Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You’re invited!

Fazbear Entertainment would like to invite you to the grand reopening of Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex. Freddy and his friends are preparing for the party of the year with games, food, music, and more fun than you could possibly handle. There will be special performances by the Galmrock band, dancing from Ballora the Ballerina, and a special guest who will grace the stage to join in the rock and roll merriment.

Other events include crafts with everyone’s favorite Daycare Attendant Sun, shadow puppet shows and bedtime stories from everyone’s other favorite Daycare Attendant Moon, a dance party with DJ Musicman, a grand golfing tournament with Montgomery, and a special treasure hunt with Captain Foxy and his crew!

All ages are invited, and the party will be ongoing for three whole days. Guests will receive special limited edition merchandise and the chances to win prizes from raffles, arcade games, and more!

Don’t miss out! Freddy’s waiting...

July 26-28, 2024 at Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizzaplex.

Chapter Text

Bonnie stared.

Natty’s wrath had been legendary when she’d found out what had happened to all the clothes she’d made. It had nearly spoiled her emotional reunion with Freddy and Bonnie, and it had actually scared the two, to be honest.

But as Freddy and Bonnie had quaked and trembled in fear in the face of her wrath, Natty had made decision.

“I’ll make more,” she’d said in a deep and angry voice. “I’ll make more, and they’ll be even better...”

Which led to now, three days later.

There were multiple boxes of outfits that Natty had literally carted in using one of the Fazcarts in the pizzaplex. Shirts, vests, pants, ties, hats, socks, stockings, and more were spilling out onto the floor, more than enough to fill Bonnie’s closet again.

“Natty...” Bonnie said in shock. “You made... all this? In three days? How?!”

But when he looked at her, he got his answer. Natty was sipping from a paper coffee cup, hand shaking as she did so. Her eyes were rimmed with red and shadows from lack of sleep. Her long hair, normally elegantly styled, was disheveled, and her clothes were askew.

“Hard work,” Natty finally said. “Lots of it. I wanted to get it all done so that you would have something nice to wear for the re-opening. All of you.”

“You made clothes for the others too?” Bonnie asked. “How much sleep did you get?”

Natty didn’t respond as she took a long and noisy sip from her coffee cup.

“Ok, come here,” Bonnie said as he reached for Natty.

Natty tried to dodge away, but Bonnie caught her and picked her up bridal style. Natty squirmed and tried to get free, but Bonnie held her tightly and carried her over to the sofa in the corner.

“Lie down and take a nap,” Bonnie said as he placed a Bonnie patterned blanket over her. “I’m going to put all this stuff away while you do so, and then I’m gonna call someone to take you home. You should not be driving right now.”

“Bonnie, I’m fine,” Natty protested.

“Nope!” Bonnie shook his finger at her and then handed her a Bonnie plush. “Not listening. Sleep now. If you try to get up, I’ll tie you down. Don’t think I won’t.”

Natty huffed and glared at him, but she took the plush and crossed her arms. Bonnie went back to the boxes to start putting his new clothes into his closet. After finishing the first box, he checked on Natty.

She was fast asleep, the plush tucked under her arm.

Chapter Text

Eclipse nervously tapped his fingers together.

They’d told him this would be the final test before he would be able to officially become a Daycare Attendant. Out of all the tests, this one was the most nerve-wracking.

The daycare was dark except for the nightlights on the walls. A small child stood in front of Eclipse. She stared up at him, and the angle made the neon stars on the walls reflect in her eyes.

She tilted her head and clutched her Moon plush tighter.

“Hello,” Eclipse finally decided to speak. “My name is Eclipse. What’s your name?”

The little girl continued to stare.

After a few minutes, she moved closer and reached out to grab Eclipse’s red and yellow pant leg.

“Sun,” she said.

She let go and then grabbed the blue and starry pant leg.

“Moon,” she said.

She then grabbed both at the same time.

“Eclipse?” She asked.

It took Eclipse a moment to understand what she meant.

“That’s right,” he beamed. “You’re so smart. There are Sun and Moon, but I’m someone different. I’m like their big brother. Do you have a big brother?”

The little girl shook her head, still curiously looking at Eclipse. She circled him, touched his hands and legs, and even sniffed him. She tilted her head at him from side to side and then... she smiled.

“Molly,” she said, pointing at herself.

She turned around and gave a thumbs up to where Jean had been silently watching. Eclipse heaved a sigh of relief and slowly fell to the ground, causing Molly to giggle at him.

Chapter Text

The crowd cheered as the Glamrocks’ song ended. Roxanne tossed her hair and smiled, stepping back slightly to let Freddy take center stage. Cosmo twirled their tail, stepping back as well. Chica clapped excitedly, and Monty and Bonnie were sharing knowing looks, grinning at what was about to happen.

“If anyone remembers, the invitation mentioned a special guest,” Freddy said into his microphone. “We had found out that this special guest has been wanting to perform on this stage for a very long time. So tonight... we are going to give him his wish and bring him out to perform a special song with us. This person is a cherished member of our family, and is someone that a lot of you know very well. Directly from the Superstar Daycare, please welcome Sun!”

The crowd went wild as Sun skipped out onto the stage. He looked a little different from his usual self. Instead of his usual jester-like outfit, he wore something more in line with the Glamrocks. His poofy pants had been traded out with tighter red ones that were decorated with patches patterned with clouds. He wore a red and yellow long sleeved mesh shirt and bright yellow boots. His iconic bells were still tied around his wrists, and his face was painted. A red bursting sun circled his left eye, and a star and moon were painted under his right one.

“Hello, everyone!” Sun spoke into Freddy’s microphone. “It’s so wonderful to be out here tonight! I’m so excited to perform for you all!”

The crowd once again cheered loudly.

“But you cannot perform without an instrument,” Freddy said. “So we had one made for you.”

Sun froze as Chica carried an electric guitar onto the stage. The guitar was absolutely beautiful. The body was red with an artful yellow sun and swirls painted over the entire front. The neck was red as well, and the tuning pegs were in the shape of the bells that hung from Sun’s wrists.

Sun took the guitar with shaking hands, and he knew he would be crying tears if he could.

“It’s beautiful,” he said into the microphone. “I’ll treasure this forever!”

And then to add to his emotions, the crowd began to cheer his name. Sun slid the strap of the guitar over his shoulders and tested a few notes. The guitar sounded out loud and clear.

“Now let’s see if you remember the song we taught you,” Freddy smiled widely.

The others got into position and turned their attention to Sun, waiting for him to start the song.

“Let’s gooooo!” Sun shouted, dexterous fingers playing a riff and beginning the song.

Chapter Text

Chica and Yumi’s reunion was very emotional.

Chica scooped Yumi up into her arms while Yumi hugged her and cried. Chica would have cried too if she could produce tears. Instead, she nuzzled Yumi with her beak and rubbed her back as she held her.

“It’s ok,” Chica said softly. “I’m here now. I’m here and nothing’s going to take me away from you again. I swear.”

“I’m sorry,” Yumi sobbed. “I walked away. I left you. M-Maybe if I had stayed I could have-”

“Don’t go thinking like that,” Chica said. “He would have killed us all with or without you there. Tiffany might have stayed, but the only reason why Sun and Moon survived was because of Eclipse. It’s weird, though. He’s been here all this time and nobody knew about him.”

She fell silent and took some time to once again nuzzle Yumi’s hair and purr softly at her, machine rumbling in her chest along with the noises she was making.

“I was so upset when I’d heard,” Yumi said softly. “I put three holes in a wall. I wanted to come over here and hurt Max for what he’d done. I wanted to... but Mr. Watkins convinced me not to.”

“Wise man,” Chica said. “You would’ve taken over whatever jail the police sent you to afterwards. Started a few riots, probably.”

Yumi chuckled softly. After a few minutes, she relaxed and put her feet back on the ground. She still didn’t want to let go, though. Chica’s touch was very warm, and she’d never experienced any maternal affection like this before.

They had plenty of time...

As for Cosmo, their handler would not be returning.

“Alex has chosen to go back home to their home state,” Mr. Watkins had told them. “They are a bit... traumatized over what has happened here, and I do not blame them. I will find you another handler.”

But Cosmo had been worried about Lauren, so she’d come back to see them.

“Are you ok?” Cosmo asked as they fussed over her. “Have you been taking care of yourself? Getting enough sleep? Staying hydrated? Taking your medication if you do take any?”

Lauren huffed in amusement.

“I’m fine,” she said. “And yes, I’ve been taking care of myself. I also have good news. Mr. Watkins decided to keep me on as an employee here, so we’ll be seeing more of each other in Parts and Services.”

“That is wonderful news!” Cosmo smiled and clapped their hands. “I’m so happy for you! I remember you saying that you wanted to work under Mr. Watkins. Don’t worry a bit, Owen and Jean are both very nice. They’ll teach you everything you need to know.”

“I know,” Lauren beamed. “I’m excited. And... I also wanted to thank you. You did help me a lot when I was working here before.”

“And you repaired me,” Cosmo said. “Consider the debt paid.”

They continued to talk as Cosmo escorted Lauren to Parts and Services. It was such a different feeling from the previous times Cosmo had escorted Lauren anywhere.

It was much warmer...

Chapter Text

Chica was happy to be back.

The plex looked amazing after all the repairs had been made. No one would suspect that any sort of fire had started here as there were no signs of any burns at all. As shocked as she had been when finding out about the fire, she couldn’t be entirely surprised. After all, being burned down had been the fate of quite a few Fazbear locations in the past...

But now she was back and she could roam around the plex as much as she wanted to after the doors closed. As she grew closer to the main stage, she could hear music playing. Two people were singing. She recognized one voice, but not the other.

As she walked closer to the stage, she stopped and stifled a laugh.

Cosmo and Eclipse were singing on the main stage.

“Okay, so let's say I was on the run or hiding from I don't know-Poseidon,” Eclipse sang. “And let's say he blocked the way home with giant waves and giant storms.”

“Oh no...” Cosmo said.

“How am I to evade him? How am I to get home? Which route should I take? Where am I supposed to go?” Eclipse was acting as well as he was singing, hands gesticulating to show his character’s frustration.

“He will chase you high and low. So find a place he'd never go. The one way you'll get home is sailing where he's scared to roam, oh... It's through the lair of Scylla!” Cosmo sang, moving around Eclipse flawlessly and playing the part of what looked to be the love interest.

“No...” Eclipse looked horrified.

“This is your only way home. The lair of Scylla...” Cosmo’s voice took a darker tone.

“But Scylla has a cost,” Eclipse sounded devastated.

“Well, you asked and now you know,” Cosmo shrugged. They then smiled widely and threw their arms out. “Now jump in the water!”

Chica smiled brightly as she watched them dance together. They danced as if every move had been meticulously choreographed, and Chica wondered if it had. But at the same time, it had the same light happy energy as something spontaneous. The two were clearly having fun with their little show.

“Ooh for you, I would die. But can’t you let me stay dry?” Eclipse was singing again.

“I can take the suffering from you,” Cosmo leaned in close to Eclipse.

“You should come up on the ship. We’ll jump at the same time,” Eclipse walked away from Cosmo.

“I will take the suffering from you,” Cosmo danced back over to him.

“A siren.”

Chica jumped and quickly muffled the squawk that came from her. She turned around to see Foxy standing behind her. He was watching Eclipse and Cosmo finish up their act and talk about starting another one.

“The song,” Foxy looked at Chica. “See, Cosmo be playing a siren pretending to be the wife of the ship captain, played by Eclipse. They be having some really nice singing voices.”

“I know,” Chica said as she watched Eclipse and Cosmo cycle through songs. “Maybe we should bring Eclipse out onto the stage for our performances. Look how wonderful he was.”

“Ah,” Foxy chuckled. “I don’t think he’ll be playing for any customers anytime soon. He’s ok with performing for us, or for the handlers, but... I found out that the poor lad be afflicted.”

“Afflicted?” Chica tilted her head. “With what?”

“Stage fright,” Foxy’s gold tooth glinted in his grin.

Chapter Text

A sudden wail was heard in the daycare.

Sun quickly looked over from where he’d been playing with some children, quickly spotting who was crying.

It was a child named Ryan.

Sun had been informed that Ryan was on the spectrum and he’d had a few... rough days in his past, but his mother had told him that Ryan was doing much better. But, even if things were better, it didn’t mean that rough days couldn’t still happen.

Sun quickly called for some help in the daycare as he began to move the children away from Ryan. Ryan’s eyes were clenched shut, and he was covering his ears as he continued to cry.

He continued to cry even as the daycare music suddenly shut off, but he opened his eyes in surprise as the bright lights and colors were suddenly dimmed. He looked around himself to see that he was inside a small tent made of red and yellow fabric.

“I need everyone to please move to the theatre,” Sun said. “Miss Tiffany will take you there. Don’t worry, everything will be ok. Ryan’s just not feeling well right now.”

It was later in the day, so most of the children had been picked up. The remaining ones were the good ones that had never given Sun any trouble before. As they left, Sun looked towards the tent. The loud cries had quieted into small sniffles and whimpers.

Sun moved closer to the small tent, but didn’t touch it yet. He patiently waited as the sounds eventually quieted down into silence. Only then did Sun speak.

“Ryan?” He said softly. “Ryan, are you ok? Is there anything I can do to help?”

