Monastery of Spinjitzu
Ken's POV
After our little group finished with our breakfast, we decided to distribute the rest of the cinnamon rolls to our other company. Valt, Sunny, and Vanessa offered to take the bulk of the cinnamon rolls down to the endos, cleaning and security bots. It was Vanessa who'd suggested it - something about the bots being the only ones who didn't treat her weirdly. That left me, Chica, Roxy, and Bonnie to bring what was left to the other animatronics.

Roxy opted to not carry anything while the rest of us carried a plate of two beautifully glazed rolls each. Our group of four made our way down towards the courtyard while Valt pushed Vanessa's wheelchair towards the elevator and Sunny followed with a tin of sweets; all while Vanessa balanced two tins of her own on her lap.

I didn't mean to, but I found myself steeling my nerves as we walked through the corridor (not literally). The animatronics had been kind enough to help me in the Pizzaplex, but I had taken them from the only home they'd ever known - that was surely crossing a line. I swept a cautious look at the attending party. Chica, Roxy, and Bonnie had acted nonchalant about the whole thing, but they'd proven that they could hide somethings. And of course, they couldn't speak for the others.

Are they scared? Are they on edge? Are they angry?

If so, are they angry... with me?

I found myself taking deep breaths, filling my nose with the sweet scent of the cinnamon rolls. In through the nose, out through the mouth. In... out... in... out...

"Ken?" Came a concerned voice. A soothing weight settled on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Roxy staring down at me with worried amber eyes. "You doing okay?"

I gulped before I tried to play it off, "Yeah, just uh... a little light-headed."

Roxy's eyes narrowed. "Kid, you know I can scan your body for any disturbances," She reminded me in a low voice. "And whatever's going on with you, your head isn't the problem." She crossed her arms over her new hoodie. "What is it?"

By now, the rest of our breakfast brigade had stopped and were watching us curiously. I felt my cheeks warm up under their probing gazes and I averted my eyes. "I-it's nothing," I insisted. "Can't we just get to the others?"

"Yeah, that's a hard nope," Bonnie spoke up. I didn't look up to see him, but I could hear his footsteps as he backtracked my way.

"Come on, Kenny - what's up?" Chica asked gently.

I felt so stupid. Here I was, having a panic attack in the hall because I was afraid of what others would think of me. It was the first day of school all over again! Only instead of my parents and a few sympathetic teachers, I was being consoled by three animal-themed animatronics, and instead of brand new textbooks, I was holding a plate of glistening cinnamon rolls.

I felt so stupid. This was so stupid. "I-it's stupid!" I protested.

"We'll be the judges of that," Roxy told me, not unkindly.

Regardless, it was another minute before I felt comfortable enough to speak. "I-it's just... we've been through so much together... I practically flipped their entire worlds upside down. You guys act okay about it, but I don't really know..." I felt them shift on their feet, giving me all the answer I needed. "What if they see me and... they blame me?" I laughed quietly at my own cowardice. "Like I said, it's stupid."

The animatronics were quiet and I feared for a second that they were going to agree with me, that I was ridiculous. Then Chica spoke up softly, "That night was crazy, sure, and it's true that our lives will never be the same again." The comforting weight of her hand settled on my other shoulder. "But we don't blame you one bit, Kenny - none of us do! We know that none of this is your fault!"

"Yeah, we all know whose it is," Roxy added; I still didn't look up, but I could practically feel the heat from her gaze as she stared down the way we came towards the elevator.

"Besides, the outcome wasn't so bad," Bonnie assured me somewhere outside my field of vision. "I mean, look at me and Foxy! We were decommissioned and reduced to endos, but now we're back and better than ever!"

"Plus... FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOOOOD~" Chica sang. I could see her stand on her toes and pirouette out of the corner of my eye; it seemed to be her go to move when she was excited. It sounded like she tried to go for the cinnamon rolls again, because I heard Bonnie cry, "Chica, NO! They only made enough for everyone to have one, remember?"

