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"Can you believe how sweet he was? He even got you such an adorable present~!" Sun gushed and giggled as he wandered around the daycare and reorganized all the colored pencil cases. He just wanted to make it look nice for the kids when they came back.
'Yes… I know Sun. I was literally there. I was the one who had to tell you about it while you were offline! So why do you continue rambling about it?'
Sun had been going on and on about Monty ever since Moon told him about the whole apology. It was the reaction he had been expecting from the news.
What he DIDN'T expect was Sunny raving about how nice and cool he was for doing such a selfless thing for hours. It wasn't really, since he only did it to hang out in the daycare again. But his counterpart wouldn't believe that for a second.
"I'm just happy, I guess! Happy that he was sorry for what he said and wasn't mad at us for bugging him and telling him off. I was so worried I had offended him and he never wanted to see me again!"
'Sunshine, if that was true, then he wouldn't have deserved you or your friendship. You deserve so much better than a hot-headed jerk!'
"Yeah… Guess it's good that he's not one then!"
'Eeeeeh… might be a bit too soon to say in confidence.'
"Moony! You should be nicer to him, you know? Not only did he give you such a wonderful gift, he also knows about your secret cat obsession now. He's got you in the palm of his hand now!"
'Yeah, as if he'd be able to consistently find new cat stuff. Or order new ones without management getting suspicious.'
"True…" Sun seemed to space out as he sat down on the floor, looking around the daycare for any unattended messes. Seemed like everything was in order! Which meant he was free to do whatever he felt like. But… he wasn't in the mood to draw, he didn't want to risk the ball pit getting dirty again or the play area messy. But he couldn't just… sit there and do nothing. Should he count all the balls in the pit? Or redo the stacking cylinders?
'Sunny? Is something wrong? You seem… low energy.'
"Huh? Oh, sorry Moonbeam. I just think I'm a little bored. It's been a slow day today, being a national holiday and all. Guess I'm just getting kinda restless with not much I wanna do."
'Well maybe it's because you're a complete recluse. You never leave this place! Anyone would become bored out of their mind.'
Sun scoffed at that and leaned his head to the side. "Come on. You know that it's against the rules to roam around the pizzaplex. The only time we're allowed to leave is on your patrols. I'm not allowed out" he sighed and lowered his head, the disappointment in his voice clear as day.
'Sunshine, no one follows that rule. It's only you!'
"HUH?!" he sounded genuinely shocked by this information.
'Really? You didn't know? The Glamrocks walking around didn't give it away?'
"I-I-I thought they had special permissions o-or left for… some sort of assignment!" he stuttered out as he felt himself get flustered from his huge oversight.
'Sun. Management barely reinforces that rule anymore. It was easier to let the stars do what they want, unless they wanted a revolution or something. And since they don't really do much damage, security usually allows them to go wherever. They even made that rule a low priority for me so I wouldn't get distracted by it, so I don't care anymore either.'
"But… is it still technically a rule?"
'I mean… yeah, but whatever! The rule made this place feel like a dictatorship anyways.'
Sun sat quietly, looking thoughtfully on the floor. How did he not realize it earlier? He felt so stupid! But… What was he going to do with that information?
'Hey, you don't have to force yourself out if you don't feel comfortable. I know you get worked up about following the rules an-'
Before Moon could finish, Sunny pushed himself up off the floor, saying "No."
'Huh???'
"No! You know what?"
'What?'
"I'm feeling… cheeky!" his tone grew bubbly and his body vibrated with excitement. He heard a giddy sound from Moon, who was catching on to what he was hinting at.
"And you know what I say? I say…"
'Yes yes yes yes yes…!'
"-SCREW THE RULES!!!"
'YEEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!'
Sunny ran over towards the door to the rest of the pizzaplex, very enthusiastic about the whole idea. He put his hands up in the air and shouted "I'm going on an ADVENTURE!!!"
*~*~*
'There! Take that elevator down to the arcade!'
Sun did as told and headed over towards the elevator, taking the opportunity to glance around and take in his surroundings. He HAD seen the entrance area before, but never properly. It was quite nice. More retro and fancy than the daycare by a long shot. The golden Freddy statue caught his eye and he stopped to admire it briefly. So pretty!
'Hey. Focus. We can't stop for sightseeing or you'd get stuck every five seconds.'
"Sorry Moony. But why are you so insistent on going to the arcade? We've never been big on video games, right?" He asked curiously while turning to head straight for the elevator, using all his strength to not oogle the photo booths.
'Trust me. I know this place better than Fredbear himself. You'll LOVE it~'
"Ok… but if this is a prank, I'm disconnecting you myself!"