After a few moments, he heard a small voice.

“Lights,” was all it said.

Sun nodded and turned out the lights in the daycare. The nightlights on the walls lit up, and a change occurred as Moon now stood where Sun had been but moments before. Moon looked again at the tent, seeing that the fabric had changed to dark blue with yellow stars.

After a few moments, the tent shifted as Ryan crawled out of it. He sniffled and wiped at his eyes before looking up at Moon.

“There you are,” Moon knelt down and smiled warmly. “Bad day? That’s ok, we all have bad days.”

He held his hand out as an offering. Ryan nodded, so Moon began to gently pat Ryan’s shoulder and rub his back.

“Sorry,” Ryan croaked out.

“You don’t need to be sorry,” Moon said. “We all have bad days, and that’s ok. My job is to take care of you. That does not mean I’ll only care for you when you’re happy and things are easy. I’ll still care for you when you’re crying or sad. And I’ll do all I can to make you smile again. All of us will. Me, Sun, and Miss Tiffany. So if you need to sit here and cry a bit more, we’ll sit here and do just that. Otherwise, I think you could do with a nice nap. You must be tired."

“Tired,” Ryan nodded.

Moon stood up and grabbed the tent. He stretched and folded and twisted it down to a length of fabric that he then wrapped around his waist. The fabric connected via the little magnets sewn into it and then flared out as his iconic tutu.

Moon held his hand out, and Ryan took it. As he led Ryan to get a napmat, he sent a message to the other workers about what had happened, and to please keep the children in the theatre for the next hour or two. They always did love a good movie...

Chapter Text

Kevin could take a lot of things.

He could take yelling. He could take insults. He could take insults that were yelled at him. Heck, he could even take having food or drink thrown at him.

But the one thing he could not take... was insulting his younger sister.

It had been an innocent accident. Kevin’s sister Annie had bumped into someone and spilled soda on them. Sure, soda was sticky and uncomfortable, but the other man’s reaction had been very unwarranted.

He’d gotten upset and yelled at Annie, saying how she should have watched where she was going and calling her stupid. Kevin, with them on his day off, had yelled back at him that it had been an accident and that he should calm down.

But then the other customer said the one insult that very few people still used in regards to people like Annie...

Roxanne’s eyes widened as she heard the dreaded word spoken. She knew she had only seconds to get to Kevin before a STAFF bot was going to be stuck mopping up blood later. She quickened her pace and snatched Kevin up just as he reared his fist back.

“Let me go!” Kevin struggled in her arms. “How dare you!” He growled at the other customer. “HOW DARE YOU USE THAT WORD?!”

Annie was currently crying while sitting in a nearby chair, her mother trying to wipe away the soda that had spilled on her as well. The other customer scoffed and sneered, clearly unimpressed by Kevin’s actions.

“I’m just calling her as she is,” he said. “You shouldn’t let people like her out in public. See what happens?”

“Sir, that is enough!” Roxanne snapped as she called for backup. “We do not tolerate language like that here, and I saw everything. It was an accident. We could have washed your shirt for you and sent you on your merry way with a free one from the gift shop. Instead, you chose to verbally attack this family.”

There was a thud as Nett landed next to her, already scanning the customer for his profile and information.

“Bradford Clough,” he said. “Don’t worry, Rox, I got him. You take care of them...”

It was later that Kevin’s family was Roxanne’s room, waiting for Annie’s shirt to finish drying and be brought out to them. Annie was still sniffling softly as she fidgeted with her new Roxanne shirt.

“Kevin, you need to stop doing this,” Diana said to her son. “You could have gotten fired if Roxanne didn’t stop you.”

“I know,” Kevin sighed. “I know, and I’m sorry. I just... I love Annie a lot. I can’t help but be protective over her.”

“I get what you mean,” said Roxanne. “I get that way with some kids too. But your mom’s right. Mr. Watkins wouldn’t be able to forgive assaulting a customer, even if the customer said something that awful. Maybe you should have a talk with him about it.”

“Maybe,” Kevin shrugged. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Annie cheered up when her shirt was later delivered to Roxanne’s room.

“Thank you,” she smiled and hugged the STAFFbot as she took her now clean shirt.

Chapter Text

A new body was often a good thing, but it could have its downsides if one wasn’t careful.

Every ballerina knew that brand new slippers were to be viewed as evil. Brand new slippers didn’t stretch and conform to your feet like your old ones did. Brand new slippers didn’t move the way you needed them to. That was why ballerinas often took time to ‘destroy’ and even ‘repair’ their brand new slippers.

A brand new body could be just the same and Ballora refused to let a brand new body affect her dancing.

Night after night, when the doors closed and the shutters sealed the plex off from the rest of the world, Ballora would take to the stage or just use any open and empty area she could. She put her new body through a series of tests, pushing it further and further to make sure that her skills were the same as they had been before her death.

She moved across the area, moving her legs and arms to perform her art. Her legs and her arms were her paintbrushes, moving across a canvas to paint a beautiful picture, and she had to move them just right or the whole thing would be ruined. Leaps, spins, balancing acts, bend the knees, use your core to hold the pose, hold your leg out ramrod straight.

All of this and more.

This night, Moon was watching her.

He knew she’d been practicing, catching parts of her routines on his nightly patrols. Tonight, Nett had told him to go watch while he did the patrols. Moon promised to be back as soon as Ballora was finished.

But he hadn’t counted on her routine being so long.

She tore across the stage, performing move after move with a passion that bordered on anger. It was as if she was still enraged that her body had had to be rebuilt and now she was having to recalibrate it.

Or was she trying to damage herself? Moon remembered her talking about ballet slippers...

Still, Ballora performed until she was stomping her feet onto the stage and stabbing her toes down with loud thuds and cracks. Even the expression on her face had turned to an angry scowl.

The lights went out when she finished, leaving her bright blue eyes glowing in the dark. The quickly found Moon’s own glowing blue optics, and Moon quickly left the area. As he threw his cable up to secure to a hook and allow him to glide away, he couldn’t help but feel bad.

He felt as if he had intruded on something very private.

Chapter Text

Monty Gator was curled around one of the golf holes.

He was curled around it very tightly, only allowing a very small way in for any gold balls. He reclined there on the ground like a king on a throne, one hundred percent relaxed. Anyone else would be nervous, but not him.

Not when it was Florida Boy who was hitting the ball.

Other customers were gathered around, eager to see what would happen. Some of them were recording on their phones, getting the perfect angle for their next video. Nicole was standing proudly nearby, holding Florida Boy’s old Monty plush.

Florida Boy tilted his head from side to side and moved around as he carefully examined the green of this particular section. There were obstacles, of course. Logs and plants and other things stood in his way, and he’d have to dodge them all if he wanted a hole in one. And with Monty lying around the hole, Florida Boy was really going to have to thread the needle with this one.

But he wasn’t afraid. Florida Boy knew his skills, and he knew he could do this. It was the hardest and trickiest shot he’d ever had to make, but he could do it if he did it right.

Florida Boy slowly spun the bright green ball he held in his hand. He then looked over at the crowd and spotted Roxanne. The wolf had stopped by to greet the children and decided to stay to see Florida Boy make history. With a smile, Florida Boy walked over to her.

“For luck?” He said, holding the ball up to Roxanne.

Roxanne slowly smiled and took the ball she pressed a kiss to it and handed it back.

“For luck,” she said. “But we both know you won’t need it.”

Florida Boy beamed at her and then walked back over to the starting spot. He set the ball down and carefully got into position. He looked across the green at Monty. Monty smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

Florida Boy took a deep breath... let it out... aimed... swung...

The ball flew across the green. It clattered around the logs and other obstacles and quickly approached Monty. The crowd gasped softly as it looked like the ball had too much speed. If it overshot the hole and hit Monty, then it was a failure. But Florida Boy’s expression remained focused. He wasn’t worried.

The ball continued to roll... it curved around Monty, barely any room between them... and then...

It sank into the whole.

The crowd erupted into cheers as Nicole rushed over to happily scoop up her son and kiss his cheek.

“You did it!” She said. “I’m so proud of you!”

“That’s my boy!” Monty ran over to ruffle Florida Boy’s hair. “That’s my champion! I didn’t doubt you for a second!”

Later on, Florida Boy was enjoying a free ‘Putt-Nut Sundae’ with his mother in the ice cream parlor. Monty sat in the chair next to them, excitedly telling Florida Boy about all the championships he was surely going to win in the future.

Chapter Text

“Tiffany? It’s your day off! What are you doing here?”

Sun tilted his head slightly at the sight of his best friend and coworker. Tiffany was not alone, and she smiled at Sun.

“My cousin is having his birthday party here,” she explained. “And my Abuela wanted to meet you.”

The older woman with Tiffany was only a little taller than her. Her hair was a lovely shade of gray and white, neatly styled into a long braid. She had a few combs in her hair that resembled beautiful flowers. Dark pink glasses framed warm brown eyes, and though her hands shook slightly, she looked like she still had a youthful spirit to her.

“Tiffany, quién es?” She asked.

“Este es mi compañero de trabajo. Su nombre es Sun,” Tiffany explained. “Sun, this is my Abuela. Her name is Estrella.”

“Es un placer conocerla, señora,” Sun’s translation program kicked in. “Bienvenido a la guardería Superstar.”

“¿Es usted el señor Sun?” Estrella squinted slightly as she reached up to touch Sun’s face. “Ah... Tiffany, es tan guapo. Que sol tan hermoso.”

She tried to pinch Sun’s cheeks, frowning slightly when she discovered he had none. Tiffany giggled to herself, knowing that Sun would be blushing if he could.

“Ah,” Sun spluttered slightly, “muchas gracias señora. Tú también te ves muy hermosa. Me encantan las flores en tu cabello.”

Tiffany didn’t stick around long, knowing they needed to get back to her cousin’s party. But Estrella was having so much fun with Sun, giving him her maternal love and enjoying being able to understand Sun and be understood herself. Sun gave her a good handful of stickers, much to Estrella’s delight.

“She should come back and meet Moon,” Sun told Tiffany as Estrella peeled off a sticker and put it on her shirt. “She’d love him too!”

“I will bring her by another time,” Tiffany said. “Thanks so much, Sun.”

“Adiós, señor Sun!” Estrella said. “Gracias por las pegatinas. Asegúrate de comer más, estás demasiado flaco.”

Tiffany laughed as she led her grandmother away.

Chapter Text

Yumi’s fist came down hard, intending to slam it into the marble countertop.

Before she could, her fist was caught by something small and metal. Glancing down, she saw that Teeny Boi had caught it. Teeny Boi hugged her arm tightly, making concerned noises. Yumi sighed and picked him up.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t mean to worry you.” Her eyes then snapped back to her cousin. “Is she serious?”

“Unfortunately yes,” Kota sighed as well. “And she says she’s not going to stop until you agree to talk to her.”

“I’ll just get a restraining order against her,” Yumi said.

“She’ll make it really hard,” Kota pointed out. “You know how she is. She knows how to play the ‘concerned mother’ card. She’s played it all your life.”

Yumi sighed again, growling in frustration. She’d worked so hard to get away from her mother, and now her mother just wouldn’t let her go. She was never going to be the girl her mother wanted, so why did she bother trying so hard to talk to Yumi? The only time Yumi wanted to see her mother again was at her mother’s funeral.

And that was only so that she could spit on her mother’s grave...

“What do you think I should do?” Yumi asked.

“It’s up to you,” Kota shrugged. “I can’t see any decision you make turning out well.”

Yumi hummed.

“What about you?” She asked Teeny Boi. “What should I do?”

Teeny Boi took a moment to think, and then he began to make a series of musical warbles and other sounds. Yumi listened attentively, nodding every so often. Kota had no idea what the animatronic was saying, and he had no idea how Yumi could understand him, but he seemed to be saying something good.

“I see,” Yumi mused when Teeny Boi was done. “Maybe that would be best. Teeny Boi says I should talk to her, but not alone. Have the talk at the plex where DJ and Chica can be there for me.”

Teeny Boi made a noise of protest.

“Oh, and Teeny Boi will be there too,” Yumi smiled.

Kota chuckled slightly and then thought about it. It seemed like a good idea. He would never let Yumi be alone with her mother, so agreed that her having some people in her corner would help things a lot.

“I’ll talk to Mr. Watkins and see if I he’ll let us talk there,” Yumi said. “I’ll let you know what he says. In the meantime, I’m not gonna let her bother me.” She pressed a kiss to the top of Teeny Boi’s head. “No more getting upset and worrying my lil Teeny Boi.”

Teeny Boi chittered happily and snuggled further into Yumi’s arms.

Chapter Text

You have (1) new message!

Hello my dear sunrays!

It’s your pal Sun from the Superstar Daycare. This message is part of your daily Sunshine Service where I check in with you to make sure you’re ok. I really want to know, so let’s begin.

Did you...

-Eat today?

-Drink some water?

-Get enough sleep?

-Take your medications?

-Try to move around a bit, maybe do some exercise?

-Reassure yourself that having problems is human and not a sign of failure or laziness?

If you forgot to do some of these things, that’s ok. We all forget sometimes. If you’re able to, try doing what you forgot to do now. You don’t have to overdo it. Take a short nap, eat something small, sip some water (or eat some ice chips), take your medications, and maybe go for a walk.

