5
Disclaimer: this will mostly be based off of Markiplier's gameplay.
Freddy Fazbear Pizzaplex
Ken's POV
I spent a few minutes just sitting there in front of the locked doors, contemplating my situation:
I had been forced into a Do-it-or-Die game inside a 70s style pizzeria against my will.
I had been given until closing time to get out the front doors using easy means.
I'd been chased all night by kiddie animatronics who had been tasked with finding and doing who-knew-what with me.
I had just missed the deadline and was now trapped inside the pizzeria.
Now a psychotic kidnapper was going to be after me and "show me" off of the premises.
And I knew that I had a key-to-everything, but I had no idea how to use it.
My night literally could not get any worse.
I fixed the metal wall barring me from freedom and slammed the side of my fist into it, sending a loud BOOM ratcheting through the empty Lobby. A last-ditch effort to awaken my Element, but I was desperate.
No building heat in my chest. No weird warping of the metal.
I was still trapped in the pizzeria.
I sighed and leaned back on my hands, looking over my shoulder at the pizzeria beyond. A golden statue of Freddy with his microphone was standing tall in the center of the room, ready to welcome kids. The picture, framed with tall potted palm trees and overlapping magenta staircases, seemed almost cheery.
Or it would seem that way.
You know, if I wasn't being chased.
I stared at the scene for a few seconds, then wiped the tears from my face and stood up. "Get a hold of yourself, Ken," I told myself for the second time that night; I sounded tiny in the expansive space. "You missed the deadline - that's fine. You just gotta survive until morning when the doors open again. You may be chased by quirky animatronics throughout the night - not to mention your kidnapper - but you'll make it! You have to..."
I pictured Ben saying that to me - no, I pictured everyone I knew saying that to me, and it gave me strength.
I had to survive. I had to get back to them.
Good thing I still had some allies.
I clenched my fists to keep them from shaking and held the FazWatch up to my face once more. "Freddy, I missed the deadline and the doors are closed. Now what do I do?"
On the other end, Freddy murmured thoughtfully. "How unfortunate, Ken," He told me. "You missed your chance, but there is still hope. You should be able to escape when the security doors reopen at 6:00am. Until then, keep moving and try not to draw attention to yourself. If there is another way out, I will help you find it. I promise."
"So I just gotta survive until 6:00am?" I asked him rhetorically, eyeing the inner depths of the pizzeria. "That's less than six hours from now. Sounds easy enough - I've sat through tournaments and puppet shows that have lasted longer. Piece of cake." I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt.
I replaced my wrist at my side and PIXAL's lessons rung through my head again. Consider every possible option before going forward. I decided to take her words to heart and considered my choices:
1. If I stayed here, I could be right where I needed to be when the doors opened. Plus if I keep my back to the door, I have a pretty good vantage point of every exit out of the Lobby; I would have a good five second head start to run and/or hide if I saw someone coming. Only problem was the longer I stayed in one place, the more likely I was to be found by my kidnapper and her accomplices. And she'd already established that she didn't like to play fair.
2. If I explored the pizzeria, I could get a feel for the lay of the land. I could draw a mental map of the building and keep track of where I'd been; that way, I wouldn't be running blind if I ended up getting chased by the animatronics again. If I found a hiding place or something else that they didn't know about, I would have the high ground and get the jump on them. Not to mention, even if my kidnapper did have access to the security system, it would be pretty hard for her to catch me if I'm always moving.
Both choices were tempting, but I decided to be smart and go with the second choice.
"Well, better get exploring," I muttered to myself, placing my hands on my hips and glancing around the Lobby. "Seems like a good place to start."
So I started to explore the nooks and crannies of the Lobby. I had come from the utility door on the right side of the Lobby, so I made my way along the left side. Along with the numerous vendors, there were also several neon screens and signs depicting advertisements of various aspects of the pizzeria. There was a large door on the far wall with PARKING spelled in green neon letters above it; nearby was a troop of trash cans in the shapes of the four mascots. On the other side of the door was a station with cardboard cutouts of the animatronics and a sign that claimed GET A COMPLIMENTARY ENTRY PASS!
Do I need that? I wondered, making my way over.
A loud beep kept me from going any further. I jolted back; in the midst of my curiosity, I had almost run into one of the yellow Sign Bots, and it was now fixing me with what I guessed was its version of a glare.