I laughed again, this time daring to put a little bit of mirth behind it. My head felt significantly lighter when I finally lifted it, taking in their expectant expressions. "You're... really not angry with me?" I asked hesitantly, still needing confirmation. How could they not?

"Of course not!" Roxy said brightly, pressing a gentle knuckle into my hair. "You're not getting rid of us that easily!"

"And like I said, everything turned out in the end," Bonnie told me. "So we're not mad - promise!"

"And of course, there's the FOOD~" Chica trilled again, displaying her plate of cinnamon rolls like it was a trophy.

"Okay, we better get these to the others before Chica wants seconds," Roxy said blandly, quickly removing the plate from her bandmate's grasp.

"I WANTED SECONDS TEN MINUTES AGO, BUT NO ONE CARES ABOUT ME!" Chica wailed in devastation. She went grabbing for the stolen plate, but Roxy deftly pulled it away and dashed down the hall.

"Catch me if you can, chicken!" She called over her shoulder. Her gray head appeared around the corner a second later and stuck her tongue out teasingly.

Chica huffed indignantly; if her face could show heat, I had a feeling it would be beet red. "You can run but you can't hide, Roxy!" She loudly declared. As soon as the wolf's head vanished around the corner, the chicken sprinted after her.

Judging by her speed, Roxy only had a small window to get away, and it would close fast. "It was nice knowing her," I jested in mock sadness, shaking my head.

A boisterous chuckle surprised me, and I glanced over to see Bonnie laughing with his entire body, his head tipped back and his eyes squeezed shut, his plate of cinnamon rolls teetering dangerously in his grip. "Oh... oh, it's good to know that those two haven't changed one bit," He eventually relented when he calmed down, theatrically wiping a knuckle under his eye to wipe away an imaginary tear.

I blinked at him. "They were like this before?" I asked in surprise. I had only seen them interact back in the Pizzaplex, and that was when we were all running for our lives. I had seen none of this.

"Well, Chica didn't have the eating upgrade then," Bonnie recalled, holding a finger to his lilac chin. "So it was more for her safety than anything. But yeah, they pretty much acted like this everyday." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Ah... good times."

I was about to leave it at that when I remembered that Bonnie had been an endo for the past couple months, then practically brought back to life thanks to his friends and PIXAL. If anything, he and Foxy would be the most traumatically scarred by recent events. It still would have been better to leave it alone, but I figured checking in with him couldn't hurt. "How about you? How are you holding up?"

Bonnie looked down at me with wide magenta eyes, seemingly surprised by the question. "Me? I-I'm fine," He stuttered. "Why do you ask?"

I forced a firm expression onto my face; his tone had given him away. "Bonnie, please... I just want to know if you're doing okay," I promised.

The purple bunny averted his eyes and remained silent. He was quiet for so long, I worried that he wouldn't answer me at all. Then he replied in a low voice, "I really don't know HOW I'm doing. I'm a mess of emotions." He shifted uncomfortably on his paw-like feet. "I'm relieved that I'm back with my friends, I'm shocked that I was a mindless endo for so long, I'm sad for my friends and what they went through, I'm mad at Vanessa for putting them through all of that, I'm mad at William for putting Vanessa through of all that, I just..." He said. "I'm not sure how I feel. And I for SURE can't speak for Foxy."

Right. Foxy was decommissioned before Bonnie; he was an endo the longest.

We both found a spot on the wall to stare at and fell into a period of silence, though it was more soothing than prickling. We were both taking time to reminisce. The events of the Pizzaplex, the source of my new scars, the trauma we went through, our feelings in the aftermath... in the familiar interior of the Monastery, coupled with the homey scent of cinnamon rolls, it all seemed like a bad dream.

But it was real - it really happened to us. Things like what happened to us weren't so easily forgotten. And it was somewhat comforting to know that my feelings weren't alone.