Actually, why don’t you go outside for a bit if you have time? I always say some sunshine and fresh air is good for you. And remember, sunshine and taking walks won’t cure you and solve your problems, but they sure won’t hurt and may help you feel a bit better!

If you remembered to do all these things, then good job! I’m so proud of you! You should still probably go outside for a bit. Unless it’s raining outside. Don’t want you getting sick.

Anyway, have a wonderful day! I’ll text you again tomorrow! And if you’re subscribed to my brother’s Moonlit Melodies, you’ll be hearing from him later.

To opt out of these messages, reply STOP.

Chapter Text

You have (1) new message!

Good evening, my dear stars. It’s your celestial guardian Moon from the Superstar Daycare. This message is part of your nightly Moonlit Melodies where I try to ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Let’s begin.

-Make sure you put your phones and computers away an hour before you want to sleep. I know you’re probably checking the Fazbear social media pages, but we’re not doing anything interesting now. It can wait until tomorrow.

-Exercise is good, but not within three hours of bedtime. So if you’re wanting to that check mark on your Sunshine Services, please plan accordingly.

-You may need to take some time to destress before sleep will come. Reading, listening to music, or even a nice warm bath will help with that.

-Also avoid large meals before bedtime. A small snack or glass of milk is fine.

-Speaking of milk, warm milk will help. There’s also a recipe for Turmeric Milk that some say will help even more than warm milk.

-Try to keep your room dark. Light will affect your sleep quality. For those of you with Nyctophobia, a nightlight is ok. Just don’t turn on the overhead lights.

I understand that you all have different circadian rhythms and schedules. Ideally, I would like for you all to get at least eight hours of sleep, but I know that is impossible for some of you. Instead, I’ll say to please get as much sleep as you can. And don’t be afraid to use a day off to catch up on the sleep you missed. It is not being lazy, it is taking care of yourself.

And to give you a little help, I have included another lullaby for you to listen to.

Good night. Sleep tight. Don’t let the Fazbugs bite.

Reply ‘Stop’ to opt out of these messages.

[File attached: ‘All the Pretty Little Horses’ as sung by Moon]

Chapter Text

“Pride Month!” Natty happily carried a few large boxes over to the animatronics. “Are you guys ready to show your pride? You guys all asked for costumes.”

“I’m so excited!” Chica gushed. “I love rainbow colors. I couldn’t really decide what flag best represents me...”

“And that’s ok,” Natty opened one of the boxes. “It’s not a race, you take all the time you need to figure it out. I didn’t realize I was a lesbian overnight.”

“You mean you didn’t put a white flag under your pillow and then the Pride Fairy came when you were sleeping and dyed it the colors of the lesbian flag?” Bonnie asked.

“No,” Natty laughed.

She handed over Chica’s rainbow 80’s workout clothes. They were very similar to her current ones but bore rainbow stripes and hearts. Roxanne’s outfit was a pair of denim shorts that had stripes of her flag down the sides. Her halter top was black, and a beautiful deep red jacket completed the look. The jacket was plastered with lesbian positive patches and the words ‘The Wolf of Sappho’ was emblazoned on the back.

Cosmo had a jacket as well. One that was tie dyed with the colors of the pansexual flag. Their pants had been switched out with ones that had stripes like the non-binary flag. Monty’s clothes were a mesh top and new pants that had the colors of the bisexual flag.

“How did you discover your sexuality?” Monty asked as he pulled the shirt over his head.

“Well...” Natty thought for a moment. “It wasn’t so much a discovery. It was more... when I reached a certain age, I looked back at my behaviors in the past and said ‘Oh... that makes sense’. And the rest is history.”

“Are any other employees participating this month?” Freddy asked.

“Well, we have plenty of allies,” Natty said. “I know that Tiffany and Yumi will be wearing their colors. Speaking of, Ballora, this is yours.”

She handed over a beautiful ballet dress that had the colors of the asexual flag. Ballora happily took it and smiled. Her usual hair bun was now adorned with an ace of hearts cards.

“You guys let me know if you want anything changed,” Natty said. “I gotta go drop the rest of these off to the others.”

“It is a shame that the DJ will not be able to join us,” Freddy said as he adjusted his new rainbow hat.

“Oh, he is,” Natty grinned. “His was just a bit more difficult to do...”

In the Fazcade, DJ Musicman was busy fiddling with the settings of his DJ booth. His top hands looked a little different in that one had a white ring on its middle finger and the other had a black ring on its middle finger. His headphones and his hat were split down the middle. One side had the asexual flag and the other had the aromantic flag.

He snapped his fingers, and the words ‘Ace Pride’ and ‘Aro Pride’ appeared in flashing lights on his eyes. He was going to make sure this Pride Month was bumpin’!

Chapter Text

“So boys can like other boys?” A child asked.

“Of course!” said Sunny. “Boys can like boys, girls can like girls, some like both, and others don’t fall in love at all. And every year, we take a month to celebrate and educate. Hence why we’re having this little lesson now.”

He’d made the presentation as kid friendly as possible, focusing on love and keeping it SFW. The children had all adored the images of flags he’d shown them, picking their favorites based on the colors as opposed to the meanings.

“I don’t like boys,” said one of the girls. “Does that mean I’m gay?”

“Not necessarily,” Sunny smiled and pat her head. “It’s good to know about these things so that you can better understand the world around you, but you’re children. The only things you should be worried about are school, keeping your room clean, and what you’re gonna have for your afternoon snack. You’ll have plenty of time to figure all this out when you’re older.”

“Oh,” the girl nodded. “Ok!”

The crowd of children seemed satisfied with Sunny’s words. Sunny was always a strong advocate for letting kids be kids. While it was good to know about certain things to help them understand, some things were best left until they were older. Any romance, straight or otherwise, was at the top of that list. Sunny didn't think that romance was something to hammer into a child's mind. As such, Sunny would only lay down the ground work on certain topics. Let the children fill in the rest when they reached the right age.

“My Dads have a rainbow flag,” said Hannah. “They hang it outside during this month. I love the colors, they’re so pretty!”

“They are pretty,” Sunny agreed. “And tell your Dads that Sunny said ‘Happy Pride Month’, ok?”

He left the lesson there. A brief explanation of the different flags, and then he let them all run off to play. Hide and Seek was next, and he was eager to see how many children he’d find this time.

Chapter Text

“Yes! Yes! You’re here!”

The daycare was dark as Moon opened the metal gate for Tiffany. She walked in, yawning slightly and clutching a coffee from the breakroom. She knew why Moon was excited. She’d known he would be as soon as she’d seen the new pumpkin spice coffee that was available in the break room.

She sipped her coffee and hummed as she leisurely made her way over to the podium to login and begin her opening tasks. Moon was practically vibrating next to her as she did so, eventually hopping in place.

“Come on!” He whined like a child. “Please? Come on, Tiffany!”

“Oh, are you excited about something?” Tiffany teased, not looking away from the computer screen.

“You know I am!” He said. “Please!”

Tiffany smiled as she finally looked up. She took another sip of her coffee and then finally moved towards the wall where a calendar hung. Moon became more and more excited the closer she got to it. Tiffany finally got close enough to flip the page of the calendar, revealing the new month of October.

“Yes!” Moon excitedly cartwheeled. “Spooky month! Spooky month, spooky month, spooky month!”

Tiffany chuckled to herself. It was no secret that no one loved Halloween more than Moon. He loved it more than any other holiday, so by association, he also loved the entire month of October.

“When do we get our Halloween outfits?” Moon asked.

“Mr. Watkins said later this week,” Tiffany said, moving back to the podium. “I also heard that Natty made brand new ones for this month.”

“New ones?” Moon’s eyes literally lit up. “What do they look like? Tell me, tell me!”

“It’s a surprise,” Tiffany explained. “You’ll see them later.”

Moon whined, dramatically slumping over. Tiffany laughed and pat his shoulder. Moon didn’t act this way often, so it was always funny to her when he did. Moon straightened up and crossed his arms, looking like a pouting child.

“I don’t wanna wait,” he said. “It’s spooky month! It only comes once a year!”

“Regardless, Natty swore me to secrecy,” Tiffany said. “Now go get ready. We’re opening in fifteen minutes, and you know Sun has his own routine.”

“Fine...” Moon said, pulling his rope out of his back.

He tossed it up to an anchor point in the ceiling and then swung down into the play area.

Chapter Text

“Hmm...” Tiffany tilted her head from side to side. “Are you supposed to be a scarecrow?”

“I don’t think I’m a specific creature,” Moon said. “Just something Halloween.”

He was wearing his new Halloween outfit. It consisted of burlap patched pants and a special pumpkin mask that Moon could put on when he came out. It was a stark constrast to Sun’s outfit, which was cat costume consisting of ears, a tail, and furry black pants... which were just Moon’s pants turned inside out. Reversible pants were more efficient, as Natty had explained.

“Well, you certainly look pretty spooky,” Tiffany said. “I’d hate to encounter you in a dark room.”

“I’m not a monster,” Moon said. “I’m the monster that other monsters fear. I protect the children from the boogeymen and the creatures in their closets.”

“That sounds like an important job,” Tiffany chuckled. “I’ll make sure to let my little cousins know that... um... Jack O Lantern Moon is watching over them.”

“Jack O Lantern Moon,” Moon mused. “Hmm... how about Jack O Moon?”

“Jack O Moon!” Tiffany clapped her hands. “Perfect!”

Yumi hummed to herself as she began her opening duties.

Suddenly, something grabbed her and spun her around, causing her to shriek. Chica laughed as she set Yumi down again and struck a menacing pose. Her halloween costume was that of a mad scientist. Her hair was teased out, and she wore a white and pink lab coat with a pair of matching goggles resting on her head.

“Yumi, my assistant!” she said. “Are you ready for a day of science? We have dastardly concoctions to create today! Healthy and tasty meals and snacks for the customers! And we have to give science lessons about how the body works and how exercise helps improve it!”

“All ready out here, Dr. Chica,” Yumi smiled. “I’ve got the displays set up and your lab prepped. Shouldn’t be any troubles today.”

“Wonderful!” Chica pat Yumi on the head with her pink gloved hand. “Good job, dear assistant. Maybe one day we can finally build a man and bring him to life!”

“We’ve had enough dead guys coming back to life here,” Yumi shook her head. “We shouldn’t go tempting fate. Let’s stick with the food and the exercises, please. Plus, Foxy still thinks I’m a witch, and necromancy would just make it worse.”

“Ah, very true,” Chica said. “Very well. I’m going to go get the lab ready. Carry on, assistant!”

She turned and left, leaving Yumi chuckling behind her.

Chapter Text

“How dare a children’s establishment promote and celebrate such an evil holiday!”

“Oh, there it is,” Bonnie said, setting down his instrument and standing up. “I knew it was only a matter of time until a karen got mad at Halloween.”

“Should I call Mr. Watkins?” Natty asked, looking up from her sketchbook. “Or Security?”

“Mr. Watkins is interviewing someone for Cosmo’s handler,” Bonnie said as he straightened the cape of his fabulous vampire costume. “Let me handle it.”

He walked over to the woman and snapped his fingers to get her attention.

“Excuse me,” he said. “Hello! Hi, is something wrong, ma’am?”

“I should say so,” the karen said with her trademark glower. “You are promoting a holiday that should not be celebrated. Honestly, it was bad enough when you celebrated the gay month, but now Halloween? How dare you try to corrupt our youth?”

“Ma’am, I know you don’t like this holiday because you resemble most of the scarier decorations,” Bonnie said. “But this is a free country, and we can celebrate as we please. Nothing wrong with kids wanting to dress up and eat candy. It’s not like we’re doing sacrifices on the main stage or something like that.”

“Well, I never!” The karen growled.

Bonnie rolled his eyes and let the woman rant at him. She did nothing but pretty much repeat the same things over and over again, then she started insulting everyone and talking about how nobody thought about the children these days.

Bonnie let her continue, already zoned out and playing a makeover game on Natty’s phone. He used a stylus to tap on the screen, choosing eyeshadow that would complement the digital sprite’s eyes and outfit.

“Are you listening to me?” the woman screeched.

“Nope,” Bonnie didn’t look up from the phone. “I’m not. Maybe I would if you were saying something worth listening to.”

“Where is your manager?” The Karen shouted. “This is unacceptable.”

“No, what you’ve been saying is unacceptable,” said Bonnie. “Now please leave or you’ll be escorted out by security.”

But the Karen didn’t leave. She ended up getting dragged out by a security bot. Bonnie went back to playing his bass as Natty flipped to a new page in her sketchbook. She was on a roll today.

Chapter Text

“Everything looks good so far,” Mr. Watkins said as he looked over the resume. “You have customer service experience, and... you dance and perform as a hobby. Do you choreograph your own dances?”

“I do,” the young man smiled. “I’ve done that a lot.”

“You also have experience with costume making and makeup,” Mr. Watkins said. “Including stage makeup.”

“I can make it last the whole day without a single smear,” said the young man. “All day glam.”

Mr. Watkins chuckled as he looked over the resume. The young man was Ezekial “Zeke” Merced, and he was applying for Cosmo’s new handler. He already seemed like a good fit, and these extra skills would make him useful in other areas of the plex if needed. Mr. Watkins was impressed.

“Well, I do have a few more interviews to do,” he said. “But you should hear something by next week.”

