos to put their things, and bouncy music was softly playing in the background despite how late it was. Freddy beckoned him with a hand, pointing down towards the play area where Sunny resided. Ennard peered around for a few moments, seeing a yellow animatronic sitting in the middle of the floor hugging his knees, bopping his spiked head back and forth, lost in his own world. Sunny. Ennard realized with a start that this was who Freddy claimed was Scott. If he were human, his heart would've started racing and sweat would be dripping down his face at what Scott had become.

"I don't think he can see us from up here." Freddy explained, moving a paw as he spoke. Ennard noticed that his mouth moved in sync with his words, which he found rather impressive. If it wasn’t programmed in, the bear took a lot of pride in his role. "I've waved from here before and he hasn't seen me. He doesn't do parties, he's meant to tend to the children in the Daycare. He wouldn't have a need to be anywhere else... which is why he cannot leave the facility. Not as Sunny. I'm... unsure if he can even see the exit."

Ennard abruptly stopped at that. He cannot leave. He cannot leave. He'd seen what programming could do to an animatronic, with Baby and the saferoom at her old pizzeria... but Ennard refused to believe there wasn't a way. He was much too optimistic, he’d come to far and gotten a taste of having Scott back. He couldn’t just listen to this unknown bear. He didn’t know his motivations.

"...if there was a way to break his programming, perhaps. Even if you managed to smuggle him out, he'd be back within an hour... I don't know if he knows. Don't bring it up. He's too excited to see you to ruin that now. He needs this." Freddy continued, stopping and turning around to look back at the clown. "...what's your name?"

"Ennard." He replied curtly, dipping his head down and walking forward. Freddy couldn't understand where this passive aggressiveness was coming from; wouldn't he be thankful for all Freddy had done to help Scott adjust? Freddy trotted back behind the clown, who was swiftly approaching the stairs and waited at the door for Freddy to catch up. "Just be warned. I won't go down without a fight." He said with false cheer. Freddy gave him a weird look.

"Fighting is prohibited in the Mega Pizzaplex. Please, do not try to fight anybody." He said before gripping a door handle with each hand, swinging the doors open. Ennard felt stuck in place, as if the tall play structure was caving in towards the door. It felt like a nightmare.

Chapter Text

Ennard hesitantly stepped inside, apprehension hanging on his shoulders as he got a better look at the place. He glanced over the large structures that he knew he shouldn’t want to race through. Thinking about how much fun could be had in this place.

…this was before he got rushed at. He was taken by surprise as the sun animatronic barreled at him, looping its long arms around his neck and swinging them both around with a few giggles, up on his toes before they left the ground for a few moments. His hands trailed down Ennard's arms, fluidly taking his wrists and leading him backwards with a skip in his step to where he had been sitting before. He let Ennard's hands drop, bending down with both hands poised at his sides before grabbing the paper and swinging back up, thrusting the page at his chest. Ennard looked at it cautiously.

It was clearly fresh, and it was them. Their family. There wasn't a way this had been done by Scott when he was alive, the glitter glue appeared to be in that malleable state between wet and dry and he knew Scott had been gone too long for that. His worries melted away as he realized this was Scott, between the way he wrapped his hands around his arm in a familiar way and rubbed his cheek against his shoulder, paired with the drawing he held in his hand; he had no doubt. "Oh my Go-oood Gravy..."

Ennard turned to hug Sunny tightly. "Scott!~ It is you! Oh my gosh, you have no idea- I'm just so glad you're okay." He stopped himself short. He had no idea what turmoil Scott might have been through during his time here, he realized, but he knew Scott would understand the pain of someone disappearing without a trace. "...well, you're around. You're here. I've still got you, that's all that matters." He corrected as he tried to tuck his head beneath his own, maneuvering his chin between two of the spikes and unable to rest his wires against the actual top of his head. Nothing said he was truly okay.

Freddy noticed now that Sunny was shorter than he'd given him credit for, coming up to the middle of his face being level with Ennard's chin when he wasn't rolled up onto his toes. He let them have their moment in silence, leaning back against the edge of the door with his arms crossed. Viewing the moment sweetly, with a slight pang of sadness. Both at how sad he knew Sunny would be at not being able to stick with him... and with that lingering jealousy, almost feeling replaced. Though Freddy knew it was ridiculous, as if anything he had been the replacement... was that why the clown didn't seem to like him much? Was he afraid Freddy had stolen his buddy? Or, with the way Sunny was hanging off of him and giggling with glee, his more-than-a-buddy?