The beep it had made when I was nearly walking on top of it was pretty noisy. It was probably best to keep away.
"Hi," I said awkwardly, lifting my fingers to wave at it. I gestured at the picture of the person slipping on its rectangular (triangular?) body. "Don't worry - I won't spill anything tonight."
What? I didn't know what to do with it.
It was still staring at me, so I decided to move on. Nearby was another of those robots, though this one also had a mop like the first one I'd seen and was currently using it to clean a floor that already looked plenty clean. I walked towards it with the intent to bypass it, certain that it was too focused on its job to notice me, but it whipped around at the last second and nearly scared me out of my skin. It started to wave its arms at me, our surroundings, and the floor. The message was pretty clear: Stay away from me while I'm working.
"Sorry, sorry," I apologized profusely, waving my own hands at it placatingly. "I'll keep out of your hair, promise!" I had to swallow a snort when I realized that the robot did not, in fact, have hair.
Does this place have any human employees? I wondered bewilderedly. It seems mainly AI-based.
Then I remembered the one human worker I'd seen, and the memory of such shut that train of thought right up.
I darted away from the janitor robot and deemed that the Lobby had been explored thoroughly. I turned around to head back to the rest of the building. I reached the threshold to the pizzeria and found my way barred by light-up turnstiles; no matter how much I pulled on them, they refused to budge.
"These turnstiles require a Complimentary Entry Pass," Freddy piped up from my FazWatch. "There should be one located near the Main Entrance."
That station I'd seen with the cardboard cutouts of the animatronics. After being scared half to death by the Sign Bot, I'd forgotten all about it.
I headed back over, making sure to keep a fair distance between myself and the janitorial robots. At the station, I found another one of the musical Jack-in-the-Box gifts. Just how many of these am I going to find in here? I grouched, exhausted at the very thought of dozens of these creepy boxes all around the pizzeria. Nevertheless, I braced the box with one hand and grasped the handle with the other. A few turns and a few seconds of those chilly music notes, the top popped right off and the metal coils revealed a paper ticket with the entire animatronic gang done in colorful ink on its surface. I pried it from the coils and made my way back to the turnstiles - a quick flash from the ticket upon one of the surfaces, and I was in.
"Well done, superstar," Freddy commended me, and I felt myself beam with pride. "You have accessed the Lobby. Unfortunately, that Entry Pass does not allow you to enter the pizzeria."
I felt myself stall in my tracks and I looked over my shoulder at where I'd just come from. "Wait, that wasn't the Lobby?" I pointed my gaze back in front of me, at the giant golden Freddy statue. "This is the Lobby?" I sighed. "I really need to find a map of this place..."
"You can find an upgrade machine in Customer Service," Freddy informed me.
"Sure..." I muttered, placing the Entry Pass in my pocket alongside the Photo Pass I'd gotten earlier. "Because why not?"
I took a few more steps into what I now knew was the Lobby, and a familiar voice spoke up, "Your family is looking for you." In a flash of panic, I recognized the voice as Chica's. Sure enough, I saw her walking with her bizarre limp near the base of the Freddy statue, thankfully away from me. She must have entered the Lobby through a different door.
Remember PIXAL's training, I told myself. Silent as a mouse.
I started out from my spot by the turnstiles. I didn't know where to go and Freddy hadn't given me any directions, so my plan was to simply walk around the Lobby - preferably without alerting Chica - until I found something that looked like Customer Service.
With my attention mainly focused on Chica, I didn't realize that we weren't the only two in the Lobby.
All of a sudden, I was face-to-face with a robot wearing a security hat and wielding a flashlight; its abrupt appearance had me emitting a scream that would have had my friends teasing me for weeks. As I jumped and cowered, it started to broadcast an alert sound that echoed harshly in the empty Lobby. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chica take notice of the sound and turn towards us. My fight-or-flight instinct kicked in and I started to look for a way out. The closest was the turnstiles back to the Main Entrance, but the doors were locked and therefore wouldn't do me any good.
Something told me that the turnstiles would only slow Chica down at best, anyway.
That left the staircases that led further into the pizzeria. I made a break for them, practically flying up the magenta steps to get away from Chica. Up two flights of stairs until I reached the top balcony; up there was an elevator and a photo booth. I had to make a decision and fast. The elevator would certainly get me further away from Chica, but who knew how long it would take for it to get to this floor, and I still had limited knowledge of the building - I had no idea where I'd end up.
