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Chapter Text

The strike of a match, the crackle of a newly birthed fire, the dark forest floor aglow with a fading yellowish amber, the horrid stench of burning plastic filling the air as a thin trail of black smoke contrasting with the pink sky of the current sunset.

That was the fiery fate that came to be of Michael's cell phone and credit card, the plastic of the two objects melting and bending with char spots all over within the tiny teepee made of twigs and sticks, a layer of dried pine needles and the shreds of his birth certificate and social security card underneath giving fuel to the growing flames consuming the last remnants of his life on the grid.

All except for one.  

Pulled from his wallet he held the crinkled picture of a family. A stern faced husband frowning at the camera, his happy, smiling wife standing next to him, and in front stood the three kids giving goofy faces for the camera.

A brief surge of nostalgia took ahold of him, the photo reminding him of more simpler times, before everything went to absolute hell.

I'm sorry. But I can't go back. Not after what you and Elizabeth have done to this family.

He tossed the picture into the flickering flames, the photo gradually reduced to flakey ashes, only the face of the boy who stood in the middle remaining before burning up with it.

Goodbye, Michael Afton.

He remained there for the rest of that evening, watching as the flames consumed the rest of the makeshift fire pit after going through what he wanted destroyed, the heat of the fire providing him protection from the chilly, October night air. He stood back up once the fire finally died out, when all that remained were the charred chunks of the sticks and thick layers of soot where the teepee once stood.

Now, it begins.

***

When Michael finally returned to the RV, Charlie was quick to greet him, hurriedly motioning him inside the rickety if still standing vehicle they currently called home.

"So, did you do it?" she asked, staying by her boyfriend's side as he approached the small fridge to pull out a beer bottle.

"Yes," he said, grabbing the bottle opener to pop off the cap. "Michael Afton is no more as far as the grid is concerned."

"But are you sure that's enough? What if he still finds us?"

Michael took a sip of his drink. "Using what? As far as we're concerned, I'm a clean slate, as if I never existed in the first place. Like you, like Gregory, poor Stanley, and especially like Sebastian, and he suggested the idea of discarding those things in the first place."

"I know that. Father told me as much when he agreed that I should go into hiding with you for my safety and his, but I can't help but be a bit paranoid, you know? What if he finds us? What if he manages to recognize me after so many years of remaining off his radar, and realizes not only am I alive, but that I'm...not human?"

Michael placed a hand on her shoulder. "I get it. But as long as we follow your dad's advice to stay off the grid and remain below radar, and to avoid any properties owned by my family, we should be in the clear. And he may not even recognize you now if he hasn't already, as it's been so long since the incident."

Charlie placed her hand on Michael's. "I can only hope."

"Don't worry, sweetie. It's gonna be-"

"Will you two keep it down?!" Funtime Foxy interrupted from the passenger seat, the animatronic fox peering over the headrest to give their best equivalent of an annoyed frown. "I'm trying to enter rest mode!"

Michael glanced over to the clock on the wall reading ten o'clock. "I guess a bit of bedrest is in order."

"Yeah."

Funtime Foxy retreated to their little sleeping space while Michael helped Charlie set up the bed from the pullout sofa, tossing a few quilts and pillows on it before settling themselves in for a long nights sleep.

And the first one they've both had since fleeing Hurricane and the rest of Washington County with the others.

Chapter Text

Gregory was the first to wake up, the morning sunrise entering the tiny master bedroom he shared with the others.

Vanessa and Sebastian shared the master bed, one of Sebastian's silvery feathered wings covering the entirety of her like a blanket, with Stanley snoring away on the sleeping bag rolled out in front of the bed, all while Gregory rested on Freddy's lap, the animatronic bear still in rest mode with his head hanging low and eyes shut.

When he was about to go back to sleep, figuring there was still time before spending the next several hours on the road, he caught a whiff of what smelled like cooking bacon, moving his head up and around like a dog to take in the scent.

Moving himself off the bear's lap, he quietly crept to where the door, where the scent was coming from. He opened the plastic door by just a crack find Michael at the stove, turning over strips of greasy bacon that sizzled in the frying pan, Charlie standing next to him flipping pancakes in a plug-in skillet that took up the entire space of the countertop, while Foxy was curled up on the couch like a sleepy dog, their yellow eyes glued to the tiny, boxy TV that sat in the shelf next to the main door, a combo VHS and DVD player wedged into the narrow shelf beneath it. On the screen played the very grainy footage of The Little Mermaid, the fox entranced by the current musical number happening.

