Chapter Text
Tryss rapidly typed in the computer, pulling up the camera footage and zooming through. “Where’s the fire…?” She muttered to herself.
“There!” He pointed.
She flashed back to the camera. The entire kitchen was on fire, staffbots and a few human employees attempting to battle the flames, which were... slightly blue?
Tryss frowned. “You see the color of those flames? That’s… somebody set that fire. See how it spreads so fast? It’s magic.” She pulled up her watch. “Everybody out! That includes bots!”
On screen, the employees and staffbots abandoned the flames, which were rapidly growing, and scurried for the nearest exit. The few remaining customers found themselves hustled out by day shift, followed swiftly by the Glamrocks.
“Come on.”
It’s a good thing that the clan is back at her house for maintenance. He thought, scurrying after her.
The fire spread faster than he thought it would, and soon they were racing the flames to the exit. They burst out into the cloudy night, her breath billowing in the cold air. Freddy raced over and scooped him up immediately.
“Are we missing anyone?” Tryss called.
“Staff’s all here,” a manager called back.
“Wait!” Freddy burst out. “Where is Bonnie? Bonnie!”
“And Music Man!”
A woman from the small huddle of customers ran up to Tryss. “Ma’am, my son is missing! He and Bonnie were right behind me, I thought they made it out!”
A chilled expression crossed her face as the fire trucks roared up, and Tryss darted back into the burning building without another word.
“Miss!” A firefighter yelled. “Miss, come back!”
“Wet down the entrance! Give her a place to come out!”
Sun danced from foot to foot, hands over his face. “Oh dear! Rushing into a burning building!”
Freddy growled, looking like he wanted to charge into the flame himself. Gregory grabbed his hand.
“Freddy, don’t.”
Freddy looked down at him, pain in his eyes. “I just got him back…”
“Tryss will find them. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah,” Chica placed her hand on Freddy’s shoulder. “Let Noir work. She can do this, but you need to keep yourself safe, Freddy.”
“She doesn’t need to worry about you as well,” Roxanne added.
Snow started to fall thickly, as if the weather itself was trying to aid in putting out the fire. It stuck to his fur in thick clumps.
“Everybody needs to get back!” A fireman called. “If you have a car, please get in it. The weather’s supposed to get worse.”
The mother wailed. “My son is in there! Seth is still in there!”
Despite Freddy’s predicament, Gregory let go of his hand and approached the woman. “Ma’am?”
She looked down at him, face streaked with tears.
“My-my papa is in there too. But... they wouldn’t want us in harm’s way. We should listen to the firefighters.”
“Oh...” She tentatively reached out, brushing some snow from his drooping ears. “You’re... you’re right, Gregory. I’ll-”
“Freddy, no!”
Gregory turned in time to see Roxy, Foxy and Monty tackle Freddy to the ground. Sun dithered behind them.
“Ye can’t go in there!”
“But there is still a kid in there! Bonnie is in there!”
Something in the pizzaplex crashed. It looked like part of the roof had caved in.
Tryss, hurry up!
“Could use Gordian about now,” Monty grunted. “Or Mooka.”
Nesryn materialized from the thinning crowd, the snow falling thicker than ever. “Sorry it took so long! I was-”
“Give us a hand!” Roxy yelped.
Nesryn frowned. “Freddy, I’m really sorry about this...” She was by him in an instant, flipping the little switch that shut him down.
“Thanks, lass.” Foxy sighed, pulling himself up. He offered a hand to Roxanne. “Lad went crazy. Still a kid an’ Bon in there. Music Man too. Noir went after them.”
“She would,” Nesryn groaned. “Alright, I brought the van. Let’s get him loaded up. Foxy, will you keep an eye out while we do that?”
“Aye, lass.”
Nesryn flicked the snow off her ears and turned to him. “You stay there, kid. She looks like she could use the help.”
A giant spider-like shape crawled down the front of the building at breakneck speed.
“Music Man!” Foxy called.
“Oh me, oh my!” Music Man skidded to a stop by them, flinging the snow everywhere. “My circuits nearly fried before the ceiling came down to let me out! The emergency tunnel was sealed shut!”
“Tis bad,” Foxy agreed.
“Oh!” Music Man shook himself, dislodging a great quantity of built up snow. “Is there somewhere to go, out of the snow?”
“Nesryn has the van, somewhere over there,” Foxy vaguely gestured behind him. Music Man scuttled off.