Oh. Plus, I probably couldn't access it without an upgraded entry pass.
Forgot that bit.
"Kenny~" She called after me; the sound of her footsteps on the stairs let me know that she was still on the hunt, though I'd evidently left her sight. "Where are you~?"
That certainly sent chills down my spine. How the heck does she know my name?
I was running out of time - she was almost right on top of me. Deciding that the photo booth was the better choice, I dove behind the curtain; I lifted my feet above the edge of the fabric and tried to control my breathing. Chica's footsteps came up the stairs and started their trek around the balcony - slow, calculating.
Hunting for me.
I remembered the FazWatch's ability to tap into the security cameras. Pulling my shaking wrist to my face, I swiped through the Home Screen to the security cameras and picked the camera that indicated movement. I got a bird's eye view of my hiding place in the photo booth with Chica slowly stalking around me; there was a point that I feared she was going to check behind the curtain, but she moved on at the last second. After a few painful minutes of me crouching in the photo booth, she finally limped back to the stairs and took them down to the main floor.
I dropped my wrist as if the FazWatch was a weight and allowed myself to breathe, though I knew I wasn't out of danger just yet. Chica wouldn't even have spotted me if it weren't for the security robots - if they caught me again, they could alert every animatronic in the building to my location. That meant if I was to find Customer Service, I had to sneak past both Chica and the security robots.
"Great," I grumbled. "One more thing to avoid."
After double checking to cameras to ensure that Chica had really left the balcony, I took a daring step out of the photo booth. I couldn't go back to the first floor using the main stairs - Chica or one of those security robots could be patrolling the steps. I would have to find some other way down. I instinctively looked to my left and saw two entrances: one had a painted sign with a rainbow above it that said SUPERSTAR DAYCARE PICKUP.
Daycare? How old are the people that come here?
The other had a neon sign above it that said GLAMROCK GIFTS. I vaguely remembered seeing another entrance on the main floor that had the exact same sign above it.
A two story gift shop. I guess these people didn't skimp when it came to merchandise.
And a gift shop counted as Customer Service, right?
I started towards that entrance. The only problem was the walkway to get to the store was lined with glass railings, so I was practically hugging the wall in an attempt to avoid being seen by whoever was downstairs.
"Employees only~" Chica's cheerful voice floated up the stairs.
"I wish I was an employee," I grumbled, thoroughly done with the entire situation. "Because then you'd leave me alone!"
After miraculously avoiding detection, I slowly swung open the door to the gift shop. I was met with a face full of colorful mascot plushies, neon lights...
And a security robot, roaming through the aisles with a flashlight.
Of - freaking - COURSE.
A hallway awash with blue light shone from the other side of the shop. I kept my eye on the robot, timing my advances so the beam of its flashlight never landed on me. I reached the hallway and found myself at the top of a staircase; following it down two landings, I found myself in the bottom half of the gift shop. Pretty similar to upstairs, with aisles upon aisles of plushies and t-shirts with the animatronics' faces on them.
Only this one had another musical Jack-in-the-Box on a table in the corner, against a cardboard backboard with a cloud of cartoon question marks and a heading that claimed FREE MYSTERY PRIZE!
I'm supposed to be looking for an upgrade machine... but one free prize won't hurt. I need a souvenir for tonight, after all.
Curiosity caused me to go over and put my hands on the box, turning the handle once again. Luckily the creepy music notes didn't affect me as much - I was probably getting used to them. When the top popped off and the coils came out, I looked excitedly into the box, expecting a cool looking race car or even a brightly colored pencil.
I found, however, a small purple lump of clay in the shape like a cartoon hippo head. Flipping it over, I found a round black magnet with a stamp that said MR. HIPPO FRIDGE MAGNET.
I honestly thought it was a joke. I lifted my FazWatch to my face while examining the magnet in my other hand. "Hey, Freddy?" I asked into the device. "I know I'm supposed to be looking for the upgrade machine, but I'm in Glamrock Gifts right now and I got the Mystery Prize... and it's a fridge magnet? How exactly is this the mystery prize - a kid can't even play with it!"
On the other end, Freddy sighed loud enough for me to hear. "I am sorry, Ken. I am truly sorry."