'Ha ha! You can't do that! Plus, you'd be lost without me~.'
"I sure would be, Moondrop!"
'C-come on. Don't pull out the cutesy nicknames now.'
Sun snickered gleefully as he pushed the button and watched the doors close. He waited patiently while humming to the elevator tune until they opened again with a PING.
He walked out cautiously and glanced all over, as if to make sure no one was there. Which he shouldn't even worry about! They wouldn't care! Moon said so himself!
But he stopped suddenly as he spotted a new large statue standing tall just a bit down the hallway.
Monty, along with the rest of the band. But his attention was drawn to the gator.
The animatronic stood in a very glamorous pose, as expected, holding his instrument with one hand and the other pointing straight in front of him.
The caretaker wandered over and stared up at him, a weird feeling stirring in his system. Being so tall, he had to stare down at all the other animatronics. Or he'd have to crouch down to be on level with them.
But looking up at the other, standing above him, he felt something… something fluttery. Like looking up at another sun in the sky, so pretty and shiny.
'Why are you gawking again?'
"Guuah! No reason! Where to next?!" He felt embarrassed getting caught staring again, trying to change the subject as fast as possible.
'Just look to your right~'
Sun did just that and tilted his head curiously.
He saw a familiar foggy dancefloor with a rainbow lit stage. On the stage was a large figure, possibly even larger than the statues, that was white and round with large black eyes and a pair of headphones. Sun knew exactly who that was!
"DJ MUSIC MAN!!!" He shouted in joy and threw his arms out, running at top speed towards him as if he was about to tackle him.
The large machine suddenly jolted at the sound, lifting his head up from his crossed arms, as if he had been sleeping before Sunny woke him up so rudely. He turned his head around quickly, possibly scanning for the source of the sound before he felt something touching his hand. The DJ looked down and saw the Daycare attendant embracing his large, gloved hand with his arms spread wide.
"Music man! I've missed you! When was the last time we spoke?! Gosh! That disco party was so long ago! I can't believe there hasn't been another one. How have you been?! Hohoho! Have you been playing some amazing music?! Wait! Of course you have! What a silly question!" Sun rambles on ecstatically as he bounces in place, head craned back so he could look up at his friend's face.
He was overwhelmed by the sudden bundle of energy by his stage, talking at him at 100 miles per minute. He didn't even allow him to answer any of the 27 questions thrown his way before he was onto the 28th. But Sun was known for his energy, so it didn't really surprise him.
He reached a finger out and lightly tapped it on Sun's head, silencing him and making him stop bouncing. He let out a chip-tune jingle and tilted his head. The other bot just giggled back and held onto the finger on his head.
"Heheheheh! Sorry. I just got too excited" Sunny apologized as he was lifted up into the air while hanging onto the finger. He hung right in front of Music Man's face, who let out a string of bleeps that sounded like a laugh. Then he lowered him down into his other palm. He made a few more melodic sounds as he looked at Sun.
"Oh! Moon made me come here! I don't know the layout like he does so he told me where to go! I've missed you so much, big guy! You and your music! Another hug?" He requested as he reached a hand out in an offering gesture. He was soon brought in closer to the giant face in front of him, who chimed in confirmation. He quickly glued himself to his cheek and giggled quietly.
'You big softies.'
"Moon called us softies" Sun tattled immediately and grinned deviously. The DJ made an exaggerated surprised motion before laughing again. "I mean it's true! You're the definition of a gentle giant! You're the sweetest" the other bot continued and swayed restlessly on the hand. Music Man just waved his hand in that typical dismissive motion of flattery.
"Hey… DJ? Could you… play one of your songs? I've missed them lots! You have such a big variety!" He then asked sheepishly while shifting in his seat. DJ simply nodded enthusiastically before placing Sun down smack dab in the middle of the dance floor. He quickly looked around before he went to his booth and started pressing some buttons. Then, the music slowly faded in with the push of a slider.
It was upbeat and cheery, but not like what the solar animatronic usually heard. It's what DJ would call 'Bubblegum pop', and it was very fitting for him.
Without missing a beat, Sun started swaying from side to side in tempo with the music. The spider-like bot reached a hand out and bobbed his head up and down, encouraging him to kick it up a notch.
And he did, he made any and every dance move he could think of, even once that weren't dance moves. He spun, he jumped, he did handstands, he slid and waved his limbs around wildly. It wasn't the best performance ever seen, but it still brought a lot of enjoyment to the two (or three, if you're technical) people listening to the tunes. It was so much fun! He couldn't remember when he last let loose like that!