It was clear through their interactions how close they were. Not just physically, though Scott wasn’t shy to curl himself into Ennard’s warm wires and comforting embrace. They seemed to communicate to each other through their body language, picking up the subtle hints that nobody else would be close enough to catch. Ennard rubbed at Sunny’s lithe arm, reassuring him through touches alone that he was here, he didn’t mind his new body, they would be okay. All the things Ennard wished he could say, wished he could scoop Scott into his lap and reassure through every whisper… but it felt inappropriate with somebody watching over his shoulder. He kept the more sentimental words silent. Ennard’s presence alone was reassuring, a familiarity amongst this vast new world he’d been forced into. While Freddy was sweet, he couldn’t compare to his clown.

Within a few minutes, Scott was rambling.

Not through words, but through static. Comfortable enough in the presence of his lover and the one who’d walked him through the steps of relearning his body to let himself try. He tried forcing words out, any word he could, even just a sound. Ennard could very faintly hear a difference in the pitch between excited and angry static. "Don't try to force it, Scottie. It's a lot more mental than physical. Don't strain yourself. It won’t be immediate." He directed softly, to which Scott fell backwards with his hands over his face, exasperated. He'd already had to go through the process of relearning to live once before, it didn't feel fair to ask him to do it again.

Both animatronics looked towards him sympathetically, resting in silence once more. Silence aside from the peppy tune still playing in the background. Ennard leaned backwards, whispering towards the bear animatronic. "Is that always playing?" He asked. The bear nodded. "Is Scott controlling it?" This time, Freddy shrugged before shaking his head. He didn't think so, unless the speaker controls were up in his room.

Sunny's wires tightened as he felt something crawling under his skin metal, feeling every second ticking on. The animatronic sitting beside him noticed this, raising a metaphorical eyebrow. "...Scott? You okay?"

The lights dimmed. No, he couldn't let Ennard see this side of him! He gripped his sun spikes, which were trying to fold back into his head as he held them out, shaking his head violently. His fingers grew weak, losing his hold and he grasped at his cheeks, rolling over onto his knees and looking up at the ceiling.

Scott called out through a broken voice, desperately pleading with the universe to spare him. "L-lllights onnn! Lie-Li,Ghts ON!!” The voice felt familiar, funny familiar. Not too close to Scott's, and not quite Ennard's either. It sent chills down Ennard's spine, who then had to listen to an unearthly shrieking. His sunspikes spun into his head, falling forward on the padded flooring as he gave dry sobs. Ennard had seen Scott at some low points, yet he'd never seen him so inconsolable, leaving his hand hovered in the air above Scott. Unsure if his touch would be welcomed in such distress.

In place of his bright eyes, red LEDs shined through, and half of his face had dimmed into nothing. The Daycare was kept so bright that he'd not even realized Sunny was glowing until he saw him without it. He rolled over onto his back, hands reaching beneath the small skirt to tug at his pants. As this had become routine, he had the bottoms pulled out past the ribbons around his ankles in seconds and the bottoms were discarded. A nightcap had been tucked into his poufy pants as well, which fell out as he flung the pants and was pulled over his head eagerly.

His head spun around to meet Ennard's yellow and blue ones. "Gooo-oodniiiiight~" He gave a menacing laugh, voice slightly deeper than the one calling out about the lights.

Moon's body spun around as he pounced at Ennard, a hand- now glowing just enough to become blue- clasped around his forearm, and midpounce, he managed to land back on his feet. The amalgam didn't expect such a lanky body to be as strong as he was. Ennard still could've easily overpowered him, but he pushed himself up and followed along with the animatronic in confusion.

Freddy was gone, Ennard realized with a start as they passed through the door, still being led along quickly as if he were a child. He gave another laugh. "It's pa-a-a-ast your bedtime, best go off to sle-eep." Moon cooed as he was led over the barrier and out of the Daycare. That sentence rang through his head, oddly familiar and feeling inclined to listen.

"Which is why he cannot leave the facility. Not as Sunny." Freddy’s words came back to him in that moment. Ennard had overlooked it earlier, but now he understood, if just the slightest bit. The terrified reaction as his programming ripped him away from what he wanted to do... but hadn't Freddy said Sunny was under programming...? Was Scott not the only one in there?

Ennard was dragged past the pod- where Moon stopped to boop Freddy's nose and praise him for being a good bear who went to bed on time- and down that hallway, in which he kicked open the doors and rushed Ennard into the elevator. They didn't have much time.

Once the two were in the elevator and Moon had pressed the button to go up, he separated from Ennard, dropping down and contorting his body like a spider.