"Well look who's awake," Charlie then said, Gregory moving his head in her and Michael's direction.

"Morning," Michael said. "I'm guessing the others are still asleep?"

He nodded. "I was going to sleep in like them, but then I smelled bacon."

Michael chuckled lightly. "Who wouldn't want to wake up to the smell of bacon?"

"I would," came the tired voice of Stanley, Gregory turning back to find the chubbier man standing behind him.

"I think he meant that rhetorically," Sebastian soon followed up with, his wings folded tightly on his back to better fit in the already cramped doorway.

"Somebody say bacon?" Vanessa said next, appearing behind the two young men.

"Is it morning already?" Freddy asked last, the robotic bear appearing last, bending forward slightly as to not hit his head on the doorway. "And why do my scent sensors smell bacon?"

Charlie gave a chuckle. "Seems like the bacon did a good job at waking up everyone."

"Seems like it," Michael commented. "But I'm afraid that breakfast will take a while longer to finish." 

"Breakfast?" Vanessa questioned. "As in, an actual breakfast?"

"Um, yeah. I managed to use some of our funds to hit up the nearby campsite general store for some bacon, pancake mix, what fruit juices they had, and whatever else I could by that will keep us fed moving forward. Then again, I'd figured I could afford to splurge just a little for the sake of this occasion."

"What's the occasion?" Sebastian asked.

"I'll explain once this is finished. And would anyone mind lending a hand in setting up the table?"

"I will," Stanley offered.

"Me too," Sebastian added.

"Mind if I help too?" Freddy asked.

"I'm good," Vanessa said. "Besides, it's my turn to do morning patrol."

"Good idea," Charlie agreed. "And don't you worry, Gregory, as you get the most special job of all."

Gregory looked to her curiously. "What is it?"

"Assistant pancake flipper. It takes two to feed a group as big as ours."

"Uh, okay."

Charlie pulled up a chair to let the boy, who she noted was far too short for a kid his age, stand on to reach the skillet, handing him a spare spatula to flip a few pancakes while Stanley, Sebastian, and Freddy arranged six paper plates and plastic red cups on the tiny table. Through the kitchen window Gregory saw Vanessa walking around the back of the RV in her pink pajamas, her feet protected by the worn combat boots Michael had lent her, looking into the forest before moving on.

"You really think no one's followed us?" Gregory asked.

"No one's managed to track us so far," Michael answered. "And even if they did, they would only make it to Salt Lake City, where I last used my credit card."

"He is right," Sebastian added. "They'll have a harder time without a good digital trail to fall back on."

Gregory gave a small nod before flipping a few more pancakes, Charlie removing the done ones to add more small circles of batter, managing to get a half stack on each of the two plates so far.

"Done!" Michael eventually announced, handing Freddy the platter of bacon to place in the table's center.

"Us too!" Gregory added, Charlie carrying the plates piled high with pancakes to the table.

Freddy brought over a bottle of the cheapest syrup brand Michael could find, while Stanley got out a few bottles each of apple and orange juices from the fridge.

Vanessa then came inside, and in time to find the feast set up on the table before her.

"Right on time," Michael remarked. "Take a seat."

Everyone took their places at the table.

"Hey Foxy," Michael said, diverting the Fox's attention off the movie. "Mind coming over for a minute?"

They leaped off the sofa to run over on all fours, standing next to Freddy. Michael handed the duo an empty cup each much to their confusion.

"Before we dig in, I want to make a toast."

"A toast for what?" Vanessa asked.

"It's been a week now since we left Hurricane in such a hurry, and in that week we managed to escape into Idaho without much issue. Now, I know my family can call upon a few connections or sway the authorities to catch us, but so far they haven't made use of them as far as we know."

"But you used your card in Salt Lake City, didn't you?" Stanley asked.

"You are correct, but I only used it to take all the cash I had out of my account. As for my card, I have an important announcement."

Everyone looked to him with interest.

"As of last night, I'm officially off the grid. No phone, credit card, and no means of identification."

Everyone's eyes widened, or imitated the expression in Freddy and Foxy's case.

"You all heard right. Michael Afton doesn't exist as far as modern society is concerned. And if I'm correct, those trying to pursue us by using my card's history are only going to meet a dead end."

"But your phone," Stanley began. "Can't they just track you with that?"