If anything, this discussion made me even sadder. It proved that Bonnie and the other animatronics could feel emotions like humans could. But what the maintenance workers and William put them through... no one human should have to go through that. It was degrading, it was demeaning, and whatever other de- word that threatened someone's character. They deserve better than that, I thought, tightening my jaw.

"To be honest, you just voiced all of the emotions that I'm feeling right now," I told Bonnie softly; I felt him flinch at my voice in the silence. "So I know the position you're in. The way I see it, there will be plenty of time to grieve later. Right now, we can put on a smile and try to have fun with our friends." I turned my head to face him and managed a small smile. "And if you ever want to talk, I'm always around."

Bonnie stared at me, as if checking to see if I was being genuine. He'd been lied to before - could he trust the words of a kid? After a few seconds, though, he seemed to soften. "Ya know... the others told me that you had a certain charm," He informed me. "Even Monty admitted that he felt his walls coming down when he spoke to you. And I used to think that he was made with a heart of stone!"

"Wasn't he?" I asked.

"Figuratively speaking, anyway," Bonnie clarified. He sighed. "Now I know what they were talking about."

I felt my mouth quirk into a half smile. "Well, my family owns a puppet show business," I explained. "So I guess it comes with the job - reading the audience and all that."

Bonnie laughed, sounding even joyful the second time around. "However you learned," He assured me, removing one of his hands from his plate so he could pat my shoulder. "Thanks for listening. To all of us."

I smiled up at him. "No problem, Bonnie."

"GUYS!!" Roxy's voice came rocketing down the hall. "I AM TRYING TO PROTECT A PLATE OF CINNAMON ROLLS FROM A FERAL CHICKEN THAT JUST DISCOVERED EATING - I NEED SOME BACKUP HERE!!"

We both turned at her voice before giving each other one more glance. There will be more time to talk later. "We should probably give her a hand," I told Bonnie.

A few minutes later, we were continuing our walk down the corridor with a safe plate in hand and a very sullen Chica in tow, focused on our destination. I was still breathing heavily to calm my nerves, though I was doing better than before. My fear level had leveled from what you feel from waiting to face furious parents to what you usually feel when you're about to get your test results back.

Though this test was one I hoped I had passed.

Soon we came to a pair of sliding doors - beyond those was the courtyard, glowing in the light from the steadily rising sun. I was pleasantly surprised to see DJMM sleeping in the sunshine, its large body raising and lowering with each gentle snore. Bonnie offered to wake the big animatronic up with the promise of breakfast, leaving the rest of us to continue on.

The others led me across the deck to another pair of sliding doors, the wooden boards comfortingly warm under my bare soles. Through this doorway was a residential room with a single bed; about seven other mattresses were stationed around the designated bedding. Three of them contained laying forms while the other three were vacant with the covers askew.

The elevated bed contained a large form that was distinctly red in the low light.

Before I could do or say something, Roxy strode confidently into the room with her plate balanced on her hand like a diner waitress. "Up and at 'em, boys!" She declared loudly. "Breakfast is served." When no one moved, she huffed and kicked the shoulders of those closest to her. "Come on - you can't sleep all day!"

"Says you..." Came a voice laden with sleep. One of the forms lifted its head to fix Roxy with a tired glare. "Having gone my entire life without sleeping, I think I could nap all day if I was allowed to. So ALLOW me to."

A giggle escaped my lips, drawing the attention of the rudely awakened party. "Good to see you haven't changed, Monty," I told the glaring alligator.

"Ken?" Came a voice from the next occupied mattress. A familiar bright orange head popped up over Monty's lounging body and equally familiar round ears twitched at me. "Is that you?"

My heart leapt at the sight of my oldest animatronic friend. "Hey, Freddy."

In a flash, Freddy was on his feet and making his way around the mattress mine field towards me. "Superstar! I am so relieved that you are awake!" He exclaimed; he noticed the sticky plate in my hands and decided to lay his hands on my shoulders instead of fully embracing me. "We wanted to check in on you while you were sleeping, but your parents would not let us anywhere near you!"