Sun was having so much fun, he barely took notice of anything around him. The fog machines didn't exactly help that either. As he swung around, he got closer to an unattended tool box that must have been forgotten by staff. He didn't see it as he took a couple of steps backwards, which ended up with his foot stuck in the box and Sun thrown off balance.
He stumbled backwards until he reached a railing, which he fell back against and hit the back of his head on. Music Man made a shocked, distorted sound and cut the music, quickly making his way over to the poor daycare attendant. He reached out and carefully helped him back up onto his feet.
"I'M FINE! I'm fine. Don't worry! It wasn't that bad. I'm A-OK!" Sun reassured, making DJ sigh a sweet little note in relief. Sun smiled his usual static smile and patted the other's big thumb. "Thanks for the help. It was nice to see you again. I should come back sometime again. But I really wanna look around the Plex today, so I should probably head out" he sighed sadly and gave his hand a hug, getting a tiny squeeze in return. He waved DJ off before he ran over towards the elevator again and hit the button.
"Golly, Moon! Thanks so much for that! I really missed Music Man a lot! Seeing him again made my day! So, what more surprises do you have in store for me???" He asked impatiently as he looked up at the opening elevator. But he didn't get an answer from Moon.
"Moony? You there? Come on, stop teasing me! I wanna know where to go next!" Sun prodded again as he walked into the elevator and watched the doors close. But he still didn't get an answer. Now he became concerned.
"M-Moony?? Can you hear me? Y-you d-didn't leave me, right?" Again, no response whatsoever. Moon wouldn't let Sun start to worry like that, not under the circumstances they were in! Then he remembered the fall and felt panic setting in.
No! He couldn't have fallen THAT hard, right?! He couldn't have damaged something from that little bump! But that was the only explanation why Moon wasn't responding! Something must have accidentally got loose or disconnected or damaged! Which meant…
"NO! Moon! Please come back! Don't tell me you went offline! I won't find my way around alone! I don't even remember the floors!" He pleaded to the empty elevator, which responded as expected. With silence.
Starting to tremble anxiously, he eyed the button pad and hovered his finger over them. He pushed a random button and then crouched down on the floor, trying to calm himself down by rocking on his heels. Ok. Ok. It would be ok! He just needed to find a staff member and ask them for help, then everything would be fine! It'd be fine!
*~*~*
It was not fine.
As soon as he exited the elevator he was jumped by a security bot, which made a loud sound and grabbed him, making him shriek in fear. As soon as it seemed to recognize Sun, it quickly let go and stopped its warning sirens. But it still left him shaken as he ran around the atrium in an attempt to find a human employee. Weirdly enough, there was pretty much no one there. Just security bots. They wouldn't be able to fix him.
But, despite his panic, he found himself taken aback by the view of the stage from the balcony. It was absolutely stunning. He leaned against the railing and admired the view. Oh, how he wished he could leave during one of the performances. He never got to see them play in person, which was a huge shame to him. He could congratulate them afterwards and tell them how much he loved it! He could talk with the band! He could… tell Monty how cool he looked while playing.
Sun quickly caught himself getting distracted and shook himself out of it. Focus! He needed to get Moon back! Can't go sightseeing!
He took a pause to collect himself before continuing down the escalator towards the first floor, looking around between the attraction entrances. Where should he look? The place was so big! The employees could be anywhere! He glanced towards the sign reading 'Gator Golf' and felt a spark of excitement in him.
What if… Monty was there? He could definitely help Sun find a tech or guard to help with his problem. And he would! Because he was so nice and considerate and sweet and-
Again, the animatronic caught himself zoning out and growled in an annoyed tone. That's when something caught his attention. A noise came from Roxy Raceway. It was hard to distinguish exactly what it was. But maybe it was a human that could help him!
He quickly rushed inside, probably faster than any of the karts in there, and took everything in.
Wow! It looked so awesome! Roxy was sure a cool wolf! He'd have to visit her next time he took a walk around. For now, eyes on the prize!
"Hello? Hellooooooo? Anyone here?" he asked nervously, his voice barely causing an echo. As expected, he didn't receive a response. He kept going further in, stepping over a line of floor lights and looking around the area. All he could see moving was the odd janitor bot and wet floor sign populating the race track.
Then Sun heard a noise again from somewhere nearby. It was some sort of buzzing or a sputter. He wasn't sure he'd heard something like it before. He stopped in place to listen in. It gradually grew clearer, making the robot realize it sounded like the rivving of a car engine.