"...okay, Scott, what in the actual..." It all felt familiar, almost as if he were trying to emulate Ennard. He wondered if this was a response similar to his attachment to Michael's voice after his own 'accident.' Moon just responded with another maniacal 'goodnight~', twisting his body around in time with the music. Scratch that- Ennard would never own up to being connected with something so unnecessary and freakish. It was almost hilarious to think that this could be his soft-spoken lover... if not for the thought that this behavior was struck up against his will. That quieted down any amusement.

Once the elevator had stopped and the doors on the opposite side opened, Moony scuttled his way out of the elevator, moving much quicker than he had been before. Ennard started to follow, only getting as far as the large map standing between him and the escalators before Scott jumped up, doing a flip mid-air and landing on his feet, slamming a vertical hand down on top of a flat hand. He then pointed towards the floor and held up a hand in front of him.

"I guess I'll wait here then. Heh, not like I'm intruding or anything!" Moon didn't seem to catch the obvious sarcasm, folding back down into his crabby stance and rushing towards the left side. Ennard waited at the map while Moony checked on Chica at the hallway recharge station, petting her beak lightly, and heading down towards Roxy in the charging station in her Raceway. He simply gave her a thumbs up, telling her to have sweet dreams and was quickly out of there. He flipped himself over the barriers, bounding out of the garage doors and across the atrium, having little regard for having jumped over an escalator in one leap. He didn't have the time for this.

He ran with his hands in front of him, these agile movements coming much easier to him in this state than his Sunny one. Just as his voice did, as though his soul had melded more with his Moonlike programming. He refused to think about that, pushing that thought aside. Programming pushing all thoughts aside, other than the constant timer ticking down, heavy in his heart as it pounded through his brain. His hands caught one of the stairs of the escalator, pushing himself upwards and flipping midair, landing on his feet again and bounding towards the last charging station around. He patted Monty's large alligator snout, telling him goodnight before flipping backwards into his scuttle form and racing off towards Ennard again.

Ennard was surprised at how the jester came from the opposite side he'd left, but he hardly had time for that as Moon grabbed his wrist, all but dragging him down the escalator in front of them. "I-It's past your bEDtime~" The raspy voice reminded, leading him towards the "Roxy Raceway" sign but dipping through Parking into Rockstar Row. He knew there was an empty pod for Ennard to recharge in there...

It was only as he ushered him through Freddy's room that he had that voice whispering that Ennard didn't need this. He didn't need the recharge... but that voice was shoved aside. Moony needed to put him to bed.

"Hey, woah, woah! I'm not getting in that thing!" Ennard dipped out of the way with his hands raised, giving Scott an incredulous look. He could see the lightning bolt and knew exactly what that signaled.

"Nau-aughty bo-oy, it's past your BEDTIME!” Moon called out. Ennard knew not to mess around with programming, knowing that Scott wouldn't have any capacity to fight against it. He shoved Moony into the pile of boxes on the right, tearing his way out of there the room and back into Rockstar Row. He could already hear the other clown getting up with an angry giggling, tearing his way back through Parking, sliding under the garage door again. Ennard could be speedy when the situation called for it, which he showed as he ran back through the Atrium. There were too many escalators around here, and he spent a few precious seconds scanning the large room.

Scott's eyelights faded in and out a few times, as if he were blinking. Being shoved by the amalgam was the last thing he'd expected, and it tripped him up more than he'd admit to. He pushed himself back up to his feet, testing his balance with a few hops as he gave a chuckle, preparing to race back after him again.

He couldn't believe that Ennard had gotten physical. Didn't he see that he was just trying to help him? Scott needed every second he could get, he couldn't let him fade as he would if he didn't go to bed! He couldn't spend his time with rulebreakers!

He didn't have much time, he shuddered as he felt every precious second tick away, pounding in the center of his chest. He sped up, sliding from his feet to his knees to slide under the garage door, then bounding back on his feet again as he ducked under the second door and into the Atrium. His eyes quickly spotted the movement across the way, narrowing in on it and gliding across the floor towards Ennard.

Ennard swore under his breath as he peered back after ascending the escalator, still moving and tripping over a stroller and knocking it upside down, pulling his foot back. Surprised at how clumsy the action had felt. "rrRRGh... cl-cl-clean up, cLEAN UP!" Moon cried out, flipping himself up the escalator. Ennard knew he wouldn't make it into the elevator at this rate, yet he still tried. He wasn't sure if there was another way back to the daycare, back to the lights. That was what they needed, wasn't it?... was there a way to get the lights on around here?

But Moon pounced at the stroller he'd knocked over, letting out another pre-recorded laugh as he flipped it around the right way. Oddly taking his time, pushing it back into its place with precision. Ennard slid into the elevator and spammed the button, the doors closing and the music returning, drowning out any sounds he might hear. He didn't like how loud it was.