Gregory couldn’t help but wonder how the large animatronic would fit.
“I see something!”
“They’re coming out!”
The mother, Mrs. Anderson, perked up. “Seth?!”
“Mom!”
Bonnie, a little worse for wear, emerged from the flames, carrying the missing child. Tryss was beside him, clothes singed and coughing.
“We need a medic!” A firefighter called.
The paramedics rushed over, but Tryss waved them away. “Kid first. He’s got a nasty burn.” She pulled something from her pocket and shook it, forcing herself to breathe deeply, and put the inhaler in her mouth.
“Why did you run into a burning building if you have asthma?” The firefighter asked.
Tryss held up a finger, pulling the inhaler away and holding her breath for an incredible length of time before letting it out slowly. “I’m not someone who can stand idly by when I can help.”
“Ma’am, we need to check you out. While I admire your bravery, it’s not exactly the smartest idea to run into a burning building.”
“I know that. Give me a half hour to lie down and I’ll be fine.”
“Ma’am-”
“I have to see that the animatronics are transported safely to a secure location. Technically, Nesryn can’t legally drive.” She smiled apologetically at the protesting medic. “Don’t worry about me. Trysslynn Reyella Noir has survived worse.”
The medic shut his mouth with an audible click, and walked off looking dazed.
Without thinking, Gregory sent her a message. [What was that about?]
She shrugged, leading him and Foxy back to the van. Bonnie had already headed off. [I’m a bit of a local cryptid.]
The van (more like a semi truck) was jam packed with Music Man inside it, but there was still enough space for the last three animatronics to squeeze in. Bonnie and Foxy were working their way into the tangle of limbs to the seats at the front next to Monty and Sun. Chica and Roxy were sitting on the other side, and Freddy was on the floor being held in place by two of Music Man’s hands.
Nesryn brushed some of the snow from his fur and boosted him in. “Looks like you can squeeze in next to Roxy and Chica. Sorry, we haven’t updated the van to include a seat for you.”
“I’ll live,” he grumbled, making his way to the front.
Nesryn shut the door behind him and locked it, heading to the cab and climbing in. “Let’s get moving.”
The door unlocked and opened, Nesryn and Tryss lowering a ramp from the back. “All ashore!”
Music Man released Freddy and scrambled out. “Oh, happy day!”
“Entrance is dead ahead,” Tryss called over the howling wind. “Head in fast, please!”
Music Man headed her advice, Sun right behind him.
“Do we carry Freddy in, or do we wake him?” Monty called.
“Haul him in!”
Between the three of them, Monty, Roxy and Chica picked Freddy up and hauled him into the snow. Gregory and Bonnie followed.
The storm had gotten far worse in the half hour drive, now a whiteout blizzard. He could barely see a foot in front of his face, but doggedly slogged forward.
His internal map pinged, and suddenly filled in the immediate area. The house was only about ten feet ahead of them., safety at last.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Roxy muttered. The little group picked up the pace as best they could, arriving at the open garage door quickly. They maneuvered around a parked car and into the house proper.
Mooka met them at the door. “Sorry state the weather’s in, eh? Put Freddy over here.” He pointed to a little nook off the living room, where Gregory could see the special chairs made to hold their weight.
Tryss, Nesryn and Foxy rushed in just after they put Freddy down, Tryss almost immediately collapsing into a comfortable looking armchair. “Well, that was certainly an exciting end to the day. Snow!”
Feet pattered down the stairs, and a white and red dog animatronic wearing a simple red sundress slid into view. “Yes?”
“Get Freddy back online and escort them to a room. I’ll fix it later, I need a nap.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Tryss rubbed her face and gained her feet, heading down the hall.
“Oh, Tryss?” Snow called after her.
“Yeah?”
“She wants to see you.”
Tryss groaned, heading through a door. “Ten minutes.”
“So, you’re Snow?” Roxy asked.
Snow’s tail curled and wagged. “That’s me!”
“What are you?” Chica asked.
“Tryss modeled me after a husky! It’s her favorite kind of dog.” She spun in place, her dress billowing around her legs. “Now, how about we get Freddy up and get you to a room? Wake up call is at six, and it’s after midnight.”
Roxy hit the little switch, and Freddy twitched. Gregory tilted his head. “How long does startup take?”
“A minute or so,” Chica replied.
“And... where did Music Man and Sun go?”