I had meant to start a joke in order to lighten the situation, but Freddy sounded legitimately remorseful. "Hey, hey, I'm not mad!" I assured him, putting the magnet in my pocket; I felt bad that I had made him feel guilty. "It's not like you had any control over what the Mystery Prize was, right? I was just surprised that the Mystery Prize is something that a kid could choke on if they're not careful."
It didn't seem like there was any upgrade machine in Glamrock Gifts, which meant I had to look somewhere else. I didn't want to risk running into Chica on the main floor, so I went back up the shop staircase to the second floor and snuck past the security robot to emerge back on the upper balcony. I couldn't use the elevator and something told me I wouldn't be able to enter the daycare for the same reason. That left the other side of the balcony.
A similar glass railing marked the path to the other side, so I had to do my hug-crouch again. This new door didn't have any sign above the door, but I opened it and found what seemed to be a snazzy café space - seemingly for the parents after they'd dropped their children off at the daycare. There were chairs with ridiculously high legs, an antique chalkboard with pastries and drinks done in fancy chalk writing, a neon sign that read FAZ-PAD...
And a security robot.
Because WHY NOT?
I was able to sneak past the security robot and explore the café, but I couldn't find a way to the first floor like in Glamrock Gifts, and there wasn't anything that looked like an upgrade machine. I still didn't want to risk going down the main stairs, so I continued looking for a way down. At the way back of the café, I found a door that lead to a room with counters that were piled high with dishes - most likely the kitchen. This room also had a back door, and I was relieved when I opened it and found myself at the top of a set of stairs. I followed it down two landings until I reached a room with two doors. One was locked and the other was not - I went with the latter. Opening it, I found myself in some kind of waiting area, complete with a long counter and silhouettes of the mascots painted on the walls.
And a yellow machine with a screen with bubble letters that claimed UPGRADE YOUR FULL ACCESS PASS! Underneath that screen was another one with a cartoon bear and a speech bubble that said "Hello! It's me - Helpy! I'm here to help you with your access pass!"
My excitement spiked - I'd found the upgrade machine!
Adrenaline coursing through my veins, I ran around the counter to the machine and examined it. There was a slot in its shiny surface that looked the same width as the Entry Pass, so I took it out of my pocket and slipped it in. The machine took the pass... but nothing came out. I waited for a few seconds to see if it was just processing the pass, yet nothing happened. I tried smacking it a few times - zilch.
The machine stayed silent.
Confused and a little worried, I lifted my FazWatch and dialed up Freddy. "Freddy, I found the upgrade machine, but it ate my pass and now it's not doing anything!"
"Try that terrible magnet you found," Freddy advised.
I was confused as to how it would help, but then I noticed the sign next to the machine, which blared WARNING: KEEP MAGNETS AWAY FROM THIS MACHINE. Reasoning that magnets must mess with the programming, I took the purple fridge magnet out of my pocket and stuck it against the side of the machine. A jumbled whirring sound came from within, and the picture of the cartoon bear glitched and ended up on his back with swirly eyes. The bubble letters changed to spelling out ERROR, and the machine miraculously spat my pass back out.
"Freddy, it worked!" I told him giddily, practically ripping the pass out of the machine and holding it up to the light. My excitement abated when I read what was written on the paper. "Uh... now it's a pick-up pass to the Superstar Daycare?"
"That is great news!" Freddy told me, sounding a little ecstatic himself. "I will meet you in the daycare. The entrance is on the second floor balcony."
I had seen that entrance - it was right next to Glamrock Gifts. My giddiness returned as I now had a solid destination in mind. Choosing to leave the magnet attached to the machine - let's be honest, I probably wasn't going to use it anyway - I went back the way I came, up the stairs, through the kitchen, past the security robot in the café, and back onto the balcony. Chica's voice kept spouting nonsense on the main floor, but I ignored her and went for the cheery-painted double doors that marked the entrance to the Daycare. I got a creeping sensation that I was heading into even more danger, though something still compelled me to push open the doors.
Beyond was a long, dark hallway with shadows that seemed to stretch for miles - not what I was expecting for the entrance to a daycare. I was able to discern a few spots of color on the brick walls - mostly murals of two sun and moon themed mascots, called Sundrop and Moondrop respectively. My guess was that they were the two in charge of the daycare. The murals depicted them as very cheery, but I hoped that I wouldn't get the chance to put that to the test.