Scott straightened up the two strollers quickly, nodding to himself and giving a staticky groan, running over to the elevator Ennard had gone in and prying open the doors. All that remained was the elevator shaft... he supposed he could work with that.

"Damn, I don't think I handled that the best." Ennard admitted to himself, hunched over with his hands on his knees like he'd run a marathon. He reminded himself that he didn't know Scott's capabilities- hell, Scott probably didn't know his own capabilities- and that he couldn't risk having to hurt Scott... or making Scott live with hurting him. "Besides, something weird is going on here. Is this animatronic MADE to be more than one, or what...? It seems like that's the case. Unless he's figured out some loophole. Is he dealing with jumbled programming, or what?"

If anyone could understand dealing with jumbled programming, it was Ennard.

The elevator music signaled that the ride was almost complete, and Ennard turned around, ready to bolt out of the way and towards the Daycare again. The elevator doors began to slide open...

There was Moon, poised between the stairs and the double doors, contorted again into his spider-like pose and tilting his head towards Ennard almost playfully. It was all rather sinister- why would someone make this thing for tiny children?! Ennard took a step back, spamming the elevator button, which did nothing as the doors weren't fully opened yet. "No no no, who even designed this stupid thing?!"

"BAd ccccchildren mu-ust be fOUuund." Moon taunted, pushing himself upwards with a giggle and landing back on his feet. Freddy slammed the double doors open, Ennard slinked back in the corner of the elevator, and Moony's feet were preparing to launch him towards that opening.

The lights were blinding. They flooded the room, burning even Ennard's eyes for a moment. That was nothing compared to the reaction that Scott gave, folding backwards as he clutched his chest, shrieking. His hands moved to his face, gripping at the sides so tightly his joints must've hurt, grip failing and one of his hands tugged that nightcap right off his head with a jingle before he fell to the ground, nearly lifeless, exhausted from the episode. His eyes had faded dimly and- much to Freddy's dismay- his sunspikes didn't pop out. This night had taken more of a toll on him than Freddy could have ever expected.

Ennard's relief faded the moment he saw the bear rushing towards the dim Daycare Attendant, kneeling beside him and gently pulling him into his arms. There was a level of concern that he hadn't held when Scott had first transitioned.

"...is he okay? Is that normal?" Ennard asked, cautiously stepping out of the elevator and towards the bear.

"If you mean the Moon thing, yes. Every hour on the hour. He cannot control it. If you mean this, no." Freddy couldn't help his frustration with the clown. Sunny had begun making peace with this side of his programming, learning to embrace it and let himself follow his coded desires. All until this clown showed up, and while he was glad that Sunny had a familiar face... how could he be okay with this clown being the root of it all?

He knew that it probably wasn't his fault. After all, he'd grown to know Sunny as well- he let things hide. He didn't want to burden others with his turmoil, hiding it away behind his repetitive music and that phony smile melded on his face... but with how much trust he had in the amalgam, being the first person that Sunny turned to and trusted in such a vulnerable position as being in a new, clumsy body... he hadn't expected such a response.

Or was it that Ennard had done something? He'd expected Moon to guide him to a charging station, but perhaps he refused. Perhaps Ennard didn't need recharging, as odd as that sounded to Freddy. Sunny couldn't articulate an explanation in any form, even if he could rattle off the natural words easier in his darker state. Freddy wanted to see the good in this clown, he had to for his buddy's sake, so he blinked before pulling Sunny closer to his chest and beginning to walk back down the Daycare lobby. Jerking his head to silently beckon the clown to follow.

"...he only seemed to get this disoriented after getting his first taste of this side of his programming. He won't be around for a while, he's exhausted... were you scared of him? He's a friendly fellow, he won't hurt you."

"...I understand how irresistible programming can be, how hard it can get to fight. I wasn't going to risk it... if something did happen, Scott wouldn't be happy. And I care about saving my own skin too... hah."

The tension was mutual. Their eyes met and strangely relaxed a bit of of that awkwardness as Freddy gave a light shrug, waiting for the door to go up before walking towards the slide entrance.

"You shouldn't be here past six. He won't be awake again for at least a few hours, I can promise you... but stay in touch! And... I'm sorry we started things off with a rocky base."

"...be honest with me, did you do this to him?" Ennard asked. Not that he expected the bear to be honest.

