#endoskeletons

“But... you have to go on stage, or else you'll get in trouble!” Gregory exclaimed, lifting his head to look at Freddy with wide eyes. He’d hate to get the bear in hot water, but… he had to admit that he really didn’t want him to leave his side so soon either. 

Monty shook his head, grinning brightly. “I certainly don't mind takin’ the lead, Fredbear. Although, are you sure you don't wanna join us?” 

“I'll think of an excuse; Gregory needs Freddy right now,” Chica assured as she walked over to open the door, gesturing for Roxy and Monty to follow her out. 

 “Just say that I did not have a sufficient amount time to recharge; I will deal with the fallout later,” Freddy said with a grateful smile. “I promise that I will join you for this evening’s performance, so the techs will not have to worry for long. Thank you again, everyone!” 

“No problem!” Roxy said, giving him a thumbs up, then waving at Gregory. “Hope you feel better soon, kid; see you tonight!” 

“Bye!” Gregory called after the animatronics, waving until the door closed behind them. Once they’d left, Freddy shifted Gregory into a carrying position and stood, holding him close. 

“Let us go down to the basement,” he suggested. “Staff will be far less likely to look for us there. We can stay as long as we need to—is that alright with you, superstar?”

“Yeah… I like that idea,” Gregory agreed, shutting his eyes for a moment and gently squeezing Freddy's shoulders. He felt bad for having Freddy miss his performance and really hoped he wouldn't get in too much trouble for doing so. “Can we talk to Bonnie, too?” 

“Of course!” Freddy replied. He peered out of the curtain and saw that there were some customers milling around and looking at the display cases in the main area of Rockstar Row. Suddenly they all seemed to turn at once and make a beeline for what Freddy assumed were the Glamrocks heading towards the stage, who’d unintentionally created the perfect distraction. He closed the curtain again and smiled down at Gregory. “I will wait just a moment for the coast to be clear; do you want to call Bonnie and let him know we are coming early today?”

“Mhm!” Gregory nodded, then glanced down towards his watch and pressed the button to connect with the rabbit’s. “Hey, Bonnie? We’re coming early today and we’ll be there soon—I hope you don't mind!” 

“H-Hey, bud!” came Bonnie’s voice through the watch. “I-I’m lookin’ forward t-t-to it; see you s-soon!” 

Freddy peeked out of the curtain again, happy to see that the area was clear. Still keeping a tight hold on his son, Freddy cautiously exited his room and quickly made his way to the basement elevator. Soon, the pair were riding the old metal box down to the basement once again. As they descended, Gregory let out a sigh and rested his head on Freddy’s shoulder.

“I think I used a lot of energy…,” he mumbled, feeling the exhaustion creeping up once again. It wasn’t as if he would fall asleep right then and there, but all that phasing through objects seemed to really put a damper on his energy levels.

“Hmm…” Freddy hummed thoughtfully, letting Gregory settle however he wanted in his grasp. “Well, I would usually suggest that you take a rest, but that seemed to be the precipitating factor for your recent disappearance.” He let out a small sigh. “Maybe food would perk you up; I should have stopped by the kitchens on our way here…” As if on cue, the elevator came to a stop. Freddy stepped out as the doors opened, immediately making his way towards the hall of endoskeletons.

“Cake?” Gregory asked, instantly perking up at the thought and lightly kicking his legs. He turned to look over his shoulder, immediately taking notice of the papers and crayons now either missing or scattered about the area. Some endoskeletons were still sitting in front of their scribbled drawings, while others were watching from where they stood. 

“You're back!” gasped the familiar voice, its tone clearly showing excitement with the pair’s arrival.

“Hello, everyone,” Freddy said, smiling kindly to the room. He tilted his head to Gregory, telling him: “Yes, I think some cake is well-deserved after what you have been through.” 

How would he get it, though? He couldn’t walk around with Gregory in his arms with customers about—especially if he was trying to sneak past staff while playing hooky. Normally he’d let Gregory hide in his chest cavity, but he worried the boy would accidentally drain his power due to how tired he was. The only option seemed to go by himself, but then he’d have to leave Gregory alone. 

Freddy glanced around the room again. Well, the boy wouldn’t be completely alone…

“They played with the crayons and the toys,” Gregory commented as he gazed around as well, to which the voice spoke up once again. 

“We love them. Thank you again; it's nice to finally have something to do down here...”