"I had it off the whole time before burning it to scrap. And trust me, you don't want to know how it smelled when it burned. Plus, we still have Sebastian's laptop if we want to get back to the grid to some extent."

"As long as we use public wifi," Sebastian reminded. "Even then, those free to use computers at the local library will be a safer bet for us."

"Good point. And I forgot to mention, today is when we'll leave this campground for good."

"To where exactly?" Vanessa said. "I don't mean to rain on this parade, but where else are we gonna go without attracting unwanted attention?"

"Oregon," Charlie spoke up. "It's right next to this state we're in, and because it's home to a place only dad and I know of."

She then pulled out a folded up paper from her sweatshirt pocket, unfolding to present the crinkly, aging photo of a beautiful forest cabin overlooking rolling hills and endless vineyards, an imposing, snowy mountain in the distance.

"This is an old vacation home my family has back in McMinville. We used to stay there often for vacations in the Willamette Valley when I was younger, and before...the incident. And if I recall my very first memory when I was put in this body, it was at that very house. In the basement, I think. I'm pretty sure it was once used to store wine barrels before it was renovated into a makeshift robotics workshop. Kinda defeated the purpose of being a vacation home if you ask me."

"What happened after?" Freddy asked her.

"We...never went back. I wonder if it brought up bad memories, since the incident happened at what was meant to be a new Freddy's meant to open in that town."

"Until it was closed for 'gas leaks,' aka, father's favorite euphuism for ditching town when things get heated," Michael added.

"Does creator even know this place exists besides Henry?" Foxy asked.

"No, as least as far as I know. Which is the reason why I want us to go there. Where we can hideaway from him, her, and everything else ever associated with Freddy's. Where we can finally be free to be ourselves without worry."

"And it's in that state's wine country," Michael said with enthusiasm. "I've always wanted to try a glass fresh from the vineyard."

Charlie rolled her eyes, Michael shrugging in response.

"Furthermore," he continued. "I want to toast for not only our hassle free week of travel, but for what will likely be our new home, and a new beginning." He held his cup up, Charlie following suit. "For all of us."

Everyone raised their cups high. "For all of us!"

They tapped their cups against each others, spilling a few splashes of juice in the process, in celebration, bringing them back down so they could enjoy their first real breakfast in forever.

Michael ate in silence compared to everyone else, but couldn't help but smile at seeing his oddball group acting happy for once. No worry, no paranoia, no lashing out their frustrations at each other over their unfortunate circumstances.

Just laughing at each others corny jokes, taking in the compliments for such a good meal, with Gregory acting pouty from envy until he was given appreciation for his pancake flipping skills. The loving smiles and gooey eyes Vanessa and Sebastian gave each other that made Michael feel sick, even if he would do the same with Charlie at times, and with Gregory teasingly singing about them kissing in a tree, Charlie and Freddy trying to get him to tone it down with no avail. All the while Stanley seemed more content, and the once introverted Foxy opening up with some lighthearted banter and wisecracks fit for a showman.

Michael savored this rare moment, knowing deep down that he and the others wouldn't experience this again once they got back on the road.

Maybe when we reach the house, he hoped. Maybe.

Chapter Text

…reboot…

…reboot…

…Systems back online.

But even with that confirmation, Roxanne’s eyes couldn’t see through the glitching taking up her vision, her audio processors going back and forth between working and screeching with static.

She tried to blink, the problem only persisting. She then tried to move her arm up, fighting back against the force holding it down, feeling the sharp cold of metal against her left wrist. And her right wrist. And both of her ankles, not to mention the leather straps tightened around her torso and neck.

Not like it kept her from struggling for her dear life, even if did nothing against the restraints.

“…what…what’s happening to me?! Why can’t I move?”

“Aw, somebody finally decided to wake up.”

Roxanne froze, feeling dread at the sickly sweet voice coming from wherever in the darkness surrounding her.

“Want me to take care of her? Like I did with the gator and chicken?”

“Now, Elizabeth. We still have use of her,” came the deeper, serious voice from the shadows.

“Wh-what the hell are you talking about? Who are you?!”

A deep chuckle echoed from all around her. “Oh, Roxanne. Don’t you recognize me?”

First came the footsteps, like work boots with metal toes clicking against broken tile, then came the man appearing from next to her, as if he were emerging from the darkness itself.