"What?! No, no, never. I would never hurt him! He's my buddy!" Freddy sighed softly, looking down at his body. He was so limp, so peacefully quiet, and it hurt him to see him like this. "...it was a map bot. They look like a cleaning bot- you've had to have seen one or two of them around, there's one right over there- with a yellow chest."

"...so, uh, was the bot... put out of commission?" Ennard asked sheepishly. Freddy nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Earlier today... I've been sneaking around this place. Looking for him, for Scottie. I... found him. There was that bot near him, and I thought... he was covered in his blood." Ennard let out angrily as he realized what he’d truly stumbled across, wires tingling in horror.

"Scott's killer is in my garage... right now. That's... I can't even- I cradled it! I thought... if he were to have attached to anything, it might have been that guy... I swear, I'm gonna tear that thing apart, piece by piece, burning every piece IND-VUDUAL-L-LLLY as I-" Ennard only caught himself as he could feel his body preparing to reject wires, unsure how to contain this unbridled rage and horror. His wires tightened so far in on themselves that his whole body ached. This was the last place he wanted to come undone. He clenched his teeth tightly together. He shuddered as he wound his wires back in again, unwilling to unravel and leave himself vulnerable. Here of all places.

Freddy reached out and patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I don't like violence... but I don't care if it's alive or not. He killed him, forced him into a body he probably didn't want... he threw away any mercy he might've deserved with that."

Ennard paused for a moment. "You... didn't put him in there?" Freddy shook his head. "I found them wrapped up together in the laundry room... it was clear what was happening. I... settled his body the best I could and got that thing away from him. I didn't put him in Sunny."

Ennard nodded. That was odd- was this calculated? He prayed that he wasn't involved. "I swear, if that man-child survives being manhandled into a lake... I won't even think about it. Can't manifest that."

Ennard's hand gently traced over the line across Sunny's forehead, the shape of his crescent moon. His voice was solemn. "I love you, and I'll be back soon. I promise." He couldn't stand to leave, he wanted to hide in that ballpit and stay with Scott... but he knew that wasn't safe. If not for the likely possibility of him getting caught, if not for him possibly causing another episode like that, then for the fact that he still wasn't very comfortable around children. Left unknown was that the daycare currently wasn't open, not like the rest of the Pizzaplex was.

As soon as Ennard drew his hand back, Freddy knelt beside the slide and gently pushed the Daycare Attendant's limp body down, hearing it splash into the ballpit below. Freddy clapped a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be fine, he can hold his own. I'm sure you've seen how fast he is!" Freddy reminded. "...I'll try to call you after the Mega Pizzaplex closes. You go take care of that thing. Get back to your princess and let her know Sunny is okay."

Ennard snorted at that. "If she heard ya callin' her a princess, she wouldn't be very happy!... and thank you. For all you've done for him." It hurt, not being the one who was there for Scott. Who saved Scott. He wouldn’t ignore what the bear had done for them both, no matter how badly he wanted to. Freddy gave him a thumbs up, waving him off as Ennard departed from the lobby.

"He's got a way of getting into people's hearts. We can't help but be protective." Freddy thought as he glanced back towards the ballpit. He wished he'd taken the time to walk him down there now, laying him to rest. He knew Sunny hung out in there quite a bit... but something felt wrong about leaving him in a ballpit. Not that Freddy was in a position to retrieve him- he'd crush all the balls!

He sat there for a few more minutes, listening to the silence. Realizing with a start that the peppy background music had ceased playing. He supposed Sunny did have something to do with it. He patted the inside of the slide as he stood up with a grunt, starting a slow trot towards the starry garage door, glancing back one more time at the well-lit daycare.

"What was I meant to do? Tuck him in in one of the slides? I am not permitted to enter his room... that giant Freddy bear. Of course." He heard the door close behind him as he continued off towards Rockstar Row, peering into each of his bandmates' rooms and seeing them all empty. They must've been prowling around their attractions again, he brushed it off, going through his door.

Freddy looked into the room that was made to be a cage: he was just a doll in their dollhouse. He looked into the mirror, parting his jaw from his mouth in a 'smile' before shaking his head and heading towards his soft couch in the corner, burying his face into the armrest.

Feeling as though he was losing his new friend. "That's ridiculous!" He said out loud to himself.

…but was it?

-

Michael and Baby weren't expecting Ennard back so soon. They both popped up as they heard the door open. Ennard came in alone, and if that wasn't the first red flag, then it was how defeated he looked.

Baby pushed herself off the floor quickly, skating around the armchair and towards him. "Was he not there? I don't understand, I thought he was... out in the garage..." Baby's voice was soft as she buried the panic attempting to bubble out of her chest. Her stomach twisted in knots.