Going further down the hall with my footsteps echoing uncomfortably loud, I found another roll-up wall. I went up to it and grabbed the handle, pulling it up high enough for me to crouch and slip under.
I straightened up from my crouch and nearly screamed for the thirtieth time that night. I found myself face to face with what I thought was a golden statue of a giant spider. After nearly having a heart attack at the sight, I realized that this "spider" had seven legs instead of eight, and one leg wasn't shaped like the others. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the statue was actually two separate beings. The one that was facing the entrance had a round face fashioned to look like the Sun, with its hands reaching jovially for the ceiling. Going around to the other side, I discovered that the other being was the exact opposite; its face was fashioned in the shape of the moon and it was wearing a nightcap. And instead of reaching for the ceiling, it was crouching with its hands looking like it was reaching to grab something.
Both were wearing permanent smiles.
Both were creepy.
Sundrop and Moondrop, I realized. They were the mascots I'd seen on the walls in the hallway; the Daycare Attendants.
Now that I'd seen what they actually looked like, I definitely hoped that I didn't run into either of them.
I did my best to ignore the statue and take in what I could of the room. It looked like another waiting room, though this one looked a lot more bright and toddler-friendly. There were plenty of areas for small children to play in, as well as many small plastic chairs for them to either sit or play with. At the far wall behind the statue was a large opening covered with a fabric net; in the spaces, I had a decent view of the entire Daycare. It actually looked like a pretty fun and colorful place - there were several jungle gyms, more than a few ball pits, and a large area for the kids to congregate. There was a jaunty tune coming through hidden speakers that echoed through the large room, and I found myself tapping my foot in time with the music.
"You know," I said to myself, placing my arms on the edge of the opening. "If I was a toddler and my parents left me here to grab a coffee at Faz-Pad, I wouldn't throw a tantrum." I caught a glimpse of the Daycare Attendants statue out of the corner of my eye and shivered. "Well, maybe I'd change my mind after I saw who was in charge..."
Freddy said that he'd meet me in the Daycare. Well, I was here, so I might as well get comfortable until he arrives...
"Ken," Freddy spoke up from my FazWatch. "I am unable to reach you."
Panic flashed through my system. "WHAT?" I whisper-yelled into the device. "Well then - how do I get you in?"
"Check the daycare security desk for a security badge," Freddy instructed me. "Then let me in."
The panic reached tenfold. I took a quick look around the waiting room, but I didn't see anything that might be a security desk. If it wasn't up here, then that meant it was...
Down in the actual Daycare.
Where the attendants most likely were.
"Oh boy," I groaned. "Well, I did say that I wouldn't mind staying here..."
I didn't see any door down to the main level - all I found was a rainbow tube slide with a sign above the entrance that bombastically declared SLIDE INTO FUN! My gut told me that this experience was going to be anything but fun...
But still... Freddy needed my help.
I gripped the top of the slide and swung my legs in. Once I felt that I was stable enough inside the tube, I let go and allowed myself to slide down the plastic. The combination of colors bombarding my vision and adrenaline made me feel like a little kid again, and I unconsciously let out an enthusiastic WHA-WHOOOO that bounced off the plastic tubing.
Then the colors stopped and I felt myself dive into several hard somethings. I quickly realized that the end of the slide ended in one of the ball pits - luckily I was tall enough that the balls didn't engulf me completely, though the pit was still deep enough that I had difficulty moving around. I slowly made my way through the balls, pushing a few armfuls of them out of the way when I got too slow for comfort. I was making pretty good progress and the edge was in sight, but then I heard someone yell out "Hooo hooo hooo!"
I checked my wrist, but it wasn't Freddy trying to encourage me with funny sounds. And as far as I knew, there wasn't anyone else in the Daycare.
Except for...
I looked up. On an elevated balcony above the daycare stood the animatronic from the statue - the one with a Sun head. He was happily throwing his hands up to the ceiling and spinning around its mini stage. Then he clasped his hands above his head and straight up dove into the ball pit.
The ball pit I was in right now.
Oh no.
Panic flooding my system, I started to scramble for the edge of the ball pit. I started to feel like that woman from that American movie Jaws when the shark is chasing her. Only I had a feeling that this was worse than a shark.
I was almost to the edge, but then I felt two hands grab me by my armpits and lift me high above the plastic balls. I let out a yelp before coming face to face with none other than one of the Daycare Attendants, Sundrop.