I nodded knowingly. "Yep, that sounds like them," I replied. "Hopefully they'll be more lenient now that I'm awake." I swept my gaze up and down his body - like Bonnie and Roxy, he was dressed for bed in a simple t-shirt and loose pants. "You've certainly been busy."

Freddy dropped his arms and stepped back, staring down at his sleep attire almost sheepishly. "This ensemble is very comfortable," He admitted. "Though your teacher gave me an entire wardrobe that is very fashionable by my standards."

"Sure, if your standards are drab and boring," Monty butted in. He had sat up on his mattress and was currently sitting on his comforter with his long head in his hands. "It's too early for this..."

"I'll get you some coffee if that's what it takes for you to GET UP," Roxy told him, standing at his bedside. She raised one hand to pluck a cinnamon roll from her plate and plop it down on Monty's snout. "You can use it to wash this down."

The roll made a slow trail of glaze down the side of Monty's snout before he finally reached up and removed it. He stared at the treat in his hand before taking a cautious bite. In the next blink, it was gone and he was licking everything the glaze had touched. "That's really good," He said; the compliment sounded reluctant.

"I know," Roxy replied, her tail wagging happily at being the messenger. "They were made by that perky blue-haired kid... Valt, I think his name was?" I sourly noticed that she refused to mention Vanessa.

Beside me, Freddy made a thoughtful sound. "If they are delicious enough for Monty to admit so, then surely I must have one as well," He said decisively, reaching for the cinnamon rolls on my plate. I lifted it slightly so he could grab one and take a small bite of his own. That roll was gone even sooner than Monty's. "Oh my, that IS good."

"Great!" I said, beaming. "I'll be sure to let the bakers know that you like them!"

Did everyone flinch when I implied that there was more than one baker?

During our friendly banter, Chica had made her way over to the last occupied mattress. "What about you, Moon?" She asked the covered form. "Don't you want some breakfast?" When she got no answer, she sighed and toed its thin shoulder. "Come on, please? It'll put some pep in your step! And if you don't eat it, chances are I will!"

"You can have it," Moony grumbled almost inaudibly, and I realized that his face was pressed into the pillow. He turned on his neck to reveal that, like Sunny, he had also been given an LED mask to better portray his emotions. Right now the illuminated image of a twisted mouth coupled with heavy lidded red eyes portrayed his irritated sleepiness, the light throwing the shadows of his pillow into sharp contrast.

As I stared, Moony continued, "I've spent most of my existence sharing a body with my brother." His animated mouth twisted into a deeper pout as he clenched his pillow tighter. "Let me have this."

Chica stared at him for a second before whipping around, a ravenous look on her face. "You heard him - GIMME!" She cried, launching herself towards Roxy, who was closest.

As Chica and Roxy wrestled for the last cinnamon roll on her plate, I tentatively approached Moony and knelt beside his mattress with my lone roll. His red eyes tracked me, though he didn't say anything. "Good to see you again, Moony," I told him gently. He still didn't speak, so I tried something my mom used to do when I was a sleepy toddler. "I know you're tired and you probably want to keep sleeping, but think about all the fun you could have today if you got up! Really, the possibilities are endless! And you can get started by eating THIS." I lifted my last cinnamon roll and waved it in front of his face. "Trust me, they were made with love."

Moony's red eyes tracked the cinnamon roll as I waved it around, seeming to think long and hard about his next move. I was afraid that the carefully applied glaze was going to drip onto the floor beneath us when he finally lifted his hand to procure the roll from me. When he sat up on his mattress, I could see that he was wearing a navy blue shirt that hung like a sheet around his thin frame; his infamous nightcap was nowhere to be seen.