Michael had stood from the couch, facing the clown silently. Ennard sent a look at the garage door before turning to meet the bunny's gaze.

"...is there anything we should salvage out of that bot?" Ennard's voice didn't have the usual jovial tone to it, as though any happiness he had felt was drained out. It was even more depressing to hear than it had been before. His lover had been ripped out of his grasp, was being locked away from him behind the orange netting of the Daycare. He’d give anything to have one last cohesive moment with him. While he knew he’d be going back tomorrow, he couldn’t help that worry that something would happen.

A heavy guilt weighed down on his chest. Was this the constant worry he would always leave Scott with? Unsure of what could happen to the erratic clown, worried every moment spent together would be his last. He refused to believe that they were level with each other, even while something whispered that they weren’t for a whole other reason: Scott couldn’t control his current circumstances. He didn’t have a grip on reality. Hell, he doubted he could tell where Scott began, and Sunny’s programming ended. Or Moon’s…

"Is that your way of telling us it isn't Scott, then?" Michael said as a non-answer. He'd expected Ennard to agree to that but hadn't expected the bombshell dropped on him.

"No. That bot... it's, heh, Scott's killer. At least, that's what I was told... the orange Freddy beat him up." Ennard answered, the slightest bit of life coming back to his voice towards the end. It was a little funny, picturing the spunky Freddy he'd seen beating up what appeared to be an innocent, defenseless robot. "...excuse me?"

"You heard what I said. Yeah... I saw him. Scott, or the robot he's in now. I don't know what the deal is yet, it's pretty weird. He's just... he's got a lot of programming. I don't know how much of it was programming, but at one point I think he was trying to attack me? I have no clue. He's this weird... like, he's adorable! He's a little jester, how he got such a great body I do not know... but I think he's two animatronics? A sun and a moon, or something like that. He was talking as the moon, but not as the sun. The moon guy was a bit of a lunatic though. Like we say, it’s always the weird ones." It might’ve been denial. The Afton siblings listened on to him speak of the circumstances to casually, staying silent as they couldn’t bear to unmask his pain.

Ennard patted at his pockets, finding and pulling out the picture Scott had handed him. He unfolded it carefully, the glitter glue trying to stick the sides together and the macaronis slid off the paper and onto the floor with a light clatter. "...and he gave me this. Somebody pretending to be Scott wouldn't have done something like this."

Baby took the picture. It was a child-like drawing, with a form that looked vaguely like Ennard holding the hand of a man who had sun rays coming out from behind his head. Beside Scott- at least, based on Ennard's comments she assumed it was Scott- was her. She stared at the picture for a few moments before handing it off to Michael, who took a look at it and nodded.

"I agree, this is beyond what a faker would know, I'm sure." Michael said as he handed it back to Ennard, who set it on the nightstand next to the couch.

"There was this orange Freddy guy too. Honestly thought he was the culprit for a while. Still don't fully trust him, but Scottie didn't seem scared of him at all... he promised to stay in touch. The 'Daycare Attendant's' programming is strong, and Freddy said that he wouldn't really be able to leave... but he's in there. I got to hug him, to hold him. I know he's in there... we'll figure this out. One step at a time. Maybe we could even get you guys in there! He lives in this daycare place, it's really cute. I'm sure the kids love him."

"...I miss him. I just want him to come home. This isn't fair." Baby whispered, rolling out towards the garage door. "You can't really be intending on salvaging any of that thing, you can't be that dumb... I mean, you can, I’ve seen you be that dumb. We can't risk that." She chastised, opening the door and heading out. She raised her claw, looking at it glint in the garage light. She didn't intend to leave the boys with an option either way. She felt spiteful, wanting to spit poison everywhere. As though others feeling her pain would make it easier for her. "Don't lose your cool. You're not the only one ticked off. You're not alone in this. They need you- Scott needs you."

Baby was protective over those she loved, so similar to her funtime brother in that area. She felt so helpless, as though she couldn't do anything for Scott. It was a feeling she was familiar with, even when he was a human. She couldn't be there in the way Ennard was: if he was crying, he would give her a gentle smile and tell her everything was okay. If Ennard was around him crying, he’d bury Scott’s face in his chest and let the man weep.

He was so comforting, so loving, and something just took that away from her, from them. After all the work they had put in rebuilding their lives. It wasn't okay, she wouldn't accept it. She couldn’t. He was the one who showed them that living like this didn't have to be so bad. It wasn't a second death sentence, it didn't have to be filled with pain and torment. They needed to keep their heads about this, if not for themselves then for Scott. Baby didn't want him to have to go through what they had to go through.