A man who donned an expensive suit, every piece a dark purple with gold accessories, a purple hat hiding half of his face yet still able to express the kindness on his features.

Or, a semblance of kindness, Roxanne creeped out by the uncanniness in seeing him smile softly for the first time in ages.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

If it weren’t for all these restraints, Roxanne would’ve attempted to bite his face off. But all she could manage was a feral growl.

“Yeah, if I were in your predicament, I would be wanting to bite my own face off too. But let’s get to the point, as I’m sure you’re questioning why you’re here. With me, my Elizabeth, and all these…precautionary measures, so to speak.

“You see, I want to make a deal.”

Roxanne glared daggers at William, earning a mocking chuckle out of him.

“Now, now. Listen to me for a minute. What I want to tell you is about your friends. Or rather, what remains of them after the incident.”

“What did you do?!” she screamed, thrashing harder in the restraints.

“Oh please. I did nothing. But it sure did.”

As if on cue, the lights burst on, Roxanne’s table tilting forward to make her see the partially lit stage with two animatronics.

Or, the shells of such, what remained of Chica and Montgomery hanging from hooks on the ceiling, their body plates pried open to reveal nothing. Not even some semblance of an endoskeleton that was once in there.

“What did you DO?! ”

“Again. It wasn’t me. Besides, M2 needs those suits more than you do.”

Roxanne didn’t answer, fighting with all her might for her freedom, and to bite that smug look off William’s face.

“And if you don’t want to end up like them, stripped of everything and anything that was once you, to better accommodate the only creation that can be like you, but better, I suggest you listen to me, and listen carefully.”

Roxanne finally stilled, if reluctantly.

“That’s better. So, while these two weren’t so lucky, a certain bear friend of yours has somehow managed to escape my beloved Pizzaplex, and with those horrible miscreants set ablaze. Which is why I must ask for your help. Nothing too crazy, just a simple, impromptu catch and retrieve sort of deal.

“And before you say a word, I can tell you’re probably gonna say ‘Why should I help you? After everything you’ve put me and my friends through?’ Well, I can either hang you up with the rest of your friends, or…”

More lights came on, Roxanne’s jaw going slack from the scope of the room.

Including what appeared to be an actual tree behind the stage, or some kind of mechanical equivalent of such. From its thick, stone-like trunk that reached almost all the way to the ceiling, every inch adorned with metallic branches growing skinnier the longer they went, spread across the ceiling and walls, wires bundled up as its “roots” sprawling across the black and white tiled floor, strange lights of purple and gold coursing from them and up the trunk, eventually disappearing at each point of its branches.

She's heard all about this device, hearing it from the Pizzaplex grapevine, but to see it, and in all of its glory...

“Perhaps you can be more than what your feeble body can allow. A part of something…better, if you will. Perhaps then, you can be the best out of all of my creations. And you like being the best, don’t you?”

“What, what does that mean?”

“I mean, you don’t have to put your programming into the tree if you don’t want to, but it's an option. Otherwise, perhaps I can do what you’ve been begging me to do and set you free, to a better place than all this. But only if you help me find them , and bring them back to me. Should you refuse, well…”

William simply waved a hand at the remains of Chica and Montgomery. “If I were you, I would pick the lesser of two evils. Plus, think of it like this: you’ll finally be able to step outside the Pizzaplex, to see this world for what it really is, and why your friends need to be back where they truly belong.”

“How do I know?” Roxanne said.

William raised a brow. “Know what?”

“That you won’t hurt them.”

William couldn’t help but let out a short laugh. “Oh, Roxy, I know I may not be the most…morally upstanding, but this time, you have my word.”

Roxanne didn’t trust that, knowing how many times he rescinded on his word, but suspecting that this was different, in a sense, she played along and nodded.

“However, there’s just one teeny, tiny thing I need to do first. Elizabeth?” he called out.

“Got it right here!”

From behind the stage emerged a young woman, one Roxanne hadn’t seen in ages, a quick facial scan giving her the details of Elizabeth Afton, all grown up and standing next to her father.

And who wore some kind of patchwork character costume, her face otherwise maskless with a fake smile that could make her father proud. And in one hand held a bizarre power drill, its drill bit just as large and sharp at its point, like it could drill through any kind of surface.

“Just a quick update,” William said. “Can’t have you out there without something to help you blend in. If you would do the honors, Lizzy?”