Like Sunny, his LED mask opened to reveal a port, that of which he placed part of the cinnamon roll into and took a bite. He chewed, swallowed, looked thoughtful. Then he gave me a somewhat begrudging look and continued eating his roll at a much slower pace than the others.

A collective breath echoed through the small room, and I glanced around to find everyone else staring at us - Roxy and Chica had even comically paused in their wrestling to watch with wide eyes. "Wow - you really are a miracle worker, kid!" Roxy said appreciatively; Chica nodded in agreement where her beak was attached to Roxy's forearm.

"Aye. And that must mean the last roll belongs to me," Slurred an unfamiliar voice. Looking over, I saw that the scarlet animatronic in the bed had also woken up. He had the telltale pointed ears of a fox and pale long snout with a black button nose, with bright amber eyes not unlike Roxy's. A black eyepatch with a sharp star wrapped over his right eye. Yellow, almost golden, claws rested on top of the comforter, with his left hand replaced with a snazzy-looking hook.

Just give him a large captain's hat, and he'd be your average pirate.

The red fox's one eye peered over at Roxy and Chica almost teasingly. "Come on, ye scurvy dogs!" He beseeched them, continuing with his pirate talk. His one normal hand lifted, palm up. "Pass me the bounty!"

Roxy shook Chica off of her arm, earning a disappointed grumble from the white chicken, and complied, taking the last cinnamon roll off of her plate and placing it in Foxy's hand. Having seen everyone else enjoy their cinnamon rolls, he didn't even bother taking a first bite - he stuffed the entire thing down his throat with barely any chewing.

After he swallowed and licked around his mouth and fingers, he fixed me with an even stare. "So... I'm guessing ye are the famous Captain Ken Midori everyone keeps talking about?" He asked slyly.

"C-Captain?" I asked, fumbling with my words. That was a new one. "I-I'm sure that the stories they've told you are greatly exaggerated!"

Foxy's good eye widened. "So ye mean that ye DIDN'T escape from the security bots when they were hot on your tail?" He asked.

I blinked at him. "I don't know about 'hot on my tail'," I admitted reluctantly. "But... yeah I guess I did that."

"And ye DIDN'T brave every dark corner of the Pizzaplex just to find your way home?"

"Well... I-I did do that...?" Where was he going with this?

"And ye DIDN'T face the mastermind behind it all deep within the bowels of the Pizzaplex, and put an end to his virus?"

"I did do that..."

"And ye DIDN'T lift us out of that horrible place to bring us here, where first mate Bonnie and I were restored to our former glory?"

"Um... I guess...?"

Foxy nodded decisively. "So ye did all of that, and yet ye are still standing here?"

I looked down at myself, impulsively checking if I was indeed alive. "Yeah...?"

Foxy gave me another long look before pushing back the comforter and getting down on one knee in front of me. I could see that he was wearing some loose sweatpants and nothing else, exposing his pale chest and stomach. "In that case, ye are more than a mere Captain, Ken Midori - ye are a Pirate King," He told me dramatically, lowering his head in a bow. "And we all owe our lives to ye."

I stared at him with my jaw hanging open; his announcement had stolen whatever I was going to say. Pirate... King? Is that even a thing?

Luckily Chica came to my rescue before I could feel compelled to reply. "Oh, stop it, Foxy!" She admonished the red fox, swatting his shoulder. "You're confusing the poor kid! And for pizza's sake, stand up!" She forced Foxy to his feet before shooting me an apologetic look. "Sorry - he talks in this crazy pirate lingo all the time! It's like he's not even speaking English sometimes!"

Foxy crossed his arms and rolled his amber eyes. "If ye had spent more time on the Seven Seas, ye would know more of the Way of the Pirate," He grouched.

"What would I possibly do on the 'Seven Seas'?" Chica asked rhetorically, crossing her own arms. "I'm a chicken!"

"And I'm a fox," Foxy rebutted.

"I'm a wolf," Roxy joined in.

"I'm a gator," Monty added.

"I'm a... moon, I guess," Moony offered.