“You are quite welcome,” Freddy said, his expression softening. He walked over to the table where most of the papers were, curious but not wanting to invade the children's space. “May we see what you have been drawing?” 

Upon Freddy's question, there seemed to be quiet whispers before they went silent, save for the main voice. “Yes, you can.” 

Freddy bent over the table, scanning the papers for anything legible. Like yesterday, most of the drawings were just scribbles, and Freddy guessed this was a combination of having to maneuver endoskeleton fingers and kids simply having varying levels of fine motor skills. This time, however, there were a few legible words—what appeared to be names, all in varying colors and handwriting. Freddy glanced at a few of the endoskeletons sitting down, asking softly: “Are these some of your names?” 

It was silent for a little bit, until a quiet whisper stated: “…Yes.” 

Freddy looked behind him as he heard a faint metal creak, catching the briefest movement before an endoskeleton stilled again. The bear stood straight, grabbing one of the papers and holding it up to examine closely. 

“Thank you for opening up to us; I know it must not be easy,” he said, reading the scribbled words. “I can make out three names so far: Katie… Ben… and Ella.” He looked around the room, seeing if any of the endos reacted. “Did I get those right?”

Gregory turned his head as he spotted three endoskeletons suddenly shift, two of them on the floor and one standing—they must've been the three monikers called out. He gave them a bright smile, their previously-terrifying demeanor made instantly less so now that they had actual names attached to them. 

“Hi, you guys!” Gregory said with a wave, then giggled as Freddy bent to pick up some more papers, dipping him low in the process. It was clear from the bear’s grin that this was intentional, wanting to make sure they boy wasn’t getting stressed again.

“Now, let me see…,” Freddy continued once he’d righted himself and Gregory. “These are the last ones I can see: Mia, Robin, Flynn, and Ian.” There were two more names but they were completely unintelligible, which made Freddy believe the kids they belonged to were quite young.

“It is wonderful to get to know you all a little more,” Freddy stated, putting as much kindness into his tone as he could. Counting the two still unknown, they’d uncovered nine names total—with this information, any lingering doubt Freddy had about these actually being the missing children was instantly quashed. 

The animatronics weren’t supposed to be exposed to information about anything negative that happened in the Pizzaplex, although of course they’d managed to pick up on the missing children situation to a certain extent based on rumors and overheard conversations between concerned parents and staff. With the addition of his personal encounters with Vanny and William, Freddy was even more aware of their existence than the others, which in an ironic way helped him accept their presence more easily. 

Despite their unfortunate state, Freddy was so glad they’d found the missing children— even if their situation broke his heart. At least they were starting to open up more now, and seemed genuinely happy with their company. He held Gregory a bit tighter, thankful that at least one child got away before being stuck into a metallic prison…

“We came back sooner than expected so I did not have time to bring more supplies,” Freddy added, then gave a friendly chuckle. “But I promise that next time we will bring more things for you to entertain yourselves with!” 

“Yeah! We'll make sure to get a bunch more stuff for you guys,” Gregory agreed with a vigorous nod. As the pair spoke, the endoskeletons slightly fidgeted—only doing so when neither Freddy nor Gregory’s eyes were upon them, of course. Gregory looked back at the bear with a small smile. “This will be so cool! I've always wanted friends like me!”

Freddy resisted the urge to frown at that comment, instead shifting his gaze towards the back room. “Speaking of friends, how about we go and pay Bonnie a visit?”

“Mhm!” Gregory kicked his legs back and forth.

“Hey, b-bud!” Bonnie said cheerfully as they entered his room. The necklace Gregory had given him was still around his wrist, although it was now wrapped twice so it wouldn’t fall off as easily. “A-And hey, F-Fredbear!” 

“Hello, Bonnie.” Freddy smiled, noticing the bracelet. One of the children must have helped him secure it.

“Hi, Bonnie!” Gregory waved at the bunny excitedly. “We have lots to tell you!”

“Oh y-yeah?” Bonnie questioned. “Y-You are here k-kinda early… I-I guess you’re g-g-gonna tell me w-why, huh?” 

“It has been quite an eventful twenty-four hours…,” Freddy sighed, setting Gregory down.

“I disappeared! I don't know how, but I was completely invisible for a really long time after I woke up,” Gregory explained. “I was scared I'd never be visible again!” Bonnie shifted his gaze between the pair, unsure of how exactly respond for a bit. 

“Whoa… T-That’s crazy!” he eventually said, watching Freddy pat Gregory’s back comfortingly. “B-But I can see you j-just fine now, s-so I guess you figured it o-out!”