Elizabeth nodded, taking slow, as if deliberate, steps towards Roxanne’s table, the wolf animatronic feeling a sudden sense of unease about all this.

Maybe it was the way she kept up that obviously insincere visage of happiness, or the way she held the drill like it was a deadly weapon ready for the kill, or the way she stood next to Roxanne, the drill bit pointed directly at her head.

“Normally, I would try to sugarcoat it, but to be honest, this is going to hurt. A LOT,” William said. “But who knows, maybe your pain sensors have dulled, or not. We’ll figure it out.”

Elizabeth took it as her cue to inch the drill bit closer, then suddenly jamming it through the side of Roxanne’s head, forcing out a howl of pain and static as the drill bit began to spin and whir, the violent scraping of metal against metal filling Roxanne’s hearing, but not enough to drown out her never ending wails.

All while William stood there, his off smile never changing as he watched Roxanne thrash in her restraints once more, her mouth opening and closing like the jaws of a hungry beast, her arms and legs attempting to fight back against a non-existent threat.

ERROR. ERROR.

Her vision began to glitch, going back and forth between flashing ERROR messages in colors she didn’t think existed, her vision eventually going red the further Elizabeth drilled into her head.

ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.

She wondered if this was it, if this was what dying looked like, felt like, forced to feel the way her body acted out on its own as that monster’s daughter drilled her CPU to irreparable scrap.

ERROR. ERROR.

Her vision went completely white, her entire being settling down as a strange sense of nothingness washed over her, like she was everything, yet nothing.

Am I…dead…?

SYSTEM REBOOT IN 3…2…1…

Roxanne’s eyes went shut, trapping her in darkness as she felt the last of her senses shut down.

***

…SYSTEMS BACK ONLINE.

Roxanne blinked once, twice, feeling…different.

With a gasp, even if she didn’t have lungs, she quickly stood herself up, taking a moment to keep herself from falling before getting a look at her surroundings.

She was no longer on that table, obviously, but this place was…not that room with the tree, or her two other friends.

If it weren’t for the flashing of broken neon lights, or the occasional bits of Fazbear memorabilia buried within the piles of rubble that towered over her, Roxanne wouldn’t have recognized the ruins of the Pizzaplex lobby. She turned around, finding the entrance boarded up with plywood and yellow tape, save for the one panel removed from one of the main doors.

“It’s…gone. All gone,” she muttered, as if with disbelief. 

She looked around some more, taking note of the sliver of sunlight beaming through several gaps in the boards, then looking down to find the shadow behind her.

Roxanne held back a surprised gasp and scanned her surroundings, no other lifeform nor animatronic detected, not even through the walls.

She looked to the shadow again. She moved to the left, the shadow doing the same. She held up an arm, the shadow repeating her actions. She then looked at her arm, nearly flinching back at the limb that was hers, but also not.

As it looked too human to be her arm.

She held up her other arm, finding a human limb where her mechanical one should be. When she looked down, she had a pair of black, knee high boots where her feet should be. She moved her foot up, moving as if it were always a part of her. 

“No…NO! What’s happening to me?!” she cried out, her voice more organic in tone, lacking the mechanical accent she had come to know. “What’s happening to me?!”

“Like I said,” William’s voice echoed from a broken speaker. “To help you blend in. It won’t last for long, so I suggest you try your best to hide before the disguise fades. Preferably somewhere you can hide for about eight hours to let your systems rest and recharge without drawing attention towards yourself.”

“You mean…this?” Roxanne held up her hands again, touching each  finger without a claw, freaked out by how squishy they felt. “But it feels so real.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that’s all the time we have for now. Get out there, get used to the new form, and find yourself a spot to await further instruction. Toodles!” 

Roxanne stared to the ceiling, wincing-actually wincing-at the shrill of static cut off by the dead silence.

With one step forward, unnerved by the sensation of walking without being barefooted, then another, she slowly began walking to the door, holding up a hand as she was basked by the sunlight.

Stepping outside, she could feel the sun’s warmth on her skin, hear the chirping of birds flapping past her, smell the cleanliness of the fresh air, along with the sensation of breathing it in and out, in and out.

But she couldn’t enjoy the simple pleasures of feeling so…alive for long.

Not to mention, she had to consider how she would go with this. And if she were willing to bring Freddy and the others back, after everything he did to help her. Or how she would even find him in the first place…

Roxanne took another deep breath, continuing forward to get herself in the right state of mind before making her choice about all this.