"I am a bear!" Freddy told us.

"I'm a bunny!" Bonnie said, appearing at the door with his plate down to one lone cinnamon roll.

"And I'm a... human?" I tried, feeling slightly left out.

We stood there for a few seconds, staring at each other. Then we unanimously burst into conjoined laughter, shaking on our feet while our chests convulsed. After everything we'd been through, sharing a laugh felt great, and I felt some of the last of my stress melting away.

"And I'M a musical spider!" A tiny voice rang out.

We all stopped laughing and searched for its source. As far as I could tell, us seven were the only ones in the room. "Uh, who said that?" I asked cautiously.

An amused laugh echoed through the room. "I am everywhere! I am nowhere! I am your greatest nightmare!" It declared mischievously.

Monty snorted. "More like greatest annoyance," He said, loud enough for the mysterious voice to hear.

"GREATEST NIGHTMARE!" It yelled indignantly. This time, some of the bunched sheets on one of the empty mattresses shifted. Curious at this newcomer, I tiptoed over to the mattress and slowly lowered my hands to the edge of the sheet. As soon as my fingers touched fabric, I ripped the sheet off and gasped.

There was the small spindly form of Music Man, my companion through about the last third of my nightmarish night. Its form had changed along with the animatronics', and it was definitely for the better - its body shone in white/purple palette and its cymbal hands were glowing yellow with no crack in sight. It had retained its small bow tie and top hat, though they looked more like actual clothing than if they were attached to its body.

Also. It could TALK.

And it was a he.

"Heh heh, I guess you found me!" He laughed sheepishly, clapping his cymbals in congratulation. "As your prize, you get to feed me my breakfast!"

"How is that a prize?" Roxy asked with her arms crossed, but even she seemed like she was fighting a smile.

"Well, it's a prize for ME!" Music Man told her before turning his knobby head towards Bonnie. "Come on, big bunny - pony up!"

"For the last time, I am not big, nor am I a pony," Bonnie muttered, though he took the last cinnamon roll off of his plate and placed it on Music Man's waiting cymbals.

I waited until the small animatronic was finishing his first bite before asking my burning question: "So what have you been up to while I've been sleeping?"

Music Man swallowed before giving his best interpretation of a smile with his shiny piano-key teeth. "I've been having a blast!" He claimed happily. "Your teacher fixed my shell and cleaned it up, gave me the eating upgrade along with everyone else, and even gave me a voice! I'm so happy, I've been singing everyday!" He tilted his head back and belted out a few bars, "Tra-la-LAAAAA~!"

"He. Won't. STOP," Moony hissed; his new eyes fixed Music Man with a stinging glare.

"Well, EXCUSE me for discovering that I have a knack for singing after being without a voice for most of my existence," The small animatronic replied heatedly; he would have stuck his tongue out if he had one.

"And he's not the only one who got a voice!" Came another, even louder voice. The room was suddenly cast into shadow and we all turned to the door to see DJMM's big head blocking the light from the courtyard. I could see our images reflected in his large, bulbous eyes. "I've been WAITING for this one!"

"They BOTH have been singing songs nonstop," Moony grouched, pulling his comforter over his head and around his shoulders so that he looked like a ghost with a moon for its face. "I can't get any peace around here..."

"Glad to know we have a fan!" DJMM boasted, waving his thick fingers happily.

"That is NOT what I said at all."

"I don't know~" Music Man sang as he scuttled across the floor to his cousin's giant hand. "I think I heard that you LOVE our music!"

Moony's face transitioned into a snarl. "I think those new voices of yours are drowning out everything else," He growled at the duo.

"More fan talk!" Music Man gushed, pressing his cymbals to his cheeks like a pleased schoolgirl.

Moony groaned out loud and flopped back onto his pillow, apparently surrendering. "I'm going back to sleep - wake me up when it's lunchtime," He announced in a muffled tone.