Scott was the one who let her into his home, who gave her another chance, even when she certainly hadn’t deserved it. He wasn’t one to judge, albeit the slight surprise she’d catch in his eyes. He’d been relaxing around her, less afraid to let her see his emotions and pain, beginning to trust her on a deeper level. They were a family, one whose bond had been slowly creeping closer, like vines had been dragging them together. None of them got there through pleasant circumstances, none of them had intended for life to work out in this way. Yet it had, and none of them would’ve traded that for the world. It wasn’t traditional, but it was comfortable and perfect in their own way. She never wanted it to change.

But now it did, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Ennard walked in behind her, noticing the way her claw and fist clenched tightly, glaring down at the destroyed bot on the garage floor with disgust. It took everything in her not to lash out, to tear that head back off the body, to smash in whatever she could with her skates, to gauge the eyes out with her clawed fingers. He rested a hand on her shoulder, feeling her light jump and her head swiveled back to look at him. He guided her backwards, resting his chin on his shoulder and wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "We'll get through this, Babydoll. We're all in this together." He reminded with a slight hum beneath his voice. His voice cracked.

She was tense, but she didn't deny the comfort. Her sharp fingers clasped around his arm. "We'll figure this out, just as we always do. Scott will just look the part of our ringleader now, haha!" His voice didn't hold the humour his words did, but he was trying. Baby couldn't fault him for that. She turned in his grasp, not enough to fully hug him back, but enough for her fingers to slide up and hold his arm instead.

She wasn’t alone. Scott wasn’t the only one who held faith in her. Maybe she just needed to hold that same faith for him, return the favor. She internally thanked Ennard for that reminder.

Michael slid in behind the two, kneeling beside the map bot and silently picking up the tools. He didn't do these sappy emotions- not that Baby was too keen on them either. He wouldn't admit to how hard this felt on him as well. He felt a lot of guilt in the way he'd treated Scott, taking his anger out on the man as he was an easier target than his father. It was so easy to see him as an extension of his father, and Scott never had the nerve to fight back. Despite having so many negative interactions, fueled by an angsty teen’s emotions, Scott still welcomed him into his home. There was an awkward tension, but he couldn’t help the thought that it was less than deserved.

Michael shook his head, getting to work on taking apart the bot. He didn't even care if it was sentient. There wasn't anybody in his life he was missing, nobody who might get a pass in their behaviour from him. Not everyone deserved a second chance, even if his youngest brother seemed to think so... Hmm...

Ennard was an affectionate guy, so it was a surprise how quickly he let the other clown go, kneeling back down beside Michael to silently resume their job. "...Hey Ben? How updated are the others on the situation?" Michael asked, not looking up from his task. Ennard gave a dramatic groan, tossing his tools down and looking like he was about to stand up to go to the phone. "Nothing about today. They know he's gone... they just don't know I found him."

"It would be smart to get them involved. At least so they're aware..." Ennard nodded, standing up. Baby rolled over behind him and pushed down on his shoulder. "You get that thing taken care of and out of here. I don't want to be around it any longer." She hissed, turning to leave the garage. Ennard assumed this was her way of telling him she'd handle the call, so he just shrugged at Michael, getting back down on his knees and staring at the bot.

Ennard was correct in his assumption. Baby rolled out of the garage and into Scott's office. Nothing had been touched, everything kept in its place. Papers were strewn about in a way that Scott understood, notes scrawled along the edges of some of them and others being clean sheets of printed paper. She looked to the numbers pinned on the pinboard- she knew Charlie's by heart, but she choked as she ran her fingertips over familiar handwriting. Realizing she may never see words be written in such a way again. "Even if he's still Scott, nothing will be the same, will it?" Her heart sunk and her eyes burned.

-

Listlessly floating. This is what the Daycare Attendant was doing. His thoughts swirled aimlessly about frivolous things: cupcakes and princess gowns and children drawing with their new sets of sharpened crayons. The scent of a broken crayon- not that he broke any, as he wasn’t a rulebreaker. He had no idea how long he sat there, floating amongst the balls in the ballpit.

A hand reached out, cupping one of the colorful balls in his palm and feeling over its familiar shape. He rolled a foot, letting out a sharp giggle as he heard the sound of the balls hitting each other. He felt at peace, floating in the vast space of the attendant’s equivalent to a pool, feeling nothing. No worries, no obsessive fears, just connecting with himself for a few moments.

It couldn’t last, though. Sunny shifted, turning himself around to lay on his belly atop the balls, spreading out his arms. Those eyes flashed back in his memory. Full of fear, despair- what could have caused such a reaction?

Ennard.