“Yeah, I just wish I could understand how these stupid powers work…,” Gregory mumbled softly, lowering his head. “It took forever to figure out how to get back to normal; I don't want it to happen again!”

“I have been saying that such powers may take time get a handle on; this is unfamiliar to all of us,” Freddy reassured, softly running a paw through Gregory’s hair. “Although today’s incident was concerning, you will learn how to control this; do not worry.” 

“Yeah, F-Freddy is r-right!” Bonnie chimed in, the smile evident in his voice. “You’ll g-get a handle on t-this b-before you k-know it! And if it d-does happen again, j-just think if w-what you did t-to get back to y-yourself today, a-and do it again!” 

“I hope so…” Gregory leaned his head against Freddy's paw, frowning softly for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and giving the pair a confident nod. “I'll try my best!” 

“Ah, that reminds me… how is your energy level, superstar? Would you like me to get you some cake?” Freddy asked. 

Gregory hummed, rubbing at his eyes. “Um, I'm kinda sleepy… but heck yeah I want cake!” He threw his fists into the air in silent cheer.

“…How would you feel about staying down here with Bonnie?” Freddy asked, a bit hesitantly. “I do not wish to leave you, but I would feel safer if you remained here rather than trying to navigate the Pizzaplex with me while the guests are around… and while I would normally suggest you hiding in my suit, I’ll need to put the cake there so I do not attract unwanted attention.” He met Gregory’s gaze, smiling reassuringly. “But if you really would like to come with me, I am sure we can make it work.”

Gregory lowered his arms, tilting his head as he debated his options. “Hmm… I’ll stay here. I don’t wanna get you into any more trouble!” He gave Freddy one last hug before sitting down beside Bonnie. 

“Thank you, superstar!” Freddy was honestly a bit surprised that Gregory agreed so easily—apparently, the boy felt even more comfortable with the rabbit than Freddy originally thought, which made him quite happy. He gave Gregory a final pat on the head and then began walking away, calling over his shoulder: “I will be back soon! If you have any trouble, call me on your Fazwatch!” 

“Y-You got it, b-boss!” Bonnie replied, saluting with his creaky arm. Once Freddy left the room, Bonnie shifted his gaze to land on the boy next to him. “S-Sorry I’m n-not that exciting r-right n-now, bud; I c-can’t do as m-much fun stuff a-as everyone else!”

“It's okay, we don't have to do anything crazy; I like talking to you!” Gregory insisted as he pulled his knees up to his chest, offering Bonnie a smile. “And also, now I can tell you everything about our party!”

“Oh y-yeah!” Bonnie said, the excitement evident in his voice. “I-I’ve gotta k-know what to l-l-look forward to w-when I get o-outta here!” 

***

Freddy paused as he entered the hall of endoskeletons. He knew that he shouldn’t take too long so as not to worry Gregory, but wanted to ask the children one more thing before he went on his mission. Smiling softly, he inquired: “Now that we know most of your names… may I ask which one of you has been speaking to us directly?” 

He reasoned that this would be the protector of the group, and therefore would likely be the one they’d get to know first. Freddy already felt a kinship with the soul who’d stepped up to take care of the others when they were scared and alone—in the most basic sense, it wasn’t unlike the way he’d taken Gregory under his wing.

It was silent for a moment before the familiar voice finally spoke up. They seemed almost reluctant to answer, but did so nonetheless. 

“I’m… Mia.”

 “Hello, Mia; it is nice to officially meet you,” Freddy replied as he gave the room a smile, glad to finally put a name to the voice. He resumed walking towards the elevator, nodding at the endoskeletons as he passed them. “I must run an errand, but I will return shortly; Gregory is still here, if you would like to speak with him while I am away!” 

“Thanks, Freddy; we'll see you soon,” Mia said in her usually hushed tone. By the time Freddy entered the elevator and turned to push the button all of the endoskeletons were turned to face him, some of them with their hands raised as if to wave him goodbye.

***

“Well, we went to Bonnie Bowl and we had the party there, and everyone really liked it!” Gregory explained to Bonnie, listing anything and everything he could remember. “I had your seat right next to Freddy's, and Monty was eating a plate.” 

Bonnie laughed, his body shaking slightly with the force of it. “G-Glad to hear t-that M-Monty’s back to his o-old self!” He gently patted Gregory’s foot, which was the easiest thing to reach. “It s-sounds s-super fun, though! I-I’m excited to join y-you next t-time.” Bonnie’s ear tiled questioningly. “I-I guess you c-can eat, since F-Freddy’s g-getting you some c-cake; d-did you have anything s-special at the p-party?” 