“Sounds great,” Zeke stood up and shook Mr. Watkins’s hand. “Thank you so much for your time, sir. Have a great day.”

“You too,” Mr. Watkins smiled as he watched Zeke leave.

Yumi and Isaac were busy brainstorming another mural for him to paint. Ballora had asked for one, but she’d been quick to assure him that there was no rush and it was completely up to him.

“Your work is beautiful and my studio would be blessed to have it on the walls,” she’d said. “But please don’t feel like you’re obligated...”

“I printed out a few ballet poses for reference,” Yumi said as she held up some papers to show Isaac. “Pick a few out and then you can maybe watch a few of her classes- oof!”

Not watching where she was going, Yumi bumped into someone. She looked and saw a young man with red hair neatly tied back wearing a dress shirt and tie. He’d dropped a folder and some papers had scattered.

“Oh, sorry!” Yumi knelt to help him gather the papers.

“No worries,” the young man smiled. “My interview is already over, so these papers don’t need to be in order.”

“Oh, going for the handler position?” Yumi handed over some papers. “You and lots of other-”

She paused.

Her eyes narrowed as she finally looked up and got a good look at the other’s face. He blinked at her in confusion, slowly taking the papers.

“Is everything ok?” He asked.

“You look familiar,” Yumi tilted her head. “Have we met? I feel like I’ve seen you at a con before.”

“Oh!” the young man stuffed the papers into his folder. “No, I don’t think so.”

“You look really familiar,” Yumi said, standing up and stepping closer.

“I just have one of those faces,” the young man nervously backed up. “Anyway, sorry about bumping you, I gotta go!”

He quickly rushed off, and Yumi watched him go.

“I swear I’ve seen him before,” Yumi said to Isaac. “I just can’t remember where...”

Chapter Text

“Hey Michael!”

Glitchtrap appeared in Michael’s old phone as Michael carried him around during his nightly patrol. Things were easier now that Nett was patrolling too, and Michael actually found himself with free time now. It almost felt weird.

“What is it?” Michael asked, raising the phone up to look at Glitchtrap.

“I have an idea for Halloween,” Glitchtrap grinned. “You should go as yourself! Just turn off the illusion disk and go out there in all your undead glory!”

“No way,” Michael shook his head. “I don’t want to traumatize anyone.”

“That’s the whole point of Halloween,” Glitchtrap said. “To traumatize people! Besides, don’t you want to turn that thing off for a bit?”

Truth be told, Michael was a bit tired of wearing the illusion disk. But at the same time, he did not want to show people what he really looked like. He didn’t even like looking at himself without the disk. It was just a constant reminder of everything he’d been through, and he wanted to just let all that rest in the past where it belonged. He had a new life now...

“I’m not doing it,” Michael repeated. “I’ll wear a costume like everyone else.”

“You wanna go trick or treating?” Glitchtrap asked. “Free candy.”

“I haven’t been trick or treating since...” Michael frowned and cleared his throat. “Nevermind. But no, I’m a bit too old for that.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun,” Glitchtrap pouted.

Michael rolled his eyes as he turned down a hallway. Things were quiet except for the distant sounds of Nett or Moon moving around. The other animatronics were all somewhere else, doing various things to stay entertained.

“Maybe you can go with Mary,” he finally said. “I heard she wants to go trick or treating, and Nett might be able to take her. I’m sure they won’t mind if you join them. She likes you.”

“Hmm...” Glitchtrap thought about it. “She is one of the few kids I don’t find annoying. I’ll ask her and see what she says. Since you’re gonna be a stick in the mud.”

“I... have a lot of memories,” Michael said. “And I don’t want to remember them.”

Glitchtrap’s expression slowly changed to something more sheepish and concerned.

“Well... maybe you should try creating new ones,” he said.

Michael paused, stopping and not saying anything for a moment. Glitchtrap worried that he’d somehow broken Michael or said the wrong thing, but Michael slowly smiled.

“Maybe I should,” he said.

Chapter Text

There was a loud and joyous squeal in the plex that morning.

Natty and Kevin looked over at where it came from to see that Carmen had her face pressed up against the window of a machine. They walked over to make sure she was ok, and saw that she was smiling widely and the machine was a claw machine.

“We have claw machines now?” She asked.

There were three machines, all full of various prizes themed after the animatronics of the plex. Plushies, toys, special vouchers, makeup sets, and more.

“I guess so,” Natty said. “You ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Carmen said. “Sorry, I just... I really love claw machines. They’re my favorite.”

“I tend to avoid them,” Kevin frowned slightly. “Most of them are rigged. The claw’s grip is too weak, the toys are glued down, or they’re stuffed inside so tightly that it’s impossible to pull any out.”

“True,” Carmen nodded. “That’s why I have to test the machines first.”

Carmen had tested many of the claw machines in the various stores or recreational places in the city. She made sure to memorize which ones were clearly rigged and which ones actually worked. She mostly played them just because she enjoyed playing the game and would often give away the prizes she won.

“I’ll have to test these on my lunch break,” Carmen said. “They look pretty good, though. The toys aren’t stuffed inside, so there’s a chance to actually win them.”

“I don’t think they’re rigged,” Natty pointed out. “You know Mr. Watkins wouldn’t let rigged games in here. I bet these are all winnable.”

“That’s a good point,” Kevin agreed. “I used to play these when I was a kid. Lost way too many quarters to them, and I never won anything.”

Carmen listened as she fiddled with the controls. The machines looked brand new, and the joystick moved smooth like butter. The lights were bright and the little sounds and songs rang out crystal clear. The prizes inside also looked to be of really good quality. Actual brand toys instead of cheap knockoffs mass ordered from somewhere...

“If these machines are as good as they look, they’re about to get a lot of quarters from me,” Carmen stepped back. “Anyway, time to start the day. I dunno about you guys, but Ballora has four different parties today. Gonna be busy.”

“Roxie’s got some races on her schedule,” Kevin said as he followed after Carmen.

“Freddy isn’t too busy,” Natty said. “And Bonnie’s... well, he’s Bonnie. I have to keep an eye on him even when he doesn’t have parties. The STAFFbots are still mad about that prank he played on them a few days ago.”

“I don’t blame them,” Kevin chuckled. “I’d be mad too...”

Chapter Text

“Why aren’t we going this way?” Foxy tapped at the map.

“There’s a sea monster that way,” Danni said. “A big one. Said to be bigger than a whale and have lots of sharp teeth. It could eat us all!”

Foxy looked almost funny as he sat at the small table with Danni, tall form clumsily folded into a child’s seat. He was surrounded by other children, all of them eager to hear where they would be going next for their adventure. Their expert navigator Danni was planning the route they would take.

“Ah, but we be pirates,” said Foxy. “A battle is expected, and surely we could defeat such a beast.”

The other children cheered, raising their fake swords high and waving them around.

“Ouch!” Lily suddenly cried out and rubbed the back of her head.

“Oops, sorry Lily!” Chris said, looking sheepish and lowering his sword.

“Ya be all right?” Foxy looked over in concern.

“I’m ok!” Lily smiled a gap-toothed smile and settled down again.

Foxy turned back to the map, tapping his chin in thought. The other children were glancing between him and Danni, obviously waiting to see what was going to happen. It still warmed Foxy’s metal heart that the children had banded together so well. When they were here, they were part of Foxy’s crew, and they were proud of that.

“So what do ya suggest?” Foxy finally asked. “Do we take the longer but safer way... or do we take the faster but more dangerous way?”

He tapped between the two paths with his hook, and Danni blinked at him in confusion.

“You’re asking me?” She asked. “But... you’re the captain.”

“Aye,” Foxy agreed. “But ya be the navigator. That means ya also be the expert. So what do ya say?”

Danni looked around at the other children before a grin spread across her face.

“I think we can take the sea monster,” she said. “Let’s take the shorter path.”

“Very well,” Foxy’s gold tooth glinted in his matching grin. “All hands! Weigh anchor! Hoist the mizzen! Danni has charted our course and it be time to make our way to gold and fortune!”

The children cheered as they scampered across the deck of Foxy’s ship. They unfurled the sails and turned the mechanism to bring up the ‘anchor’. Foxy watched them all work together with a warm feeling of pride before he began to walk off towards the helm.

“Danni!” He called. “Ya will be at me side! I need ya guidance!”

“Aye aye!” Danni saluted before she moved her wheelchair to follow after Foxy.

Chapter Text

“There’s fanfiction.”

“There’s what?” Tiffany asked as she wiped down another small table.

“Fanfiction,” Yumi held up her phone. “Fanfiction for the plex!”

“What’s fanfiction?” Tiffany asked.

Yumi tapped at her phone as Tiffany swept some empty snack wrappers into a trash can. Sometimes she wished the adults would set a good example and throw their trash away in the lobby by her little podium. Yumi walked closer and showed Tiffany her phone screen.

“Basically, you pick a piece of media and write stories using the characters or settings,” Yumi explained. “But it’s a real rabbit hole. It’s a hugely diverse and deep world for authors to play and hone their talents. And there’s stories about the plex. And us.”

“Stories about us?” Tiffany looked at the screen. “That’s kinda weird.”

“Yeah, a lot of people ship you with Carmen,” Yumi tapped at her phone again. “In a romantic sense.”

“Carmen?” Tiffany shook her head. “We’re just friends.”

Carmen was pretty, and maybe in another life they could have dated, but Tiffany valued their friendship and didn’t want anything more from her. It was a cute thought, though. But she began to wonder just what people were writing about.

“A lot of people are shipping Bonnie and Freddy,” Yumi continued. “And Chica and Cosmo. And Ballora and Foxy.”

“Those two?” Tiffany began typing at her computer to make sure everything was done before she shut it down and left for the night.

“Yeah, the ‘classy lady and roguish pirate’ trope is pretty popular,” Yumi said. “But then there’s also stories about the animatronics adopting people and treating them like family.”

“Well, those are real enough,” Tiffany mused as she shut down her computer. “Just look at you and Chica.”

“And you and the Space Boys,” Yumi countered. “Sun and Moon are like your fathers and Eclipse is like an uncle now. They’re always hugging on you and patting your head and giving you snacks.”

Tiffany thought about it. It was true that she was sometimes treated like one of the children in the daycare. She recalled a time when she’d gotten a bad papercut and Sun had ‘kissed’ her injury after putting a bandaid over it. It still brought a smile to her face.

“Well, hopefully they’re not writing anything bad about us,” she finally said.

“I haven’t seen any so far,” said Yumi. “But I’ll keep a close eye on it.”

Chapter Text

“Yes!” Bonnie cheered. “Chapter update!”

He was resting in his room while Natty tried to clean it. She liked cleaning his room, the action actually soothing her a bit as trash and clothes were put away. To Bonnie’s credit, he treated the clothes she made him really well, even if they sometimes ended up on the floor or couch.

“What are you reading?” She asked as she folded a shirt.

“Someone wrote a fanfic of me competing in a drag competition,” Bonnie said as he looked at his laptop screen. “The last chapter ended on such a cliff hanger. I gotta know what happens!”

“Oh,” Natty said as she hung up another pair of pants. “Sounds fun.”

Bonnie started eagerly reading the new chapter... until he suddenly paused. He slowly looked over at Natty with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Wait...” he said. “You didn’t ask what fanfiction is. This implies that you know what it is already. And the only way to know that... is to read it. Do you read fanfiction, Natty?”

“Huh?” Natty chuckled. “No. Not anymore. I used to, though. The fandoms often had some kind of drama going on, so I would just read the fanfics and devour my media that way. Took me a while to get the lingo and the style down.”

“Fair enough,” Bonnie mused. “Huh... I wonder if we have a fandom. I mean... would the kids’ drawings of us count as fanart? And we have fanfic...”

“I’ve seen cosplayers sharing videos,” Natty said. “So, I guess you guys do. How exciting!”

“Dude!” Bonnie stood up so fast he almost dropped his laptop. “What if we had a convention? Fazcon! Pizzacon! Plexcon! Oh, it would be glorious!”

His brain then paused again when Natty’s earlier words finally processed. He once again slowly turned to look at her.

“What do you mean ‘get the style down’?” He asked. “You don’t have to get the style unless...”

His eyes widened and his ears stood straight up. Natty was doing all that she could to keep from facing him, but he could see that her hears were turning red.

“No way!” Bonnie ran over and scooped Natty up. “Did you write fanfiction too?”

“So what if I did?” Natty said, struggling to get free. “It was a good way to practice and get feedback. And sometimes the pretty girls won't kiss unless you make them...”

“Oh, I’m not judging,” Bonnie pat her head. “Did you have OC’s? Let me guess. She had two different colored eyes and special magic powers and her bangs hung in her face and she wore a special locket that her mother gave her and she was all broody and angsty and always having to prove herself against the big bad bullies who would put her down-”

“Hush up!” Natty pouted. “Every writer goes through a cringe phase. It’s like a rite of passage.”

“Aw,” Bonnie nuzzled the top of her head. “It’s ok. I’m just surprised. I figured Yumi would be the fanfic writer around here.”

“Oh, I’m not upset,” Natty grinned widely. “Certainly not upset at you, Mr. GlamBunny420.”

Bonnie's eyes once again went wide as he almost dropped Natty. She hit the floor with a laugh and poked his nose.

“Gotta say, those stories you write about you and Freddy are pretty cute,” she said.