All at once, Sunny was flailing in the ballpit, righting himself as he sprung up from the child’s quicksand. Was the clown okay?! Panic overwhelmed him as he realized what he may have done. Had he chased him away for good? He flailed through the balls, peering up over the rainbow pit and out into his empty daycare as his shoulders slumped. Half expecting to see a comically oversized clown hunched over one of the children’s tables, playing cards with an equally oversized bear hunched in the second chair.

He rested himself back against the balls, the gears in his chest tightening and releasing as if a heaving sigh. His foot rested at the bottom of the ballpit, his other foot hooked behind his ankle, arms out in the sea of colors.

Sunny checked into his internal clock, finding it to be after six but before the doors opened to the public at nine. Something deep inside of him turned, twisting the animatronic to bend to its will. He let out a peal of laughter, sounding of forced glee as the dread slipped in. He hated mornings. They would always disappoint.

Still, fighting this programming was an unnecessary battle that he wouldn’t win regardless, and nobody got hurt as a result of his failure to quiet the urges. He sprung up from the ballpit, pulling himself over the indented foam walls of his ‘castle’ and launching himself through the Daycare, stumbling over himself gracefully. He righted a few chairs, built up a stack of drums that had fallen over at some point and tossed a few stray balls back into the pit in one solid movement.

He leapt into the air above the ballpit after skipping a single beat, breathlessly gasping softly as he felt his weight drop down against the hook as it continued to carry him up to his room. He spun over the stage, rolling over the edge and dropping to the floor with a halt. He let out static, laying there for a few moments, metal now stiff and sore.

Sunny worked to push himself up, rubbing the back of a hand over the grooves of his face. His eyes were half-lidded, briefly jarred out of the programmed motions and he tried to recollect himself. Scott let his body take over the motions again as his lithe arms pushed him back to his feet, and he bounced over to the faux vanity he had set up in his room.

His room was quite nice for being so thrown together. A metal shelf was pushed into the right corner of the back wall. A folding table was to the left of it, wet wipes, a Sunny doll and acrylic paint supplies set up neatly on the surface and a garbage bin beneath the table. On the wall hung a small oval mirror, yellow construction paper cut out and taped around it to form a sun. There were plenty of storage items hidden away in this backroom as well, organized on the shelves and stacked in front of the extra shelf and folding tables. Large foam blocks were stacked against the walls and familiar balls were scattered around up here as well.

Through the hole on the left side of the stage was his sleeping area. He used the term lightly, as he never felt rested after his brief periods of ‘sleep’. He’d always be up within the hour. Unable to shut down when in Daycare mode, and unable to shut down when he had to scour the Pizzaplex for naughty children. A somewhat busted arcade machine sat across from the pile of pillows he used as a bed. Hung up on the opposite wall was merchandise. This includes a Sunny-sized Glamrock Freddy onesie that he’d never put to use. A few boxes were stacked with an assortment of random trinkets and knick-knacks he’d sort through eventually.

Not now though! Not when the children would be waiting on him! Yeah right-. He had to clean up for them, he couldn’t let them see him so dirty! Dirty, dirty, dirty. Children could be so dirty. He had to keep clean, to keep the children from getting sick! Dirty, dirty. He rubbed a wet wipe furiously at his face, using the tip of his finger to scrape it between the grooves. The wet wipe struggled to pick up much of the caked dust.

“Oh, o-ooh!~ P-rrrfct!” He trilled out, wiping his fingers with the other side of the wet wipe before trailing them over his face. Now he looked ready for the kiddos!

Sunny tossed the wipe in the garbage bin before launching himself up towards the railing of his stage, flipping himself over it and sliding down off the stage. He landed atop the green play structure in a crouch, hands grasping into the holes to steady his balance. Having fulfilled his internal desires, Scott felt ripples of stimulation across his plates, shuddering heavily. He remained crouched in that position, left with the immense disappointment that there wouldn’t be children come opening. He hated mornings.

He looked out around the Daycare, at the play structure that was built with the purpose of tiny bodies crashing through, so full of life and innocence and spreading that bubbling happiness that Sunny wanted nothing more than to replicate in himself. He needed that.

Instead, his Daycare was barren, devoid of any happiness that wasn’t rooted in deep programming. It lacked the life that the bouncy music portrayed, that he so desperately wanted. Something that struck deep inside as he realized this desire went further than the implanted ones he wistfully dreamed of. No, this was a true yearning for another human life. His gaze dropped to his synthetic hand tightened on the green plastic, wishing for something that would wash away this loneliness.

His eyes quickly darted up towards the door, locking on something. He already regretted that statement.