Gregory nodded his head as he folded his arms over his chest with a grin. “Grilled cheese sandwich! It was cold, but I still ate it!” 

“W-Well, we’ll definitely g-get you some c-cake next time!” Bonnie said with another laugh. “W-What’s your f-favorite f-flavor? If I c-could eat, I-I think I’d l-like c-chocolate!”

Gregory thought to himself for a moment before shrugging. “I've only tried chocolate and vanilla but... I really like vanilla! It was so yummy!”

“I b-bet! I-I remember the k-kids talking about s-sweets all t-the time.” Bonnie replied. “N-Not sure who t-thought it was a g-good idea to s-serve ice cream in a b-bowling alley, though… I c-can’t tell you h-how many times k-kids would come up t-to hug me w-with sticky hands a-and faces!” He let out a soft laugh as he reminisced. “I-I loved it, though; t-they were a-always so cute.”

Gregory’s smile fell slightly as Bonnie spoke about his fond memories. He couldn't help but feel bad that the animatronic had been stuck here for so long. 

“We’re gonna get you back in shape in no time!” he assured as he rested his head against Bonnie’s arm, careful to avoid any loose wires.

“T-Thanks, bud; geez, Freddy s-sure found a g-good kid!” Bonnie said with another chuckle, looking down at him. He went silent for a moment, then posed a hesitant question: “Hey, G-Gregory, speaking of r-repairs… since you’re s-such a great m-mechanic, I-I was wondering if y-you’d mind t-trying to fix m-my voice box? I-I’m pretty sure the p-problem is j-just that a s-screw got knocked loose w-when I was put d-down here; a-all you’d n-need to do is t-tighten it, and everything sh-should fall back into p-place.” He met the boy’s gaze, hoping Freddy wouldn’t be mad at him if Gregory agreed to do the repairs without him overseeing things. “O-Only if you’re c-comfortable, o-of course! W-we can always wait for y-your d-dad to get b-back.”

“Yes! I can do it!” Gregory perked up at the request. He wasted no time in reaching a hand into what was left of Bonnie's head, feeling around until he found the voice box. It reminded him of when he took Chica's out, although this time he had no fear whatsoever that Bonnie would snap at him and attack. 

“Oh, I this one doesn’t have dents or anything! I think you're right, it's just really loose,” Gregory mentioned as he began fiddling with the box, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to see where he was moving it.

Bonnie wanted to warn him to be careful, but didn’t dare speak in fear of accidentally zapping the boy with electricity or activating some wayward piece of endoskeleton to close on Gregory’s tiny fingers. He merely sat back and let the little mechanic do his work, staying as still as possible until they both finally felt the voice box snap into place with a satisfying click!

Gregory took a step back, pulling his hands out of the animatronic and rubbing the tiny amount of excess grease on his pants. “Um... Okay! Try saying something!” 

From what Bonnie could tell, the voice box felt like it was in the right place, and that clicking sound was a good sign. Tentatively, he spoke: 

“…Did it work?”

“Yes!” Gregory chirped as he hopped up and down, his eyes lighting up with excitement. 

Mia's voice soon rang out just beyond the doorway—clearly, the endoskeletons had been listening in. “It sounds like it works…”

“Yeah!” Bonnie cheered loud enough for the others to hear him, pumping a creaky fist in the air. “Thank you, bud! All that skipping was driving me crazy!” He lowered his arm slightly and held it out towards Gregory, instinctively trying to give the boy a one-armed hug. “You’re amazing!”

Gregory was quick to crouch down on his knees and hug Bonnie back, smiling happily. “You're welcome! What else do we need to fix besides... y’know, the obvious things?” 

“Hmm…” Bonnie hummed, checking his internal alerts—those that still worked, anyway—for everything currently wrong with him. “Unfortunately, I think everything else is more of a major repair; my arm and voice were really the only things that can be fixed right now, like Freddy guessed.” He paused, looking down at himself. “I need a new battery, and we still need to find replacement parts for my arm and leg before we can think about reconnecting them… oh, and my ear!” He pointed to the half-missing ear while wiggling the other up and down to show that at least one still worked. Gregory smiled, giving said ear a gentle pat. 

