Chapter Text
Gregory was beginning to regret trying to hide inside the cramped chest cavity of Glamrock Freddy. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but it’s hard to think about every variable when you’re being chased down by a full-grown woman who could easily send you right back onto the street before you even got to visit Fazer Blast. He’s hidden in some tight spots before, but having your knees shoved into your chest for hours was more annoying than he thought it would be. He didn’t consider the fact that if Freddy was powered off, he couldn’t see anything. He was supposed to be out of here hours ago, but he also didn’t stop to think about how the door opened from the outside.
This sucks.
He startled slightly when Freddy suddenly booted up, his shin painfully catching on one of the many sharp pieces of metal he had strategically avoided touching when he climbed inside. Finally, he could somewhat see, but he still wasn’t sure where he was.
”Showtime already?! I am experiencing a malfunction. The recharge cycle is not complete.” Gregory could feel the vibrations of Freddy’s booming voice around him. He was… talking to himself? He didn’t know the animatronics did that. Aren’t they just robots that power off after showtime? Maybe the Glamrocks were more advanced than he thought. Still, if Freddy’s talking loud enough for him to feel his voice, Vanessa definitely can. He totally didn’t think this through.
“Shh! Will you shut up ?!” Gregory hissed at him. He doesn’t really care if Freddy sees him, after all, it’ll get him out of his chest cavity and he’ll be free to leave the Pizzaplex without Vanessa catching him. He hadn’t meant to stay this long.
”Who said that?” Freddy talked oddly, Gregory noticed. It wasn’t robotic, like you would expect from, well, a robot, more… uncanny. There were tones of emotion he could hear that didn’t sound as programmed as his stage show.
“I did! I’m down here!”
”Down where? I still do not see you.”
Gregory sighed. “Okay, listen, you were sleeping, so I opened the stomach hatch and climbed inside.” He hoped Freddy would open the hatch to let him leave, and not take him directly to Vanessa. Wait, he hadn’t even thought about that. What if he’s programmed to bring lost kids to security guards? What if he takes him straight to the lost and found? What if–
His thoughts were cut off by Freddy’s slightly panicked voice. ”My stomach hatch? That place is reserved for oversized cakes and piñatas! It is not a safe play area!”
…Yeah, he had figured that much out.
Suddenly, he felt the latch holding down the door of the stomach cavity loosen, and he tumbled out. But before he hit the floor, he felt large metallic hands pick him up and turn him around, giving him a full view of Freddy’s glowing eyes.
”There you are.” Gregory squinted as a bright blue light was shined in his face, but it was gone as quickly as it began. Freddy looked… confused? It’s hard to tell with the distinct lack of facial expressions. Freddy dropped him onto the floor, and his legs wobbled slightly, feeling stiff from not having moved. ”Scanning complete. How odd. Your guest profile is… unknown to me. Who are you?”
Gregory looked up at Freddy, feeling a little intimidated. He just realized Freddy was a lot bigger than him when he was standing, especially since he was already short for his age. “I- I’m Gregory.” He decided not to acknowledge the comment about him having no guest profile. Freddy was programmed to help kids, he knew that, but Gregory had a feeling he wouldn’t take kindly to hearing how Gregory illegally got inside.
”Gregory. I will notify the main office.” Oh no. That’s exactly the opposite of what he needs right now. More security guards on his trail. ”Huh, connection error. I cannot connect to the main office.” Oh. So that’s what happened.
“Vanessa cut you off. She’s not going to let you call for help until she finds me.” Gregory muttered. This was both good and bad. There’s no risk of more employees trying to find him, but no one’s going to help him either. Wait, what was that?
”Vanessa? Why is she-”
Gregory interrupted him. Freddy talks so loudly . “Shh! I hear footsteps!” He said in a sharp whisper. He ran up to the curtains blocking off this vanity room from the stage when he saw her . Vanessa was walking down and up the hallway, her dirty blonde hair tied into a ponytail inside her hat reading ‘SECURITY’. She was holding a flashlight tightly, seeming annoyed. She was definitely looking for him. This isn’t good.