“No!” Bonnie howled dramatically as he lay down and curled into a ball. "I can't believe you found my profile..."

Chapter Text

“A wedding,” Mr. Watkins repeated.

The young couple before him excitedly nodded. They were all sitting in Mr. Watkins’s office after having requested to speak to him in private. Mr. Watkins had to admit that he would have never guessed that this was what they wanted to talk about.

“Yes,” said a woman named Kathy. “You see, we first met at a Fazbear location and we would often play together at that location when we were children. Sadly, that location has long since closed down, but this one has the same energy. So we decided to try having our wedding and reception here since Fazbear is such a prominent figure in our past and story.”

“I see,” Mr. Watkins nodded. “Well, we have had many parties here, but never a wedding. I suppose it would be doable; we would just need to find the right spot. Lucky for you, we do already have a large dance floor and a DJ for your reception, should you choose to use them.”

“Our own DJ?” Kathy’s fiancé Howard smiled. “I’ve heard some of his jams, he’d have everyone dancing all night long!”

“And I will make sure that the other animatronics do not disturb your wedding,” Mr. Watkins said.

“Actually, could they be part of the wedding too?” Kathy asked. “We’re only children and don’t have many close friends or family to fill out our sides. We’d be honored if the animatronics could join us.”

That certainly threw Mr. Watkins for a loop, but he was nothing if not accommodating. He explained he’d have to ask the others to see if they would like to be in the wedding or not, but the rest shouldn’t be hard to put together.

Kathy and Howard explained their vision and Mr. Watkins helped them put together a plan for how to bring it all to life. In the end, it was decided to use the main stage area for the ceremony and the Fazcade for the reception. Mr. Watkins offered to have their cake made in the kitchens, but the couple told him they would try out a few local bakeries first.

Kathy was pretty stoked at the idea of having her wedding cake baked by the Chica of the Glanmrocks, though...

Food would be catered and brought in, and Mr. Watkins offered them a veritable army of STAFFbots to help serve food and set up decorations. They would also be the ones to break down the decorations and take care of clean up at the end so that the families wouldn’t have to worry about it.

“We also need to talk about... security,” Kathy said slowly.

“You see, it’s my mother,” Howard frowned. “She doesn’t exactly approve of us getting married and we’re not inviting her. But we’re still worried that she might try to ruin things or crash the wedding somehow.”

“I understand completely,” Mr. Watkins assured them. “I have very good security for you to use as needed. Both human and robot. They’ll keep her out of the plex and make sure the day goes smoothly for you.”

That did seem to help the couple relax. In the end, Mr. Watkins totaled it all up and gave them a fair price for something he’d never sold before. The couple eagerly put down their deposit and thanked Mr. Watkins a thousand times.

“My pleasure,” he smiled at them. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’m going to give you both an amazing wedding.”

Chapter Text

“I remember when I was learning ballet,” Carmen said as she stood en pointe. “When I was a kid, it was really fun. Wearing little pink leotards and tutus, twisting my hair on top of my head, dancing for an audience on stage...”

She and Ballora were dancing on the main stage, practicing to keep their skills sharp and honed. Ballora encouraged Carmen to dance as she pleased, not putting any pressure on her to practice when she didn’t want to.

“But when I became a teenager and showed interest in being a professional... that’s when it became hard,” Carmen continued. “The ballet teacher for the older groups retired and a new one took her place. This one was very different in her approach.”

Ballora spun Carmen around, carefully moving her as Carmen balanced on one foot.

“’You will suffer,’ she’d said,” Carmen leapt gracefully and once again stood on her toes. “’Your limbs will ache. Your feet will bleed. Your stomach will hunger. Ballet is pain. Ballet is suffering. Beauty is suffering. Art is suffering. You will all suffer for your art and your beauty.’”

She frowned, spinning slowly in place.

“She told us to count calories and skip meals,” she continued. “Food was our enemy. She told us that ugliness was not permitted in ballet. Stay small and thin. Stay pretty. If you don’t, you will never be on stage. You will never be a true ballerina.”

Ballora stopped dancing and looked at her.

“If your shoes were not stained in blood, you didn’t practice hard enough,” Carmen seemed to be lost in her own little world as she continued to walk on her toes. “If you didn’t drop from exhaustion, you didn’t practice hard enough. If you didn’t work hard on your body and let a doctor rearrange your face, you didn’t deserve to be a ballerina. Sacrifices are key. Sacrifices were what separated the professionals from the wannabes.”

Her heels hit the stage with a muffled thud. Her ballet slippers still bore faded bloodstains and tears in the soft fabric. Ballora carefully made her way over and pulled Carmen in for a hug. She gently stroked Carmen’s cheek and frowned.

“Those who believe that you must suffer for your passion are wrong,” she said. “Art is meant to ease your suffering, not cause it. Such ideas are toxic and abhorrent. Beauty has no criteria. Sacrifice is not a noble medal to wear. And to force it onto others...”

She shook her head with a sigh and tightened her hold.

“You should never have had to do such things,” she said. “And I’m sorry that you did.”

Carmen stayed silent. It took her so long to believe that the teacher had been wrong. It was why she worked so hard with the children who came to Ballora’s lessons. She wouldn’t let them hear or believe such things.

Chapter Text

Bonnie’s eyes shone with awe and glee at what Natty was holding.

“How did you... how did you find out?” He asked.

Natty glanced at the special pair of rollerblades that she was holding. They were neon colored with stars and bowling balls painted on the sides.

“Freddy mentioned it,” she said. “So I spoke to Owen to see if there was any way to make another pair for you since your old pair was thrown out. Do you like them?”

Bonnie slowly approached Natty, reaching out to touch the skates as if he couldn’t believe they were actually there. If he could, he would shed a tear of pure happiness.

“It’s been years,” he said. “I’d nearly forgotten how I used to zoom around the plex with my trusty rollerblades, doing tricks and stunts for the kids. I need to thank Owen when I see him. Give him a big bunny hug. How do I put them on?”

“Magnets and ratchet straps,” Natty said. “Here, I’ll show you how...”

Minutes later, Bonnie was slowly getting his bearings as he rolled across the floor on his rollerblades. As he got more confident, his skating became more and more daring. Soon, he was doing tricks while Natty cheered and clapped for him. Her smile faltered as she saw Bonnie coming right for her... and was not slowling down.

“Bonnie, watch out-” Natty was rudely interrupted as Bonnie scooped her up with little effort and spun her in a circle.

Natty shrieked as she held on tightly, but she soon began to giggle instead.

“Thank you so much!” Bonnie said. “Oh, I forgot how much fun this was. I can’t wait to show the kids how cool I am! Oh! You know, Chica would rollerskate back in the day.”

“Owen mentioned that too,” Natty said. “So he’s making her a pair of skates. But I’m glad you like these and I’m happy you’re able to skate again.”

“Monty’s going to want a skateboard,” Bonnie warned. “He had one of those a long time ago. But... I suppose you can make him one too if you want. He won’t be able to overshadow my skills. Not at all.”

Natty giggled and Bonnie rubbed his bunny nose against hers.

Chapter Text

The battlefield was very simple.

Two plain chairs facing each other were the only things in the otherwise empty space. It looked like such a normal scene. Such an innocent one. But it filled Yumi with too many emotions.

Yumi felt like a hive full of bees. She was nervous and jittery and angry and her stomach felt like it was twisting inside her. She was eager to get this over with and also wanting to run away. A few lingering fears that had taken root during her childhood were still hanging over her.

But she was not alone.

Chica stood at her side. Kishi stood at her other side. DJ and Cosmo were there as was Mr. Watkins. Nobody spoke as they waited...

Soon enough, Yumi heard someone coming. Michael exited an elevator with someone else. Someone that Yumi recognized and their presence made her anxiety spike. It was her mother.

Himari Nakatomi looked like a woman on a mission. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were curled in her signature glare. That glare had haunted Yumi’s nightmares when she was a child, but now she gave her own glare to her mother.

“Thank you for joining us, Ms. Nakatomi,” Mr. Watkins said. “If you could please remain silent until I am done.”

Himari closed her mouth, clearly having been about to launch into a rant. She gave Mr. Watkins an angry look and then went back to glaring at Yumi.

“This talk has been agreed upon by both participating parties,” Mr. Watkins said. “And I have agreed to allow you both to use this plex as a favor to Yumi. There are a few rules to be observed. Either party is free to walk away at any time. Either party may speak as much or as little as they please. Either party may speak, whisper, or shout. Under no circumstances is there to be any violence. Any act of violence will end this talk and both parties will be removed. Do either of you have any questions?”

“No,” Himari spoke curtly.

“No, Sir,” Yumi echoed.

“Very well,” Mr. Watkins nodded. “Then we shall give you privacy. For the safety of both parties, and as per Yumi’s request, Chica will remain here. Kishi and Michael will be nearby if either of them is needed.”

He gave a nod and walked away. Cosmo gave a respectful bow and followed while Michael and Kishi left without any other word. DJ gave a worried warble and pat Yumi’s head before he left as well. Soon, it was just Yumi, her mother, and Chica.

Yumi sat down in one of the chairs and Himari did the same, daintily crossing her legs at her ankle.

“Hello, Mother,” Yumi’s lip curled in disgust...

Chapter Text

The two women were silent at first.

The tiger versus the fox...

Chica had never felt so much loathing between two people, let alone a mother and daughter. It was practically palpable between them, burning like fire or writhing like snakes.

Himari finally decided to speak. She cleared her throat first.

“So... how have you been-”

“Don’t beat around the bush,” Yumi interrupted. “You’ve practically been harassing Kota to try to talk to me. What do you want to speak about? You’re only getting this one chance.”

Himari frowned, but took a deep breath to calm herself. Yumi had always been a difficult child before, but she’d always stayed silent like she was supposed to. Suddenly now, Yumi was talking back. Himari blamed Kota’s bad influence.

“You missed your grandmother’s funeral,” Himari said. “She wanted to see you before she died, and now she never will. How could you have been so selfish to her?”

“She’s dead?” Yumi shrugged. “Good. She was an awful person and the world is better without her.”

“Don’t you dare disrespect my mother!” Himari snarled. “You little brat! After everything I did to make sure you would grow into an upstanding member of society, you turn out this way! I don’t know how you’ve become this way!”

Yumi stood up, causing Kishi to move slightly. He knew that if a fight broke out, Yumi had a fighting chance, but he didn’t want Yumi to get in trouble for attacking her mother. Himari wasn’t worth whatever punishment would come from it.

“I moved out and found myself,” Yumi said. “Spoilers, the person I am is nowhere near the person you tried to make me into.”

“You mean a mentally stable and productive person?” Himari asked.

“I mean I’m not some doll for you to dress up and parade around to everyone else,” Yumi said. “The little doll that only said what you wanted me to say and do what you wanted me to do.”

“The little girl who had grace and poise and could play the piano?” Himari said.

“That piano...” Yumi hissed. “The one that you made me play over and over again. The one that still has my bloodstains on some of the keys! I wish I could set it on fire1”

Chica gasped. Yumi had bled on the piano and her mother had still forced her to play it?

“My childhood under you was pure hell,” Yumi continued. “I wasn’t allowed to have friends, I wasn’t allowed to eat sweets, I wasn’t allowed to watch tv or watch movies or listen to music unless you approved of it. I wasn’t allowed to play games or have opinions. Hell, I wasn’t allowed to have thoughts!”

“You think you had it bad?” Himari said. “My mother was much harsher on me. You have nothing to complain about. At least you never had to sleep outside in the snow or only drink water for three days because you had gained weight.”

“So that makes it all ok?” Yumi scoffed. “Because you had a bad childhood, it gives you the right to give me one too? To make me suffer too? What, was I your punching bag so that you could have your turn to make someone miserable after what you dealt with?”

Chica reached out and put a hand on Yumi’s shoulder. Yumi sniffled, fighting back the angry tears that were welling up in her eyes.

“I... hate you,” she growled, sounding as if it took all of her courage to say such a thing.

Chapter Text

It had been Mr. Watkins’s idea.

In the name of safety, he’d offered to let his employees stay the night at the plex to keep them off the roads that tended to get dangerous on New Year’s Eve. If he could keep his employees off the road, he’d prefer that.

To his surprise, a number of employees had stayed. Some of them had looked for a nice place to sleep, but most of them had just slept where they’d fallen. Most were crammed into the daycare or Superstar Theater since those places were the most comfortable to sleep, but others...

Kevin had originally fallen asleep in one of the gokarts on Roxy’s Raceway. Roxy had found him cuddling a driver assist bot that was still telling him to slow down and take a left turn. With a fond smile, she’d picked him up and carried him back to her room. Kevin slept the rest of the night on Roxy’s couch with his head in her lap.

Yumi had given Foxy yet another rematch, this time fighting while sitting atop DJ. She eventually fell asleep with DJ’s hands curled around her and his father and many uncles sleeping around her. Foxy had briefly debated telling DJ to clear out from The Cove, but he’d ultimately decided to let them be. As long as the witch and sea monster weren’t hurting anything, he’d let them sleep here.

Carmen and Tiffany had fallen asleep in the Fazerblast area. Freddy found them curled up in a corner, still wearing their gear. Issac was found asleep and splattered in paint next to a fresh new mural. Natty had fallen asleep on a pile of fabric scraps and a new dress she’d made. Bonnie had tried to pull it out from under her, but she’d held onto it tight in her sleep and Bonnie had only succeeded in dragging her a short distance before giving up.