"Hey - don't leave me here with them!" Monty yelled, practically ripping the comforter away from Moon's body. "If I've gotta suffer, so do you!"

"I just got my own body!" Moony wailed, trying and most failing to pull the comforter back. "Cut me some slack!"

"That means absolutely JACK to me!"

I couldn't help but laugh again as I watched them fight over the comforter, those in attendance laughing with me. Watching them tussle with everyone watching and having a good time... made the entire night at the Pizzaplex seem like forever ago. I could have spent the entire day with the animatronics and forgot that night ever happened. And I would have.

If reality hadn't come in the form of PIXAL knocking on the doorframe.

She looked awkward, standing between DJMM and the threshold. Her green eyes swept the sight of all of us together, an unreadable expression in their depths. "Good to see that you're all up," She said into the silence; everyone had stopped laughing the second we'd noticed her. Even Monty and Moony had stopped in their bickering to stare at her. "How is everyone?"

It was Chica who spoke up first, "Oh we're doing great! Got up, put on snazzy clothes, ate some cinnamon rolls - which by the way..." She made the OK sign with both hands and made a pleased noise. "Were DELICIOUS!"

PIXAL nodded at the white chicken. "Glad to hear," She claimed before her green gaze found me. "I just need to speak with Ken. In private."

The tone of her voice made me uneasy - it warned that I wouldn't like what she was about to tell me. I wasn't sure I wanted to be alone with her, but it wasn't like I could tell her that. I gave the animatronics one last glance before I followed PIXAL out the door.

Only after we'd slid past DJMM and slipped back into the Monastery did I dare ask, "So what's up?"

PIXAL crossed her arms and took a deep breath, which made me even more uneasy. It was like she was preparing herself for whatever she was about to tell me. "Ken... it's been four days," She started.

I stared at her. "And...?"

"They've put out a notice for the animatronics."

It was a moment before her words hit me. "WHAT? So soon? The Pizzaplex has to still be a pile of metal by this point!"

"That's just the thing," PIXAL told me, looking grave. "The Freddy Fazbear Mega Pizzaplex was Fazbear Entertainment's last-ditch effort at a stable product, under the assumption that no accidents would happen on the premises. When it burned down, the company officially declared bankruptcy and was put up for sale. Another company bought it and has put out a notice for any and all Fazbear Entertainment products. The remains of the animatronics weren't found in the wreckage, so the notice includes them.

"But it gets worse," She continued to my distraught expression. "Vanessa was reportedly the only Security Guard on duty the night the Pizzaplex went up in flames. Her remains weren't found either, and there's no sign of her anywhere that they know of. Remains of a man were found, but no female."

William Afton, I thought with a grimace.

"She's become a person of interest in the quote-unquote 'arson' investigation, so police have put out a Missing Persons report on her," PIXAL explained. "Whether or not they find her and her information credible - which, in regards to her large memory gap, I highly doubt - will decide whether she becomes a free woman or a suspected arsonist."

My mind was whirling at this new information. The animatronics are on the top of some company's wishlist, and Vanessa is a wanted woman. If they're found, the animatronics will most likely be stripped for parts or placed in a museum of some sort, and Vanessa will be thrown into a penitentiary. The Freddy Fazbear name will eventually be lost to history.

No. I can't let that happen to them.

"There's gotta be something we can do!" I cried, staring at PIXAL beseechingly. "Please, don't turn them over!"

Her eyes widened and she threw up her hands placatingly. "I haven't turned anyone over yet," She promised. "I was waiting to talk to you about it."

"Well, I say they're not going!" I told her decisively.

"I figured as such," PIXAL relented, nodding. "But what do you propose we do instead? They certainly can't stay here forever - the Monastery was built to house many, but not THIS many!"

I was desperate. "Can't we hide them somewhere?"

"Ken, the price this new company promised for whoever finds the animatronics has EIGHT digits," PIXAL emphasized. "Vanessa's price is only two digits lower, but that's still a lot of money. Not to mention, the Fazbear name hasn't been in anyone's favor for years - anyone could go looking for them with the intent of wiping out the company completely."