"Helloooo!" He greeted me; his pearly white eyes and stuck teeth seemed to bore into my soul. "New friend! You're sure up late! Are we having a slumber party? Where are all your friends?" He carried me out of the ball pit and plopped me down in what seemed like a semi-large play area, then proceeded to sway excitedly in front of me. "We can finger-paint, tell stories, drink Fizzy-Faz untold our heads ex-PLODE and stay up all night! There is only one rule: keep the lights on. ON. On..."
I was a little creeped out by how deep his voice had gotten when he was laying down the one rule, but I didn't have time for this - Freddy was waiting for me. "Mr. Sundrop..." I began cautiously, standing up.
"Oh please, please," He said sweetly, dropping into a dramatic bow. "Call me Sunny - everyone calls me that! And you are?"
"I-I'm Ken, Sunny," I continued. "I would really like to stay here, I really would - seriously, it looks really fun in here-"
"Thank you, Kenny!" Sunny claimed, swiveling his head to look around the daycare. "We take pride in our work!"
I didn't really want to know who "we" were. "I would like to stay, but I'm in a little bit of trouble-"
"Trouble?" Sunny interrupted again, his time taking a serious turn. "Does that mean you've been a naughty kid?" One of his hands came up to wrap around my arm. "I'm sorry, but if you're a naughty kid, you need to spend some time in the Time-Out corner-"
That did it - I was fed up. "Sunny, listen to me!" I demanded, whipping around and grabbing his wrists in order to get him to look at me. "I was brought here against my will by very bad, very dangerous people! I missed closing time, so I can't get out through the main doors. My only chance is to keep moving through the pizzeria in order to make sure they can't get a lock on me, then circle back to the main doors when they reopen at 6am. Or until I find another exit - honestly, whichever comes first, I'm okay with.
"I came into the daycare because Freddy Fazbear told me that he'd meet me here. And he can't get in here without a security badge from the security desk. I know it's wrong of me to ask you this, but Freddy is the only friend I have right now. And..." I loosened my grip on Sunny's wrists. "I'd appreciate it if you helped me, too. Please Sunny - I can't do this alone."
Sunny was still quiet. For a second, I thought he wasn't going to help me, then he spoke up with a remarkably quieter voice, "Well... the main purpose of the Daycare is to help kids in need... and it does sound like you're in quite a pickle! So of course I'll help you out!" With my hands loosened around his wrist, he placed his fists on his thin waist heroically. "We can play Superheroes!"
I had to laugh. "Yeah, that sounds fun."
So he lead me through the Daycare, leading me across jungle gyms and ball pits, all the while making heroic poses and talking in a ridiculous voice. He encouraged me to do the same, but I was just struggling to reign in my laughter. I was wrong about judging Sunny based on his appearance - he was fun to be around.
Finally, we came within sight of the Security Desk. "And we, the Justice Duo, are finally on the premises of the League of Treachery," Sunny narrated, "stealthily" peeking around the corner of a jungle gym. "Green Shadow will retrieve the Badge of... er, World Security while Captain Sunny will watch for enemy forces." When I didn't move, he gently nudged me and whispered, "That's your cue!"
I snorted yet managed not to laugh. For Sunny's sake, I went really slow and kept turning my head to look out for "enemy forces". I went behind the desk and found a small Freddy head that was wearing an even smaller security hat - it was the only thing that even closely resembled a security badge. I flipped the mouth open and discovered an actual badge; I reached in and took it out.
And all the lights in the Daycare went out.
Sunny immediately lost the façade of a superhero and started freaking out. "NO... NO! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
"I - I didn't do anything!" I exclaimed, holding up my hands like it would prove my innocence. "All I did was take the badge!"
Sunny started stumbling and grabbing at his head. "LIGHTS ON... LIGHTS ON!" He cried. "I WARNED YOU... I-I WARNED YOU!" He grabbed both sides of his head and simply... froze up. Fell backwards into the shadows with a pained groan.
I waited a few seconds. "Sunny?" He didn't answer. "Sunny?"
There was movement where Sunny had fallen, but something was wrong with the way he was moving. It was way more jerky than before. And his silhouette was different - instead of the numerous rays, there was a single long triangle. Not to mention that his eyes were now glowing red.
I realized it wasn't Sunny the second he spoke, "Sunny's on break. The name's Moony... and it's past your bedtime."