“Maybe there's more parts further in the basement?” Gregory glanced towards the doorway leading to the dark hall. “I can go look and see if there's anything! The kids told me there’s spare parts for all the animatronics down here, like when I found stuff for Monty’s snout and when they replaced Chica's beak—oh, um… oops.” The boy grimaced, realizing that Bonnie probably didn’t know all the havoc Gregory had caused days prior. 

Bonnie did not, in fact, know the extent of the damage to everyone else—nor did he know that Gregory was the one to cause it. 

“Chica lost her beak?!” he asked worriedly. “Geez, I hope she’s okay… Freddy told me that a lotta stuff happened while I’ve been down here, but he didn’t give me many specifics...”

Gregory laughed nervously, slowly nodding his head. “I-It happened a while ago... I kinda, um… She was chasing me, so I kinda pushed her in the trash compactor…” He paused, rubbing at the back of his neck. “B-But I used her voice box and put it into Freddy so we could have access to the lower levels! That's how we found that scary guy controlling everyone...”

Bonnie simply stared at Gregory for quite some time, processing this information. He didn't understand how anyone could hurt Chica, of all animatronics, especially not the sweet kid in front of him. But Bonnie had to concede that things were already going very wrong before he lost communication with everyone, as evidenced by him being stuck down here in the first place. He was sure Gregory wouldn't hurt anyone unless absolutely necessary, just as Chica wouldn't go after a child unless something was forcing her to do so. It just made him wonder what else happened that night. 

“Well... you've gotta do what you've gotta do, I suppose,” Bonnie eventually relented. “As long as Chica's okay now, I'm sure she understands, since I know that bird wouldn't hurt a fly. I can't believe she chased you...” He paused, tilting his ear. “Wait, Freddy got her voice box?!” 

“She's perfectly fine now!” Gregory reassured, then gave another quiet laugh and twiddled his thumbs. “Yeah, I kinda took the others’ parts and upgraded Freddy... But only because they chased me! I feel bad now, but... I never knew I was dead. I thought they were really gonna—” He stopped, wincing at the memories. It was times like these that he almost wished he’d never learned the truth; maybe then he wouldn’t have to relive the sight of sharp, open jaws rapidly coming at his face. “They… They managed to bite me a few times, but I always ended up somewhere else when they did and couldn't remember. Well, until Vanny told me I was dead and I remembered everything.”

“Wow... you've sure been through a lot, bud,” Bonnie commented after a moment. He wished he could smile reassuringly, but the best he could do was pat the boy's shoe again. “I'm glad everything worked out, though; I wouldn't have gotten to meet you, otherwise!” He chuckled brightly, not wanting the boy to dwell on such a dark topic. He’d have to ask Freddy for more details later, when it was just the two of them chatting. “And hey, now you learned so many skills about repairing us in case we get into any trouble! I'm sure Monty's gonna need some more fixing up eventually; he always liked to roughhouse...”

Gregory smiled at the praise, gently nodding his head. “You're right! I don't even know what I'm doing most of the time, honestly—I kinda just move whatever looks funky!” 

Bonne laughed, glad that Gregory could stay in good spirits despite the darker turn of their conversation. “You know, you had a good idea—this is where they store all our parts. You've just gotta know where to look for 'em.” He paused, then added. “I don't want you wandering or Freddy won't be happy, but maybe the kids can help you find something of mine?” He spoke a little louder so the others could hear. “Is that ok, everyone?”

It took a moment to receive an answer, which seemed to be loud metallic creaking coming closer and closer towards the door before Mia stated: “We’ll look.” 

A group of endoskeletons marched down the hall, whispering and giggling as they went, excited for the rare adventure. 

“That's a good idea,” Gregory agreed, happy he wouldn’t have to wander on his own. 

“I can look for stuff, I just… sometimes get scared still. That creepy bunny guy me and Freddy went up against... He's waaaay down below the Pizzaplex—even further down than here!”

“Creepy bunny guy?” Bonnie repeated, his ear tilting downwards. “I thought Vanny was the rabbit... and she was Vanessa?” He rolled his eyes, sighing loudly. “Everyone's trying to take my look, it seems.”

“He was so scary! He was the one controlling everyone and... And he wanted all of the souls of the children—even mine! That’s what Vanny said!” Gregory explained, soon lowering his voice to a near-whisper. “He... I think he was the creator of you, and the Pizzaplex, and everything!”