He turned towards the sound and saw a kart turning the corner and barreling towards him. "WHAT THE FUCK IS-!?!" someone yelled from the vehicle as it began swerving unsteadily. Sun gasped and quickly stumbled his way off the race track he walked onto by accident. He watched in a panic as the kart screeched to a halt and the person riding it quickly got out and took his helmet off.
"THE DAYCARE ATTENDANT?!? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" the man in uniform asked as he stormed over to Sunny, who shrunk together on the spot at the loud voice being used. "S-Sorry, sir! I-It's just… I was just- You see, me and- S-Something ha-happened with Moon and I can't-'' He had started rambling from building nerves, stumbling over every explanation he could think of.
But the security guard cut him off with another shout. "Stop stuttering! Are you defective or something?! You could have killed me! You seriously don't know about road safety?! You're a fucking daycare teacher!" Sun whimpered at that and cradled his hands against his chest, his shoulders tensing at all the shouting and swearing. "I-I'm sorry… I just… I thought-" he mumbled in a shaky voice as he became even smaller in his stature.
"Why are you even here?! You're not supposed to leave the daycare!" the man interrupted him again and motioned his hands around aggressively.
"What??? W-Well, I-I know, but I thought that it wasn't an actual rule! I mean, the Glamrocks get to go wherever they want! And Moon was updated to not stop them when he finds them roaming around!" he suddenly burst out in confusion, feeling that anxiety transform into something else he couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Yeah? So? They're the stars of this fucking place! We don't get to 'boss them around' or management will be all the way up our ass about it! You're the daycare attendant. Your place is the daycare, alright?!" the security guard yelled back and crossed his arms over his chest, clearly annoyed with him.
"But why?! Moon gets to go where he wants! I don't even know the layout, I got lost before I came here! How is that fair?!? That I get to sit all alone in the same room for hours on end when all this cool stuff is just next door?! Why can't I explore like Monty can?!" The dam finally broke and he let out his frustrations at him, coming across a bit more angry than he intended to. The guard sure didn't seem to like that.
"It doesn't fucking matter, Sundrop! What matters is that we follow the damn rules! Right, Mr. Rulebreaker?! Moon is creepy and I don't wanna deal with him-"
"It's Sun! And Moon is not creepy! Don't call him that!"
"Don't you yell at me! And there is no reason for you to leave, it's just liability if you break something! Now you're going back to the daycare and I'm going to contact management to have these outbursts of yours looked at! Maybe they can get you to stay where you're supposed to be."
Sun felt… hurt. But not in the same way he usually does. He didn't want to curl up and cry in his room or one of the play structures. He wanted to yell and… hit something. That wasn't something he was used to. It was so unfair! Why was he treated differently? Didn't he deserve the same freedom as the others did? "B-but it… it's not fair! It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not fair!" he sobbed angrily and tightened his fists in an attempt to contain himself.
"Geez, calm down! There will be toys for you to play with back in superstar daycare. It'll be fine once the techs look you over. Seriously, do you think I'd stop Monty from doing anything, with those claws? No way! I'd die if-"
As the man started grumbling while heading towards the exit with Sun, he immediately bumped into something. He slowly raised his head to meet the magenta gaze currently staring entire swords into his soul.
"Yes… go on. What actions would lead to your painful death? Could it be… yelling at and pushing around the sun robot? Hm? Think that could be worthy of a death sentence?" the tall figure growled in his recognizable Louisiana accent. The guard started sputtering dumbfoundedly as he backed up from the alligator that seemed to be sizing him up.
"M-Monty?" Sun mumbled in surprise as he looked up and tried to contain another sob. "Hey. Sunny boy! Nice to see ya 'round! Is… Is this hoe bothering you?" Monty went from friendly to intimidating as he switched focus from Sun to the employee.
"N- um… actually… yeah. I was… trying to find help when something bugged out in my system. B-but he yelled at me and told me I wasn't allowed to go where I wanted, but you guys were. It… I…" Sun tried so hard not to start crying again, that feeling of injustice returning. Monty walked over to him and quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Clearly he learnt that Sun responded well to touch.
"Hey, buddy! Don't you worry none, Sunny D! We'll get that sorted out right away, a'right?" he assured him with a shoulder pat before growling at the yet to speak employee "You. Contact his tech. Now."
The guard immediately scrambled to do just that as he walked to presumably get his walkie talkie. Monty turned to look at Sun, who was slouching so much he looked even shorter than him in comparison. "Hey… let's head to parts and services! I know a quick way!" He clearly tried to sound overly cheerful, in an attempt to make Sun feel better. It didn't, but he appreciated it. He simply nodded and the two started walking in uncomfortable silence.
"..."
"..."