”That is the security guard. She can help!”
“No! No, I don’t trust her!” Gregory spoke in a bit of a panicked tone, pulling at one of his band-aids anxiously.
”Why not?” Freddy is so… calm about this. How can he convince him to help without giving away why she can’t find him?
“I don’t know who she is, but she’s trying to get me. Is there any way you can communicate without talking so loudly? ” Gregory was really worried. If Freddy keeps talking like he’s projecting to an audience, Vanessa will find him in two seconds flat.
”Take this. It is a novelty Freddy Fazwatch.” He handed him an orange and blue watch with a vague Glamrock Freddy design. He put it on, and it gave a small musical chime.
“What was that?”
”I am sending you an encoded message.” He looked at the watch, and he could see a message pop up. The text-to-speech was still loud, but a lot better than Freddy’s usual blaring tone.
”Hello, Gregory. It is me, Freddy. I will escort you to the main entrance. However, I am unable to leave this room. You should have no problem. There is a button on the back wall that will open the door to the back room. I will make it accessible to you now.”
He saw a glowing green button in a corner next to an arcade game and pressed it with a satisfying click. A door slid open in front of him.
”Well done. There is an open-air vent inside the maintenance room. You will have to climb through there and release me from the outside.”
“...It’s pretty dark in there.” He mumbled. Gregory didn’t like the dark. It reminds him of the nights he spent in dimly lit alleyways, sleeping in cardboard boxes. He’d prefer a path outside he could easily see and analyze.
”There is nothing to be scared of. You can do it.”
Gregory reluctantly stepped out of the vanity room and into the darker, less colorful maintenance room. As he turned to look at the somewhat Freddy-looking flashlight charger, the door shut behind him, making the room extremely dim as he wandered around. He soon sets his eyes on a tall pile of boxes and totes illuminated by the glowing blue lights from Freddy’s power station. His eyes trailed up to see a large open vent. He easily hopped across the stack of crates and climbed inside.
He didn’t like crawling through the vents. The only light source he had was occasional flickering fluorescent lights, not to mention he had no idea where he was going. “ I thought this only happened in movies,” he mumbled to himself. ”Aren’t air vents supposed to be way smaller?” Oh well. It works out in his favor anyway.
After a couple of minutes of getting lost in different dead ends and turning back around, he came across slits of light that indicated an opening. As he approached it, he heard the familiar deep voice of Roxanne Wolf.
”Your performance was perfect tonight. Thank you. Your hair is beautiful.” What is she doing? Is she talking to someone? Gregory peered out of the vents’ opening to see another dressing room similar to Freddy’s but tinted a dark purple with racing memorabilia instead. This must be Roxy’s room.
”Your tail is beautiful. Everyone loves you. Everyone wants to be you. You are the best.” He could see Roxy through the lines in the vent, seeming to be talking to herself like Freddy was. But she’s… complimenting herself?
“What a narcissist.” He whispered to himself. Roxy’s affirmations were cut short by some angry yelling and banging that sounded like it came from another room. As interesting as this was, he decided to turn around and keep going. He could still the yelling echoing through the vents as he traversed, which only got louder and louder as time went on. He wasn’t curious to find out the origin.
Eventually, he came across a new opening that led out into a larger area full of neon lights displaying the Glamrocks’ names. He dropped down onto the thin carpet and began to look for Freddy’s room. He could hear the intercom play some prerecorded message through the hall as he took in the sight. This place was huge . He stepped around a corner and spotted a red door with a cyan lightning decal like Freddy’s. He pulled at it. Then he pushed it.
“...The stupid door won’t open.”
”Oh? You are going to need a Photo Pass to open the door. Apologies, I assumed you had one already… Well, anyway, you should be able to find one at a convenience counter.”
Of course, Gregory didn’t have one. He couldn’t even afford entry, let alone extra amenities. He sighed. Another detour. He meandered around a bit, looking for a photo pass. God, couldn’t Freddy give him more clear directions? He skidded to a halt when he heard an out-of-place noise. It sounded like a person. Was that Vanessa? No, wait, is that… crying?