I didn't stick around to properly meet Moony - I ran and ducked into the nearest jungle gym, praying that he couldn't hear me. It had never occurred to me that the Daycare Attendants could share a body. I didn't even think that was robotically possible!
Whoever designed that feature deserved a good slap upside the head.
Freddy came through on my FazWatch, "Ken, I do not know what you did, but the lights are out in the Daycare! You need to find the emergency backup generators and turn them on. They are in the play structures."
"I'm gonna need a little more direction than that, Freddy!" I hissed into the wrist device. He didn't answer - guess I was on my own.
The next few minutes were a whirlwind of darkness, plastic jungle gyms, and glow-in-the-dark stars; I wouldn't trust myself to recount the whole thing later. Somehow I found a flashlight - it was in one of those wall-Freddy-heads, no less. Now I knew what they were for. Freddy failed to mention that there were five generators, which meant I had to find them all on my own while dodging Moony and relying on my new flashlight. I had a few close calls in which he nearly grabbed me, but I managed to slip away and climb the jungle gyms. When I pulled the fifth generator, light flooded the Daycare once again.
Trying to calm my heart, I went searching for Moony/Sunny. I found him leaning against one of the jungle gyms, back to being Sunny. "Are you okay?" I asked, rushing up to him. "Does that usually happen, with the badge and the lights?"
Sunny shook his head weakly and took my outstretched hand to pull himself upright. "I don't know what happened," He admitted. "Because it usually never does happen! Moony only comes out when it's nap time!" He paused and then turned his head to gaze at me. "Well Kenny, now that you have the badge... I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave the Daycare."
I stared at him in shock. "Wait, what? Why? Can't we at least use this place as a safe spot?"
Sunny shook his head shamefully. "Well, you broke the one rule of the Daycare: keep the lights on! And, as a rule breaker..."
I saw what he was implying and nodded. "I take it rule breakers aren't allowed?"
Sunny returned my nod. "It's technically rule number two... and I'm a stickler for rules," He added almost regretfully.
I smiled sadly and held up my hands. "Don't worry, I'll go willingly - don't want to cause you anymore trouble then I already have," I told him. "If you want, we can play Cops and Robbers on the way to the door!"
Sunny gasped in delight and clapped his hands. "Deal!" He proclaimed, then made his fingers into the shape of a gun and made a warbling impression. "Ken the Green Bandit - you are under arrest for trespassing! Your punishment is banishment!"
I laughed and decided to join in with my own poor accent, "Oh no, you got me, Officer Sunny! Oh, the humiliation of being caught by such an experienced cop!" I held my hand dramatically to my forehead and Sunny ate it up.
We made our way to the front doors of the Daycare, giggling and acting all the way. When we got there, Sunny went ahead and opened the door for me. I set my arms down and turned back to him. "Sorry again about the whole turning-off-the-lights thing," I told him gratefully. "Thanks for understanding, though!"
"Oh, no problem, Kenny!" Sunny replied warmly. He sent a quick glance up and down the hall and then held up his hand like he was going to share a grave secret. "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you understand that if you do come back to the Daycare, I'll have to sound the alarm, right? You know... rules."
"Hey, I respect that," I assured him. "And I promise to stay out of your hair for the rest of the night."
Sunny giggled and then stood there, drumming his fingers against the door. "You know..." He said. "Rule breakers are only banned from the Daycare for a week. After this is all over, and you get to go home... maybe come back and visit?"
I stared at him. Sunny must be surrounded by kids everyday, but he didn't have the most kid-friendly designer. Most of the kids must be really scared of him. And I'm not even getting into that whole mess with Moony...
It must get pretty lonely for him.
"Yeah," I told him. "I'd like that." To leave on a good note, I leaned forward and gave Sunny a hug. He stiffened, and then hugged me back. I could have sworn I heard him whimpering, too.
Loud stomping noises came from both ends of the hall. Sunny quickly pushed me away. "They're coming - you gotta go!" He warned me, then slammed the door in my face.
"Ken, jump in!" Freddy's voice spoke up. This time, he was right behind me - his glowing eyes were a welcome sight. "We need to get out of here now!"
I heard more footsteps and saw shadows coming from up and down the hall. Right in front of me, Freddy opened his stomach hatch once more, welcoming me to climb in.
The situation was all too familiar. I climbed into the hatch and thought to myself, Here we go again.
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