"... Ssssoooooo… wanna… talk about what happened back there?"
He didn't. He usually would want to talk about his issues, but this time he didn't want to. So he just shook his head.
"Right! Right. No problem. Not at all. Yeap!" Monty popped the P in the most awkward way he could have, getting a weak snort from Sun.
Monty seemed satisfied with that, but still looked a little uncomfortable with the tense silence. Maybe… Sun should try to say something.
"... I met DJ today. I got to dance with him. It was nice."
"Oh? Th-that sounds like fun."
"It was. But… I was being careless and hit the back of my head. It must have disconnected Moon, because I can't hear him anymore. I'm just so clumsy."
"whu-what? You're saying that… Moon's not here right now?"
"Mhm."
Monty's expression at that was… unreadable. It looked almost thoughtful in a way. Then it turned to a grimace and he shook his head a little.
"Well good thing I came to the rescue then, huh? Those humans are completely useless at their jobs here, honestly! He was just slacking off and playing around with the cars on the job! Not someone you wanna get help from."
"But I mean… I was kinda doing the same thing… slacking off."
"My guy, you work with kids for hours, you live in your workplace, you have all the responsibilities in there and you don't get to leave! I'm pretty sure you earned that slack-off time!"
"... But… it's against the rules! I broke the rules! Me! I broke the rules and I caused damage to company property by hitting my head being stupid! I'll be in so much trouble for this and they'll reprogram me or scrap me!"
"Oh hell nah they ain't! Who cares if you broke one rule that everyone else breaks all the time?! Just tell them that you want a break from work and will put up a fight if they don't give you some freedom!"
"F-fight?!? B-but I can't-!"
"Sunny! I've seen the way you do things! You work your ass off and never complain! You let these short brats run you over and whine at you… and the kids can be a lot to handle on top of that."
Sun snorted harder at that and covered his mouth, trying to stay at least somewhat serious. He didn't want to seem weird to Monty. But the gator looked like he didn't mind. He just put an arm over his shoulder again and gave him a friendly back pat.
"Don't let the employees treat you like a slave just because you're too nice. Show them that keeping you captive will cause a lot more problems than letting you have some fun from time to time!"
"Ah… well… it's not like I have much to counter with. Moon has a lot of backbone and you have both the confidence and… the claws…"
Monty glanced down at his other hand and raised a curious brow.
"All I have is this… weird, stiff, creepy face…"
Monty turned towards him again so fast that he worried he'd malfunctioned and his head would spin off. But instead, he just scowled at him. Again, Sun shrunk under the gaze, feeling so very small all throughout the day.
"Hey! Don't go saying crap like that! It's only- I mean- Moon makes it seem creepy because of his nightcrawler schtick! You make that face fit very well! Being nice and bubbly and very expressive otherwise! It makes it look very friendly! Inviting even! Plus-" he went on as the two kept going, heading over towards the stage. Sun simply listened and looked up at him curiously.
Monty looked back at him and grinned a little, finishing his statement with "- I think you've got a pretty sweet smile."
Sunny felt himself shut down at that comment, his system kicking into maximum capacity to try and process what he had just heard from Montgomery gator himself. He… he thought he had a nice smile? Did he really mean that? No one ever pointed out that their smile was sweet! They either called it scary or sidestepped the issue. But… Monty liked it? If he could, he'd be blushing like mad right then.
The reaction seemed to make the other animatronic think about it for a second before really realizing what he said. His fans audibly clicked on and he averted his gaze towards the button they stopped in front of, pressing it quickly and repeatedly while coughing roughly.
The two began to descend down a platform, presumably to parts and services. Sun kept staring at the gator, who seemed to find the walls very interesting at that moment.
They stood in silence for a while. The daycare attendant noticed that the arm had gone a little slack, threatening to slip off at a moment's notice if threatened. He really hoped he wouldn't, just because he made things so awkward between the two by getting all flattered out of nowhere at a simple compliment. He was so bad at interacting with his co-workers.
"... Hey… Sunny boy?"
"Y-yeah, Monty?" He asked while trying to hide his worry as they walked off the platform.
"... Don't tell Moon I said that, ok? Or… that I said I think you're pretty swell."
"B-but… but you d-didn't say that."
"Yeah well… Now I did! So don't go tellin' him none of that, a'right?! It's between you and me! No one else!"
"... Yeah. It's between us. Our little secret. Then don't tell anyone I said you're super peachy!"
"Ha! I wouldn't dream of it! Heh heh heh! It's… O-Our little secret."
The arm was still around him. It felt so nice, nicer than anything he's felt. But that was between Sunny and Monty. It was their secret to keep.