Chica waited until a more decent hour before she began to lead the STAFFbots in cooking a nice brunch for everyone. She had a feeling that lots of coffee would be needed...

Chapter Text

Mr. Watkins was doing a lap around the plex to make sure everything was running smoothly. So far, he wasn’t seeing any problems, but then he was approached by a wet floor bot. The sign warbled at him, and Mr. Watkins followed it to a pair of other bots that were curiously looking at an odd trail of what looked like water droplets.

“Oh dear,” he said. “Have you already called a STAFFbot to mop this up?”

A wet floor bot chirped and nodded.

“Good job,” Mr. Watkins smiled and pat them all on the head. “Stay here and keep an eye on this. I’m going to follow it to see where it came from.”

The wet floor bots chirped again and positioned themselves along the trail. Mr. Watkins began to follow it, wondering if it might be from a guest. He followed it until he noticed a trio of children who were trying their hardest to look suspicious. The two boys were keeping a careful lookout while the little girl was carrying a backpack that appeared to be leaking water.

“Excuse me, children,” Mr. Watkins called to them.

The children froze, and Mr. Watkins heard one of them utter the word ‘busted’.

“Just play it cool,” the other boy whispered.

“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble,” Mr. Watkins assured them. “I’m just worried about the water you’re dripping on the ground. What’s in your backpack?”

The two boys moved to stand in front of the girl, and she stepped back, tightening her hold on her backpack and looking like she might start crying.

“You can’t take it!” said the boy who was wearing a Freddy shirt.

“It’s for our friend!” said the other boy who was wearing a Ballora shirt.

“It’s also making puddles on the floor,” said Mr. Watkins. “Someone could slip and hurt themselves. I promise you I will not be mad if you show me. I just want to make sure everyone stays safe.”

The boys shared a look, but the girl wordlessly stepped forward and opened her backpack. Mr. Watkins couldn’t help but snort in amusement as he saw that it was full of melting snow.

“It’s for Sunny,” she said. “He said he’s never been able to play with snow cuz he can’t leave. We just wanted to bring him some so that he could play with it...”

Ah, so that was why she had a backpack full of snow. Mr. Watkins smiled softly at their actions.

“That is very kind of you,” he said. “But, we can’t bring snow in here. It’ll melt before he can really do anything with it. However... that does give me an idea. Here, let’s go dump that snow outside and I’ll tell you.”

The children followed him back to the entrance, sharing curious looks.

That night, multiple new videos appeared on the animatronics’ social media profiles. Every video showed them outside and playing in the snow. They were building snowmen, having snow fights, making snow angels, and Monty even managed to make a little fort.

Sunny’s video was recorded by Tiffany, who had stayed behind to join them. The video showed Sunny shrieking with laughter and joy. Before it ended, he addressed the audience.

“Snow is so much fun!” He said. “I hope you all are having fun and staying safe in this weather. And thank you so much to Stanley, Tom, and Brooke for giving Mr. Watkins the idea for letting us come out here. I really appreciate- OOF!”

He flailed slightly as a snowball smacked into the side of his face. Sunny looked over to see Cosmo juggling a few snowballs.

“All’s fair in love and war,” they said, catching the snowballs and lining up another shot. “Perhaps you should pay more attention.”

“Cosmo!” Sunny wiped the snow from his face and ducked down to roll his own snowball. “Just you wait, I’m gonna get you!”

He ran off after a laughing Cosmo, and the video ended.

Chapter Text

The talk between mother and daughter did not get any better.

Chica stood her ground, hand still on Yumi’s shoulder. As the two argued with each other, Chica ended up learning things about Yumi that were horrific. For a long time, she had known that there was evil in humanity. She’d seen it plenty in her classes and around the plex, but this was something else. This was trauma, and Chica wondered how Yumi was even able to function with a past like this.

She glanced at the other figures in the room, seeing that DJ looked angry. Even Cosmo, who was always calm and collected, looked tense and was showing signs of anger.

“How can you hate me so much after all I’ve done?” Himari snarled. “I did everything I could to make sure you didn’t end up as some unemployed worthless person on the streets. I did everything I could to make sure you would have a good future and the independence to maintain it. And now you spit on me with your disrespect! I know I’m not to blame for this! You are just a wicked, ungrateful, spiteful child who threw her future away for stupid reasons!”

Yumi’s eye twitched... and then she was on her feet.

Before she could lunge at her mother, Chica grabbed her and held her tightly. The fox growled, baring teeth and reaching out with claws, and the tiger simply smirked at her. The tiger’s arrogance shone in her eyes as she watched the fox devolve into such bestial behavior, believing that everything she’d said before was only being proven with each snap of the fox’s teeth.

Chica maneuvered Yumi to her side, holding her almost on her hip.

“Shh...” Chica pat Yumi’s back. “She’s not worth it. She’s nothing compared to you, just calm down...”

“Nothing compared to me?” Himari scoffed. “Look at her! She’s acting like a complete animal! All those etiquette lessons and she can’t even speak like a civilized-”

“Shut up!” Chica snapped, interrupting Himari and pointing at her. “You have no right to talk to her like that! I wish I could say your poison is rare, but I’ve seen it so many times with other families. You spend all your time insulting Yumi when you have no idea how wonderful she is. Anyone would be lucky to have her as a daughter!”

“I am her mother-” Himari tried to speak.

“You are not!” Chica said. “Any woman can birth a child, but she must love her child before she can be called a mother, and you certainly do not love Yumi. We all adore her here, and you will never understand why! This conversation is over now. Kishi, please escort her out of here. Ms. Nakatomi, your ban still stands. If you try to come back, the police will be called. And don’t ever try to talk to Yumi again!”

Himari continued to shout insults as Kishi literally dragged her out of the room. DJ warbled in a concerned tone, and Cosmo stepped closer to Yumi and Chica.

“Better give her some space,” Chica said to them. “She’ll come to you when she feels better, ok?”

DJ looked like he might start arguing, but Cosmo placed a hand on his and said something to him in a soft tone. DJ warbled angrily, but turned around and left. Cosmo offered Chica a slight bow and a reassuring look.

“She will be ok,” they said. “Call us if you need any help.”

“Thanks, Cosmo,” Chica said.

After Cosmo left, Chica realized that Yumi had long since stopped struggling. Instead, she was clinging to Chica like a lifeline and sobbing into her shoulder. Chica was shocked to hear such agonizing cries coming from Yumi. They were the kind that came from the depths of one’s soul. The kind that came from years of misery and pain.

“You’re ok,” Chica nuzzled Yumi with her beak. “She’s gone. She can’t hurt you anymore. I have you now...”

Yumi continued to cry, and Chica held her tightly as she did so.

Chapter Text

Mr. Watkins had given Yumi a few days off to recover.

Chica would facetime her when she could just to make sure that she was ok. Yumi told her that she just felt very raw, but had high hopes that she would feel better soon. Yumi was feeling a bit better, but it was a confusing feeling. She felt as if she had finally gotten a weight off of her chest, but at the same time, she felt as if she’d felt as if she’d had to pry herself from a monster’s teeth in order to do so.

She was tired, drained, and reorganizing all the memories she’d lived through during the confrontation. But ice cream, some comfort shows, and Teeny Boi were helping her get better. Udon was helping too... when he wasn’t trying to burrow into the couch cushions.

On the second day of her recovery, Yumi was surprised to see that someone had sent her a letter. She opened it curiously, seeing that the return address was the pizzaplex. She pulled out a handwritten letter and began to read it.

Yumi, Scattered Witch of Sea Monsters,

Allow me to congratulate you on vanquishing that old sea hag what birthed you. Chica has been mum as to the details of the battle, but I have no doubt that you fought valiantly.

On the other hook, I know that such battles can take a lot out of you. We pirates have just the thing for that. Unfortunately, the plex does not sell golden earrings, so I decided on something else. We pirates believe that tattoos ward off bad spirits and the like, so I took a few temporary ones that you can use. They’ll keep the bad spirits away and help you feel better. Use them just in case your witch spells are not strong enough.

Until we meet again,

Captain Foxglove Fitzgerald 

Yumi set the letter aside and dug through the envelope. Sure enough, there were a few sheets of temporary tattoos. There were ones of the animatronics as well as a few aesthetic ones as well. Yumi stared at them and softly smiled.

She was going to start crying again...

Chapter Text

“You know that Moon’s gonna kill you, right?”

Roxanne grinned as she turned to look at Isaac. Isaac froze and slowly turned to look at her. He still had splatters of paint on the old clothes he was wearing, and he’d been busy putting the cans of spray paint back into the crate he kept them in.

“Why?” He asked. “I thought Moon liked my murals...”

“You really don’t know?” Roxanne’s sharp teeth glinted in the light as her grin widened.

Isaac looked up at the mural. It was a nice one of Ballora in various ballet poses and outfits. But near the top was a special scene he’d included.

“You painted Ballora and Moon dancing together,” Roxanne said, pointing at the scene. “That’s why he’s gonna kill you.”

Isaac was confused. He knew about the dynamics between the animatronics, and there was no bad blood between Moon and Ballora. In fact, he’d caught them dancing together once or twice before.

“I thought Moon liked Ballora,” he said.

“He does,” Roxanne said. “But he doesn’t talk about it. He always gets so shy about it,” her tone had changed into a babyish sounding one and she put her hands up to her cheeks.

Isaac snorted in amusement and finished putting his paints into the crate. Ballora was undergoing a software update or he would bring her by to show her the mural. He’d just show her another day and ask for her opinions on it. Hopefully she would like it...

“I think I’ll live,” he said. “And I bet Moon will like it too. Sunny’s already been asking me for a mural anyway. This can be like a sneak peek.”

“Whatever you say,” Roxanne shrugged. “It’s your funeral. I’d just avoid the daycare for a while if I were you.”

Isaac waved her off as he carried his paints away. Roxanne shook her head and looked up at the mural. Moon’s scene involved him holding Ballora in a sort of dip in one arm while the other was held high above his head. It really was a lovely scene, but Roxanne knew Moon would have a problem with it.

“Eh, he can get over himself,” Roxanne shrugged again before walking away.

Chapter Text

Isaac had a bad feeling when the lights went out.

He’d been helping Foxy clean up the Cove when the lights suddenly went out, leaving them both in darkness. Behind him, he saw Foxy turn on one of the prop lanterns and hang it on his hook. Foxy then tilted his head up and sniffed the air.

“Stay close to me,” he said with a hiss. “There be trouble coming.”

Isaac didn’t need to be told twice as he quickly hurried over to Foxy’s side. Foxy had his sword in his hand, and he was looking around them with narrowed eyes. His ears flicked and moved, trying to pick up any sounds.

Isaac gasped as he heard something move in the darkness. He could barely see a figure moving. It was agile and lithe, moving with almost no sound at all.

“Captain!” He pointed it out to Foxy.

Foxy turned around and brought his sword up just in time to block a pair of blue and white hands. The lantern was brought around and illuminated Moon’s face. Moon quickly stepped back out of the light before he could turn back into Sun.

“Avast ye!” Foxy called out. “Servant of Selene! Go back to your celestial mistress what moves the waters beneath our boats!”

“He knows what he did,” Moon’s voice came out of the darkness like a growl. “I saw the mural.”

Isaac couldn’t help but shudder. Now he knew why so many children had once been terrified of Moon. The animatronic could be terrifying when he wanted to be, and he was even worse in pitch black darkness. Isaac could still hear him moving, but Foxy was moving too. Foxy matched each of Moon’s steps with his own, making sure to keep Isaac behind him as he did so.

“Ya anger be misdirected,” Foxy said. “This color weaver be innocent of any mischief. Now clear off before ya make me angry.”

Isaac remembered Roxanne’s words about Moon and the mural. She’d said he would kill Isaac over it, but... she’d also mentioned Moon’s true feelings over it. Isaac snorted in amusement and shook his head.

“I got this,” he said to Foxy. “Don’t worry about it.”

He walked to the edge of the light, hearing Foxy move into a defensive stance behind him. Moon’s glowing eyes appeared in front of Isaac and moved as close as they could.

“Are you done with your tantrum?” Isaac folded his arms. “What’s wrong? Are you embarrassed by the mural?”

Moon stood before him, no longer hunched over, stretched up to his full height. And then he dramatically fell to the floor with a loud whine that reminded Isaac of his own son.

“Yes,” Moon whined as he covered his face with his hands. “Roxanne’s been making fun of me because of it. You know how I feel about Ballora, why did you do it?”

Foxy relaxed with a huff, sheathing his sword and settling down.

“Do you not like it?” Isaac asked. “I got your good side and everything.”

Moon was silent for a moment.

“True...” he said softly. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”

Isaac chuckled and knelt down to Moon’s level.

“Because if there was anyone here who deserves to dance with Ballora, it’s you,” he said. “That’s why I put you up there. I know you feel connected to her, and I wanted to honor that. It wasn’t to make fun of you.”

Moon pouted, turning his face away from Isaac.

“It’s still embarrassing,” he said. “And I know Monty’s going to start making fun of me too.”

“Well, if they do, you tell them that if they don’t stop, I’m going to spray paint mustaches and tacky mullets on their murals,” Isaac said.