“The creator...?” Bonnie trailed off, pulling all the information he could from his memory bank. There was surprisingly little to go on, which he found odd since he knew that hadn’t been damaged by Monty’s attack, but he was eventually to pull up a basic script for when a guest asked about how the Fazbear Franchise was created. There were two founders, one with a much better reputation than the other: Henry Emily and— 

“Afton? William Afton?” Bonnie narrowed his eyes. “He was here?! I thought he disappeared—at least, that’s what my records seem to indicate. But even if he was back, he’d be old—like, really old.”

“Yeah, that’s him!” Gregory nodded at the familiar name. “We found the original Pizzaplex down below this one—or, well, an older one I think! And there were a bunch of animatronics melted into one giant pile!” The boy held his hands up, pretending to snatch something out of midair. “And it took William... I don't think he died, but it was scary. I saw him in this bunny suit, and he was all...  Zombie-looking.” He shuddered at the image of the rotting flesh and metal creature—those glowing eyes were forever burned in his memory.

Bonnie watched him carefully as he explained. Gregory had been through so much—more than any person, let alone a child, should be expected to handle. No wonder Freddy hardly set the kid on solid ground. 

“I'm sorry you had to go through that, bud,” Bonnie said, holding out his hand for Gregory to take. Again, he had the strongest urge to pull the boy into a hug and tell him that everything would be okay, but that would have to wait until he was all fixed up. “But even though it was scary, whatever happened down there freed all the animatronics!”

Gregory gently took his hand and leaned against Bonnie's side. “Yeah, I’m okay… As long as everyone’s back to normal, that's all that matters!” He sighed heavily, lowering his head to stare at the ground. “I just hope he never comes back... Neither should Vanny.” 

“Well, if they do, I'm gonna be right by your side this time—and I know the others will, too.” He chuckled softly, squeezing Gregory's hand. “And if they think Fredbear is gonna let them touch one hair on your head, they've got another thing comin'!”

“Yeah! We'll beat them up!” The boy said with a bright grin, giving Bonnie's hand a squeeze back. “…But I'm still never going back down there ever again!”

“Oh no, definitely not; you're staying here with us! And soon, I'm gonna be up in the main area with the rest of you!” As if on cue, there was a metallic shuffling outside the door, signaling the return of the endoskeletons. “Hey, guys! Did you find anything?!”

“We found plenty of spares,” Mia announced, followed by clanging of metal as they endoskeletons set everything down outside of the room. 

Gregory was quick to stand, making his way over towards the door and peeking out. “Wow! All new and shiny!”

“What parts did you find?” Bonnie asked curiously, trying to peer around Gregory to no avail. “Sounds like you’ve got one of everything out there!” 

“Exactly that,” Mia mentioned in her usual soft tone. 

“Thanks, everyone!” he called to the room of endos. “You’re a huge help! And thanks for leading them as usual, Mia!”

As the endoskeletons marched off to find their places once again, Gregory made a mental note that the main one that talked was named Mia. He grinned, hopeful that he’d be able to figure out the others’ names soon as well! 

“Freddy said he wanted to get you to Parts and Service with Monty's help,” the boy mentioned, stepping back to Bonnie’s side. “But I wanna help as much as I can, too!”

“You’ve already done a lot, bud!” Bonnie assured him, and at that moment he heard the faint sound of the elevator arriving back to the basement. He met Gregory’s gaze with a chuckle. “I think your dad’s back!” 

Freddy stepped out of the elevator, a couple of drawstring bags clutched in one hand. The bags were covered in a design of suns and stars, and Freddy grinned to the room of exoskeletons as he raised them up. “Hello again, everyone! I have brought you some gifts!”

Gregory froze for a moment to listen until he heard Freddy's voice, then ran full-speed out of the room and latched himself onto Freddy's leg. “Freddy! I missed you!”

“Hi, superstar!” the bear replied, patting Gregory’s head, since couldn’t bend down due to what he was carrying. “Please step back a moment and I will show you what I have!”

Gregory pulled away somewhat reluctantly, clasping his hands behind his back. He had a lot to update Freddy on, but he wanted to see what gifts were brought first.

Freddy set the bags on the nearby table. “I am sorry I took so long, but I stopped by the daycare and told Sun that I needed some arts supplies for a group of new friends; he made some care packages for everyone, so these should last you for a while! Also—” He opened his chest hatch to reveal an oversized vanilla cake, which he held in both hands and bent to show Gregory. “This is for you, Gregory!”

Gregory gasped happily at the sight, his eyes widening with excitement. “Thanks; this looks so good!” 