“I can answer that!” Snow said. “I already took them to your room. As soon as Freddy’s ready, we’ll head there too!”
Soft music played, rousing Gregory from his slumber. “Huh? Where am I?” He glanced around dumbly until his mind caught up with him. The fire, the trip here, and getting placed in a room. “Oh,”
All around him, mechanics whirred into startup as his family woke up.
“Six already?” Roxy groaned.
There was a knock on the door. “Breakfast in thirty, for those who eat!” Snow announced.
Gregory wondered if he counted. It would explain why she had knocked on their door.
Music Man clacked his teeth together. “Hmm. She told us to gather, but didn’t tell us where!”
Gregory consulted his map. “Dining room is just off the living room. I guess we missed it last night in all the confusion.”
“Should we head down?” Chica asked. “We don’t eat.”
“We should,” Freddy said. “If nothing else, we can meet the others here.”
Breakfast was a boisterous affair, where animatronics and humans alike had gathered and talked and sang. Tryss herself though, was absent. That didn’t stop anyone from having fun. Gregory himself had had a bit of the food prepared while he watched an older red cheeked Bonnie model glower at Glamrock Bonnie. All in all, not bad.
At the head of the table sat two older men, and something in his programming clicked. These were the founders! Henry and William. Henry smiled softly at those around him, accepting a plate of pancakes from a young man with purple hair.
William wore a look of long suffering, chugging a cup of coffee like his life depended on it.
[Gregory,] Snow transmitted. [Tryss wants to see you. She’s in the basement, I’ll send you her ping.]
Gregory wandered the basement (how was it so big?) for a good half hour before he found himself in the middle of a fight between the red cheeked Bonnie and the young man with purple hair. It was resolved quickly after the other Bonnie saw him, giving the young man the opportunity to hit his shutdown switch. The older Bonnie fell to the floor with a thud.
The young man dusted off his hands and helped Gregory up off the floor. “Heya, kid. I’m Jeremy, and this,” he gestured to the older Bonnie, “Is Toy Bonnie, or Blue.”
“Toy Bonnie?”
“Tryss has kept him running all these years, and sometimes I wonder why.
“Are you lost, kid?”
“Maybe a little,” Gregory admitted. “Snow said Tryss wanted to see me, but... I can’t find her. I’m not used to following the pings.”
Jeremy huffed, leading him down the maze of hallways. “Right this way, kid. And don’t mind Toy Bonnie, he’s kind of a brat to the newer Bonnie models.”
“Why?”
“Inferiority complex?” Jeremy hazarded a guess. “He likes going on about how he’s the best Bonnie, and they should have never made more. Ah! Here’s your stop. Nice talkin’ with ya, kid.”
Jeremy hustled off, leaving Gregory at the correct door. It was cracked open, and he could hear people talking. Tryss and an unfamiliar female.
“Well, you wanted me to quit working there.”
“I didn’t expect it to burn down.”
“Neither did I.”
“I thought you were a seer!”
“I don’t see everything.”
Gregory peeked through the crack to see Tryss deep in conversation with a slender puppet like animatronic. It kinda... looked like that costume she had been wearing that day. Did she base the costume off the puppet? She was also working on a metal arm, and her own right arm was missing.
The puppet tilted its head. “Do you think it’s finally over? Fazbear Entertainment may finally give up? They still lost kids, I hate putting souls into bodies.”
“Fazbear Entertainment is done if I have anything to say about it.”
“You aren’t staying.”
“Not much longer,” Tryss admitted. “I intend to leave Gabriel and Susie in charge.”
The puppet raised a hand to her chest in mock offense. “Not me? How could you!”
Tryss laughed. “Come on, Charlie! We both know you would hate it!” She picked up the prosthetic and attached it to her right shoulder, metal shimmering to flesh, then turned to the door. “Come on in, kiddo.”
He entered the room slowly, sure he was about to get scolded. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes.” she gestured to the puppet. “This is Marion. I may not have a lot of power over souls, but she does. She’s the one who put your soul in that body.”
Oh gods, Bonnie was right!
Marion waved. “Hello, Gregory.”
“Hello.”
“I’m sorry this happened, but Tryss said you would be happy like this.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
Marion shrugged. “All the others I’ve saved know it was me, so I saw no reason not to tell you.”
Gregory smiled. Something was leaking from his eyes onto his fur. Was he crying? “Thank you, Marion. You gave me a family again.”