Moon burst out into laughter, and Isaac felt like everything was ok again.

Chapter Text

“So why this song?” Roxanne asked, looking at the sheet music.

“Apparently, they really like this song,” Monty shrugged. “They’re gonna do their first dance to it, so we can’t mess this up. Looks like an easy enough song, though. We won’t have to sing or play much during it as the ensemble.”

“Hmm...” Freddy frowned as he looked over the sheet music. “This song requires a vocal range that I do not possess.”

“You can always get Owen to fix that for you,” Roxanne said. “A little tuning should raise you up an octave or two.”

Freddy tapped his chin in thought. True, he could have Owen tweak his vocal program to allow for the higher notes, but... the song still seemed like it wasn’t one he was best suited for. Freddy was all about the high energy rock songs his band played every night. This song was much slower and gentler than his usual fare.

“I do not think I am the best pick for this song,” he said. “But... there is someone who is...”

Freddy turned around and moved until he stood in front of a particular animatronic. Cosmo stared at him in confusion.

“Cosmo,” Freddy smiled. “You possess a higher range and would be better suited to sing this song.”

Cosmo’s eyes widened. Them? Sing lead? But they had always been programed to sing back up and provide delightful harmonies to Freddy’s verses. They had only ever sung lead during their off time when they and someone else were goofing around on the stage.

“Me?” Cosmo asked. “I... Are you sure? This is a very important song for that couple’s wedding. I am not programmed to sing lead.”

“Nonsense,” Freddy said. “You are a much better pick to sing. I know that you will be amazing at this song. Why don’t we try it out? I am sure you will feel better about it afterwards. Chica, if you could please start?”

Chica beamed and began to gently strum her guitar. She’d retuned it to sound softer and more melodic as needed for the music of the song. She glanced at Cosmo, waiting for them to begin singing.

Cosmo looked down at the sheet music and made a sound to mimic clearing their throat.

“King of shadows...” they sang. “King of Shades... Hades was king of the Underworld.”

Chica moved closer to stand at Cosmo’s side as she continued to play. Freddy smiled at them both, hearing Cosmo hit each note perfectly.

“But he fell in love with a beautiful lady
Who walked up above
In her mother's green field
He fell in love with Persephone
Who was gathering flowers in the light of the sun
And I know how it was because
He was like me
A man in love with a woman...”

Roxanne and Monty watched in interest as Cosmo and Chica continued to perform the song. Freddy stood off to the side with his big smile. He knew he’d made the right choice...

Chapter Text

Mr. Watkins had never seen this employee before.

It was a young man with curly brown hair. Probably in his early to mid twenties. Said his name was Arnold, and he was part of a recovery team? Mr. Watkins was unaware of such a team.

“I apologize,” Mr. Watkins said. “I was unaware that we had such a team.”

The poor guy looked ready to keel over. He was swaying slightly and trying so hard to keep his eyes open. He sighed and removed his glasses to rub at his eyes.

“Great,” he said softly. “Um... I was hired when that other guy was in charge. We’re supposed to be ‘recovering pieces of Fazbear property and legacy’, or something like that. I wasn’t really given an orientation...”

“Ah,” Mr. Watkins frowned. “That makes sense. But even now, there’s no mention of a recovery team in the system...”

He typed at his keyboard. Nothing came up for a recovery team. Arnold’s profile was shockingly empty as well. Only a few pieces of information and the name of a supervisor. Arnold’s earlier words finally registered, and he narrowed his eyes in thought.

“Recovering Fazbear property?” He repeated. “What were you recovering?”

“Some kind of blueprints,” Arnold replaced his glasses and shook his head as if trying to wake himself up. “They didn’t give me much information. Just gave me a location and said ‘Fetch’.”

“Please sit down,” Mr. Watkins gestured to a seat. “Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink? You look unwell.”

Arnold all but fell into one of the chairs in front of Mr. Watkins’s desk. He slung his backpack off his shoulder and set it at his feet.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m just exhausted. They’ve been working me for almost a full twenty four hours straight. I... I was upset so I decided to come here and confront you about the working hours, but... if you really didn’t know...”

“How long?!” Mr. Watkins felt his blood begin to boil.

“I’m guessing you didn’t approve that,” Arnold sighed again. “Andy was the one who told me it was orders from the top.”

“Your supervisor?” Mr. Watkins asked. “I will... deal with him.”

He cleared his throat and pressed a button on the phone on his desk.

“Cosmo, could you please bring some juice and a light snack to my office?” He asked. “I have an employee who isn’t well.”

“Of course,” Cosmo’s voice came from the speaker. “I shall be right there.”

“I assure you that I did not tell anyone to force you to work for so long,” Mr. Watkins said. “Nor did I know about any recovery team. But now that I do know... I will take care of it. For now, you will be taking some time off. Paid time off, don’t worry. I will need to do some restructuring and decide where to put you if I decide to disband this recovery team.”

It was a little while later that Cosmo entered the office with a tray of food.

“Here you are,” they set it in Arnold’s lap. “A nice sandwich, fruit salad, and some pineapple juice. This should help you feel better.”

“If you won’t mind waiting for a bit, Cosmo,” Mr. Watkins said.

“I don’t,” Cosmo said, scanning Arnold with their system. “And I see what you mean. This man is in dire need of rest and is suffering from mild malnutrition.”

“I’ve been living off of granola bars and dollar menu food,” Arnold’s voice was muffled as he chewed his sandwich. “Not much time or money for real food.”

“Then I shall bring you another sandwich later,” Cosmo beamed. “After you have had some rest. I do not recommend you try to drive home in this state...”

Arnold didn’t seem to hear them as he scarfed down the food and drained the cup of juice. He felt much better afterwards, but he was still exhausted.

“I can make it home,” he finally said. “I’ve driven on no sleep before.”

“You will rest here,” Mr. Watkins’s tone left no room for argument. “The children have finished their movie, so the Superstar Theatre will be empty. There are plenty of blankets and cushions in there for you to sleep comfortably. Or, if you prefer a real bed, I’m sure Sun will not mind allowing you to borrow his bedroom.”

Arnold wanted to argue, but a long yawn interrupted anything he might have said.

“Thanks,” he said. “I think the theatre will be fine...”

Chapter Text

The theatre was dimly lit, mostly by the screen that played a looping message about how the movie was going to be starting soon. Nearly all of the cushions and blankets had been gathered together and made into a cozy nest. The only way to tell that someone was sleeping inside it was the arm and leg that were poking out of it.

“Arnold?” Tiffany carefully began to move some of the cushions. “Arnold? It’s time to wake up...”

She felt bad for waking him up, since he was obviously tired. He’d slept the rest of the day and the entire night, but he had to be hungry now. Tiffany knew he needed some food.

“Huh?” Arnold sat up, sending cushions rolling in all directions. “Whozat?”

His hair was a mess of brown curls, and he’d obviously been drooling at some time in the night. He was also clutching a Glamrock Freddy plush.

Arnold dug around in the blankets for his glasses and slid them on. He blinked at Tiffany’s smile in confusion before wiping the drool from his face.

“Good morning, starshine,” Tiffany beamed. “The earth says hello!”

“So does the moon!” Moon said, leaning down behind Tiffany’s kneeling form and resting his elbows on her shoulders.

“Oh jeez,” Arnold yawned. “What time is it?”

“It’s early,” Tiffany said. “You slept all night long. I didn’t want to wake you up, but I have a feeling that you’re probably hungry and want some breakfast. Cosmo’s Nest sells breakfast food, and it’s very good.”

Arnold’s stomach growled, and he clutched it with a sheepish chuckle.

“I wouldn’t say no to real food,” he said. “Um... I don’t think we met yesterday. Cosmo just took me straight here. I’m Arnold.”

“So I’ve heard,” Tiffany smiled and helped Arnold stand up. “I’m Tiffany and this is Moon. We work in the daycare, which will be opening soon.”

“Moon?” Arnold looked at the animatronic in question. “Oh, I think Cosmo mentioned you. You take care of naptime, right?”

“And you definitely needed one,” said Moon. “Sun’s scans were going haywire about your health when he saw you yesterday. Thankfully, they’re looking better now.”

Tiffany led Arnold from the daycare and across the plex. Other workers were coming in and heading to the timeclocks to start their day. Arnold looked around curiously as he followed after Tiffany.

The Nest was empty of customers, but bots were busy cooking in the back. Tiffany punched in an order at the kiosk, using Arnold’s feedback to shape it.

Eggs, bacon, waffles drenched in syrup and covered in strawberry slices... and some coffee. Arnold looked at the plate that came out of the kitchen as if he’d just found his true love.

“Eat up,” Tiffany handed him the plate. “If you’re still tired after, you can’t go back to the theatre. But Sun said you’re welcome to stay in his room while the kids are in the daycare. Also, Mr. Watkins is going to want to speak to you later.”

Arnold looked worried, but Tiffany pat his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “You’ve done nothing wrong. And even so, Mr. Watkins is very nice. If you need anything else, the STAFFbots can send a message to Mr. Watkins or any one of us. Just flag one down if you need it. I have to go get the daycare ready to open with Sun. See you later!”

“Mmf!” Arnold struggled to speak through a mouthful of waffles. “Thank you!”

Chapter Text

“Hello?”

“Hello,” Mr. Watkins said. “Is this Andy?”

“Yes?” The voice from the speaker sounded confused. “Who is this?”

“Ah yes,” Mr. Watkins typed at his keyboard. “Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Richard Watkins.”

He had to admit the silence that followed was rather satisfying.

“M-Mr. Watkins!” The voice nervously chuckled. “I have to admit I wasn’t expecting to hear from you-”

“Oh, I imagine you weren’t,” Mr. Watkins interrupted. “After all, I’m not supposed to know about you, right?”

A file was on his computer screen. The name on it was Andy Unitz, a supervisor who worked for Fazbear Entertainment. A supervisor who had been carefully hidden along with Arnold’s profile.

“You were transferred between departments,” Mr. Watkins continued. “Transferred to a new one. Some kind of recovery team, right? You’re responsible for... recovering Fazbear’s legacy. Which is just a very kind way of saying that your job is to steal things that Max thought belonged to him. Am I correct?”

Andy cleared his throat, and Mr. Watkins could practically see him comically tugging on the collar of his shirt as nerves took over. He couldn’t blame him. This was not going to be a pleasant phone call...

“I... I mean,” Andy definitely sounded nervous now. “Max didn’t exactly frame it like that. But he did put me in charge of this little team. I-I have no idea why you didn’t know about this. But we’re doing great! We managed to find a few key pieces-”

“I’ll address that later,” Mr. Watkins interrupted again. “I’m more interested in you and your performance. Particularly since I had a little chat with the employee you were supervising.”

A beat of silence followed.

“Arnold?” Andy asked. “Let me guess, he had a few complaints. He’s always been complaining about nothing.” He laughed. “I mean, I deny him five breaks and suddenly I’m a whip-cracking tyrant!” He laughed again. “Kids these days, am I right?”

“Yes, well...” Mr. Watkins didn’t sound amused, “I do believe in ‘innocent until proven guilty’. Unfortunately for you, you have been proven guilty.”

The silence that followed was even heavier.

“What do you mean?” Andy was no longer laughing.

“All the emails and text messages,” Mr. Watkins said. “The ones you sent to Arnold where you threatened his safety, his truck, and his wages. The ones where you demanded that he work absurdly long shifts. The ones where you refused to help him get hotels to sleep in or food to eat while he was travelling. The ones that you deleted to cover your tracks. Fortunately, my technician Owen is a genius at restoring lost data, and he was able to bring them back up on Arnold’s company device. I read every. Single. One of them.”

Mr. Watkins’s tone went deep and cold. It was a terrifying tone that few got to hear since he didn’t use it much. It was a tone that told everyone that someone or something had angered him, and the bear was about to rear its roaring head.

“Oh yeah?” Andy’s tone changed too. “And what will you do? You manage the plex, not me. And I was just following orders from the CEO at the time.”

“That’s true,” Mr. Watkins agreed. “Which is why I took the liberty of forwarding everything to Mr. Javier Aguilar, who is the acting CEO of this company. He was not pleased to see it all, and we agreed that your consequences go far beyond simple termination. What you did was downright criminal, and you can believe that we will be bringing the proper authorities into this. As for you ‘just following orders’... you know that excuse only gets you so far. And what we read all but burned that excuse at the stake.”

Andy was silent now, but Mr. Watkins could hear his breathing pick up. Obviously, it was all starting to sink in for him. He was not going to escape this. He was not going to get away with a simple slap on the wrist. He was dead in the water, and the sharks were starting to swarm...

“If I may give you some advice,” Mr. Watkins said as he typed a few things into Andy’s profile on his computer. “Don’t try to run. You know there’s nowhere you can run to or hide, Andy. And running will only make Mr. Aguilar angrier at you when he catches you. Have a wonderful day, Andy...”

He ended the call with a smile.

Chapter Text

Hey guys! It's me, Beautiful Doom... or just Doom, as some of you call me.

I have a question for you guys. If you recall, I teased a new character earlier in this series with the idea that I would make them Cosmo's new handler. However, we recently acquired a new character straight from Secret of the Mimic, and you guys seem to really like him. So the question is this:

Should I continue with my previous character, or... should we take Arnold and make him Cosmo's handler?