The endoskeletons shifted in place before Mia finally spoke up. “Everyone’s very excited and thanking you up and down, Freddy.”

“You are all very welcome,” Freddy replied, grinning from ear to ear. His favorite thing was making children happy—it was the core of his programming, after all. He held the cake up slightly before Gregory could grab it, knowing it would be a bit too heavy for the small boy. “Here, let us take the cake over to Bonnie’s room so the three of us can sit together; then the others can play as well.” He hoped that someday the children would gain enough confidence to move when they were looking, but he knew that would take some time.

“Okay!” Gregory chirped, turning to make his way down the hall and back into the room where Bonnie sat. “Bonnie, guess what? Freddy brought me cake!”

“Ooh! Vanilla, right? Your fave!” Bonnie said as Freddy held the cake in one hand and pulled out a set of napkins and utensils from his stomach hatch. Freddy laid a napkin on the ground and set the cake plate on top of it, then handed Gregory a fork. 

“Since there are no others you need to share this with, have at it, superstar!” Freddy said, gesturing to the enormous sweet. Normally, he’d never let a child eat cake this way, but since Gregory didn’t have to worry about what he ate, he might as well have fun!

Gregory happily took his fork and dug in. He soon remembered what he wanted to tell Freddy and swallowed his first bite down. “Oh, Freddy! I fixed Bonnie's voice box all by myself!”

“Oh!” Freddy met Bonnie’s gaze, still smiling. “I thought you sounded like your old self!” Freddy ruffled Gregory’s hair gently. “Great job!” 

“Yeah, your kid is amazing!” Bonnie added. “With him around, I’ll be fixed up in no time.”

“They also helped bring more spare parts for Bonnie!” the boy added, his voice muffled due to the mouthful of food.

 “Did they?” Freddy peered around the doorframe and soon found the pile of parts. “That is wonderful! Maybe we can try to get you walking again tonight!” 

“You sure?” Bonnie asked, his ear tilting downwards. “I don’t wanna make Gregory work too much…” 

“Roxy should be able to help as well, so the task will not all be on him,” Freddy replied with a smile.

“I wanna help, but Roxy does a good job, too!” Gregory insisted. He definitely wanted to get Bonnie back up and working as soon as possible, but he knew that there were things he didn’t necessarily want to try and fix on his own. “She’s the one that fixed up Monty the other day!”

“Did she?” Bonnie asked, not sounding totally convinced. “Well, if you guys say so…” 

“She is surprisingly adept at mechanical repairs,” Freddy replied with a chuckle. Then he paused, realizing another step they’d need to take to get their friend fixed. “Bonnie, I do not think I can carry you up to Parts & Service by myself, especially if your battery will not keep a charge that will allow you to hold on with your own strength… How would you feel about Monty assisting me? He can get you there the fastest, though I understand if you would rather see someone else.” 

Bonnie was silent for a few moments, then let out a sigh. “I’m gonna have to see him again sometime, so… might as well do it now! As long as you’re with me, Fredbear, I’ll be good.”

Gregory nodded, pushing his half-eaten cake aside. “We'll always be here with you! Besides, Monty is really nice!” He frowned, lightly tapping his chin in thought. “How will we keep the security guards off of our trail, though? We need a good distraction!”

 “Oh… right.” Freddy sighed heavily. He’d completely forgotten about those two… 

“Isn’t nighttime security usually pretty lackluster?” Bonnie asked curiously. “Excluding the previous guard, I mean—she was obviously a bad exception...” 

“Maybe I can scare them away!” Gregory suggested with a sly grin. The vague notion of possibly releasing Moon if things got desperate also crossed his mind… but he wasn't sure if the animatronic would scare the night guards or him more.

Freddy gave a concerned hum, thinking aloud: “That would certainly be helpful, but I do not want you to do such a thing on your own—at least not without someone nearby just in case one of the guards acts erratically... maybe Chica can help you?” 

Gregory huffed, crossing his arms. “Okay, fine…” However, his smile quickly returned at the thought of all the things they could do. “I'll think up a plan!”

 “Alright,” Freddy agreed, a bit reluctantly. At least if Chica was there, he knew she would keep Gregory safe. He checked his internal clock, realizing that it was much later than he expected. “Oh dear—Gregory, it is almost time for the final show of the night, and I cannot risk missing this one. Do you feel comfortable coming with me, or would you like to stay here until the building closes down?” 