She wasn't being very subtle about it. Nowhere is safe for them.

So now we had a problem. Vanessa and the animatronics couldn't stay here, but there was nowhere else on Earth for them to go. There would be people looking for them, hoping to find a quick score. Their faces were all over the news and all other media platforms - everyone would know what they looked like. If only they weren't so well-known in this world, I grouched.

In this world.

In this WORLD.

Huh.

An idea started taking root in my mind and I couldn't help but try it out. "PIXAL.. do we have any offshore facilities in Ninjago? Like... storage units and such?"

Her green eyes narrowed suspiciously at me. "A few... why?"

"Are those few big enough to hold several dozen animatronics?"

"Perhaps... what are you getting at?"

"Are any of them currently in use? The Masters have been around for centuries - we've had to have expanded somewhere along the line."

"I'll have to double check the records, but I'm sure we can find one like that. Now will you tell me what your idea is?"

My head was nodding with the momentum of my idea gaining speed. "Ninjago is an entire other world - no one there has even HEARD the name Fazbear," I explained excitedly; my hands started moving animatedly even though Keru and Besu weren't on them. "If they go there, they'll have the chance to start completely over, clean slate and all! They'll get the chance to choose for themselves for a change - the endos would even get to choose their own designs! And most importantly... they'll be safe from any bounty hunters."

PIXAL angled her eyes at me skeptically. "And what of Vanessa?" She implied. "As I'm sure you're aware, the effects of being mind controlled have rendered her unable to move on her own from the waist down. Not to mention the ratio of certainty to negativity of her memory returning..."

"Yeah, I saw," I confirmed. "That's why I'm saying she should go with them. The animatronics can help her recover, and spending time with together will help rebuild their trust in her. She'll also be able to choose for herself - a luxury she didn't have when William took over her mind."

PIXAL was quiet after she heard my plan. No verbal sound came from her for a solid two minutes as she stared at my feet. All I heard was the whirring of her processors as she weighed the pros and cons of my decision.

I was afraid she was going to say no, that the idea was selfish and irresponsible, so I attempted to sweeten the pot. I crouched down slightly until I was in her field of vision, then clasped my hands in front of me and gazed up at her with big eyes. "Pleeeeaaaase, Pixie?"

The puppy dog eyes - a tried and true method of swaying my parents in my favor.

I hoped it would work on a Nindroid.

PIXAL looked at me bent at the knees in front of her and chuckled slightly. "Straighten up, Ken - you don't need to beg with me," She ordered gently. After I immediately complied, she continued, "I do know of a storage unit on the very outskirts of New Ninjago City. It overlooks the city while still being safely hidden, has a good few acres of land, and has enough space to hold all of the animatronics plus the endos plus Vanessa comfortably."

A winded sigh came from her. "Problem is it hasn't been used in several generations. There are a few items stored in its walls, but it's mostly a hodgepodge. Cleaning it all up and getting it live-able will take time and effort." She faced me almost daringly. "This is your idea. Are you sure you're up for it?"

I blinked at her before breaking into a daring smile of my own. "Were you not listening to me, Pix?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm all for it! I'll clean it all myself if I have to." Instinctively, I reached out and found all metal items in the Monastery, including PIXAL and the animatronics in the next room. "We all know I have what it takes."

One side of PIXAL's shiny lips pulled up in a smirk, wrinkling one of her circuitry-markings. "Even with the Element of Metal, I highly doubt you can clean an entire building by yourself," She told me; a chrome hand reached out and patted me condescendingly on the head.

"Hey..." I whined. "I can do it."

"Even so," PIXAL talked over me. "I think I can get you a cleaning team."

—————

6367 words.

SUPER DUPER SORRY ABOUT THIS SUPER LATE UPDATE!

Why do I procrastinate...