To be honest, I see how much you guys like Arnold, but I don't know where to stick him exactly, so he'd more than likely just fade into the background. The choice is yours! I'll give you some time to cast your votes and comments, and then I'll let you guys know what the winning decision is.

Thank you guys so much and have a wonderful day!

Chapter Text

“So... the recovery team.”

Mr. Watkins had called Arnold to meet him before the plex opened. Arnold stood with him and the Head of Parts and Services. Owen, he’d learned was the man’s name.

“That team has been disbanded,” said Mr. Watkins. “And I’m sure that you will be happy to hear that your previous supervisor will be paying for the way he treated you.”

Arnold couldn’t help but smile at that. He’d absolutely loathed Andy with all his being.

“Now, your profile says that you are a technician,” Mr. Watkins continued. “So I thought it might be best to utilize those skills and put you into a better department.”

“Parts and Services?” Arnold asked. “I-I don’t think I’m qualified to work on animatronics...”

“You’re not,” Mr. Watkins agreed. “I saw that in your profile as well. So, you won’t be working on the animatronics. I decided to... create a sort of branch off of Parts and Services to divide the labor up and make things easier for Owen and Jean. Your clients... will be them.”

Mr. Watkins pointed, and Arnold turned to look. His eyes widened slightly.

Mr. Watkins was pointing at a veritable army of wet floor bots. They all moved closer to the group of humans, wide eyes looking at them curiously. Some of them nudged against Arnold, almost like puppies.

“They may not be performers, but they are still just as important to the plex,” Mr. Watkins smiled as he pat a nearby bot on the head. “They need tending to as much as the others. So your job is now to make sure they are all functioning and healthy and doing their jobs. When you get the hang of them, I’ll add the STAFFbots and Securitybots to your roster as well. Now, these bots cannot speak, so it may be a little tricky to diagnose them in case anything happens, but I have faith in you and your abilities. I’m sure you’ll do a great job.”

“They’re adorable,” Arnold held his hand out as if meeting a new dog. A bot pushed forward, eager for headpats. “Um, thanks for everything you’ve done. You didn’t have to do all this for me.”

“Oh, but I really did,” Mr. Watkins said. “I made a vow to straighten out this company and make things better for the employees. Rooting out corruption is important, and you brought me someone that needed to be gone. Anyway, if you have any questions, you can ask Owen or Jean.”

“Any questions,” Owen nodded. “No matter how dumb you think they sound. You don’t learn by not asking.”

“Thank you,” Arnold repeated. “So much.”

Mr. Watkins and Owen eventually walked off, leaving Arnold alone with his new technical wards. The wet floor bots continued to stare at him before one spoke up. It let out a loud warble, and Arnold stared at it. He blinked and tilted his head slightly.

“M...My name?” He asked. “Is that what you’re asking?”

The bot warbled again.

“Oh! My name’s Arnold,” Arnold said. “Do you have a name?”

The bot warbled again, but this time they sounded sad.

“Oh, well that’s no good,” Arnold frowned. “Everyone should have a name. How about... Zelda?”

The bot happily chirped and spun in place. The other bots began to warble and push closer to Arnold.

“Oh, you all want names?” Arnold asked. He pulled out a small notebook and pencil. “S-Sure! Let’s see...”

Chapter Text

“Your resume is quite impressive,” Mr. Watkins said.

The woman in front of him fiddled with the pair of headphones in her lap.

“Thank you,” she said softly, still looking at a spot on the wall behind Mr. Watkins.

“I admit, I am curious as to why you would like to work here,” Mr. Watkins said, looking up from the resume.

The woman still stared at the wall behind him, still fiddled with the headphones in her lap. Her eyes moved to other parts of the office as she took a moment to think.

“Not many people want to hire me,” she said, her voice still soft. “They think it’s a waste of time to... accommodate me. It’s why I studied so hard in school. I took as many virtual classes as I could. I thought... if I made myself useful enough... people would want to hire me.”

Her head finally moved to look down at her lap as she spoke. She let go of her headphones to move her fingers back and forth, almost like a practiced dance. When she looked up again, it was back to looking at the wall behind Mr. Watkins.

“I am... desperate,” she said. “I need a job, and you are looking for more technicians to ease the burden on the ones you already have. I am good with machines. I am good with numbers. I am good with computers. I know I can be useful to you. Even if...”

She trailed off, once again gripping her headphones.

Mr. Watkins smiled at her warmly.

“You are an extraordinary person from what I’ve seen so far, Miss Nadine Gwynn,” he said. “You should not have to apologize for yourself or feel like you must offer more than the average worker. Under my management, this plex does not discriminate, and you are not the only neurodivergent person we would have working here. I do agree that you will be a very valuable asset to this company, and I would like to proudly offer this position to you.”

Nadine flinched, eyes widening slightly. For a brief moment, she made eye contact with Mr. Watkins before looking down at her lap again.

“I-I... thank you so much, Sir,” she said. “I know that I can do this job, and I will not let you down.”

“I know you won’t,” Mr. Watkins said, still smiling. “With all the skills your resume lists, I know you will flourish here. As for accommodations, just list out what you will need, and I will make sure it’s taken care of.”

Nadine stood up and stiffly held her hand out.

“Thank you again, Sir,” she said.

Mr. Watkins shook her hand, feeling it tremble slightly in his grasp.

Chapter Text

The uniform shirt fit nicely.

It wasn’t too loose or too tight. Just enough sleeve without being too long. No folded collar, but not too close to the throat either. The material was very soft, and there was no scratchy tag in the back.

Nadine had always dreaded wearing blouses or nice clothes for work. Most designs seemed to have been made with the goal to be the most uncomfortable piece of clothing imaginable. Most were either too tight or too loose in the wrong places and others just fit in a very awkward manner. And the fabrics were even worse. Peplum, crepe, rayon, or worse... chiffon.

It was a sensory nightmare.

But this shirt fit and felt great, and Nadine was also able to wear jeans as opposed to khakis or slacks. Since techs worked with machinery, the dress code was specific to ensure workplace safety.

Well, Nadine already hated having her hair in her face, and she loathed most jewelry, so she was already three steps ahead in that regard.

The entrance she used was a special employee one. One that took her away from all the crowds and noise and instead gave her a quiet hallway with muted colors. From there, it was easy enough to make it to Parts and Services.

Her workspace was a small office that had been cleaned out for her. There was a large monitor on a larger desk, a fan blowing from the corner, and a dimmer switch for the lights.

Nadine looked around, seeing nothing but tools and blueprints and other technological debris. She closed her eyes and breathed in, smelling a few things, but it all mashed together with nothing too strong or noticeable.

It was like the scent equivalent of white noise, and she loved it.

She set her notebooks down and logged into the computer, feeling that she was very much going to enjoy working here.

Chapter Text

“Behold!” Yumi waved her arms in a dramatic fashion. “I know a spell that can instantly boost your serotonin levels and make you smile against your will!”

“Belay, ya witch!” Foxy took a step back and raised his hook as if to defend himself. “Ya witchcraft will not affect the likes of Captain Foxglove Fitzgerald!”

“You can’t stop me,” Yumi said ominously. “Sea Tamer. Salt Breather. The water in your veins is no match for me! Now prepare yourself! The spell... is this!”

Yumi lunged forward before Foxy could take another step. To his surprise... all she did was wrap her arms around him and lean the side of her face against his chest. His arms were still out to his side as he tried to process what she was doing.

A hug. Her spell was just a hug.

“Is the spell working?” Yumi finally asked after a moment.

Foxy huffed a chuckle and returned the hug, squeezing her tightly against him.

“Aye,” he said. “The spell be working. Ol’ Captain Foxy be powerless against the Witch of the Wind.”

“Wait, is that what you call me?” Yumi asked.

Foxy laughed, patting her back.

“Aye,” he said. “I know a few things about the land ya call home. There, wind be freedom. Wind be carefree. And Ol’ Foxy knows ya value that above all else. And after seeing ya mother, I don’t blame ya. Besides, a greater terror there never was when ya become a hurricane in the name of defending ya friends.

He and Yumi were silent for a moment, but then Foxy’s expression slowly turned to horror as he heard Yumi sniffle and begin to cry.

“What? Why ya be crying?” Foxy panicked. “Chica!” He sent an internal message. "Chica, ya daughter be crying! Get over here quickly!”

Chapter Text

“Doing work,” Yumi typed at her computer as she did her closing duties. “Work, work, work. Doing work. Gotta do the work. Work, work! Doing the work work...”

Her usual bee hive mind was buzzing away with all the little thought bees that flew around and around and produced all kinds of sound-

Until it didn’t.

Yumi fell still and silent as a new sound pierced her mind. It was some kind of tone, one she’d never heard before. It... well, she couldn’t really describe what it was doing to her. It managed to quiet the thoughts into silence, but it also made her brain feel as though it was resetting or stuck in some kind of buffering state, unable to even draw new thoughts.

She blinked again and again, trying to process what was happening. As the tone faded, the buzzing bees took flight once more, and the hive was full of sound again. Yumi blinked again, noticing that she was not alone.

The new girl, Nadine, was standing nearby. She was holding some kind of tuning fork and not making any eye contact with Yumi.

“Nani the Faz just happened?” Yumi asked.

“This is eight hundred and fifty two hertz,” Nadine said, tapping her nails against the tuning fork. “It is associated with awakening intuition, raising spiritual awareness, and calming the mind. It is also believed to clear mental clutter and open pathways to inner wisdom and higher consciousness. Other purported benefits include deep relaxation, stress reduction, pain management, energy balancing, enhanced meditation, and improved mental clarity.”

She paused.

“Especially those with ADD or ADHD,” she concluded, her tone soft and clinical. “I apologize if I upset you. I was curious as to if it was true. Please forgive me.”

Yumi blinked again, staring at the tuning fork.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a great voice for ASMR?” She asked. “Because you do. Also, could I maybe borrow that fork sometimes?”

Nadine flinched slightly, not expecting this reaction. She held the tuning fork out to Yumi.

“Keep it,” she said. “I have no need of it.”

“Really?” Yumi took the tuning fork. “Thanks, that’s really nice of you. But I feel bad just taking-” She paused. “Actually, one second.”

She dug around in the drawers of the computer desk until finally finding what she was looking for. It was an old Chica keychain with arms and legs that could be moved and posed with satisfying clicking noises.

“Here,” Yumi held it out to Nadine. “I mostly use this to fidget with. You can have it.”

Nadine was silent for a moment before she slowly reached out and took the keychain. Almost immediately, she began to slowly move the arms back and forth, making them click over and over.

“Thank you,” She said.

“Neurobuds have to stick together,” Yumi smiled. “Let me know if you ever need help with anything.”

Chapter Text

“This is gonna be so much fun,” Brianna smiled at her phone. “Unfortunately, I can’t record inside, so I’ll be back later to do a full review. See you guys in a bit!”

She stopped the recording and pocketed her phone as the attendant approached the group she was with.

“Hey guys!” He said. “The name’s Devante, and I’ll be your gamemaster for today. Welcome to the Fazbear Escape Rooms, I see you all decided to play ‘Freddy’s Birthday Mission’. If you booked a different room, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

There was a moment of silence, and he clapped his hands.

“Perfect! Now, for those of you who haven’t been here before, the rules are simple. You can use your phones for flashlights or calculators or to take notes, but please no pictures or videos. Everything in the room that is meant to open will open easily, so don’t try to force anything or it might break. Please do not take anything from the room. Please do not start any fights with anyone. And of course, have fun! Now, please be advised you signed a waiver prior to this that specifically states that breaking any of the rules will cause you to be removed with no refunds. Any questions?”

The group all shook their head or muttered that everything was clear. Brianna smiled, jittering with excitement. These rooms had only been operating for a few days and she was eager to see what they looked like and how they worked. If this one was as fun as she thought, she’d definitely be doing the other rooms too.

“Ok, so everyone please follow me into the room,” Devante said, opening the door and leading the group inside.

The room looked like a standard office, but it looked like there was another room behind a door on the opposite wall. Brianna looked around, already noting places to examine or investigate.

“So there will be a short video to watch, and then your time will start,” Devante explained. “Now, notice the three lights on this wall? These are your clues. You can ask for up to three clues by speaking the phrase ‘Oh, Master of the Universe, we need a clue’. Once your three clues are used, no other clues can be given. Everyone understand?”

The group nodded, some of the people also looking around or poking at nearby props.

“Ok, then good luck!” Devante waved to them before leaving and closing the door behind him.

After he left, the big television screen on the wall lit up and began to play. A smiling and waving Glamrock Freddy appeared on the screen.

“Hello, new Fazbear employees!” He said. “It is wonderful to meet you on your first day of work. My name is Glamrock Freddy, and I have a special task for you. Today, is a very important birthday party, and we need you to retrieve three things: the birthday cake, the box of decorations, and the birthday gift. For security reasons, these items are being kept in three safes in the office. The keys to the safes are... sadly, not in their designated places. But it looks like the other employees left clues on how to find them. Find the keys, open the safes, and collect all three items to complete your task. But try to be quick, because the party starts in exactly one hour. Good luck, employees! I know you can do it!”

Freddy faded from the screen, and a large clock appeared and began to count down from sixty minutes. The group immediately began to hunt around the room, eager to complete the mission before the timer hit zero.