“Whatever you wanna do is fine with me, bud; I'll see you again later tonight, anyway!” Bonnie added with an excited laugh.

Gregory was quick to stand and raise his arms out for Freddy to lift him up. “I wanna go with you!” He didn't have any plans on leaving Freddy's side any time soon—at least, not until it was time to put their new plan into motion.

“Then we should be off,” Freddy said, picking Gregory up and hugging him tightly. He shifted the boy to one arm, then bent to pick up the leftover cake. “I do not like wasting this, but it will not store well down here, so I will drop it off in the nearest trash bin; we can always get you another one later.” He locked gazes with Bonnie, grinning at him. “We will be back soon!” 

“Yup; see ya, Fredbear!” Bonnie waved, his ear seeming to wiggle in tandem with his hand due to his eagerness. Finally, he'd get to walk again! “See ya, bud!”

“Bye Bonnie, see you soon!” Gregory replied, waving his hand at the animatronic. As Freddy carried Gregory out, the endoskeletons were mostly back to their original places lining the hallway. However, the many goodie bags were opened and a few crayons were clutched in some spindly, mechanical hands. 

“Thanks again, Freddy,” Mia said, in a tone which indicated the bright smile on her face.

“Of course; let me know if that is enough and if not, Sun will be more than happy to make you some more!” Freddy replied, waving as they stepped into the elevator. As the metal box rose, he lowered Gregory to the ground and opened his stomach hatch. “The Pizzaplex is busy, so I would suggest hiding inside until we get backstage; then I will let you out and you can join the crowd, as usual. Is that alright?”

“Sounds like a plan, dad!” Gregory said as he climbed into the hatch and hugged his knees up to his chest. Despite his earlier tiredness, the cake certainly helped give him some energy back!

Freddy’s smile widened as much as physically possible. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of hearing Gregory refer to him as “dad;” it just felt… right. Freddy was quick to deposit the remains of the cake in the nearest trash can as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. The Pizzaplex was indeed busy with guests rushing to get one last activity in before the place closed, and Freddy was glad that Gregory was hidden from the prying hands of kids that he ran across in his travels. He finally made it to the backstage area where the others were already waiting with a few minutes to spare. 

“Freddy!” a technician yelled as soon as the bear appeared in the doorway. “Where the hell have you been?! You missed the last show, and Chica said you were having recharge troubles!” 

“I am sorry!” Freddy apologized quickly, standing still as a flashlight was shined directly in his eyes. “Yes, I was too low on energy to safely perform earlier, so I asked Montgomery to take my place. But I am fine now!” He flashed the tech a big smile.

“It's all true!” Monty added, folding his arms over his chest and flashing a grin. “We wouldn't want another incident in the same week, so he that’s why he asked me to take over!” 

The staff member glanced at Monty and then back to Freddy, sighing softly. “Well, be careful next time. The managers won't be pleased if this happens again, and neither will the technicians.”

“Of course; I will be sure to charge properly from now on,” Freddy reassured them, happy when they started walking away. He waved as they left the room, calling after them, “I am sorry again for the inconvenience!” 

“Whew! That was a close one,” Roxy commented, hands on her hips. “They were not happy about you skipping, Freddy…” She looked around him, trying to find the child usually glued to his hip. “No kid with you this time? Oh no—he’s not invisible again, is he?!”

At the sound of Roxy’s voice, Gregory pushed the hatch open and carefully hopped out. He landed on the ground and threw his hands above his head with huge grin. “Ta-da!” 

“What a wonderful magic trick!” Chica exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically. 

“Hey there, squirt!” Monty said, patting the top of Gregory’s head. “You totally missed my awesome performance! It was so much better than Roxy's!” He gave the wolf a playful nudge with his tail.

“Thank you again for covering for me, Monty,” Freddy said, giving the gator a fist-bump. “I am sure your performance was wonderful; it is nice to change the line-up every once in a while!” 

“Yeah, except next time, can you let me take the front stage?” Roxy asked, flipping her hair back so it brushed annoyingly across Monty's face. 

“I will be sure to make that arrangement,” Freddy agreed with a laugh. Suddenly, the animatronics blinked in unison as an alert flashed across their visions, and Freddy smiled down at Gregory. “It is time to go on stage; we will meet back here afterwards, okay, superstar?”

“Sounds good! I'll go find a good spot!” the boy said with a nod, giving the group a thumbs-up before running off. He wanted to make sure he got the best spot in the house, after all!

***

Masterlist of chapters on Tumblr here!